Author Archives: LastFullMeasure

Signs

Stories No Comments

Now Open Closed for Business

There is a tale of a saloon in a small western town, somewhere.  The exact year is not known but it was some time ago.

Gathering inside this saloon were outlaws of many types but each of whom had committed at least some sort of petty theft or minor infraction within recent memory.  All were therefore, by the book, wanted by the law, even if just for vagrancy as prosecutable by the law.

It seemed though that this growing group of outlaws actually performed some services that were argued as being beneficial to the town.  Their very presence tended to scare off the local, wild natives, some of whom would, from time to time, come to town and cause some minor disturbances.  The group of outlaws might also be used when needed to perform certain labor functions that the good people of the town chose not to do themselves.

One day the sheriff, pressed by the townspeople to do something, entered the saloon and took a seat at a table and ordered a whisky.  As he slowly consumed his drink he thought long and hard about what to do- well maybe not so hard but definitely long as he ordered a second drink, on the house of course.  At that table the sheriff had an epiphany- he would allow the outlaw group to remain in the saloon, without prosecution or persecution.  It would be almost impossible to enforce perhaps but he would inform them that they must stay in the saloon in order to remain in the town.  He would also ask them their names and where they had come from though he would have no way to confirm their answers.  He would ask them also if they had been involved in any major crimes such as murder or arson or cattle rustling or the like but he had no way to confirm that either and, in any event, it would be a huge challenge he knew to effectively prosecute any who might admit to such a past transgression.  Still, if he just asked, the townspeople might be convinced he was doing his job.

It was a decision borne of pure genius he believed and solved many problems.  There were far too many of these outlaws for him to handle, to run out of town.  The owner of the saloon gladly took money from the group and did not wish to send them away as long as the mostly behaved.  Local businesses that used some of these outlaws to perform the functions that no one else in town would do were happy with the easy, cheap source of labor.  The town people in general were wary of such a presence but a number felt, like the sheriff, that allowing them to stay would be the best solution.  What harm could it do as long as they were made to stay in the saloon?

It came to pass that, after the sheriff’s decision, anyone committing any so-called petty or minor crime in the town could not be prosecuted or would not be prosecuted.  There were already so many such individuals at the saloon that it seemed best to just allow such transgressors to join the other transgressors.  Live and let live.

As word of this arrangement was passed out into the frontier more and more came to the town.  There really wasn’t much of an effort to keep anyone out or apply any of the vagrancy laws that had been so useful and effective in the past.  It was just too much work and, besides, as the sheriff thought, they might just help him to remain as sheriff if they knew they had his support.  And the saloon keeper loved the business.

These were not the same citizens who had founded and originally populated the town.  In fact they were not citizens at all but there soon some who argued that they should be.  Their motivations for doing so were unclear but may have been humane in nature, which was odd, for very few were taking a position that they should now be prosecuted- it seemed far too late for that- just simply sent away or in some way made to abide by the original laws as established in the town’s charter.

Over time, rather quickly really, the character and essence of the town changed.  The things that had once made the town prosperous and successful faded away and were replaced with new businesses, new ventures that better suited the skillsets of the outlaws.

Over time the town was no longer much distinguished from the other towns in the territory other than that the laws were much more forgiving for anyone who entered.  It might be noted that the original laws as they applied to the older citizenry remained as established.  Older citizens were prosecuted, newer ones were not.

Over time the saloon was renovated, made larger and with facilities and amenities that helped support the growing outlaw group residing inside.  The saloon owner rather cleverly worked with the sheriff to arrange it so that this was paid for out of the town’s community chest.  Again many might have reason to protest but very few actually did.

Over time additional facilities and amenities were made available to the still-growing group but these were provided outside of the saloon.  These were also paid for by others without their specific consent or even their knowledge.  All well and good thought the saloon owner, the sheriff, and a growing number of recently established local businesses.

Over time the outlaw group, a few at first and then more soon after, were allowed and even encouraged to leave the saloon and take up residency in the town.  Citizenry quickly followed, limited at first but not, in essence, for very long.

Over time a number of the original citizenry left and along with them went a good portion of the annual contributions to the community chest.  No problem there though.  The town council, now actually consisting of some of the older and more established outlaws, determined that the answer here was not to locate new sources of business income or even to cut back on spending- they would just borrow from other towns.   This worked for a while.

