Why Its Difficult to Root Out Hate? Cultural Confirmation

No matter what religion you practice, race you belong, or continent you come from there are people within communities that hate (and of course those who do not hate.). Once someone identifies their nation with their race/religion there is going to be problems for everyone else that doesn't fit into that mold. Religion, race and culture are tied together in a way that makes it difficult for people to step outside their personal identities to consider the needs of others and/or the greater needs of their nation. The vast majority of population will never truly see beyond what is in the benefit for themselves to what is in the benefit of everyone (A limiting human condition). 

The problem we often face with dealing with such issues is that we lack unison of purpose. There are laws, some check in with their moral conscious, and there may be a general societal interest to help guide us but sometimes we get it wrong. The problem is that when push comes to shove, few are willing to step outside their roles to do the "right thing" (They don't want to sacrifice to uphold a bigger principle.). We keep struggling because politically we can't get everyone to work together toward our national purpose (A place that is often exploited by knowledgeable criminals.)

The problems of extremism and hate are unlikely to go away anytime soon without political and institutional alignment around core national values. Sure...we might push police reform down the road another 15 years (I doubt it will go that far before another national blow out occurs. Statistically, I think we are running risks the longer we wait. Doing something, even if its not perfect, goes a long way to prompting society that we are unified in our long term vision.) but certainly we can try it (Avoiding our responsibility to deal with this divisive issue today could mean a perception of irresponsibility in the future.). 

I'm an optimist by nature. While we sometimes turn a "blind eye" to hate in our own communities (due to ignorance, lack of understanding and sometimes personal/institutional bias.) we often want to do the right thing but run into wider social contingencies. Even in such situations truth begins to overcome falsehood but that can only happen if we continue to talk and debate. Silencing through intimidation isn't the answer and never will come to a positive solution...unless such behaviors are challenged (A method of realigning people and/or departments back to our core American beliefs.)

Sure there are people who will violate our most basic laws to distort/suppress truth but in the end truth often just makes more sense then post-constructed stories. You can sense through people's actions, words and cues that they are telling the truth. Truth is one of those things that when people hear they will recognize it. While its ugly to hear it is is still part of getting better as a people and a nation.

I've seen people do some pretty horrendous things in support of hate based behaviors simply because of personal loyalties (They think they are showing loyalty but when someone has an issue and they don't want to get help it is more beneficial to encourage them to deal with such issues right away to minimize the impact on everyone. Pretending like the "pink elephant" doesn't exist only pushes the problem down the road where it becomes bigger and more destructive; remember that victims have rights too! Do you see the parallels between dealing with mental health issues and dealing with larger scale "American Family" issues as it relates to hate? Both follow the same sort of dynamics where distorted thinking can lead to group distortion. Truth is sort of the blunt backstop that keeps everyone oriented toward the facts. I think Michigan Extremism and Coding might be helpful to ponder and think about for use. ).  

We can't just root out hate if we don't take action to stop intentionally bad behavior when we see it (False police reports, theft, bullying, defamation of character, etc...). I'm White but spent a lot of time with White people as well as Black People, Arabs, Muslims, and many others. I started with a simple question, "What makes these people so different than us?" Its probably a little more personalized than that but yes...that is one of the essential questions...that has lead to some wonderful insights into both the beautiful and ugly of human behavior (The tunnel vision by which we declare knowledge.).  

There is nothing but our values and beliefs that make us any different than another nation or another people. There are those who support good moral conscious and those who don't. There are the healthy and the unhealthy mindsets. Healthy people don't know all the answers and weigh the options before acting. Unhealthy people may look like they are debating but seem to come to the same conclusions over and over (i.e. changing information won't change their opinion as a result of rigidity in thought and inappropriateness of behavior. Think about it.)

It makes little difference what country you come from our what religion you follow (Good hearts are different than bad hearts.). Good people will try and do good within their cultural perspective and bad people will manipulate culture for their personal and/or political goals. The American creed of working hard and achieving, fairness, freedom, etc... is based in our willingness to 1. first believe in certain values and 2. act to ensure  those essential values are integrated into society. 

