The Post-Journal

                 Is College Important Anymore?

LOCAL COMMENTARIES

OCT 21, 2023

ROLLAND KIDDER

 There seems to be a growing chorus that a college education isn’t worth it anymore…that the quicker a young person can find a good job the better.

I must tell you up front that I am not in that camp. I come from the “old school,” and believe that there is a lot more to college than just punching a ticket to get a job.

To that end, I enjoyed reading a recent article in the Financial Times titled “University is more than just a springboard to a job.”

I am a case in point. I went to college for four years and got a “Bachelor of Arts” degree in history. Then went to seminary and received a “Bachelor of Divinity” in theology. Then, after spending 3 1/2 years on active duty in the Navy, I went to law school and received a “Doctor of Jurisprudence” degree.

Interestingly, I never ended up being a history teacher, minister, career Naval officer or much of a lawyer. I eventually went into politics full-time in the state legislature, started a natural gas exploration company, then worked as an investment advisor and ended my working career as Executive Director of a non-profit organization.

Okay, I admit that I was a bit “over-educated,” yet, I have always believed that the various levels of formal education I experienced helped me in the long run in wending my way through life. Sometimes life is more of a pilgrimage than a straight line when it comes to making a living.

The Financial Times article did state that “degrees tend to boost earnings,” “open networks that can provide a life-long career advantage,” and help greatly in “critical thinking skills.”

The overall gist of the article was that a university education has benefits beyond monetary benefits or in just being a means or pathway to a good job.

Getting away from home and being out on your own in a university setting helps you grow up. It exposes you to new ideas. Life becomes an open-ended opportunity not just a narrow track. Most often, it will lead to a specialty and a job–but it also will open you up to the bigger world which is out there.

The article concludes with these words: “The value of university is not only about the individual but also public good. Education should help inform citizens, vital in an age of disinformation.”

No, college is not for everyone, but we should also not underestimate its importance and the good it can do. My guidance to my kids was always: “Pursue your dream, and strive to get a college education along the way.” I still believe that is good advice.

We need to work as a society to make college more affordable, yet it will probably always require some personal investment. Despite its cost, as my Dad used to say: “Getting a college education is like incurring a mortgage to buy a home–it is a good debt to have.”

 

When Climate Policy Hits the Food Chain

 There was an interesting article recently in the Financial Times describing the outrage in Ireland when dairy farmers were told that they would have to cull cows from their herds because they are excreting too much nitrogen into the environment—meaning, in other words, that they are producing more manure than is now allowable under European Union regulations.

 The farmers have rebelled as they did in Holland when similar restrictions were being proposed there.

 Maybe, instead of looking at it as a producer’s problem, we should be asking urban dwellers/consumers what they would think about reducing or eliminating dairy products in their diet.  For example, if you live in Amsterdam, Dublin, or perhaps, Manhattan, are you ready to give up your wine and cheese at night for, let’s say, wine with chips and salsa?

 Of course, that still gets us back to agriculture…but it would now be vegetable based--corn and tomatoes instead of dairy and cheese.  Though, then, with less cow manure to help fertilize the fields, we would need more artificial nitrogen-based fertilizer made from natural gas and chemical plants in order to grow the additional corn and tomatoes to do that. 

 And, that means we would need to consume more fossil fuels which everybody says are bad for the environment—which makes you wonder whether forcing farmers in Europe to reduce the size of their dairy herds makes any sense at all in the first place.

 I guess what it points to is that enforcing any kind of climate policy has its limits, especially when it starts affecting our food chain.

 After reading the article, it made me “dig” a little deeper into other environmental policies like carbon capture.  From what I could read, a beautiful, green cornfield near where I live, captures about 3/4ths of a metric ton/acre of carbon dioxide each summer as the corn plants take it out of the air during photosynthesis.

 Compare that to an acre of concrete, masonry buildings in Manhattan which take no carbon dioxide out of the air, but just add to it each and every day.  Maybe to solve the climate crisis, we should just ban people from living in cities where there is little or no green space and no carbon capture going on.

