Debating Our Future: Round One

It's time to Break It Down!

 

Last night, Donald Trump and Joe Biden kicked off the next segment of this Election year, Debate Season. I will stipulate from the outset, what students and fans of the process will consider anathema. I didn’t watch. Clearly, saying that foreshadows this as a short post.

 

For those of you who did, I invite your feedback. You can find my posts, including this one, at WordPress, FaceBook, Linkedin, and at my Twitter account. Feel free to tell me what I missed…and if you like, why I should have watched. I look forward to hearing from you.

 

In addition to my Wall, I frequently post my work on numerous FB sites, many of which dissuade political posts. And I get that. There are myriad sites that encourage political discourse, and typically, when I’m discussing political topics, I post on them. Today, I want to cite my position. My position is clear-eyed and resolute. I have not one scintilla of doubt about for whom I will be voting. Here’s a newsflash. I seriously doubt there is a substantive number of eligible voters who, at this late date, who are undecided.

 

Frequently over the last four years, I’ve noted the chasm between left and right leaning political interests in this country is deep and wide. If anything, if possible, it is deepening, and getting wider. Yes, there are independents. But frankly, in my opinion, given our individual and collective experiences of the last four years, most rational observers have seen enough to decide for whom they are going to vote.

 

Having said all that, if you know me, you undoubtedly know where I will land. I will be sharing that before Election Day. At the moment, there are three additional debates scheduled, two between Trump and Biden, and one between Pence and Harris. I’m not committing to watching any of them, or even mentioning them again. But I did want to reference it today to make it clear that my not writing about it, or even watched it was intentional. The one enduring message that I wish to underscore today is that if you are an American, this country belongs to you. If you are interested in embracing the framer’s initial design, you will engage in perfecting the Union. With 34 days until Election Day, the best way to personally participate in perfecting our Union is to exercise your franchise and VOTE, whether early, or by mail, or dropping off your Absentee Ballot, or of course, by going to your precinct and voting on November 3^rd. “Debating Our Future: Round One!”

 

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

 

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

 

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the link below:

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2020/09/debating-our-future-round-one.html

 

 

Register & Vote: The Foundation of Our Democracy

It's time to Break It Down!

 

Yesterday was National Voter Registration Day in the United States. It is observed each year on the fourth Tuesday in September, and this year coincided with the advent of autumn. There are 40 days left until the 2020 General Election, and unregistered voters have only a few days left to register in order to qualify to vote on November 3^rd. The occasion is a nonpartisan endeavor intended to emphasize bringing attention to our democracy, exercising our franchise, and of course, engaging in executing our civic duty.

 

In 2016, 100 million people didn’t vote. I remember entertaining conversations with many people four years ago who opted out. They all had reasons. Some contended their vote would count, others argued the candidates were same/it did not matter which one would win, still others didn’t go to the polls because of one of many voter suppression tactics, and last, for the purpose of this post, far too many individuals succumbed to apathy. In reflecting on the aforementioned rationales, I am reminded of an old witticism, repackaged to apply to voting:

 

Upon learning of a new acquaintance’s voting status, Mr. Smith inquired, “Mr. Jones, why did you not vote? Was it due to ignorance, or because of apathy?”

 

After giving the query his full consideration, Mr. Jones replied, “Mr. Smith, I don’t know, and I don’t care.”

 

The reality is voting is central to making our government work effectively. I once had the honor and privilege to oversee a local election. It was a huge responsibility, and an incredibly important event in our community. There are always lots of moving parts, bracing tension, and a whirlwind of frenzy surrounding elections; even more so during the quadrennial that features the Presidential Election. This year the ante has been upped by a President who has cast aspersions on the process, and fomented an assault on the USPS in a year when, due to a global pandemic, voting by mail will be the desired, and for many, necessary option for more Americans than in any previous election in our history.

 

Let me be clear. This post is not about the President, or the Postmaster; nor is it about Democrats or Republicans. It is about you doing your part to ensure that our government, on all levels, works the way it is supposed to, and reflects the will of “We The People.” To that end, I urge you to do your duty. “Register & Vote: The Foundation of Our Democracy!”

 

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

 

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

 

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

 

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/it-s-national-voter-registration-day-do-it-or-risk-this-parody-stuck-in-your-head-all-day/ar-BB19jhjQ

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2020/09/register-vote-foundation-of-our.html

Rage: #MAGA Deflection

It's time to Break It Down!

 

Labor Day and 9/11 do not always fall within the same calendar week. I would normally re-share a vintage post this week, commemorating the fallen heroes lost during that tragic episode in our country’s history. Even though the date occurred Friday of last week, I want to share a passage from that post, denoting the scope of what our nation lost in that act of terror. 

