BEACON OF HOPE--Wanis Kabbaj

Recently, one of the things the press in America has been consumed by is the fact that President Trump declared that he was a nationalist.  When I heard him say it, images of walking on the moon, the building of our transnational railroad, the steady walk of settlers westward, and even the Civil War with the abolishment of slavery.  That the press would necessarily compare the Presidents statement to Hitler’s or see it as racist is really extreme.

I’m proud to be an American and feel a strong sense of nationalism within.  However, I am also a globalist.  I believe President Trump is a globalist too.  He is a generous person, and I believe he’s proud of America as the most generous nation on the planet.

So, it is with great confusion and with frustration settling in, that I read about another war within our psyche created by the press.  Fortunately, my inability to express all that I feel is rescued by Wanis Kabbaj.  His TED Talk is full of clear thinking and common sense.  I hope you will take a few minutes to listen to and view it.

“How Nationalism and Globalism Can Coexist”

LET’S ALL VOTE!!

. . .  and as we do, remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

Beacons of Hope-SUSAN COLLINS SENATE SPEECH

Cornerstones of the Voting Alert Beacons are honesty and public service.  Recently, Senator Collins shined a bright light on both cornerstones and became a Beacon of Hope in the process.  

If you haven’t had a chance, or taken the time, to listen to the October 5th, 2018 Susan Collins Senate floor speech, below is a link giving you an easy opportunity.  Her speech is one more historic example of why over the years the Senate has come to be considered the “greatest deliberative body.”  That reputation has tattered in recent times, but Senator Collins repairs some of the frays in her speech.  

Thank you Senator Collins:

LET’S ALL VOTE!!

. . .  and as we do, remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

IF by Rudyard Kipling

Written in earlier times when the use of pronouns was too one-sided, the message at that time, and the message for us today is the same.  

How do we keep calm when times are not calm?  How do we keep our faith when so many seem to have lost theirs?  How do we keep a steady focus when there is so much “noise” and “dust in the air?”  Indeed, how do we decide anything when those who claim honesty are the loudest, and they offer lies disguised as the truth?  In his poem IF, Rudyard Kipling offers a compass to help us find our way.

We should live by our own wits, seek the truth, count on the truth and live by the truth, have dreams and keep them close, know that there are trap-setters for fools — don’t be a fool, don’t worry about failure — be ready to start over, never quit — that you are human will sustain you, count on mankind — but count on yourself more, and fill every second of your life with all of your effort.

If you can keep your head when all about you   

    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,   

If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,

    But make allowance for their doubting too;   

If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,

    Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,

Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,

    And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream—and not make dreams your master;   

    If you can think—and not make thoughts your aim;   

If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster

    And treat those two impostors just the same;   

If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken

    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,

Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,

    And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings

    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,

And lose, and start again at your beginnings

    And never breathe a word about your loss;

If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

    To serve your turn long after they are gone,   

And so hold on when there is nothing in you

    Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,   

    Or walk with Kings—nor lose the common touch,

If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,

    If all men count with you, but none too much;

If you can fill the unforgiving minute

    With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,   

Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,   

    And—which is more—you’ll be a Man, my son!

LET’S ALL VOTE!

. . .  and as we do, remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

BRIAN STRAKA-WALK AWAY

On this July 4th, 2018, I have pondered all day what Beacon of Hope I could send.  I wanted to find something VERY special.  After all, this is America’s birthday, and I believe her future is bright.

I found it!  I will sleep better tonight because Brandon Straka is an American citizen.  I find comfort in his honesty and courage.  I hope you do too!

Our future is secure if we can remember the virtues of Honesty and Public Service!  We must never forget that WE THE PEOPLE run things in America!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

BEACONS OF COMMON SENSE-The Middle of the Road

In a few short months, another election will be here.  We the People will have another chance to “speak,” and tell our leaders what we want them to do.  

When we elect representatives in our American Democracy, we ask them to represent us because they come from us, and are like us.  They should do their work on behalf of us.  They should serve, not rule.  They should serve briefly and then make room for others.  They shouldn’t have perks, literally, they should have what we have, and live as we do.  They should be honest so we can respect them. 

