Challenges, Some Are More So Than Others

I think the challenges Brett Kavanaugh's family encounters pale in comparison to those of the Lawrence family residing on Jacksonville’s Westside in FLCD-5/formerly FLCD-3.

This morning Mrs. Lawrence was riding her bicycle at 6AM EST as she commuted to work at Amazon.  She was hit and killed in an auto accident not too far from where her daughter stood awaiting her school bus.  There are many unknowns to the situation; more specifically, did she have safety lights, was the car traveling at a high rate of speed, etc., but that is immaterial.  Her death creates long-lasting challenges for her survivors and my heart aches for them like my heart aches for Brett Kavanaugh’s daughters.

Mrs. Lawrence’s survivors include:

1. A husband and 
2. At least 2 teenagers of which:

• One is the previously mentioned daughter and 
• The other is an older special needs child.  

Moreover, her survivors live in a trailer not too far from where the accident occurred in an area that I once trod as I conducted surveys door-to-door approximately 9 nine years ago.  I mentioned that only to paint the picture that this family is poor, but doing what they needed to do to survive albeit with a hope and a prayer.

I learned of Mrs. Lawrence’s death reading the local news immediately after reading about Brett Kavanaugh’s third accuser and her accusations.  I immediately thought about each family and how each would deal with their respective challenges.

Sadly, I think the Lawrence family will have considerable struggles and hardships for years to come whereas the Kavanaughs (especially the daughters) will most likely only wrestle with the notion that Brett Kavanaugh had arguably been disrespectful to young women when he was at an age not much older than his daughters.

Moreover, I can empathize more with the Lawrences than the Kavanaughs.  While I personally have known a few individuals with wealth and influence from time to time, I have for the most part felt like being on the outside only to look in from time to time.  I am very fortunate that my wife works as I have yet to find steady income after being laid off from a reduction in force (RIF).  I am in the process of improving my skills to find employment with upward mobility versus having to take on menial work at a place like a warehouse.  I realize my situation is a luxury that many people do not have so they take what they can, which makes it very hard for them to break the cycle of just-getting-by let alone poverty.

Therefore, I find it galling that our government may put on the Supreme Court a man who is arguably unfit to sit there for multiple reasons, the most important one being honesty.  Brett Kavanaugh with all his privilege squandered his opportunities, which I blame in part on his parents who I believe abdicated their parenting duties and the boarding school administrators failing to assume them as it seems Brett did not develop if he developed at all a strong moral compass.  It is possible Brett Kavanaugh developed a moral compass later on, but he has obviously failed to acknowledge it until today after the third accusation.

Another reason why he is unfit to sit on the bench is that his arguable lack of self-introspection makes it hard for him to fully understand the challenges a family like the Lawrences now encounters.  As such, we need people on the bench that not only know the law and respect it, but know and empathize with families like the Lawrences because I believe there are more of them than the Kavanaughs amongst us.

Corrine Brown Has Her Day In Court

I have a friend, shocking as it may seem, who once told me that politicians should be limited to two terms, one in office and one in jail.  I could not agree more, especially so, as it pertains to my former opponent, Corrine Brown. 

Ms Brown has been charged with 22 counts attributed to fraud, obstruction and filing false tax returns.   We all await the results of the jury deliberations.  Regardless of the verdict, the case illustrates two sad facts, which are:

1. It is hard to break free from crime and 
2. We should expect more from our elected officials, not less as referenced by the aforementioned joke.

In reference to the former stated fact, Ms. Brown, grew up in area known in Jacksonville, FL as the “Northside”, which is an euphemism, code, whatever you want to call it, to paint a  picture that depicts the lives of the residents living in this geographic area as challenging due to a myriad of causes.  The main cause and effect is poverty followed by low literacy rates and higher crime rates that further perpetuates the situation.  Arguably, residents of this community know at least one and possibly many fellow residents that have been affected by crime, whether as a victim or as perpetrator. As a side note, I met many on the campaign trail eight years ago. Regardless, I believe this knowledge of crime and its effects within this community leads to understanding, which leads to tacit acceptance of (& a blind eye to) criminal behavior that I further believe begins in childhood.  Ms. Brown through hard work seemed to have broken free from this cycle of crime, but sadly, she fell back in, which proves the old adage, “you can take a [girl] out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the [girl].”

