DEFUND THE POLICE FALLOUT

      

More than 100 police agencies in Wisconsin have pulled out of their security contracts with the Democratic National Convention ahead of their predominantly virtual convention, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported Monday.

Some of the agencies said their decision to pull out of the agreement to send personnel to the convention comes after the Milwaukee's police chief decided to cease the use of tear gas and pepper spray during demonstrations.

Their decision to pull out of the contracts cast doubt on the convention’s goal to have 1,000 officers at the event, which will run from Aug. 17-20, where former Vice President Joe Biden will formally accept the party’s nomination. Only about 300 people are expected to attend the in-person event.  SOURCE:  TheHill.com

I find this interesting and humorous...  especially since the Democrats did not expect any PUSH BACK from their Defund the Police position.

This again STRONGLY DEMONSTRATES how DIVIDED America is right now and underscores how neither side is willing to move towards the middle for a compromise.

As more and more cities decide to defund the police because of a few bad apples, the communities that will pay the price will not be the AFFLUENT COMMUNITIES but the poor communities that are typically composed of blacks and other minorities.  In short, blacks are hurting themselves and Democrats are helping them do it.

I see all this unfolding from my East TN Valley home in a community where violence is almost non-existent and where the black and white communities get along very well because of mutual respect for each other.

The only way that I would ever live in a BIG CITY would be if I were DEAD on Arrival.

THESE CITIES WILL ACTUALLY BE A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF GETTING WHAT YOU PAY FOR...

and,

WHAT GOES AROUND COMES AROUND...

You would be surprised to know how many CARRY PERMITS have already been approved in East TN and the Tennessee Valley.

Our Free Market Enterprise System

I got my MBA in 1981, but the basic concepts of Business have not changed since 1776 when we won our independence from Great Britain.  Businesses are formed to fill a need in society and the demands of the consumer whether those demands are actually realized or not.  A business person either makes or buys something to which they add value and then sell that item to the consumer at a higher cost that the costs that the business have spent.  The more products that can be produced the less is the price to the consumer...  on a theoretical basis because some business owners are greedy.

ACTUALLY...   GREED by the supplier and the consumer is the foundation of our Free Market Enterprise System...  and, without GREED there would be NO economic growth.  Without economic growth, people would not be receiving salary or wage increases and companies would not have the money to invest in New Product Development.

SO, Greed in a necessary EVIL...

The downside of our Free Market Enterprise System is that there will always be a WEALTH GAP between the owners of the company and the managers and between the managers and the supervisors and between the supervisors and the workers.  Not all of these jobs are financially equal nor should there be, otherwise, management would no longer be willing to take the RISKS and/or RESPONSIBILITIES that is associated with their positions.

Another downside of our Free Market Enterprise System are those companies that sell stock in their company as a way of generating capital without borrowing from a bank.  In return for the purchase of stock, companies pay a quarterly dividend to those stockholders.  OVER THE YEARS, many companies have decided to make business decisions that favor stockholders rather than benefiting the company or its employees...  especially since some CEO's lose their jobs if stockholders don't get the dividend that they are anticipating.

Another downside of our Free Market Enterprise System is that fact that ALL COMPANIES want to eliminate their competition so that they can put whatever price they want to on a product.  They do this by buying our or merging with the competition until there is no competition.  This results in creating a MONOPOLY and the government must step in and keep this from happening.  Examples of near MONOPOLY companies are:

1. GOOGLE
2. FACEBOOK
3. AMAZON
4. MICROSOFT
5. APPLE

Online Education

Because of COVID-19 more and more high schools, colleges, and universities are looking into ONLINE EDUCATION.  When I was the DEAN at ITT Technical Institute, the statistics presented to us by Upper Management showed that there was a HUGE GROSS MARGIN increase by teaching online as opposed to teaching in a brick and mortar building.  And, before I left ITT, there was a push to move 80% of our classes to an online jurisdiction as I began the process of finding instructors that wanted to teach online and had the credentials.

