STARTING 2018 HAS BEEN BUSY…
This edition of THE ENTERPRISE has been in my Draft file for over a month…or at least parts of it has. 2018 started with eldest daughter Lisa’s wedding planned for Feb. 3. Our annual Florida winter trip started mid-January. Thus we had to pack for weeks in FL and a wedding trip to OK in early Feb. Of course the early January weather in OH was FRIGID--single digits, and as it happen in physics, when the temperature is lowered, activity slows. So did mine! Upon returning to FL from the wedding, we enjoyed house guests for the first week, and younger daughter Susan for the next two. It was great, but THE ENTERPRISE mostly just sat there in the Drafts folder. Finally, as March looms on the horizon, I’m getting back to it.
NEW BOOK IN PROGRESS—ONE THAT HAS BEEN YEARS IN THE DEVELOPMENT: "MY LEGACY” (Actual Title still TBD)
I am in the final stages of a new, BIG book. It started out the be “memoirs.” Then the realization of all those non-disclosure and confidentiality agreements I had signed over the years, hit me. Time for a rewrite, to remove all kinds of specifics that I couldn’t publish about. What I kept, is what was important. At each stage of my life and career, from age 13 to age 75+, I learned many lessons. What I have in front of me now is —a book of 300 Lessons—and the “stories” about when, how, where they were learned.
My hope is that by publishing these lessons, I will help countless people to learn from them. They will learn whaat worked, what didn’t and why—at least as I can best recall. Writing from memory at this stage of life is a challenge. (I think we "shine up” old memories (like we do old silver, to restore the gleam) but still remember them as accurately, as possible. When the book is out, we’ll see how accurate I was. I will be asking readers of The Enterprise to help me with this. WATCH FOR IT IN EDITIONS—COMING SOON!
IT’S GETTNG HARDER AND HARDER TO DECIDE WHAT TO WRITE ABOUT AND WHAT TO SAY IN THE ENTERPRISE
Members of Congress are showing their frustrations with figuring out which way the political winds are blowing and how to reconcile what they feel from constituents with wha they believe must be done. This is not just true for Republicans, although is it more likely their dilemma (holding both Houses of Congress and the White House. What’s the problem? There are so many, it’s hard to even count them. That’s the problem.
THIS IS THE BEST SUMMARY I’VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME:
That’s what I told Bill Falk in an email after I read it. I told him I planned to share it in THE ENTERPRISE, so here it is.
THE WEEK magazine: Bill Falk, Editor’s letter Feb. 2, 2018
Beware the purists. To get anything done in this messy, contentious world, you have to accept that other people have different values and objectives than you do. The trick is to find some overlapping middle ground where you get part of what you want. In a divided democracy of 330 million people, compromise is essential; as Washington politicians once implicitly understood, half a loaf is better than none. But in recent years, our politics have become deeply polarized, as the bases of the Republican and Democratic parties have moved further right and left, respectively. Cutting deals has become a lost, or perhaps abandoned, art. That’s why the government briefly shut down last weekend. It’s why forging a compromise on immigration that can pass both houses of Congress—and get past presidential adviser Stephen Miller’s veto—will be so difficult. (See Main Stories.) Both parties’ bases are demanding total victory, and calling congressional leaders who are willing to take half a loaf wimps and sellouts.Most Americans, I believe, still fall somewhere within a few degrees of center on the political spectrum, and instinctively distrust extremists. But in an overwrought political climate defined by the shouting partisans on cable news, moderation and compromise have fallen into ill repute. That’s a guarantee of gridlock and dysfunction. In a defense of moderation, conservative writer Peter Wehner has pointed out that a smart strategist can be driven by moral ideals even while charting a pragmatic course. “Moderation,” he says, “takes into account what is needed at any given moment; it allows circumstances to determine action in the way that weather patterns dictate which route a ship will follow.” Victories achieved without some buy-in from the opposition are often short-lived—and followed by intense backlashes that can wipe out nearly everything that was gained. On immigration, as on many issues, there is a reasonable middle ground—if the purists will let us get there. —William Falk, Editor-in-chief
IF YOU MAKE A LIST OF ALL THE ISSUES LEGISLATORS AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FACE, YOU’LL GET IT.