One day the territorial marshal came to town and upon seeing all that had transpired in such a short period of time he made an attempt to set things right, reminding the town of their original charter and the plans and intentions of the founding citizens.  The man was arrested in short order and tried in equally short order for attempting to incite a riot.  The justice of the peace was none other than the saloon owner.  The marshal was sentenced to death by hanging and although the territorial government protested and threatened retribution the town had some time ago begun to ignore any such inconvenient intrusions or laws and so the marshal was strung up and thereafter used as an example to others who might seek to upset the new order of things.

From then on the sheriff ruled with the saloon keeper providing the background support and muscle needed to insure compliance.  The emigration of the older citizenry was stopped by decree and more immigration of the same sort was widely encouraged.  The town grew but then something happened.

Over time, rather quickly actually, the town became much less prosperous than it had been before.  There were still businesses and there were still good people, even among the recently citizenized outlaws, but the level of the skills no longer supported the newer and very successful ventures that the town had been established around and also become known for in the territory.  Things teetered slightly out of kilter at first and then fell abruptly to the side made possible by the new changes.

And as long as the sheriff and the saloon owner held power there was nothing that could be done to alter the course of things to come.

Over time the sheriff and saloon owner passed on- one was killed, murdered actually, but the perpetrator was not arrested or tried- and the town moved even further down the path it had seemingly so willingly set itself upon.  And like many other similar towns in the territory it soon became mostly irrelevant and then just seemed to fade away and off the maps altogether.

The town founders had known, often by direct experience, that this is what might happen, indeed was likely to happen, without a new type of charter.  That is why they established the charter they did.  And for a long period of time it was a good charter, some said a great charter, and it served the town and the people of the town quite well.  But as often happens, some say always happens in time, changes come along and lead to more change, none desired, and for all the wrong reasons.

There is barely a trace of that town left today.  The intentions of its founders and the reasons for its demise are all, like the actual town itself, lost now in the depths of time.

Today it is only the tumbleweeds and swirling dust devils that pass through.  And even these do not stay.

 

Say What?

Conversations No Comments

 

“What you mean?”

“What I said.  It looks like they might find the President responsible for it.”

“Well, course he was responsible but he has that right man.  He can appoint anyone he wants!”

“But it needs to be approved by the Senate and it wasn’t.”

“So you sayin’ they wouldn’t have approved the dudes?”

“Not sure but that’s not the point.”

“Sure it is man!  They don’t have the right to approve or disapprove anybody based on just that!”

“Huh?  What are you sayin’?”

“They ain’t got the right- it’s against the law!  Ain’t it?”

“That’s what I think they’re gonna say- that’s what I said.”

“Then it’s all cool.  He got the right and they can’t say no- it IS against the law!”

“Huh?  Do you know what you’re saying?”

“Sure and it’s all cool.  Besides, how can they say that just because they’re brothers?”

“Who said that?  I never said what color they were…why does that matter?”

“It matters man, you crazy?  That’s the whole point ain’t it?  If they weren’t black no one would really care or have said anything.  Whitey would have approved whitey- that’s the deal, we all know it!”

“No, it ain’t the point.  I don’t think you’re getting’ it- it doesn’t matter what color they were.”

“Then how can anybody say it was racist?”

“Racist?  The appointments?  Who said that?”

“You did man!  You said he the court was hearing a case about his racist appointments!”

“Recess, man.  I said recess..”

“Oh.  Man.  Damn!!”

 

35 Words

Political No Comments

 

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

 

Did you say that?  Did you swear to that or affirm it as is required by Article II, Section 1 of that very same Constitution?

That is the Oath of Office of the President of these United States is it not?  Thirty-five words- pretty clear in terms of what you have supposedly sworn to or affirmed.

Does an oath mean much of anything to you?  Does a promise with you fly with the winds?

How many of our Presidents have held true to those simple, plain words after they were spoken?  If you are a cynic you might say that, like all politicians, the words were mere shells, something that had to be said, to be sworn to, in order to get on with their agendas.  Perhaps sometimes true but I would choose to think not so a majority of the time.  In any event, public opinion would eventually cause re-alignment as needed over time.  This has often been true in the past.

Not so now.

It seems that it has finally happened.  The general populace has either changed so much or been made so ignorant that outrage has now been placed out of sight and out of reach.