Teaching Online Classes requires the instructor to spend more time in the online class environment than that same instructor would have spent in a classroom teaching environment, not to mention that the instructor had more freedom to design how the material was to be taught than that same instructor would have had in an online environment.

Plus, classroom sizes might be 15-20 students whereas online, class sizes are 30-40 and sometimes 50 making it even more cost effective for the school, the higher the student teacher ratio.

About all you can manage in an online environment is:

1. reading assignments
2. writing assignments
3. research assignments
4. answering questions
5. participating in discussion forums
6. team assignments are possible but hard to implement and monitor
7. quizzes and tests

The student has access to more material because the instructor will post all sorts of articles, links, and self-study modules even though the students may not use these extra materials at all.

Another issue is that the students can take all tests with an open book even though some of these quizzes and tests are "timed."

A critical issue that has yet to be resolved is the fact that the student could have another person take the quiz/tests and actually write the papers for the student, leaving the efficacy of online learning in question.

Teamwork has been a constant source of irritation because some students simply do not participate and the whole team receives the grade including those who have not contributed; therefore, it is highly recommended that an extra component be added when having team assignment and that is to have each person grade the other person's performance and contribution which may or may not solve the problem is there are students who do not want to negatively evaluate any student.

AS A FORMER EMPLOYER, I would not be willing to hire anyone who received a degree where 80% of their education came from online courses unless I was forced to hire them by those to whom I reported.

EQUALITY for all...

Not everyone has the natural ability/skills to be a 

Professional Athlete

Not everyone has the natural ability/skills to be a 

Professional Artist

Not everyone has the natural ability/skills to be a 

Professional Musician

Not everyone has the natural determination/motivation to become a

CEO

Not everyone has the natural ability/skill to become a 

PhD

Not everyone has the natural ability/skill to become a 

Leader

Not everyone has the natural ability/skill to become a 

Race Car Driver

Not everyone has the physical attractiveness to become a

Professional Model

Not everyone has the physical ability/skill to become a 

Navy Seal

Not everyone has the determination/motivation to become 

President of the USA

Not everyone has the natural "whatever it takes" to become an 

Entrepreneur

Not everyone has the ability/skill to become a 

Millionaire/Billionaire

AND YET,

there is a minority group in the USA that PREACHES equality for all in every aspect of our American Society...  without realizing that it just AIN'T POSSIBLE...

If our government gave every American Adult $500,000, the following would happen:

• Some would spend it
• Some would invest it
• Some would save it
• Some would share it

and, the end result would be that Americans will create their own inequality...  and, nothing will change that outcome...

Small Business are FAILING

There are 30.7 million small businesses in the USA. Small companies create 1.5 million jobs annually and account for 64 percent of new jobs created in the United States. Over 90 percent of the business population represents small and medium-sized businesses...  as of May 4, 2020

In 2020, there is about 158 million jobs in the USA and small business employment only represents about ONE TENTH OF ONE PERCENT or .01 which is not a very high percentage...   so, if we lose 50% of our small businesses because of COVID-19, it will not be a large impact on our economy...   therefore, we should not worry about that...  should we?

Ten Largest Employers in the USA

1. Walmart - 2.3 million employees
2. Amazon - 541,900 employees
3. Kroger -  443,000 employees
4. Yum! Brands (fast foods) -  420,000 employees
5. The Home Depot -  406,000 employees
6. IBM -  380,000 employees 
7. McDonald's -  375,000 employees
8. ***Berkshire Hathaway -  367,700 employees
9. FedEx -  335, 767 employees
10. UPS -  335, 520 employees

***Berkshire Hathaway is a conglomerate holding company that owns many recognizable and well-known companies. Berkshire Hathaway holdings include GEICO, Dairy Queen, Fruit of the Loom, Pampered Chef, and BNSF Railroad. The company also has majority stock holdings in numerous companies (including Kraft Heinz) and minority holdings in several others (including American Express, United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Coca-Cola, and Apple).

