“The buck stops here” is a phrase popularized by U.S. President Harry S. Truman, who kept a sign with that phrase on his desk in the Oval Office. The phrase refers to the notion that the President must make the decisions and accept the ultimate responsibility for those decisions. The expression is used today but certainly … More The Solitude of the Presidency
The princes are prancing but diplomacy must be more than a Deal. If the dying and suffering end that is a victory. The negotiators knew an agreement focused on the narrower issues of a cease-fire, hostage and prisoner exchange may be achievable. However, dealing with the tougher questions around Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza and … More Diplomacy vs Cutting A Deal
Is the world changing or is it just us? Thinking back to the 1970’s I fondly recollect viewing “All in the Family” with everyone’s favorite conservative, Archie Bunker. The show would open with the song “Those were the Days.” The voices of Archie and Edith kind of singing “Girls were girls and men were men, Mister … More The Country That Never Was
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
“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
Is social media the achievement of our lifetime or the bane of our existence? If used properly it keeps us updated with family, friends and news events. It can be an extreme irritant. We see a post on social media and comment without knowing the source or writer. It may be completely false, half true, … More Being Informed
Open space is essential for any community but is the public buying land for open space a rational way to regulate development and keep growth orderly? Are there other options that work to both provide open space and distribute density? Growth equates to development, more houses, apartments, roads and traffic. Those are only some of … More Growing Separately Together
In rapidly growing communities, the need for a traffic management information center (TMC) should never be decided based on political misbeliefs but rather facts. In a community where extremists abound a proposed traffic management center (TMC) was suddenly dropped by the regional planning organization after at least two public meetings with over 300 people objecting … More Reason Must Supersede Self Preservation
Is the party over – the Republican Party that is? This is not a description to demean but rather to warn of the demise of the current Republican Party through a review of the significant detours which it has taken. Political parties are not necessarily permanent political fixtures. Parties endure as long as they alter … More Is the party over – the Republican Party that is? (6 min read)
Phil's Personal Perspectives 