Bergman Supports Outdoor Public Lands Legislation, President Trump to Sign and What it Means for the U.P.

The Great American Outdoors Act can be a wonderful thing for Delta, Dickinson and Marquette Counties that have access to thousands of acres of natural land. I wonder if we get these counties to coordinate if we will be able to hedge our tourism abilities and dollars to put together future advertising that encourages investment in the tourism industry and visitors. Each seems to have some of the benefits and together they offer a little of everything a person would want. Just thinking out loud. I guess that is what the Pure Michigan Campaign focuses on....which we will likely need to refund and refund big if we want to return to growth status! That matched with a better investment portfolio of the area and attracting industries that can grow within the local environment could be helpful. 

The press release....

Bergman Supports Historic Outdoor Public Lands Legislation, President Trump Set to Sign into Law

Washington - Yesterday, Rep. Jack Bergman voted in favor of the Great American Outdoors Act. This legislation fully funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), addresses the nearly $20 billion maintenance backlog in our national parks and other land management agencies, and provides more opportunities for hunters and anglers across the country.

"The First District of Michigan has four National Parks, three National Forests, five National Wildlife Refuges and more freshwater shoreline than any Congressional District in the United States. We also have the most avid hunters, anglers, and outdoor enthusiasts in the country, and we know firsthand the importance of our public land. Conserving our natural resources and protecting our way of life is not a partisan issue - I was proud to support this once in a generation legislation, and look forward to President Trump signing this into law," said Rep. Bergman.

The Great American Outdoors Act is widely supported across the First District by sportsmen and sportsmen groups, outdoor recreation businesses, forest owners, and the timber and logging industries. In March, President Trump called on Congress to "stop kicking the can down the road, fix the aging infrastructure at our national parks and permanently fund conservation projects through the Land and Water Conservation Fund."

This historic legislation:

• Provides $9.5 billion over 5 years to restore the infrastructure on our federal public lands and waters;
• Allocates $3 billion for hunting, fishing, and recreational shooting activities on public lands and waters within the U.S. Forest Service, the National Wildlife Refuge System, and the Bureau of Land Management;
• Permanently funds the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF); and
• Sets aside $15 million of LWCF funds annually for increasing opportunities for hunters, anglers, recreational shooters, and others.

In 2019, Rep. Bergman voted in favor of the Natural Resources Management Act, which was signed in to law by President Trump, to permanently authorize the LWCF and increase recreation opportunities on our public lands.

The National Park Service has over $49 million in deferred maintenance in the First District alone.

Learn more about the impact the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service have on Michigan’s economy:

NPS: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/socialscience/vse.htm

USFS: https://www.fs.fed.us/emc/economics/at-a-glance/jobs-income.shtml

Delta County Getting Known as Mountain Biking Destination-New 22 Mile Trail Being Built!

Days River Trail

Delta County is a serious destination for people who love the outdoors. There is a growing need to improve upon and use the natural resources in the area to build a sustainable economy that protects our environment and enhance the economy. There is no better way to do this then to get into eco-tourism and tourist micro-manufacturing to enhance the downtown area. This means we need to work building these two related but separate industries and consider the wider implications of how that will impact on our lives and work opportunities. 

What is eco-tourism? In layman's terms it means we are capitalizing on the natural resources and forests in the area to attract seasonal tourists that feed our local businesses. Such visitors not only help our restaurants, bars, and hotels but also bring an educated demographic with money to spend. Delta County can do a better job of branding itself on the global market and thus improve its alignment to the global economy. 

What is tourist micro-manufacturing? It is development of micro-manufacturing that impact the tourist sectors, downtown shopping and small manufacturing sector of the area. In this case we would have businesses downtown that build things like mountain bikes, snowshoes, skis, polo mallets, and much more. These are exportable products that can be invested in and used to spark SME businesses. 

They are looking for volunteers and of course financial resources http://dcntrails.com/

You can learn about the new single track trail in the article "Delta County Nonmotorized Trails announces single tract trail" KIX 104.7

You can also read some of the articles related to this topic.

The Great Outdoor Americans Act-Does it Help Delta County?

Using Tourism to Enhance Small Downtowns of Escanaba and Gladstone

Attracting SME Adventure-Venture Capitalism to Delta County (Escanaba & Gladstone) Through Neuroeconomics 

You can read the email press release below....

