Longer Step: Ideas for Justice and Sustainability

  Words matter; sometimes our labels are just wrong. When that happens, it needs to be called out. I admire and respect the "first peoples" here, but they are neither "native" nor "indigenous." So, "Native American" is a misnomer, and so is "Indigenous People." True, they immigrated to here (from Asia) long before Europeans did, but they came to North America from somewhere else, just as Europeans, Africans, etc. did. For millions of years, North America was a wonderland of animals and plants, except there were no humans. No native humans here. The first humans came here about 30,000 years ago, which is half an eyeblink in terms of our continent's history. So, "First People's Day?" I'm all in! The peoples who walked the Bering land bridge, who became Cherokee and Seminole and Apache and Sioux, who lived in harmony with nature, and whom we slaughtered and stole rights from, whom we continue to mistreat even today, ...

 Poor Puerto Rico! I had a friend at BPA who told me that the law doesn't allow PR's electric grid to be built back stronger/more resilient than it was, and therefore every huge storm wipes out the (obsolete) grid all over again. How stupid is that? We keep paying many millions of dollars in recovery work, that are 100% destined to fail. We need to rebuild their grid to be storm-safe. Also, we need to push enough funding down there to raise the lower bridges to much higher levels, and to buy out homes in potential floodpaths and relocate their owners to safer spots. It's not hard; it only takes commitment. This is a great example of how limited a well-meaning administration and Congress are. With hundreds of thousands of elected officials and bureaucrats, nobody in the entire Obama or Biden administration can spot this need and resolve it? Insane. We must have the worst form of govt on the planet... (Photo credit: Getty Images)

 Regarding Trump's request for a Special Master, in the feds' investigation of his illegally keeping Top Secret records at his home after he was no longer President: I heard legal experts say no one else in the US (including other past Presidents) would've gotten a Special Master at this point (primarily because there've been no charges yet filed vs Trump, and he will get his personal property back, and he could ask the trial judge to advise on the (bogus) Executive Privilege claims, so there is no need for a S.M.). I suspect the judge appointed the S.M. for mostly-political reasons, because it will take a little heat off of her, from the Trump side, and will make the eventual outcome look a bit more fair to the Right. Judges are people; they think about things like "appearances" and "how to minimize the chances of having a bomb put in my car." But in the end, this will only cause delay, which is Mr. Trump's consistent legal strategy throughout...

 This is a fascinating election. The only thing we know for sure is that Oregon's next governor will be a woman: 1. Tina Kotek (Democrat): Speaker of the House. Has lengthy OR govt leadership experience. The frontrunner. Enjoys an electorate which, much to the dismay of the Republican 75% of the state (by area), has elected a Democrat governor for decades now. She would get my vote were I still an Oregon resident. Oregon used to be a great state, or at least looked like one. But now, it's beset (OK, mostly Portland is beset) by rampant homelessness and violence which spiraled out of control on Tina's watch. But she did push through statewide rent control (which I think I disagree with due to its interference with the rights of property owners), but at least it was designed to try to help renters who couldn't pay their rent), and her Republican opponent Drazan organized a Republican walkout from the legislature, which killed Kotek's attempt to increase homeless shelt...

This article in National Affairs is too long and meandering, but I love this line: " Paying off bonds with currency that is worth half as much as it used to be is like defaulting on half of the debt ." I've been thinking (and saying) for a long time that we will see inflation, not deflation, because the only way to repay the federal debt is to do it with ever-more-worthless dollars: Print too much money, cause inflation, and repay the debt with devalued dollars. Our government is stealing our future from us, in order to keep the balls in the air a little longer. But it is a sucker's game, and at some point it will become obvious to everyone that the US dollar is worthless. And all who hold their wealth in dollars at that time will suddenly realize they are financially ruined. A sane economic plan would see: a. Progressive income tax rates that raise enough money to fund the entire government's expenditures for the year; b. A vast (VAST) reduction in federal spend...

I see leaves quivering in the breeze, Just like how we shimmy our outstretched hands, In gratitude, sometimes, instead of clapping. The trees are happy, Happy that you are here, with the rest of us, Trying to make this a better world, together. And because the trees know that you are here, doing that, You cannot quit on them. Hang in there.

  Since 1945, a long long time ago, the USA has never won a war. Not that we didn't try--we've killed, maimed, and displaced hundreds of thousands of innocent people since then. But, each time, we lost. Now, on our great nation's holiday, many around me are shooting off fireworks. Big ones. Just like artillery, missiles, rifles. Thick. A cacaphony. Maybe it is a form of apology for all the wars we lost? But, sadly, maybe not. Maybe it's a continuation of the collective lie that this is still a great nation. Depends on how you measure great, I suppose.