PERSPECTIVE

THE POLITICS OF SOCIAL SECURITY – Social Security celebrated its 73^rd birthday in the middle of August.  It is a milestone that one political activist says represents almost three-quarters of a century of service to the American people…and is one of the most successful government programs in U-S history.   Despite its success, there have been repeated calls for an overhaul of the program even though Social Security will be fully solvent, according to the Congressional Budget Office, until 2052.

PRESS FREEDOM IN CHINA – For some time, China has been front page news: the Tibetan protests, the massive and destructive earthquake, and the Olympic Games.  All of these events have opened a door to a country few of us really know anything about, but a country that represents tremendous potential in many different ways.  For example, the top 25 percent of the population in China with the highest IQs is greater than the entire population of North America…that means they have more honors kids than we have kids.  China will soon be the number one English-speaking country in the world.  One of the most notable areas of change is the Chinese press, but it is change that comes with a price.

CREATING DOUBT – Product defense consultant may sound like an innocent title, but one industry critic says it is far from it.  These consultants are part of a multimillion dollar industry that is dismantling public health safeguards.  They do so by skewing scientific research and magnifying scientific uncertainty.  Their actions work to keep the public confused on important issues such as second-hand smoke, climate change, the dangers posed by asbestos and lead, problems in the pharmaceutical industry, and more.   In addition, their actions influence government policy decisions in ways that often put the public at risk.

MINORITIES AND THE ECONOMY – The United States is in the midst of an economy that is edging many families toward economic collapse.  And, even though most are being hit to some extent, Hispanic and African-American families have been the most likely to get hit first and get hit the hardest.  Both minorities made good gains in the 1990s, but since 2000, those gains have either slowed or been reversed.

GUANTANAMO AND THE AMERICAN IMAGE – Ever since the United States government opened the detention center in Guantanamo Bay, it has created controversy.  And, while much of the controversy centers on the prison itself, it is representative of a wider problem.  The United States is holding many others in prisons around the world…and has admitted publicly that some of those are not terrorists or enemy combatants, but innocent people caught up in the U-S fight against terrorism.  Those admissions, along with certain policies, are slowly eroding the reputation of the United States abroad.

THE WELFARE OF KIDS – Each year the Annie E. Casey Foundation releases its national Kids Count Data Book…an effort that analyzes trends in child well-being.  The 2008 data book shows that the national trends, when taken together, have improved, but only slightly since 2000.  The trends are not on par with the improvements that were seen at the end of the 1990s.  And perhaps most disturbing, more children are now living in poverty in the United States than in any other economically advanced nation in the world.

JUSTICE OR VENGEANCE – Justice in America seems to some to be a difficult commodity to find at times.  One author says that justice seems to be, more and more, driven by vengeance.  Americans not only want retribution, they also want moral certainty…and both may be hard to come by.  Relatively recent developments in the American justice system seem to indicate that the balance between the demands of justice and our desire for revenge is beginning to tilt.  Developments such as California’s three strikes law, the Supreme Court support for lethal injection, the effort to streamline appeals in capital cases, and the suspension of the rights of the accused for reasons of national security all seem to indicate a tilt away from justice.

BULLYING: ITS PERPETRATORS AND ITS VICTIMS – Bullying is not just a problem in the local school system; it carries over into college and ultimately the work environment.  And despite the fact that a third of all people have been bullied, were bullies, or both, our society is still ineffectual in dealing with the problem.  Two experts at Kansas State University say one step toward effectively controlling bullying is to realize there is a difference between bullying behavior and conflict.

DEMOCRACY AND CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT – There is a good deal of evidence that the American citizenry has moved more and more to the sidelines in the political process.  By the 1990s, researchers were picking up a consistent refrain that most people felt they could not make any kind of a difference in the process.  And until that research was done, most had assumed that folks were simply apathetic.  But the research pointed to the fact that most cared a great deal, they just could not find a way into the system.  And, many citizens were not sure their votes really counted…particularly in light of what went on in the last presidential election.

