Bits and Pieces

Presidential Election: The probable candidates are likely Biden and Trump. The latter will happen if court decisions do not preclude his place on the ballot. No other candidates have appeared on the scene to change this prediction. That is lamentable on two counts: first, both of these candidates are too old to take on the responsibilities of the Presidency. Period. That may appear harsh to some, but I am nearing 81 and can relate to the challenges of aging. I have experience and a long view of history and social issues; that makes my contributions positive. But the threat of disability or death while in office are too serious to take on without serious examination.

Elder people have a valuable role to play in our society and governance. I just feel their involvement ought not be tied to being elected. Appointed, certainly.

The second count: focusing on advanced age in candidates hinders development of younger talent. Our national leadership succession should be an active process. Developing talents among members of any organization builds strength and sustainability to that organization. Who are our future leaders? What characteristics should they have? What experience and tests of their thinking and decision making should they have? Will we have leaders in the future who are up to the challenges of a dynamically changing work environment?

Both political parties need to have depth of talent among their leadership. This needs to include diversity of ages as well.

Discussion vs Argument: Want to research important topics of the day? A lot of reading as well as video tapes are available. The only problem is a likely imbalance of views. Take any discussion of current topics and you will encounter argument and debate, not discussion and a mutual exploration of the issue and its driving components. That is the sort of background understanding needed if any of us are to best understand current events.

An academic approach to such matters helps understanding. That approach lays out definitions of terms as well as historical grounding of the issue under examination. Exploring an issue requires us to consider all elements of an issue. We need to see the ins and outs and pros and cons. If we need to understand an issue well enough to manage its positive and negative effects, we must know the probable costs to dealing with the issue.

In a perfect world such work would not be required. But the world is imperfect by definition. Hard work is needed. Best we understand that and get down to business. Debate can be helpful, but argument is not. Research, explore and test solutions with open minds. That is a healthy way forward. The rest is political nonsense and obfuscation.

February 15, 2024

  

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