James Pyle – Author

April 4, 2016

No one needs reminding that the world, especially beyond America’s borders, is a chaotic mess:  ISIS, illegal immigration, potential disappearance of EEC, NATO threatened, sovereign nation bank corruption, etc.

Most candidates for president, with one voluble exception, are nearly silent on these critical issues.

And what consumes our “free press”?  The failure of society to provide separate bathrooms for transgenders, raising the minimum wage to $15, the color of Kim Kardashian’s dress, how  many black criminals are incarcerated, should we torture people who want to destroy the country,

What’s going on here?  As an anonymous actor famously said: “The lunatics are running the asylum”.

Over 80 world leaders convened last week in Washington to attend a meeting on combating nuclear weapons.  Obama ended the meeting with a photo op,  holding up his hand with the traditional two fingered peace sign.

Say what?  I swear David Cameron of the UK was holding up a different finger behind his back.

When could 80 guys, all speaking different languages, ever agree on anything? – even the quality of cheese served at their luncheon? It would be funny if not so serious a topic.

These altruistic guys all arrived in private jets from half way around the world, contributing mightily to ‘climate change’, the topic of last month’s fruitless meeting.

So, what to do?

Unfortunately, not one world leader has asked for my opinion; but that has never been a deterrent .

In earlier postings I suggested numerous Simple Solutions to Complex Problems:  You may recall I proposed buying Mexico and appropriating all their oil.  (Far cheaper than a wall.)

I also proposed eliminating ‘economics’ as a college course.  No economist has ever properly predicted the future and their language is designed to confuse. A waste of four college years.

I proposed cutting the size of the president’s cabinet by half and eliminate all czars. (Saves billions/yr.)

I feel compelled to once again point the way forward.

I hereby propose a solution to many of the current world’s problems. Let’ s COLONIZE THESE UNCIVILIZED BASTARDS.

It is a tried and true concept that worked wonders for England and France in the past .  And. . . it brought food, health care and jobs to many impoverished countries.  I refer to Kenya, Rhodesia (now Tanzania), Morocco Egypt, Hong Kong, Haiti, South Africa and others.  When the colonialists were expelled, what happened?  Turmoil, famine, sickness  and poverty – that’s what.

Instead of paying billions every year in foreign aid (which never gets to the people who need it), let’s send ambassadors into these countries who will show how to plant corn, dig a well, raise money and start a company.  And, supervise their governments.  That’s what’s needed.

Plus. . . it will provide jobs for tens of thousands of middle class Americans who will be willing to relocate and create colonies once again.

You are welcome.

For more: go to http://www.jameshpyle.com

Last night during dinner my wife’s newest BFF announced she was planning to vote for Trump and asked if I was also.

I responded: “I don’t know.” And I truly don’t.

Not because I’m confused or need more facts or more debates; but because I’m unable to foresee events in the future that I feel in my bones are lying in wait for the country and my grandchildren. Not good events like going to Mars or curing cancer – but bad events like uncontrolled religious zealots or cyber warfare –  unmanageable using the knowledge base and tools that now exist.

Donald Trump is a plain talking man who has tapped into the festering anger over bureaucratic mismanagement chewing  away at the fabric of the country.  Specifically:

The government has demonstrated that it no longer functions for the people. It exists solely to get its arthritic members re-elected so they may continue eating from the public trough. It employs people of dubious character and questionable skills. Look no further than the introduction of the Affordable Care Act, the demise of the postal service, the corruption in the Veterans Administration, the IRS debacle and a Dept. of Education that won’t educate-  All bloated and inept.

Big banks have changed their charters without the public’s awareness. They no longer pay interest on deposits. Inconceivably, they now plan to charge us for placing our money in their care and for their investment use.  They no longer lend money to individuals and businesses. It is more profitable to gamble in sovereign currencies and unstable global affairs, comforted with knowledge that the politicos, whose campaigns they support, will bail them out when they fail again – with public money.

Corporations are fleeing the country in droves because of painful tax burdens imposed by a swollen government to pay for its sloth. Jobs for low to mid-skilled workers have disappeared. Advertising for faulty, harmful products abound:  drugs that don’t work,  cars with safety problems knowingly designed into them, adulterated, engineered foods having no nutritional benefit:  All because they need to meet unrealistic profit objectives set by lenders and hedge fund investors. Boards of Directors are absent or cowed.  Improved revenue and profit every quarter is the mantra of today’s business leaders.

