Vietnam Photo--Men of the 69th

 I believe he's eating from a Care package my mom sent.

Vietnam Photo-R&R

 

Dave Williams and I are going to Tokyo on R&R. I seem to have lost the photos from that.

Missed Opportunities for Indexing

 Over the years our society has indexed a number of things--Social Security is indexed to the consumer prices, ETF's are indexed to various indices, income tax rates are indexed to consumer prices, etc.  Some social programs are means-tested and indexed to income. 

An index has two advantages IMO: it allows for gradual changes and it establishes a linkage between social factors. The gradual change is important: big changes get more recognition than gradual ones.  And psychology tells us that people get upset by the perception of loss, an upset which isn't balanced by their appreciation of gains. "Graduating" has similar effects.

I think we, especially liberals, should take more advantage of indexing.  For example, in 1993 the Clinton administration backed off its energy tax because of opposition from rural Democrats, particularly senators, and saw an increase in the gas tax as a fallback.  But what we should have done is index the gas tax to inflation. The effect would have been roughly to double the value of the tax. 

Another example: Obamacare was passed with a mandate, a financial penalty for not enrolling. What would have happened if we had graduated the penalty, Lessening the initial pain might have enabled the mandate to be preserved, instead of repealed by a Republican Congress. 

Vietnam Photo-Cathedral

 

This was in Saigon; I'm assuming a Catholic cathedral. Ngo Dinh Diem, the president of South Vietnam after the 1954 settlement which ended France's colonial rule, was a Catholic.

We Were Wrong (Third World)

 Noah Smith writes about China's economic progress and its problems here.

His description of the progress China's made reminds me of how wrong/mistaken internationalist liberals were in the 50's and 60's. Back then it seems to me our focus was on the need for foreign aid to help the "Third World" to advance.  I'm thinking of people like Barbara Ward. For all that our hearts were in the right place, I think it's fair to say we never conceived of China's path out of severe poverty. 

Thank goodness we were wrong, because foreign aid, while important and helpful, never reached the levels we thought were necessary. 

USDA Is Last (in Vaccinations)

 That is reported by GovExec here: " The Veterans Affairs Department and Social Security Administration joined USDA in bringing up the bottom of the pack, with all three agencies holding vaccination rates under 88%." 

I suspect the three agencies share a feature--extensive field staffs located in red states.  I know from some posts on the Facebook page for the FSA employee group that whether or not to get the shots caused some angst.  FSA for one is culturally conservative. 

Vietnam Photo--Street Scene

I liked the conjunction of the traffic mostly of bicycles with the Esso station. This would have been in the outskirts of Saigon, IIRC.

Sounds Like Advantage to Females?

 Steve Kelman reports on research in Federal Computer Week--"soft skills" help team performance. To me it reads as if teams will work better if they have at least one stereotypical woman.

Vietnam Photo

 This was a building in downtown Saigon. We didn't often drive through the city. When I first arrived in Vietnam before I got the camera, when I was running a generator it was at the MAC-V headquarters, IIRC. 

Vietnam Photo

 

I don't know any background to this statue--who or what it memorialized. Given the location and the time, my interpretation is it honors Vietnamese soldiers who fought for the French or the Republic of Vietnam (i.e. South Vietnam).

Alcohol and Weed

 Politico has a post on Prohibition, stating the case for prohibition being a reasonable reform with supporters ranging from Washington to Lincoln.  The writer is a historian with a new book out.  My mother was death on alcohol; looking back I'm not sure why.  I'm thinking there was some element of experience there, possibly from neighbors, or within the family; I don't know, I never asked. 

I can buy some of the argument, certainly the part about alcohol being one of the Progressive reform causes. Comparing the brewers and distillers to the today's peddlers of oxycontin and fentanyl is good, as is pointing to the impact of firewater on Native Americans.

Meanwhile, there are reports of national Republicans supporting the legalization, or at least the decriminalization, of marijuana. That's amazing to me, but it seems that it's the wave of the future.

I can't come out with just one standard rule for alcohol and drugs which I think would work for all times and all societies. 

