The obvious solution for Nancy and Donald

It's all so simple! If only egos and politics could be put aside. And best of all we could solve a problem that has been a major nemesis (and promise) for America since its inception. Drumroll please! Appoint a panel of experts whose careers have been established in this field for their lifetime to come up with a solution within 30 days (or some specific appropriate amount of time). Both sides would commit to adopting their recommendations regarding where and how money should be spent. And certainly this would include a specific recommendation on where walls might be needed to be torn down and where walls might be built at new locations and the type of wall or barrier or fence for each locations.

Perhaps the "New World" will set an example for the "Entire World" for the way to solve vexing problems.

I was fascinated that a few days after publishing this,Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post had an editorial following the same line of thought. Indeed she advised the legislator to "take this opportunity to find a more rational way to discuss border security which is a goal that both parties say they want." The article then goes on at length to forcefully show the importance of using the knowledge they provide in solving difficult problems. 

Why I just have to blog at 93! And really! Two possible positive results from the government shut-down

It's been almost a year since I sent my two blogs out on a regular basis, and I've discovered how much I missed doing it.   I discovered that for me in order for life to have meaning, I still need to try to make a difference, to be useful. It's the way I have tried to live my life and old age now presents added new problems for continuing that life-style.

And my personal adjustment is compounded by seeing my beloved country (in my view) renouncing its slow but persistent 93 years of progress toward the goals of justice and equality for all that we have always given lip-service to.  The polarization and hostility is like nothing I can recall in my lifetime.  AS A HISTORIAN AND EDUCATOR I have long felt that we have too often failed to learn the lessons of the past and that this is even reflected in the loss of meaningful communication between the young and old today.  Even at this old age, the experience I had  communicating with young people via Reddit and other such magical devises in my early 90's convinced me of its value: both for me and many of my youthful followers.  This inter-generational equality driven, honest and respected (both ways) communication, I believe,  is something that has been lost in our modern, complex, social-media and computer driven society.

Rather immodestly, I could cite scores of responses of how my two blogs and Reddit's AMA have been of value to young people ranging from fostering a marriage to constructive disagreements to life-supporting advise and insights. 

Thus I am at it again, perhaps most of all for my own well-being,  Both in this blog of rants and in my culture blog where I call attention to the free things that are still available in the city.  I don't intend to publicize it in the future.  I hope you will check me out periodically on the internet because I'll keep writing as long as I am in a reasonably good frame of mind and hopefully have a reader or two in addition to my family.

So here goes

Living in Washington DC I know full well the harm of the government shutdown. Many of my neighbors are affected, but I realize most of them are not experiencing the trauma of those living in less privileged areas of the city or the surrounding area.

Yet I woke up the other night thinking of two benefits from the shutdown. Lessons we have often seen before, but unfortunately, too often, it takes dramatic incidents to awaken us.

1. The extreme importance of government in all of our lives. And this applies to those who claim they have no use for government (but proclaim, "I want less government in my life, but don't take away my Medicare or social security") as well as those of us who complain about potholes.

2. The fact that most Americans live on wages that cause  them to live from payday to payday just to provide the basic necessities of life.

I don't know how much longer this "need to be useful" will be so paramount in my life, but I hope you'll stay tuned to my blogs to see if there is anything we can talk about.