politics | Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

Be Right, Not Politically Correct – Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

I have been tied up traveling for a new job the last week so wanted to check in and put some words on my keyboard.

Today, we woke up to the news that John Young has passed away at the age of 87 and he was an accomplished astronaut and an American hero.

I am a child of the 60s and 70s, so I have many memories lodged in the grey matter surrounding the space program and cold war competition that involved space.

John Young participated in the Gemini, Apollo, and Shuttle programs and traveled to space while attached to each.

As one of few individuals who walked on the moon, John was also one of the few squeaky wheels when it came to space program safety.
Most astronauts drifted off into the sunset and took advantage of fame in the civilian sector, but John Young as part of the NASA until 2004 when he officially retired in his 70s.
John Young impacted the world in many ways, and he lived his life based on his quote “You Don’t Want To Be Politically Correct, You Want To Be Right.”

Who can argue with a point like that?

Well, today it seems like we have become politically correct to a fault and if we do not wake up soon, progress will be impossible because of PC.

The politically correct (PC) world that has evolved over the last fifty (50) years is destroying society and stifling the benefits of diversity.

Don’t Let Others Talk Over You!!

This week, I started my new career at a large, diverse corporation that is 100 plus years old and has a cosmic footprint.

The primary goal of the orientation class appeared oriented at getting a diverse group of people to network and communicate. These are all great things.
Our orientation class had US citizens, foreign citizens, foreign nationals, numerous races, and undoubtedly many more HR classifications of people.
We were broken up into different teams through much of the day so you had the chance to work with everyone in orientation at least once and it was a successful day I believe.

After orientation class, a few of us were not flying out until the next day, so we walked the drizzly downtown streets until we found a small pub with food and drink.

We had a couple of drinks, and some great local fare food and after started discussing challenges encountered in today’s world.
It should not be a surprise that we have people at different ends of the political spectrum at the table, so a lively conversation occurred for probably sixty (60) minutes.
Being of the same generational age, we had much in common, but our life experiences were significantly different resulting in what our expectations of government intervention should be.
We ended the conversation civilly, and although neither of us swayed, we both made some thought-provoking points and learned that although different, we were closer than thought.

Diversity And Dialogue Is Great!!!

This line of thinking brings me back to what PC is doing to our world. A short list of why PC is negative includes.

Reduces Dialogue – People Do Not Want To Talk.
Offenders Run Over others – Shout Louder And Longer.
Makes Society Dumber – Close Your Eyes And Ears.
Increased Stubbornness And Ignorance – Hunker Down.
Freedom Of Speech Is Compromised – You Cannot Say That.
This Short List Just Scratches The Surface!!

Welcome to the 21st Century where it is becoming more like 1984 where Political Correctness is reducing diversity while acting as a champion for diversity and we are scratching our heads trying to learn what the new rules of the game are.

With that, I will say I would rather “Be Right, Not Politically Correct.” I also must thank John Young and other heroes like him that were willing to not cave in for PC.

Please share your thoughts surrounding this subject.

What Are Your Thoughts On Our PC World?
Who Are Your Non-PC Heroes?

I wish you health, safety, and success in 2018. It sure is great being fifty plus going on fifteen.

Jay Patterson

Why Do I Write An Editorial Blog – Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

Jay on ATV Riding My ATV At Cloud 9
You may ask why someone would write an editorial blog and if anyone would read it when written since there are so many editorials out there. I cannot tell you why others do this but I can tell you why I do this.

The reason I blog is that I need a way to release my thoughts, concerns, etc., for personal, professional, and other reasons. How did I get here?

In 2015, my life went through a number of twists and turns that were unexpected but who can really anticipate twists and turns since they just happen. Some of these twists included:

My mother experienced a serious stroke during the Superbowl that resulted in her residing in a nursing home for the remainder of her life.
- Weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly trips between North Dakota and Missouri the norm through all of 2015.
The company I worked for was sold to an investment company in March and with that sale, my position was significantly impacted even though I was asked to stay on for twelve (12) months.
- Much travel was required for work between our Missouri and Illinois offices.
All other senior staff at the company I worked at were terminated by the end of 2017 except for myself.
- I was the source of information for corporate history, information, and blame.