Nowadays people get outraged if someone does or says something that may perhaps be seen as insulting to themselves or their own special interest group or in some ways endangers their own personal agendas.  They become enraged if someone even attempts to take away a freebie that they have been enjoying thanks to a large, seemingly benevolent but financially and ethically bankrupt government.  They simmer and then boil if anyone has the audacity to state a position counter to their own on abortion, gay marriage, quota systems, welfare programs, health insurance, corporate or personal taxes, the legality of the use of hallucinogenics or narcotics, religious freedoms, allowable freedom of speech, the right to bear arms, military spending, global warming, birth control, voting laws, illegal immigration enforcement, intelligence collection rights of the federal government, the death penalty, the conferred  powers of the myriad government agencies…the list goes on and on.

A good number of those issues, arguably key issues in these times, are not even referenced in our founding documents but they can all be argued within that framework if we chose to do so, as we have done so often in our history.

It sadly seems though the use of that framework, even a belief in that framework, in the very founding document that has served us longer and more faithfully than any other associated with any other standing representative republic (note I did not say democracy and if you don’t know the difference then that may be a great place for you to start your move away from ignorance) in the world, well, it sadly seems that these are no longer of much concern to a rising percentage of the population.

You don’t understand the Constitution or why it was drafted in the manner that it was and it appears that you don’t really want to bother to learn.  I guess you’re not capable or are maybe just too lazy- which is it?

Did you know how much historical political thought went into that document?  Just because we now have such amazingly advanced technology or such a widely accepted spectrum of lifestyles does not mean that historical lessons can now be forgotten or ignored.

Perhaps it is just too late for us.  It has been known since the dawn of time that the way to rule is through the application of force, apparent or implied, and the calculated introduction of a steadily expanding epidemic of ignorance.

I will rule you because you are either too scared or too stupid for there to be any other possible outcome.

Shame on you, shame on us.

“I do solemnly swear that I will execute accordingly the Office of President of the United States, and to the extent that is deemed necessary, reform, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

Thirty-five simple words.  Does it really matter?

Almost 13

Personal No Comments

 

I have twin boys who will soon be thirteen.

My wife & I have tried our best to raise them right, to prepare them for adulthood as best we could.

Are they ready for it?

I guess that we will see in the coming months and years.

The one thing that we could not prepare them for though is what will be left to them, and their generation, by me and mine.

How in the hell will we, will they, ever pay down a $17.3 TRILLION debt that is only getting larger by the day with no end in sight?

How will they handle the unfunded entitlements that will likely leave them and their friends with next to nothing to show for what they might work for, what we and our parents and grandparents did work for?  There will be nothing left of the security net for them.

This is despicable and unforgivable and, if they ask, I will have nothing to say.

Happy 13th birthday boys- I wonder what your 23rd & 33rd will be like…

So, Who’s Moving In?

Thought Exercises No Comments

The next one is pretty straightforward but can have endless variants.

You and your wife, along with your two beautiful children, moved into the neighborhood three years ago.  It is a nice neighborhood of middle class families from several, but not all, walks of life.  A good number are just like you.  The schools are decent and your kids like the one that they attend with the many friends they have made.  The neighbors are nice and fairly open but most seem to appreciate some privacy, like you.  Crime is low but not non-existent.  There are houses of worship for several religions within a reasonable distance.  Most of the things a younger family looks for in a neighborhood are here in your community.

You have a house that is quite attractive if a bit on the small side.  You keep it up nicely and pay extra attention to how it appears from the street.  You and your wife love to get outside with the kids to work on the landscaping- you often seem to be planting or maintaining something and have even been kidded about this by your recent next-door neighbors, the Grants, who just moved away when Bill was transferred with his company.  You also like to spend as much time as possible in the backyard playing with the kids.  There is a fence, it helps to keep in your small and active dog and it offers a touch of privacy but it is still rather easy to see all of your immediate neighbors’ yards and then some.  Sometimes you wish it provided a bit more seclusion and have even done some plantings to help provide that down the road.

The real estate market for this area is good.  It is a suburb but still not far from the urban area, most of which you enjoy visiting, most of which is safe but there are some neighborhoods it is best to avoid and they seem to be getting closer to your neighborhood over time.  The “For Sale” sign was not up for long in the Grants’ front yard before you notice the realtor beginning to show the house.  Fortunately you have taken that week off of work, not to vacation, but to work on your house and yard and are therefore conveniently outside a lot, with your wife and kids, and able to see and meet prospective buyers.

