Megabus, Indian Trails Coming to Escanaba

Great things are coming to Escanaba and people are responding in a positive way to our now little gem on the Great Lakes. The town is developing and people are coming to see what its like to live like a Yooper in a town that has just about everything you want from a northern smart city. 

Escanaba needs tourism because it has that as an option to help diversify its economy and bring in new revenue for businesses. That will of course mean some changes. For example, someone might want to reach out the bus line and ask them where they would like to park. 

The off load point being down by the park or near restaurants and bars makes a lot of sense. It depends in part on what the bus line wants to do. I think getting people downtown and into our parks and events makes sense. 

Megabus, Indian Trails to provide bus routes for UP

You can learn more about Megabus HERE. Checked them out. Kind of cool. If we do this well, we may find more in the future. 

Improving Police Effectiveness through Good Will and Integrity (Stopping the Exodus and Improving Recruitment)

Policing is a big issue in our nation and people are concerned about it from multiple perspectives. Because it is a national development issue I think its important to bring that up here for discussion. Society needs police and we want some of our best getting into policing. There are changes needed in the system to ensure its functioning at its maximum abilities to serve the public. Starting with the basics of Good Will and Integrity can go along way throughout the rest of the system's chains. 

Consider on a human-to-human level we all want what is best for our society and best for our communities. Systems such as policing create a level playing field that improve safety and security (Maslow Needs of Safety Economy) as basic assumptions of communal life. That is the basis of any societal development and without that we have other issues pop up. So we want to ensure that we start with those good will and integrity assumptions as a basis of all human interaction.

Read Integrity: What it is and Why it is Important

Policing can have a huge impact on the success of an economy. When policing is community based and focuses on building positive relationships it can lead to a great many things (Including lower crime and illicit drug use). People engage more, they trust officers are doing the right thing, and they know that they have the best interest of society in mind. The goal is to develop one's community through thoughtful behaviors that lead to more pubic support.

There are times when a few bad apples spread rumors and misinformation about minorities in their communities and then encourage others to act on those rumors as true. That can create an intimidating situation but it also can create a snowball effect of civil rights violation throughout the entire system. So if we know this, then it is important for our judges to act on it. 

People sometimes ask what are my leanings on police? Mine are fairly neutral and as I am for police but am not unaware of its challenges and some of the legitimate arguments for change. In other words, I'm 100% for police and 110% for civil rights. I'm looking at it from a systems side primarily (as well as some other sides). 

Here are a few ideas on how to improve Good Will and Integrity

1. When we recruit we must do so with personality in mind. Remember that police have authority and that help people and/or ruin people's lives and create all types of difficulties (Including the trust in policing). Police can also be a positive influence on people and the world around them. Which tool they use is often based in their personality and department culture.

2. Intentionally seek to diversify recruitment because it will open up the thought processes to other possibilities and new lines of filling depleting ranks. For example, hiring people from different backgrounds pushes officers to recognize difference as ok (Its not actually different if 60% of society now is diverse.). Diversity shows that policing is universal (Which it needs still needs some work to get there. Its lagging behind and part of that is culture but the other part is because the system is weak on feedback loops and self-correcting mechanisms.)

3. Judicial checks and balances. Sometimes those with nefarious intent and misunderstand of others go down a rabbit hole and can't get out of it. Its a clear sign of bias. It impacts all of their decision making. The carrot and stick approach is helpful. Training on how to handle bias is important but so is discipline and/or removal if an officer continues to misuse authority. 

4. Ensure police are not spreading rumors on things they can't cash at the end of the day. For example, if someone along the line makes up a story based in their bigotry and then spread that as true because it gets "hype" is itself defamation of character and could lead to serious injury of families in the community (Simply based on that bias and immaturity of the officer(s)). 

How do we solve that? Its not easy because it requires greater awareness by our court systems and officials to ensure that they are not damaging their communities with their own bias. There must be a way to change that root assumption of "outsider" when it is not reflective of the realities we live in during the modern era. Developing human capital requires us to think broadly about engaging the full spectrum of our populace's talents and abilities. Creating the basics of that environment are what police can do.

My advice to the youth is get involved in policing and help make the system better and more reflective of our universal values. There is a lot of good in policing, and a lot of good things that come from it, but it needs more diversity from people who have good ideas on how to better connect communities and policing to the same positive end. New type of recruits from different backgrounds makes a lot of sense. Let us turn animosity into something positive with the recognition that change is necessary and can happen through more engagement and appropriate/accurate reflective feedback.