2016 ended up being a year of transition for me since the downhill trend continued from 2015.

The new management team and I disagreed on reporting accuracy.
- Accurate reporting without massaging, tweaking, etc. was a must.
Decisions were made by the new management team with limited input from knowledgeable employees.
- Changes impacting key competencies were made without being vetted.
I decided to move on and work as a consultant for other companies.
- Increased flexibility to travel home to see my parents.

2017 rolled around and I decided to work as a full-time employee since I was not able to invest the time to develop a customer base for consulting so I had breaks between jobs.

I was hired by a local sales and service company to transition them from shrink mode to grow mode.
- The company decided they did not want to go through the pain of transitioning so we parted ways.
After forty (40) years of working without a significant break, I decided to take some time to figure out what I wanted to do.
- This is when I initially started to blog and research other options including franchises, full-time employment, sales, etc.
Being offered an opportunity to help develop sales and support for a small company that has a national presence, I decided to accept the offer.

Unluckily, in May 2017, my mother’s health continued to decline and she passed away after a long fight. I was devastated by her death even though I had years to prepare for it.

During this time, I also realized that I had not emotionally dealt with my professional life either and had to get right both personally and professionally.

I started writing a journal but over time that was not enough to deal with the issues listed above so I decided to write an editorial blog to:

Get right personally since I do not have my mom to talk to.
Share professionally since I do not have my long-established circle of employees, peers, etc.
Deal with issues, challenges, etc. regarding being fifty plus going on fifteen.
Provide a boost to those that are fifty plus since it is not a death sentence.
Vent as required.

What do you do to help maintain personal and professional stability?

I want to thank each of you for visiting this blog and wish you health, safety, and success. It is great being fifty plus going on fifteen.

Jay Patterson

What Is Going On In 2017 – Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

I originally started writing this in early November prior to traveling for work. I was unable to complete do to work related priorities and much has occurred during the month of November to further emphasize this article. So here goes.

When 2016 came to an end, I sighed a breath of relief believing that there is no way 2017 could be any crazier. Well, it would appear that it is time to ask “what is going on” as we start the eleventh (11th) month of 2017.

During 2017, we have experienced both highs and lows as a nation and world but one thing for certain is that we are not safer based on terrorist attacks, lone wolf attacks, and unstable regimes. Perhaps, we are safer but we do not know it but in my opinion, the world has become a more unglued.

Beyond world safety, we live in a world of political chaos. Portions of nations are trying to succeed from nations, politicians are fighting with politicians in the same political parties, and there are power struggles between special interest groups with similar goals. What was up is down and what was down is up.
In recent weeks, it has become apparent that many of the rumors we thought were true regarding the entertainment industry have been validated as not only accurate but also hidden from view. In times like this, we need to question if rules are equally applied but I believe we all know the answer. I will discuss further later in this article.

Since starting on this article, much has occurred to solidify my concerns regarding good and evil which was addressed in an earlier article.

Who would believe that a small town congregation in Texas would be massacred by a lone gunman who illegally possessed weapons and slipped through the system destroying many lives in his short life. This tragedy fell off the front page of news agencies much as the Las Vegas massacre a month earlier. So sad.

Starting in October 2017, the news has been saturated with “Me Too” reports involving people in powerful positions. I do not believe anyone is shocked considering certain people have been protected or untouchable and I hope these individuals get what is due to them.
My concern with the “Me Too” is that the issue goes well beyond our leaders in entertainment, politics and business and is a problem that goes beyond sexual harassment. Why is sexual harassment the big news item other than because sex sells?

Harassment occurs in all economic, social, racial, religious and gender groups and needs to be treated equally. I do not believe someone that has been harassed in small town USA or urban USA is treated in the same manner as someone harassed by a big name but I could be wrong.

I am not minimizing the issue but I am making a point that harassment is not being treated equally a form of hate.

This week, evil did take a hit with the death of Charles Manson. It is hard to believe that in the late 60s the massacre of a few people by Charles Manson and his followers was considered unacceptable and all involved were sentenced to life in prison.

At one point in our history, murder was not as common place as in our current environment but the murder of Sharon Tate and her unborn child was brutal. It is truly my hope that Charles Manson suffers wherever he currently is.
2017 has been a year that we must all ask “what is going on” and do everything in our power to turn the tide.