 

Even after nearly two decade, with nineteen years’ worth of context building, and the accompanying development of perspective, the numbers behind Nine-Eleven are chilling.  Nearly 3,000 people lost their lives, and thousands of others were injured, and many more sustained post-event trauma.  Examples of the carnage include:

 

§  2,977 Victims killed (not including the 19 hijackers)

§  2,606 Killed at the World Trade Center Towers

§  125 Killed at the Pentagon

§  40 Killed in Shanksville, PA

§  87 Killed on American Flight 11/NYC World Trade Center North Tower

§  60 Killed on United Flight 175/NYC World Trade Center South Tower

§  59 Killed on American Flight 77/Arlington – The Pentagon

§  40 Killed United Flight 93/Shanksville, PA

§  19 Hijackers

§  246 Passengers Killed on the four planes

§  19 Hijackers Killed (on the four planes)

§  2,996 Killed on Nine-Eleven

§  411 Emergency workers killed at the World Trade Centers

§  341 FDNY fire fighters killed

§  2 Paramedics killed

§  23 NYPD officers killed

§  37 Port Authority Police Department officers killed

§  8 EMT’s killed

§  658 Employees of Cantor Fitzgerald, L.P. (Investment Bank) killed; most of any employer

§  1,631 Bodies positively identified from World Trade Center Towers

§  1,122 Bodies (41%) remain unidentified

§  Bone fragments were still being found in 2005 by workers preparing to demolish the damaged Deutsche Bank Building

§  72 Additional remains found in 2010by a team of anthropologists and archeologists

 

To paraphrase FDR, September 11, 2001, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked. Condolences to the families of those who lost their lives due to those horrific events. May their memories be a blessing.

 

Back to this week, the latest tome taking on the credibility, or lack thereof, of Donald Trump was released yesterday. Rage, by Bob Woodward, of Watergate, Woodward and Bernstein fame, hit the shelves yesterday. There have been a number of books, claiming to reveal all manner of insider details about Trump and his administration. If methods are any indicator, Rage should be a giant step ahead of any other book, to date. Woodward conducted 19 interviews with Trump, 18 before the book went to press, 7 initiated by calls from Mr. Trump, and at least one Oval Office appearance. According to Woodward, the interviews totaled 9 hours and 41 minutes.

 

I’m not going to link the book. It’s sure to be a best seller without my help. It has been teased for about 10 days now, with Woodward doing a host of TV appearances, including, 60 -Minutes, and CNN. Two years ago, Woodward never spoke to Trump when he wrote Fear: Trump in the White House. That detail purportedly irritated Trump, regarding the previous book. He appears to have gone out of his way to make sure it didn’t happen again.

 

Whether John Kelly not being around to act as gatekeeper this time around was the key difference, or not, in terms of whether Woodward got to speak to Trump, at all, Mr. Trump seemed determined to ensure that he weighed in numerous times, and by presidential standards, sometimes at length, this go-around. A number of elements have been teased. In lieu of the preceding preamble referencing 9/11 and the lives lost, the central issue for most observers seems to have been Mr. Trump choosing to downplay the COVID-19 pandemic with the American people. In early February, he told Woodward (as verified by the tapes/no fake news here) that the virus was much more deadly than the flu, while weeks, if not months later, he was still telling the American public it was under control and would soon go away. Even now, he eschews masks, and glibly notes, “it will go away, someday.”   

 

As with most things pertaining to Trump, the line of demarcation between his loyalists and advocates, and those who are inherently skeptical of his words, actions, deeds, and motives, is clear, bright, wide, and chasmic deep. His peeps, when last seen, were adamantly insisting that The Atlantic piece by Jeffrey Goldberg, asserting that Trump called American soldiers who died in battle were ‘Losers and Suckers,’ was a hit piece, full of fake news, because it contained anonymous sources. Do you ever notice how Trump frequently refers to “many people say,” and “they said,” and the like? Those are anonymous sources, that Trump acolytes find totally acceptable. But I digress. Bereft of their favorite patsy, a source they can disparage, because in this case Trump, himself, is the source, the best excuse I’ve heard his dearly beloved come up with is, “if he had told the truth, the left would have accused him of trying to instill panic.”

 

To those of us who deign to hold him accountable, it’s a simple matter. He misled (lied to) the American people. Repeatedly. There are other details of note, but as noted, I’m not marketing the book. Just noting that it’s out there. The title itself comes with its own backstory. Apparently, Mr. Trump is aware that he has a special effect on people. Woodward noted that he said he creates rage. I actually appreciate that he has that level of self-awareness, and that he was able to admit it. I never doubted he knew, because, I think it’s intentional. His admission was the prize in the Cracker Jack box. The rage, in my opinion is two-fold. For his base, it’s empowering; a sense of agency. For the rest of us, it’s a compelling distraction. The sort of thing designed to induce one to take their mind off the prize. We are called to do better. It’s imperative to stay focused, and not fall prey to Rage: #MAGA Deception!

