Society's Challenges...

As we have watched this past year unfold, it's easy to slip into the abyss of political rancor and angst that comes with every election cycle. With a two party system, we tend to blame the other party for all of life's ills. To be perfectly clear, this post has nothing to do with blaming either the left or the right. My goal is more holistic in that i want to explore where we are as a society.

My favorite politician of all time was Hubert Horatio Humphrey (HHH) and here is my favorite political quote of all time: "The moral test of government is how that government treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.”

Perhaps had we taken to heart those words we wouldn't be where we are today. The rich have gotten richer and the poor have gotten poorer. The wealthy have always been able to do just fine, those living on the edge/fringe of making ends meet have become far worse off.

With the stock market soaring, the number of homeless in this country is rising. But it isn't just those without a roof over their head, there is a segment of our society living at or under the poverty level who are not making ends meet. Many seniors are obviously in tough straights, but there is a huge segment of the working poor who are just as bad off.

This isn't a right or left problem, it's society's problem. While most look at the other party and blame them, both sides have enjoyed the prosperity while ignoring those who are able to make ends meet. The easiest way to make my point was watching the Walton family become wealthy beyond imagination while at the same time counseling their employees how to qualify for state provided benefits.

It's just an example and sadly it has been repeated over and over again. We need look no further than politicians (on both sides of the aisle who despite salaries that would never explain their accumulated wealth) have become millionaires several times over. Seems to me, Martha Stewart went to prison for that.

But, i digress. It would be easy to look to the pandemic as just another in the long list of ways we got here. Nope, not blaming any one party, it was a world wide tragedy. The reality is it impacted everyone across the globe. Coming out of it, companies were quick to take advantage of the increases they took during Covid19 and many are still feeding at the trough. Inflation they say as they log record profits.

As always we blame politicians, but as we will find out over the next 4 years, it's not the president who sets the price of eggs or the cost of a gallon of gas. It's a marketplace where companies have become accustomed to inflated bottom lines. The wealthy/well off can afford to pay it, those living pay check to pay check can't.

And then it all gets worse. Again, no interest in debating whether climate change is real, or a hoax. Believe whatever you want. This is real: The number of severe weather related events is increasing dramatically. Here's the data: Between 1980-2024 there have been 400 weather and climate disasters in the US. So far in 2024 through 10 months, there's been 24 events that met the criteria (losses exceeding 1 billion dollars).

Here's why this matters: Those living in impacted areas of the country are all seeing massive increases in their property insurance rates. There is no better example than Florida and especially the condos on the coast. There's 1.5 million condos in Fl and they are especially attractive destinations for retirees.

Anyone paying attention to their news feed knows the explosion that has hit them. California on the other side of the map has been devastated by fires. Both locals have seen insurance companies start to pull out of high risk areas. Those remaining have increased rates reflecting those risks; some as high as $1000 month.

The condos in Florida have an even bigger problem. Their HOA's are now obligated (due to state statutes) to perform a reserve study and immediately start funding for the costs to update their buildings (more than three floors). After the collapse of the Champlain Towers in 2021 that killed 98 residents, the state realized condos weren't performing their due diligence. The cost for those improvements have driven condo values down all along the shorelines.

The point of this exercise is to help clarify the fallacy that Sun City is somehow alone on the island of despair, doom and gloom. The reality is, across this country inflated grocery/housing prices, increasing insurance costs, and homelessness are everywhere.

None feel it more so than those who can least afford it. As a society, we have drifted from HHH's words and embraced the immortal words of Gordon Gekko, "greed is good." Sadly, we have decided the path forward is to turn to billionaires who think our salvation is HB-1 visas.

Stay tuned and we'll dig into how Sun City is dealing with some of these challenges.

 

H-1B info and Q & A (as this made the news I have been reading up on H-1B's, the good and bad)

The H-1B Visa Program and Its Impact on the U.S. Economy | American Immigration Council

H-1B Frequently Asked Questions | Berkeley International Office

Dick Morris, a friend and advisor to Bill Clinton during his time as Governor of Arkansas and since his 1978 run, Morris became a political adviser to the White House after Clinton was elected president in 1992.

Morris to Newsmax: Dick Morris to Newsmax: Trump Will Stop the Grift With H-1Bs | Newsmax.com

 

I just read an article in my news feed this morning about all the restaurants that closed in Cincinnati last year, and more were projected to close this year. I guess it's not just Sun City with difficulties eh? Obviously that was said with a smirk.

