An Attack on our Democracy

 Today I was robbed.  It wasn’t a robbery of valuable personal property or an invasion into my home.  It also was not an attack on my person or a threat to my life.  It was far worse. 

 Today, a constitutionally guaranteed right of citizenship, Freedom of Speech, was attacked. Freedom of Speech is a foundational right from which our Democracy is derived and thrives.

Freedom of Speech, especially during times of our National elections, is the keystone to our Democracy.  Without it, we are nothing more than a Banana Republic struggling to survive the whims of those in power.  Every four years we hold a public debate on the issues of our time in order to decide who will lead us.  This debate is a crucial element of the decision-making process.  It is designed to allow every citizen an opportunity to express their opinions on whatever topic they deem important.   In this arena of public debate where ideas flow and decisions are made.  This public examination of issues allows us to dream of a better future and set the priorities in how to attain it.

 At the end of the debate a leader is chosen and we experience one of the most unique and important aspects of our democracy – a peaceful transition of power.  The election of who becomes President is an expression of the Will of the People as realized in public expressions of opinions and through participation in the voting process.  Both elements of this process are critical.

 How was I robbed?  Someone decided to take away my right to post a sign in a public place that expressed my views and opinions.  Everyone who participates in the theft or vandalism of a legally posted yard sign is robbing people of their rights to Free Speech which, in turn, tears down the fabric of our Democracy.  Yes, you should have passion for your beliefs, but when you also honor the beliefs of others and allow for that expression to exist you are building a stronger Democracy.

 

48 hours later…

 OMG! The sign was returned and put back into position.  At least it looks somewhat like my sign from what I can read between the spray-painted letters “Antifa”.  We have now elevated this crime from simple larceny to an act of fear-mongering and threat.

 As many you have learned over the past couple of years “Antifa” stands for a loosely organized group of militants that have taken it upon themselves to stand up against the presence of Fascism, where ever it may raise its ugly head in the world.  Fascism is a loosely used term such as “They are Left-wing Fascists”  which I believe Trump was responsible for saying but I could be wrong.  Fascism is a very real, definable term.  “Fascism is a political philosophy, movement, or regime (such as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition.” By Merriam Webster.  Antifa or Anti-Fascism, by definition, is the opposite of Fascism.

 To infer, as the painter of the sign has done, that Antifa is some evil threat against our democracy is to align himself with Fascism, instead.  Only those with ill-intent would want to known as Fascists… unless, of course they truly are Fascists.

The most common example to come to mind when talking about Fascism is Adolph Hitler.  Millions of people were killed by his henchmen, the SS, in the name of race superiority and the willingness to destroy everything and everyone who did not agree with you. Hitler has not been the only fascist in history and to have a better understanding of how fascism arises and where it has occurred in modern history, I highly recommend reading Madeleine Albright’s book Fascism: A Warning.

 Fascism is the worse rendition of governance that humankind can inflict on each other.  Not only do the leaders want to gain power and riches, they want to annihilate an entire race or group of people in the process.  They gather their forces together under a flag of pure hatred.  The enemies are de-humanized to the point that the only logical result is to wipe them from the face of the earth.  Rwanda’s Armed Forces in the early 1990’s referred to the Tutsi as cockroaches as they murdered 500,000 to a 1,000,000 of them over a 100-day period.  This is always the goal and objective of Fascism, to wipe out the people they perceive to be less-than human and a scourge on the earth.

 Fascism is alive in many parts of the world today, including in the United States.  The proliferation of Nazis and Confederate flags are proof.  The White Nationalist rally in Charlottesville, VA in 2017 was a prime example of hate-filled rage where the marchers chanted “Jews will not replace us.” Trump is also creating a group of henchmen referred to TT or Trumps Troops that are being sent out to deal with the plague of liberalism.  Because of its ever-present threat, a group such as Antifa is a natural response.  Those who have been victimized by the pure and odium loathing of Fascism will naturally stand up and say, “Never again.”  If they don’t, if no one stands up, Fascism will rear return again and again.

 So, I have decided to leave the sign standing as long as it will be left alone in order to reveal the true feelings that lie in the heart of the perpetrator.  He is filled with hate and he wants to instill fear in the supporters of Biden.  If you think this is an isolated case, then you have not been reading the newspaper.   Trump rallies are filled with hate-spewed fans, yelling at the top of their lungs “F$CK Liberals.”  Yes, liberals are the cockroaches in the Trump world, and they see us as disease that must be eliminated.  They are lining up at voting areas to intimidate voters from voting.  They are doing everything in their power to eliminate us as a threat to their Supreme Leader and they believe we must be eliminated.

 If the intimidation and hate-spewing does not do the job, their AK and AR machine guns will.  They will not allow a peaceful transition of government should Biden win the election.  They will destroy everything they can touch. 

 And the proof they are living in our own quiet neighborhoods in middle-class America is the picture of their artwork on my effort at Free Speech and my view that Democracy is worth fighting for.

The Death of a Democracy

 

Jim and Denise Crace along with their four young children paid a visit last night for a barbeque and some play time with our two kids.  It had been a regular event between our two families over the past couple of years but we had drifted apart recently, mostly due to the rising rancor that had evolved during Jim and my political discussions.  The women had decided to put a hiatus to the family gatherings until the political season reached an end and when less politically-charged times resumed.  However even though the elections were completed, it seemed that Jim and I were still at odds over the outcome as our ire continued to boil with the slightest provocation.

