Welcome to a discussion about the upcoming 5th Revolution in the US, which I’ve titled the “Revenge Revolution.” For more about the Revenge Revolution and the author, click “About the Author” tab.  Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether a revolution in the US is possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US. The previous “sense check” was ENTRY #500.

BEGIN #507: In the previous entry, I indicated an intent was to publish a series of ideas about how to rebuild American democracy.  While I had a general idea about what suggestions to put forth, no issue stood out aside from politics.

Well, one issue has now  jumped out, or crawled out as it were. The event should not be a surprise to anyone who is 21 or older, and by now no surprise to most who are younger.

The event occurs with such regularity it can be predicted accurately for decades ahead.  Depending upon your locale in the US, the event occurs every 13 or 17 years.  In some lucky locations, both events occur.

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’d be hard-pressed to miss the news about cicadas emerging from the ground.  Yes, these little guys stay underground for 13 or 17 years, then come out and party for 4-6 weeks.

The partying gets annoying and awfully loud, and likely includes a lot of sex.  After all, the cicadas are teenage partygoers.  Also, like teenagers, the cicadas get into all kinds of places that they shouldn’t be, including occasionally jumping on to your shirt collar, then crawling inside.

Cicadas don’t bite – at least I’ve never been bitten – and as far as I know, do not transmit any infectious diseases. But they are still annoying.

We live in an area with an extensive number of trees. These trees are old enough that cicadas probably have used them for several of their 13/17-year cycles.

All this activity makes for great national and local news stories and casual conversations.   With all that, do you think some people still don’t know about the cicadas’ party?  Unfortunately, yes.

In the Nextdoor app a surprising number of people have made comments along the lines of, “Does anyone else hear that grinding sound? And where’s the noise coming from? “

In response to an explanation provided, some of the brain-dead people who’ve asked the question then reinforce their Ignorance by such explanations as they did not know about the cicadas because of spending too much time spent with the kids or some other nonsensical reason.

If you don’t know something, spending 15 seconds on a search engine often provides a credible answer. The people who use the Nextdoor app obviously have access to the Internet.  And we expect them to study candidates before voting?

 Another example of being braindead is a fellow alum from that technology school on the Charles River in Cambridge, MA. The guy is obviously bright – or was at one time – and I am embarrassed to tell this story. 

During a recent conversation he wondered why Democrats were pursuing prosecuting Trump in Manhattan over a simple business fraud case. His rationale was that everyone in business commits fraud, and no one was really hurt by Trump’s actions. 

Excuse me. The trial is not about fraud or even about hush money.  The trial is about election  interference. The fraud case against Trump was already decided with his substantial financial penalty – at least $175 million and possibly $500+ million.  And, no, the trial is not a Democratic political issue. Election interference and fraud are legal issues that should be of interest to all citizens, regardless of political party.

There are many other examples of “what were they thinking?” beyond the couple cited. Where does such lack of thinking lead us?

To begin to solve the problem of lack of logical thinking, the recommendation is that before being able to graduate from high school, everyone should have to pass a test on the major components of the US Constitution.  Prior to the exam, each student would have at least one semester about the history of the US Constitution, how it has evolved and been amended over the years and how it is being interpreted today.

Ideally, civics classes would begin in 7^th or 8^th grade. Courses would include participating as an elected representative in a mock government.  The elected representatives would be charged with trying to solve real-world problems.

As part of the course, students would be required to read about local events.  The problems required to solve could be wide ranging, including such seemingly mundane issues as “does the city government need to do anything special to educate citizens about the emergence of the cicadas?’

One occasionally hears a statement along the lines of, “you can’t legislate away stupid.“  True, but a good start would be teaching students how to learn about issues and to learn how to solve problems rather than trying to blame someone else.  And another result of this effort might be students learning how to work together – and then teaching adults.

All for now. Another major idea next entry. END #507

Other Topics. Interested in more info about climate change, what’s required to electrify a fleet of cars/trucks, and an array of other topics, visit another page of this website, https://usrevolution5.com/jrd-thought-comments/

Welcome to a discussion about the upcoming 5th Revolution in the US, which I’ve titled the “Revenge Revolution.” For more about the Revenge Revolution and the author, Entry #1.  Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether a revolution in the US is possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US Entry #476 was the most recent “sense check.”

BEGIN ENTRY #484: Well, well, well. Wealthy Republicans are beginning to understand that decisions have consequences. Soon after toasting the SCOTUS decision to overturn precedent and ban affirmative action, the Republicans began to realize legacy admissions were now on the chopping block.

No doubt many of the elite schools will find a way around any likely ban on legacy admissions, much like many of those schools will find a way around the ban on affirmative action.

The ban on legacies is supposedly being pursued to ensure equitable admissions at these elite institutions, just like the SCOTUS decision. Ironically, those pushing for a ban on legacy admissions are not thinking about possible consequences just like those pushing to ban affirmative action failed to consider consequences.

Yes, legacy admissions are overwhelmingly from white, wealthy families. But, who do you think donates large chunks of money to the school’s endowment; who do you think helps fund new buildings; and who do you think helps subsidize tuition of students admitted under affirmative action?  Don’t think too long about it. The answer is the families seeking legacy admissions.

What is the “opportunity cost” of denying one legacy admission?  That one legacy admission can generate a significant positive long-term financial impact on the academic institution.  What’s the downside?  Virtually nothing since the legacy rarely goes into a high-profile public position – George W. Bush being an exception – and many of those admitted will go back into the family business or live off a trust fund.

Simple example. The brother of a grammar-school classmate of mine was admitted to a high-profile, smaller private college. The brother was at best marginally qualified.

Why was he admitted? The father agreed to fund construction of a new building on campus.