If we were to take SMALL BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT collectively, Small Business would rank as America's second largest employer after Walmart.  IF we lost 50% of Small Businesses it would be like losing both The Home Depot and  Berkshire Hathaway combined...

When America's economy takes a hit, these top 10/Small Businesses get hurt the worst and imagine the type of person who will lose their jobs...

Go after the wealthy and the wealthy takes it out on its employees...

Who in their right mind would want this to happen???

America is BURNING

10-12 American Cities are war zones

Black Lives Matter has been put on the back burner

Defund the police will reduce the violence

Racism in America is escalating

Businesses are moving out of CA and NYC

COVID-19 has destroyed our economy

America Haters are burning it

So, what is it that you hope to achieve?

INTO WHAT do you want to make the USA?

I have been retired for 5 years and I will probably continue my retirement for at least another 12-15 years and it really does not matter to me who wins the election of 2020 or if our economy rebounds or not or if the USA is no longer the most powerful country in the world...   what I care about is my own health and how I can enjoy and appreciate every single day that I have left to live.

Let blacks shoot whites

Let whites shoot blacks

Let illegal drugs grow in the USA

Let CHINA control the USA economically

Let street gangs control our cities

Let immigrants enter the USA freely

Let our government become SOCIALISTIC

Let American hatred grow

Let our technology be stolen

And, when our country is no longer the great country it once was....  will you want to stay?  Or, will you want to leave and make a new home in a country who has less freedoms than we once had before you destroyed it...

PERSONALLY, I will not care!!!

Meanwhile, my country is BURNING...   and, I see it burning from the inside out which is more destructive than outside in.  We our destroying ourselves by our division and hated of the other side who does not believe like us.  Mainstream media perpetuates this division by trying to get the public to believe ONLY ONE SIDE...  their side...   as, the other side is wrong and should be beaten down...

Democracy has two sides, not one...  If you eliminate one side, then you are no longer a DEMOCRACY...  but, no one sees that....

Can you think of other countries that tried to silence an opposing side so that there was only ONE BELIEF?

Odds and Ends

WAR ZONES in America

America has reached a MILESTONE
CONGRATULATIONS America...  you are now NO DIFFERENT than many other countries throughout the world who have decided to challenge their governments...  Countries like:  Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, France, Egypt, and many other 3rd world countries who do not have half the freedoms that Americans have.

In the 1960's, the America experienced something similar that was predicated upon Police Brutality and Indifference towards BLACKS...  Now, over 50 years later (half a century) America is again experiencing racial brutality and indifference except this time, these civilian soldiers want to tear down statues that now, all of a sudden, remind the BLACK person of SLAVERY.

Why did it not bother them (BLACKS) before?

Democrats are fueling these WAR ZONES because they perceive it will cause Trump to loose the election in November...  and if, by chance it works, look at the economy and the WAR ZONES that they will inherit.

AMERICAN BLACKS do not really care about politics anymore...

WHY?

Because Obama (an AMERICAN BLACK) was President for 8 years and NOTHING CHANGED for AMERICAN BLACKS... 

otherwise, we would have have these current WAR ZONES...

BLACK LIVES MATTER is not going to change anything outside of taking down the statues and have AMERICAN WHITES forced into making AMERICAN BLACKS equal.  Forcing equality will not make it so...  we tried that in the 60's and nothing changed. 

13.4% of America's population are BLACK

76.3%  of the America's population are WHITE

There are almost 6 times more WHITES than BLACKS....

These WAR ZONES in America will not change the DEMOGRAPHICS of America...  but, what they will do is CAUSE small business owners to move out of the area and set up their operation in another city or close for good.
HOW DOES THAT HELP the future of these WAR ZONES?
It reduces employment opportunities not increase them...

NOW,
let's factor in DEFUND THE POLICE and redirect those monies to community centers to give AMERICAN BLACKS more caring, support, understanding, and inspiration.
Think about this:

• Will selling illegal drugs stop?
• Will drug overdosing stop?
• Will breaking and entering stop?
• Will grand theft auto stop?
• Will robberies stop?