Trump has tapped into this anger. He has lighted a fire under immigration policies (build a wall), government over-reach(eliminate the IRS, Energy Dept. and others), force Apple to build iphones in America and Ford to build cars here.  He continues to fan the flames. Because he has amassed a fortune he is independent of banks, lobbyists and campaign donors – all actors most Americans despise.

But are his plans achievable? Or, are they merely the ranting and raving of a modern-age dictator-in-waiting?

Trump doesn’t need money, though who would ever admit to not wanting more?  (Perhaps Warren Buffett.) Trump is an egoist seeking power.  That is scary, and the root of my indecision.

Greece and Rome before us had thriving empires but both ultimately perished. The reasons were separated in time but contained similar themes:

• Hostile tribes/pirates disrupted trade, limiting access to critical resources
• Lacking new sources of gold/silver, they raised taxes beyond reason
• Soil became overworked by tilling and/or war, causing famine
• Military troops, disillusioned by leader’s goals, rebelled which led to recruiting mercenaries
• Upper class people lived the ‘good life’ and were indifferent to the government
• Constant conflict between the ruling aristocrats and poorer classses

Sound familiar?

America today has a leadership vacuum. We have principled people with no ability to implement their ideas. For one to lead, he/she needs a willing army to follow:  an army that believes in the leader’s objectives and trusts his values. Mr. Trump professes to be a leader, a builder.

But I believe his stated objectives are unachievable and I’ve been listening hard to hear his values.

So far, I’ve heard nothing.

But the screeching and ranting of the alternatives are frightening. That is why I’m undecided. Once again, we’re forced to choose between two bad alternatives.

Like the Greeks and Romans before us, we are about to pay the price.  Mr. Buffett, where are you?

You are welcome.

For more go to: http://www.jameshpyle.com

Today’s world is being transformed by an unelected, unauthorized, supreme presence. All change is inherently disconcerting : this one appears alarming.

Once castes and societal classes around the world were held in check by monarchs, dictators or tribal chiefs; but recent titular topplings have sundered nations and left continents in chaos. Modern innovations; TV, smart phones and Facebook, have unveiled life styles of the western world to poor undeveloped communities that now demand similar experiences. And they want them now!

The United States, until now, a bastion of civility by global standards, is also facing a triage of previously unheralded voting segments: 1) Unassimilated, boisterous immigrants, 2) Entrenched but threatened burghers and, 3) The Privileged few.

At the bottom are those fleeing economic, racial and/or political oppression. They seek food, water, shelter, education and safety. The “government” is the only source to whom they look for succor. Having no economic or political clout, they accept without question whatever the political class tells them. Their primary information source is the church, TV sound bites, bumper stickers and campaign promises.

The second group, was previously known as the ‘middle class’. These newly disaffected skilled workers historically found security in factories, farms, construction, retailing etc. They believed by working hard, saving money, obeying laws and stressing the importance of education that they and their children could achieve a higher standard of living. This educated middle class was deemed essential for democracy’s success. But that lofty goal no longer seems assured. The result is anxiety unknown in recent years. These folks are angry at their present lot and they blame Washington. They thrash about seeking answers while struggling to appear ‘politically correct’. Their primary news source, Television, has been hijacked and replaced by unfiltered social media.

At the top are the Über-wealthy, insulated from fear, deprivation and anxieties, convinced they will outlive their cash. They appoint and control the political class to guarantee their privileges persist. By working assiduously through legal and accounting gimmickry they avoid sharing their good fortune with the lower classes. They do not read the news: they create it.

There is no longer a distinction between the stated (often deceptive) positions espoused by Republicans, Democrats, Independents, Liberals, Conservatives or Progressives on issues that matter to the two bottom classes.

America’s political wannabes in this election cycle have yet to recognize this tectonic shift in attitude and emotion. Their paid advisors have failed to adopt strategies that satisfy the demands of the majority. Until they do, America too faces a maelstrom of disorder. Thus far, the two major political parties each seem hell bent on pandering to one group – Democrats to the immigrants, Republicans to the privileged few.

