Incarnation Pianity

The famous twentieth-century movie star Bette Davis is known for her much-repeated comment that “old age ain’t no place for sissies.”

            We elderly or, as we like to say, people of “advanced middle-age,” certainly have both physical and mental “issues” to contend with that require strength and determination, not qualities found in sissies. 

Our eyes and ears can weaken, causing us to squint more and talk louder on occasion.  We tend to forget things and worry about becoming addled as we age.  

            We sometimes take naps after lunch.

            It takes courage for us to make the best of what we are now without becoming depressed by what we used to be.  And, although not all Democrats are elderly, it requires courage to be a Democrat whatever your age.

All Democrats I know including myself, have friends, associates, or family members, who are Republicans; if possible, we need to smile and ask them to explain what they believe. We both might learn something.

One also has to combine toughness with conviction to be a Democrat today whatever your age. You certainly can’t be a Democrat, out-registered now in Kentucky, and be a sissy! 

And if you were shocked when Will Smith slapped Chris Rock at the 2021 Oscar ceremony, you should be dismayed by the Republican-dominated Kentucky General Assembly slapping teachers, poor people, and local public library boards with new restrictive laws. Republicans seem to feel threatened by any ideas or social groups that they fear might threaten their power.

We need to live our values. When we see stupid public comments like the recent one by Representative Lauren Boebert of Colorado that LGBTQ people should not be allowed to “come out” until they are age 21, we should post them on large billboards and run TV ads throughout America. Representative Boebert is only 36 years old, and apparently doesn’t have enough life non-heterosexual friends to know or care that such a statement is both hurtful and ignorant.  

Democrats need to point out how democracy can be threatened when one party seeks power at the expense of an unpopular minority. Nazi Germany should have taught us that.

Democrats also should fight back when Republicans label as “incompetent” a President and a Congress that passed a bill last year that has helped our economy grow for fifteen months, have tried hard to reduce COVID deaths, and stood up to a Russian dictator trying to conquer Ukraine without launching another “forever” or nuclear war.

At the same time, we should call out but also avoid engaging in senseless battles with right-wing Republican conspiracy theorists who try to convince us that Trump won the election of 2020, that American scientists are using biolabs in Ukraine to create chemical or biological weapons, and that you should avoid COVID vaccination because it will put a microchip in your brain to control you.

It is no longer good enough to just say “oh, that is so bizarre and crazy.” We must call out craziness!

Democrats need to recognize the current Republican attack on American democracy.  We have only a few months left to convince voters that by restricting voting and refusing to pass laws to help Americans because Democrats proposed them, Republicans are refusing to govern and undermining our political system.  

Let’s not kid ourselves. By refusing to work with Democrats, Republicans at the state and national level led by “leaders” like Mitch McConnell, and Kevin McCarthy, are building a superhighway to an autocracy, one man or one-party rule. 

Perhaps the best thing Democrats can do today is to hold up a giant mirror to extremist Republicans, and do so repeatedly in hopes that Democrats and patriotic Republican work together to address legitimate grievances and solve real problems. This will require a great deal of courage and a clear, determined focus by real legislators who want to solve problems instead of cultivating hatred as a step to power.

We will not like an America in which voting and free expression are increasingly limited. Winston Churchill said that “democracy was the worst system ever devised, except for all the others.”   

Sissies don’t say things like that. Like Churchill, we must stand up to bullies.

            Readers of this column over the past several months probably noticed that I try to balance columns that warn of dangers to our country with others that suggest reasons to be hopeful, especially if we can manage to work together at problem-solving.

            I also have several email elves that send me articles to read; a search of my in-box turned up several of these from early January that are hopeful, and I want to share. 

            The January 1, 2022 L.A. Times op-ed by Virginia Hefferman, a Wired magazine columnist was the most optimistic, befitting New Year’s Day.  

            Ms. Hefferman first referred to the “January 6 Was Practice” Atlantic article by Bart Gellman that appeared in December. 

Gellman saw “a clear and present danger that American democracy will not withstand the destructive forces now converging upon it” because we have “only one party left that is willing to lose an election.”

