My journey to Iran began with a going away party for my boss in a bar that I frequented in Littleton, Colorado- Sir Richards. He and I worked at Martin Marietta Aerospace had worked on a major proposal to the Air Force for the Space Tug program (using a Transtage module to send payloads in to high earth and geo-sync orbits) and also worked on a study concept proposal for reusable upper stage astrioinics presented in 1970 to the Air…
FOREIGN AID-RATIONALE AND DISTRIBUTION I am writing these thoughts as someone with a degree in Economics, with the intent to look at rationale and criteria for distribution of foreign aid. The definition given to me by one of my college professors, that inspired me to enter the field was “Economics deals with the allocation of scarce resources over competing ends”. These criteria are not meant to be all-inclusive, however, other considerations such as a security of an ally must also…
TRUMP’S STATED GOAL OF DECONSTRUCTION The admirable goal of the Trump administration was to deconstruct the administrative state. I understand the impetus behind the goal. During the Kennedy administration there were many fewer layers of government. Trump, however, has politicized every aspect of government to the extent that if you are a member of the administration and if you are a civil servant that disagrees with him on policy he calls them the “deep state”, or “Trump haters”. These civil…
AFGHANISTAN My view of Afghanistan is based on my understanding of Islam, living 4 years in Iran and Saudi Arabia and is coupled with the history of occupation. Afghanistan is a closed tribal Islamic society. Invaders thought history have failed to motivate a change to the basic tribal influence outside the urban centers. The country has always been the land crossroad from the Middle East to the Far East. Columbus was sent out to find an alternate overland route to…
COVID-19 WINNERS AND LOSERS I have considered the information from the Center for Disease Control (CDC), which has stated that the virus is new and no one has the antibodies to ward off the infection. Combine that with the estimate of 40 million will be infected if an inoculation is not made available within the next 13-18 months. The current mitigation efforts will only slow down the potential for the large numbers and without a therapy eliminating or moderating the…
A STABLE GENIUS Donald Trump is a self-described stable genius. I agree, his horse sense comes straight from the stable. His pathetic use of politics as a tool during a pandemic makes him an accomplice in the response or lack thereof. He does not want the responsibility for the botched initial response, so if there is a failure he is not responsible. That’s why he gave the responsibility to the individual states and put Pence in charge. Risking the reflection…
ASSIMILATION AND IMMIGRATION AN OBSERVATION Ronald Reagan upon leaving office opined that a country that closes its boarders to immigration ceases to be a world power. The wisdom of Ronald Reagan is profound when you consider that the average intelligent quotient (IQ) of anyone that is multi-lingual is 15 points higher than the average population. Languages like Chinese and Japanese with 100’s of symbols also when learning another language are more likely to out-perform students that speak only one…
CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES China is in a crossroad with its population and its agriculture production. The United States history appears be used as an example for what is to come in China. With the industrial revolution in the U.S. came the mechanization of farming. Prior to mechanism the form of U.S. farming consisted of small family farms, similar to family farms on father’s side, for generations, or larger farms with 20-30 farmhands like the farm owned by my…
REDUCING MEDICAL COSTS POLICY PAPER There is a way to reduce the cost of both Medicare and medical insurance. By simple changes to Medicare, I can make the case that costs will decrease for both Medicare and medical insurance companies. Its called Medicare at 55. Here are the changes and requirements which can reduce costs to the insured. First allow individuals to opt into Medicare at 55 as their choice. Have current rules for Medicare apply with the following changes:…
THE VOTING PUBLIC In my old age I have never understood why the low information voter is more than willing to vote against their own best interest. I call these sheep voters similar to the clerics calling their following a flock. A candidate that uses a perceived enemy can also garner support from the ill-informed. These sheep also includes single issue voters. The next category of voter is the voter convinced that one candidate flawed, is being investigated, or…