In the summer of 2015, the Bays de Noc Convention and Visitors Bureau (Visit Escanaba) contracted the International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) to develop a plan to add designated single-track mountain bike trails at the Days River Pathway. Due to staffing changes and multiple factors the plan never gained traction. Now five years later, the newly formed non-profit, Delta County Nonmotorized Trails (DCNT) has worked in collaboration with the Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ parks and recreation and forestry divisions to revise the plan to include the addition of a 22 miles of designated single-track trails.
 

“Single-track trails will be a great addition to the Days River Pathway property, and we’re excited to expand recreation opportunities for trail users,” said Rob Katona, DNR central Upper Peninsula trails specialist.  
 

“The idea of single-track trails at Days River Pathway has been talked about for years and was a big influence on the formation of our organization,” said Tony Lambert, President of DCNT. “We’re so excited to finally make this dream come true.”
 

As a 501(c)3 non-profit, DCNT’s mission is to create and maintain sustainable non-motorized, multi-use trail systems in and connecting Delta County that use the region’s natural assets and expand recreational opportunities for residents and visitors. With the help of many volunteers, DCNT will work side by side with the DNR to secure resources to complete the new multi-use single-track trails over the course of the next few years. 
 

“We can’t wait to get out, get our hands dirty and build trails”, said Andy Claes, DCNT Board Member, Master Trails Committee Chair
 

With gently rolling hills and diverse forests, the Days River Pathway is one of the most popular non-motorized trail systems in Delta County. The existing trail system includes five stacked loops for a total of approximately 9 miles, which are utilized by non-motorized sports enthusiasts year round. Originally designed for cross country skiing, the existing trails are quite wide to accommodate for grooming equipment and work well for multiple user groups. Single track trails are generally narrower and provide users a more intimate experience, which is generally preferred by mountain bike users. The new trails will traverse the forest to utilize the natural landscape to provide a flowing trail that will be fun for riders of all skill levels.

 

“As a hotel owner, it’s hard to miss all of the vehicles with mountain bikes on the back passing through town as they head North. We’re excited to get Delta County on the map as a biking destination for visitors planning a trip to the Upper Peninsula.”, said Jarred Drown, President of Visit Escanaba.

 

With hundreds of miles of world class biking trails in Marquette, Munising and Copper Harbor, the Upper Peninsula has become a very popular mountain biking destination. Mountain biking has been shown to have a tremendous economic impact on the community.
 

For more information about how to get involved, visit DCNTrails.com or DCNTrails on Facebook and stay tuned for information about volunteer work bees.

Operation Legend-Investigating and Disrupting Violent Crime-Effectiveness & Responsiveness

The White House is making steps to stop violent crime in the U.S. It is important to support police officers that are protecting the public. That is a different argument then removing poor police from the field. Law enforcement still has the responsibility to protect the community from violent crimes. Thus, more resources can be helpful for this if it is done in a positive and supportive way that protects the liberties of individuals. 

Nations that have violence often don't perform as well nations where safe and open societies exist. We need safe neighborhoods and we need our businesses to be protected. That is different than an argument as it relates to prison reform, law enforcement reform, etc... We want strong, fair, and unbiased policing while they still hold accountable violent offenders; it is possible to have both together.

On its surface this seems like a positive step in the right direction. In addition we want to strengthen the internal controls of police to ensure there is more accountability for "bad apples" and ways of removing them when they are no longer serving their communities effectively.  We also want them to be able to take criminals off of the streets while doing so in the spirit of Justice and transparency.

So the big question our nation faces is how do we please multiple stakeholders? The need for effective policing and the need for fair policing. That is something we will work through in the near future. I suspect the next election will highlight these issues. I can say that no one has the right to use guns, threats of violence, or intimidation to achieve their personal objectives. We all should have the right to exist and conduct our daily affairs without drug or other violence.

USDA Cuts Red Tape to Increase Private Investment in Rural America-Hedging the Investor Portfolio Delta County

Rural American, especially the U.P., is an underdeveloped sources of potential national rejuvenation. Personally, I believe that Delta County Michigan is ideally located and has enough shipping infrastructure intact and local know how to make a big difference in regional development. Because regulations can be cumbersome it is hard for businesses and small government entities to make their way through the spaghetti mess to obtain the resources they need. Any process of streamlining and simplifying the process makes sense for getting more "ready to gallop" future CEO horses so to speak through the gate to compete on the global market.

