April 7, 2017

Phil Beaver works to establish opinion when the-objective-truth has not been discovered. He seeks to refine his opinion by listening to other people’s experiences and observations. The comment box below invites readers to express facts, opinion, or concern, perhaps to share with people who may follow the blog.
Note:  I often connect words in a phrase with dashes in order to represent an idea. For example, frank-objectivity represents the idea of candidly expressing the-objective-truth despite possible error. In other words, the writer expresses his “belief,” knowing he could be in error. People may collaboratively approach the-objective-truth.

The Advocate:  See online at theadvocate.com/baton_rouge

Our Views. Well then, The Advocate, stop playingthe blame game.

I’ve been writing about this problem for months hoping my public statements would somehow reach Gov. Edwards and spur him into action for the flood victims. (A whisper in his ear “work with Senator Cassidy on Medicaid expansion in November, 2015 did not work, either.)

Identifying the misguided laggard in serving the people is not blame: It’s paying attention to the victims, in this case flood victims.

In some cases, it’s identifying an inept person who is hurting many people.

For a Congressman from another state, it’s gathering the data to help allocate limited funds to competing victims of various catastrophes in states that do not have disaster funds. The current administration is rightfully moving responsibilities to the states, where local threats are better appreciated if not understood. Even though the process will be slow, states need to take charge.

Trashing Louisiana officials in the political party that has the power to help flood victims is inept. As usual, I am disappointed, here in Louisiana’s state capital, where the hometown newspaper, The Advocate, blames “almost all Republicans,” then nods to “the real losers”---all of us under Louisiana governance, as I see it.

Today’s thought. I Thessalonians 4:16. Paul, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Stephen King, Anne Rice, and J.K. Rowling represent a myriad of imaginative thinkers.

Jesus “comes again” every time someone accepts and begins to practice Jesus’s suggestion: You can perfect your unique person.

Most people rationalize: it isn’t so. Consequently, they never take up their personal quest and follow Jesus’s message: Be perfect.

  

 Letters

TOPS (Wharton). Things changed during the three decades since 1987. The changes created a crisis that demands long-needed reform that otherwise not yet be evident: Newborns are persons.

 

Principally, unintended consequence of the welfare state is a diminished regard for the family. People think it’s OK for a child to be reared by a single parent who never married or by two fathers or two mothers. Parents think it is OK for day-school to rear their children. The consequence is young people who feel unattached to immediate family and to two extended-family-heritages.

 

The education system needs to be turned upside down such that, emerging from the womb, each newborn is considered a person. Not just a potential human being, but a person of interest to the state of Louisiana. A civic people have the obligation to make certain that person has their chance to transition from feral infant to young civic adult with the awareness, understanding and intent to live a full life.

 

Such as system can be modelled after Patrick Taylor’s dream, but beginning at age 0.5 with continual coaching through bachelors’ degree or equivalent on civic performance. Google [phil beaver + child incentives] and choose the URL that starts “cipbr,” to understand a proposal. It is time to put infants first in Louisiana education.

Transportation plan lacks vision (Bartkiewicz). To Tom Robinson: Tom B and Tom R, thank you for all your thoughts and awareness. We must be aware of the distant future, for example, invest in self-driving buses instead of a nostalgic tram from LSU to downtown. Also, any failures in DOTD must be discovered and corrected.

More urgently, we need to help the working people out of misery and loss in 2017 and immediately thereafter: End the uses of I-10 and I-12 as parking lots, for example.

The recently announced load limit on the La 1 Bridge at Part Allen is inexcusable, and DOTD needs to be held accountable. Additionally, the attitude about schedule for correcting the failure is inexcusable: DOTD needs to be held accountable. Gov. Edwards is in charge of accountability, but ultimately, the people decide.

Thank goodness La Rep. Neil Abramson, D-New Orleans, is demanding DOTD credibility on behalf of the people.

However, Bartkiewicz kindly prompts us to examine his claims. He starts with SSTIL, 56 pages: http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Administration/GTFTII/Recommendations/00_Complete_Final_Report_-_Governor's_Task_Force.pdf . But on page 2, we get distracted by “Category A and B Megaprojects.” Distracted, because that’s what we want to know: What projects are needed and how much would they cost?

That’s why we don’t trust DOTD. We know they spent almost $0.6 billion last year, but we have no clue as to what projects were completed and how much they cost.

