Rex M Rogers - Discerning What Is Best

Discerning What Is Best
with Dr. Rex M. Rogers

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 18 February 2011

Years ago I asked a 95 year-old gentleman in Iowa, “Who is the first president you can remember?” To my surprise he said, “Woodrow Wilson, I saw him when I was just a kid. He was riding across country on a train and stopped in Des Moines.” Amazing.

Since that time I’ve asked this question whenever I find myself with a person in their 90s or especially over 100 years. One older man remembered Hoover, another one “Silent Cal.”

It’s fun because it always triggers smiles, memories they thought they’d lost, and some pretty interesting responses. Usually they say more than just the name of the president. They talk about other things that come to mind from the same era. If they’re old enough, folks remember the first time they saw a car or rode in one.

Presidents’ terms are like that. They mark the progress of our lives and the direction of our country. People will say, “I haven’t weighed that much since the Carter Administration,” or, “I was in college during the Nixon Administration,” something like that.

Presidents’ voices are remembered too. We hear them so often in the course of four or eight years, and thereafter, that those voices are indelibly etched in our brains if not our psyche.

The first president I can remember is Dwight D. Eisenhower. I was in the 2^nd Grade and can still see him in my minds eye on black and white television. I remember hearing Truman’s voice, and of course Ike’s, but Truman left office when I was just months old.

Who is the first president you can remember, and what other memories does the question, the president, or the time bring to mind?

*This blog may be reproduced in whole or in part with a full attribution statement. Contact Rex or read more commentary on current issues and events at www.rexmrogers.com or follow him at www.twitter.com/RexMRogers.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 18 February 2011

For years I never watched movies more than once. Doing so just didn’t appeal. Then I changed. Why? I have no idea. Maybe it has something to do with so few films, despite the overwhelming number of choices available, that are actually good?

At any rate, now I like to watch certain movies again and again. I know the dialogue, can quote the best lines, and revel in the most compelling scenes. I’m not talking about critically acclaimed films, just enjoyable ones. In no particular order here’s a short list of movies, at least from my point of view, which are worth watching again and again:

--Groundhog Day (1993).

--Quigley Down Under (1990).

--The Breakfast Club (1985).

--Apollo 13 (1995).

--Shall We Dance? (2004).

--A Christmas Carol (1984).

--Cast Away (2000).

--Crossfire Trail (2001).

--Tombstone (1993).

--Open Range (2003).

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 17 February 2011

I ordered my usual 12 inch tuna on wheat at a nearby Subway. I’ve ordered this sandwich in maybe ten or fifteen states, scores of them, so I know whereof I speak when it comes to Subway tuna sandwiches.

On one earlier occasion I mentioned to the manager that his bread was dry and, thus, not as good. He said it was because they were still learning how to regulate the ovens. OK, makes sense.

Last Friday I purchased a sandwich at the same restaurant. Same result for maybe the fourth or fifth time. Since I’ve eaten this sandwich so many times from so many restaurants I know it can be better.

So this time I spoke again to the same manager, sharing with him in an even, non-agitated voice that his bread wasn’t up to par. To my surprise, he immediately turned to the middle-aged woman making my sandwich and told her in strong terms that she must put the bread inside a cabinet minutes after it's taken from the oven. In other words, he blamed her for my concern, even though my concern referenced a sandwich purchased the previous week. It was not her fault.

Clearly this manager knows little about good leadership, appreciating his personnel, or being mature or professional enough to assume responsibility. Since this Subway (and by the way, I don’t blame the company for this) is relatively near our home I’ll likely return. But if I continue to get dry bread I’m going to speak up again and see what the manager does this time.

What’s interesting about all this is that the “fix” is so simple, so minimal in cost. It just requires a manager who cares about his or her product, customers, and staff.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 12 February 2011

In the wake of successful revolution, Tunisia's and Egypt’s greatest need is to identify extraordinary leaders possessing the passion and ability to articulate a vision for developing and governing a free society.

It is one of the ironies of freedom—nations conceived and governed “of the people, by the people, for the people” nevertheless require leaders. The “people” can voice their will, but the people can’t ultimately lead. This was true in Colonial America, certainly during the run-up and experience of the American War for Independence, and in the early days of the Republic. It remains true today. In early American times John and Abigail Adams were such leaders.