Vietnam Transport

 Many of the photos I shot were during trips between Long Binh and the company's HQ near Tan Son Nhut.  All were 35 mm slides; I forget the type of film but many didn't hold their color so I've tried to adjust using Google Photo tools.

An End to Fence-Building?

 Modern Farmer reports  on a "no fence" system for goats.  Unlike "no fence" systems for cats and dogs, no buried wire marking the boundary is needed, just GPS  and other sensors.

It seems as if the same technology would work for any mammal, which would mean an end to one spring routine--fixing fence, which involved replacing fence posts which had rotted, driving in fence posts which were still good but had been heaved up by the frost, replacing rusted out barbed wire, etc.  

Laws about fencing date back centuries.  Depending on the agriculture in the area sometimes it was the responsibility of the animal owner to fence his herd in, in other areas the responsibility of the crop grower to fence out free roaming animals. "No fence" tech would seem to be the responsibility of the animal owner. 

One blogger I follow is Foothill Agrarian who raises sheep in California. He and some of the organic farmers have a system where they move their grazing animals from one field to another, or paddock to another, which involves movable fences.  Invisible fences would ease that work. 

The Vaccinated Are Smarter?

 I'd answer "yes", if you're smart enough to get yourself vaccinated, you're smarter than your unvaccinated friend or relative.  And I'd point to this CDC study (via Lawyers, Guns and Money--Paul Campos) which shows a big difference in death rates between the two groups: vaccinated and unvaccinated.

The big thing about the study is the difference is based on death rates excluding Covid.  

Homicides, Car Accidents

 Homicides are up, fatal car accidents are up.  I suggest it's a combination of factors (that's always a safe suggestion):

• the pandemic, obviously.  We've built up a lot of frustration as we've had to adapt to change.
• Trump.  Leaders can set the tone.  In the former guy's case the tone he set was to act out your emotions, to be angry at situations you can't control, and to bully the people you can. (Wrote this yesterday, but see AOC making a similar point today--the tone set from the top can matter. 

  AOC links Gosar's video to a "nihilism" among Republicans holding that nothing Congress does really matters or is meaningful pic.twitter.com/zFYlFwI3f9

  — Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 17, 2021)

• for homicides, there's likely been an impact on policing from the "defund police" etc. 

A New Day Dawning? Leahy

 Sen. Leahy has announced he won't run for reelection next year.  On the Newshour Lisa Lerer commented on the number of old farts who are in the Dem leadership of Congress, and their impending retirements.

There's likely a transition coming for Dems, certainly in the House, more probable in the Senate if the next two elections turn out awful for the Dems.  

Currently it seems as if the Reps are on a firm course: Trump the likely nominee in 2024, McCarthy as Speaker, but McConnell won't last past 2024 if Trump is elected. The Dems are less clear: will Biden run for election, if not can Harris get the nomination or will it be someone else. If there's primary fight for 2024 will the nominee be defeated by Trump, as Carter was defeated by having a divided party behind him. 

My guess would be that Pelosi leaves if Dems lose the House in 2022. 

Why We Fight the Last War

 I've written before about my Harshaw rule--we never get it right the first time. 

I just realized this morning that there's a logical corollary: we always fight the last war.  Why? It's what we know, and when we're in a crisis, a new situation with high stakes, we revert to what we know.   The Harshaw rule says we don't get it right the first time because we lack the understanding and the habits needed to deal with newness.  

(This was spurred by an article in the papers saying that we responded to the pandemic recession by doing what we did for the Great Recession.)

[Updated with link]

Afghanistan Refugees

 An article in the Post yesterday on the arrival of Afghan refugees in in American society, particularly in the DC area.  Some children are already enrolled in local schools.  There's a NOVA RAFT (Resettling Afghan Families Together) helping--they've a Facebook page and an Amazon wish list.

My sister was active for many years in the interfaith group which worked settling refugees in the Syracuse area.

Changes in the Blog--Vietnam

 Over the years this blog has changed some.  Without going back and reading early posts, I think I wrote extensively on FSA/USDA, a focus which has declined over the years.  I think I've always been cautious about offering opinions, but I've become more political over the last 5 years or so.  I've rarely discussed personal matters. 

