Tom's Musings

Many of you have already seen this. Still, I am moved to share thus widely since the source is neither a liberal AND spent considerable time in Trump’s inner circle.

Below is a recent quote on Donald Trump by John Kelly, retired Marine Corps General who served as Trump’s longest serving WH Chief of Staff (2017-19).

“What can I add that has not already been said. A person that thinks those who defend their country in uniform, or are shot down or seriously wounded in combat or spend years being tortured as POWs are all ‘suckers’ because ‘there is nothing in it for them.’ A person that did not want to be seen in the presence of military amputees because ‘it doesn’t look good for me.’ A person who demonstrated open contempt for a Gold Star family (lost a child in war)- for all Gold Star families- on TV during the 2016 campaign, and rants that our most precious heroes who gave their lives in America’s defense are ‘losers’ and wouldn’t visit their graves in France.”

“A person who is not truthful regarding his position on the protection of unborn life, on women, on minorities, on working men and women. A person that has no idea what America is all about. A person who cavalierly suggests that a selfless warrior who has served his country for 40 years in peacetime and in war should lose his life for treason – in expectation that someone will take action. A person who admires autocrats and murderous dictators. A person that has nothing but contempt for our democratic institutions and the rule of law.”

“There is nothing more that can be said. God help us.”

Nothing is more discouraging to me than the fact that so many Americans still follow thus utterly damaged man with cult like adoration. For many years I pondered the question of how the German people could support Hitler. That is no longer a mystery.

As you know, the brainiacs on the far right believe that the Dems and other radical ‘socialists’ are controlled by a ‘dark state’ controlled by Hillary Clinton operating out of secret pizza parlors that are fronts for pedophilia rings. Even those with the best educations available, like Governor Ron Desantis, cozy up to such borderline psychoses. I’ve always thought that he and the other Ivy League conservatives know full well that this nonsense is BS. It simply is the easiest way to con a large and remarkably gullible base as they pursue ever more power. So, for example, they gleefully attack Covid vaccines as the Devil’s work and demonize Anthony Fauci as Satan’s pawn. So what if people die or suffer as a consequence of their immoral and self-serving stands, they will garner ever more power from a fanatical cult.

The true believers on the right might now have another target for their venom … the Nobel Prize selection committee for Physiology and Medicine. How the radical left in America managed to infiltrate and take control of this international committee based in Stockholm is a bit of a mystery to me. However, they are a crafty and dedicated lot. Besides, you can’t refute the evidence. Given the most recent announcement of the Nobel selection committee, it is clear that the ‘dark state’ now controls those in charge of awarding sciences most prestigious awards.

It was announced that this year’s prize in Physiology and Medicine would be given to Professors Katalin Kariko of Szeged University in Hungary and Drew Weissman of the University of Pennsylvania for their work in developing the MRNA approach to developing vaccines. Their breakthrough work resulted in the Covid vaccines being developed in record time, enabling their early availability to fight off the most significant global health threat in memory … Covid 19 and its variants. Of course, you are only impressed with their work if you do not believe that Covid was a fraud unleashed on a gullible world to embarrass the greatest world leader since Napoleon Bonaparte … Donald Trump.

Let us assume the pandemic was, in fact, real. After all, I cannot imagine the entire world collaborating with America’s radical left to foster a hoax on the U.S. just so liberals could impose specious mandates and shut down much of the economy for a while. Yes, the response to the pandemic (real or fake) was an inconvenience to our wannabe dictator, the Donald. However, I thought he redeemed himself well by suggesting we all drink bleach or some such rot. Only NFL QB Aaron Rodgers came up with a more creative solution … Intervectin. Wow! It remains a mystery as to how the Nobel committee could overlook the contributions of Trump and Rodgers in handing out this prestigious award. Perhaps the fact that both of these loonies are bat shit crazy had something to do with the Committee ignoring them.

Apparently, the Committee decided to go with solid science as opposed to political exploitation and personal delusions. How narrow of them. The winners, Katalin and Weissman, first met at the University of Pennsylvania in the 1990s where they began to pursue a new concept for developing life saving vaccines.