 

I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

 

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

 

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

 

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/09/12/nine-eleven-a-seventeen-year-retrospective/

 

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2017/09/13/sixteen-years-later-reflecting-on-nine-eleven/

 

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2013/09/11/calling-all-patriots-nine-eleven-ten-years-later/

 

http://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2011/09/calling-all-patriots-nine-eleven-ten.html

 

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/09/11/nine-eleven-eighteen-years-later/

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2020/09/rage-maga-deflection.html

Labor Day: It's All About the Workers Redux '20

It's time to Break It Down!

 

(This post appeared originally in this space on August 31, 2011. It was re-purposed and presented again September 3, 2014, September 7, 2016, September 6, 2017, September 5, 2018, September 4, 2019, and once again today, September 9, 2020)

As you know, Monday was Labor Day. As with most holidays, I knock it down a few notches so readers can enjoy their time off, and ease into a vintage post, if they so choose. At its core, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Day in the United States was designed to commemorate the creation of the labor movement; dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers.  The holiday focuses on contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity and well-being of our country.

 

First observed in September 1882, the event has always been observed on the first Monday of the month.  Initiated by the Central Labor Union of New York, the celebration became a federal holiday in 1894.

In addition to its formal structure and purpose, Labor Day has a number of symbolic associations.  It is considered:

 

The unofficial “End of Summer”

The last 3-Day warm weather weekend for vacationers

By High Society standards, the last day for which it is appropriate for women to wear white

The beginning of the College Football Season (Maybe)

The start of the NFL Season (Hopefully))

The conventional kick-off of hard-core political campaign season

Back–to-School shopping (Eh, well, sort of)

 

Labor Day also validates and recognizes an often-controversial mechanism that frequently divides American opinion; labor unions.  Scorned by many who fancy themselves as Free Enterprise Capitalists, unions and their members have not only been actively involved historically, in debates that framed public policy for American workers, they have won or forced hard-earned concessions that in the shimmering glow of reflective perspective, must be considered to have fundamentally altered the playing field (known as the workplace), including:

 

Pensions

Health Care Benefits

Paid Vacations

Equal Pay to women

The Development of Child Labor Laws

The 5-Day Work Week

The 40-Hour Work Week

The8-Hour Workday

Worker’s Compensation benefits

Female Flight Attendants permitted to marry

 

These and many other important cherished and effective employee rights are attributable to the efforts of the American Labor Movement.  But, this is not an ode to Labor Unions.  Unions also have downsides.  They create or contribute to:

 

The potential for strikes

Additional costs to all employees (membership dues; whether a member or not)

Loss of individuality (ability to represent one’s self in a grievance)

Subject to fines & discipline by the Union

Disincentives to productivity and competition

Lack of promotions

Burdensome salary demands (relative to the market)

Loss of profits (and/or pay) due to strike

Inefficient & ineffective contracts

Increased unemployment due to failure to reach agreement w/management

 

The first Labor Day celebration was led by a Labor Union.  The history of the Day has been linked, inextricably, with Labor organizations, ever since.  But if it is the American Worker the Day was intended to commemorate.

 

The political convention season, largely virtual for the first time ever, is behind us, and there are 55 days until what many people will assert is the most important election of our collective lifetimes. We are confronted with many issues, but for most of us, no matter which side of the political spectrum we fall, few are more critical than who will be elected to carry the mantle of the presidency effective January 20, 2021. You already know the incumbent team, as well as the contenders. But that is not fodder for today. In due time, I’ll address the race.

Meanwhile, contemplate “Labor Day: It’s All About The Workers Redux ’20,” and while we’ve got plenty of issues to temper our celebration, we should indeed celebrate America’s phenomenal Labor Movement. I’m done; holla back!

 

Read my blog anytime by clicking the link: http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com. Find a new post each Wednesday.

 

To subscribe, click on Follow in the bottom right hand corner of my Home Page at http://thesphinxofcharlotte.com; enter your e-mail address in the designated space, and click on “Sign me up.” Subsequent editions of “Break It Down” will be mailed to your in-box.

 

For more detailed information on a variety of aspects relating to this post, consult the links below:

 

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2018/09/05/labor-day-its-all-about-the-workers/

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.com/2019/09/04/labor-day-its-all-about-the-workers-redux-19/

https://thesphinxofcharlotte.blogspot.com/2020/09/labor-day-its-all-about-workers-redux-20.html