It’s time to begin a new era!  Elective office is a public service opportunity, not a career.  (REPEAT).  Elective office is a public service opportunity, not a career.

So now, please join me in the middle of the American road with a new focus on possibility and potential.  Let’s not drive on the left or right shoulders, but travel down the middle of the road, where the language spoken is common sense supported by HONESTY AND PUBLIC SERVICE.  While the shoulders certainly define the outer limits or extremes of the road, and every road has its shoulders, they aren’t where we should be traveling down, and certainly not governing from.  

Just as the speed bumps on the shoulders can shake a car apart, literally shake a car apart, in some kind of grand intramural tug of war, the left and right are shaking our country apart.  IT’S DISGUSTING AND JUST PLAIN WRONG!  IT NEEDS TO STOP!

If we can find balance in the middle of the road, a destiny of continued blessings for each of us, and for America, will be assured.  Yes!  Let’s meet in the middle of the road where common sense lives.  Let’s use our right to free speech responsibly.   However, with the right comes the responsibility to listen.  Even more, listening must mean we are willing to change.  We must be willing to let the other person, or the other argument, or the other viewpoint change us.  If we all come with that commitment, we will indeed meet in “the middle of the road,” and continue building an incredibly strong Common Sense for America.

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.

RAW POWER and Politics (Not Immigration)

A good place to start on the issue of immigration is with how each of us think about our own homes.  America is no different. It is our national home. Basic principles about how we want to do immigration in America are identical with the common sense rules we apply to where we live.

Our homes are sovereign just like America.  We control the door and lock it sometimes.  Do we let people jump through windows to enter?  Or, break down a wall to invade?  Rarely, do we allow entrance to a stranger.  If they are with a trusted friend, perhaps (think Green Card).  When someone enters without permission, and they refuse to leave, we call the police (ICE).  In America, when the government wants to enter, they can do so only for narrow and good reasons.  There are strict procedures.  An order must be signed by a judge.  We wouldn’t dream of losing or given away control over who can enter our homes, would we?

Ironically, there are compelling reasons that we allow strangers into our American home.  Immigration has been critical to the growth and development of America through history.  This is still true.  However, those who come should want to melt into our “melting pot” and work hard to realize what America offers, and their own personal potential.  Immigrants should come for the American Way, not to create a fresh version of what they left behind.  They should come for what America is, not what they want to make it.

So far, this is common sense, isn’t it?  So why is there so much noise on the issue?  Well, the immigration issue as we read about it in the media really has nothing to do with immigrants.  It is about power and politics, not people.  The currency of the discussion (argument) is lie and deception, not truth and sound judgment.  Even voters who are in their 20’s, have lived long enough to see political leaders flip-flop on their positions.  It’s hard not to notice that they shift to the position which they believe will earn them more power.  At the same, as if on cue, the media seems incapable of helping to sustain a calm and reasonable national discussion.  Rather, the media seems to inflame and divide instead of reporting the facts, which we voters need to make a choice.  Perhaps, the politicians and the media have forgotten who chooses in America.  It’s time to remind them.

Also, before we vote, we voters should recall the difference between legal and illegal immigrants.  Legal immigrants enter through valid points of entry.  Depending on their individual situations, there are numerous visas they can apply for.  Because America is generous and sympathetic, we offer asylum to some who come from terrible places and terrible conditions.  In all cases, a legal immigrant is properly taking their first steps to becoming American citizens and realizing personal dreams through one of these processes.  

Illegal immigrants also want to enter America, but they choose to break our laws as their first step.  They don’t use legal points of entry.  They sneak across the wilderness.  If they are lucky enough to make it to America, there’s a good chance they’ll be deported.  Or, if they fall into the right category of illegal immigrant, they may receive more benefits than the legal immigrants, and in some cases then American citizens.

How to vote?  Vote as you would for your own house on this issue.  Don’t vote by party!  Vote for Congress people who will use and apply common sense.  Use your vote to affirm and renew the virtues of honesty and public service.  Who will do the best job?  If you are still hesitating, then vote for someone who sounds reasonable, isn’t filled will hate or disrespect for other people, and is new and fresh.  Someone who has never served before.