Turning a "blind eye" and not focusing on some of the tough questions isn't a solution; its an avoidance strategy. Facing our national issues means looking at them, learning from them, and acting with wisdom to improve them. Sometimes there is a need to gather more data that could lead to better decision making through an appropriate delay but we should never push off our responsibilities ( or failure to fulfill them) simply because we lack the willpower. If you don't understand something then go collect the data and come to understand it better for yourself. Then....make a decision. Beware of how cultural ethnocentrisms can limit full knowledge of a problem. America isn't about cultural confirmation of a particular race or religion but about the promotion of an idea related to human freedom and the ability to earn one's own bread without molestation from others. Its a collective idea that can still be sold to the world. (A global America needs to uphold its universal values for a global business generation. While this is a smaller study we can see how institutional quality and foreign investment are related. See Institutional Quality and FDI. One might draw different conclusions but its a hint that people want to invest in countries that have developed institutions they trust and believe to be fair because they have everyone's best interest in mind. Wouldn't you if it was your money?)

Hurricane Henri Nears-New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Declares State of Emergency

Hurricane Henri is on its way and its possible people may be without power for days. Our power grid has problems and isn't designed to reroute power quickly or with ease (and take from different sources) in the case of emergencies. With increasing storms, hacking, and even sabotage we have to consider some of the merits of developing a hardy and dexterous system that can draw and pull from multiple sectors/sources. Perhaps our infrastructure bill can address some of these issues in our most populated areas. Rural areas may be better off having using at least a percentage of all power drawn from local power sources that can be more fully utilized in cases of emergencies (I guess it could be used as one additional source to feed a larger system if necessary as well. Thus its a back-up source for locals and a secondary sources for more national oriented emergencies.) 

Reports of Beating Americans in Afghanistan-Choices Lead to Future Outcomes

 Americans are at their heart a good people seeking to spread a message of freedom of religion and the hope for international peace (As a general creed). When I hear reports of Americans being beaten while leaving the country I become concerned not only for their safety but the bigger message offered. It does nothing for the long term viability and recognition of an emerging nation-state (I'm assuming that is what they would want in the long run....but it would seem to be their next logical step.). Americans (That include me even though there are a few fellow countrymen that might not like diversity in their country. America is an idea of democracy and freedom of faith I believe in and have swore an oath to uphold from a Constitutional perspective.) have already made the commitment to leave and harassing them on the way out is going to leave many with a sour taste in their mouth and likely counter intuitive to future international recognition. I'm biased and pro-American! I admit that! Part of my belief that all religions lead to greater knowledge and people should practice their faith as they see fit as long as they are seeking truth and being kind/honorable to others (Muslim, Jewish, Catholic, etc...i.e. God will guide where God desires to guide kind of thing 🕊. Its an internal exploration more than an external one.)Truth comes through the willingness to understand our world and use that understanding to make it a better place. This is the time for the Taliban to let those who want to leave do so peacefully and in turn show what page in history they will flip (See Defense Secretary Statement.) Everything in life is a line of choices.....

Restoring Trust in Law Enforcement May Require Upholding the Constitution

Congress is at a crossroads when it comes to law enforcement reform. Sometimes they do the right thing and sometimes they don't.....but the problem continues forth. (Senator Tim Scott discusses hope for reform and a balance between reform and supporting police in the article, 'Scott: 'There is hope' for police reform bill'" The department issue might make sense considering many times there are cultural aspects that don't empower officers to contradict and report those "bad apples". I would suspect that liability might increase reform🤔 That could be the middle ground. HR1220). There is a lot of confusion on the source of discontent and its possible solutions but we should all be focused on the same long term health and viability of the nation. To solve this crisis of confidence requires means putting down old ways of looking at a long stemming problems and finding a new path forward that makes pragmatic, political, and economic sense. We do this through cultural artifacts like the Constitution that can lead us to a more productive inclusive society that encourage entrepreneurial spirt and thoughtful patriotism.

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. (Constitution of the U.S.) 