Ignored so far is the largest group – the threatened burghers

This current crop of political aspirants has maladroitly stepped into this mood of national discontent seemingly unaware that their constituent base has abandoned them. Continuing on this path can only lead to destruction of both parties and the growth of either and oligarchy or plutocracy. (Similar but equally scary.)

Adding to this confused state are a number of widely held dictums which seem ingrained into the American psyche but which muddy the political terrain, including:

• All men are created equal – Tell a kid born in Camden, Watts or East St. Louis that his chance of future success is equal to that of someone born in Scarsdale, Greenwich or Santa Barbara and you will be guilty of deliberate deception. Some become leaders, others follow, as in all of nature.
• American voters are smart – No, they are not. In mathematics, 29 nations and other jurisdictions outperformed the United States by a statistically significant margin, up from 23 three years ago, reports Education Week. In science, 22 education systems scored above the U.S. average, up from 18 in 2009. In reading, 19 other locales scored higher than U.S. students – a jump from nine in 2009, when the last assessment was performed. The results are reflected in today’s elected officials. Voters must become better informed on the positions their candidate espouses. Perhaps a minimal understanding of right and wrong and a capacity to read and count?

• Religious freedoms and attendant rituals must be preserved – Organized religions are a scourge upon the world. How many wars, past and present, have been precipitated by religious zealots? ‘My God is truer than your god.’ ‘Only believers go to heaven.’ ‘Praise God and you will be saved.’ Saved from what? Most of the poverty, crime and homelessness is centered in the minority communities.  Religious fervor should not be a litmus test for a political vote. There is a reason Thomas Jefferson advocated separation of church and state.

Unfortunately, where once the educated middle class was the dominant force in an election, it has delegated that role to the growing and uneducated bottom segment. America no longer has a representative democracy. The middle class has been silenced but is just now becoming active. The potential for an uprising is increasing and a dictator claiming to be benign is on the march.

But beware – ‘to the victor belong the spoils’. And the spoils in this case are the vassals. Let’s not join the chaos and upheavals of the rest of the world.

You are welcome.

For more go to: http://www.jameshpyle.com

Today’s  New York Times’ featured business article is a tale of two brothers working at the same company (AT&T) each with a differing view about its potential for change:  Kevin Stephenson (57) is a field supervisor in Oklahoma; his brother Randall (56) is Chairman and CEO.

A sub-text of the article is: We must change or perish. . . And, our employees must change … or else! Unanswered is the question:   Change to what?   Google and/or Amazon lookalikes?

Randall’s view of the future , though not specifically articulated in the article, is his desire that AT&T be somehow involved with cloud computing – currently the purview of Google, Microsoft and Amazon.

To that end, he is strongly encouraging his 280,000 employees to re-educate themselves in computer programming, website design and app development. Some employees will be ‘partially compensated’ for their course fees (but not for the personal time spent studying). The average AT&T employee tenure is 22 years; this translates to an average age of mid 40’s.

To this I can only say: “GOOD LUCK, Randall”.

To hedge his bet that the employee base will ‘self re-educate’, he has invested $147 Billion over the past three years buying Direct TV, satellite networks in Mexico and elsewhere:   a me-too approach to managing a technology company.

AT&T was founded in 1879 by Alexander Graham Bell, a man of worldly vision and a passion for changing it for the better. Under his guidance Western Electric, Bell Labs and AT&T Long Lines created a telephone monopoly that provided Americans with the best telephone system in the world until wireless phone systems became dominant in the early 21st century.

Since then the company has deteriorated through government intervention, numerous mergers, dissolutions and acquisitions- all designed to benefit banks, lawyers and accountants.  Survival became the primary goal, followed closely by quarter-to-quarter improvement in both top and bottom line. Innovation and product development ran a poor third or fourth in management’s collective mind.

Now the strategy du jour seems to be send everybody to school.  Let’s build a team of old buggers with on-line degrees and go head-to-head with Amazon and Google in dominating the cloud.

Earth to Mr. Stephenson:  “There is no silver lining in a cloud that has already passed you by.”

In order to innovate you must incubate and then – let the progeny loose to follow their ideas.  That was the strategy of AT&T’s Bell Labs, Xerox’s PARC facility and IBM’s Think Tank. Too few companies have followed their lead.

