Delta County MI Board Meeting: A Few Changes but Mostly New Board Adjustments (Jan. 17th, 2023)

January 17th, 2023 the Board of Commissioners meeting discussion. I'm not going to rehash the details because I didn't actually get to attend or see it online. This is kind of why I would like them to be put up the videos on a YouTube page like Escanaba does (Go Esky!). I was informed they will do that, and of course I bow in reverence for the most gracious opportunity to engage as an informed citizen in our democracy (Go Democracy!). No seriously, thank you. 🙇 (The board minutes and agenda items are at Delta County Agenda and Minutes Page.)

(First of all, I met a lot of people from all over the world and people have differ perceptions of democracy.  From an philosophical perspective each system has some advantages and disadvantages. I am an advocate of the democratic system because I have read extensively on sociology, business, philosophy and many other things so I know some of the root assumptions that lead to a line of thinking that influence social development. That social development influences our institutions. When institutions are open and share information, people can ask questions, so on and so forth they are more adaptable than those that are not open and withhold information. Increases openness relates to general health and prosperity as long as power and wealth maintain a reasonable level of decentralization through concepts called "opportunity" and being responsible to "the citizens". This is one of the reasons why our democracy has been relatively stable thus far. More information to the public is generally better. Democracy is a process and trust me not everyone in official positions works on the behalf of a healthy democracy. If you don't get those people representative you or taking up an official position, which they often do, then be thankful.)

I did watch the January 3rd 2023 Board of Commissioners Meeting and that was informative. Much of the activity revolved around getting comfortable with some of the roles commissioners will need to play. Once everyone sort of finds a comfy spot in the social order of things the commissioner team will likely move forward to accomplishing more important things! While I recognize some of the personalities, I think by and large they have people's best interest at heart and seem to be willing to work together to accomplish something (Time really answers that question and lots of other questions. However, what I see is people trying to help their community and bringing to the table their perception of how to improve. Everything else will be a negotiation between the members, between the members and other local institutions, and all of them with the community. In the mix of this mess of interactivity is the need to keep the local community and its interests primary to all decision making. I encourage people to judge performance not on political party or kinship but simply on how well you think they are serving the local community. That is good advice here and that is good advice anywhere.). 

What goal (s) they would like to accomplish the board has not yet revealed. Something each one of them are likely starting to think about now that a new board has come to session. For example some may want to keep things the same and some may want to grow the area. Go back to neuroeconomic choices on the prior discussion. Each person comes with something unique, histories, backgrounds, ideas, values and beliefs. All of that will make its way into the decision making process to create a group approach.

You should also read the article below in our beloved Daily Press (The nostalgia of it all! I really want this paper to keep pumping out good stories. It would be interesting if they found a niche of appeal to readers beyond town. Good news with a little branded hallmark appeal for others. In the digital world, newspapers can report local news but be characterized to have a broader appeal online if they find a niche theme. That includes marketing opportunities not only for locals but also those who have an interest in this kind of lifestyle and/or the investments they have here. The paper might want to encourage visitors to stay connected through some type of digital format subscription designed to specifically appeal to the "Outside Esky" crowd that come to vacation, summer homes, camps, fish, hunt, invest, etc... Articles like "Top 5 Fishing Destinations in Esky", "Ships Visiting Esky and Where They Going", "5 Undervalued Commercial Properties for Start Ups", "Where to find the nicest flowers" etc. Unvetted thoughts sorry.)

I digress......

County board makes changes to correct errors

One of the things any governing team wants to create is Social Capital. Social capital is trust in government and civic participation. Consider a study below on social capital and how that social capital predicted socio economic growth and in turn how government capacity and education level impact that performance. Now I would like to make an argument that the term used in the study "education" should be seen as knowledge based. Often they don't use a complex constructs such as "knowledge" in a study because it becomes difficult to measure and the tools to measure it would increase the risks for confounding variables. So education might mean formal education in the study but I think in applied research it would also include experience and/or general knowledge. You have to read in detail to sort of determine how they define it as a term.

Here is the study.....

Place matters: government capacity,community characteristics, and social capital across United States counties

$2.5 Billion Dollar U.S. Package to Ukraine (The Other Considerations)

The video is a release of a $2.5 Billion U.S. package to support Ukraine with a $225 million in foreign financing. It allows the ability to balance speed, armour, firepower and multi-terrain capabilities. You can read the U.S. DOD Biden Release Ukraine Assistance. It provides an overview that gives you insight into how committed the U.S. and other countries are in sustaining support. (It is also an opportunity for the U.S. to adapt its supply chain and innovative capacity. See innovation theory.)

Its an extensive list and I think for Ukrainian territory and weather conditions its a list that maximized terrain. 

