That Is Complicated.

 Have you noticed that when asked a question, many answer "That is complicated," Just what does that mean?  I turned to two professors.  Complex doesn't just mean "complicated," the first professor assured me. I turned to the second professor, who told me, "Things can be difficult," although he assured me that "by being adaptive and profiting from a complex system's capability for self-organization, and the distributed intelligence" he could help me understand.    Quickly I knew that I was in the wrong place!

Simplified, the word Complex does not have just one type of definition.  The word changes based on how it is used.  As an adjective it is used to describe.  As a noun it names a specific thing.  Ok, I can understand that.  There are even examples.  As a noun it means Many parts, Difficult to understand, Involving a group of things, As well as use in mathematics, chemistry, or science.  Used as a word it means Multiple layers, No easy answer, Nuance and Context, Too many variables, Avoidance for privacy, and Incapable of a full expiation.  

A quick summary is that the use of the word Complex has many potential uses, including use to avoid an answer.  Now that you understand that when you ask a question and the reply is "That is complicated" you have not received an answer, and it is unlikely that any answer is coming.  Since my blog could not insure a real answer for a specific reply to T'hat's Complicated" I decided to share some examples from experts at avoiding answers!  I hope you enjoy them. 

         Confucius:  "Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated." 

        E.F. Schumacher:  "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent.  It takes a touch of genius - a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction.   

        Voltari:  Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.   

        Confucius:  The one who asks the question has the power.

        Chinese Proverb:  He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; He who does not ask a question is a fool forever.  

H.L. Mencken

                        

       Explation exist; they have existed for all time; there is always a well  known solution to every human problem --  neat, plausible, and wrong.  

                                          H. L. Mencken, Prejudices, Second Series 

How Do We Decide with So Much Conflicting News?

 My respect for George Washington, and his foresight that remains valuable today is known to those of you who read my blogs.  His respect for the Constitution and his wisdom remains a valuable source for present-day understanding of our Constitution. He viewed the separation of checks and balances as essential to limit government power and prevent tyranny.  In his farewell address Washington explicitly warned the nation on encroachments of those separate franchises.  His concerns were valid.   My examples of Presidents that avoided the Constitution are of past Presidents rather than making political comments about current Presidents.  

Harry Truman deployed troops to the Korean War through the United Nations, avoiding Congregational authorization.  Nixon conducted secret bombing operations in Libya without Congressional approval.  Even earlier, Andrew Jackson ignored treaties in clearing the path of the Trail of Tears.    Avoiding rules and agreements are not new.

However, that is not to say that the Founding Fathers overlooked establishing rules.  The First Amendment established "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

More was needed to cover the protection of the Nation's Capital, and among them are The Capital Planning Act with the Comprehensive Planning 40 U.S.C. & 8722, and the Capital Improvements (40 U.S,C, &8723, District Zoning, Land Acquisition and Disposition, and more.  There are more, but the point is that provisions exist to protect with checks and balances in making our Constitution function as it is intended.      

It is the responsibility of those we elect to see that the laws and rules are followed.  The Founding Fathers carefully protected against America becoming controlled by King-like power.

We are the ones who vote for the Legislative Branch and the Senate.  We cannot be aware of all the things happening, but when we vote we are entrusting those men and women to protect our constitution for us.  Our votes truly matter, but only if those we have entrusted with the responsibility of doing their roles wisely and independently does our constitution work.    

The Executive Branch is the President's branch, obviously important.  But, perhaps more important are those chosen for the President's cabinet.  We do not get to vote for his choices, but the Senator we elect does.  That is certainly as important as the votes we cast through the Senators we elect.  We should pay attention to whom the President has chosen.  If we disagree with his choice, it is important to let your Senator know.  

That is where President Washington's concern is important.  If we pay no attention to the President's choices. and their character or lack of experience, or if our Senators simply rubber stamp the President's choice, we are basically allowing our president to function as a King.       