Those wanting to ban legacy admissions should do the math.  The result of admitting one marginally qualified student was a new building that benefited thousands of students over the life of the building.

Given the benefits derived from preference given to the legacy student, who is being harmed? By the way, the student ended up going back to the family business.

There’s a potential cascading effect of eliminating any preferential treatment. Where does one draw the line allowing the institution to favor certain students academically and not others?  If affirmative action is eliminated for academic admission and then legacy admissions, the next logical step is to eliminate preferential treatment for athletes. 

Does anyone really think that 10 of the 12 members of the basketball team at say Duke University are   academically qualified? Same with athletes recruited for most high-profile football teams.

When the lawsuit is filed to eliminate preferential treatment for athletes, it will be fun to watch the Supreme Court use their pretzel logic to justify why sports admissions should be excluded while affirmative action and legacies are not. It will be even more fun to watch members of Congress react when they realize that athletic admissions to their favorite university have been changed. END ENTRY #484

Other Topics. Interested in more info about climate change, what’s required to electrify a fleet of cars/trucks, what it was like to work day-to-day with Lee Iacocca and an array of other topics? Visit another page of this website, https://usrevolution5.com/jrd-thought-comments/

Welcome to a discussion about the upcoming 5th Revolution in the US, which I’ve titled the “Revenge Revolution.” For more about the Revenge Revolution and the author, Entry #1.  Periodically I write a “sense check” to assess whether a revolution in the US is possible or whether the entire exercise is based on a statistical aberration — i.e., a roughly 50-year cycle between major upheavals in the US. Entry #430 was the most recent “sense check.”

ENTRY #440 BEGINS: We are near the end of February, which some years ago, was designated as Black History Month. A major event during this month was the nomination of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as the next associate justice of the Supreme Court and, if confirmed, would be the first black woman to serve on SCOTUS.

Judge Jackson has stellar educational and work credentials. Two other possible nominees, also black women, are also highly educated and qualified.

During February, while the speculation about the SCOTUS nominee received considerable media attention, there was also frequent mention from various high-profile blacks that we, societal we, need to have an honest conversation about the history of how blacks have been suppressed over time.

I agree that historical suppression of blacks is a fair topic. I also think the conversation about the effects of suppression needs to include a simple question. “Why has every other ethnic group in the US been able to move up the economic ladder within two to three generations?”

Before claiming these other ethnic groups weren’t discriminated against or suppressed like blacks, one needs to read the history books. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, there were signs reading, “No Irish or dogs allowed.”  Similar signs were put up about Italians and various other groups, some far more recently.

Targeting non-black groups continues today.  The march in Charlottesville, VA during the early days of the Trump administration, in addition to targeting blacks, targeted Jews.  In the past couple of years, several synagogues have been attacked and a number of people killed.

So back to the question that needs to be discussed, “why have blacks continued at the bottom rung of the economic ladder for so long?”  Yes, I understand the question is politically incorrect and may even be offensive to some people.  However, without addressing such difficult questions, progress becomes impossible.

Over time education has proved to be a key for upward mobility.  Education does not mean everyone should or needs to go to college.  Technical training is an ideal route for many. 

The discussion also needs to ask whether society is providing the right kind of support for blacks.  While modern school buildings and access to an iPad are nice, education only works when the individual has the desire to learn and is willing to commit time and effort to learning.

Without that desire and commitment at the individual level, educational efforts are as effective as pushing on a string.   No matter how much energy is expended pushing on the string, not much happens at the other end.

As demonstrated repeatedly by other ethnic groups, even with a desire for and a commitment to education, significant economic mobility will take several generations.  For blacks specifically, the Emancipation Proclamation was about 160 years ago, or 6-7 generations. There have been three generations since the SCOTUS decision of Brown v. Board of Education, which overturned the separate but equal clause from Plessy v. Ferguson.

A controversial idea.  Maybe it is time to revisit the ideas of Plessy, but this time with fair implementation.  For many black families, there has been limited exposure to post-secondary education.  The transition from high school to college is difficult for most every student.  And with fewer family experiences to draw on, the transition for black students might be even more difficult.

Is it time that we, back to societal we, consider beefing up resources provided to various historically black colleges and universities?  HBCU’s could be an ideal environment for many black students to achieve the transition between high school and college.   HCBU’s have produced a plethora of highly successful graduates, including VP of the US, Kamala Harris. 

The scope of education at HCBU’s could be expanded to include more courses in the skilled trades.  As the economy becomes more reliant on digital-based equipment, the education for skilled trades needs to increase the amount of technical knowledge in addition to teaching the skills of the particular trade. 

To begin to grasp how much more sophisticated the equipment is than 10-years ago and certainly 20-years ago, one only needs to look at a recent episode of “This Old House.”  Even more striking is the difference in the use of digital-driven equipment in manufacturing.    

The technical training at HBCU’s could be complemented with business training.  Not everyone needs to earn an MBA, but many students would be well served by classes in the fundamentals of operating a business — accounting, budgeting, cash flow management, etc. 

The combination of some traditional education and technical training could help HCBU’s become a major source of highly skilled graduates for many industries.  Some HCBU’s could add a co-op program that would allow students with limited resources to earn enough money for tuition and living expense while also getting an education and real-world experience. 

These ideas do not eliminate the reality of the effects of suppression of blacks.  The ideas do help change the focus toward the future.  Rather than driving while only looking in the rearview mirror, blacks can start driving while looking through the windshield and occasionally glancing in the rearview mirror.  Doing so will speed up the trip away from the bottom rung of the economic ladder.   

Other Topics. Interested in more info about climate change, what’s required to electrify a fleet of cars/trucks, what it was like to work day-to-day with Lee Iacocca and an array of other topics? Visit another page of this website, https://usrevolution5.com/jrd-thought-comments/