My Congressman, a veteran of 17 years in the House, is one who has stepped down—retired. He never told me all the reasons, but I’ve talked with him enough to guess at them. I often started our discussions by asking him, “Tell me again why you want this job?” Plus a growing family, that is at home while he is flying back and forth to do battle on impossible things in Washington, all for a fraction of the compensation available elsewhere. it’s easy to see the temptation to “hang it up."
Gridlock results in fruitless pursuit of well intended laws stranded in the Senate or House. A volatile president, of their party, confusing issues and positions with his constant stream of Tweets. Rules requiring 60 votes to overcome the obsolete “filibuster,” but the fear that if they erase it, the shoe will be on the other foot in the foreseeable future. Random acts of “lone wolf” violence at home (school shootings, terrorist attacks, etc. seem to be intractable problems, like stopping a mobile, unpredictable “firebug” with an endless supply of matches. Foreign policy also becomes an impossible challenge, one of dealing with rising problems of rogue states (N. Korea & Iran & ISIS remnants) and disruptive larger ones (Russia and China) when there is little or no unity in support of the policies and approaches to the problems.
Gridlock frustrates members of Congress as much or more than it does the American people. Polarization of positions is impossible to deal with and get anything much done. Look at Chuck Schumer’s behavior and stance on anything. He makes GOP opposition of prior years look like no big deal. If the GOP tried to pass anything saying that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west, Democrats would oppose it. They would demagogue the people who backed it, and attempt to tear them down, personally and politically. Domestically, Immigration policy is a tough one. the US had been a country of immigrants, most of which come here to succeed and thrive. now there is a virulent and violent minority who come here to tear down or destroy the freedoms of the USA bu taking advantage of them.
THE USA HAS FORGOTTEN ABOUT FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY AS A COUNTRY
In your life or business, when unexpected events cause expenses to increase, you normally cut back somewhere else to compensate. Not in our nation’s capital. Simply appropriate more money, which can either be borrowed or printed, both of which add to the US fiscally untenable situation. Rein in spending? Where and how—in a Congress that can’t agree on whether the sun rises in the East and sets in the West or if that’s a partisan trick bot the opposition party. Seventy percent of the US budget is dedicated to, and consumed by, untouchable entitlements (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Interest on the debt and (sometimes) Defense spending).
Handouts are out of control—and they cost money too—big money. Welfare related spending continues to climb, because it would be inhumane to not care for children, unwed mothers, the poor and unmotivated, the chronically unemployed and unemployable, and so many more (An increase of $500 Billion/year in new welfare-related spending during the three decades from 1987 to 2017. No elected officials dare touch the uncontrolled spending growth—and that includes the president. Yet all of this debate never touches the fact that they are meddling with the margins, arguing how to divide the shrinking pie, ignoring the elephant in the (budget) room.
Trump’s central idea is not wrong, if it can be achieved. Growth covers a multitude of sins, especially the sin of spending money we don’t have. Taxing the rich (the Dems favorite war cry) can’t touch the spending and deficit problem. If taxes too ALL the wealth of the richest Americans who pay the lion’s share of taxes now—it wouldn’t even dent the deficit. Well known speaker Tony Robbins demonstrated this five years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jboTeS9Okak Take the time to watch this YouTube video.
MAYBE EXECUTIVE ORDERS OR NEW LAWS WILL HELP (If Congress could ever agree on anything--except spending more money—that we don’t have and must borrow.)
1. “WORKFARE:" NEW RULE: No work, no welfare, no exceptions! Far too many Americans have become “slaves” to the benefits of the government “nanny state” and collect welfare instead of working for a living. They even brag about figuring out how to collect more by having more children and scamming the system. That’s deplorable. Some really need help. All of them can “do something” in return for the welfare. (See the article about Kentucky.) Put Americans back to work, helping each other and themselves, and earning their way.