*This blog is designed to improve our systems and encourage thoughtful engagement across wide sectors of society. It is meant for mental consumption and solution finding. If you don't like it please click off. We have a greater responsibility to be truthful then to encamp to one or the other side (We should all be on the same side). I love solutions, I do not like useless rhetoric. Our youth could like policing if we make some common sense and well thought out changes that align these institutions to principles of a universal democracy. There is much to be learned if different perspectives share those thoughts and find meaningful and heartfelt solutions to put everyone on the same page. 

Committee of the Whole 3-28-2023 Meeting on Job Description: Education vs. Experience

This meeting was primarily to get a good job description for the county administrator position. While there are some issues linger as they relate to an admin firing, the ability to narrow down a description is helpful for any future work expectations (No matter if new or older admin.). Placing job postings in the right venues will be important to lure the right kind of candidate.  (How to Hire the Right Person). Actually, half the battle is defining your description and right channel. The other half is selection and recruitment. 

Selection methods can be hugely complex if one wanted to get into the weeds on this in significant depth. I guess Michigan Works has some selection methods and are offering to help in this situation. Here is a solid study on Executive Selection.

I have to admit, the meeting looks a little more functional this time around. It might be that the focus is more narrow and open ended type questions don't loom. The questions are related primarily to the qualifications so while there is debate, it is of limited scope. A feather in cap meeting I guess.

-Profits vs. Non Profits. Both make money but one is restricted on how much they can keep from year to year.

-Education and Experience. I agree in general that education gives you the broader systems constructs that is necessary to master executive level management but the experience is going to indicate what you can expect from any individual candidate. Personality will determine the ability to truly influence others, persist or adapt to challenge.

-Private sector versus public sector. One feels we are pushing private more. 

-True on somewhat subjective on best. Its a shared best that is key for moving forward.

-I like the discussion on the job description. Because this is a key piece of concern for people having a transparent and productive meeting like this looks good. 

-Concern of distrust expressed also a word of praise for one of the commissioners.

-Good conversation on Public Act 214 Veterans Relief Fund veterans service organizations. They are going to lend the county an attorney's time to set up services on vets. Good job on the vets. They earned it.  

Recession Expected in 3Q 2023: Market Indicators

We are expected to have a recession this around he 3rd quarter (look into the crystal ball.) They are talking about indicators which are numbers they use to understand what is likely to happen at some point. For example, one might look at inventories in order to determine future potential slow downs. I guess if someone got good at looking at the early indicators they could determine which industries and companies are positioned to take advantage of market trends. Here is a little something on understanding Leading Economic Indicators.

A Few Reasons Why Its Hard to Find Firefighters (Tapping into the Enthusiasm of the Youth)

Many departments are struggling to find new volunteers. Young people seem to not be interested in public service and the recruitment has moved throughout different venues such as policing, firefighting, EMT, and other fields. To ensure these departments appeal to the younger generation they must be connected to their communities in a way where they are seen as viable and valuable options for our youth. I think we would want that to be a good pathway to their development through positive community engagement.

A Few Reasons Why Its Hard to Find Volunteer Firefighters

There are many reasons why many departments are having a hard time recruiting (not necessarily all). For example, I have heard people discount volunteer firefighters not realizing that they are doing most of the work nationally. Its a good thing people are giving up their time and put themselves at risk with little more benefit then knowing they are helping others. Yet we have people who feel that firefighting isn't serious work and those who put themselves at risk are somehow not of particular high value if they are not paid for it. 

Many of our problems are related to assumptions and the inability to see a new direction for our youth and for our society. Sometimes we have to flip the script to get people motivated and believing in building a world they want to be part of. Motivation comes from moral sentiment and need and there is no reason why firefighting shouldn't be part of that cause with Global Warming and other environmental issues hitting the airwaves regularly (Trust me, the youth are very concerned about that and yet we recruit from a mono-perspective and often from homogeneous groups. There is a reason why we do this unconsciously but that has nothing to do with firefighting itself or the skills it needs.)

What I will say is that I encourage our youth to get involved. We need diverse firefighters (and other public servants) and we need them to be drawn from all different types of backgrounds. We often recruit heavily certain traits and backgrounds that don't have much to do with firefighting at all. In some of the other industries like policing diversity is extremely low. To appeal to a wide group of people, to maintain support in a declining recruitment environment. We need all of our best and brightest to be involved. We can start with coaching our youth to become familiar with these fields and bring their new ideas and values with them. We will need good guides that can understand a younger generation even though there may be differences among backgrounds. 