What are your thoughts on the events of 2017?

Wishing you health, safety and success. Its great being fifty plus going on fifteen (50 plus going on 15).

Jay Patterson

Light Forces And Dark Forces – Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

With each day that passes it seems like the question we need to ask is “Why has the world become unglued“?

I do not believe this question is specific to sex, religion, politics, geography, income, and/or education but I do believe this question is specific to good and evil or light and dark forces.

This weekend, I was scanning slides that I had taken through the 70s and 80s into digital format. During this time frame, major threats to humanity included:

Nuclear war with the Soviet Union.
Global cooling predicted by environmentalist.
Petroleum shortages predicted by the end of the 20th century.

I was raised left of center as a follower of JFK so I was environmentally aware, believed that rogue nations could be negotiated with, and promoted limited infringement in personal rights. In the 80s and 90s, I was also a sailor in the US Navy so at times I was a duck out of water due to the militarys right of center atmosphere.

Marriage and children came in the late 80s and early 90s and during this time, the end of the Cold War occurred, global cooling was debunked, and new petroleum reserves were found. I wiped the sweat off my brow and was thankful about the positive changes in our world.

Think about it, heroic efforts of the greatest generation (WWII), Korean War, Vietnam, and Cold War veterans had paid off even though it had taken more than forty (40) years to solidify world peace and freedom after the end of World War Two (WWII). I was thankful that our children would be able to live a happy and safe life due to the hard choices that were made during the Cold War.

During the mid 1990s, the military was downsized and I retired from the Navy and entered th civilian sector. The economy was bumping along and the dot.coms were big. We moved to South Dakota and started a new chapter in our life and the future could not look better.

As the end of the century rolled around, I found that I was not as gullible as I had once been and started to question politics, right and wrong more. It became clear to me that neither of primary political parties owned the high ground when it came to good and evil. Worse yet, both primary political parties appeared to be more concerned about political power than the good of the nation.

Y2K occurred and I moved to my second long term career starting in the field. The 2000 presidential election was hard fought and a new level of political ugliness occurred after the election. United States politics had been taken over by Lawyers and I never want to hear about “hanging chads” again.

In early September 2001, I took some vacation to paint our house. On Monday I scraped paint and while walking my son to school on Tuesday, the first World Trade Center was hit by a plane. I walked into the house and my bride informed me about the plane crash and I told her it was not an accident. Soon after, the second World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a Pennsylvania field were the final resting places for four (4) suicide planes.

This was the beginning of my “what is going on” phase and it has not stopped since 911. This was also the start of what I consider defined light and dark forces that impact us every day we take a breath. Evil is emphasized in our 24 hour news, internet, 4G world and stories about good are few and far between. As a society, I believe we have become numb to dark forces and accept these forces as the norm and not an exception.

It has been sixteen (16) years since my “what is going on‘ phase started and I feel sorry for our younger generations for having to experience the failure of lightness winning over darkness. I wish the major political parties would get over their desire for power and work for the good of the United States and the world but that appears to be a secondary goal.

What are your thoughts about light and dark forces? Is there hope for future generations?

Please provide feedback and comments and thanks for visiting.

Fifty plus going on fifteen (50 plus going on 15)

Jay Patterson

Paul Harvey Friend To Millions – Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

One thing was certain as a kid growing up in Jamestown North Dakota and that was KSJB Radio 600 AM would broadcast Paul Harvey’s programs. Millions loved him for his straight forward style and I for one miss his daily broadcasts.

My mom hooked me on Paul Harvey as a child and I always stopped tuning the radio when I heard his unique voice until his death in 2009. My favorite broadcast series was “The Rest Of The Story” which was part of his daily program from World War Two (WWII) until the mid 1970s and became an independent series from 1976 until 2008.

The rest of the story was a mixture of history and mystery and as Paul Harvey read his notes, your mind would be working hard to guess who, what, or where his story was going to reference.