You were not too upset to see the Grants move.  Their kids were much older than your own so your relationship was cordial but not close.  You often wished they would have spent more time taking care of their house and property as it looked a good bit shabbier than your own and you were worried about the impact on your own property value.  Though you hadn’t told any neighbors there is a job you are pursuing downstate and would readily relocate if you landed it so the resale value of your home had become even more important lately. 

The first day the realtor brings by a younger Asian couple- they are probably Chinese- who have two younger kids. They seem nice but speak a lot in their native tongue.  They are dressed cleanly and ask you a few questions about the neighborhood.  They tell you that they are moving from a condo where they lived mainly due to the fact that they liked to have the property maintenance provided- they both work and don’t have a lot of time to spend on much else after work and the kids.  The dad, in fact, tells you he really doesn’t like doing much work on or around the house.

The next day a black couple comes by to look at the house.  They have three kids, two boys and a girl, all either teens or close to being teens, but the kids are not with them.  You find out that they are looking to move from one of the urban areas that you usually try to avoid.  There are a few hints provided during conversation that they may not be married and you start to wonder if the man is the biological father of the kids but there is, of course, no way to find out short of bluntly asking.  He seems nice enough but the woman comes across with a bit of an attitude.  When the realtor mentions that the property could use some outside TLC the couple agrees and both say they look forward to spending a lot of time outside.  In the city their kids have a lot of friends and they are looking forward to having more outside area where the kids and their friends can hang out.

Day three is interesting.  The realtor brings by a family of Muslims in the morning and a family of Jews in the afternoon.  The similarities are amazing.  Both have kids the same age as your own.  The Muslim mother and the Jewish father both appear dressed in the traditional style of those deeply devoted to their religion and, indeed, make references to their respective holy books during conversation.  Their children are quiet and seem to be respectful.  Both families seem well-kept and middle class like your own family.  You find nothing out about their willingness to spend time improving the appearance of the property to a level you would prefer.    

The fourth day finds a white family from Iowa looking at the house.  They have several kids ranging in age from below to above that of your own kids and their kids have accompanied the parents on this house hunting trip- they thought they would visit the big city that dad would soon be working in.  The kids are nice but rather misbehaved and a bit mouthy and disrespectful at times.  The mom seems to be someone who would be a neighborhood busybody given how much she is talking and also how many comments she is making about the folks she has seen in the neighborhood- she even makes a few somewhat forward remarks about your own family who she sees out in the backyard.  They are dressed okay but the kids seem a bit rumpled and your wife tells you later on that the teen-aged daughter appeared a bit on the trampy side and likely has a lot of boyfriends.  They are not a young couple but do emphasize that they like to have a good time and ask about the neighbors and if most like to party.  This would be the fifth house they have lived in and they seem to know a good bit about home maintenance and also about landscaping- they compliment you and your wife on your own house and lot.

On Friday there are two more showings to prospective buyers, once again with amazing similarities.  Both are young single mothers with two very young kids.  Each brings along a boyfriend but it is unclear if he will be a live-in or not.  There is no mention of a biological father or ex-husband.  Both are overweight and do not dress to cover up much of anything.  Each has at least one visible tattoo and one visible body piercing.  Both women talk loudly and appear to be the in-your-face type.  Each mentions how many hours she works so it would seem that there will be a lot of times when their kids will be left unsupervised and it sure doesn’t seem like she will have much time for home upkeep.  You secretly wonder if these last two showings aren’t due to some new requirement for realtors to have to show properties to a certain number of lower class clients but, of course, you say nothing and do not ask such a question.  One woman is black, the other is white.

On Saturday morning you and your wife talk over coffee about the folks who have been shown the old Grant house.  You discuss your observations and impressions; do they seem like nice people?; do they have kids who are close in age to your own and will they be friends?; will they be able and willing to put time into improving the appearance of the house and yard?; what sort and how many visitors will they have?; will the older kids have lots of older friends hanging out and what will they be like?’; will there be a lot of parties or backyard barbeques and will it be noisy?; if they do have a lot of visitors will they park in front of your house or encroach on your property?; will what they do, how will they live, and how will their living there impact the resale value of your own home?  Many such questions are brought up and discussed.