American entrepreneurs want opportunities to compete on the market but have been in a limited position for so long. Helping them through financing and getting them into break out status helps these communities develop home grown talent and business that put the communities back to work. Many of these rural towns were left out of the global market when manufacturing shifted overseas. Helping to launch new ideas and be competitive pays dividends to investors over and over. 

It should be noted that strong investment portfolios balance their risks and rewards to protect assets and position themselves to take advantage of emerging markets. They may have a core conservative batch of companies that don't grow fast or slow but are stable and maintain a minimum growth rate. On the other side, they may want to include more risky but possibly lucrative businesses that have the potential to compete on the market. Covid and the new Cold War with China is changing the calculations. If investors want to maintain their profits they may just want to consider pack investing in multiple businesses in a community that have the highest potential to succeed through environment creation. I'm working on what types of information are likely to attract the most investors for rural communities like Delta County. 

The following is taken from the Congressman Bergman Brief......

USDA Cuts Red Tape to Increase Private Investment in Rural America

Washington - U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is taking steps to increase private investment in rural communities across the country by making it easier for lenders to access four flagship loan programs.

“Under the leadership of President Trump, USDA is committed to cutting red tape and enhancing customer service so we can be a better partner to America’s rural leaders in building prosperity,” Secretary Perdue said. “These enhancements will make it easier for private lenders to use USDA programs to invest in rural businesses and grassroots rural economic development efforts.”

USDA is seeking public comment on a series of regulatory reforms known collectively as the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative. Under the initiative, USDA will eliminate duplicative processes and launch a single platform for four key loan programs:

• Water and Waste Disposal Loan Guarantees Program;
• Community Facilities Guaranteed Loan Program;
• Business and Industry Guaranteed Loan Program; and
• Rural Energy for America Guaranteed Loan Program.

USDA also will standardize requirements for credit reviews, loan processing, loan servicing and loss claims. These measures will make the application process simpler and faster for lenders. Among the reforms, USDA intends to:

• Launch a common loan note guarantee application and consistent forms for lenders to use across the four programs;
• Issue loan note guarantees to lenders within 48 hours after they provide documentation to prove the requirements of the conditional commitment have been met;
• Provide guarantee percentage and fee requirements to lenders through a single annual notice at the beginning of each fiscal year;
• Allow lenders to obtain approval for a loan guarantee prior to the beginning of construction projects. A one-time fee and other requirements may apply; and
• Provide automatic approval to lenders in good standing who are supervised or created by state or federal regulatory agencies to participate in all four programs. This expands the base of eligible lenders for the four guaranteed loan programs. Non-regulated lenders may seek approval to participate through a single certification process that will be valid for five years.

USDA plans to conduct a series of listening sessions this summer on the proposed changes. For more information on how to register, visit: www.rd.usda.gov/onerdguarantee.

The changes will take effect on Oct. 1, 2020. Additional information is available in the July 13, 2020, Federal Register (PDF, 896 KB).

Interested parties may join the OneRD Guarantee Loan Initiative subscription list to receive updates from USDA on this regulatory change.

In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America. To view the report in its entirety, please view the Report to the President of the United States from the Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity (PDF, 5.4 MB).

USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.

Using Virtual Communities To Raise Venture Capitalism Investment in Delta County Michigan

Delta County Michigan has a lot of underutilized potential and when we engage in pro-business strategies we can draw in more investment and in turn provide more jobs to our children so they don't have to move somewhere else. While I don't believe in hard and fast rules I can say that I like to look at some of the research literature in the formation of a more formal opinion to incorporate into a theory I'm working on to increase innovative growth. Investment in existing and start-up businesses is hugely important and having an online community for Delta County Investments may be one idea that works. 

Investors, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists rely on information. Building and designing websites that seek highlight local businesses looking for investment capital because of their growth potential is a viable strategy. The other method may be to create investment online forums where this information is not only present but investors, entrepreneurs, venture capitalists and local stakeholders may be able to interact to make investment and policy awareness. 