 I doubt that we will get to that.  There are just too many people and too many votes living in the cities to ever get that done.

 Yet, it makes you wonder.  Why should we be putting the onus of cleaning up the planet on dairy farmers and cheese producers?  Is it because there are so few of them?

 Maybe the deep thinkers in places like Brussels, Washington, Albany, etc. who are coming up with all of these ideas need to take a step back and think things through a bit.   I doubt that any of them are ready to give up enjoying the cheese they savor as an hors d’oeuvre before dinner and, who knows, wine could be the next thing to go.  A lot of energy, fertilizer, pest control, etc. goes into viniculture to say nothing of the heat, energy and raw material it takes to make a glass wine bottle.

 And, if we were to ban wine as well as cheese—then we really would have a crisis on our hands!

 

Mother Nature Again Returns To The Lake

                                                                                    SEP 16, 2023

ROLLAND KIDDER

I know that technically fall doesn’t begin until the autumnal equinox, now a week away. But, for all practical purposes, it has begun already on the lake.

After Labor Day weekend, the human footprint dramatically decreases. The boat traffic is down by more than half, the jet skis and speed boats have virtually disappeared, and things are returning to mother nature–the way that they always do.

Some of it has to do with school restarting and all of the extra-curricular/sports activities that come with that. Vacations have been spent and it is back to work full-time for many. The Chautauqua Institution Season is over and its parking lots are nearly empty. There are a lot of reasons that people leave the lake this time of year.

However, in truth, it is mother nature herself who dictates the end of summer. The days are now shortening at a galloping speed, leaves are starting to turn yellow and will soon have shades of red. The last of the flowering plants–in our case, hibiscus, are in their final days of bloom. The impatiens will hang around, some until the first freeze, but then they too will disappear almost overnight.

Perhaps the singular, most telling sign of fall is that you can pretty much count on wonderful, cool, late afternoon breezes which make for great sleeping at night.

Close to sunset last week, it was especially quiet on the lake. There was no wind, the water was still and not a boat in sight. Then out of nowhere came the screech of a couple of eagles as they swooped in to do some fishing. They had been around all summer, but on this evening–they had the lake to themselves. It was beautiful.

Of course, there is still the ever-present presence of the fishermen, a vestige of human impact which really never leaves the lake–but, I exempt them from the rest of the predominantly people-centric activities on the lake. Fishermen always just blend in with the scene, don’t make much noise and come and go as the weather lets them. They are almost as much a part of mother nature as the eagles and waterfowl.

Soon, the lake will be outlined with the beautiful colors of fall. They won’t reach their peak until sometime in October, but you can usually count on at least one or two weekends of incredible autumn colors on Chautauqua Lake.

The best sunsets are usually seen by those living on the east side of the lake, but I have always contended that the fall foliage is best seen by those of us living on the west side who see the colors at their brightest when the trees are lighted up as we look east during the last, angled rays of refracted sunlight just as the sun is descending to the horizon. That is still to come.

Okay. You and I know what comes after that–the cold and snow. I don’t like it as much as I used to you, but when it starts, the lake really goes into “mother nature” mode, though it can be a little “blah” then with overcast skies and cold-looking water.

But, fear not…the ice will be coming next and after that the ice fishermen–and then the whole process starts over again as the days will begin to get longer. Mother nature is still in charge!

 

 The Post-Journal

Frustration Of Dealing With The Impersonal

                                                                                        JUL 29, 2023

ROLLAND KIDDER

 It may be because of my age, but I am becoming more irritated and frustrated by what I would call the prevalence of the “impersonal” in today’s society.

Whether it is being besieged by robo-calls, incoming spam calls, or trying to navigate my way through the world of “smart” phones–I am coming to believe that there is a concerted effort in our culture to minimize the personal touch in our lives. I come from the “old school” of wanting to actually speak with a person I know, rather than with an answering machine asking me to push various buttons on my phone.

I suspect that some of these aspects of technology have been specially developed to deal with old, recalcitrant guys like me. I am a bit amazed now that when I have a medical appointment of any kind, I am supposed to text “Y” or “C” (yes or confirmed) that I will be there. I can understand that sociological data probably show that at my age I may forget that I have an appointment. Still, I am bit insulted when the same message comes by phone and email as well as text. Do they really think that I have lost it that much?