In the past century, individuals or groups of two have set the example for corporations to follow.  Some examples:

• Henry Ford brought us automobiles
• The Wright Brothers persistence brought us the aviation industry.
• Mary Anderson invented the windshield wiper.
• David and Robert Sarnoff brought us color TV and national broadcasts (NBC)
• William Packard and Bill Hewlett specialized in developing and manufacturing computing, data storage, and networking hardware.
• Arthur Collins (Collins Radio) gave us ham radios, digital microwave, aircraft collision avoidance systems and sonar communications for submarines.
• Jeff Bezos revolutionized the publishing and retail industries.
• Ray Kroc brought us fast food through his McDonald’s franchises.
• Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak brought us smart phones and tiny computers.
• Elon Musk brought us cheap space exploration (SpaceX), electric cars, (Tesla) and revolutionized bill paying through PayPal.

The list is not exhaustive but illustrates the magic that can happen when one or two men work together to make the world a better place. Men whose passion was not to make an existing product smaller, faster or cheaper; but to make the world safer, more comfortable and more hospitable to all.

I had the privilege of working directly for Bob Sarnoff and Art Collins and witnessed first-hand the passion that drove them.  My guess is that profit rarely entered their minds – nor did the nattering nabobs of negativity that populate today’s banking establishment – until that is, they were both done in by activist shareholders, seeking to maximize their investments. . . but not until their achievements contributed to a better world for which they are revered.

Mr. Stevenson, pursue that strategy at your peril.  You’ll not make the list of achievers fifty years hence. Better to re-institute the culture of the old Bell Labs. (i.e.:  separate facilities, no sales targets, no pressure to meet a bottom line number.) Hire well, motivate and get out of the way.

Happy Valentine’s Day.  Listen to your brother.

You are welcome.

For more go to http://www.jameshpyle.com

With Apologies to:  Sir Walter Scott

Breathes there the banker, with soul so dead,

Who ne’er to himself hath said,

What have I done to my native land?

Whose heart hath ne’er within him turn’d,

At the sight of businesses he hath burn’d,

By ruthless profiting on a foreign strand!  (Goldman Sachs)

If such there breathe, go, mark him well;

For him no Minstrel raptures swell;

High though his title, proud his name,

Boundless his wealth as wish can claim;

Despite those titles, power, and pelf,

The wretch, concentred all in self,  (Trump)

Living, doth forfeit fair renown,

And, doubly dying, shall go down

To the vile dust, from whence he sprung,

Unwept, unhonour’d, and unsung.  (Madoff)

You are welcome

For more, go to: http://www.jameshpyle.com

I’m fascinated by these new Artificial Intelligence cars.  You know… like the Tesla and Google buggy.  Just get in, tell it where you want to go, and – Bob’s your uncle – you’re off.

It’s no longer pie-in- the- sky. It’s just around the corner.

Remember when you dreaded having to tell your mom or dad:

“Sorry, but I have to take the keys away. You are no longer safe to drive alone. You’ll likely kill somebody; maybe even yourself.”

Oh the tears, the protestations, the anxiety and the guilt.  All wrapped up in what passed for compassionate common sense.

For me:  the race is on.  Will the technology arrive in time?

I remember someone once telling me the most popular guy in the Assisted Living Home was the one who could still drive at night.  He was the octogenarian who got all the dates with the cute little seventy- somethings down the hall.

I can envision it now:

Me:  “Siri, take us to Scores on 28th Street.”

Siri:  “I’m sorry. That club closed twenty years ago.”

Me:  “Okay, then. Take us to Denny’s.”

You are welcome.

For more, go to http://www.jameshpyle.com

We writers love metaphors and similes. They allow us to paint word pictures which can clarify an otherwise difficult concept.

So I hope you’ll bear with me when I postulate that political candidates are like airplane pilots.

Permit me to clarify.

Last winter when returning from a Caribbean vacation on a tiny but sensuous island, my wife and I were waiting to board a flight to St. Maarten on Windward Airlines. To describe Windward as an airline is, in itself, a huge leap into metaphorical fantasy. It’s more like an ad hoc collection of natives who happened to wash up on the same beach only to find an abandoned plane. But I digress.