On Sunday afternoon the realtor stops by to ask a question about the Grants property and, as she’s leaving she turns to ask you “so, what do you think?”  This woman is like one of the prospective buyers but not like you.  You give her your answer and also what you think are acceptable reasons for thinking the way that you do.

On Sunday evening you are watching a game on TV with your best-friend neighbor Willy.  He is just like you.  He asks the same question that the realtor asked.  You give him your answer and also what you think are acceptable reasons for thinking the way that you do.

What was your response to each of these fine people?

Check Here if Dissatisfied…if You Dare

Thought Exercises No Comments

Hi.

I’ve been thinking a lot lately about thought experiments.  They’re pretty harmless right?  Yet they can offer difficult but revealing views of a particular topic, of a moral or ethical conundrum, or even of our friends, neighbors and, most critically, ourselves.

For example one that I remember (and it is pretty unnerving so please don’t read further unless you have a strong enough constitution) is where a terrorist (this is modernized from a nazi or communist) has each of your only two children held captive and at gunpoint.  There is a gun pointed at each and you are standing there, bound and likewise at gunpoint.

“One must die” he says to you coldly.  “You must pick and you have one minute to do so.  Pick neither and they will both be shot.”  Both children look at you but you find it almost impossible to meet their terrified, desperate eyes.

Now you don’t know if he absolutely means or will do what he says.  If you do not choose he will kill both and then may or may not also kill you.  If you choose one child he may shoot that child as he said or shoot the other- maybe he will shoot both no matter what.  If you do not choose he may shoot you first but that would spare you from having to see what would follow so that is unlikely to such an evil person.  Is he testing your love for your children or just a wicked sadist?  Is there a way to stall or somehow get free and save both your children and then yourself?  Could you offer yourself instead and would he accept and honor that?  Honor?  From a terrorist?  (Or nazi or communist?)

Time is ticking so what do you do?

Okay, so this is an extreme example.  I have a few that I want to put out there and I will start with a simple one.

This is 2014, mid-term election year.  Lots of choices right?

How about this.  On your ballot there is a box at the bottom.  There is a bold explanation of this box in all caps just next to it:

“BY CHECKING THIS BOX YOU INDICATE THAT ALTHOUGH YOU ARE CASTING A VOTE YOU ARE NOT     SATISFIED WITH THE CANDIDATES LISTED ON THIS BALLOT.”

So, would you check it?

Now, let’s say the explanation instead said:

“BY CHECKING THIS BOX YOU INDICATE THAT ALTHOUGH YOU ARE CASTING A VOTE YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH THE CANDIDATES LISTED ON THIS BALLOT  AND ARE WILLING TO BE CONTACTED FOR A FOLLOW-UP TO HELP ASCERTAIN THE REASON OR REASONS FOR YOUR DISSATISFACTION.”

Still check it?

Another:

“BY CHECKING THIS BOX YOU INDICATE THAT ALTHOUGH YOU ARE CASTING A VOTE YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH EITHER THE CANDIDATES LISTED ON THIS BALLOT OR YOUR LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL BE CONTACTED TO DETERMINE THE REASON OR REASONS FOR YOUR DISSATISFACTIONS.”

Still good to check?

Last one now:

“BY CHECKING THIS BOX YOU INDICATE THAT ALTHOUGH YOU ARE CASTING A VOTE YOU ARE NOT SATISFIED WITH EITHER THE CANDIDATES LISTED ON THIS BALLOT OR YOUR LOCAL, STATE, OR FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WILL THEN BE SUBJECT TO A COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW, TO INVOLVE PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL FINANCIAL INFORMATION INCLUDING CREDIT HISTORY; GENERAL DOCUMENTATION; WORK AND EDUCATION HISTORY; CRIMINAL AND ARREST RECORDS; COMMUNICATIONS HISTORY AND RECORDS; MEDICAL HISTORY AND RECORDS; AND ANY OTHER AREAS NOT HEREIN INDICATED BUT DEEMED IMPORTANT TO SUCH REVIEW BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THESE UNITED STATES AND/OR ANY OF ITS DESIGNATED AGENCIES.  YOU ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT SUCH REVIEW MAY, BY LAW OR FIAT, BE ENHANCED TO INCLUDE MEMBERS OF YOUR IMMEDIATE FAMILY; YOUR EXTENDED FAMILY; YOUR BUSINESS CONTACTS, CUSTOMERS, AND ASSOCIATES; AND, IN GENERAL, ANY AND ALL RELATIONSHIPS AND OR CONTACTS NOT HEREIN INDICATED BUT DEEMED IMPORTANT TO SUCH REVIEW BY THE GOVERNMENT OF THESE UNITED STATES AND/OR ANY OF ITS DESIGNATED AGENCIES.”