 

In an attempt to keep the family relationships strong for the children’s sake, Denise and my wife, Jill, decided to put on an early holiday get-together where the kids could rejoin their playful friendships while the husbands would hopefully set aside our political acrimony through a link of common interests; a championship football game involving a team we both followed closely.

 

Everything seemed to be going well as Jill and Denise watched over the children’s activity while preparing the half-time feast of chicken wings, hot dogs and hamburgers.  At the half-time break and with food in hand, Jim and I had wandered into my den to look at the new aquarium I had installed.  It was an excessively large tank that had become the wall between my office and the family room.

 

As we viewed a nondescript roil of activity at the top of the tank, Jim suggested that if I floated a couple of baseballs on the surface it would give some of the amphibians in the tank a refuge to crawl on.  I retrieved three softballs from a drawer that had been left over from a 4^th of July co-ed game played in the park a few years earlier.  Each ball was a different color representing the colors of the flag.

 

“Is everything about the flag for you? God I’m sick and tired of your jingoistic patriotism in everything you do?” muttered an increasingly irritated Jim.

 

Ignoring his comment I put the colored softballs into the tank, the churning slowed and the individual characteristics of the different species in the tank became clear.  Small turtles and frogs had made their way up onto the softballs, leaving behind larger specimens of turtle and fish swimming separately and more peacefully beneath.  “It works,” I said.  “They like the colors even if you don’t.”

 

“We’ll see, we’ll see.”

 

With the ensuing calm a new fish emerged from a cave in the bottom of tank.  At first they were relatively small.  “Albino eels!” Jim proclaimed. “Where did you find those?”

 

Before I could answer that I had no idea, large, serpentine specimens of the eels meandered out of the cave, twisting their way up into the tank.  Their action was hypnotic at first as the size and beauty of the motion captured us all in a sense of awe.  I could see through the glass that the children had discovered the aquarium and were mesmerized by the activity from the family room.  Suddenly, an adult eel struck, engorging itself with one of the larger tropical fish that had happened to swim by.

 

“Yeah, those critters are not great for a community tank.  They are always armed and ready to destroy everything in their path.  There are not very many fish that will survive their onslaught once they are gathered in large numbers, riled up and ready to fight. They will take over and destroy everything.  They are a lot like your political party… destroying everything that is good in our country.”

 

I shrugged and threw out a quick barb, “It’s your people in the streets with guns, scaring all the good people in our country.  I have no idea where those eels came from.”   I did not know where the eels came from. I didn't put them in the tank. Anyway, what I could do to save the tank but the half-time show had ended and we needed to return to the game.  “I guess that’s a problem for tomorrow. Perhaps things will calm down once, the fish all settle in to their new surroundings.  Let’s get back to the game.  It looks like we can win this one.”

 

In the meantime, the wives were relishing the relatively peaceful gathering of families, as peaceful as six children will allow.  The kids were outside on the trampoline while the women watched from the patio enjoying a couple of after-dinner glasses of wine.  Suddenly a scream erupted from the family room and Denise shouted, “Where are Caroline and Demi?” Everyone rushed to find out what was wrong.

 

Caroline, Jim and Denise’s oldest, was standing in front of the aquarium banging on the glass of the aquarium screaming, “Leave her alone!” Rolling around in the bottom of the tank, wrapped in sheet that looked tattered and grayed like old parchment paper, was the youngest of their family, Demi.  The water was boiling with activity as the eels repeatedly attacked the shards of her parchment encapsulated body. 

 

“How did she get in there?” I asked. “Somebody call 911.  Help me get her out.”

 

Very calmly but filled with rage, Jim looked at me and pronounced, “I knew nothing good would come out of this ‘party’.  Nothing good could ever come from people with your views.  I knew the minute ‘HE’ won the election that our lives would be destroyed.  This is your fault and my lawyers are going to have a field day.”

 

I tried reaching into the tank but the embroiled eel would not be dissuaded.  I sat helplessly and watched Demi Crace die.

 

 

Note from author:  Last night’s politically-induced dream of helplessness.

 

Still a Suffragette? (unpublished LTE August 13, 2020)

Women have been fighting for an equal role in our society for at least 170 years since Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony teamed up together in 1851 to begin the fight for the right for women to vote. 2020 marks the one hundredth anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment which afforded women this important right. 

Sometimes lost in the dim recesses of our collective memories is the amount of sheer determination and guts it took to gain equality in the voting booth. Women who became known as Suffragettes were not only criticized for their beliefs but were severely and disparagingly attacked as being unlady-like, too manly, harsh and vile hags. They were accused of being a threat to the traditional family which would lead to the end of “true womanhood.” They were accused of not having the intelligence required for voting and if they did their brains would become bigger and heavier causing their wombs to atrophy. It was argued women voting would disrupt family life; reversing gender roles, abusing their husbands and neglecting their children. 

Name calling and withering attacks still exist to this day. When President Trump remarked after Kamala Harris was named as the Democratic Vice-Presidential candidate that she was “nasty” it was an attempt to belittle and degrade her and all women. 

The one-hundred year celebration of the signing of the 19th Amendment should be one of those events we all embrace as a great feat in American history. It is time that we set aside our disgraceful and limiting labels against women which have lingered throughout our history and, instead, truly celebrate how great our country is and can be simply because women and the men that supported them have cared enough to fight for freedom and equality for all.

I Am Worried – Are You?