Now, the tech world is promoting a whole new line of non-personal contact called “artificial intelligence” or “AI.” I really don’t want anything to do with it. I don’t like it now when I make an “800” call and get connected with a person I don’t know at a call center in Kansas City. However, I prefer that to being connected to a machine in India or China which will make you think there is an actual person talking to you when there really isn’t. No. That’s not for me.

It has been interesting to see recently that the screenwriters’ and actors’ unions in Hollywood have gone on strike, and some of it deals with the fear of being replaced by AI. If computers can create images that act like real people or write script better than humans can–then, who needs actors and screenwriters? We have seen automation in American industry before, but nothing like the challenges that artificial intelligence is now bringing.

I have written before at times about feeling like Don Quixote “flailing at windmills,” and thus know that I am unlikely to change anything about any of this. And, let’s face it, it is hard to feel sorry for Hollywood. Nevertheless, I would prefer seeing and listening to real actors and actresses, rather than being fooled by a computer into thinking that they are real.

It is one more way in which the impersonal is foisting itself upon us. I must admit, I don’t like it. Where it will end, I don’t know.

Maybe the time will come when a computer will choose the cuisine and even talk to you when you go out to dinner…but I hope not. I still like ordering my food at a restaurant and having a good conversation over dinner with real people. I have had enough of the impersonal.

 

The Futility Of Renaming Things

                                                                                    JULy 15, 2023

ROLLAND KIDDER 

I read recently where a group was removing the name “Audubon” from its organization because somewhere, in the past, John James Audubon had owned slaves. Does that mean that his name should forever be removed from the annals of natural history and ornithology?

If so, then shouldn’t the Washington Monument be renamed? What about the Jefferson Memorial? Should Andrew Jackson’s name be taken off the twenty-dollar bill? These former Presidents owned slaves. Should Abe Lincoln’s name even be considered being tarnished because he waited until three years into the Civil War before he announced the Emancipation Proclamation?

I am a deep believer in civil rights for everyone in America. As far as I know, no one in my family ever owned slaves. But, what if some of my ancestors moved south after they arrived in this country in 1649 and ended up owning slaves. Does that mean I should change my own name?

What I am saying is that I think there must come a time in our lives and national history when we need to move beyond what may have been the indiscretions and sins of our forefathers. That does not mean that we should forget about evils from the past or not accept our history as a nation that once embraced slavery. What it does mean is that we need to rise above the idea that “name-changing” can erase all of that.

I took my kids for many years to “Audubon Weekend” at Allegany State Park. We have been members for many years of the local Audubon Center. Audubon will be most remembered for his contributions to bird-watching and advancing the study of natural history. That is what “Audubon” means to me.

George Washington owned slaves, but he will always be remembered as the southern gentlemen who became a military man, and then led the country through five grueling years of a Revolutionary War to final victory over the British at Yorktown.

Thomas Jefferson not only owned slaves, but fathered children by a slave. Yet, he also wrote the Declaration of Independence which was grounded in the principle that “all men are created equal”-a truth that would end up bringing an end to slavery.

If any support of slavery is to be deemed to be just cause for renaming things, then one could even argue that any who helped create the Constitution could be culpable because that initial document included the three-fifths clause — that slaves would be counted not as citizens, but as three-fifths of a person when it came to apportioning votes in the Congress.

In short, I think that the whole idea of renaming things from times past puts us on the “slippery slope” of trying to redefine history itself. It is better to let things be, admit to mistakes and sins of the past, but not to continually try to rewrite history.

Where could it all end? Should we rebury soldiers in Arlington Cemetery where up until World War II, black Americans were buried in separate sections of the cemetery from white Americans. No, I say. Let them be. These graves are a witness to a time when legalized segregation was still a part of our history.

History is what it is-for good or for bad. We cannot rewrite and rectify it by renaming or trying to change everything that may have been tainted by it.