HOW DOES THE POLICE RESPOND IF 

ITS BEEN DEFUNDED?

Weaponless Police

TAKING WEAPONS AWAY FROM POLICE MAKES SENSE...  Let's look at other countries like Great Britain to see what they do...

The United Kingdom is made up of four constituent countries: England, Scotland, Wales (which make up Great Britain), and Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, all police officers carry firearms. In the rest of the United Kingdom, only some police officers carry firearms; that duty is instead carried out by specially-trained firearms officers. This originates from the formation of the Metropolitan Police Service in the 19th century, when police were not armed, partly to counter public fears and objections over armed enforcers as this had been previously seen due to the British Army maintaining order when needed. The arming of police in Great Britain is a perennial topic of debate.  SOURCE: Wikipedia

Violent crime recorded by police in England and Wales has risen by 19% in a year, latest Home Office figures show. The number of homicides - including murder and manslaughter - rose from 649 to 739, an increase of 14%, in the 12 months to the end of September 2018.  SOURCE:  Jan 24, 2019, BBC.com

In light of the BLACK LIVES MATTER movement and the DEFUND THE POLICE movement, I would like to suggest that we take weapons away from the police like Great Britain...  and, only allow certain police units like SWAT to carry and use weapons...

POWER TO THE PEOPLE...

Opening Up America

When I was in the hospital and because of the unknown source of my infection, my doctors ordered a COVID-19 test that resulted in a nurse ramming a Q-tip way up into my nose and moving it around a little.  Two days later, I was informed that I was COVID-19 negative.  Of course, I could have told the doctors that was the case because I hardly ever left home since February, even though my wife and I spent a week at Myrtle Beach.  

COVID-19 has changed our lives forever and we may NEVER return to that point-in-time where we behave like we used to behave, that is to say:

• wearing face masks
• social distancing
• attending classes
• attending sports events
• disinfecting surfaces
• washing hands often
• going to a crowed restaurant
• going to a move theater

I heard this morning that Professional Baseball was actually going to have a shortened season with one big difference and that is that CARDBOARD CUTOUTS of spectators were going to sitting in the seats instead of real people.

How long is this going to last?

How long will owners pay those high salaries without spectators contributing to the revenue?

High Schools are talking about starting school in the FALL because COVID-19 does not have a serious impact on the young, but what about them being carriers of COVID-19 and what about the health impact on the teachers and administrators.  And, more importantly, most of these high school classes have a 40:1 student:teacher ratio.

As we OPEN UP AMERICA, more and more COVID-19 cases are being reported which has little to do with the fact that we are doing more testing and everything to do with AMERICANS not wearing face masks and social distancing...

BUT HELL...  we are Americans and we don't like being told what to do...

Drugs in America

In 2016, Nearly 21 million Americans struggle with substance addictions, according to the report. That's more than the number of people who have all cancers combined. That only one in 10 people with substance addictions receive treatment points to the significant holes in America's health care system

In 2017, more than 70,000 people died from drug overdoses, making it a leading cause of injury-related death in the United States. Sixty-eight percent of those deaths involved a prescription or illicit opioid. On average, 130 Americans die every day from an opioid overdose.

In 2018 data shows that every day, 128 people in the United States die after overdosing on opioids. The misuse of and addiction to opioids—including prescription pain relievers, heroin, and synthetic opioids such as fentanyl—is a serious national crisis that affects public health as well as social and economic welfare.

When are we going to realize that we have a problem with ILLEGAL DRUGS in the US of A....  Or, are we going to turn our backs to these people because none of them are registered to vote either Democrat or Republican....

OR, do we have an even more sinister problem on our hands in that we, as a NATION, do not want to stop Illegal Drugs because of the economic impact on society that it might have if we do stop illegal drugs....  

• how many drug enforcement personnel would be out-of-work?
• how many buildings would become vacant and not maintained?
• what would be the economic impact of laying off all those employees?
• how much money do Mexican Drug Cartels contribute to political campaigns in the USA?

The United States is the 

world's biggest consumer of Illegal Drugs...