 

I’m sitting in the comfort of a new RV which we purchased in order to attend the birth of our second grandchild.  Nothing is more important than maintaining and celebrating with family on special events like the birth of a child.  Can we afford a $100,000 vehicle, but how else could we safely travel during the pandemic?  What about the risks of driving 2500 miles cross country? How do I stay focused on the recovery of my business along with the jobs of 25 people while looking at corn fields for five days at a 55-mile per hour clip?  How do I stay informed of the issues facing our country that are so dramatically changing by the hour?  What if we catch COVID along the way and infect our loved ones? What future do we really have in store especially if I get sick… if they get sick?  We have so many people that depend on us.  What if I should get sick and die… what happens them, to those I love; to everyone who depends on me…..

Yes, I am worried - are you?

I just read an opinion article in the Wall Street Journal entitled “America Is a Coalition of the Worried”  which is responsible for this distressed mood this morning. We are all worried and yet we do not like to dwell on it. Other than a few “did you hear..?” comments with friends, we try to avoid the deep dive into the sink hole of hopelessness.  Yet the ugly head of despondency is rising up in front of us, threatening to overwhelm us at any moment.  Even the cheeriest of us all recognize its presence in their lives.  No one can answer the question, “what will tomorrow bring?”  And if you try to carve out a hope-filled reply you find, in your heart, a lack of commitment and a dearth of uncertainty.

Yes, I’m depressed.  I admit it, but when I look into the eyes of my newly born granddaughter I feel an overwhelming responsibility, in some way, to dig out of this hole we have got ourselves into. We owe it to our children to rebuild a sense of hope for them.  We owe them a future in which they can dream beautiful dreams; imagine amazing futures; experience unlimited opportunities.  We owe every child a future.  It is our responsibility as parents and grandparents.  We cannot simply sit back in our cocoon of despair pining away at the good ole days and blaming others for what has become of our world.  Being angry and trying to place blame may be a deserving point of view at this moment in our lives but we do not have the luxury of brooding or the privilege of despair.  We have a duty and we are being called upon to exact that duty.  Now, and I mean today, is the time to act.  We need to take action immediately for the sake of our children.  This is not exactly an Obi Wan Kenobi type of calling of the guard but we are their only hope.  We are the only hope for the future of our world.

It is time to stand up and take charge.

What did I just hear?  Was there a whine out there in your midst?  A murmur of “what can I do?”  After that inspiring prose calling us all to action, is there someone still sitting in a mire of muck called uselessness?  Do you lack the courage?  How about audacity?  Did you not once dream of being a Prince Valiant or a Nancy Drew?  Wasn’t your heart filled with possibilities at the words: “To boldly go where no one has gone before?”  Come on.  It is within you.  You can be cheeky, nervy, brash and unflinching. I know you can.  All I’m saying is this: “NOW IS THE TIME!”  There is no one but you.  Stand up, join the throng, turn this country on its ear, protest, organize, vote… there is much to be done.

You are their only hope…

Is it the Beginning of the End?

It is difficult to know where to start in today’s posting.  America is on fire both literally and figuratively.

This weekend is filled with stories and examples that illustrate the fabric of democracy is being ripped to shreds.  For every positive moment that shows a modicum of decency and hope still exists, such as the police in cities such as Miami, FL, Camden, NJ and Santa Cruz, CA kneeling in unity with the protesters, asking for forgiveness and healing, there are hundreds of examples of violence and strife.

The main problem as I see it is that Trump continues to fail a country which is desperately in need of a leader to draw us together, finding common ground and providing peaceful solutions.  Instead he continuously tweets out insults and blame; casting aspersions, creating fear, and, most certainly, driving a wedge wherever he can that will inspire his base into further isolation from truth while providing them scapegoats to blame and fuel for their hate and rage. 

“The Lamestream Media is doing everything within their power to foment hatred and anarchy. As long as everybody understands what they are doing, that they ARE FAKE NEWS and truly bad people with a sick agenda, we can easily work through them to GREATNESS!”

There many other examples of this over the weekend including a tweet that laid all the blame for the violence a leftist group called ANTIFA which stands for Anti-Fascist, where he says “The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.”  For the record there are two things to bear in mind: 1) Right-wing White Supremacist groups have been blamed in many instances for trying to elevate the level of violence and destruction in order to stimulate a race war and 2) Trump and Barr do not have the authority to designate any organization a “terrorist organization.”  This designation can only be created by Congressional action and it is to be used for foreign groups who pose a threat to the United States. 

Trumps efforts were designed as a clear communication to his base to create fear and to galvanize them against Democrats, people of color, and the Press.  

But this was all based on national stories.  The real problem is that the cancer of hatred was evident throughout the country spreading its vile into the smallest of bergs in middle class America.  This is not just a big city problem.  Its poison exists everywhere that news and social media can reach.  It is infesting the heart and soul of every American citizen.

My own small village of 8,000 people in suburban New Mexico can serve as an example.

Corrales, New Mexico is a small village nestled along the Rio Grande River between the state’s two largest cities, Albuquerque and Rio Rancho.  In many ways, the Village is isolated from big city problems even though the cities are just a stone’s throw away.  In an idyllic setting along the Rio Grande River Bosque that teems with birds and wildlife you find a combination of active farms that were first settled over 300 years ago, a flourishing artisan community ripe with paintings, sculptures and jewelry, and a close-knit community of retirees, professionals and families.  We love and support our restaurants and small businesses and celebrate regularly with parades and other social events.  Yes, there is a flourish of political activism for both parties but generally performed in ways that friendships are not strained and community spirit is not dampened.  It is a great place to live.

At least it was until this weekend revealed a growing chasm that threatens the peace and loving-kindness we have worked hard to develop throughout the history of the village since Spanish explorers first entered the area in 1540, bringing with them settlers and farmers in search of a better life.