2. STOP ALL THE TV/Video/Audio DRUG ADS, DIVERT THE $$$ TO R & D, and RX COST REDUCTION: Stop the incessant litany of ads for unpronounceable drugs that can treat diseases you either might have, (or might think you have, or that you can bug your doctor about having.) The potential side effects named in the ads are jaw dropping. These ads cost pharmaceutical companies over $5 billion per year. Divert that money, one-half to R & D, and one-half to RX drug cost reduction.
READ THIS BOOK: OVERDOSED AMERICA to learn much more.
3. INSTITUTE A SECURE NATIONAL PHOTO ID PROGRAM—FOR ALL AMERICANS: No ID=No drive, not vote, no bank accounts, no Social Security, no Medicare/Medicaid, no Pay. Replace drivers licenses with IDs for driving, travel, voting, and a host of other uses where a driver’s license is already requested. The privacy panic advocates will freak out, but anyone how genuinely believes privacy really exists is delusional. If amazon.com can track preferences of millions of customers, a National Identification Program is known technology. If Apple can use facial recognition to unlock phones, that too is proven technology. Require immigrants in process to check in at ID centers in all states (used to be called Driver’s License Offices) partially funded by Federal and partly by State money.
4. RAISE THE GAS TAX (double it)—FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DECADES—TO PAY FOR INFRASTRUCTURE—NEW AND REPAIRS: For the "working poor,” (income under $30,000) give them an tax offset for added tax ($185) on the first 1000 gallons. Fix America’s aging infrastructure. Now.
5. EXPAND THE RIGHT TO WORK LAWS INTO ALL STATES— Data conclusively shows that it works. Jobs increase. Companies come in. Growth follows. Unions serve a purpose when employers are abusive or take advantage of employees, but more and more employers have learned that treating employees poorly is a bad idea. No one should be forced to pay for membership in an organization they don’t support or don’t feel they benefit from, just because a majority of others say so.
CYBERSECURITY—ALWAYS A CONCERN: FROM KIPLINGER
A new cybersecurity checkup tool can quickly detect digital weak spots and give businesses customized advice to protect online data. A group of researchers at the University of Toronto have launched a simple, step-by-step security planner to boost security habits for all users, including folks who are less than digitally savvy. The good news: Most of the suggestions don’t cost anything and can be adopted fast. Answer a few questions at securityplanner.org and get tips that you can implement.
Candidate's View: US lagging in addressing online national-security threats
By Leah Phifer on Jan 16, 2018 at 6:17 p.m.
The events of Sept. 11, 2001, laid the groundwork for the U.S. counterterrorism strategy that governed the beginning of the 21st century. That groundwork led to ongoing wars and a complete restructuring of our national security and intelligence agencies. It also shaped the perspective of many millennials, the largest living generation in the country.
My stepbrother joined the Marines on Sept. 12, 2001; I went on to spend nearly a decade serving in the Department of Homeland Security and working counterterrorism and cyberterrorism for the FBI. As is often the case, the war on terror wasn't initiated by the young, but it became our war to fight.
The difference today is the generation protecting our national security has little input into determining the tools needed to do so. With today's Congress ranked among the oldest in history, there is a growing disconnect between those deciding our policy and those carrying it out. This missing perspective from our leadership has left us with a national security blind spot — one that has manifested into our slow response to the rise in cyberterrorism.
As our national resources have been spread thin by fighting nefarious actors through endless wars, we've become increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks on our energy grid, bank accounts, hospital records, and elections (to name a few attacks in the last 18 months). In May, a group working on behalf of the North Korean government hacked hospitals, banks, and businesses using the "WannaCry" ransomware crypto worm. We are just now beginning to understand the effects of Russian hacking on the 2016 presidential election.
As our lives and our democracy grow increasingly automated, devious nation states and lone actors will ramp up their attempts to exploit these areas.
Solutions do exist. Private companies like JP Morgan and Google are investing millions to explore safeguarding information by using blockchain technology, which is the decentralized ledger system behind Bitcoin. Hackers at the 2017 DefCon computer security conference exposed vulnerabilities in voting machines in under 30 minutes.
While the private sector surges forward in this arena, the federal government continually loses the brightest minds to the likes of Facebook, Google, and Amazon. The American people could greatly benefit from a federal government pay scale that puts computer scientists and cyber experts on par with their private-sector counterparts. (Relaxing the prohibition on marijuana use in the security-clearance process could open up doors, but that's a proposal for another day.)