Up until then, most vaccines used dead or weakened forms of a virus to protect patients from more deadly forms of the disease. As the 18th century came to a close, Edward Jenner presumably overheard a milkmaid comment that she would not get smallpox because she already had the cowpox. Apparently, regular folk knew instinctively about the therapeutic advantages of exposure to a less virulent form of an infectious disease. Jenner ran with this insight and successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of inoculations to ward off the dire consequences of the more deadly smallpox.

Most subsequent vaccines were based on the same principle. However, Kariko and Weissman pursued a different tact, one that was ignored by mainstream science at the time. Then again, the developer of the polio vaccine, Dr. Jonas Salk, was dismissed early on by many in the medical community. He also persisted and was proved correct when his vaccine against a dreaded disease that I feared as a kid became available in the mid-1950. Dr. Albert Sabin was one of the early critics of Salk, though he did go on to develop an oral form of the polio vaccine several years down the road. But Salk ignored his critics and pursued his vision. His dedication and courage undoubtedly saved many lives and avoided great suffering.

Just what is this new approach developed by the Nobel winners? I’m a layman, but here is what I understand. They take part of the genetic code of the virus and turn it into a vaccine. This vaccine enters the cells and tells them to produce the Coronavirus spike protein. These look like spikes sticking out from the cell. The body’s immune system reacts as if a pathological virus is present. Antibodies are produced and T-cells activated. It is much like the body preparing for a real war. Now, if a person then contracts Coronavirus, the antibodies and T-cells are present and prepared to attack this potentially more deadly threat.

The big idea behind this technology (which I really don’t understand) is to use the genetic code in innovative ways. Presumably, future vaccines to ward off new threats can be developed using this insight and on a much more expeditious time frame. I recall thinking that the scientists frantically working on a Covid vaccine in 2020 came up with something in an astonishingly short time.

Kariko and Weissman’s insight may be on the order of Jenner’s smallpox and Alexander Flemming’s anti-biotic revolution (penicillin). Using specific genetic codes might well unlock the key to other life- saving vaccinations, perhaps including ways to fight specific forms of cancer. Only time will tell.

For now, Kariko and Weissman likely will be added to the far right’s hall of shame, along with Anthony Fauci, the dedicated scientists and doctors at the Center for Disease Control, and all those who labor in research labs in the search for new ways to save lives and reduce human suffering. May they continue their heroic work even as the far right attacks and vilifies them merely in the pusuit of power and personal gain or merely to vent their accumulated bile.

Society may adore football stars and Taylor Swift. In my book, however. those that push the boundaries of knowledge are the real heroes today, no matter what the hate-mongers on the right claim.

Is money the root of all evil? Hell if I know, but it sure can pose a danger to society especially if existing resources are not shared in a reasonable or equitable fashion. Let’s explore this thesis for a bit, shall we?

The world’s economy is doing very well. We know that the ranks of the desperately poor, have declined substantially in the past couple of decades. From another perspective, global equity markets recently have been valued at some $109 trillion dollars. As the saying goes, a trillion here and a trillion there and soon you are talking real money.

Moreover, the size of this pie has tripled since the turn of the century. That is, there has been an explosion of wealth as evidenced by the mushrooming of yachts, private planes, and displays of egregious wealth. In short, while some of this newfound lucre has drifted down to the needy, the vast majority has gone in the other direction … toward the economic elite.

Of course, not every part of the globe has shared equally in this bonanza. The U.S. and Europe enjoy over 55 percent of these goodies with the States appropriating the lion’s share. Still, so-called emerging markets are catching up. China has seen a 12- fold increase in market equities over the past two decades. Moreover, while China used to send its best and brightest to the West to be educated, they now are investing substantially in home-grown research and education. Two Chinese universities now compete with the best Western institutions. India, on the other hand, is projected to enjoy the fastest growth over the next two decades. These emerging markets are projected to dominate the traditional winners in the West by 2050.

The other key factor is who, within individual countries, has benefitted from all this economic expansion. This is a complex topic, so we will keep it simple. In the U.S., the top 1 percent take at least 20 percent of the national income (some estimates have put it closer to 24 percent until Covid disrupted things) … a figure that has more than doubled since Reagan assumed office in 1980. The bottom half of the population must make do with 10 percent of the pie. Wealth, or accumulated income, is even more unevenly distributed.