Many of you have probably heard of a group that made national news recently called Cowboys for Trump.  The group is organized in a rural community in Otero County located in southeastern New Mexico about 250 miles from Corrales.  The leader of this group is the Otero County Commissioner, Couy Griffin, who has become known for naming two Democratic Governors traitors deserving of the death penalty for their efforts to curb the COVID-19 virus.  He was quoted to have said, “You get to pick your poison: You either go before a firing squad, or you get the end of the rope.” 

And then there were these quotes: “It might be a lead up to a civil war,” Griffin said in the video. “And if we do have a civil war over this, maybe that’s gonna be the uniforms. Maybe one of the uniforms will have masks on and the other ones won’t.” and “The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.”

Now Mr. Griffin has indicated that these statements were taken out of context and he was only speaking figuratively, but his intent has always been to use fiery, political rhetoric to stir and rile up his listeners.  One listener got the message and celebrated Griffin’s notoriety in a tweet from the President:  President Trump Tweet on May 27th

How this concerns Corrales is that yesterday, Sunday, May 31^st, a local business sponsored a Republican rally in front of their store.  It is a popular store that has been in business for over 44 years but recently changed ownership. Political rallies by both parties in Corrales are common, un-newsworthy events. As I said, many of us are politically active.  However, this event was different because invited to be a key draw to the event were the Cowboys for Trump.  Anger that this highly controversial group that calls for the death of Democrats, (or the death of the Democratic Party depending on who you want to believe), erupted throughout the Village.  First, there was a strong reaction on Facebook as Democrats, who naturally have vilified this group, came to learn of the event and then, by Republicans who angrily retaliated to the Democratic outrage. The anger on both sides was virulent and venomous. It revealed and enlarged a chasm that had previously been left unopened – at least in public view.  

Here is an example of one exchange I had on Facebook to illustrate:

Gary Sims:  44 years of great community support destroyed in one moment of partisan showmanship by hosting a political group who made their name calling for the death of democrats. Showing support for your candidate of choice is good politics but by aligning yourself with a hate group you've gone way beyond what is acceptable. Thousands of Democrats in Corrales will boycott your store I can assure you

Trump Supporter 1: to Gary Sims – You sir are the epitome of being a dirtbag.  We will support our community businesses no matter what.

Gary Sims: to Supporter 1 – I did not call for the death of anyone like Cowboys 4 Trump did.  I said hosting an event in favor of your candidate is good politics.  Supporting a hate group that calls for the death of anyone is WRONG!

Supporter 1: you’re not that smart.  Your simple mind is easily swayed. I use to be a Democrat, but my Party was hijacked by commie leftists.  I am now a proud Republican Constitutionalist.  Those comments were speaking of Democrats politically.  I am a dead Democrat, but a living Republican.

Supporter 2: to Gary Sims – if you actually took the time to hear the whole uncut version, you would know that he was talking about the political death of the Democrat party who by the way have no problem killing babies up til 9 months.  So your argument is hypocritical!

Gary Sims: to Supporter 2 – Death is death.  I really don’t care, it is wrong, hurtful, and has created a lot of fear in people’s minds.  Anyway, I want to apologize for saying anything while I was angry and upset.  It was wrong of me to add fuel to the fire that is consuming our country.  I do not like seeing our country being torn apart and I desperately want to find ways to stop the destruction.  What I did was to add to the divisions that are pulling the country apart.  If you look at the reactions throughout Facebook you will see that your rally caused a lot of strong reactions. I think it was insensitive to the community but I had no right to spout off.  I’ll try to do better next time.

Supporter 1: there was support from the community. The lefties were the only one’s triggered. Your neighbors and business owners are conservative and Republicans so learn to live with it.

Since this exchange I have been struggling with my role which may have created the anger and a strong fear that the hatefulness which is tearing our country apart now is alive and flourishing inside my “peaceful” village.  I can spout a litany of all things I find wrong it the hate-speech listed above by the Republican side as, I am sure, they can do in illustrating the wrongs I made.  But what good does that do?

A chasm exists in our country that is getting wider every day.  Where will it lead?  Is the civil unrest that includes rioting over the George Floyd event the end of it, or is there a violent civil war on the horizon?  Personally, I do not see anything that brings hope into this situation.  As I said, the chasm that pulls us apart is getting wider every day and it is being fueled with each tweet and exchange like the one above.  All I can suggest is that each of us needs to carefully watch our words and our actions.  Yes, it is time to stand up for what is right.  We need to defend our democracy, but we need to try and do so with unifying words of understanding.  Yes, the chasm seems large yet, there are many things that draw us together.  Let’s find those things and build a bridge.  If not, there is no telling how bad it may get.

Do Black Lives Matter – Really?

Before you react to that shocking headline, hear me out.

The nation is erupting to the senseless death in Minneapolis of George Floyd.  Riots are occurring in cities throughout the country.  Most people are incensed.  But what are they incensed about and why?

A friend on Facebook posted a question for us all to consider: “At what point did you become enraged enough to speak out?”  Was it when you first watched Colin Kaepernick in 2016 take a knee during a national anthem?  Or were you more disturbed by the act?  Was it when you watched George Floyd die before your eyes and under the knee of a policeman?  Or were you more affected as the riots began to burn? 

Kaepernick attempted to bring to the nation’s attention the problem that black people were dying at an alarming rate at the hands of the police.  He attempted to take a peaceful approach to bring attention to a serious problem.  Four years and 700 black lives later, another senseless death occurs; a death that should be considered to be an act of terrorism due to its racial overtones. 