Back to Bartkiewicz’s lead, we find information about Megaprojects at Appendix F: http://wwwsp.dotd.la.gov/Inside_LaDOTD/Divisions/Multimodal/Transportation_Plan/2015_Statewide_Transportation_Plan/Appendix%20F_Megaproject%20Priority%20Lists%20and%20Maps.pdf . After a little familiarization, we guess a table with priority, $ billion and number of projects as follows:

            Priority A          $4.8 billion       20 projects

                        B            5.8                 19

                        C          14.6                53

                        D            16.4               21

            Total                  41.6               113

First, I don’t see how any combination of these numbers gives the $13.1 billion “current backlog of needs” mentioned on page 3 of SSTIL. Second, the all important new MS river bridge is included as $1 billion in Priority B in Appendix F.

As I see it, the $0.7 billion that would come from some 20 c/gal gas tax is aimed at the $13.1 backlog of $13.1 billion, which leaves all or some of the $41.6 priority megaprojects.

What’s missing is this: last year, DOTD cost $0.6 billion. How many projects were completed at what value? It would not surprise me if its on the order of $1 billion, representing less than 3% of priority needs and 8% relative to current backlog.

Given the chance to vote, I’d want a report of projects completed by DOTD over that last 10 years with a breakdown of how the budget was split between road maintenance, other maintenance, infrastructure projects, and “other.” I’d make changes in DOTD to correct any problems discovered. Also, I want to know if a new money stream of $700 million for projects would increase overhead costs at DOTD.

However, under no circumstances would I delay the new gas tax to create an $0.7 billion stream of funding dedicated to transportation infrastructure. Louisiana’s working people need relief now.

Kathryn Jean Lopez column. It is good to see an authority’s estimate about Catholics: “only 10% of them are paying attention.”

We the Civic People of the United States want 2/3 of every religious or non-religious faction paying attention to the preamble to the constitution for the USA. The preamble offers, for the willing, an agreement to iteratively collaborate for civic justice. Civic refers to a way of living that benefits living persons rather than institutions---religions and governments and places. We want to make it clear that the people are divided between those who want broadly-defined-civic-safety-and-security vs the dissidents: Those who want ignorance, liberal-democracy, chaos, superstition, criminality, and evil.

Some miscellaneous points from Lopez’s opinions: 2000 years refers to Jesus. The Catholic Bible was canonized 1700 years ago to dispute the Jewish Bible, as least 600 years older. Jewish scripture claims the Jews are chosen and the Catholics claim those who are elect to believe Jesus are chosen.

It is true that small contributions add up to a large group contribution. Thus, a person can help a group of 6.4 million influence some among 320 million. However, an institution that builds doctrine on what is imagined cannot compete with the people who work to discover the-objective-truth. Taking shelter from a tornado is more effective that prayer.

As always, these institutional apologists don’t pay attention to their own scripture. Souls are imagined and a personal God supplies hope for a good future for the soul. Jesus instructed followers to separate religious hopes for the soul in the afterdeath from civic hopes for living. The Church tries to control government when it has been instructed to leave civic justice to the people.

Michael Gerson column. No matter how things turn out for the Trump presidency, Gerson establishes himself as an enemy of the people, especially people who voted for Trump, like me. Recall, in the remarks that follow, I speak my opinion, because I do not know the-objective-truth.

It is immoral for anyone to call a no-harm association, such as the Freedom Caucus, Satan, which the pitchforks metaphor implies.

 

Trump is an above-average president, so we voters got what we wanted. Not only that, one of the reasons we voted for him is that he won the GOP party’s convention despite the GOP’s wishes and efforts: We nominated him despite the GOP!

 

Trump is too busy presiding to detail policies and tout them to the people. That is not an administrator’s job, especially when his cabinet members are assigned to create policies that empower the administrator’s direction. And there’s the 100 seat Senate and 435 seat House that must legislate according to the rule of law. Finally, there is the judicial system that may constrain the Congress and the administration to the aims and purpose of the preamble to the constitution for the USA, as written in the Articles, any time it decides to accept that constrained roll.

 

Trump did not speak to the people about repealing Obamacare, because he was elected to accomplish its repeal. Trump does not follow past presidents, thank goodness. Again, that is why we elected him.

 

“. . . morally small.” When your viewpoint, perhaps liberal-democrat, is irresponsible, there is not much to say to civic morality beyond ridicule. But Gerson, what morality do you seek?

 

It’s not a question of defeating the GOP. That happened during the nomination. It’s a question of 2/3 of all factions deciding they are going to iteratively collaborate for civic justice. Trump has taken that task for the leading edge of 236 years operation of the USA. In other words, during his eight year term, we will discover that he made America great, not recognizing the actual weakness of his campaign slogan “again.”