In Joseph J. Ellis’s recent book First Family: Abigail and John Adams, he explores the more than 1200 letters this remarkable couple left to history. These letters reveal their incredible partnership and Abigail’s sharp intellect, common sense, and steady personality, all of which provided John the stable port in the storm his restless intellect and personality required. With her support, John played a critical role in leading the Continental Congress toward independence and later authoring the first constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Eventually he became the first Vice President and second President of the United States.

John and Abigail were two of an exceptional generation of leaders, people like George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and many more. One and all, though they often differed markedly in political perspective, they were committed to freedom’s basic values: liberty of body, mind, and soul, freedom of worship and speech, respect for human dignity, protection of life, rule of law, freedom to work and property rights, justice.

These are not uniquely American or any nation’s values. These are human values. These values and the leaders to build upon them are what Tunisia and Egypt now desperately need.

Revolutions are by definition volatile, chaotic experiences requiring passion and risk to succeed. Consequently they’re vulnerable to misdirection or takeover that can produce a result different from the past but not in concert with the original revolution’s vision of a better tomorrow. Dictators, strongmen, or dominating religious leaders can suddenly seize control—think Iran, 1979, when the Shah left only to be replaced by Ayatollah Khomeini and his mullahs.

What the rest of the world and certainly what the citizens of Tunisia and Egypt do not want is to discover their drive for freedom has been side-tracked or co-opted. They don’t want to jump out of the frying pan into the fire.

So here’s hoping Tunisa, Egypt, and any other Middle East or African country considering free government can find or develop strong and effective “Founding Fathers,” or "Mothers," leaders wholly committed to freedom and wholly up to the task of making it happen.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 10 February 2011

It’s Thursday evening. What better time to consider what we could live without? Here’s my list in no particular order:

--Beer commercials.

--Reality television programs.

--Abercrombie and Fitch.

--MSNBC.

--Cauliflower.

--Taxes.

--Wars and rumors of wars.

--Airline ticket change fees.

--Rap music.

--“It’s a perfect storm.”

--Tattoos.

--Lists.

Details: Written by: Rex M. Rogers; Published: 10 February 2011

Grand Rapids was recently added to a list of cities targeted for casino development by a group wanting to put seven more privately held casinos in Michigan. Never mind that this would push Michigan’s total number of casinos to over thirty. Never mind that casinos have brought little but aggravation, traffic, social problems, and bankruptcies to almost every area in which they’ve been located.

Now Michigan Is Yours, the casino backers, need 320,000 signatures by July 7 to make a statewide ballot this November. It’s too early to project whether the group will be successful, but it doesn’t help that Grand Rapids’s otherwise good and decent Mayor George Heartwell has endorsed the idea for a casino in his city. He says he’s not a fan of casinos but believes Grand Rapids may have to develop one “from a defensive posture” because of all the other casinos in the state. Huh? Not a very compelling argument.

Now Michigan Is Yours consultants cited support for a casino’s economic development potential by University of Las Vegas Nevada professor Bill Thompson. Taking nothing away from Thompson’s credentials, his affirmation is nevertheless laughable because he hopes to work as a consultant for the Now Michigan Is Yours campaign. So of course he endorses the idea.

Unless they are located in an already attractive tourist or high traffic destination, casinos never bring to town what proponents claim they will: jobs, positive economic spinoffs, tourism. Casinos do bring to town negative impact upon local economies (Think about it: if tourists are not a casino’s primary patrons than locals are; the money casinos glean comes directly out of local families' and businesses' pockets), increased social pathologies (casinos and gambling don’t cause but certainly contribute to job absenteeism, debt, bankruptcies, divorce, and suicide), and decreases in land values near casinos.

For the past twenty years, casinos specifically and gambling generally have been looked upon by political leaders as potential pots of gold for local and state governments. But it’s rarely worked out that way. The problems gambling introduces to a community eventually far outstrip any potential benefits.

Grand Rapids would be ill-advised to introduce a casino to its economy. In addition to the economic problems noted, casinos contribute to a “seedier” atmosphere and general decrease in a locality's perceived reputation. Casinos are a losing bet.

CasiNo in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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