To bring some statistics into the conversation please refer to this link that illustrates the deaths that have occurred at the hands of our policemen.  Remember as you review this page and find the number of black people killed to be less than whites, that blacks represent only about 12% of our total population.  There is also some interesting information on the mappingpoliceviolence.org website illustrating, among other things, that 99% of the killings by police from 2013 to 2019 have not resulted in the officers being charged with a crime.  Granted, police have a very difficult job that takes them into a lot of violent situations, but are they truly innocent of wrong doing in all of the deaths that occur?

But let’s turn to the riots. If you find yourself upset about the violence that is occurring in response to this killing, then I ask what you think should be done?  How much of this senselessness do we need to endure?  What steps can be taken to stop it?  Kaepernick’s peaceful approach did not work.  Years of “sensitivity training” of the police forces has not worked.  Are we supposed to simply stand by and allow this brutal and obviously racial situation to continue unabated?  What will it take to make a change?

As we contemplate the killing and the riots we also need to recognize the environment in which these events are happening.  We are just opening up the country from a fearful exposure to a killer virus; a virus that remains virulent and active.  As a result, unemployment figures over the last few months have skyrocketed to 20-30% levels.  In poor black communities the unemployment numbers for young black men are even historically much worse.  Hopelessness, fear, poverty, illness and then this; a black man strangled to death for all to see.  It seems to me this was dry tinder simply waiting for a spark.

So how do we respond?  What steps should be taken to calm the storm, return to our homes, repair the damage, and secure the future?  Will it help to bring justice down upon the killers in this situation?  Or will they be acquitted like so many others?  Will a calming rhetoric from our political leaders bring us a sense of healing and direction?  Or do we need to threaten harm, arrest and kill more often?  That seems to be the approach our President is taking.  “These THUGS are dishonoring the memory of George Floyd, and I won’t let that happen. Just spoke to Governor Tim Walz and told him that the Military is with him all the way. Any difficulty and we will assume control but, when the looting starts, the shooting starts. Thank you!”

As usual, I find little reassurance from the tweets of our President.  As always, it seems to me that he looks for ways to inflame a situation instead of provide assurance and calm.  A reassuring comment filled with “thoughts and prayers” would fall short but it would be significantly better than calling for more violence which is certainly not the answer.

I have no answers to this.  It is a grim situation, at best, but more likely an explosively time bomb whose fuse has already been lit.  I end this piece with the same question from my friend that inspired this writing: “At what point will we become enraged enough to speak out?”

The Butcher of Brooklyn?

Blogging is not always an easy activity to maintain.  It requires inspiration and time.  Time I have had plenty of as I, like most people in the world, have been sitting at home, isolated from the normal routine of running a company that I had established over the past 10-years.  All routines that I had become accustomed to were gone.  The daily commute, the greeting and interactions with employees in the office, the lunch hour break, the drive home…; all gone.  In their place came idleness, along with it a lack of inspiration.  The daily activities around work ceased to exist.  Making plans, focusing on the growth and profitability of the company, and developing personnel to become the best they could be…; all ceased to exist.

Instead, what followed were worry, fear and nothingness.  Nothingness in the sense there was really nothing to do.  Yes, I had to manage dwindling cash flow needs and submit tons of loan paperwork.  Yes, I feared of a future that would be grossly different than it once was and yes, I worried about my employees.  In the midst of the doom and gloom I had to put on a happy face, an encouraging face.  I needed to lift others in spite of my own sinking despair.

The virus along with the associated economic collapse was bad enough but coupled with it was the unceasing attack on our democracy by the President.  No matter how bad the news on the virus and the economy became, he could make it worse.  No matter how much he illustrated his inability to lead in a crisis or how strikingly wrong his continued onslaught of tweets became, the likelihood of his reelection seemed to improve.  A destroyed democracy played directly into his hands.  A strong economy, reelect the President… a failed economy, reelect the President?  The logic was baffling and nonsensical.  It still is perplexing at best and terrifying at worst.

How can one continue to be inspired to write when no matter how things change, the results are the same?  No matter how naked the king seems to be, no one seems to notice.  I guess it is a simple matter that they don’t care.  If people do not care that their democracy is being destroyed, why bother writing about it? Whose opinions will be swayed by my attestation to the facts?

The election process by which democracy is assured is being destroyed.  First, people will need to be willing to risk their lives to vote if the virus is still rampaging through our society in November because of the attack on mail-in alternatives.  Second, the hand-shaking approach to meeting candidates and hearing their ideas is gone.  The only method of “getting the word out” about political alternatives is now wholly dependent on a damaged and partisan news media system that no one trusts, pays attention to, or who are totally swayed by.  Third, partisanship has infected every aspect of our society.  Wear a mask; you must be one of “Them.”  Drive an electric car, you are a maggot of a democrat.  Wear the wrong color clothing; attend the wrong place of worship; be of the wrong race, culture or creed; say the wrong thing to a delivery person (that’s another story)… all of which can result in you finding yourself suddenly in a hate-filled, execrable, and heated confab with no hope of resolve or reason.

Where will of this lead us?  I believe we are all looking for answers to that question and so far I do not like the answers I am finding.

There is a universal desire to return to a sense of normal.  People mostly decry that they dislike the extreme partisanship that has sickened our country/world, and yet, it persists and grows.  Most people feel they would like to see an end to the bickering, and yet, they continue to bicker.  Most people would prefer to spend peaceful times with their families recapturing the feelings of love and hope  that only a family can bring, and yet, they are quick to attack others for wanting the same.  Everyone wants justice… as long as they can define what that justice looks like.  Most people cannot stand to see hate, racism, lies, name-calling, bullying, and bigotry and yet, Trump continues to get away with everything he says and does with people continually willing to vote and support him.