Good for Ukraine! I hope they win and new doors open for Russia open that encourage positive world engagement and all the benefits that come from peaceful coexistence (If Ukraine wins there will be many doors open. They are in a strategically important geographic location that likely will lead to good will and practical benefit. At least that is what I'm thinking at the moment.). I'm sure most of the pro-Democracy world would love for Russia to make its way into an important and helpful world contributor. Can old dogs learn new tricks? I bet there are some who want Putin to Retire. Some maybe not. 😩 Almost a good hashtag ###

The following is quoted.....

Additional munitions for National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems (NASAMS);
Eight Avenger air defense systems;
59 Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicles (IFVs) with 590 TOW anti-tank missiles and 295,000 rounds of 25mm ammunition;
90 Stryker Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) with 20 mine rollers;
53 Mine Resistant Ambush Protected Vehicles (MRAPs);
350 High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicles (HMMWVs);
20,000 155mm artillery rounds;
Approximately 600 precision-guided 155mm artillery rounds;
95,000 105mm artillery rounds;
Approximately 11,800 120mm mortar rounds;
Additional ammunition for High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS);
12 ammunition support vehicles;
6 command post vehicles;
22 tactical vehicles to tow weapons;
High-speed Anti-radiation missiles (HARMs);
Approximately 2,000 anti-armor rockets;
Over 3,000,000 rounds of small arms ammunition;
Demolition equipment for obstacle clearing;
Claymore anti-personnel munitions;
Night vision devices;
Spare parts and other field equipment.

Not All Volunteer Firefighters Go Home! Honor and Duty to Their Communities

Firefighters are the ideal volunteer and warriors in the new world where climate change and our internal resources are stressed.  They work, take care of their families, and if need be drop everything to help their community. These guys and gals go out there and are not paid. Many are staying in good physical condition, practicing, and learning everyday. They do it because they know someone must do it. While some feel that such volunteers are not necessary, and/or do not contribute to the resource capacity of the area, I would beg to differ. 

Let us look at some statistics from an NFPA Report (NFPA, para 1)

-NFPA estimates there were an estimated 1,041,200 career and volunteer firefighters in the United States in 2020. Of the total number of firefighters 364,300 (35%) were career firefighters and 676,900 (65%) were volunteer firefighters.

-In 2020, 89,600 firefighters were female (9%). Of the career firefighters, 17,200 were female. There were also 72,400 volunteer firefighters who were female.

-Fifty percent of firefighters are between 30 and 49 years old.

-There were 29,452 fire departments in the United States in 2020. Of these, 18% were all career or mostly career departments and protected 70% of the US population.

-Nationwide 37% of fire departments provided no emergency medical services, 46% provided basic life support (BLS), and 17% provided advanced life support (ALS)

Before one discounts the value of volunteer firefighters let us consider the concept of altruism and how that is likely high in the volunteer firefighter populate (see below). They are out there training and responding to calls while many of the rest of us are on the couch watching tv. They are just a different breed of people who know their activities do make a difference. Heroes in the old style!

Volunteer firefighting is central to the safety and responder capacity of the surrounding communities and because they are actively practicing every week it makes them one of the more up-to-date local departments. (That reminds me that I should keep learning while I'm traveling and help get resources because they are wisely used here.). Please consider sharing your corporate and personal resources with people who are out there doing the right thing!  HERE. (We are in need of a grass truck and share our training and other resources with the other limited resource departments in the area. For those of us who are 'desk jockeys'. If you can't be there to help, then help them in other ways. Its a community thing. oh! and tax deductible! 💁)

Remember, these men and women are out there risking their lives. Not everyone does go home! If you are up for a meaningful challenge in your life there are a number of local fire departments that would likely want to talk to you. I know one does for sure! Make a difference!

Consider a study in 2022  Lived Experiences of Regular Volunteer Emergency First Responders: A Phenomenological Research

First responders, volunteer firefighters, EMT, etc....seem to share some characteristics: 

(a) desire to help transcends volunteers’ age, civil status, years of service, and educational attainment; (b) helping others is a rewarding experience;
(c) constant retraining and camaraderie among peers can easily surmount financial difficulties and lack of equipment; and,
(d) willingness on the part of volunteer-responders to face injury or death in the process of helping others.

(On a scale of 1-10 the salary sucks but the ability to give back is an awesome benefit. They do it for free! FYI...there isn't enough resources out there when volunteer firefighters do go down and their families need help. I think our priorities are confused.) 

Feel free to share its a small act that sometimes makes a difference! 

 

Detroit Police and Fire Pension Board: Investment Body Slammmm!