In reference to the latter stated fact, I recently saw results of a Gallup survey that showed that the majority of people believe that politicians are corrupt.  Using the same logic in my former argument, if people believe that politicians are corrupt then I contend that these same people expect this behavior whether they acknowledge it or not, which I further contend is tacit acceptance and therefore, it becomes reality as exemplified by the situation in which Corrine Brown finds herself.  I find that unacceptable and so should everyone else.  Moreover, I believe our elected officials should be held accountable for their behavior to at least the same level as ordinary citizens because they are role models. Without the rule of law, anarchy can occur, which is not good for anybody.

Our legacy is what we leave behind when we die is it not? Should we not seek to improve the lives of future generations so that our spirit continues long after we are gone?  Should not every successive generation be the greatest generation? It comes down to what we value is it not?  I value a lot of things such as truth and honest, but germane to this situation, I value the rule of law when someone fails to be honest and commits a crime, how about you?  Hopefully, the jury will see the facts as I see them to convict Corrine Brown on some if not all counts.

Human Nature Led To The Oil Spill In The Gulf

It has now been three plus months since BP’s Macondo oil well began spilling oil into the Gulf of Mexico. The spill has had little immediate effect on the people living in Florida’s 3^rd Congressional District (FLCD-3); however, I believe the spill highlights the challenge we face in solving any problem, whether it is inner city poverty, unemployment or a disaster such as the oil spill. The challenge is us, more specifically, human nature.

In the case of the oil spill, BP is responsible, but so is the US federal government. The common element between these two entities is humans. Humans by nature want more of something (it) than less (i.e. greed), want it now versus later (i.e. impatient), and want it by incurring the least labor/cost (i.e. lazy). This type of human behavior has led to the invention of the remote TV control, the dishwasher, the washing machine, etc… This type of behavior has also led to the Macondo oil well spill.

BP wanted the well producing oil ASAP (i.e. greed & impatient). The company pursued actions that contained costs (i.e. greed & lazy) and allowed the company to proceed expeditiously, actions that in hindsight are now considered by all to be irresponsible. Obviously, BP forgot or just did not know my mother’s axiom, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Similarly, our federal government acted irresponsibly; the people running Minerals Management Service trusted the industry they were tasked to monitor instead of incurring the cost of time and labor to ensure proper oversight (i.e. lazy).

Government is not the solution. Neither is private enterprise. We, as individuals, are the solution. However, as individuals we can not solve large problems on our own, we need each other. As such, we should seek interdependence, but to achieve interdependence we should first seek independence. We must take responsibility for our own actions because once we do that, we can then hold others accountable for their actions and respect others who hold us accountable for own actions. Whether in private enterprise or government, I believe we will be able to achieve more when we all think of the consequences of our actions (i.e. cause and effect).

The question you may be asking is how does this all relate to FLCD-3? In the case of FLCD-3, the people need a hand-up, not a handout. Private enterprise will not do it because there is little money (i.e. greed) to be made in giving a hand-up; however, it is easier (i.e. lazy) for government to give a hand-out then designing/creating programs that help people stand on their own two feet.

It is in Corrine Brown’s best interest to "deliver" handouts to her constituents by taking other people's money (arguably those that live outside the district because they make more money than those in the district) via federal taxes because it keeps her in power (i.e. greed). I just wonder when her constituents will wise up to the difference between a handout and a hand-up and say enough is enough and seek more out of life (i.e. greed).

I suspect her constituents could care less where the money for the handouts comes from even though they should. I contend her constituents should care because I suspect it will become increasingly hard to take other people's money to continue these handouts. Once the handouts start to diminish, life will become harder. To paraphrase Margaret Thatcher, the problem with socialism is that eventually you run out of other people's money.

I contend those with the money should also care. I believe it is in their best interest to ensure that folks in communities such as those like FLCD-3 receive hand-ups not handouts. Both cost money (via government taxes of middle and upper class Americans), but hand-ups will eventually produce dividends and will help reduce the demand on the middle and upper class to pay for future government programs. In other words, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

Should We Hide Inmates On Work Release Programs?

I occasionally go to The Jacksonville Landing for lunch at the food court since it is a couple of blocks from my office. Upon leaving the food court this past Thursday, I noticed several women wearing bright orange outfits with “Jail” emblazoned on the back performing work around The Landing (which sits on city property).