  

If you are hopeful for a peaceful revolution through the ballot this November, forget it.  The likelihood that Trump will lose is very slim and even if, in some way, Biden somehow pulls off a miracle victory, Trump will not “peacefully” leave office.  He will declare it invalid and grab a tighter hold of the power he claims to be his.  

I know that many of you do not believe this to be true.  You have faith in the remnant of democracy that we have left.  All I can say to you is this:  Who will stand up and stop him?

No one has even attempted to rein him in during the last four years, no matter what he says or does.  The polls illustrating his support have not wavered an inch.  Congress has not only been ineffective, the Republicans are fully enabling his every deed.  He has his own sycophants spread throughout government and the courts who are willing to do everything he demands.  They are afraid of him and yet, empowering him at the same time.

You can pick and choose which totalitarian regime in history to compare as they all will provide examples of what is developing in our country today.  If you are finding it difficult to think of a good example, I highly recommend reading Madeleine Albright's book,  Fascism: A Warning.  In this reading you will find plenty of examples. 

The one that comes to mind to me this morning is the regime of Idi Amin in Uganda.  A populist leader, Amin began his governance by offering to return wealth to the common man.  “We are determined to make the ordinary Ugandan master of his own destiny and, above all, to see that he enjoys the wealth of his country. Our deliberate policy is to transfer the economic control of Uganda into the hands of Ugandans, for the first time in our country's history.” – Idi Amin.

Since we all know that he became known as the Butcher of Uganda, something along the way happened to change this relatively hopeful beginning.  What happened was a campaign to eliminate a class of people who were different than the majority.  Amin developed an entire culture of hate, attacking legal residents of Uganda as aliens and enemies to the country.  The cry “die cockroaches” rang through the throngs of para-military gangs who raped and murdered their way to one of the worse genocides in world history.  Over 500,000 Ugandans persecuted and killed in eight years of war.  A war committed upon themselves.

I can hear you now… “Gary, you can’t possibly begin to suggest that Trump is the next Idi Amin and that here in this beautiful country of peace and opportunity we will face murderous gangs racing through our streets untouched and uncontrolled, killing hundreds of thousands of innocent souls?  Here?  In the United States?  Never.”

I ask again: Who will stand up and stop him?  

After all, the count is already up to over 100,000 Americans dead in just 3 months.

  

An Open Letter to Government Officials - A Small Business COVID-19 Story.

My company has been in operation for over 10 years, providing technical field services to a variety of industries nationwide.  As of February 29, 2020, we had a total of 31 employees, 27 of which live and work in the greater Albuquerque/Rio Rancho, New Mexico region.  The company had grown significantly over the past three years from about $1 million in annual revenue in 2017 to over $3.6 million in 2019.  Early sales estimates for 2020 were projecting another 50% growth. During this period of rapid growth the company had a three-fold increase in the number of employees while maintaining a greater than 20% Net income.

Last year we provided our employees over $800,000 in wages and began providing a health insurance program where the premiums are fully paid for by the company.  Since most of our revenue comes from out of state, the economic multiplier effect of these salaries should be considered to be a significant addition to the local economy.

Beginning March 11, 2020 I began discussions with local lenders regarding a line of credit that would be needed to purchase additional inventory, pay for new offices, furniture and computers as well as help with the larger than expected tax burden from our 2019 success.  At this point, the coronavirus was just beginning to be discussed but there was little understanding as to the scope of economic impact it would bring.  By March 16^th, my research for funding turned towards SBA loans, especially those types of loans focused on disaster relief due to the virus.  Applications were submitted as the changing economic climate worsened.  Traditional loan requests were denied due to a “downturn in business” and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) from the CARES Act was being bogged down by a landslide of requests.

As revenues began to drop in March and totally disappeared in April I took steps to lower our monthly costs including laying-off nine employees and reducing hours for the remaining team members to a 4-day work week.  With these reductions and other cost-saving implementations, my cash flow modeling tool indicated I had the ability to keep the doors of the company open until mid-May. With the hope of a PPP lifeline of funding it appeared we could add an additional eight weeks to that projection taking us into July when, hopefully, revenues would be on the increase.

However, as time goes by, the likelihood of receiving the PPP loan is becoming less certain. Even if I do receive this invaluable funding, it seems that thousands of small businesses will be left out. 

Beyond our personal story, the point I want to make clear is the value small business brings to our economy. Each week the new unemployment claims are reaching new highs. These unemployed workers are the result of small businesses downsizing and closing. The small business economic stimulus that our economy relies on is disappearing and along with it the health benefits of thousands of workers.  When the stay-at-home restrictions are lifted there will not be a sudden resurgence of the economy because this missing sector will not be around to contribute and the workers will have no place in which to return for work. In this sense, there is no such thing as a non-essential business… all businesses are essential to the economy on which we all depend.

If we are to avoid a deep, long lasting depression, small businesses need immediate, life-sustaining grants to help them keep their valued and skilled employees on staff.  The CARES Act has not gone far enough in this regard. It is limited in size and scope.  The economic support must also be designed to sustain all companies as long as restrictions remain in place in order to fight the virus.