POWER to the PEOPLE

328,000,000 people live in the USA in 2020

1,000,000 law enforcement personnel in USA in 2020

Law Enforcement represents about .25% of the population or 1 out of every 400 people

The time has come for all Americans to stand up to the injustices brought about by our LAW ENFORCEMENT personal... such as:

investigating 

1. RAPE
2. Breaking and Entering
3. Illegal Drug Sales
4. Grand Larceny
5. Extortion
6. Shootings and Stabbings
7. Domestic Violence

WE DON'T NEED NO POLICE...

ANTI COPS

Probably one of the most worthwhile yet futile movements in the USA since we tried to STOP THE VIETNAM WAR, is to do away with the COPS...  and while some may not want to do away with the cops altogether, they want to remove money and resources from their respective departments so that they cannot GO AFTER the American Black Man and/or Woman if appropriate.

If I was a criminal, I would think this is the greatest thing since sliced bread...

If I were a drug dealer, I would think this is the greatest thing since breathing air...

Now, I don't get up in the morning thinking how am I going to "break the law" today but with a defunded police department, I damn sure will not be worried about obey most of our traffic laws...   Of course, I still get a little paranoid when I see a cop car behind me...   and, no...  not because I am white...  but because I fear I might be getting another speeding ticket...   I think those days are LONG GONE thanks to BLM...

With a defunding of the police, the purchase of legal firearms will increase because THE LAW still allows one to protect ONE's PROPERTY.

ANTI COP SOLUTION

I know here in TN, gun ownership has increased exponentially in some areas especially in the larger cities of Chattanooga, Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Johnson City (which is near the Bristol Motor Speedway)

The police will not have the manpower or the funds to deal with:

1. Breaking and Entering
2. Criminal Trespass
3. Grand Theft Auto
4. Car Accidents
5. Armed Robbery
6. Kidnapping
7. Child Endangerment
8. Domestic Abuse
9. Manslaughter
10. Hit and Run

Odds and ends

Power of the Government

DOES THE GOVERNMENT 

HAVE THE RIGHT TO FORCE ME 

TO PROTECT MY HEALTH OR PROTECT MY LIFE?

NO...

It is important for our Federal Government to stay out of our lives as much as possible, letting us live our lives as we set fit as long as what want to do does not interfere with the rights of our neighbor.

We should be able to eat as we want to

We should be able to sleep where we want to

We should be able to work where we want to

We should be able to defecate when we want/need to

We should be able to fornicate when we want to

Back to Normal

Whatever it means to be NORMAL...  because I don't know for sure and suspect that I have not been NORMAL for most of my life.

According to researchgate.net>>  "Any behavior that pertains to accepted societal patterns is called normal behavior whereas that is against social norms is called abnormal behavior."

So normal is based upon what Society says it should or should not be...  and, that is all fine and dandy as long as one can assume that Society knows what they are doing...  and sometimes, I do't think that this is happening in the USA with all the killings, autonomous zones, and defund the police movements going on...  while Democratic Leaders allow it to continue.

Will we ever get back to normal in the USA or anywhere in the world for that matter or will be floundering around tying out different systems to see if this corrects our problems or not?

The question is: what are our problems?

1. Racial 
2. Economic
3. Equality
4. Education
5. Wealth Gaps
6. Healthcare

GUESS WHAT?

We will always have these problems in the USA because they are all NATURAL BYPRODUCTS of a DEMOCRACY and a FREE MARKET ENTERPRISE SYSTEM...   or what we call CAPITALISM.

Socialism cannot exist in the USA without CAPITALISM...  as it provides the needed monies to pay for everything the Government wants to give away.

For example, the Government wants to increase a tax on the wealthy to pay for universal healthcare...   ok fine...  but, in order to do that, the Government MUST protect the wealthy by protecting CAPITALISM because that is how the wealthy got their money in the first place.

Anyone who does not understand how that works is an ECONOMIC FOOL...