Since crime is more common in Florida’s 3^rd Congressional District (CD-3) than the other surrounding congressional districts due in part to high unemployment and poverty, I picked up a conversation with one of the inmates in an attempt to learn what led her to commit a crime. In the process of talking to the inmate, I learned that she coincidentally lives with her mother in the district. However, I did not have the opportunity to learn more because a fellow patron and fellow resident of CD-3 took offense of me having a conversation with the inmate thinking that I would place her in further trouble. The gentleman also shared with me that he thought the Sheriff Department's decision to place her and her fellow inmates on display via a work detail was bad because it could negatively impact the inmates’ morale.

While I respect his concern that I may have placed the inmate in further trouble, I see nothing wrong in a properly supervised work detail comprised of low risk inmates for several reasons, which are:
1. The inmates committed a crime and owe a debt to society. More specifically, taxpayer dollars are used to house criminals; therefore, why not use inmate labor to maintain city property?
2. Should not the visible display of a work detail made up of inmates serve as symbol to others that crime does not pay?

I rhetorically asked the gentleman should not our interest lie more in helping to prevent a crime from ever taking place than worrying about an inmate’s psyche?

Crime prevention requires a two-prong attack, the stick and the carrot (in other words, fear and desire). A work detail just happens to be the stick; it should induce fear that crime leads to unpleasant things for the perpetrator. The perpetrator may then have desire to find work, which arguably would lead to a more satisfying and enjoyable life. If the person cannot find work then we need to find out why. Typically, the reason is lack of a proper education. However, in this case, I never did find out the real reason because the work detail moved on.

Breaking the Cycle in New Town

I recently visited a New Town Success Zone (NTSZ) monthly meeting in Jacksonville, Florida. New Town is an area within Florida Congressional District 3 (CD-3) and is representative of many of the inner city areas of CD-3. It is high in crime, poverty, etc...

NTSZ is modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone and per NTSZ’s website, it is “a community collaboration with the Jacksonville Children's Commission providing intensive resources to families living within the New Town area - supporting children from cradle to college and beyond.” ‘Intensive resources’ is an understatement.

Based on my onetime observation, I was amazed at the amount of resources being applied to this small area. In addition to tax dollars supplied through the city, the police department, a local hospital, and several community/regional charities also contribute resources of one form or another to this area. More importantly, there are many individuals, including outsiders, investing their time and efforts to help others improve their lives.

It is in our nation’s best interest to help people in communities such as New Town learn problem solving skills, etc... so they can become self-reliant. Once self-reliant, these individuals can become productive members of society and possibly help others do the same.

However, I am just not so sure how sustainable and scalable the NTSZ model is in solving the challenges of poverty, crime, etc… throughout CD-3 and elsewhere, yet we need to start somewhere.

Sadness And Hope In Durkeeville

I am truly baffled by the placement of multiple, infrequently used, very well maintained tennis courts in a community rife with poverty, crime and abandoned property; please see photos below.

I recently talked to citizens of precinct 09K within the historic community of Durkeeville in Jacksonville/Duval County, FL. I visited this community after the recent murder of Mary McAllister less than a week ago.

One concerned citizen questioned the wisdom and display of good judgment, building approximately 10 tennis courts in her neighborhood. I could not agree with her more since those courts could not be used due to locks holding the gates firmly closed.

I further agree with the lady that skill centers, not tennis courts are needed by the community. These skill centers would help children and young adults build skills that would be useful in finding a job/career that would provide a living wage, not a minimum wage.

While I talked to quite a few people in the community, I briefly talked to an elderly woman who by all intents and purposes appeared to be taking care of her grandson, arguably not an uncommon occurrence given the high crime rates in the area. The young boy struck me as being misplaced; he seemed so innocent. Maybe it was that his demeanor and politeness contrasted so much with the rough neighborhood just outside the front door of his grandmother’s dilapidated old house (similar to the one shown here).

I still wondered a day later when I wrote this; how will this boy will fare because I can see his potential. I am concerned that drugs and crime will be in his future since they are literally around the corner. However, I hold out hope that:

1. His grandmother will still be around because it appeared she truly wanted a better future for him given the old National Geographics strewn about on the bookshelf by the front door, and

2. That there will be some in government more in tune with community needs prior to providing future community services.

Feel free to write me, with how you feel at: votegilman@gmail.com