            While admitting that destructive forces such as “danger, death, destruction, and, of course, disease” keep her up at night too, Hefferman also found “true signs of light in the gloom.”

            She noted that unemployment is down and wages are high, the stock market is doing well, and “retail sales rose 8.5% year-over-year between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, according to Mastercard.”

            Then she added that Trump’s candidates in Republican primary races were not doing so well and even Gov.-elect Glenn Youngkin, the GOP winner in Virginia, won by “distancing himself from the Marquis of MAGA.”  Hefferman also saw hope in the fact that nine of the “Big Lie” lawyers were sanctioned by a federal judge in Michigan and over 700 participants and Steve Bannon have been charged with crimes committed on or about January 6, 2021.

            Beyond that, despite the “ain’t it awful” daily news reports about COVID (my words, not hers), we do have a clear decline in deaths due to COVID, we have home-schooled our kids, learned how to quarantine, cared for family and friends, and even voted in very large numbers “in the fairest election in American history.”  And through the “dawns early light,” we can see that “the flag is still there,” as our national anthem proclaims.

            None of these facts erase the considerable suffering of the past two years nor do they deny the real dangers described in the Gellman article.  However, they can help us balance the constant stream of lies and incomplete information in the media and social media reports we encounter daily.

            Another interesting piece was another Atlantic article (1-2-22) in which by Glenn Hubbard, Columbia University Economics professor, promoted his new book The Wall and the Bridge—Fear and Opportunity in Disruption’s Wake.  The title of his article, “Even My Business-School Students Have Doubts About Capitalism,” caught my attention.

            Hardly a “leftist” radical, Professor Hubbard chaired the Council of Economic Advisors early in the George W. Bush administration.  He was surprised to discover that his M.B.A students at Columbia this past fall were “harboring doubts about the free market.”

            These students were shaped, Hubbard noted, by 9/11, the global financial crisis, Great Recession of 2008-2009, and the current debate about “the unevenness of capitalism’s benefits across individuals,” a polite way of describing the great income disparity in “the land of plenty.”

            Hubbard’s student have seen a pandemic create “mass unemployment and a breakdown in global supply chains.”  These disruptions have led to “disaffection, populism, and calls to protect individuals and industries from change.”  Hubbard is glad now that President Bush did not take his advice to protect open markets and instead put a tariff on steel early in his administration.

            Even Adam Smith, father of free enterprise, wrote a book entitled A Theory of Moral Sentiments in which he called for “mutual sympathy—what we would today call empathy.”  Hubbard’s students think that government should do more to help all Americans survive economically by investing in people, “expanding earned income tax credits, providing grants to community colleges and creating reemployment accounts to support reentry into work.” 

He agrees with them and thinks we should “embrace a much bolder agenda that maximizes opportunities for everyone in the economy.”    

            I wonder if he has talked to Joe Manchin about this.

This essay, written by my long-time friend Greg Cusack, offers an honest and hopeful look at the (apparently) lost art of problem-solving by talking.

It appears that for many Americans the answer to anything these days is twist and shout! 

As one raised in the spirit of tackling problems, I continue to be saddened by how many among us apparently love to hurl insults, post vicious or demeaning comments, or even suggest that “now” may be the time to consider using violence. 

I am simply very tired of the yammering out there, no matter “where” or from “which side” it is coming from! Solutions to what ails us are available and possible, but we must turn from posting comments and insults to addressing paths to solutions. 

Parents and education

Of course we want parents involved in the education of their children! And, yes, there will be times – like the present – when one or more issues will cause tremendous worry or concern among parents. But let’s stop whining about it and see this for the opportunity that it is! 

At some point – after the initial shouting and finger-pointing are over – school officials should invite parents to share with them both what they do not want taught as well as how they believe sensitive topics should be addressed. 

After all, most of the agitated parents are not racists, they are just people who have been fed a line by the Right designed to gin ‘em up. OK, but let us also admit that a few people out there – hardly unusual in a nation of over 300 million people – have said or taught or used some things that are at best foolish and, at worst, stupid and distorting.

