Editorial Musings from the Heart(land)

Several months ago, when we were all talking about people from a list of banned countries who would not be able to travel to the United States, I had a conversation with a friend from one of those countries .... He told me that "only the little people in these countries (like you and I) would be harmed. It's the governments of these countries that are bad ... NOT the common everyday citizen." He is right, of course. How many of you out there have any say so over what the United States' government says and does?? Unless you are an important elected official, the answer to that question is probably none. All of us simply live from day to day facing the same struggles and must cope with the higher ups. We (humanity) are all cut from the same piece of cloth. Not many (if any) differences separate us from one another. Perhaps we might not want to judge and criticize one another so harshly. I came across this quote and wanted to share it with you ..... We rea

I thought perhaps it might be helpful to review our past in order to give us some perspective as to how to handle the illegal immigrants in our country at the moment. After reading a little literature in a class I was teaching, the subject of the Transcontinental Railroad popped out at me. This incredible feat, was accomplished largely by the help of Chinese immigrants. Without their help it may never have been done so quickly or so profoundly. The railroads building the line were elated at the effectiveness and proficiency of the Chinese workers, plus they were VERY HAPPY with the amounts the workers were being paid in order to do the job. Let me mention here that there is an amazing parallel between then (Chinese workers) and now (Latino Workers). Some of the very reasons the US imported the Chinese are the same reasons that current American companies encouraged the use of Latino workers. There are some differences, yet the parallel between the two is significant. The Chine

Our government is broke .... the political parties that control government cannot agree on anything regarding immigrants in this country, illegally. The current President's position is as follows: Wants funding for a wall on the southern border of the U.S. Wants to end the visa lottery program. Wants to curb visas issued to families of legal immigrants. The President really doesn't want to extend Dreamers and may have the power to suspend it on MAR 5 2018. (The President's possible ace in the hole) All of which (as they say) is to address security/terrorism concerns on behalf of the United States. The opposing party wants an extension (or permanent implementation) of the program entitled "Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA - Dreamers)". Plus they too are concerned about security. Nevertheless, they do NOT want to give in on the points above. The President will give the opposing party what they want if the President gets what he wants. As

.@tedcruz: "If Republican majorities in Congress pass citizenship for millions of people, an amnesty, I think it is quite likely we will lose both houses of Congress and Speaker @NancyPelosi will impeach President @realDonaldTrump." pic.twitter.com/DO0K7y1vXO https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/964132728647110657 Who do YOU think you are? Your right to the American dream is simply luck and not even remotely earned. Be a statesman as opposed to a power monger, if it means the above ... So be it Mr Cruz, it's the right thing to do.

Spending some time looking into the history of our country, it occurred to me that we as a people (Americans) have NOT really been very nice to a good number of folks. It goes beyond not being very nice ... it's actually cruel and unjust. Here is a partial list of historical low lights ... Native Americans:  e.g. Trail of Tears, plus African Americans: slavery and everything associated with it Japanese Americans, WWII incarceration Latino Americans: The current victimization of their status and use in American business Gender Based Issues: Women, gays etc. The presidents associated with each of the above eras pretty much reflected the people of the time. Lingering problems remain with us as a result of all of the inhumane acts perpetrated by each one of the above generations. It's probably about time that Americans get off their high horses and get on the reality train.

I was pleased to see a picture of the President of South Korea shake hands with the sister of the leader of North Korea, TODAY. Based upon facial expressions, the greeting between the two appeared to be genuine and heartfelt. The 2018 Olympic event serves as a backdrop to this exchange. The two Korea's have come together to participate in this peaceful world activity. We all know just how misleading pictures can be. As of late, there have been pictures of just how wonderful life in North Korea is. NBC did a piece about a new North Korean sky resort that most labeled as being somewhat staged. And of course we have ALL seen pictures of President Trump and former President Obama shaking hands and laughing it up during the exchange of power transition last year LOL. Most, based upon the events of the preceding year would have to assume it TOO was STAGED. But the point I want to make here, is that in spite of how dire the circumstances may be ... people can come together if they w

Harley Davidson (Kansas City) announced that they are going to close their manufacturing plant sometime in 2019. I think they described it as bringing into alignment their manufacturing capacity with the harsh reality of a shrinking demand for their product. The plant costing millions of dollars to build was put into play around 1998. So we are looking at a plant that has been in Kansas City only 20 years. Plus, when they threatened to shut down the plant a few years ago, the State of Missouri and employees came up to the plate again to provide them what they needed to stay. I recall a significant investment by another GIANT corporation not too long ago in Kansas City. Interestingly enough, they secured some nice funding breaks from the city and state assisting in its construction. Millions of dollars were spent to build the facility. The local chamber participated in the ribbon cutting joyfully singing the corporations' theme song and basking in the belief that the states'