Paul Harvey may have been considered a bad boy for his time considering Paul Harvey was discharged from the military during World War Two (WWII) for questionable reasons that Paul Harvey would not address, Paul Harvey was arrested for attempting to break into a nuclear research facility in the 1950s, and was accused of misleading product endorsements late in his career.
Today, Paul Harvey’s style would not be considered politically correct (PC) and Paul Harvey would probably be considered right-wing in our current environment and I am sure his advertisers would have been targeted by boycotts.

It seems strange that someone that worried about national debt, big government, lack of common sense in government, and the permissiveness of parents could be so right about the future of our nation decades before it happened.

One of Paul Harvey’s most famous broadcasts and newspaper articles was “If I Were The Devil” which was penned in the early 1960s. This visionary piece identifies the steps the devil would take to corrupt the world and when a comparison between the early 1960s and 2010s is performed it is extremely accurate.

There are many websites that you can visit to learn about Paul Harvey or to actually listen to his broadcasts and I have attached one for your pleasure.

https://archive.org/details/Pa…
Paul Harvey belongs with many other greats that I enjoyed since childhood. John Wayne, Johnny Cash, James Cagney, Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Michael Landon, Elizabeth Montgomery, and Paul Harvey with the list going on. It is great to watch the classics and see what we have lost. It makes you ask what is going on with each loss.

I miss the days of rotating the tuning knob on the AM radio and stopping when I heard those famous words “Now For The Rest Of The Story“.

Do you remember Paul Harvey and what was your favorite story?

How were you exposed to Paul Harvey?

Do you remember when you could state your opinion and not be attacked for standing for something?

Wishing you health, safety and success. Its great being fifty plus going on fifteen (50 plus going on 15).

Please feel free to provide comments or opinions.

Jay Patterson

Too Big To Care – Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen

I am a believer and a naysayer in certain business concepts and one of the business concepts I have always had a hard time wrapping my head around is “Too Big To Fail“. What is the rough definition of this concept?

Specific corporations so large and so interconnected that their failure would be disastrous to the greater economic system, must be supported by government when they face potential failure.

The concept was officially coined in the 1980s and was in reference to big banks and financial institutions. One notable early government bailout was for the Continental Illinois National Bank and Trust Company in the early 1980s.

There have been numerous occasions during the last fifty (50) years when this has in fact occurred having expanded beyond the financial realm with GM about ten (10) years ago.

You can agree or disagree with the concept of “Too Big To Fail” and whether government intervention should occur but I am concerned about a new issue that is occurring that may result in more “Too Big To Fail” situations that taxpayers will need to clean up.

The new issue that appears to be occurring more and more is a corporate attitude of “Too Big To Care“. A few examples of this attitude are shown below but this is an extremely short list.

Lack of empathy when customer service issues occur.
Willingness to disregard customer concerns regarding direction of company.
Assumption that historical record of company will carry them through all business challenges.
Belief that company is above normal rules of business or law.

We have observed this happen with many businesses over the years when the writing was on the wall but “Too Big To Care” happened. Again a short list of those that failed or those that are failing.

Sears and K Mart.
Toys R Us.
Circuit City.
Quiznos.

Recently we have experienced a twist to the “Too Big To Care” issue that includes corporations taking political positions and alienating customers instead of being above the issue. I must ask if there is an ulterior motive, are the corporations political hostages, or are the corporations just willing to take the chance of alienating customers.

I scratch my head in regard to this problem and question how any company can turn away customers without regard to impact to its employee base, shareholder, etc.

Most recently, there are reports of law enforcement agencies canceling orders for vehicles from a major manufacturer that has taken a political stand that will result in nearly $750,000 in lost revenue for the local dealership and the vehicle manufacturer. Where there is one occurrence, there will be more in the long run.

Think about the lives impacted because we cannot keep sports, business, family and politics compartmentalized. It is a sad situation and owners and senior staff of the corporations will not feel the pain much like the multimillionaires that have a beef do not feel the pain.

I have a real concern that this mixture of “Too Big To Fail” and “Too Big To Care” will cause significant damage to innocent people watching on the sidelines and we need to take a time out and draw lines in the sand on what is and isn’t acceptable behavior as a corporation.

I am not saying that corporations should not be involved in causes or projects but I am saying that corporations should remain neutral to its customer base.

What are your thoughts and please share them?

Fifty Plus Going On Fifteen (50 Plus Going On Fifteen)

Jay Patterson