Now, you might say that the distribution of income is determined by market forces and is beyond the scope of human intervention. Neo-classical economic thought treats these outcomes as the product of natural laws, like gravity, and should not be messed with. Any public interference would distort market operations and lead to inefficiencies and distortions. Worse, such interventions would inconvenience the filthy rich.

Then again, if that were the case, I would expect to see a good deal of homogeneity in distributional patterns across countries, especially across more or less peer nations. But, in fact, there is considerable variation when the standard measure of inequality, the GINI coefficient, is examined.

For example, I suggested earlier that the U.S. has a comparatively high level of income and wealth inequality. Some 80 countries are measurably more equal in how income and wealth are distributed across their populations. These include the U.K., Canada, Germany, France, Austria, Sweden, Ireland, Poland, Italy, the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Spain, Portugal, Greece, all the Scandinavian and Baltic countries, and most Eastern European nations. Oh, and I might throw in Russia and China. Within the European community as a whole, the top 1 percent garner 12 % of the pie (not 20 plus percent like the U.S.) while the bottom half access 22% of what is available (more than twice what the less fortunate in America get).

So what, you might wonder. Well, I often wonder why Americans so blithely put up with the few taking such a huge portion of their resource pie. Why don’t they see this as unfair. Again, this is a complex issue. I recall an old observation about a basic difference in how Americans and Europeans respond to wealth. When a Rolls Royce passes poorer folk on the continent, they often respond with anger. In America, those looking on sigh with admiration and believe that such blessings can one day be theirs. After all, there is always the lottery.

No matter the difference in how people respond to displays of great advantage, there is one outstanding danger. As income and wealth become increasingly concentrated at the top, so does power. Money can buy media exposure and can help leverage the mechanisms through which social control is maintained. The more money at the top, the more likely the rules will reflect the interests and preferences of the elite. That is why hedge fund managers pay less proportionally in taxes than working stiffs. Money is power, and those with the most gold get to shape the rules.

Most politicians would rather eschew the employment of raw power to retain control … Trump may be the exception. No, most prefer a subtler approach … the classic bait and switch tactic. Keep people obsessing on irrelevant issues while you rob them blind. Keep them afraid, divided, and focused on marginal questions like abortion, transgender and gay politics, barbarians at our borders, guns, books that are grooming our kids, and all sorts of emotional topics that deflect attention from more substantive concerns. Conservatives realize that common folk respond to emotional narratives that strike their hearts while liberals keep making rational arguments, which is why the libs usually do so badly.

With people distracted, those that occupy the top spots in our economic pyramid can continue to gather more and more for themselves. At some point, we may reach the point at which there may be no possibility of addressing the rules which, if revamped, might create a more equitable and integrated society. The imbalance may be permanent, self- sustaining, and self-perpetuating. Perhaps we are already there.

So, is money the root of all evil? Not sure about that. But concentrated wealth does permit all kinds of evil to flourish. Of that, I am without any doubt.

Retired 4 star Army General Barry McCaffrey recently observed the following about Trump supporting MAGAs … ‘what we are seeing is a parallel to the 1930s in Nazi Germany.’ He is joined by numerous other pundits, such as highly regarded historian Heather Cox-Richardson for example, who observe that the 2024 election might well determine whether the American experiment in democracy will continue or whether the nation will succumb fully to a form of authoritarian rule. I must admit, while I’ve never seen myself as an alarmist, I share a good deal of these dark forebodings.

Despite the rhetoric expounded in our public propaganda, America only inched close to a mature democracy within my lifetime (circa late 1960s) and then immediately faced a backlash from entrenched white elites, especially in Southern and rural states. Right from colonial days, there has been a strong sentiment that elite whites, preferably property owners, should rule as a form of entitlement.

The undercurrent of discontent among those who basically distrust democratic rule has always been there, from the various populist movements of the late 19th century through Huey Long, the Silver Shirts, the American Bund, the KKK, the American Nazi party. Today, we have literally hundreds of anti-government and hate groups festering across the land.