This is done through what is called a virtual community. It may be a discussion forum where people can post questions, ask ideas, set up plans, get information on zoning, and much more. Such an forum will help investors and venture capitalists find information on important businesses and interact with participating entrepreneurs that need access to investment and low interest loans. It also serves the secondary function of keeping local policy makers aware of what investors need and in turn investors what policy makers need. 

We can look at a study conducted on a sample of 215 members of the investment community and how online forums can help (Shang, Chen & Chen, 2013). They state, "Compared with other decisions, financial investments should be more rational, and investors need to acquire immediate and accurate information for their investments." We could provide them with that information in a way that leads to increased in active local investment.

Thus an online forum and virtual community is about information, dialogue, and development. It provides the right information at the right time for decision making purposes. They also found that members in this community had higher confidence in trading and in turn trade more frequently. More frequency means that more dollars are being spent to develop local business (i.e. could Upper Hand Brewery go national? kind of ideas).

Why do members in online investment communities trade and invest more frequently?

1. One primary reason is the availability of information and the ability to ask questions of business owners, government stakeholders and other investors. In economics investment is part of choice and based on the rational decision making when and if information is available. Thus, providing access to a Delta County investment forum community helps them gain information they need to make decisions. 

2. Putting together the business owners, city leaders (Escanaba and Gladstone) and Delta County officials in the same forum as investors increases source credibility. Investors need to perceive the information as believable, competent and trustworthy (Petty and Cacioppo, 1986). No other place to do this then to get the sources involved when investment capital is significant.

3. Third we will want to consider that highly successful investors can often create herd investing (Shang, Chen & Chen, 2013). When an venture capitalist is successful he/she will draw in other investors and they will follow that person's lead. The entire group begins to invest more and in multiple mechanisms.

So as I think through this it appears that an investment community for Delta County could be used to attract, market to and reach out to potential investors. It would also draw in local businesses that have potential growth and in turn better align government policy to the needs of the business community. I bet one could to the same for civil issues and quality of life concerns but that is a different type of venue. 

Thus far here are a few ideas that have been generated (Thinking out loud). This is theoretical play but some ideas may be good for implementation either here or other locations.

1. Redesign sites to include information that attracts investors
2. Develop a cluster system to enhance local industries (Focus on investors in those clusters).
3. Create welcome packets for entrepreneurs and reach out to other locations for to help people buy local properties.
4. Find someone to coordinate all of these activities and help businesses get through to start up
5. Hedge our natural resources to attract tourism, investment, and tourist micro manufacturing.
6. Utilize our deep port, rail, roads and central location to attract distribution. 
7. A lot more Theory of Transactional Clusters

Petty, R.E. and Cacioppo, J.T. ( 1986 ),Communication and Persuasion: Central and Peripheral Routes to Attitude Change , Springer-Verlag, New York, NY .

Shang, R., Chen, Y. & Chen, C. (2013) The social and objective value of information in virtual investment communities. Bradford, (37) 4. DOI:10.1108/OIR-06-2011-0087

"Bad Apples" in Law Enforcement Likely Have a History of Misconduct

As a nation we must do better to promote good officers to position where they influence other officers to do what is just and right and thwart what is bad and destructive. At the same time, we must also create the environments that remove "bad apples" from policing before they engage in misconduct. It should be remembered that all policing and law enforcement is based on trust. That is trust in the Justice system, trust in the integrity of the officer, and trust that truth and good judgement will be the result. Allowing "bad apples" to continue to serve damages that trust in society and in turn creates civil unrest. We want a better future for our children and there is a way forward for everyone involved.

Good Officers and the Maintenance of Societal Trust

I want to talk about this from a personal and societal perspective. I'm a big big believer in the good that law enforcement does. They protect us from crime, investigate wrong doing, help children, and put themselves in harm's way way to keep the rest of us safe. Most officers I've met in the course of my profession and life are good people trying to do good things. Yet, a "bad apple" is a "bad apple" and we need a better job of removing/restricting them to ensure that they are not committing harm to people in the community.

We know that we have the beginnings of more serious civil unrest. People are angry and they are upset that their rights have been violated and few have made the necessary steps to change it. While the unrest may eventually simmer down and temporarily move away from media awareness it will likely come back over and over in our history until we have secured the mechanisms needed to restore trust in justice. Officers have a duty to protect the public from wrongdoing and in the circumstance where they are the problem then change and accountability must occur.

