Living On the Diagonal

A New Face for a President of the United States January 21, 2017 Washington D.C. (04:25) Michael Beschloss,  official Historian for   MSNBC succinctly put into words his view of the 45th President upon delivering America's most important speech. "If one did not know, his speech was more of the same campaign rhetoric" as we have heard for months. Most in attendance described it to be "dark" and "vengeful." I would add "uninspiring."  The first Inaugural speech I recall is the one the majority of Americans best recall, whether Democrat and Republican is that of President John F. Kennedy. The tone rang of the strength of the nation, a surprising agenda defined as the far reaching goal to land the "first American on the moon within the next decade." JFK challenged ordinary Americans with the most memorable phrase as a challenge that chimes today.  "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for y...

January 2, 2017 AMERICANS ARE ENTITLED TO "A FUTURE WE CAN BELIEVE IN"  AND THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW!  A President Bernie Sanders would be arguing for "expanding benefits" President-Elect & House Speaker Paul Ryan Ryan withdrew Trump support but now has "a cat who ate the canary' smirk.  The photo itself shows there is a "glaring error" in what is to come.   In an email initiated by  Act Blue  they report " Rep. Sam Johnson (R-T X)  – Chairman of the House Social Security Subcommittee – introduced a bill that would, on average, cut Social Security benefits by 27% for the majority of recipients." Act Blue asks for citizens to sign a petition to prohibit such cuts.*                                          Michael Phelan Social Security Works   info@socialsecurityworks.org I signed the petition and encourage you to d...

A COMMON THREAD OF HUMANITY IN THOSE WE LOST IN 2016 and will be sorely missed facing 2017 "The Greatest" December 31, 2016 In surveying a list of those celebrities we lost this past year, it struck me many of these were true icons in their respective careers or fields of expertise. What stood out, which may not be unlike  any prior year, is that a large number who emerged from humble beginnings and went on to lead exemplary lives. Their impact on culture was in large part in serving the greatest good for all of us. And it is our good fortune many lived into their 80’s and 90’s. One can say, well yes they were old, thus they eventually faced inevitable mortality. They are after all human. Certainly we have lost other greats in previous years, but what I found among them is something unique . There is a common thread in that many faced great adversity in pursuing their careers, their causes and over many years succeeded. These are the innovators, excl...