In writing calmly and reasonably about immigration I hope by example we can all respectfully use our 1st Amendment right of free expression to add positively to the discussion.  However, with the right comes the responsibility to listen.  Even more, listening must mean we are willing to change.  We must be willing to let the other person, or the other argument, or the other viewpoint change us.  If we all come with that commitment, we will indeed meet in “the middle of the road,” and continue building an incredibly strong Common Sense for America.

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

The Virtues of Honesty and Public Service

Honestly and public service are our most important virtues, individually and as a nation.  THEY are fundamentally critical to the functioning of a successful democracy.  THEY are the gears that drive our democracy, and we turn those gears with our RIGHT TO VOTE.  THEY are bedrock principles that can bring happiness and fulfillment to each of us, and to all of us as a nation when we live them out in our lives.  THEY give us the moral courage and energy we need to look deeper inside our basic natures, and to know better what it means to be human.  LASTLY, HONESTY AND PUBLIC SERVICE are assured only when they stand on actions of CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY.

We should not forget that in a very basic way …

• Public service grows only from the fertile soil of honesty and a charitable outlook.
• It follows that no position on any specific issue is a fair position without honesty and …
• That means we should first think of everyone else as we think of ourselves.  How would we want to be treated?  That’s the question.  Indeed, the answer to that question tells how we should treat everyone.  

When we are true to these three principles, in word and deed, there will be both HONESTY AND PUBLIC SERVICE in fact.  Our democracy will be enriched and strengthened.

Abraham Lincoln called attention to honesty and public service, and their relationship to citizenship, civility, and civic responsibility with a simple turn of words.  If he disagreed with someone, he said, “I don’t like that man (or women), I must get to know them better.”

It’s time for us to take that approach for a test drive too!!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

Beacons of Hope-WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?

Perhaps the biggest lie of all time is that our government, or a government, can give us a happy life.  That it can take care of us.  That it can solve our personal problems.  There is a long history of government attempts, ie: War On Poverty, which offer lessons that demonstrate this to be only wishful thinking, and not the truth.  Yet, we need a government for the reasons of what it can do for us:  National defense, Law Enforcement (when not corrupt), Public Education and Energy and Transportation Infrastructure.  

Today, I offer a Beacon of Hope that should cause us to think of what we can do for ourselves, and what our responsibilities are.  A Beacon of Hope which reminds us of the immense personal powers we all have.  This is also a reminder of what America has done so well over the hundreds of years since its birth.  Our American democracy, freedoms, and liberty have unleashed the energy and incredible abilities of its people like never before in the history of the world.

Take heart and enjoy!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

BEACONS OF COMMON SENSE-INTRODUCTION

What is common sense?

In the weeks and months ahead, I plan to write a series of Voting Alert Beacons posts called “Beacons of Common Sense.”  Issue by issue, it will be my goal to find “common sense” expression of the challenges we face and what the solution(s) might look like.  This view of common sense will hopefully transform and take us to a higher plain of civics and civility.  A place where we aren’t Democrats, Republics, or Independents.  A place where we can all just be citizens of the United States of America.  

I find my inspiration for Beacons of Common Sense in the book written by Thomas Paine before the America Revolution.  At the time it was a best seller.  If you thought the British should go back to England and leave the Colonies alone, you thought it expressed common sense.  Interestingly, the thoughts Paine expressed proved to be truths through the American experience of self-government.  In many cases, common sense became common practice through the US Constitution.

I’m also taking advantage of the internet.  How could I not?  I’ve compiled a list of words that express different forms of common sense.  Here’s the list:  Good sense, native wit, sensibleness, judgment, levelheadedness, prudence, discernment, canines, astuteness, wisdom, insight, perception, practicality, horse sense, gumption, savvy, and street smarts. 

I plan to write about the topics and issues we should all watch closely as the next election approaches.  What are my goals as the author?  It is my hope that in a tiny way I can help people realize that even Common Sense must be willing to change.  It is critical that we all respectfully use our 1st Amendment right of free expression.  However, with the right comes the responsibility to listen.  Even more, listening must mean we are willing to change.  We must be willing to let the other person, or the other argument, or the other viewpoint change us.  If we all come with that commitment, we will indeed meet in “the middle of the road,” and build an incredibly strong Common Sense for America.