Of particular interest to this issue is the 14th Amendment and the 1st Amendment. Being the "wrong" religion is a protection under the government and through our collective effort we continuously improve upon the fundamentals of our free society by working together to support it. That diversity is likely to save our competitive future if we can harness its collective human capital for maximum national gain (There is an association between good legal governance and concepts like corporate investment and worker motivation based on trust.) 

The lens can change very quickly depending on your perceived religion and your willingness to accept people of different races and backgrounds (I have friends from different cultures and that might not sit well with some people I know.) Each of the perceptions and vantage points sees something a little different when they view situation (s) (This is why we must uphold the document that binds all Americans to an explicit and implicit social contract. It gives us all the same perspective as charter for what we "should" be like. See Rousseau Philosopher Social Contract)  

A "reasonable" person (that is an important distinction) that was aware misconduct (law enforcement and/or hate based groups) would find it concerning that such self seeking and manipulative behaviors that exploit racial and religious differences for gain were given a "blind eye" because of social connections (Remember...I said I support police 100% and their mission in society.... and ways to improve when helpful.). 

A few essential interest arise here 1.) At what point do we not want to blindly follow misdirection of others? 2.) Are there any legal protections for a large percentage of society that could be easy targets of hate based behaviors (...not necessarily law enforcement based. They also can protect against such behaviors with the right training.)? (i.e. voicing disagreement with bad behavior can be escalated to a point it begins to violate our social contracts  and 3.) What are our steps as a national and legislative body to ensure we are trying to resolve such issues in the future (See Michigan Hate Crimes and Coding)? 

We must always be concerned when social groups begin to accept the mantel of hate and use their social connections to corrupt and distort officer actions(In this example, it was the manipulation of a social network that created one aspect of the problem). A "blind eye" could embolden the group to act (if not continuing to act) against other minorities, local officials and/or even fellow law enforcement agents (Think about it...if the law doesn't apply and there is guaranteed protection for bad behavior regardless of truth then we have discounted the institution.)

Tulsa Massacre as an example of corruption.
 No one was held to account
because it was sociably unacceptable to prosecute one's social group even
 though the facts led to the innocence
of the accused. The entire Black community
was punished for one person's lie that led to
the incitement of violence.

Think about the different logics being used (I'm not talking about law enforcement in general.). One logic is based on this groups false perceptions of what "Muslims", Blacks, Arabs, and even White people who don't act like them look like and their value (They discount the value of anyone who doesn't confirm their distorted beliefs.) The other aspect of that logical chain is when people act on that (Either group or the officer(s) associated with that group) they create a very dangerous situation backed by corruption (I wonder if the group could even force a local judge to decide in their favor for fear of not being re-elected and/or intimidated? 🤷 Even a remote possibility should be a concern but that would require us to focus closely on our essential shared expectations and values.). 

What we find is there is "local" influence that may move away from acceptable American practices and more into the supporting of one's social and ethnic group (The cause of social upheaval and ethnic issues in other countries. Look at the Tulsa Massacre and see how intentionally false rumors create extremism and unbridled destruction that is remember generations later. International research supports the concepts of trust in institutions as essential to maintaining that domestic tranquility in the Constitution. Plato also believed in the ethical city and ethical person.) Where the Constitution should be center, we have sometimes put other values in its place that without change will continue to rub ever more abrasive against the wider needs of society. 

Many people don't know what is in the Constitution and the general protections people have from certain actions even though they have heard of the of the dusty old document. As a supporter of the Constitution and positive influence of police (in general) have on people's lives we must make sure that those who reject the tenets of the Constitution and good more conscious are not given positions of authority where they can continue to harm the population with immunity. (Keep in mind the difference of opinion and how that is not the same as intentionally circumventing the law and undermining essential American values.).

While people might think I'm liberal in orientation but I'm actually conservative by nature. The Constitution is one of those things that is fundamental to our existence as an "American" idea. Enforcing the fundamental rights and values outlined in the Constitution is incumbent on politicians, civic/military leadership, and the general population who are bound by it. See Stoic Concepts of Justice. It should be remembered that the debate over whether or not we should be protecting the public should have been resolved  a long time ago when the Constitution was formed and we should now be focused solely on how we do that (i.e. meaning policy that enhances police while limiting the negative effects from "bad apples".). 