"Bad Apples", Bigotry and Criminality

Lets give an example situation. Let us say for a moment an officer coached his friends on how to get someone arrested under false pretenses. No actual crime was committed and there was no legal justification for such action. The victim became aware of previous wrong doing and tried to protect his family through boundaries creation to thwart coordinated bullying and harassment. The officer used his knowledge of the law to indicate that if the person is a danger to himself or to others they can be arrested. The group worked on creating the context through provoking and triangulating of others. 

Let's say you honestly believe someone is "crazy" and unable to take care of themselves then wouldn't you be empathetic, kind, and considerate?  Calling names, endangering children, spreading rumors, public mocking, and much more is not a sign that the group had any positive intention. At the time this game was being played the party set up a lynching spot and invited some investigators to witness. I'm not going to blame those investigators. They had no idea this group was engaged in criminal activity and I believe they became aware and were utterly confused. Just by looking at their faces they knew something going on was very wrong and they halted from making an arrest.

One of the perpetrators kept calling the "ring leader" on what the most appropriate direction they should take. Calling names, saying their son is an addict, grabbing their drink to throw it (which they barely held themselves), saying very clearly to a direct question of why they are acting this way she retorted, "Because you are Muslims". Part of the reason why this conflict occurred was because of the term "niggar" was used loosely in the group and intentional directly directed at the parent of mixed raced children. Instead of getting angry the target in this case took the opposite approach. He felt sad for the perpetrators and the behavior they were engaged in and softened his heart. I feel the investigators felt they were dooped.  

I'm not sure what legal and illegal is but I would suspect some of this behavior is illegal. If it isn't illegal it is highly unethical, a moral lapse, and destroys trust in the system. 

Ignorance, Lack of Education, and Lack of Self-Reflection

I do feel some sadness over the behavior of this group. Normally, they are good people but that appears highly dependent on who we are talking about and whether or not they fit within the "clan". They don't have a high education, travel much, or experience other cultures on a deeper level. With education, exposure to different types of people, and opportunities to self-reflect we may never have never caused this problem. Unfortunately, in this context there was a dysfunctional social culture mixed with an absence of that little conscious bell that dings, "Something about this doesn't seem right". 

To make a good point about this groups lack of knowledge and understanding of different people and religions. I'm only part Muslim, part Catholic, and believe in much of the Torah. Thus my culture is Catholic but I have learned to value and incorporate the essential messages of different religious. I adhere to the insightful belief in the universality of religion and how each of the philosophies can teach us about how we should be and act in our society. Its a little like reading multiple authors and authorities on a particular topic to better understand the bigger picture. I suspect that isn't illegal and there are protections in place for freedom of religion and speech. Perhaps I'm wrong!

History of Misconduct

I do not believe such behavior is a one time isolated incident whereby the officer had a bad day and a single lapse of judgement. I do not believe this because there is much more to this story. While a mistake may be isolated and the officer learns from the experience and becomes better the use of intentional misconduct to further one's agenda then this is not an accident. It was thought out and intentional in nature and thus comes from mental outlook about the value of human life. 

What I can say in this case is that we exist in a small community and with that comes more personalized knowledge of each other. That officer had behavioral issues related to bullying and attention seeking behavior going back to his childhood (Junior High to be exact). No idea how they passed a psyche test and made it onto a police force. Personality influences our perceptions and choices in life and thus creates the potential for reoccuring misconduct. The past sometimes predicts goal directed futures.

What I can say is that there are others in the community that have experienced concerning behaviors by this officer that can be considered abusive and illegal in nature. These behaviors relate to sexual misconduct, misrepresenting facts, and using their authority of arrest to bully others. While it is not my place at the moment to spell those out in detail from the multiple people that brought forward those concerns I will say that it is precisely that history and the need to protect the public from further misconduct that leads to this series of writing. 

The Need for Misconduct Review

Every person has the right to be treated fairly and have an opportunity to explain their side of the story. The review helps law enforcement departments to go back through the history and look for themes in complaints as it relates to this officer (or any other officer). In my professional experience, I have learned that not every hire is going to be a successful match with the organization a few years down the road. It is important to review fairly and objectively (from the outside if necessary) a person's record to 1.) protect the public from further misconduct and 2.) improve upon the policing system for greater effectiveness. 