 $100K is not that much money but there has been a host of problems with investments from a number of funds and retirement accounts around Detroit. In this case, it looks like the Detroit Fire and Police Pension Fund is pushing for accountability from one of the companies it invested in. Mostly, it is a challenge to the company's leadership that will require the company to choose to either pay back the fund and/or remove the controversial figure.  

You can see the boards pages HERE.  Whom will win in this investment body slammmm? Off the ropes!

(As a side point, Its interesting to watch the strategy and how they play out in the actual environment. You kind of need to understand the history of pension funds to sort of get a picture of some prior challenges with investments and vetting of such investments. In any event, the Detroit Police and Firefighters deserve to have their pensions protected and decisions being made over that very tempting tempting pool of money should always be in the best interest of their public servant stakeholders. As long as they and their needs are central to all decision making then fiduciary responsibility has been met. )

Biking and Getting Shape During Daily Commute-The Digital Nomads Way!

We all have errands to do and the first thing we do is jump in a car and get them done. For those of us who travel we often rent, take a ride share service or public transportation. We might not think of biking as a preferred transportation. Biking is a great way to get in shape. I have a trainers certificate (fyi in case you need some help) so I'm always looking into creative ways to get in shape without looking like I'm getting in shape (I don't want to feel like I'm working out but instead living a positive lifestyle with with certain goals and objectives in mind.). 

Like many of you I got into this rut where I was working out but not really improving. Over trained, sore and tired. The first thing I did was change my eating habits and then I changed the variety in my workouts. It made all the difference!

While I don't have any plans at being a serious bike person for speed racing I do like using my bike to get around town. I'm commuting around San Diego (SD) to get to the gym, grocery store, and visit friends. Because I'm near the coast that is easier with all the beach trails. SD is bike friendly and public transportation friendly in general compared to many cities. 

A digital nomad is a person who can move anywhere and work anywhere. I have met people who don't have homes but just travel the world. In my case, I have a home but still travel significantly. A bike is really a good digital nomad form of transportation because we often roam within tourist areas on a daily basis. When we have to go long distance we rent, bum a ride, or ride share.

I came across a very nice article in the about some of the health benefits. Of course another motivating video!!!! (It helps when I bike to the gym and its damp out.)

As a stoic tip for life.... You will see a much richer neighborhood with detail when you get out of the car and walk and bike. Things you would never have seen become more apparent. 

New Research Indicates Cycling To Work Has Extraordinary Health Benefits

  

Ukrainians to Train in Germany and U.S.

 I support the budding of democracy in Ukraine and the development of the democratic system internationally. It isn't about Russia as I do think at some point we will need to reconnect them back to the global world. In my mind it is more about Ukraine to choose its own path and allow a level of independence to chart its own course. When Russians go home, and assuming that they follow normalized international norms, then there will likely be a level of reconciliation. Of course as usual games are more important for some powerful personalities then the needs of their people. 

500+ Ukrainians are going to Germany to train on new equipment and learn how to coordinate their activities. Likewise, Ukrainians are coming to the U.S. to train on the mobile Patriot Missile Batteries. The goal is to ensure that when and if Russians create a wave that they are expelled out and that land can be recaptured. There is a strategy in place and I suspect it will function as it should. There are always contingencies so expect the unexpected. 

There are some reports that a Russian 35th Battalion has been captured yesterday but its not really confirmed. 

2023 Martin Luther King's Day-On the Path to a Universal Democracy

Martin Luther King brought us a perspective that many people knew but couldn't formalize it into words. He was the voice not only of Black people but also of every person in this country that believes in equality among peoples and a future universal democracy. Our next step is one in which we move from desire to actualization of equality. The difference of opportunity not being from racial or religious flavoring but solely determined by the merits and abilities of the person.

It is a society in which freedom makes our nation one of the most advanced the world has ever seen through the sheer power of equality, opportunity, and excellence! We can reach this island where generations of dreams and hopes have made their home when the power of truth, light and justice overshadows the values of jealousy, bitterness, and sociably acceptable hate. 

The best and brightest must come forward no matter their background. It is their duty to be the best they can be and teach a new path.

We as a nation have come to recognize many of the past mistakes in our chaotic process of growth and we are at a unique spot in history where major economic and social transitions are in the works and have already a set course. It is the wings of positive change that will carry us far above our competitors and open the doors to national health. We must only decide that our belief in building the future is more powerful than the destructive beliefs of the past. No longer should the voice of distortion and division be given the microphone and the anvil simply to spite good moral conscious. Let wiser voices rise above the hum of ignorance!

What is your path? Mine has already been chosen. Unfold your personal blueprint that leads to diverse economic prosperity for ALL Americans......