Hopefully we aren't some still debating the first part of that question? 🤔Think of it this way, if our social networks and false distorted views of others lead to circumventing the laws then passing new laws won't be particularly helpful until we have the commitment and will power as a nation to enforce existing laws with good moral conscious. This is why restoring trust in law enforcement may require upholding the Constitution in all of our thoughts, choices, and application/passing of law. I'm not a politician so maybe we should go ask the experts. Find your representative and ask them because they may know something the rest of us don't. 🤷 See Find Congressional Representative and feel free to share your opinion on the matter...regardless of your political persuasion (We all get a voice here, White, Black, Muslim, Jew, Hispanic, Asian, Democrat, Republican, etc...that is what makes us a Democracy! ). In the end there are there is really only one beneficial path forward (there are multiple paths but only one sustainable one)...the rest is a discussion on how to get there; or how to get lost on the way. 

The question our national leaders should ask is, "Who are your stakeholders?" That will determine how they negotiate, vote, and decide these issues that are now forced into the forefront of national conscious (unless we want to delay dealing with it and see how it turns out 10 or 20 years down the road. In my experience when there is a longitudinal trend forming you will want to resolve those issues as soon as possible to adjust its trajectory toward a more beneficial stage. Maybe it will all go away on its own? No idea. Contact your rep and find out! 🤷). 

Commercial Fishing Coming Back in San Diego (Photo)

 There is an interesting article entitled 'A Deep Dive into the San Diego Fishing' that discusses commercial fishing coming back in San Diego. It was once the Tuna Capital but that has change as overfishing and restrictions took their toll. The article indicates that commercial fish are coming back and so fishing companies are taking notice.

It kind of has been a little fantasy of mine to get a commercial fishing boat in the UP and just go out a few days a week. Ok its not real commercial fishing but it would be nice to sell what I catch to a few Escanaba stores. I wonder how we might better understand and fix the Great Lakes commercial fishing industry?

US GDP Rises: The Influence of the Digital Economy

The economy is still improving and that is good news for business and job seekers. Increases in GDP should also come with a better understanding of how the post-COVID transforming market may need additional measurements to fully grasp the contributory nature of the digital economy. Understanding Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Digital Gross Domestic Product DGDP might be helpful in this discussion.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, "Real gross domestic product (GDP) increased at an annual rate of 6.5 percent in the second quarter of 2021, reflecting the continued economic recovery, reopening of establishments, and continued government response related to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the second quarter, government assistance payments in the form of loans to businesses and grants to state and local governments increased, while social benefits to households, such as the direct economic impact payments, declined. In the first quarter of 2021, real GDP increased 6.3 percent (revised)." (BEA GDP, July 19th, 2021)

In the report the BEA moves on to discuss in greater detail what is going on, "The increase in real GDP in the second quarter reflected increases in personal consumption expenditures (PCE), nonresidential fixed investment, exports, and state and local government spending that were partly offset by decreases in private inventory investment, residential fixed investment, and federal government spending. Imports, which are a subtraction in the calculation of GDP, increased (table 2). (BEA, Q2-21 GDP July 29th, 2021)

Its important to understand economics from a macro economic viewpoint to see how the larger systems are working and changing the market while our metrics may not accurately reflecting the nature of those changes (One of the reasons why proper digital age measurements can lead to a Calibrated Tax Model for international commerce.). To do that we start with the basics. Some might wonder what a Real Gross Domestic Product (Real GDP) is? "Real gross domestic product (Real GDP) is an inflation-adjusted measure that reflects the value of all goods and services produced by an economy in a given year (expressed in base-year prices) and is often referred to as constant-price GDP, inflation-corrected GDP, or constant dollar GDP. (Investopedia, 2021)"

GDP struggles as a measurement in an increasingly digital world. GDP has been criticized as not capturing the full scope of a non-tangible virtual economy (Watanabe, Tou, & Neittaanmaki, 2018). A better metric could mean we uncover significant additional resources at our fingertips that we are not fully calculated national development (Metrics are imperfect and that is why we must rethink them from time to time. Keep in mind the difference between numbers and actual available units of productivity. i.e. fictitious number vs. actual labor power kind of thing.).