*This blog is designed to help you think. We have two doors before us. The one we choose makes all the difference. I opt for everyone is part of the same growth opportunities. Others may differ with my opinion but the choice would be telling. Thank you for learning with me. Have a nice day! 

** Civic Engagement. CE. Construct on the health of the system in terms of voluntary engagement, event attendance, meeting participation, etc...Just the idea of total engagement by different sections of the population to participate in society.

U.S. Gets Win on Oil and Energy Production As Leading Euro Supplier: Digital and Physical Infrastructure Changes

Energy production is important for the world. While we transition to clean energy we cannot neglect the older structure of oil production. We can't just make a huge leap without weaning off one and onto another in a sustainable way. There will be for the foreseeable future for oil production for the health of Europe and other places. It is a good place for the U.S. with its vast reserves to get involved to increase national revenue streams but also further allows for a smoother transition from one energy system to another. We are seeing both the physical and digital shifting on a global scale. Much of that is based in the deeper concerns people have over Russia and China partnerships 

(That is why I kind of thought it wasn't a good idea for China to get involved in the conflict because there are deeper mechanics of what people are willing to support and it forces nations and businesses to make a conscious choice on which system the are going to connect their economy and receive their supplies. Its not a full transition but as the New Cold War is fostered by Russian and Chinese actions we may see these splits become more pronounced. This is where China might decide whether there is a liability in that path. I think there are long term risks. I'm a supporter of open markets with equal rules for everyone. We have struggled with that for decades with China and it would appear that national development was their primary concern but in many ways have put some of the countries they traded with into a subservient position.)

Consider the ways in which energy is a huge thing to economics and our life. From manufacturing to getting to work (Unless your a digital nomad but they like to get out of the house too.) We are moving to renewable energy but are not yet ready to make a complete switch. It would be unwise and a little risky if we do not have both systems running well. The best place to be for everyone is redundant, multi source plug and play energy infrastructure. However, managing the oil through our own production can make it cleaner and can allow us to phase it out in a sustainable way to strengthen the whole system with newer energy adaptation.

Consider the physical ways to "Beef Up" U.S. Oil Production on Russian Oil Supply Restrictions

What we find in the modern world that there is a physical and digital components to infrastructure. They both have value and in turn they both must be developed for national strength. In my Transactional Cluster Theory I'm working on you would have infrastructure, technology and human capital. They get very complex because infrastructure include energy, export, rail, telephone, highways, etc. Technology and innovation are connected with market leading products. Human capital includes ideas such as quality of life, education, judicial integrity, training, development and much more (We could develop a formula for it to create a benchmark on how a country is doing. We would just need to look at the definitions of other formulas and see if we can use them to represent these data sources and in turn can be test for validity as a formula. As a benchmark its not proving anything but only measuring it based on these factors. You would then see if those factors appear to relate in some way to a nation's pace of development.)

You can see the digital representation in Data Supply Lines Begin to Shift Between China and U.S.

Consider the impact of knowing when to press on the gas to get things done. Here is one win for the U.S. in the energy and infrastructure development. Strategically we might want to think that every time China makes a step to support Russia they adjust the market. We should find the potential market openings that might occur from those actions so as to capitalize on certain behaviors that are meant to take advantage of a difficult situation and turn those into possible strengths. Think of SWOT and how to analyze a wider market. 

US has replaced Russia as Europe’s top crude oil supplier

DOD Budget Indicates Changes to Capitalize on New Innovative Designs

Read the report below and you will notice new opportunities brewing for larger scale innovation throughout our defense networks. That is occurring because we are now aware of the growing threats overseas (We were always aware but the environment has changed to make such issues more pronounced). New developing through innovative practices is likely and it will be interesting to see where all of this goes. 

On another interesting point. The DOD appears to be actively courting technology industries to put in some dollars for mutual development. That means they may need places where they could test new ideas and concepts. One advantage of creating economic clusters also means that certain towns, with certain characteristics, could potentially capitalize on innovation as innovative incubators and prototype labs. (We would just need to find a place that would have good infrastructure, multiple terrains, ability to create incubators and small towns, attractive to investors, great place to vacation and have a healthy judicial system. I know a place but its just missing one component.)

I have sort of been working on an innovative cluster model that hopefully could be a win for government and industry. As a vet and an academic with a history of looking over the horizon I say that we are moving into something new and unique and I support development of our national capacity in this arena. If industry also gets a boost by such models, that is a win-win for development. That is something wholly unique about America and the root assumptions of capitalism and democracy. *

Department of Defense Releases the President's Fiscal Year 2024 Defense Budget