Fly, Fight and Win

It would make sense if the title of this blog doesn’t ring a bell.  You would have had to serve in the Air Force to realize it is our Mission statement. Next to God, my wife and my family, my military career has been a huge part of who I am.  I’ve had the pleasure of serving active duty Navy in the early 90’s and still serve today.  I bring this to your attention because I’d like to share my experiences of how Government has impacted then and now.

In the 1990’s we had approximately 2.1 million members of our Military, today it is 1.4 million; data that I’ve researched reflect that the number of conflicts we were involved with almost 25 years ago hasn’t changed much . So what I’m saying is we still the same number of conflicts but with less personnel.  The bottom line is the Government is aggressively downsizing the Military.

It’s no great surprise that our economy is in a terrible state.  But the reality is we have a duty to protect this great nation and we do.  The problem is because we are fiscally hemorrhaging and it is directly impacting the livelihood of those who serve and their families.  In the 90’s when I was deployed, I never worried about getting money back home to my wife.  Today as I look back, I’m grateful I didn’t have to deal with that!  Folks who have never had a spouse deploy will never understand the stress of having a loved on away from home, it is at times unbearable. 

Months ago while Congress were “trying” to resolve/pass a budget, the public for the most part wasn’t aware that those who serve in the military were not getting paid.  Let me do my best to illustrate this situation; spouse is on deployment fulfilling their commitment, spouse at home is expecting money to take care of family affairs. Without getting too dramatic, the most putrid, discouraging act this Government has done is not paying Military members during that time. I remember this happening to me during my current obligation.  It was horrible!

I’d ask my chain of command, when will I get paid?  Their response, once the budget is approved.  Heck I promise you no one was holding up Congress’s paycheck. 

I understand this Country is in great duress due to the myriad of self-inflicted conundrums that even the most intellectually gifted can’t seem to figure out.  But this isn’t one of them.  This is easy! The bottom line is if were are to defend and protect this great Country and its resources and we call on our men and women to sacrifice what is best for America including the greatest sacrifice of all, themselves.   Why don’t we just take care of them?  Increase the size of the Forces so we can shorten deployments, which would give those returning from deployment time to get back to normalcy.   And in the name of doing what is just plain right, keep paying those who serve!

Poverty and Criminal Justice in the United States

In a blog published by Carolina Vazquez titled Poverty and Criminal Justice in the United States, Ms. Vazquez details the plight of the poor in the United States.  She comments on topics ranging from the poverty stricken public not getting fair treatment in a Judicial environment to how public schools in a poor area should be subsidized.  I will comment on her opinion on investing in our public schools.

Just to give some background, I’ve worked in the trenches with Dobie middle school running an after-school program called Launch Pad the Center  and I will tell you that it is true, this specific school needs more money.  It was mind bending how Dobie is being managed.  Not to be too dramatic, but when I was volunteering at Dobie, I felt unsafe. I can’t even imagine how some of the students there felt. I will also tell you working closely with Teachers, they are stressed and don’t get much support from the district

I’ve always wondered why kids that live in middle and higher income brackets are set up for success, through education and sports.  I mean I get it, funding comes from taxes generated by property owner’s that live in that district.  So essentially, the more money you have the more fiscal support there is.  But is that right? 

I say that every child needs to be given the same opportunities it shouldn’t matter what side of the track they reside.  I say staff that work with students should be given the same support and protection equally across the board.  In my opinion it is absolutely shameful that just because you live in a poverty opportunity to succeed is poor. What is even more despicable is we have Politician’s sitting on their hands doing nothing! 

The good news is citizens are now taking some action.  There is an article online  

Shortchanging Districts a lawsuit addressing this issue. Our children are our future we should invest with intention in our future!

Katrina Gilbert

“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what your gonna get.”  This line made famous by the fictional character Forrest Gump describes the experience of Katrina Gilbert.  This documentary begins with the main character, Katrina, giving a show and tell about her tattoo.  The tattoo reads “Alis volat propriis” which translates to, “I fly with my own wings, and I don’t need anyone else to hold me up.” After watching the show I find her predicament quite the contrary to her tattoo.  Katrina desperately needs someone to hold her up and help her.

Katrina Gilbert is a 29-year-old single mom who has a ton of medical issues; by the way she has no health insurance.  She has three bambino’s: Brooklyn-7, Lydia-5 and Trent-3.  Katrina works full time as a Certified Nurse Assistant for less than $9.50/hr.  She lives in a trailer park and owns a car. It doesn’t take a nuclear scientist to discern that they are poor.  And per the documentary there are many Katrina’s, “42MM women in America living in poverty or teetering on its brink.  More than 13MM are mothers of young children.”  

When it comes to looking at life as a box of chocolates, I do agree with Forrest Gump, you never know what you will get.  But I also believe that we have a hand in the cards we are dealt.  Katrina made a number of conscious decisions and now she finds herself trying to survive.  But that is another story.