According to the Harvard Business Review, "...GDP captures only the monetary value of all final goods produced in the economy." (Brynjolfsson & Collis, 2019 para 8). Meaning that it has difficulty with things like ideas and items that don't fit within the current theoretical schools of economic thought (This is where too much elite indoctrination can limit the ability to see across fields of study.) 

Digital GDP can be difficult to understand because its definition is often off. For example, some might define digital GDP as free services while others broaden it to include wider aspects of the virtual economy. A 2018 report by the IMF Indicates, "Digitalization encompasses a wide range of new applications of information technology in business models and products that are transforming the economy and social interactions. Digitalization is both an enabler and a disruptor of businesses." (IMF, 2018, Staff Report).

What you will find is that global tax systems lack standard measurements of the digital economy because the definitions are in flux and there are pre-existing categories many of these digital activities already fall imperfectly into (i.e. leading to miscategorization of some measurements). Something as simple as how we categorize information can make a big difference in what we see and what we focus on in terms of policy development. (You can dig deeper into the data but you can't predict it without new innovative practices. See Big Data, Manufacturing, Hypothesis Driven Decision)

The digital economy may push us to change the way we conduct business and calculate national performance for decision making purposes. In the next 5 years we may add U.S. based cryptocurrency and further increases in such things as online marketspace and virtual work that leads to the necessity in taking a closer look at more fundamental economic activities (i.e. statistics that help us understand and attract business in the digital economy eras as well as ensuring government understand the full nature of the economy for such things as a calibrated tax system and updated policies.)

Metrics are great but they also have a high probability of being somewhat misleading. We measure what we already understand and sometimes we find new things through calculating this data in new ways. Other times (i.e. digital economy) it is better to think about the possibility of leading the conversation on the digital economy (..especially if we want to lead the world economy in this new era.) in ways that add current international metrics with some new numbers that may better reflect digital capital. Countries are looking for direction on how to measure and calculate the new economic realities they find themselves in. Jumping in as an international leader with the world's biggest economy might create lots of other advantages in international commerce through pro-active guidance (In other words, lets tackle and influence the direction of world commercial thought. There are advantages to being innovative thought leaders as well.).

Brynjolfsson, E.  & Collis, C (2019, Dec. 19. para 8) How Should We Measure the Digital Economy? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2019/11/how-should-we-measure-the-digital-economy

China Q2-2021 7.9% y/y (Moody's China GDP, 2021) 

Real Gross Domestic Product (2021).in Investopedia  https://www.investopedia.com/terms/r/realgdp.asp

Watanbe, C., Tou, Y. & Neittanmaki, P. (2018). A new paradox of the digital economy - Structural sources of the limitation of GDP statistics. Technology in Society, 55. https://www.elibrary.imf.org/doc/IMF001/25666-9781484389706/25666-9781484389706/Other_formats/Source_PDF/25666-9781484395431.pdf

Infrastructure Bill Passes Senate: Cross-Structure Development Synergy

Blow the dust off the U.S. economic machine and flip the power switch! Years of American manufacturing "know how" is going to be pulled out of the library archives and applied to maximize advantages from national infrastructure investments. Aging rail lines, sinking ports and a spaghetti electric grid are getting an overhaul beyond just a few more sand bags. Senate passes HR3684 the INVEST in America Act designed to improve the core infrastructure that helps to maintain its economic positioning in the emerging Digital Era (Information Age).

After years of penny pinching neglect our manufacturing infrastructure might help update the U.S. economic platform in a way that creates cross pollination and integration of multiple core structures (i.e. logistics such as product delivery, manufacturing such as advanced products, and virtual marketspaces, etc. See Rethink Service, Supply Chain Integration, Internet & Supply Chain, International Sales & Knowledge, and Delta County Shipping). It is the process of co development with hungry investors, entrepreneurs, and labor that matches American grit to the tools it needs to start rebuilding its future (I guess instead of giving it away. 🙅).