As one writer, and indeed one voter, I hope you will follow along in the weeks and months ahead.

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

BEACONS OF HOPE: Democracy by Random Selection

When did politics become a career field?  Why would anyone aspire to become a politician?  I know the answer to the second question.  They work for their interests and special interests, all the while making a great deal of money without producing anything.  In the work they have done, they created a new class called the “elite.”  It’s hard to understand, but some of them now see themselves as modern day rulers.

In the beginning, and for many years, we called this career field public service, didn’t we?  The people who entered the field were called public servants.  Who did they work for?  They worked for us, WE THE PEOPLE.  What did they do?  What did they make?  They swore an oath to the US Constitution, and worked diligently for each American Citizen they represented, and for America as a whole.  Then after they served their term of office, they went back to their career and job.  They returned to the body politic we call WE THE PEOPLE.  Best of all, these public servants were honest.  

Today, I’d like to dedicate this BEACON OF HOPE to the virtues of honesty and public service.  To the public servants we still have, this one’s for you.

WHAT IF WE REPLACED POLITICIANS WITH RANDOMLY SELECTED PEOPLE?

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

Detroit’s $500 House

“WE THE PEOPLE” are at our best when we work together.  Everywhere in America, on a daily basis, civic responsibility and community service are flourishing.  The virtue of stubborn persistence, in the face of never ending obstacles, quietly erupts one person at a time in the march forward toward a better future.  We don’t need the media to highlight these moments, because they are all around us.

Drew Philp is a shining example of one of us (WE THE PEOPLE).  The introduction to his TED Talk concisely explains why:  

“In 2009, journalist and screenwriter Drew Philp bought a ruined house in Detroit for $500. In the years that followed, as he gutted the interior and removed the heaps of garbage crowding the rooms, he didn't just learn how to repair a house -- he learned how to build a community. In a tribute to the city he loves, Philp tells us about "radical neighborliness" and makes the case that we have ‘the power to create the world anew together and to do it ourselves when our governments refuse.’”

After viewing this video and hearing Drew’s story, I felt filled with hope again.  I remembered again, that America and Americans aren’t what we read about in all the media sources these days.  We are much different.  We are what we’ve always been.  Forward looking, generous, and “never quitters.”  I hope this message inspires you too!

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.  

PASSION vs. ANGER

At the State of the Union address last Tuesday, January 30, 2018, expressions of anger abounded with a certain group of elected representatives and their leaders. It was sad and even alarming to see the spectacle of our political divides, as created by the politicians, playing out before our eyes.  What we saw had nothing to do with who is President and who isn’t.  

If Ronald Reagan had given that State of the Union speech, it would have been more evidence of how he was a “great communicator.”  If John F. Kennedy had given it, it would reverberate for decades to come like others he gave.  My fellow Americans, we are witnessing the greatest intramural power competition in history, and “We the People” are paying dearly for it in many ways, including our treasure.

On the playing field of public service, both passion and anger will appear.  We need to remember that passion is one of the most positive forces in the universe when properly understood and used.  Anger is the most destructive for both the person expressing it, and those around them.  Public office and public leadership is a multiplier of both or either.

PASSION vs. ANGER

• Passion is separated from anger by a very thin line.
• Passion for something or someone looks outward for what it can accomplish and the good it can do.  Anger for something or someone is only about the person who is angry.
• Both produce and bring tremendous energy.  One is so creative and the other so dangerous.
• Passion is directed toward achievement and accomplishment.  
• Anger is directed at the thing or person who is hated, or both.  Anger is destructive of everyone and everything that it touches.  It is most destructive of the angry person.

“We the People” must remember the behavior of our public servants last Tuesday and every day.  Then we must act on those memories on election day.  We must remember the difference between passion and anger.  Then at the 2018 midterm election in November, we must choose.

. . .  remember that America’s best days aren’t behind her.   America’s best days are ahead of her.  They always have been and always will be.

Dave

Copyright © 2018 by David William Wygant. All rights reserved.