That review also should include talking to other officers, people who have submitted complaints, and gain a "feel" for what the community is saying. Assuming that these concerns are true, or have a piece of truth in them, then it is important to talk to the other officers that have worked with the perpetrator to understand their perspective. Some of the older officers may be aware of the "chip on shoulder" issues as it relates to this person's behavior and perspectives. There is likely a lot of non documented information that can be discovered through interviews.

The Need for Stronger Internal Affairs

Internal affairs is needed to control and understand poor behavior to make recommendations on further investigations and policy improvements. Unfortunately, these systems are often inadequate because they are not insulated enough and work too closely with some of the officers to be objective. I've even heard that when misconduct is reported sometimes the information of who and when gets back to the officer and in turn those officers refuse to help the whistle blower when they need it. While it I'm not privy to whether or not that applies in this example I can say that it can develop a culture of bullying that is dangerous for those officers that may be aware of misconduct.  A culture of "silence" for fear of rejection and slow response to emergency assistance is not only dangerous but also perpetuates the problem.

Thus it is helpful to create the right culture and internal controls so officers can speak out when misconduct occurs to create a stronger and more effective policing systems. Without doing so the culture continues to decline and people within the community lose trust. The ultimate goal of any law enforcement agency is to protect and serve the community and thus they should take precedence in all decision making. Sometimes there are people who do not have that same belief in the function of law enforcement in society and are negligent in duty.  If officers that work with the perpetrator know of other misconduct then it is incumbent on them to act. By extension they are then partially at fault for the harm this officer has done to the public. Thus, if I was an officer who knew something I would come forward immediately to Internal Affairs and/or leadership to ensure they are on the right side of justice. When and if that isn't possible they can move to the state and federal level. I'm not aware of whether justice will come or not but I will say that I believe that when we put out bad int he world it comes back to us like karma. 

What Is Our Duty?

I'm a believer that each person in this country has the responsibility to do their part to make a better nation. We do that  not only for ourselves, and our own children, but also for other people's children as well. Our nation is an experiment in freedom and choice. Misconduct takes away from that freedom and puts people's rights in jeopardy. These are the rights that our forefathers/mothers fought for and died for and to whisk them away just because we want to "fit in" is morally and ethically defunct. If there are other actions of misconduct as they relate to children and people in the community then we would be morally bankrupt to not ask for a misconduct review of this officer to ensure each life is viewed as sacred. It is an essential duty and a creed many people like me swore an allegiance to. Our oaths are bonds that tie the past to the present in our struggles to fulfill our American destiny. Where does your loyalties lay? I only hope it lays on the right side of history.

Gifted Children Left Behind-Lost National Treasures For Societal Development

A new study indicates that 3.6 million students in the U.S. should be labeled gifted but are not and that is leaving the country's future intellectual and artistic capital untapped. A study by Purdue indicates that many gifted students are not receiving the services they need to excel (Gray, et.al. 2019). Better programs and research might help identify beyond the smart to the truly gifted that are capable of excelling to advanced levels. One must wonder what waste in exceptional human capital we are throwing into the piles of unfulfilled contributions to our national development?

The concept of giftedness is masked in mystery for the average person and often associated with madness, eccentric, and super intelligent. The U.S. does not do well in protecting this exceptional population but has become increasingly concerned that we are losing out on high talent for global competitiveness. We ignore their needs at our own peril.

Lets first discuss two definitions of giftedness taken from the study...

The U.S. Dept. of Education's definition....

Children and youth with outstanding talent perform or show the potential forperforming at remarkably high levels of accomplishment when compared withothers of their age, experience, or environment. These children and youth exhibithigh performance capability in intellectual, creative, and/or artistic areas, posean unusual leadership capacity, or excel in specific academic fields. They requireservices or activities not ordinarily provided by the schools.Outstanding talentsare present in children and youth from all cultural groups, across all economicstrata, and in all areas of human endeavor[emphasis added]. (U.S. Department of Education [USDOE], 19, p. 11).

Let's get rid of the concept of child and youth. While that applies to school definitions it doesn't apply to the entire life cycle. Certainly one can be gifted and 90, probably with mountains of insight and knowledge, but they would still be gifted despite not ever having formal education. Yet, finding them in youth allows for the best capitalization for long-term contribution to society. Since most of our kids go to school that is likely the best place to find them (i.e. the Internet might be another).