What is new is that we are not dealing only with hard infrastructures like we did during The New Deal, but instead dealing with the integration of virtual technologies with hard infrastructure as co-grid components. As each of these systems begins to interact on a macro scale we may see a significant boost in cross structure functionality through the integration and pairing of different pieces of a new economic platform (i.e. physical/virtual networks, crypto currency, advanced manufacturing, etc... that signals a higher state of functioning.). That may also mean the U.S. becoming one of the first advanced digital age platforms for international business growth and investment (or not! 🤷 Just playing around with the idea in my Transactional Cluster Research. See Next Economic Platform and See Digital GDP Govt. Mind and See Economic Cluster Research).

COVID pushed US companies (and other international companies) to adapt from a globally challenging pandemic into the virtual world based on the foundations of digital era technology (i.e. Internet, Satellites, robotics, AI, etc...) that was in its infancy a few decades ago but is now advanced enough to be functionally practical. We adapted these tools quickly to overcome a challenge but its advantages will want to keep (commuting and work from home arrangements, virtual meetings, higher forms of communication, etc...).

New business strategies that worked well during COVID will likely continue to be implemented through more formal ventures; the infrastructure bill being an example of change (...and network development). Wide scale adaptations of companies, government, and infrastructure boosts to virtual-physical networks might mean another economic boon in the future (1-3 years). Now that infrastructure is changing we will have more and more of our economy go online leading to a possible boost era for companies when their first-in efforts meet with the post-COVID U.S. economic system  (See Economic Projected Adaptation and Needs Fulfill Economic System)

Kelsey Snell from NPR did well breaking down some of the complex information so its easy to understand in her article, 'The Senate Approves The $1 Trillion Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill In A Historic Vote'

$73 billion for electric grid and power infrastructure
$66 billion for passenger and freight rail
$65 billion for broadband investments
$55 billion for water systems and infrastructure
$50 billion for Western water storage
$39 billion for public transit
$25 billion for airports
$21 billion for environmental remediation projects
$17 billion for ports and waterways
$15 billion for electric vehicles
$11 billion for road safety

(There could be changes still.)

You can also read another description: The Washington Post has a fairly solid article entitled 'Senate approves bipartisan, $1 trillion infrastructure bill, bringing major Biden goal one step closer' written by Tony Romm that covers the main ideas. 

Looking at the Bill

This bill addresses general provisions related to federal-aid highway, transit, highway safety, motor carrier, research, hazardous materials, and rail programs of the Department of Transportation (DOT). It is focused on the core infrastructure needed within the country. While it may not state this specifically it is part of a larger strategy to return manufacturing back to the U.S. The bill is long and complex but fairly straight forward. This will have an impact on most things going on in our economy because it focuses on the fundamentals of information and resource exchange (See Data Triangulation). 

In the HR3684 INVEST in America Act you will find lots of details and budgeting information. What we do find is that much of the effort is on basic infrastructure. Basic infrastructure often creates net positives because they impact very basic costs such as shipping or Internet. As investments move into these areas (assuming the money is well spent) they will improve upon the larger infrastructure processes. If done well and in coordination they may be able to improve multiple basic infrastructure aspects that create further changes (i.e. online market spaces and the cost to deliver products. There are lots of co-development examples.)

Among other provisions, the bill

• extends FY2021 enacted levels through FY2022 for federal-aid highway, transit, and safety programs;
• reauthorizes for FY2023-FY2026 several surface transportation programs, including the federal-aid highway program, transit programs, highway safety, motor carrier safety, and rail programs;
• addresses climate change, including strategies to reduce the climate change impacts of the surface transportation system and a vulnerability assessment to identify opportunities to enhance the resilience of the surface transportation system and ensure the efficient use of federal resources;
• revises Buy America procurement requirements for highways, mass transit, and rail;
• establishes a rebuild rural bridges program to improve the safety and state of good repair of bridges in rural communities;
• implements new safety requirements across all transportation modes; and
• directs DOT to establish a pilot program to demonstrate a national motor vehicle per-mile user fee to restore and maintain the long-term solvency of the Highway Trust Fund and achieve and maintain a state of good repair in the surface transportation system.