If you are happy with your governments and your candidates then all is well.  But, if not, do you check this box?

Yeah, I thought so.

Welcome to 2014.

Challenges America

Uncategorized No Comments

 

When did things get so easy for some and come at the expense of others? 

When I was young I was taught, as was every other kid I knew, that there were things that had to be done; so we did them.  We were also told that there were things that could be done; so if we had time and the inclination we did those too.  After all the things that had to be done and all the things that could be done were done there then remained things that might be done.  These were the things that existed as goals, as dreams.

I was raised in a lower-middle class family in the middle of a middle-class neighborhood (they weren’t called communities so much then- well maybe the banks were) so dreams were not in abundance but they did exist.  You just had to go find them.  And once you found them you had to then go after them.

When I was young my mother died.  She died of after a five year battle with cancer.  The dreams I was pursuing in music (piano), sports (mostly baseball at that time), Scouts, art (I was trying at least) and many other areas were suddenly put on hold or died right along with her.  I don’t really blame this on anything, it just happened. Maybe I could have managed to overcome the challenges then placed before me so that I could continue to pursue my young and simple dreams but my dad worked a lot and things just sort of floated away from me.  I was just eleven and had to learn all about taking care of myself and doing what was necessary for the family. 

I learned to get myself ready for school; I learned to cook (a little at least); I learned how to iron clothes and do laundry; I learned how to do homework without much help at home; I learned how to come home to an empty house in a changing neighborhood and not be too scared.

I never really dreamed about becoming an engineer but I became one nonetheless.  Since I had managed to get good grades in high school I managed to get some scholarship money and that, coupled with working and some financial aid, allowed me to pursue a degree in electrical engineering.

From there I managed to survive some bad decisions and a less-than-exemplary lifestyle and gain control of myself and my financial well-being.  I finally purchased a house, got married, had kids, and have a wonderful family.  I’m not sure that I am ready for retirement having recently lost my job but I am much more ready than I would have been if I had not faced and overcome many challenges along the way.

My challenges were nothing in comparison to some folks of course.  My success is not all that unique or amazing.  But, in sum, the things that I have done have left me perhaps in the “top 10-15%” and I would be a 1%er if I could and I would try not to be labeled one of the 99%ers if I could in any way avoid being dolloped into that nomenclature. 

That is the way it should be.  Do what needs to be done and do what you can.  After all that then do what you might and be what you would dream to be.

And then, don’t blame yourself or your situation on someone or something else.  Throw off the shackles, get the sheet off your face, smell the damn coffee, see the light of day, stop your whining, quit expecting something for nothing, and get on with becoming somebody.  Take a dream and pursue it; set a goal and achieve it; face your challenges, face life, and overcome them. 

Respect yourself.  Respect yourself.

Oh yeah, my biggest dream outside of having a wonderful family?  To write and become a writer.  That’s something I never seriously pursued and therefore never had the chance to achieve but I pray that there is still enough time for me.  At least I have started and I can respect that.

The Earth…and baseball…and the United States of America

Uncategorized No Comments

What is it that Mr. Berra supposedly uttered once upon a time in the land of the Imperial Yankee?

Oh yeah:  “it ain’t over til it’s over”.

Wise man Yogi.  Smart bear too.

Some things are fairly certain in baseball.  You usually have either 24 or 27 outs in which to complete the game and claim victory or defeat.  Sometimes it’s less if the weather does not cooperate but then it might only be suspended or postponed and not completed.  Sometimes it’s more as needed until it is over- when it’s over.  And only the home guy can end it with one swing.

You can be up by a little or a lot- down by the same or different measures.  It might be close and nip and tuck.  If it’s early in the game then there is time to come back.  There is also time to blow a big lead.  Even in a single inning.

And while six outs define an official full inning by the rules it only provides the boundaries and does nothing to describe all that happens within.  That is why we play, why we coach, why we watch.

Like baseball other sports can end in a tie in regulation but almost all have a mechanism to extend the playing time and offer a chance to get things finally decided.  Hockey shootouts aside (does anyone like those damn things?) there is the inescapable element of a ticking clock that will, in the end, figure large in the final outcome.   If you are down, if you are behind, then time can indeed run out on you.