Next let us look at the National Association for Gifted Children's definition.....

Gifted individuals are those who demonstrate outstanding levels of aptitude(defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documentedperformance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains.Domains include any structured area of activity with its own symbol system (e.g.,mathematics, music, language) and/or set of sensorimotor skills (e.g., painting,dance, sports). (National Association for Gifted Children, 2000para. 5

It appears that there may be two major problems with the selection of giftedness as it relates to improper referrals and lack of culturally neutral biological markers. Thus, policy makers may be unsure of what it means to be gifted and the biological and psychological indicators that separated the gifted from the non-gifted but smart. Wrong referrals of wealthy schools and privileged backgrounds may be sucking the resources needed for gifted students.

Gifted people often process information differently which doesn't always translate into high grades. For example, straight A student may not be any more gifted than a C student. Straight A students give the answers they have learned from their books and teachers. The do really really well at memorizing and using information that has already been presented. A C student may be more gifted if he/she constructs new information that moves beyond the knowledge presented in the course but consistently under-performs. They may also be drawing information from multiple sources in life and reconstructing new understanding of basic class concepts.

So there are intelligence and performance variables that may not be in alignment. Typically gifted may or may not outperform others but carry with them the potential regardless of actual performance. When groomed they can outperform just about anything you have seen before and may be able to construct new knowledge beyond what science (or their class) has offered. That is one reason Einstein was a gifted genius...he sucked at school but excelled at new associations (The same can be said for Newton, Socrates, Leonardo, and others.)

So many teachers are giving wealthy students with nagging parents referrals to gifted programs because all of the family examples, tutors, happy shinny faces, hours spent studying, and encouragement leads to an A. While the rich may also have gifted children the poor gifted student sometimes comes from the hell of poverty, abuse, lack of role models, little quiet studying time and still performs at an exceptional level when the environment is right.

Giftedness is also a quantitative and qualitative difference in existence that themes throughout a persons life-cycle because of innate biological differences. They feel, think, perceive, understand and work in ways that others don't. They feel pain when people do bad things, and they see colors in ways that others may not see them. Senses can be higher and they may delve into the deep moral questions of life. Some can paint, some do music, and some solve math problems while others maybe able to pull data from their environment and build constantly updating models. Their biological development creates sensory depth that processes information it in different ways that leads to intuitive insight.

As a nation we should have a better understanding what giftedness is and what it isn't so as to develop to its full potential. Let's not confuse enrichment of the smart and the enrichment of the gifted as the same thing. Each species has a percentage of highly tuned offspring as a natural result of adaptation to their environment. They are like the small percentage of birds that can see an approaching fox way before the other birds or the chimpanzee that learns a new tool in a new way without an example. So we cannot develop gifted programs from intelligence tests and academic learning alone. There are other markers that should be considered so as to ensure that certain races and backgrounds are not excluded by ethnocentric sociocultural demographic blindness. We need better studies and more accurate measurements to develop our national treasures in science, art, music and technology. Genius and the tragic gift are most likely to be developed when the right environment is created.

I'm not delving into the ethical and moral implications of leaving the gifted to the wolves of conformity and self-seeking caretakers. I'm talking about finding our gifted, albeit a much smaller number than the "smart", and developing them in a way that leads to their personal self-fulfillment and national growth. As a nation, we are now competing with a world where information, data, and performance will be significant influences of national growth. Without selecting those with the best potential to master that environment and advance our society, capitalism and philosophies of freedom we will be limiting not only their potential but also the potential of the nation. We need their skills and abilities to invent, think and create in ways that advance our society to new heights.

Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex… It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction. -Ernst. F. Schumacher

Gray, et. al. (2019) Gifted Education in the United States:Laws, Access, Equity, and Missingness Across the Countryby Locale, Title I School Status, and Race. Purdue University. https://www.dropbox.com/s/0lxzznnyh5u0jj1/Access%20Denied.pdf?_ga=2.150928054.1010582410.1595379513-1542347822.1595379513

It should be noted that Escanaba Polo Mallet Company is a good works company that supports orphans, horses in need and child enrichment programs. We are a small start-up with lofty goals. Please visit us and share at https://www.escanabapolomallet.com/