The Judicial Branch, or as we know it, The United States Supreme Court, is extremely important, and today's court often seems prepared to vote even before the arguments are heard.  A split court, where the likely decision is anticipatable before arguments are even heard, is disturbing.  As a young attorney, I had great respect for the court.  I believed they truly respected the great responsibility they held and saw their role as protecting the Constitution and the wisdom of their processors on the bench. Reversing past decisions should be respected and reversing past decisions should not be based on personal preference.  It should definitely be based on influence outside the court.  Today, it often seems to me that the members of the court have decided their vote well before cases have been considered.  That kind of feeling weakens the trust of citizens.

Voting has already started in some states, and although it is not a Presidential year, it is a very important year.  Don't stay home because you aren't excited about any of the candidates.  I am noticing that many of the promotional ads are more about hating the other candidate than describing their own goals.  That approach fails to share their own positive ideas.  

Just because this is an off year does not make it unimportant.  This is an important year for many reasons, and it deserves the thoughtful reflection of everyone before we vote. Listen to a variety of news programs.  If you have people you respect, discuss things with them.  If you have a chance to hear candidates in person, go. It seems like a great many Americans are doing just that.    

   

 

The Role of Medical Research

Perhaps I am one of the few that overlooked the fact that health research rarely included women.  While that finally changed in 1993, knowledge about drugs and other devises for women still lag behind men. One explanation for that neglect was relevant to the exposure of drugs and other medical care.  As a result, understanding how best to treat women, and especially women of color, lagged behind. Failure to study medications and other interventions in a broad sampling has contributed to women expressing adverse effects from medications at twice the rate of men.  That is finally beginning to improve.

Art by Lyn Fenwick

However, thinking about the means by which research has been done lead me to disturbing history.  During WWII Nazi's conducted human experiments on people.  The Tuskegee Syphilis Study from 1932 to 1972, by the U.S. Public Health Service, misrepresented what they were doing.  Thank goodness that has been stopped by The Declaration of Helsinki which serves as the global cornerstone for human research ethics.  In addition, there are Institute Review Boards and independent review Committees and strict Information Laws insuring informed full understanding.

 

My research led me to the question of the need for voluntary individuals that are willing to participate in clinical trials.  Their willingness to explain why they would participate surprised me. A test was done to research that very issue.  The analysis included six possible reasons for potential motivation:  Improvement of one's own health, Access to innovative therapy, Helping future patients, Encouragement from loved ones, a Physician's recommendation, and Contribution to the development of medical knowledge.  From some of their responses I found that the most important influence was the Physician's recommendation, however, the desire to contribute to the development of medical knowledge was a high intention. Ironically, the test also found that the lack of support from family was the lowest response.     

After doing all the research historically, I could not ignore that today Americans are facing a reversal in protecting the health of working families.  However, it is not only impacting the poor.  Access to medical care is impacting hospitals, clinics, and nursing homes, many of which have closed.  The impact is staggering.   

This blog began about the delay in medical research for women, but what I discovered in my research is that we are face is bigger issues.  Women and minorities may still be further behind because attention to them was delayed. But now even larger issues about health and care exist.  I fear that broader problems are distracting the efforts to expand research or simply maintain the medical care we had before.  Too many distractions seem to be neglecting important things.       

Have We Lost a Sense of Decency?

 There is an advertisement on television in which a group are seated in a semicircle, and the leader asks. 'Who wants to share what you're holding' to which a man responds by appearing to relieve his private   discomfort.  I feel uncomfortable describing such an inappropriate advertisement, but it is an example of the deterioration of simple rules of ethics, courtesy, and respect that are being ignored.  I am no prude, but I find myself watching television with the silencer in my hand during the commercials.  

Recently on the news they showed people in expensive cars taking over intersections to dangerously slide circles at high rates of speed.  I know that kids racing their hotrods' dangerously is nothing new, but these cars were new, very expensive cars.  It seemed unlike racing hotrods.  The drivers in those expensive cars dominating the intersection seemed to be doing more than just showing off their cars.  They seemed to be saying "I am rich and I can get away with this."

Curse words on television are no longer unusual.  Obvious lies are just shrugged off.  Such things that once would have been criticized and regarded as vulgar are accepted.

Those crashing into stores to steal expensive things of all kinds do not seem to be dressed in shabby clothes.  They do not seem to be stealing because they are in desperate need.  "Ram Rads" as they are called, are now organized, not just a bunch of kids but a boss that plans the Rad and pays the kids for what they can carry out of the store.  The master mind behind the crime stays elusive, while kids seem to see what they are doing as more of a prank than breaking the law, laughing as they race out of the store with as much as they can carry.  Why are kids so willing to participate in the Rads.