But consider a game of pure and beautiful sport-yes, that is baseball you cheeseheads- and a seemingly endless and cloudless and warm day on which to play it, under the sun or under the lights.  Ah, there is always hope to win right up until that last out is recorded or the home guy brings in the winner.

Two out rally?  You betcha!

Walk-off homerun?  Watch it soar and hear the roar.

A fastball up in the zone, a diving shortstop on a hot liner, a quick-handed corner man at third, a dig at first, a leaping center-fielder to maybe bring it back in from over the fence…

A.J. Pierzynksi deciding to just take off after a wagging strike three.

The possibilities are endless.

And even when you are up, in the same inning you may find yourself down yet again.  But you’re the home guy and the final say may be yours.

Who knows the score of the game when it comes to Mother Earth or even what inning it is?  Could the game be called because of rain?  Sure, I suppose that it could and there are many out there who, when they see the clouds forming, head swiftly for the concourse or even the exit.  But maybe, just maybe the storm blows over or the tarp gets down in time and the rain is not enough to wash things out…and then the game goes on.  And where are you?

We think I think that we know the score where our country is concerned.  There have been a lot of good pitches and missed strikes, successful sacrifices and caught foul pops, swiped bases and smooth pickoffs, successful hit and runs, Splendid Splinters and Babes and Hammerin Hanks and Say Hey Kids and Micks and Caseys and Iron Mans and Denkingers and Buckners and Joyces and Bartmans and Black Sox and long, high balls that looked like they may never come down.

There is always hope, another chance to bring that man on second home and claim final victory.  We just have to keep making sure we have more guys crossing the plate than they do.  Final raps are nice too.

In the end, that’s how you win.  Big ball or small ball, the final score on the board is what matters.

And it ain’t over til it’s over.

 

 

Team Chemistry

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I was wondering why so many of our elected officials, at the local, state and federal levels, seem to forget where they came from so quickly, seem to move from the positions they occupied during their campaigns, seem quite too often and too quickly to say something quite different from what they said before.  I wondered but it was sort of a rhetorical musing.

Does absolute power mess people up absolutely?

How the heck does a local school board member acquire absolute power?  How much water is required to fill up the container until it overflows?  And why don’t they seem to notice when their feet wind up getting wet?

Someday I plan to investigate the federal monster known as the Bureaucracy- some refer to this as the Administrative State which implies it is put into place and tailored by each succeeding administration but I think it survives each mostly intact, only larger and more sinister- but I’m not sure that I have the courage to look in the darkened dungeon.  I tend to be scared of scary places.  For now let’s just focus on the elected folks who we are still, in the end I suppose, responsible for putting into place.

But are we really?

Oh sure we may wind up electing them, assuming that is the candidate we actually voted for, but once they win do they occupy a place of our choosing?  Once we have an elected official, some call him or her a representative, does he or she not then represent all of us, all of the electorate, in carrying out the responsibilities of the particular office?  If he or she are of a different party how soon are we forgotten or ignored?  If we happen to be in the same party and have an opinion or position that differs with the elected person representing us do we matter that much longer?  How much money do we have to control, how many votes do we have to bring before we really matter?

Someone told me once that the folks we elect actually work for us.  Really, that’s what I was told.  I think that is maybe where the word representative came from a long time ago.

Q:  “Why don’t you do as you said you would?”

R:  “You don’t understand, I have to go along to get along before I can get anything done like that.”

Q:  “But you voted on other things that we didn’t really care about, things we didn’t send you there to pursue.  Why?”

R:  “Because it’s important.”

Q:  “To whom?”

R:  “Look you don’t understand but it’s not really your fault- a lot of folks back home don’t either.”

Q:  “What don’t I understand?  What don’t we understand?”

R:  “It’s hard to explain so that you can understand.”

Q:  “Huh?”

R:  “Look, I can’t just show up and buck the system, I can’t just rock the boat, I can’t just swim upstream, I can’t just go against the grain, “I can’t-“

Q:  “Ok, ok I got it.  But why not?”

R:  “If I could even explain it you wouldn’t understand but you should realize that there are people there, powerful people who want things a certain way and they are going to get it no matter what.”

Q:  “Then why go there, why run for the office?”