Eventually, a small airplane resembling a Tonka toy rolled up to the ramp outside the boarding area. Out stepped a young blonde-haired girl wearing khaki shorts and a shirt with four stripes on the epaulettes adorning her lovely shoulders. In a too loud voice I joked: “Oh, my God! A toy airplane with a little girl pilot.” Others in the small area overheard and we all shared a good natured laugh. Unfortunately, the girl overheard and said with a giggle, “Don’t worry. I do this every day.”

I sheepishly looked around and saw three other pilots. All older. All men. Whew!

I breathed easier, but not for long. When our flight was called you can guess who was our pilot and which airplane was to transport us. Right on!

The cute little thing smiled and very confidently said: “Welcome aboard,” to all six of us passengers. (I reflected on the fact that airlines refer to their passengers as ‘souls’.)

Now to the simile part. I would posit that a president is like your pilot. We never get to choose our pilot unless we own the plane, but an old aviation adage reminds us: There are old pilots. There are bold pilots. But there are no old, bold pilots. If one could vote for the guy in the front left seat, I would always opt for one with grey hair and a crumpled hat that screams “experience”.

Remember the Rolling Stones’ hit from the late sixties; the chorus of which is: “You can’t always get what you want. . . . but if you try, you just might find what you need.”?

That lyric comes to mind every election cycle.

Enter Donald Trump: stage right. He’s charismatic, opinionated, articulate and can charm a buck from a beggar. He’s also the odds-on winner at this early stage. But can he fly the damned plane? Does he have a flight director? Does he even know what a flight director is, or will he take off with only a couple of stewardesses? Can he tell North from South? Are we destined to end up like Air Malaysia?

The ‘little-girl’ pilot got us to St. Maarten that day not so long ago. No doubt my fingernail impressions are still on the armrests of that toy airplane – though I was somewhat comforted by the thought that I could probably swim the short distance to shore if necessary.

As next year’s election approaches, I’m tempted to add a new verse to the Stones’ song: “Be certain of what you want. It may not be what you need – and it’s a long swim home if you’re wrong.”

You are welcome.

More at: http://www.jameshpyle.com

When I was in college the good folks at Penn State would annually collect food and money to help feed the homeless. My British roommate at the time was a cynic. His comment during the effort in our senior year was: “What? Again?  We just fed them last year.”

Was he an uncaring bloke or prescient?

Probably both.

Large cities have wrestled with the homeless problem for decades with limited results; moving the problem from the streets to shelters that are decrepit, unsafe and filthy. The homeless purport that living on sidewalks over steam vents, beneath highway bridges, in subway stations and airports is preferable to life in city-run shelters.

New York is, once again, facing the problem from a purely political perspective. Gaining the vote of illogical voters is a higher priority than fixing the problem.

In New York City, Governor Cuomo and Mayor DeBlasio are feuding over who offers the best plan. Cuomo, in his State of the State address yesterday, put forth a $20 Billion plan to “add 100,000 permanent housing units over five years plus thousands of additional units of housing that would offer shelter and social services across the state”.

Last week DeBlasio announced that his administration would create 200,000 affordable housing units over the next ten years. (Affordable by whom, the homeless?)  He also announced plans to place cops in existing shelters to prevent criminal acts and painting the interiors to improve morale. (“The beatings will continue until morale improves.”)

Neither plan has a snowball’s chance in hell of getting funded, much less succeeding.

Cuomo doesn’t have the money to pay for the new facilities and there is no hope of building anything in a timely manner given that we are already in mid-winter – the worst period to be homeless. DeBlasio’s cops will refuse to police the facilities  and, if a crime occurs, where do they put the perpetrators?  In jail?   I don’t think so.

There may be a cheaper, better solution.  First, it is important to realize that the majority of these people have deeper problems than just homelessness. Many have mental health and/or drug/alcohol abuse problems.

On the optimistic assumption that money can be found somewhere to build these units, how long will it take until they are destroyed by the occupants?

Responsible folks who own a home or rent an apartment understand the importance of continuing maintenance. Cleanliness and repairs are essential to insuring a decent quality of life in any residence.

Do homeless folks have brooms, vacuums, cleaning supplies, paper towels, bug spray and other accoutrements essential to maintaining the property?  I don’t think so.

Nor do the poor and disadvantaged have the incentive to keep their living space hospitable. Drive through any public housing project and look at the garbage piled on curbs and the detritus thrown from windows (bed, chairs, etc.) onto adjoining lots or parking areas. There is no incentive to keep the place clean.