We all know the problems across the country with inflation hitting all of our pocketbooks; including the RCSC. It's why any and all plans for the future need be well formulated and structured so as to not increase those quickly escalating costs on what we already own. It doesn't mean we don't take care of what we have.

In fact, my position has never wavered; get Mountain View done. There was no good reason to not let the SAC's work be kicked to the curb, other than some board members had a different vision. There-in is the problem when you invite the membership to engage, you either mean it, or you don't. Historically we used to, the past 15-20 years, not so much.

Back to society's problems at hand; the good news is Sun City's infrastructure is positioned nicely to help those in need. There's a couple of local food banks, Valley View and Olive Branch Senior Center. The Sun City Community Assistance Network (CAN) has decent resources available. I love the fact the Sun City Foundation is evolving. Sunshine Services is invaluable in helping members meet their medical equipment needs. And, with 31 churches in the community, they too can help their members in a variety of ways (some more so than others).

These would typically be services provided by a city, if we were one. We're not and that decision years back is the reason all of these supporting organizations began. Those living here understood the importance of taking care of our own. It is exactly why we need to do a better job reaching out to new home owners and letting them know our history.

Hopefully that will become a priority this year for the RCSC. They have become pretty complacent in welcoming new members, opting to go the cheap route by putting minimal effort into understanding our unique structure of governance. It was just shortsighted. And then we wonder why so few pay attention or participate?

History matters, always has, always will.

 

It may have more meaning if Gekko was not a fictional character. Oliver stone, one amazing director though.

 

Part of the reason for the fires in CA is the Governor refuses to clear the underbrush, which is a huge problem next to careless people.

I don't believe anyone has an answer for that. Earth is ever changing. According to science, the Earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old. Dinosaurs have become extinct. There was the ice age. evolution of humans. Since 1880, average global temperatures have increased by about 1 degrees Celsius (1.7° degrees Fahrenheit). That's 144 years of data. I am not going to worry. I think there are very few people on the earth who are smart enough to understand all aspect of climate change.

4 Catastrophic Climate Predictions That Never Came True

I have said this so many times. RCSC does not need to build a PAC. We need to upgrade what we have. Two people here and I went round and round about buying property and bringing glitz back. Not necessary. One of those people changed their tune and is now preaching NO PAC, no glitz, upgrade IT, increase communication. All things I have been saying for a long time. and yes I have the information (my posts) to back that up.

Right now there are 598 homes for sale in Sun City.
Median listing home price$320k (down)
Active listings 600 (up)
Median days on market 56 (up)
Median listing home price per sq.ft $210 (down)

That is a fact of life and has been forever.

No one ever said Sun City is an Island and the only place affected by the last 4 years. Another made up idea, just like I hate Sun City. BTW you never posted anything I said to prove that. It just lives in your head for some reason. Bill there is no way I can hold a candle to you. You have 4 or 5 folks who would appear to protect you at any cost. I have 5 totally degrading statements from 1, and many from another.

I am sure there will be repercussions from this post as my feelings/opinions don't count and are always wrong.

Everyone have a Blessed and Happy New Year!

 

On a new topic I have reached out to both you and Chris T to end whatever this rift is. I got a HUGE NO from both of you. You were a man of few words on the subject. Chris on the other hand was very explicit. At least I reached out, you both preferred to hold on to the hate.

“To err is human, to forgive divine” is a quote from Alexander Pope's 1711 poem An Essay on Criticism. It means that it's normal to make mistakes, but it's a good quality to be able to forgive others. The quote is often used to discuss the virtues of forgiveness.

Interesting, usually the people who want to put the differences aside are genuine, those that don't want to hang on to the hate.

And therein lies the difference decency and offensive, Chris' response was lovely.
And yes I have the conversations saved.

 

The average global temperature cite is disingenuous as the industrialized countries for a great length of time were Europe and North America, particularly the U.S. What you really want to look at is the curve for CO2 emissions from about 1850, the beginning of the Industrial Revolution to today. It is quite telling and these emissions are the primary cause in the change in climate and weather ( they are not the same thing, one is long term the other is short term).

 

What? Who are you writing to and what is your source?

 

“The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and in some places, the seals are finding the water too hot, according to a report to the Commerce Department yesterday from the Consulate at Bergen Norway.

