Semi retired, reside in Florida and Idaho. Career in government and the private sector as a land use planning consultant.
The age of Trump if there is such a time has passed him and his followers by. He is in all the media reports doing this and that with this executive order or another. Any President issuing an executive order draws attention and calls for a response. Better orders result from discussing proposals with Congress, … More The Age of Trump
Much is written about election integrity. Since 2015 we have been advised that our election system is rigged. This is despite many court cases, reviews by Republicans and Democrats, attorneys, and judges, etc., all attesting to the integrity of our election process. If we do not accept that, then that is our problem and may not be a problem with … More An Expandable Table
Another Continuing Resolution (CR) so government offices stay open. Do our elected leaders not understand the term budget? Congress has only completed this process before the beginning of the fiscal year 3 times in the last 47 years. When our elected leaders cannot agree on the actual money needed and who gets what, a continuing … More Pyrrhic Victory or Surrender
Is running our government agencies like a business a smart idea? We hear some elected and not elected leaders describing how much better that would be. I honestly have to ask why? What makes anyone believe that? If we consider what corporations have done over the years it may give us some pause. At the … More The Environment of Public Administration
I honestly never thought Donald Trump would be re-elected. His life history was so demeaning of others and his non political activities I thought disqualified him in the eyes of many. My expectations were not realized. His actions since being elected have been simply crazy in my opinion. His aligning with Elon Musk along with … More Where have our leaders gone?
“This country was built on American respect for education” R. Reagan. Thomas Jefferson warned that government “tyranny” would emerge unless “the people at large” were “educated at the common expense of all.” Yet more than half of Americans (51%) say our public education system is going in the wrong direction. We have been “fixing” education since … More Golden Rule Days
This article is written specifically with the State of Idaho in mind. Idaho is a state that refused to expand Medicaid after the passage of the Affordable Care Act. It was later approved using the Initiative Process and having it placed on the state ballot. Despite that approval several legislators try to repeal it or … More Medicaid Expansion Isn’t Broken
We have the criminal, now we only need the crime. This may be how government works in this time of Trump. The crime is the alleged bloated budget in the government caused by over staffed agencies and the over funded bureaucracy. Mr. Musk and Mr. Ramaswamy have decided the solution is to cut the federal … More In the Time of Trump
I never met Donald Trump. I worked on a couple of buildings that had his name at the roof line, but I wasn’t working for him. Between what I knew of him, read of him and learned about him; we would not be friends. Our worlds were so vastly different in so many ways. Him … More The Donald Trump I Never Knew
Affordable housing remains the single most significant issue facing our nation today. In prior times of high housing costs and high interest rates we created means to make affordable housing available. Providing financial assistant for a down payment helped but now the actual down payment requires a substantial amount. Various mortgage scenarios VA, FHA, Variable … More Affordable Housing Is Possible
Phil's Personal Perspectives 