LIVING THE LIFE: From ER to ICU to the General Population of the Heart Floor

My UTI was not the sole source of my problems and last Sunday, I ended up in the ER at the University of TN Medical Center and shortly after being admitted had a team of doctors and specialists hovering over me like Vultures....  my heart rate had dropped...  my heart had gone into afib and then into failure and my blood pressure had dropped from SOME UNKNOWN INFECTION that the team suspected might be COVID.

I  responded perfectly to treatment so was sent to ICU after having a COVID-19 test performed....  when it came back it was negative.

I spent the rest of Sunday and Monday in ICU which was traumatic for me because I could not get out of my bed...   I had to lay on my back or on one of my sides or on my stomach but those were my options and while I may have been in ICU, I very seldom had any nurses coming into my room which surprised me a little...

While I did not to take a crap, I wonder what they would have done if I had buzzed them and told them this is what I needed to do.

Now, I am on the heart floor of the general inmate population and more nurses and aides are friendly than are not.  And, I am allowed to order my own meals, get up and out of bed as often as I want and can either sit in a recliner or on a couch, and can use the bathroom unassisted and take a shower as well.   It is like being at a resort....   sorta.....   not really.

Maybe out by Friday and not sure if they catch and release over the weekend or not so I may have to stay here until next Monday which will have me in the hospital for exactly 8 days.   Sadly, I am going to be emailed a survey about my experience and I have been wondering if I actually tell them how I feel, will it make any difference?

They have finally said I had a Staph infection which could have come from a bug bite...  what a pisser.

IS THIS YOU???

Odds and Ends

In Case i Don't Post Anything Over the last Couple of Days: This Is The Reason

I was seeking out the services of a Physical Therapist and was experiencing s profound in my lower back and decided to see the doctor at the Clinic.  All of my problems could be attributed to a Urinary Tract Infection and I never experienced anything quite so painful.

 I am talking a couple of days off.

My Decision to Relocate From NC to TN in 1990

From 1985 until 1989 (if I remember correctly and if I do not then I am not far off) I was working at a Community College in NC as Director of Focused Industrial Training and basically my job was to meet with the leaders and managers of various industries in our area and design training programs for them either bringing in an instructor or teaching it myself.  I provided training for the following areas:  Law Enforcement, Firemen, EMS, Nurses, CPA's, Teachers, Real Estate Agents, etc., or any professional group that was required to complete so many CEU's each year.

In 1986, we got a new President who brought with him a program in the area of Quality Management and I was tasked to learn about that program from the person who used to work for him in TN and set up something similar in NC.  After several weeks of training in TN at Tennessee Eastman Company and in Dayton, Ohio with the authors of The Transformation of American Industry, I was ready to roll it out in our service area, only to find out that I was about 2-3 years late.  However, I did manage to get one training program going that I was teaching.

During one of my training sessions I got a phone call in the classroom from the President of a Community College in TN about an hour south of the College our new President had been employed.  He basically was embarrassed that this other President had started the First Center for Quality and Productivity in TN and offered me a job to start the second Quality Center in TN.

I jumped at this opportunity.

Why?

Because my new skills in NC were a dime a dozen but in TN, I was unique, special, and it would be an ideal time to get a consulting business going which I negotiated into my hiring packaged along with being put on a tenured track as a College Professor.

So, in 1990, I hired a NC Lawyer and incorporated QUEST TRAINING, Inc. for $500 which at the time I thought was a lot of money.  I operated Quest Training until 2015 when it was dissolved and I was retiring.  My fee was $100/hour plus expenses for contracts that were a half days drive away from my location and $1,000/day plus expenses for contracts that were farther.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN...

All my personal finances and sources of income went through Quest Training and so my IRS taxes were always reduced because Quest Training, Inc. always seemed to experience a loss.  I also used being President of Quest Training, Inc. when I was unemployed so my resume would show no periods of not working.  Plus, I purchased 3 houses when unemployed by using the tax returns of Quest Training...  so, the company provided me with many opportunities.

SOMETIMES, you just have to leave town and relocate in order to find your destiny.