White people today, for instance, are not responsible for the horrors of slavery forced upon Black people for centuries in this country. However, white people should be aware of how the tendrils of past policies still linger and continue to inflict harm upon non-whites: in where people were/are allowed to live, in hiring and promotion opportunities, as well as by the increasingly loud nonsense spouted by white nationalist/supremacists.

Moreover, a form of history has long been taught in this country which downplayed – or even omitted – certain key elements, and most of these have involved the experience of non-white folks, including Blacks, Native, Asian, and Hispanic peoples. We should invite all parents to dialogue about how their stories can be respectfully integrated into the history of all of us. 

History should be taught “warts and all,” and what this means is that our ancestors – just like ourselves – were a mix of folks: a few clearly bad ones, but most people – just like us – doing our best to get by while often being largely unaware of some larger forces or developments affecting others. History needs to stress how people understood what was going on as well as what they believed their options to be. I really do not believe that most of us – liberal, conservative, or whatever – are afraid of the truth, but we all are sensitive to the “spin” that some would put on its presentation. Let us all be willing to see how our own disposition and/or preferences may interfere with our ability to hear and understand the concern of those who disagree with us. 

Actually, that last sentence should apply to every hot topic today, since it seems that a great deal of non-listening is going on. 

The Infrastructure Bills

I think we need to acknowledge a couple of obvious facts before turning to what can be done. 

The first is that the current iteration of the Republican Party is filled mostly with people who wish to deny President Biden and the Democratic Party of any achievements, no matter how objectively worthy or desirable. 

This is despicable; in my years of public service anyone in either party who had taken such a position with regard to proposals by the governor of Iowa would have been ignored! Yes, we had our partisan differences, but I can recall very few that were not submitted to bi-partisan review, intensive discussion, and sincere efforts and compromise. Simply adopting a negative stance is highly unethical and violates the entire spirit of the Constitution. If a person objects to an idea or proposal, the correct response is to point out the reasons why the proposal is objectionable and then to suggest ways to improve/correct the proposal. (Yes, there are some ideas so objectionable – supporting slavery or the mass exportation of designated groups, for examples – that no reasonable compromises are possible, but the number of such instances are actually few, indeed.) 

So, with regard to either infrastructure bill (those that address both human and physical resources) anyone with objections who was also sincerely interested in being reasonable and thoughtful would respond either by saying, “Proposal ‘x’ should not be part of this bill for the following reasons…..” or “I could support this bill only if element ‘y’ were changed/amended to read….” 

This response is fact-based and gives the supporters of such provisions targets that they need to address. The proponents of such provisions then have the chance to work with the objector(s) in order to find a compromise position acceptable to both. 

This process does take some time, but in my experience it always resulted in eventual legislation that was more broadly acceptable and, therefore, more likely to be successfully implemented. 

In the case of the first infrastructure bill, the one just signed by President Biden, this kind of give- and-take actually took place! 

However, with regard to the measure just passed by the House, no Republican has either voiced support for it nor – for me the more crucial part – has indicated how it could be improved/changed in order to merit their support. Republicans have just, carte blanche, opposed it. 

Why? 

I can understand why some would oppose specific elements in it – there are some that I have some concerns about, too – but simply to oppose the whole thing? Without discussion? Something is grievously wrong here. 

Expanding childcare – First, is there anyone who thinks that this is a bad idea or unneeded? If so, let’s hear your arguments. 

Expanding parental leave – Again, if there is disagreement about whether this is either necessary or desirable, let’s hear them. 

Etc. 

Growing Wealth Inequality

I personally believe that liberals and conservatives alike have dropped the ball on this major issue. It is shameful that so many of us are struggling to maintain the same relative economic and social 

position occupied by our parents while a minority of already wealthy persons continue to be further enriched thanks to current economic and tax policies. 

So, if you disagree with what the Democrats are proposing to begin to rectify this problem – including increasing taxation of the richest among us – what do you propose as an alternative? Doing nothing seems very unwise, and so your preferred alternative is….? 