 

 

            Post-Journal 

Wars Are Hard To Manage

LOCAL COMMENTARIES

JUL 1, 2023

ROLLAND KIDDER

I noted some time ago in this space that wars are easy to start but difficult to end. Vladimir Putin is also finding out that they are hard to manage.

Recently, one of his primary underlings, a thug by the name of Prigozhin, broke ranks and for a day or two was advancing on Moscow with his troops called the “Wagner Group.” Wagner is the name given to a large force of private mercenaries who have undertaken strong-arm action on behalf of Russia in places like Syria and Africa. They had also, most recently, been the primary Russian force attacking Ukraine in the Bakhmut area.

The problem for Putin is that Prigozhin, a protoge of his who started his criminal enterprise under the guidance of Putin, got a bit “big for his britches” and resisted when his troops were told that they would have to become a part of the Russian Army. The Wagner Group despises the Russian military command and looks upon the Russian Army as second rate.

Putin probably could have controlled things if he had limited Wagner’s influence to special overseas operations. But, by giving them a leading role in attacking Ukraine…he emboldened them. Now, “the chickens have come home to roost.” The Russian leader created a competing force to his own military and, thus, is reaping the fruits of his own making.

It is difficult to say how all of this will play out. Putin over-played his hand, but Prigozhin and his Wagner Group also had to pull back. They just weren’t strong enough to take on the whole Russian military machine.

A sad thing about war is that it is not only cruel and devastating–it is also unpredictable. In his self-imposed isolation as the kingpin of Russia, no one seemed to be more surprised by the mutiny of the Wagner forces than Vladimir Putin.

Some commentators believe that Prigozhin is a “walking dead man,” and that it is only a matter of time before Putin takes him out. But, Putin, himself, is now tarnished in the eyes of his own people. As the Wagner Group marched on Moscow–Putin came out from hiding and made a direct appeal to the Russian people to resist. That didn’t embellish his strong-man, don’t worry, “I’m totally in charge” persona. He has now become more vulnerable politically.

Some prognosticators believe that all of this will help Ukraine. But, in my view, it is too early to tell if it will change anything on the battlefield. Ukraine, thus far, has not been able to crash through the bunkers, trenches and minefields that Russia has built in the eastern part of its country. Ukraine needs to push on for another 60-80 miles to the Sea of Azov and cut-off Russian land access to Crimea if its offensive is to be successful.

From the standpoint of the democracies of the world, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine must be stopped and, hopefully, that can happen without it becoming a worldwide conflict that sucks everybody in. In the meantime, the war rolls on as a giant wave of unpredictability worrying and affecting all of us.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident and a Vietnam veteran.

 

 

‘Woke’ And Other Bogus Political Terms

JUN 24, 2023

ROLLAND KIDDER

This was the title of a recent article in the Financial Times that caught my eye. We see this word a lot these days, but there are also a lot of similar words of what I would call political “slang” that get thrown around–and I often wonder what exactly they do mean.

I had assumed, for example, that “woke” actually referred to people formerly called “liberals” or “reformers.” Such people were usually looking to government for various kinds of social change. However, this article defines “woke” as “the number one meaningless word which is used to signify ‘any acknowledgment of racism or sexism’, ‘expressing an opinion while black or female’, or just ‘a new thing that I don’t like.’ “ However you define it, it seems that “woke” is a word meant to be a negative description, by those using the term, of someone who takes a position somewhere on the political spectrum other than where they are.

Another such political term, according to the article, is the word “witch hunt.” It no longer refers to the actual hunting for witches, as in the old Salem witch trials. Instead, it is a word that “has become the first refuge of any political scoundrel in legal trouble.”

Or, what about this word–the “media,” or sometimes phrased “the mainstream media?” I had always thought that this word applied to major newspapers, radio and TV networks, and such organizations as the Associated Press. However, it is used now primarily as a term to describe a concerted, organized, purported effort at disinformation. The article says that so used “it is a meaningless word because there are countless very different media, which don’t act in concert.”

