Oftentimes one person has a lasting effect on our lives. A teacher who made a difference in us. As you entered your teens that person who treated you as an adult early on. Each of us has a story. Mine was not a teacher but a butcher in a small neighborhood grocery store with a … More Looking Back, Moving Forward
If we have learned anything, it should be to be a learner, not a scholar. I respect scholars and appreciate their writings. Those who help us to better understand our world are essential. It is understanding why things, good or bad, happen that enables us to become better citizens in our Democracy. Understanding why different … More Winning Without Money
Government agents cannot shoot citizens dead on our streets for taking an IPhone video of their actions. Peaceful protests are allowed in our country in fact throughout our history such protests have been encouraged. Has government decided that the solution is in the use of physical force? Are these tactics acceptable? Have we changed as … More Wisdom Is Lacking
How did our world, our country, get so crazy? So much turmoil and incivility finds its way to the front page of our local newspapers and TV station news daily. Is a return to “normalcy” on the horizon or just a headline or two away? Years ago, a popular song, titled “The Morning After” echoed … More The Morning After
Often, I hear or read of people moving to places like Idaho for Freedom. I have even heard some say to get away from the “occupied zone.” I assume that refers to our large urban areas with more traffic and higher costs. I understand the sentiments these attitudes convey. Idaho is a beautiful place with … More Freedom Is More Than A Word
“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 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
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
Phil's Personal Perspectives 