At the same time, we ought not be overly myopic. America’s deep cultural divide, a phenomenon I’ve discussed in prior posts, is woven deeply into our zeitgeist. It is part of us. This nation has been divided since its inception when the issue of slavery was swept under the rug as the Constitution was created. Our electoral college reflected the deep negative animus between larger states with industrial potential and more rural areas favoring an agricultural and a mostly hierarchical society. America tenaciously held on to slavery, and then legal apartheid, long after most of our peer counties abandoned such primitive practices.

What has changed recently, in my opinion, is that these sentiments now control a major political party. Starting with the Goldwater movement in the 1960s, picking up speed with the Gingrich revolution in the early 1990s, and coming to full fruition with Trump in 2016, one of our two major political parties now embraces and reflects the elitist and authoritarian impulses that have always been there, but kept politely beneath the surface and hidden from public view. The hate mongers and demagogues of the past might have enjoyed popularity but wielded little effective power (e.g., Father Coughlin in the 1930s).

For me, the biggest difference now, and the source of our existential threat, is that the hate filled tribalism and over reaching authoritarianism has driven all moderation and sanity from the Republican Party. The fleeing of Liz Cheney and Mitt Romney marks the end of any constraints on the venerable GOP and surely any prospects of principled governance from the conservative wing.

Those that would tear away even the pretense of democracy and the rule of law now have real power. That is far different from the political arrangement of my youth when liberals and conservatives were distributed across both parties. That partly was an anomaly persisting from normative allegiances cemented during the Civil War and which remained until the realignment spawned by the modern Civil Rights movement emerged in the late 1950s.

There are many factors one might suggest to explain today’s political polarization. We have the tribalism fostered by social media, the rise of agenda driven propaganda outlets, the weaponization of evangelical religion, and a growing sector of the population that could not identify their own self interest with the help of GPS and a guide dog.

These and other factors have resulted in an environment based on identity politics sustained by a virulent hate of the ‘other,’ especially on the right. This perhaps best reflects McCaffrey’s observation that America today parallels Germany during the rise of Naziism. In the eyes of today’s Republicans, the radical left (anyone who still believes in civility, compassion, and community) are a contemporary version of Jews in the 1930s. Is anyone surprised that Trump is hinting at executing former staffers he considers disloyal.

Normally, I would say that our contemporary form of fascism will fail, as did the spasms of extremism in the past. After all, Trumpers represent perhaps 30 percent of the population. Then again, let us not forget the lessons of history. The Bolsheviks were a small minority in 1917, even among the leftist forces seeking to replace the Czar. And the Nazis, even at the height of their popularity before being handed power, barely captured a third of the popular support.

With an antiquated electoral college in place, with our cultural divide as wide as it is, with some $10 billion expected to be spent just on the upcoming national election alone, with disinformation and likely Russian interference in our next election, is anyone confident that Trump or a Trump substitute can be kept from national office.

I would like to say that Americans are too wise and sane to flush almost 250 years of effort and sacrifice to create a mature democracy down the drain. Yes, I would really like to say that. But I cannot. After all, we elect people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Matt Gaetz, Lauren Boebert, and Paul Gosar. These are seriously damaged people.

Yes, as a cartoon character observed a long time ago … we have met the enemy and it is us. We have no one else to blame.

Have you ever thought about this?

In 100 years, like in 2123, we will all be buried with our relatives and friends.

Strangers will live in our homes that we fought so hard to build, and they will own everything we have today.

All our possessions will be unknown
and unborn, including the car we spent a fortune on, and will probably be scrap, preferably in the hands of an unknown collector.

Our descendants will hardly know
who we were, nor will they remember us.

How many of us know our grandfather’s father?

After we die, we will be
remembered for a few more years,
Then we are just a portrait on
someone’s bookshelf,

And a few years later, our history,
photos and deeds disappear
in history’s oblivion.

We won’t even be memories.

If we paused to analyze these thoughts, perhaps we would understand how ignorant and weak the dream to achieve it all was.

If we could always be conscious of this, perhaps our approaches and our thoughts would change. We would be different people.