I offer an alternative ‘simple solution’. Once public housing units are made ready for occupancy, the resident will be charged with cleaning and maintaining his/her space using supplies and equipment provided by the city’s shelter. If the prospective inhabitant refuses to participate in the cleaning process – no admittance. If they do so properly, the space will be reserved for them the following night. If not, they forfeit the space to another.

This approach, in concert with private security guards’ registering all entrants, would offer a safe, clean alternative to the men’s room at LaGuardia or the Port Authority. It has the further benefit of protecting the real estate value of the shelter for years to come.

As my British roommate, who was an immaculate cleaner, would say:

You are welcome, mate.

For more, visit: http://www.jameshpyle.com

Good news!  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, a division of the Department of the Interior, has placed the African lion on its endangered species list.

What’s that, you ask?  We have African lions running around unprotected in this country? Really?

Before he died, none of us had ever heard of Cecil. But from the moment Walter Palmer, an American dentist, put a bullet through the lion’s head, it became the biggest African news story of 2015:  Much bigger than tribal atrocities, abduction and abuse of teenage girls and burning of villages.

For human rights activists trying to raise interest in wars and famine in places like Mali, the Sudan and Burundi, the attention that Cecil received was baffling – and said a lot about how Africa is perceived by the rest of the world.

With its all-white cast – the white hunter, the white guide, the white conservationist who raised the alarm – the story reinforced old colonial tropes. Yet again, Africa was seen through the actions and voices of white people, with black Africans relegated to the role of bit players. (Hollywood take note.)

Yes, Cecil the lion’s death was a tragedy.

Yes, we need to conserve Africa’s wildlife.

However, that the death of one African animal is still considered more interesting than the lives of countless African people is a blunt reminder that this continent is still far from being understood on its own terms.

Do Black Lives Matter in Africa, or only in America?

You are welcome.

For more go to:  http://www.jameshpyle.com

My friend Donald is preoccupied with Iowa and NH these days and has asked my help in selecting his cabinet so he can play golf immediately after January’s inauguration.  Here goes…

First: There are too many cabinet officers. We need to winnow the current fifteen to a manageable number, retaining only the necessary.

To be eliminated:  Commerce, Education, Energy and HUD.  All are useless wasters of taxpayer money. (Rick Perry take note.)

Also, Homeland Security would be eliminated as a cabinet position with key departments reassigned to other cabinets:  Coast Guard, Secret Service and TSA to Defense Dept., Citizenship, Customs and Immigration to Dept. of State;  FEMA to Dept. of Interior .

Next:  ‘Czars’ will be eliminated in their entirety.

For the remaining ten departments, I submit the following nominees:

1. Defense – Robert Gates. He is experienced, respected worldwide, fearless (and would temper Don’s assertiveness).
2. Health & Human Services – Dr. Ben Carson. Could there be a better choice?
3. Dept. of Interior – Julia Hill. A world renowned environmentalist who lives in a tree in California which she nicknamed “Luna”. Side benefit: We wouldn’t have to provide government housing.
4. Labor Department – Scott Walker. No other comments needed.
5. State Dept. – Carly Fiorina. She knows every world leader on first name basis, has good management skills and is such an annoying bitch that no third world leader would ever again request foreign aid.
6. Transportation – Elon Musk. Is there anyone more qualified to lead this group than the guy who brought us the Tesla, motorized scooters, SpaceX. etc.?
7. Treasury Dept. – Bernie Sanders. He’s the only one gutsy enough to suggest revamping the Federal Reserve, re-instituting Glass /Steagall, eliminating tax breaks for hedge funds and permanently banning anyone from Goldman Sachs from ever holding a government position.
8. Veteran’s Affairs – John McCain. Hands down the best choice. Anyone who objects should be water-boarded.
9. Attorney General – Chris Christy. Former prosecutor and heavy-weight defending champ. If he’s not available – Rudy Giuliani.
10. Agriculture – Suzanne Pyle. Degreed nutritionist to the stars, a recognized leader in organic foods and a perennial thorn under the saddle blanket of the Monsanto Agrichemicals Company.

So . . . There you have it, Don. The hard part of governing is done. Now, all you have to do is win!

You are welcome & Merry Christmas.

For more go to http://www.jameshpyle.com