For over 12 years, my wife and I worked with kids at risk and have some experience with single parents.  What I respect about Katrina is that she’s doing the best she can, health issues and all, to take care of her family. We have found, in all our years working with this demographic, that it is impossible to help somebody who doesn’t want to help him or her self.  So I guess I answered the question: should we help?

I find Katrina’s tattoo so telling. At this time, she does need some assistance…but would she take it if it were offered?  This is where self-perception and reality meet. 

Here in Texas, my wife and I are quite familiar with a program out of Quinlan that helps people like Katrina every day.  The name of the place is Bowles Children’s Home. Located in rural East Texas, this resource for single parents, called The Together Program, provides training, childcare, counseling, housing, and job placement assistance at low or no cost, until the mother and children are prepared to go out on their own.  

We should help single parents who have the drive to pursue a better quality of life for themselves and their children.  The bottom line is everyone in life at one point or another has endured a struggle and someone has been there to help them.  Katrina isn’t any different.

Government Instituted Marriage?

Marriage reminds me of golf; it will never be mastered.  I will add that, in my 40 plus years of living, I’ve been married for 20 years.  I don’t know much about a lot of things. But I will say, based on my marriage longevity and daily seeking on improving my relationship with my wife, I feel pretty confident about knowing a little bit about this subject. One thing I know for sure is that we see what happens when the government has their hand in things.  I know I don’t want government counseling in my marriage.

Dr. Matthew D. Johnson, a psychology professor at Binghamton University in Binghamton, N.Y., and director of its Marriage and Family Studies Laboratory, writes to readers of the Christian Science Monitor (CSMonitor).  The publication explains that “The Christian Science Monitor is an independent international news organization that delivers thoughtful, global coverage." CSMonitor wants to inspire people to think about what they've read long after they've left the page, to share what they've learned with others, and to do something that makes a difference.  That being said, the “US poor need practical assistance –not marriage classes.” 

Dr. Johnson’s hope is that “Congress will reconsider the notion that campaigns to promote marriage and relationship education classes lift families out of poverty." By returning the millions spent on these failed programs to the federal welfare fund, we gain money that could be used for its original purpose: helping poor families rise out of poverty.

Dr. Johnson argues, “strong evidence [exists] that Americans value marriage regardless of income or race and that programs to teach relationship skills are ineffective.” In fact, the state of Florida commissioned a survey of all demographics regarding marriage. All categories, low, middle, and high-income families, found that respondents had the same values towards marriage.  He also quipped that the survey found “it was the wealthiest Floridians who needed an attitude change.”

The Healthy Marriage Initiative (HMI) was introduced in the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act, covertly covered within Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF).  Although some programs in the TANF are viable, in my opinion this isn’t one of them. My first response is a healthy marriage is not a poverty issue; it’s a marriage issue.

Whether you live in poverty or are wealthy, marriage is work.  I’ve spent time in the trenches of the inner cities and I've seen kids raising kids in single parent homes. The issue, I've found, isn’t whether mom and dad are getting along.  It isn't even how do we help mom and dad.  The issue is single parent families just trying to survive with teen parents in the household.   

Typically these folks don’t reside in middle/upper class suburbia. They live in the ghetto.  If you’ve never witnessed first hand what the 21^st century ghetto looks like, you don’t have to go far.  Spend a day a Dobie middle school off of Runberg.  It’s flat out scary!

The HMI program doesn't even touch this demographic. So I agree - to some extent - with the author.  We should look at re-allocating some of the funds to help specific demographics like Dobie. There need to be programs more pliable to their current needs.  These families don’t meet the criteria of the first sentence of the HMI mission statement, “To help couples, who have chosen marriage for themselves."

Z U.S. Economy

Is it me, or does it seem like Generation Z is unconcerned and even has a lack of coherency about America’s financial future? I have the privilege to hang with this Generation during my Air Force work and I can tell you that all they seem to talk about is, video games/technology, drinking and the next movie they want to see.  I’ve yet to have conversation or hear any concern about the dire fiscal state of our Country.

News alert! Our National debt is north of 17 trillion dollars! Yikes!  If you’ve never seen this clock, you have to check it out. It's quite unique:  Debt Clock

I was listening to Dr. Benjamin Carson's speech in 2013 when the deficit was approximately 16 trillion, and he figured, and I quote “if you count 1 number per second, which you can’t do because when you get to 1,000 it takes longer than a second, but let’s say you can, how long would it take to count to 16 trillion?  Five hundred and seven thousand years!"

Well at least the BBC is writing about it and there seems to be a glimmer of hope!  Hey Generation Z, take a few minutes away from your Facebook, Twitter, snapchat, texting, etc. and begin to understand what is going on in our economy.  Check out this article.