I have noticed more and more shops installing locked shelves, requiring shoppers to find a clerk to unlock the merchandise.  These are not happening only in expensive jewelry stores.  They are happening in stores in which we regularly shop.   

I know that generational changes have existed throughout my life, and probably ever since humans learned to walk on two legs, but this seems different.  It seems disrespectful to honest shoppers, as well as inconvenient to go in search of a clerk in order to buy a tube of lipstick.  On the other hand, reducing thefts might reduce the current necessity of raising prices to cover the expense of thefts.    

So, what is my point?  Is it really nothing new?  Am I just observing it from the perspective of an older person, making more of it than it deserves?  My opening question is "Have We Lost All Sense of Decency? Are the things I regard as common decencies and mutual respect impossible in our crowded world of today, where we no longer know our neighbors?  Is it inevitable that a frightened homeowner would shoot a young man pounding on the wrong door late at night by mistake?  

Perhaps doing the best we can do is becoming the best we can do. However, I still believe that we can pay attention and stop admiring those who get ahead by stepping on other people.  If children see parents saying, 'He's a rascal, but he gets things done," those comments are likely to make more impact than parents intended.  Remember when collage sports were intended to be about sportsmanship for the players rather that a takeover by adults who saw a way to make money.  Remember when parents made time in the evening to play board games with their kids and their kids thought that was fun.  Remember when parents and kids were not so busy.  Probably only my generation remembers those things. 

That's a shame.  

 

Our Constitution is Not Broken

 The founding Fathers carefully structured a plan to run the government for decades, but did the 250th  Celebration represent a farewell, having gradually drifted away from the ethics and unselfishness our constitution requires.  It worked when strongminded men of character voted as they saw best.  However, they debated vigorously, and listened to the ideas of others, and sometimes found something better.  Other times they saw that ideas would not work but alterations would.  The point was that together they could find ways to satisfy more than just the strongest. 

That system worked best with less power in the presidency, after all, America was born to escape a King.  Congress was supposed to be the most powerful branch of government, because individually they represented the people.  The more power in the President, the less power of the Congress, and the more power of political parties, the reduction of the power of Congress speaking for the citizens that elected them.  The Founding Fathers saw the system they created as the best representation of their voters. 

Today there are those that feel our constitution no longer works.  For example, each state has two senators, although some states have much smaller populations. Yet, if the present system were based on population, small states would be constantly crimpled.  

There is also the changed competition of the world, making it impossible for the hardest working Senator to be deeply informed about every issue.  Senators cannot be well informed about AI, our heating Planet, whether farmers are helping or hurting the nation's soils, the cause for children falling behind, use and abuse of medicines, efficacy of vaccines, and other countless important issues.  Has the system the Founding Father's devised become obsolete or is it only that the safeguards the Founding Fathers established have gradually been ignored? Has what the Founding Fathers established slipped from congress and wrongly been assumed by the President?

Once the Senate was called "the world's greatest liberating body."  Under Article 11, Section 2, the President nominates his choice of whom he wants, but the members of the Senate have the final say and responsibility of determining qualification.  Both Parties should want qualified nominees.  However, I have watched many reviews of candidates chosen by presidents, and the bias of the examiners seems obvious. This should not be entirely the President's choice.  This examination is important, and both parties should remove their political bias and determine for themselves whether the candidate is capable. That is their responsibility, regardless of their political party.   We voters may tend to see the election as over, but perhaps all of us need to be more concerned about the President's choices and let our Senators know how we feel.

  Our Constitution is not broken. Rather, those given the responsibility to protect and defend are failing us.  The World is more complicated than in Washington's time.  There are more issues, and the world moves faster.  However, the responsibility of those we elect have better travel, better access to information, better staff, better ability to travel home, better health and better opportunities.  The people we elect are what makes the Constitution work, and if it isn't working, what makes you think a different Constitution would do any better.  Perhaps it is us, not the Constitution, that needs some respect of the laws the Founding Fathers wisely provided for us in order to heal the Nation.