Second, everyone’s health is of the utmost importance and I fully support New Mexico’s Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and the steps she has taken to insure our safety.  I am sure she is fully aware of the impact the stay-at-home, essential-services-only policy has on the economy of our state.  That being said, she and her cabinet now need to use their creative juices that were so necessary during the initial outbreak, to focus on steps that can be taken to safely reopen businesses as soon as possible.  As I mentioned earlier, all businesses are essential so if she were to change the mindset of there being essential and non-essential businesses to “every business is essential”, then methodology for insuring the safety of workers in each situation should be easily developed.  A blanket approach with all businesses being treated the same will not work and a priority given to large stores over small is simply wrong.  Deciding which company will survive should not be the role of government.  Instead, the role of government is to provide equal opportunity and support to all businesses.

For my company since most of our work is performed out of state, little can be done to change our effectiveness here in New Mexico.  All but two of our employees work from home and can continue to do so as long as needed.  However, I feel the Governor, through her strong leadership skills that have been evident over the past few weeks in crisis, can set the standard for developing a strong response to bringing business back to work, modeling for the rest of the country on the how-to-do business in our new, virus-filled world.  The virus will not go away quickly and the only way to survive it as a country is to develop and implement safety guidelines that businesses can follow in order to keep their employees safe while returning to the ‘normalization” of business so the economy can recover.  Yes, there is a killer virus still out there but the economic death of our country is at stake as well and steps need to be taken quickly in order to save it.

I know that this letter does do little in providing answers to the challenges that lay ahead.  The goal was to re-impress the importance of small business in our economy and bring it back to the top of the list of priorities of everyone in our state so that we can avoid total economic collapse.

A Broken Economy and a Third World Healthcare System

Is it just a poor leadership response that led to the severity of this crisis or is the underlying economic system and a for -profit health system contributing factors?

Disclaimer:  I fully admit that I am not an expert in the fields of healthcare or economic systems. I also have to say that this has been one of the most difficult articles I’ve tried to write in my 25+ years of doing this.  It is easy to point fingers but it may take articles like this to lay the groundwork for the necessary changes we must face as a nation in the coming months and years.  I do feel, after listening to weeks of depressing news on the extent of spread of the COVID-19 virus throughout the world, that a discussion of this type has merit.  It probably is best to allow the focus at this time to be on limiting the devastation, both to our health and our economy, but at some point when the dust is cleared, there will be a need for scrutiny beyond compare as to what went wrong and what we can do to be better prepared next time, for there will be a next time.

I can’t get this nagging question out of my mind: “Would we as a nation have been better able to respond to this crisis if we had implemented a government-managed, single-payer health system during the Obama administration?”  There is evidence that indicates that much of what we have faced in the lack of supplies and equipment (beds, ventilators, etc.) was caused by a for-profit health system that is designed to provide for only those needs that are typical, frequent and profitable to process. In this article published by The Guardian entitled: "Coronavirus is revealing how broken America’s economy really is" it demonstrates in very clear terms how severely restricted the US health system is in its ability to respond to a pandemic of any kind.  Category after category of statistical data shows that we have one of the worst healthcare systems in the world, from the number of hospital beds and doctors per capita to maternal deaths, life expectancy, and income inequality.  In nearly every case, the U.S. is ranked in third-world like territory.  In addition, the cost in healthcare in 2018 in the U.S. was the most expensive in the world, representing 17.15% of our GDP ($3.6 trillion  - source www.CMS.gov).  Switzerland is second at 12.25%

We have the most expensive healthcare system in the world and are the least capable of handling a crisis.

“The facts are as exhaustive as they are exhausting. There’s one simple conclusion from all of this. We’ve been tricked. We’ve been told that America, like most other majority-white countries, deserves the title “developed economy”. It does not... You cannot constantly operate hospitals at close to capacity in order to maximize profits. The pursuit of private money in systems built for public good has not worked ethically or practically.”  (The Guardian)

A simple comparison of this healthcare model to the restaurant and hospitality industries will show you that empty hotel beds and empty tables at a restaurant are not a good thing for profits.  Everything possible is done in those industries to minimize these “empty” factors.  The same is true in a healthcare-for-profit industry.  A for-profit hospital cannot not maintain a large inventory of extra, unused equipment and supplies on hand and maintain profitability at the same time.  Maintaining a full capacity with a just-in-time supply chain leaves us a system that will never be able to respond to a national epidemic suchmas the one we are now experiencing

The main criticisms have been the manner in which we responded to this pandemic and that we did not have sufficient virus testing supplies, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), ICU beds and ventilators available.  The one consistent comment was: “The supply chain is broken.”  It is a supply chain designed to handle the day-to-day with regularly scheduled, weekly deliveries of supplies that are relatively consistent from week to week.  In addition to not having supplies for this large of a surge of critical patients, there is no central authority managing the orders, prioritizing and guaranteeing prioritization and delivery to where the need was the highest.  Instead, everyone was competing for the same supplies.  John Doe ordering on Amazon was just as able to order the critically needed PPE equipment as was in demand at an ER in New York City.  States were unsuccessfully trying to outbid each other and the Federal government along with every other countries in the world for these supplies.  The only thing this achieved was to drive the prices through the roof so those who held them would profit immensely by having them.

In the meantime, patients and healthcare workers died.

Daily the Federal Government was asked to provide support to the growing crisis.  Regular messages from Trump and the White House said things such as:  “We are not to blame.”  “Relax, it’s going to disappear.” “The Federal Government is not designed to be an ordering system.”  “We won’t need 40,000 or 30,000 ventilators.”  “This is our inventory; it’s not for the States.” 