While there are actions the federal government should take to beef up our cybersecurity, there are things we should not be doing. As an FBI analyst specializing in cyberterrorism, I was concerned in 2016 when President Barack Obama called on the tech industry to provide back doors into encrypted apps for government use. The success of my job hinged on unveiling plans of aspiring terrorists, but there is no such thing as a back door that only the government can access.
Today's national-security threats are different than those of the past. Many of the soldiers will be hackers, and the battlefield will be online. North Korea and Russia are preparing their people to fight these battles. What is the U.S. doing to prepare? We can start by electing leaders who've been on the front lines and understand the reality of today's war on terror. This will require a concerted effort to bring a greater diversity of voices to the table in 2018.
While millennials may have inherited this war, it's now our responsibility to ensure our country has the right tools and the right people in place to fight it.
Leah Phifer of Isanti, Minn., and a native of Two Harbors is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan for the DFL endorsement in the 8th Congressional District. Republican Pete Stauber and independent Ray "Skip" Sandman also have announced their candidacies for the congressional seat. Phifer teaches classes on immigration policy and political methodology at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
Leah Phifer of Isanti, Minn., and a native of Two Harbors is challenging incumbent U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan for the DFL endorsement in the 8th Congressional District. Republican Pete Stauber and independent Ray "Skip" Sandman also have announced their candidacies for the congressional seat. Phifer teaches classes on immigration policy and political methodology at Augsburg University in Minneapolis.
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Kentucky is first to require residents to work for Medicaid (Note: Ohio is considering something like this too.)
By Adam Beam The Associated Press & the Columbus Dispatch
FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky has become the first state to require many of its Medicaid recipients to work to receive coverage, part of an unprecedented change to the nation’s largest health insurance program under the Trump administration.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced the approval on Friday. The change will require adults between the ages of 19 and 64 to complete 80 hours per month of “community engagement” to keep their coverage. That includes getting a job, going to school, taking a job training course or community service.It’s a big change for Kentucky, a state that just four years ago embraced former President Barack Obama’s health care law under a previous Democratic governor who won praise for posting some of the largest insurance coverage gains in the country.But Republican Gov. Matt Bevin says while more Kentuckians have insurance, it is not making them healthier. Kentucky, along with the rest of Appalachia, still falls behind the rest of the country in 33 out of 41 population health indicators, according to a recent study. Bevin says he believes his program, with its emphasis on work and community service, will encourage people to be healthier. “There is dignity associated with earning the value of something that you receive,” Bevin said. “The vast majority of men and women, able-bodied men and women ... they want the dignity associated with being able to earn and have engagement.”In its application to Washington, Bevin’s office said they expect the changes to save taxpayers more than $300 million over the next five years. They estimated as many as 95,000 people could lose their Medicaid benefits, either because they did not comply with the new rules or they lose their eligibility because they make too much money.“The Trump administration has agreed to end health coverage for 95,000 Kentuckians,” said Democratic U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth, who represents Louisville. “Thousands of Kentucky families will face financial ruin.”Bevin’s office said the new rules only apply to the expanded Medicaid population, or about 350,000 Kentuckians, about half of whom already have jobs. But there are many exemptions. The work requirements will not apply to pregnant women, full-time students, former foster care youth, primary caregivers of children and the elderly and full-time students.The work requirements — which start in July and will last five years — also do not apply to anyone designated “medically frail,” a broad term that includes people suffering from alcohol or drug addiction in a state that has been among the hardest hit by the opioid crisis.“Why should an able-bodied working-age man or woman with no dependents not be expected to do something in exchange for that which they are being provided?” Bevin said. “I’m not worried about it at all.”OK, THAT’S PLENTY FOR AN ISSUE, EVEN A LATE ONE.I HOPE 2018 HAS BEEN A GOOD YEAR SO FAR FOR EVERYONE…BACK TO YOU SOON!JOHN
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HANDS UP!—It’s not about boxing; it’s about improving your life
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