R:  “To make a difference.  But it takes time, you don’t understand.  These people-“

Q:  “The powerful ones?”

R:  “Yes, them, they-“

Q:  “Are they corrupt as well?  Are they honest?”

R:  “Well, yes and no- or maybe it’s no and yes- it’s just so hard to explain.  You shouldn’t really worry about it, that’s my job.”

Q:  “But we sent you there assuming you would do a job that you’re not really doing.”

R:  “I need to go along first, just to get along.  And then I-“

Q:  “Become a team player?”

A:  “Exactly.”

What Price You?

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I knew an accountant who worked for a large corporation, the same one that I did.  I was in engineering not accounting.  Engineering management actually so I was responsible for more than just circuits, modules, assemblies, and tech pubs.

Somewhere along the line it had become common practice to obscure some of the real costs associated with the manufacturing of a product in manners such as offering rebates for larger purchase commitments or the shifting of actual purchase orders from one quarter to another.  You would need to understand the nature of the learning curve of a new product or line of products to understand how this might be construed as an attempt to make the finances of a new product launch, and by association, the financial viability and longevity of an organization within a corporation if not the corporation itself, appear better than they actually were, and more worthy of future investment.

I called out a specific practice that I saw as somewhat questionable and, in fact, I flatly refused to execute my particular part of this practice.  I alerted the accountant who noted my concerns and thanked me for my inputs.  Subsequently and in rather short order the responsibility for my particular part of this process was given to another manager and I was re-assigned to a lesser, more mature product line pretty much without any supporting reason.  The practice was completed and the accountant seemed to disappear from existence.  The new manager was promoted within a year while I watched from a distance, one foot already out the door.

Such is life.  Such is the way we all make a living sometimes.

When you went to the manager of your son’s travel soccer team not to talk about how your son was doing or how you might lend a hand to help out the team but rather to complain about why a seemingly sub-standard player was added to the roster for this year (“our league standing might be compromised!”) who or what made you do this?  Did you ever have any regrets later on when additional parents joined in your behind-the-back protest and the coach relented by cutting back on the questioned player’s field time?  Did the coach have any reservations or regrets in doing what he did?  And, just for the sake of my own interest, do you know how the benched player felt after having giving his all to wind up receiving so little in return for his hard and honest efforts?  Did it matter that he was just 10 years old and loved to play soccer more than just about anything in his troubled life?  Didn’t think so.

When you won that state congressional seat and then was put to task in regard to that right-to-work bill and ignored the majority opinion of your constituents, the majority opinion of the union workers, and your own best judgment to align your vote with the position of the union leadership just so you could best guarantee your own re-election bid did it challenge your moral basis in the least?  When three companies later left the state and threw off well over 1300 jobs in the process did you think about the unemployed or were those votes fairly insignificant at that time?

When you turned your head as the Nazis marched those ghetto Jews into the work camps did you wonder how you could simply pretend to not know their inevitable fates?  Is that when you stopped believing in a higher power that would one day sit in judgment of you?  Did a pall of shame ever descent upon you later on in life or did you just continue to close your eyes and your memory and just hope for the best?

Did you ever keep money or something else of value that you knew belonged to someone else instead of trying to find the true owner?  Did you try to explain this to your kids?

Was it okay that your daughter’s softball team won the league championship by cheating?  Was it made okay by the fact that everyone on your side, parents and players and coaches alike, all knew and all kept quiet- and then celebrated the big victory at a local pizza parlor and pub?  Not the means, just the end.  Clean that trophy off nicely and place it high in a prominent shelf along with all the others.

Did you ever change into someone you swore that you never would and then just pass it off as part of growing up and getting what is yours?  Was it okay because everyone does it?

When was the last time you did something that was of a high moral or ethical caliber?  Something that you didn’t have to broadcast to the world, just something that was thoroughly and silently the absolute right thing to do.  How did that make you feel?  Did your kids know or see it or even understand it?  How did they feel?

Over time it seems okay to drop the price of things as they become easier to obtain.  Could be a new toy, could be a commodity, could be a larger flat panel TV.  Could also be me, could also be you.  We’ve become pretty easy to obtain.

Don’t make yourself a sale item.  Life is too short and integrity too rare and precious.

If two cities existed with one populated by people just like what you wanted to be and the other by people just like what you have become which one would you rather live in today?

It’s just not easy to repair a bridge with broken pilings driven into loose bedrock.