I’d change all this to live and enjoy
the walks I’ve never taken, the hugs
I didn’t give, the kisses for the children, animals and loved ones,
the jokes I didn’t have time for.

These would certainly be the most
beautiful moments to remember.

~Unknown

Hi all. I am back in the hospital. Damn!

Had a scary evening Friday. I was at a friends house waiting to watch the Wisconsin football game. Suddenly I kept getting dizzier and dizzier. I was about to say something when I woke up on the floor surrounded by EMT types.

My friend, a retired nurse (so she has seen a lot) said it was scary. I glazed over, foamed at the mouth, and collapsed. She did say the EMTs were there almost immediately. I vaguely recall trying to say ”I’m okay.” At least I think I did. But my friend put an end to that nonsense. I was pale, clammy, sweating, nauseus, and barely able to converse. Next thing I knew, Im bouncing in an ambulance as they attached me to an IV and several other mecical devices. I know they thought I was having a heart attack. In fact, before they let me go today, one more check on my heart. And yes. Contrary to public opinion, I have one.

Much more likely, this is related to the infection I’ve been fighting over the past month or so (they pumped me full of antibiotics over the weekend). This Urinary Tract Infection (possibly caused by e-coli bacteria) may have impacted my kidneys and prostate. But all that may sound more ominous than it is. My readings were getting better before this setback.

Home today I hope. However, future posts may be at a slower rate. We will see!

I try to be understanding. I really try. But Republicans continue to think of ways to demonstrate their utter lack of common sense. Again, there are legions of examples, but I will focus on the Wisconsin version of the gang that can’t shoot straight’s war on the State’s flagship University… Wisconsin Madison. Why attack a world class research university that contributes so much to the State’s economy defies logic. Then again, thinking straight has never been a Republican strength.

Let’s start with a few facts about UW-Madison, my professional home for several decades even though I spent a good deal of time in Washington D.C. and working with various state and local governments. In the recent ranking of U.S. universities, UW ranked 35 overall, and 12th among public institutions. That is up from the 49th spot just several years ago despite repeated attacks by the Republican leadership led by Robert Voss. In global rankings, UW has ranked among the top 50, earning its reputation as a ‘world class’ research university.

Some may say that Wisconsin, being a rather average state in terms of economic resources, cannot afford to support a top school. But that is not how this works. In fact, the state contributes only 15 percent of the total campus budget. That is, the state only kicks in about $537 million of the campuses $3.7 billion dollar budget. Another 21 percent ($749 million) comes from student tuition and fees while some 18 percent ($676 million) is generated by private donations.

Adding these budgetary components up only accounts for a little more than half of the total budget. While there are other sources of support, the most significant revenue source not mentioned so far is research grants. In a recent year, some $1.38 billion dollars in grants flowed into the Madison campus, placing it 8th among all universities. The state can enjoy a top university because a reputation for excellence in the past enables Madison to attract top talent and, therefore, large amounts of extracurricular support.

Here’s the thing. Most of us academics at a place like Wisconsin are mini entrepreneurs. We bring in far more in revenue than we take in salary. I certainly could have earned more outside a state university but felt a strong pull to contribute to the public good. This place, indeed any research university, would fall apart if a talented faculty were not so successful in competing for scarce research money. Surely, we would not be running a $33 million dollar surplus as is now the case. I know that I personally brought in millions either directly or indirectly, and I was nothing special. It is what you do at a place like Wisconsin or Michigan or any of the elite public research schools.

Of course, that does not even begin to account for the full economic contribution the university makes to the local economy. Epic systems started as a spin off of a university project several decades ago. When any doctor puts patient information into an automated system, it is likely an Epic product. The firm has grown from a handful of people into massive effort that will soon employ 18,000 mostly highly paid technical and professional workers. And this is just one such offshoot but surely one of the most successful ones.

You would think that Republicans would take pride in such an economic engine. They traditionally have been the bottom line people. Anything that generates a robust ROI (return on investment) is a good thing. Right? But no, Republicans have been attacking the University ever since Scott Walker became governor. Now that the Dems control the top position, the attack dogs are found in the Assembly and Senate.