I'm changing a bit--having started to review some of the photographs I accumulated over the years I think some might find them interesting, particularly those from Nam.

I may have mentioned I spent 11 months 11 days in Vietnam during 1966-67 as a generator operator assigned to the 69th Signal Battalion. Shortly after I arrived I bought a SLR Pentax and started taking some picture. My company HQ was at Tan son nhut (airport)  in Saigon, but by this time I was stationed at Long Binh, a logistics base some 12 miles northeast of Saigon. My group ran generators for a communications center, which was located a bit outside the base's perimeter (I think; ignorance of the bigger picture was standard in the Army then).

This was late in my tour, as the communication center has now been enclosed in a building.  I'm reading (not sure who snapped the photo) by one of the two generators.  

More on Unemployment Insurance Systems

 I noted the use of COBOL in state unemployment insurance systems. 

This GovExec article describes what the Biden administration is doing.  I wish them luck, and persistence.

The Extended Mind

 The Extended Mind is an ambitious book, one which tries to link together a lot of science and social science research into many subjects.  Part of the discussion is the way in which our body affects our mind and brain; if we sense, gesture, or move it impacts the working of our brains in specific areas and ways. Space also impacts: are we in natural surroundings or built ones, can we use space to extend our memory (the "memory palace" method).  Finally how do groups (experts, peers, diverse groups) affect us.  The thrust of the discussion is how we can use the information/research to improve our thinking and effectiveness.

I found myself skimming. One of the Amazon reviews complains about the author's narration in the audible book being monotonal; there's something of a monotone about her writing as well (it would have been improved by following her own advice--adding graphics to the book, particularly for the "conclusions"). It would have been more useful if I were younger.   I did skim all the way through, and actually I found the last chapter ("thinking with groups") the most interesting, likely not in the way she intended.

As I read, two phenomena came to mind: the death of the concertgoers in Houston and Trump's rallies. She writes about how groups, particularly students or coworkers, can be more effective, but some factors are common: a common focus (speaker, performer) and common engagement.  Both were likely present in Houston and in Trump's rallies. I suspect I'm not too different from many liberals in dismissing the rallies in the past. But after reading the chapter I'm reconsidering, particularly in the light of Houston. Just because I'm proudly individualistic (I write with tongue in cheek) doesn't mean that others are. 

Whither Bipartisanship?

 Nancy Pelosi led a delegation of Congressional Democrats to the climate change conference in the UK. 

I'm old enough to remember when we used to have bipartisan representation during many major international efforts.  I don't know when that stopped.

NIMBY and Racism

 Recent articles on how industrial areas, particularly those with undesirable side effects such as air or water pollution from chemicals or what we used to call "junkyards", are located in or near black areas.  The usual theory is the choice of the site was racist in a sort of generic way.  

I used to try to slow my employees down when they tried to explain something to me--usually I wanted a step by step approach to get things clear in my mind.  That temperament is perhaps one reason I resist the implied explanation. 

I can imagine a cascade of NIMBYism that produces the end result without anyone involved in the decision making process being consciously racist.  Both a reaction against a proposed siting decision by rich and powerful neighbors, or the anticipation of trouble by those making the decision could play a part, as could a higher cost of land.  That's even assuming there was a decision point, rather than a more unplanned evolution of land use.

Should Agency HQ's be in DC?

 One argument against the Trump administration's moves of BLM and the USDA agencies out of DC was the need to work closely with the rest of the administration and Congress.

There's a hint in this discussion of CDC director Walensky (the HQ is in Atlanta but she seems to be working from MA?) that CDC is being hurt by the location.

Participatory Budgeting

 Apparently the recent elections authorized something called "participatory budgeting" in Boston (the link seems to say it's more of an exploration than a cut and dried deal). First I'd heard of it, although there's an organization devoted to promoting it.

Without knowing anything about it I don't like it.  I don't get many comments on this blog, but the longest exchange I had with anyone was on this issue, although neither the proponent nor I called it that.  I think my resistance is based on inheriting some "Progressive" or "goo-goo" ideas--the concept that professionals in management know better than mere citizens about what is needed and how to do it.  (I wrote the preceding sentence with tongue-in-cheek, and am only half serious.) 