PROJECT VOTE SMART – All across the country American have been going into primary voting booths and party caucuses to decide who their party will throw into the various election races.  But how does the average voter really know who to vote for?  How do they know what each and every candidate stands for?  Project Vote Smart offers a vital commodity…a commodity that democracy cannot operate without…information.

EDUCATION AND NORMALCY – Being different in school, for any reason, is much more than just a state of being…it is often considered abnormal.  And when a child is judged abnormal, the label is like some lingering disease that seldom goes away.  And like some disease its effects damage those who are labeled.  On today’s Perspective a look at just what it means to not fit within the boundaries of normalcy.

PROGRESSIVE POLITICS – The United States is very quickly approaching an election that many feel could mark a major turning point in the American political scene.  It is a turning point that Democrats, Liberals, and Progressives are all looking forward to with hope for dramatic change.  We all know what a Democrat is…and we think we know what a Liberal is…but, just what is a Progressive…and how do they fit, if at all, into the political scenarios this campaign season?

RACE AND RACISM – There are few words in the English language that carry as much baggage as the word “race.”  And part of the problem centers around the misconception that humans are made up of different races.  In fact, there is only one…the human race…everything else is simply a variation on a theme.

DEALING WITH DIVERSITY – The United States has often been painted as the great melting pot, while others prefer the analogy of a tossed salad.  However, it seems this great land has always had a problem dealing with diversity, privilege, and intolerance.  But, until the citizens of this nation learn to talk about and to deal with those three issues, the United States will remain in a limbo of our own making that will continue to be disruptive.

TIME, SPACE, AND ALBERT EINSTEIN – For most of us the importance of time is related to getting to meetings and picking the kids up after soccer practice.  But time and the supper-accurate clocks that now keep that time are absolutely essential to the way we live.  Industry, commerce and science, all must have super-accurate clocks if they are to operate in today’s world.  And believe it or not, some of the work done by Albert Einstein in the early part of the last century still has relevance in our lives.

AFRICA AND HIV – H-I-V/Aids is cutting a swath through the African continent, and while the numbers vary from region to region, nowhere else in the world is the disease so prevalent.  In parts of sub-Saharan Africa, H-I-V/Aids is doing away with years of progress in extending the life expectancy of the population.  In fact, one report says the epidemic has taken fifteen years off the average life span.  And, the epidemic is having a huge impact on the labor sector, especially on economic growth and development.  That means those nations affected simply don’t have the resources to fight the epidemic. 

EDUCATION AND NORMALCY – Being different in school, for whatever reason, is far too often labeled as abnormal.  And when a kid is labeled as abnormal, that label, like some lingering disease, seldom goes away.  For kids not fitting within the boundaries of normalcy, it may mean they ride the “short bus” all their lives.

UNDERSTANDING THE FEDERAL BUDGET – For most Americans, the federal budget is a complicated and mysterious thing.  Few realize that the budget and the enormous debt it represents have some kind of effect on just about every aspect of their life: savings, taxes, retirement, health care, mortgages, and their children.  And, unless Americans begin to understand the budget and its ramifications and do something about it, this country faces some very severe consequences.

SEVERE WEATHER (Dated — Use Immediately) – Every year Kansans need to be concerned about severe weather, but 2007 was especially brutal for the state.  It was a record one for tornadoes…tornadoes that killed 14.  In addition, there were numerous severe thunderstorms, which were accompanied by damaging winds, hail, and flooding.  The National Weather Service is sponsoring Severe Weather Awareness Week March 10^th through the 14^th.  It is just one part of their effort to help Kansans protect themselves and their families.

THE IMPORTANCE OF CULTURAL COMPETENCY – The United States is one of the most, if not the most, pluralistic society in the world today.  It is an aspect from which we derive a great deal of strength, but it is also a source of great divisiveness.  It is a divisiveness born of ignorance.  When Americans talk about culture and diversity and realize just how little we know about each other, the possibilities for problems are enormous.

IMPRISONMENT IN AMERICA – The United States currently has over two million men and women behind bars…more than any other nation in the world.  Since the 1970s, this country has moved away from a system of rehabilitation toward a system of longer, more severe sentences and ever-increasing violence and cruelty toward those who are incarcerated.  That systemic change says a lot about this country and how it faces many of its issues.