What is the latest line of attack? Voss and his minions are going after programs designed to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion (D.E.I initiatives) on the campus. Yes, this is where they have drawn the most recent line in the sand. They don’t want anything done that might provide educational access to underserved populations either in terms of improving access to the university or enhancing the prospects of success once enrolled. Apparently, they want to restrict access to the American dream to white, affluent families.

Voss et. al. started their attack by threatening to cut all the money going to postions working on D.E.I. concerns (roughly $32 million systems wide). But with the university running a surplus and with these initiatives representing such a small fraction of the total budget, this was not much of the threat. So, more recently, they have threatened to eliminate all pay raises if the university insists that diversity remain an important goal.

Now, think about that for a moment. While universities can always fill faculty positions, research universities are always competing for the top talent, often poaching stars from other schools. They need the best and brightest to bring in the research grants necessary to mantaining a stellar reputation and, frankly, keeping the institution going. If you can no longer attract these top people, or they are stolen by competitor institutions, the whole enterprise can quickly unravel.

The pettiness of our Republican statemen doesn’t stop there. Recently, they refused to sanction the building of a new engineering complex even though the cost would not fall on taxpayers. In response, the university administrators are seeking the freedom to decide what facilities they need if the cost is privately covered. Not expand STEM-focused facility. How moronic must you be to support that? Even idiots know we need more engineers to compete in the high-tech global economy.

Let’s face it, the conservatives dominating today’s Wisconsin Republican Party are using the University as a convenient punching bag. The strategic approach of that party is focused on inciting hatred and tribalism among their base. A convenient target for such enmity is the educated elite who are capable of independent thinking. Such folk are more likely to be able to connect the dots and determine self-interest. They will easily calculate that pursuing only those policies that favor a tiny sliver of the state’s wealthiest people is a narrowly conceived and counter- productive approach. That is, an educated population capable of independent thought will not likely support transparently stupid policies. Thus, they want their base to see what they consider the educated elite as some kind of enemy. How short sighted.

Unfortunately, the divide and conquer tactic has worked in the past. Keep the base riled up works on the short term. Convincing rural whites that any help directed at those who have been excluded in the past is an attack on their interests is, unfortunately, an easy sell. Convince voters that this is a zero-sum game where democrats represent the other side, and you can get people to vote against their own interests. They are more interested in ‘sticking it to those they dont like’ than improving things for all.

A thought struck me as I considered such things. The state contribution is getting smaller and smaller each year, yet their attempts to micromanage this important institution continue to increase. Will they next be trying to manage what is taught in the classrooms as DeSantis is trying to do in Florida. Do you want those who support censorship and book banning to determine what is taught and how? I think not.

So, why not begin the process of severing the relationship between the flagship campus and the state. Research and the education of the next generation are too important to be left to provincial politicians motivated by the worst of instincts and intentions. We need great universities where truth can be pursued vigorously and independently, where the future is continuously reinvented. We need strong and independent institutions like Wisconsin-Madison has been for decades.

I’m not certain that severing the university’s ties to state government can work, but it is a place to start a vigorous debate.

As you may recall, I recently vented over our national fascination with sporting events even as we generally ignore or deny issues of real import. I remain shocked at the extensive discussions of the most trivial matters concerning weekly football matches, both professional and collegiate. Of course, major college programs now field semi-pro players, so the old distinction is irrelevant. Nevertheless, we approach life as if all that matters is the outcome of the most recent sporting events involving our favorite teams.

A few institutions of higher learning have seen the light in the past. The University of Chicago abandoned inter collegiate athletics many decades ago, preferring to focus on what matters … research and education. My undergraduate alma mater, Clark University, was founded as the second graduate school in the U.S. (after John’s Hopkins). Jonas Clark, the founder, stipulated that the school would never have a football team. He was a prescient man.

When Donna Shalala took over as Chancellor at the University of Wisconsin around 1990, she took a different path. The athletic department was in the crapper. She immediately saw that the way to open up the wallets of the alumni was to field winning teams, especially in football. She hired a new athletic director (Pat Richter) and a new football coach (Barry Alverez). Athletic success soon followed along with more generous donations to the school’s endowment.