Reports from fishermen, seal hunters and explorers all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hitherto unheard-of temperatures in the Arctic zone.

Exploration expeditions report that scarcely any ice has been met as far north as 81 degrees 29 minutes.

Soundings to a depth of 3,100 meters showed the gulf stream still very warm.

Great masses of ice have been replaced by moraines of earth and stones, the report continued, while at many points well known glaciers have entirely disappeared.

Very few seals and no white fish are found in the eastern Arctic, while vast shoals of herring and smelts which have never before ventured so far north, are being encountered in the old seal fishing grounds.”

Within a few years it is predicted that due to the ice melt the sea will rise and make most coast cities uninhabitable. The Washington Post, November 2, 1922

 

Writing to you, try climate.gov as they have several charts. One of the most telling is from 1750 to I think 2023. That should tell you what you need to know.

 

So many predictions that have never come true. I think we're good for a while yet.

Thx for the reference Tom.

Fact check: 1922 news article reported Arctic conditions

 

Remember when Ted Danson said we only have 10 years to save the oceans... in 1988?

 

And my favorite Ladies and Gents (drum roll) ...............Al Gore Al Gore’s 30 Years of Climate Errors: Snow Job -Capital Research Center

Then John Kerry, boy he married well, right? Flying all around the globe to preach about climate change

And let's not forget the Climate Summits where hundreds of businessmen fly in their private jets to attend.

 

One of the most prolific ways the science community sucks freebie grant money from the federal government is to predict doom and gloom. How else would they survive?

If it bleeds it reads!

 

FYI, I see belief in science is not one of your strong points. I guess you don’t believe it unless Trump says it’s true or that worm ridden beanbag, RFK,Jr. The 14th Century is calling, they want you to tour Central Europe in 1348. Have fun storming the castle.

Remember, gravity is just a theory.

 

Ha! Ha! Ha! Do people with TDS dream about him too? RFK Jr. is a few years younger than you, yet check him out at the gym! Curious, what made you hate so much that you have to speak like you do. Worm ridden beanbag? That is pretty tame for you though.

 

Give it up Dave! The only reality in your world is your own beliefs!

If what you believe was true, New York would be under 10 feet of water, the hole in ozone layer is expanding, and the polar caps are gone?

Did you believe in global warming? Oh! Wait a minute, it's global cooling, Oh! wait a minute, it's now just climate change! Something that's been going on for milleniums.

Perhaps it's just that we're at the end of another 11 year cycle of solar flares?

 

As always it devolves into a left/right pissing contest. I intentionally stayed away from that, electing to use only the data that is neither left or right.

Severe weather incidents are increasing in large/huge numbers on a yearly basis. So much so the insurance industry is reacting by raising rates in affected areas which is crushing home owners in ways far different from the price of eggs or gas. That's the reality of what is happening.

I guess you can scream it's the mainstream media causing it, but try telling that to home owners looking at $1000 a month premiums for their home owners insurance won't cut it. Or, go ask those condo owners along the beaches of Florida where their association fess are tripling and quadrupling whether they care who the president is when they are forced to sell their condo at half it's value.

I intentionally walked this path Tom because the politics involved is meaningless in the face of what is happening across the country. And let's be really clear Elon and Vivek don't really care about those on the bottom of the economic ladder, they are looking for cheap labor for their future technology endeavors using the visa program.

Here's irony for you bro: Throw out the immigrants doing the poor paying jobs American's don't want and import immigrants for the good paying jobs American's do want.

Go figure eh?

 

I can go along with that as long as there is a comprehensive way of insuring that they are here to work for the right reasons and not to just steal our technologies or sending their dollars back to their home country!

Let's face the facts, the system is rigged whether you're talking about issuing H1-B visas or the selective method colleges are admitting their students. Might be time the average white-guy gets an affirmative action of their own?

Happy New Year

 

As I said you seem not believe in science.

Just because these things seem not to pass as you see fit, ocean levels are rising as evidenced by increasing size of storm surges, polar ice is melting as is ice in Greenland at a faster rate, glaciers are almost gone in Glacier National Park since I visited there in the late 80’s. Closer to h9me, we are experiencing hotter weather sooner with higher temps and summers are hotter longer as evidenced by the past couple of years with more wildfires spreading quicker and weather more violent. You seem to forget that I like to view the big picture over long periods of time not very small snippets.

No Tom, I live in fact based reality, the question is what reality do you live in?