Self-interest, fine; but corruption’s another story

Government of the people, by the people, and for the people”… the phrase originated by Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg address still inspires many elected representatives as they guide our government business today.

However, too many politicians seem to be crafting policy and enacting laws to serve their own interests rather than those they represent.

This is proof to many Americans that ours is a dysfunctional government—though self-servitude has motivated behavior throughout human history.

Self-preservation is wired into our DNA, according to behavioral experts.

Rarely is there a generous act not accompanied by an angle of self benefit.

If we look to the 19th century, we can see that our richest industrialists engaged in philanthropy, endowing such institutions as Carnegie Hall, the Rockefeller Foundation, and Vanderbilt University, and improving our country.

Yet, it is hard not to see these men benefiting as well by their own considerable generosity. Continue reading →

Iowa vote gives candidates green light, for others it’s red

’Tis the season… Gone is the fancy wrapping paper, sparkling lights and around-the-clock Christmas music.

But renewed is the media’s obsession with the Presidential Primary Season and its endless barrage of debates, front-runners, speculation, and scandal.

Newt Gingrich enjoyed big leads recently and appeared to have a lock on the first few caucuses and primaries, maybe more, with a combination of charisma, intelligence, communication skills, and confidence.

He has faded since with Iowans, but his skills and conservative message may give him a second surge, which becomes more likely with Michele Bachman having exited, Rick Perry sizing up the doorknob, and Rick Santorum still living out of his car when it comes to campaign cash.

But if Newt were to emerge as the nominee, Republicans might find him not to be the best challenger to President Obama. Continue reading →

Clubs and sports more important than many realize

Few would doubt the ingenuity of our country’s founding fathers, whose Constitution contains a revolutionary checks and balances to ensure limited government and maintain governmental order.

They weren’t total superheroes, however.

James Madison and his colleagues understood that there were several parts of this system that had to be maintained by the American people in order for our democracy to flourish.

America needed the mechanisms of a Civil Society.

Simply defined, it is all of the groups the public associates themselves within. Continue reading →

Nations gain when leaders push ground-breaking ideas

Thanks to today’s twenty-four-hour-a-day news bombardment, it’s hard not to notice all the media speculation about one particular job. The Presidency.

What type of person makes for a good president? Someone highly educated or one in touch with regular Americans? Where should a president put his focus? What kind of ideas should he (she) have?

Questions like this are asked everyday, and answered in several ways, in newspapers, on radio, in social media, and on television.

One thing our president needs to be has nothing to do with policy or party affiliation.

Today’s president needs to be an innovator.

A friend recently offered this observation: Someone knowledgable of the past would seem best able to improve the future.

Although we often learn from our mistakes, we probably don’t want our president getting too much education of this kind while in office. Continue reading →

Search of self often finds with ideas that are good for all

Our ability to choose representatives and have a say in government policies is one of our great privileges in this country, and it’s rooted in the right we have to form our own opinions based on our own conclusions.

We debate, proclaim, and protest freely, sometimes wildly. But when all is said and done, hopefully common ground has been found and we can move forward together.

Still it seems our views have become more polarized, as the events around us inspire different thoughts and reactions.

We generally break down into Democrats and Republicans, liberals or conservatives.

This idea seems alarming—that a person’s entire range of thought can be reduced so precisely to one of two labels, Democrat or Republican. Not to mention the party loyalties that accompany, for better or worse.

Doesn’t a person’s conscience ever wander from that of the establishment? Still, most of us succumb to our sense of party loyalty.

This polarization is very dangerous, especially in our tiny community.

Some issues have much more weight in the Central Adirondacks. Since our towns are so small in population, citizens feel local issues and policies are much more of their business than the national debates, due to the immediate impact our town’s policies have on our everyday life.

Time should be taken to understand these problems, instead of rushing to a conclusion and ignoring the opposing opinion.

In spite of this view, there are many issues that cause divisions.

An example of such an issue is the annual debate over the school budget.

Our community takes sides: some are determined to save public tax dollars no matter what the consequences are to athletic teams or art classes, and others are constantly pushing for more “extras” for the kids, regardless of price.

Both stances are shortsighted because of the lack of compromise. Continue reading →

Adirondackers been known to take luge-run around difficulties

A big issue in the lives of Central Adirondackers, along with everyone else, is the economy; and who among us doesn’t have an opinion about it, especially local business owners and wage-earners.

We all wonder where the economy’s headed next and what we can do to fix it.

However, there are times when we in the Adirondacks can feel disconnected from the turbulance around us.

This “financial isolation” happened in 1932.

While the rest of the country tried to figure a way out of the Great Depression, Adirondackers welcomed skiers and skaters to Lake Placid to enjoy its luxurious mountain setting and compete for chunks of gold. Continue reading →