Most potential contributors cannot fathom the complexities of research and development at this level, but they damn well know how their favorite teams are doing. It is hard to argue with Donna’s logic, who went on to serve as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and then as Congresswoman. She was a smart cookie.

While I lament the loss of the amateur character of major collegiate sports, I get the pressures to go along and chase the dollars. Flashy success on the sporting fields helps secure support for what really counts in labs hidden from public purview. However, I weep that so much energy goes into activities that, at the end of the day, are just not that important. These games, at best, are the bread and circuses that detract most of us from attending to what really counts. That is what concerns me the most.

So many of us eagerly check out whether our team has risen or fallen in the latest rankings even though it is very early in the season. Really, the rankings are virtually useless at this point, though that does little to diminish the passionate debate bordering on the pathological that follows each new posting. 🙄

Would that such intensity follow other news that gets far less attention. In 2023, we have had 23 different weather related climactic disasters in the U.S. with damages exceeding $1 billion each. This breaks the previous record set in 2020 and we have three months to go. Why aren’t we following this unfolding tragedy with the same laser focus as we do the fortunes of the SEC football teams?

Our national debt now exceeds $32 trillion. As the old saying goes, a trillion here and a trillion there and pretty soon you are talking about real money. In a few years, we will be spending $1.4 trillion annually just to service our debt. I can remember when we struggled to keep the federal budget under a billion dollars.

To the extent that we do debate such matters, the logic employed is laughable. How many Republicans have argued that we should use the same discipline with our national finances as we do with our household budgets. Yeah, right! Total personal credit card debt now exceeds $1 trillion while overall household debt now exceeds $17 trillion.

Or we get the twilight zone debate where Republicans focus on cuts in domestic spending (excluding defense) to solve our budget issues. Anyone with a ounce of sense must realize that a serious debate must include both spending cuts AND revenue increases, especially when those at the top of the pyramid often pay disproportionally less in taxes than struggling school teachers. The share of the income and wealth pies going to the top 1 percent did not happen because God willed it. It happened because egregiously greedy individuals manipulated the system in their favor. Let’s get passionate about that debate.

Or why do we look aside when it is pointed out that over 16 percent of children under 6 live in poverty. We can easily soothe our collective consciousness by rationalizing this tragedy by assuming it is their fault or nothing can be done, at least not without adverse consequences. But then we would have to explain away the reality that our peer nations have child poverty rates that are a fraction of ours. Poverty is not beyond the reach of public policy if there is a will to address it.

One last kick at this cat. As of a few days ago, we had over 500 mass shootings in the U.S. We are on the way to another record year of human carnage. Is this not worthy of our attention and our passion? Here we are talking about lives lost, bodies maimed, and families shattered. Surely, this should count as much as any freaking football game.

Listen, I have followed collegiate sports teams (go Badgers). I can enjoy a good contest (though not as much as I used to do). But I have never forgotten what is important and what, at the end of the day, is not. Sports is entertainment. It is not life and death!

I could have chosen a more elegant title for this post, but why not go for raw honesty. This will be less of an intellectual exploration of an intriguing issue and more of a pure rant. You are warned!

Basically, I am mystified by the self-serving label we have assigned to our species … homo-sapien. Just where is this sapien attribute? I look about me and see myopic obsessions with trivialities and an avoidance of the important stuff … a national trait that borders on the pathological. Add a hefty dose of unconscionable greed, and you pretty much have contemporary America.

Where to start? Well, we are in the midst of football mania. Endless discussions of which college team is moving up or down in the polls saturate our media 24/7. I was appalled recently when Alabama fans could be heard screaming homophobic and racist insults at Black Texas players celebrating their recent win over the Tide. Players and coaches routinely get death threats after a loss.

Such fanaticism is out of control. FOOTBALL IS JUST A FREAKING GAME. I cannot help think back to the decline of the Roman Empire as the surrounding tribes steadily eroded the empires grip while the Coloseum was filled with raving spectators demanding gore and entertainment. Let us party today until it is too late to hold off the barbarians of our own era. The analogy is too compelling.

Remember when college football athletes actually represented their schools. That quaint tradition is history. Now, most top teams are filled with mercenary players seeking the best deal. They will switch sides at the hint of a better deal. A player who completes 4 years at his initial choice is becoming rare indeed.