I may look at it more seriously now, or I may get lazy and pass. 

Youngkin in Oval in 2025?

 Since McAuliffe lost in VA on Tuesday, attention turns to the victor; Mr. Youngkin. He's youngish (56) and obviously ambitious, so where does he go.  Virginia governors are term-limited, so in 2025 he'll be looking for a new job. Senator Kaine presumably will run for reelection in 2024, so one possibility is to run for that seat. 

Youngkin seems to combine some assets: a pleasing persona, enough political ability to thread the needle between Trump and Virginia moderates, a resume combining achievements in finance and in religion, plus the requisite family (four children).

There's discussion today of whether his campaign sets a pattern for the Republicans in the future.  The attack on CRT and support of charter schools is a tie to the right, while otherwise he seems to have a more conventional Republican platform.  So I think the test will be whether he can navigate the politics of the next two years, and lead the Republicans to a takeover of the Senate and increased margin in the House of Delegates in 2023.  If that happens, he'd make a good dark horse candidate.  

The "Essential America"

 Children believe in essentialism. So did ancient Greeks, apparently, according to the wikipedia article.  I don't.

Is "America" essentially a racist country, a white-dominated country, a city on the hill, a light unto the world, an imperial hegemon, a pillar of human rights?  My answer is some of all of the above, more so at different times in history and less so at other times, in some places and at some times.

In other words, it's complicated.

The Nose of the Camel and Government Programs

 This Politico piece traces the history of the pension program for Civil War veterans (Union army) from very limited coverage to close to universal, ending with its last payment in 2020 to a widow. It argues that because the vets developed an effective lobby organization (Grand Army of the Republic) they were able to expand the program over the years.  It goes on to cite the 20th century's Social Security and Medicare programs as similar cases where a program limited initially was expanded subsequently. All of this is in service to an argument that possibly the programs included in Biden's "Build Back Better" might have a similar destiny.

I don't quarrel with the writer's logic and hope for the expansion of BBB programs.  I do offer the instance of USDA farm programs as another instance of the expansion of government programs, an instance which is even more noteworthy than his examples.

In the years since the Agricultural Adjustment Act was passed, programs have expanded to cover not only seven or eight field crops, but oilseeds, fruits and vegetables, specialty crops, aquaculture, apiculture, etc.  The only crops whose programs have been reduced as of now are tobacco, peanuts, and naval stores.

Does College Broaden One?

I read this the other day:

A university is a place where minds should be opened, not closed; where perspectives should be broadened, not narrowed; where biases should be challenged, not confirmed. It would appear that many of our universities are failing at this critically important role.

It started me thinking.  When I went to college that was true.  But then I was coming from a mostly rural area and background, living in a time when my knowledge of the world was mostly limited to reading magazines and the Binghamton Press newspaper, short news broadcasts on NBC, and the books available at home and in the school library..  So encountering the variety of people and courses at college was definitely broadening, particularly socially, since I was already leaning liberal and agnostic.  College opened a world of choices to me, or at least made more real the choices I had vague glimpses of when in high school.

Would that be true today? I don't think so, at least for me.  If I were growing up today, I'd have had access through the internet to more information than all of my professors had in 1959, not to mention movies, videos, social media, porn, from across the  world.  If I wished, which I think I would have, I could have explored a multitude of careers and livestyles in great detail.

The "university" by its name has always been a place to encounter the universe of knowledge, but it no longer has a monopoly; it has to share its special position with the web. I think the change must affect the role of college as a rite of passage, marking a big change in one's life, and therefore collegiate culture. How can college be a liberating, a broadening experience when the incoming student has already experienced the variety of social media?  It can't, and students, at least enough students to make a fuss, want something different.

When I went to college activists were still protesting against "in loco parentis" rules, curfews, etc.,  We thought we were adults, and wanted recognition accordingly, using that as fuel for our rebellion against our elders. We wanted college to be a place of freedom.  These days the activists, both liberal and conservative, want school to be a refuge, a safe place for their identities.