There was failure in leadership at the State level as well, indicated by the simple fact that at this writing, more than a month into the crisis there are governors who have yet to order Stay-at-Home requirements.  Everyone in the world knows by now that the only way to fight this disease is to keep people isolated from one another.  Countries such as Germany, South Korea and New Zealand are shining examples how separation procedures work.

Failure in leadership cost thousands of lives.  When a disaster strikes, people are completely reliant on the leadership of their community to make the right decisions to mitigate and eliminate unnecessary loss of life.

How does our economic system play a role?  Are the failures in the healthcare system and in leadership the root cause or is there something else at play?

A discussion about the impact of neoliberalism on our ability to respond to a pandemic of this magnitude can take us into an economic debate that is over one hundred years in the making.  Suffice it to say that there is strong evidence that the economy of Milton Friedman which is focused on generating wealth for the elite and depends on market mechanisms to respond to all societies’’ needs under a for-profit focus is clearly another contributing factor to the escalated crisis.  So much so that it can be referred to as The Plague of Liberlism, published by Truthout.org.  After reading this interview, I was inspired to write the following words:

“Economists have understood the failure of neoliberalism to afford succor to anyone but the ultra-elite ever since the Robber baron era. As Ayn Rand's books grew in popularity in the 1960’s I remember having long discussions with my mother, who was a fan. I kept saying it was an elitist philosophy that would leave us (the middle class) out in the cold. Now we see the full impact of the failure of neoliberalism in its inability to respond to worldwide disasters like Climate Change and COVID-19. Perhaps a pertinent question today would be "Who is John Galt and who the hell does he think he is?"

Who is John Galt and can he save us from the plagues of COVID-19, a third-world healthcare system, failed leadership, and from economic neoliberalism?   Can God?

I doubt it.

Alarmist or Realist?

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”

Writers at all levels dream of the ability to write an opening sentence that captures the essence of the moment in such a way that the reader is instantly captured and intrigued by what may follow.  More specifically, Charles Dickens not only delivered to us the most memorable opening line in literature history in “The Tale of Two Cities” but he also painted an image of the human condition that transcends time itself.  At any moment in history this phrase can be applied as an apt description.

The essence of who we are rests in the dichotomy between the good and evil that exists within each of us and in everything we do as a people and society.  David wrote in Psalms 139 “I am fearfully and wonderfully made,” recognizing the reality of this tension that resides within all human activity.

Today, we face a pandemic threat that is not only killing people at a level never before experienced but is effectively shutting down all human economic activity worldwide.  While this is happening there remains the conversation between protagonists of both sides that “the cure could be worse than the disease.”  In many ways, I hope they are right.  However, if the disease actually turns out to be worse than the cure then civilization as we know it could be destroyed to a level as severe as what is portrayed in many dystopian novels and movies. 

Lately as I read and share news items and stories to my friends on Facebook in an attempt to help keep them current with events as they unfold I find myself apologizing frequently about being a constant bearer of bad news; a harbinger of a future we all want to avoid.  In the discussions being reported on Fox News, it seems that Republicans tend to paint Democrats as being “Alarmists”; always hoping for the worse to happen so that the good in society the Trump administration has brought will be torn down.  They make it sound as if we always see the glass as being half empty and purposefully are working to make it so.

I agree that the good in our society is often overlooked by those of us “Alarmists” who warn against the seeds of destructions we find evident in society today.  We are fearful of what the future could become and want to bring to light those things we can control now in order to keep them from sprouting and bearing fruit later.  But are we doing this at the expense of ignoring the good things in our lives every day?  Are we “Alarmists” or “Realists”?  Only history will know for sure.

There is a new Netflix series that has come available entitled “The Plot Against America.” It is based on the 2004 Philip Roth novel of the same name.  (I highly recommend that you add it to your “must read” list.)  The novel has a 1940-historical setting in a pre-war America who is watching Hitler as he marches his way through Europe destroying countries and rounding up Jews.  The novel veers from historical reality when the flying hero, anti-war, pro-Hitler presidential candidate Charles Lindbergh defeats FDR and becomes the new President of the U.S.  Lindbergh wins on an anti-war, isolationist platform that inflames an anti-Semitism radicalization lying dormant within the United States.  The parallels of political debates in the book/movie as compared to our modern-day Trump-era disputes brings us to a point where it is not too far-fetched to surmise a similar dystopian reality arising out of our current disease-stressed political and economic situation.  Is this alarmism?

The word “alarmist” can be defined in a couple of ways.  One definition describes an alarmist as an individual who is an extremist, insurgent, radical, rebel or insurrectionist.  They are the Chicken-Littles of society who are constantly crying wolf and descrying fear and evil portent and warnings. 

The other definition is a little less severe portraying the alarmist as being an advocate, apostle, reformer, proponent and supporter.  Instead of portraying evil, this kind of alarmist is supporting good.  One line that I heard recently that may have come from the movie itself says, “No one sees themselves as being evil.”  Which means, if this is true, that both sides of any debate will try to portray the other side as being evil and themselves as being supporters of all that is good.

The prophets in the Bible were generally not forecasting a good outcome or future.  They were alarmists that were viewing the evil of the times and warning against what would come if things did not change. 

So which kind of alarmist does our society need most, a harbinger of bad things to come if something is not done to change the way things are or a supporter of what is good and maintainer of the status quo in order to maintain peace in a way that does not upset those around them?

In my mind, the Alarmist that actually sends out alarms to help society weave its way through the pitfalls of potential harm and destruction is the type of provocateur our society needs because if we do not listen to these alarms and take action, the Alarmist himself will be viewed in history’s lens of the past as a Realist, and nobody wants that to happen.  Do they?