But why would players care about the schools whose colors they wear when school administrators are looking out for the best deal themselves. The Big 10 conference (a misnomer since they now have 16 teams and climbing) just signed a 7 year, $7 billion dollar media contract. 😳 Each institution will receive between $80 and $100 million per year. Traditional conference alignments and rivalries disappear seamlessly in the rush for big bucks. How sad.

I can remember when I looked up a former colleague who became the top budget guy for the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department around 1990. This was at the nadir of Wisconsins football fortunes and budget pressures resulted in the elimination of several sports including baseball. My colleague could not help but laugh when he told me he received way more attention (and pressure) for the athletic budget than he ever did in his previous position where he handled state expenditures for health and welfare programs. The athletic expenditures were pocket change in comparison but that is all people seemed to care about. 🙄

My memory may be a bit fuzzy but his entire budget back then was, as I recall, little more than what Alabama pays Nick Saban to coach the Crimson Tide. Top collegiate football coaches now enjoy compensation levels approaching or exceeding $10 million annually. Let us never forget that budgets reflect our priorities. Something is terribly wrong when so much attention and focus is directed at a game as opposed to what Universities are really about … education and research.

I find myself less interested in collegiate athletics today, at least the major revenue generating sports. Oh, I still watch, but with a sense of detachment, if not dismay. When we should be focusing on climate change, or AI challenges, or social instability wrought by hyper inequality, we are obsessed with the point spread of the upcoming game. How freaking sad.

I now find myself watching the Wisconsin Women’s volleyball games. They are currently ranked #1. The last two games were played before 17,000 and 10,000 fans (away games). There is still a love for the game itself to be seen here. But I fear that they also may succumb to the lure of unfettered greed as they become more popular. Sigh!

Anf here is the irony of itcall. When the huge stadiums in our coastal cities are under water due to rising ocean levels, most Americans will still be focused on how this will impact the odds of their favorite team’s chances in the next game. Talk about sticking one’s head in the sand.

On September 5, I mentioned that I was taking a short hiatus to recharge the batteries. That break has lasted longer than expected. Though some of you know the reason, perhaps an explanation is in order.

I had been feeling like crap for a while when I realized that I might need to check in with my primary care physician. Yup, I am a typical male who thinks he can ‘tough it out‘ on his own. That is, I am a clueless moron and a complete putz.

I got to see my doc on the 7th. After looking at my lab tests, he called me and asked which hospital I preferred. When I asked him how soon I needed to be admitted, he shocked me by saying ‘right now.’ My response was ‘holy crapola.’ I had an infection and my kidneys were failing, or so it looked.

Let’s face it. I am 79 years old. At this advanced age, you are acutely aware that colleagues and friends are slipping away with irritating regularity. The notion of an unlimited future suddenly appears ridiculous. 😳 There is nothing like an emergency hospital admission to remind one of life’s one certainty … you won’t be around forever.

Fortunately, I live in Madison Wisconsin where the medical care is top notch. Over a two day period, they filled me up with fluids and antibiotics until my Creatinine and BUN levels began to decline. A few other measures were elevated, but that might be related to the infection. Confident that I had weathered the storm, they sent me home.

The key point is that my scores started heading in the right direction. My Creatinine level has fallen from 4.3 (a level indicating kidney failure) to 2.37. I’ve a ways to go but this is good indeed. During all this, I have been both preoccupied and feeling very fatigued. Writing a blog didn’t seem all that important, as you might imagine. 🤔

Now that I am on the mend (we hope), I will start writing again, though I intend to pace myself. More importantly, I’ve learned some lessons. My body was NEVER a finely tuned machine even before this wake-up call. Several times I had stopped at a business titled the Ideal Body Shop only to find out they deal with cars, not human bodies. Very disappointing.

Nope, I’m going to have to be careful going forward. You know. Drink plenty of fluids, rest, eat sensibly, cut down on salt and sugary stuff, and see the doctor when I feel like shit. Up until now, I assumed that being sensible only applied to other people. I was wrong. I ain’t no different than any of you out there.

Stay tuned. More coming, you lucky SOBs.