The truth is that all of us – whatever our economic or political ideology – loses out when proposals are not debated. In my experience, there are few proposals so outrageously bad that they should not be considered. Likewise, there are very few proposals that cannot be improved through discussion and amendment. 

This is what the Congress is supposed to be doing!

Enough with the thoughtless memes intended to rile up your own tribe! We need to come together to grapple with the major issues facing us or else we will go down the tube together. 

I do not believe that every idea that comes from liberals or progressives to be wise, thoughtful, or needed, nor do I reject every idea that comes from thoughtful conservatives. But, ladies and gentlemen, our current state of affairs is leaving us powerless to do any of those things needed to make our country more prosperous, just, and fair to all.

My point is that in all cases we need to turn to what can we do to solve our problems rather than just simply continuing to be jawing about them! 

The Democratic Party of Calloway County did a notable thing several months ago.  They elected an intelligent, hard-working woman, Mrs. Vonnie Hays Adams, as their chairperson.

 Adams is not the first women to be a Democratic leader, but she does represent a younger generation of woman, more of whom are now willing to accept the difficulty, in the conservative South at least, of being a woman in politics.

She is aware of the research that that shows that a woman who runs for elected office must work harder, raise more money, and bend over backward to be more likable than a male candidate to get elected.

To get a better understanding of women in politics, I spoke with Robyn Pizzo, a current member of the executive committee of the Calloway Democratic Party and co-chair of the membership committee.

She pointed out that workplaces staffed largely by women—education, healthcare, childcare—are the very areas where women’s leadership would result in benefits for all of us. As Pizzo commented “When women have first-hand knowledge of the equity issues that exist in this part of our economy.”

Pizzo believes that “when women are elected, we all win. Women’s participation in politics tends to result in policies in areas of health and education that improve our quality of life”.

Two of the administrators I worked for during my career were women.  They were strong leaders who knew their jobs and had clear goals.  Unlike some men “bosses” I had, these women were also good listeners.  They didn’t need to avoid wearing pink either.

Since issues such as childcare, equal pay for women, healthcare, pre-K programs and family leave are important issues for Democrats, one might expect women would be eager to enter public service by running for political positions.

Yet that is not the case locally.  Only seven of the twenty-five top elected officials listed in the Murray Ledger and Times are women.  One of them, our State Representative Mrs. Imes, has even said that she wants things to remain the same for her grandchildren as they are now.

While I do understand her love of tradition, I also know as a historian that the only constant is change. Female officeholders can help us cope with those changes; they have skills to make the world safe “for children and other living things,” to revive a slogan we used decades ago when protesting the war in Vietnam.

Perhaps women are reluctant to run for public office here because of the resistance they can face.  When Vonnie Hays Adams was campaigning for a county magistrate’s position during the last election, one voter asked her: “Can women be magistrates?”

If you look around Murray and Calloway County, you will quickly notice that it is primarily women who “are caring for the most vulnerable people in our community,” Pizzo pointed out.

Women staff the Child Literacy Program and are a major presence at Angel’s Attic. Needline was created by a woman and has been directed by women ever since.  Women created Soup for the Soul and the Calloway County Collective set up during our COVID-19 epidemic.  Women created our public library many decades ago and still direct and manage this facility.

In addition, a woman heads the local Chamber of Commerce and many small businesses have been created by women.  Those who greet us when we do business at the bank or courthouse are almost all female as well. A few of them were even elected.

Washington is so gridlocked that I understand why intelligent people are retiring from Congress. The unwillingness of those in Washington to work together to actually govern the country and meet our current needs is very clear.  Most of the resistance to serving the people is spear-headed by Mitch McConnell, sad to say. He, and not Nancy Pelosi, is the chief obstructionist.

But locally, things are different.  We can work together here to create positive change. However, “if our government doesn’t look like the people it is supposed to represent,” Robyn reminds us, “there will be perspectives, issues, and challenges facing our community that will not have a voice.”