One more example–the words “fake news.” It used to mean that what we thought was real news, was being made up, sometimes being created by “trolls producing false content that masqueraded as news on Facebook.” But, today, the article states, these words have been “repurposed” by some politicians “to mean any news story inconvenient to the speaker.”

What this article pointed to, in my mind, is the fact that labeling people or issues with simple words or slogans is, in fact, a means to avoid real communication. What we need is actual dialogue and discussion in our body politic…not sloganeering.

For example, instead of stating ones’ position as being “woke” or “anti-woke,” why not actually have a discussion of an issue at stake? A good starting point might be to talk about something contentious, like illegal immigration. Why is it happening? What about those awaiting a decision on the legality of their entry, i.e. if not legally a “refugee,” do they still qualify for asylum? How do we protect the border? Do we need new legislation to deal with the problem? Should Texas be sending busloads of those crossing the border to other places? What happens if they come here? Etc.

Handling controversy in this way, through serious discussion and dialogue, is the American way of doing things. We may never agree but, at least, we can come to an understanding of our disagreement; and, perhaps, can find some common ground in the process.

As to one or two-word political “sloganeering”–I have had enough of it. It is not good for the country.

 

 

 

 

 

 

History Continues To Repeat Itself

LOCAL COMMENTARIES

JUN 3, 2023

ROLLAND KIDDER

 

I know that most believe that we are living through one of the most contentious periods in American history. Yet, after recently re-reading David McCullough’s biography on John Adams, I was again reminded of how acrimonious politics has been throughout our nation’s history.

Adams, as we know, was one of the founding fathers and was elected as our second President in 1796. Though a rather “low-key” kind of guy, he was constantly vilified by his opponents, and was actively opposed even by his own Vice President, Thomas Jefferson. On his last day in office, one newspaper reveled in his departure, hoping that once he returned to his home in Braintree, Massachusetts “Mrs. Adams may wash his befuddled brain clear.”

The acrimony in our politics had begun even earlier during George Washington’s second term. The revered Washington had come to be referred by some as the “American Caesar,” and Thomas Paine had called him a “hypocrite in public life.” Washington, tired of criticism and wearied of politics, decided not to seek a third term. In his view, the developing “party system” of politics was not good for the country.

After becoming President, Adams, a Federalist, soon faced opponents even within his own party from men like Alexander Hamilton who wanted him to be tougher, support Britain and go to war with France. Adams, however, believed the young nation needed to stay out of war, and so he eventually concluded a treaty of peace with France. Old “friends” like Jefferson even accused him wanting to make the Presidency into a monarchy akin to that of the English King. Adams wanted no such thing.

And then there were political “upstarts” at the time who came out of nowhere and who had little philosophy of government other than self-promotion. They were especially despised by Adams. One was Aaron Burr, described by Adams as “seeing this dexterous gentleman rise like a balloon, filled with uninflammable air….”(Does that not remind you of some present-day politicians?)

At least, in the early days of the country, most political differences were couched in arguments alleging noble ideas. The Federalists were pushing for a strong central government in order to bolster the prospects for the new United States. Almost immediately, there emerged the “Anti-Federalists” (eventually referred to as democratic “republicans,”) who believed in strong government at the state level but wanted a weaker form at the federal level. Much of that feeling was founded on the fear that the commercial north would try to dominate the rural (and slave-owning) south through the power of the federal government.

Interestingly, these old political breakdowns still sound familiar today. Fear still prevails in the south and in rural America, that the nasty federalists (now Democrats) from the north will try to impose their “big-government” will on the “freedom-loving people” of the south (now primarily Republican) and “never the twain shall meet.”

I suppose that we could argue all day about the intrigue and bitterness that characterized politics in the early days of our county. But, that is the point. Contentious politics has always been with us and, probably, always will be.

What the American people have done in the past and still have to do, is sift through the accusations and acrimony of politics and find the nuggets of unity underlying our system. Underneath the veneer is that love of country and freedom under law which, despite our differences, has made our democracy work.

Ours is a history that continues to repeat itself, and there is no way we can duck our obligations as citizens today to ensure that the system, as imperfect as it is, keeps working.

Rolland Kidder is a Stow resident.