My Controversial Concepts #6
>> American Dilemma # 247 - We can't find enough workers. We can't find enough truck drivers, we can't find enough nurses, we can't find enough waiters and waitresses and cooks, we can't find enough hotel workers, we can't find enough airport staff and airline pilots. Labor statistics seem confusing. I would summarize it this way. If every single person in this country were employed, there would still be between (approximately) 50,000 to over half a million job openings, per industry. An industry example – in accommodation and food service. If every worker in that industry were employed, there would still be 835,000 job openings. I don't know where all of you are hiding but I give you a great deal of credit.
>> When scientists started to discuss climate change, the deniers stepped up early, with the complaint that climate change was a fabrication designed to justify spending billions of dollars that we don’t have. But I’ve got news for us. Whether or not we believe in climate change, the people that are suffering from it are going to cost us trillions. We're the ones they come to. The nations that pollute are being held accountable by the nations whose people are suffering from oppressive heat and rising tides. So we all might as well believe in the science and pitch in. That’s the only way to solve a global problem. Either way, it's going to cost us. Denying reality will doom us all. In my opinion it’s already too late.
>> Even though I grew up as an African-American Republican, I was more of a liberal than most Republicans are willing to accept. I actually still am a little bit liberal, (although I would call it compassionate, not liberal). But with age comes even more conservatism. My point is, that I grew up with the media, as a part of the media, listening to the media, and never realized what was happening TO the media. So that - when conservatives and Republicans said the media has a liberal bias, I didn't believe it. Eventually (recently) I did start listening more closely, and I did come to recognize reporters’ actual true opinions and leanings, reflected in the stories they told…. something that, having been raised in the media, I was taught should not exist. I never realized that reporters’ opinions were woven into the stories they were presenting. Admitted naivete on my part. Voice inflection and word choices.... that's how they do it. All this time I thought NPR, for instance, was presenting all sides of every issue… fairly. I was quite incorrect.
>> Society has started to take notice, and look at mental health, and especially at the mental wellness of children. However the people who fall through those cracks are the people who turn into society's monsters and murderers. Based on my staunch beliefs, a complete education would include life lessons on dealing with this. Maybe it’s time to shut down the marching bands and school fun day, and instead re-route that money to produce well-functioning people.
>> This morning I heard Gov. Ron DeSantis say, that he and President Biden were working together well, with regard to making preparations for the tropical depression Ian. In fact, the governor’s words were, “ …we don’t have time to deal with trivial concerns.” I guess last time there was a big storm in Florida, DeSantis spent more time publicly criticizing Biden, and not enough time getting federal help for his people. In essence, Ron DeSantis admitted this morning during his news interview, that he had engaged in his own political advancement, rather than engaging in protecting his constituents. I’m going to guess that the admission will make no difference in his popularity. But it does show that he knows that his bread is buttered badly.
