First Blog

B EWARE the sentiment “reimagine”.   Lately, we’ve all heard so many politicians, frustrated with outcomes in some venue lament, “Let us reimagine …”   This very statement has basic implications. Foremost, it indicates an open call to make a big change, a fundamental change. It betrays little or no knowledge of what to do, nor ideas of what change of direction to take.   It demonstrates confusion and naivety.   .   It signals lofty and open-minded aspirations, but it betrays ignorance, as in a problem never before considered. When at the “reimagine” stage, you are not even to the “concept” stage, let alone the design, testing, and validating stages. You are at no-where’s-ville.  Here are a few examples heard on various news reports.   Note how helpful they are. ·         Smartphones cause compulsions. Compulsions cause confusion. Confusion causes anxiety. We should reimagine cell phones. ·         Our bridges are badly in disrepair, beyond recompense. We should reimagine bridges.

Dangerous Quotes – the talking points of our world. Many if not most Americans are moved by quotes, in fact simple quotes.   Here are three that may resonate. What’s good for General Motors is good for the country. Power to the people. In God’s name … (fill it in) Today we consider a quote from Cervantes’ Don Quixote . “ When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical is madness. To surrender dreams — this may be madness. Too much sanity may be madness — and maddest of all: to see life as it is, and not as it should be!”   Persuasive? Yes.   Articulate? Yes. Simple? Yes. Accurate?   Well, maybe but…   It is completely open ended, without any indication of what “should be”   should be.   It leaves to the reader the full imagination of possible worlds that could be.   It is attractive to a spectrum of opinion.   The most ardent Nazi and most dedicated Communist can both rally around. This is one problem today in the USA and

The Republican captured the statehouses in Maryland and Massachusetts last night.  This is good and bad.  It is of course good for the Republicans, for obvious reasons.  It is not good for the Republicans, as well.  Even these, the bluest of the blue states can say enough is enough.  We are being taxed to the max, but things are not getting better.  Time for a switch.  Okay, the switch is in.  But the problems in these two states are serious and not surmountable in the short four year gubernatorial term.  Repairing the problems could take a generation, not just a term.  So, the Democrats will be undiminished, already fueling their next campaigns with slogans such as "We gave them a chance, and see there is no real change."  Blue states such as these will heed the lesson, and revert to their natural rather blue roots. The Republicans probably think they can affect the culture of their states with well intended and maybe stringent programs about fiscal responsibility, not r