 

It is amazing that an American relishes in the problems of a political party when his own political party has been annihilated by its own ambition to convert a republic under the rule of statutory law into a liberal democracy with the impossible goal of sustainable chaos.

MWW would pinch Gerson to wake him from his stupor.

Stephanie Grace column. To William Bonin: That's right. 

 

And Edwards thinks he is mimicking Barack Obama’s gestapo leadership even though Obama is being negated as we write. 

 

I’ll sign a recall Edwards petition but will not lead the effort.

David Ignatius column. Some high points about ailing health system.

National Academy of Medicine “Better health at lower cost.” See https://nam.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Vital-Directions-for-Health-Health-Care-Priorities-from-a-National-Academy-of-Medicine-Initiative.pdf .

 

Dr. Delos “Toby” Cosgrove, head of the Cleveland Clinic.

 

10 % of premature deaths from poor medical services, 40% from behavior: That’s 4:1.

A civic culture discovers morality using the-objective-truth. The top 5% of spenders [come from obesity and other chronic conditions] account for 50% of US costs. That’s 10:1.

 

In 2007 Cleveland Clinic announced “it wouldn’t hire smokers.” Let’s try people who invite STDs; text and drive; drink and drive; who are obese; whose psychological gender is not consistent with their body; whose psychology is bound by liberation theology; who promote vigilantism; habitual criminal. The opportunity to establish a civic way of living is wonderful.

Predator caretakers (Page 1B). To Patrick McCarron: "What’s worst about all this is the victimization of good people these villains advertise themselves as helping."

Anyone who is amazed by these events is not keeping track of typical community practices. People who serve vulnerable people are the likely predators. At least 30% of the population is involved, either as victim or perpetrator or both. Read books by Marci Hamilton, especially “God vs the Gavel,” to comprehend my statements. See verdict.justia.com/author/Hamilton .

She, I think erroneously thinks President Trump is a religious president. I think Trump will move the USA toward reliance on the preamble for civic culture. That should be consistent with Hamilton’s initiatives, especially regarding posterity (children and beyond).

The COA needs close supervision by people who are aware of Hamilton’s work and sympathetic work specific to old people. I have observed abuse I could not prevent and it is awful.

Poll finds (April 6). To Andy Ringswald “if women can . . .  and are paid less, why are men employed?”

 

This is a wonderful question, and I hope someone who wants legislated pay for women has a thoughtful answer.
 
Louisiana’s First Lady Donna Edwards speaks for legislated pay. Maybe she will answer.

Syria base (Page 1A). A sincere line in the sand.

Senate rules (Page 1A). President Trump promised to get the job done. The “together” part can come anytime 2/3 of the people decide they want broadly-defined-civic-safety-and-security and call their Congressmen to urge dissidents to reform. Slowly, the people may morph to We the People of the United States as defined by the preamble to the constitution for the USA. Senate rules don’t really matter.

Abramson caution (Page 1A). With the La 1 Bridge problem, the DOTD is looking really bad. Thank goodness Abramson demands accountability.

Behavior and employment (Page 7A). Some employers don’t hire smokers. A message to people of integrity is sufficient.

Other dialogues

Yesterday, I had a vital dialogue about “respect” as touted in today’s political demands. I oppose respect as a demand. 

 

With a stranger, I respect the fact that they exist, and that’s about all.

 

A minister who demands my respect is trying to impose subjugation. I will not go there again. I view submission to imagination as turning my back on the-objective-truth to accept a religious doctrine, like original sin. I am convinced that my mom and dad were in love and wanted me, so I was not conceived and born in error. Just as I trust my origins I trust my afterdeath.

 

The path to tentative respect opens if there is dialogue. If the other party decides my views must be stonewalled, I accept their decision, but do not respect it. I am a person, too.

 

If the other party expresses reasons or evidence that I should reconsider my opinion, and I leave intending to re-examine my understanding, I appreciate the talk, and express respect when I agree their view deserves my deliberate consideration, study, and conclusion.

 

If their view is that I am wrong until I accept their view, there is nothing to appreciate, and I will not research their view to try to establish respect for their view or them beyond their existence.

Phil Beaver does not “know” the-indisputable-facts. Phil trusts and is committed to the-objective-truth of which most is undiscovered and some is understood.

Phil Beaver is agent for A Civic People of the United States, a Louisiana, education non-profit. See online at promotethepreamble.blogspot.com.