Random Thoughts (Mid-Week) : Working Away....

How to Improve Your Live (An Image Courtesy of Success Magazine)

September has begun in earnest.   I decided to begin my first "Random Thought" for the Month with an image courtesy of Success Magazine to be hopeful (Please click on the link in the Caption to read up the 8 simple ways to help improve your life).   It was a bit of a challenging day for me at the Second Harvest Food Bank Conference at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest.   The first keynote, Joel Berg (the man who helped created AmeriCorp) laid out some stark realities.  I personally was shocked as I noted how 42 Million People go hungry in the United States and as the Trump Administration has proposed 169 Billion Dollars in Cuts.    I also had the chance to join the Scouts' Scouting For Food Monthly Chair Meeting as I brought myself up to speed on the latest.   I hope we can help the Council exceed the goal of 60,000 lbs last year.  

There were two major developments as well while I was on the road.  The first is Hurricane Irma  (and just landed as I was working away)  that is set to pound Puerto Rico and threaten Florida.      This led me to create this clip of highlights I captured from   Al Gore's Book which I created with Animoto:





Then there was what Mr Trump  did about the Dreamers.    What was disappointing was how he did not come out to make the announcement himself--but had the Attorney General do it because of the claim that it will not stand up in Court based on the threatened lawsuit by 9 State Attorney Generals led by Ken Paxon of Texas.   This is in spite of the Economic Arguments as underscored by this open letter by Business Leaders--and I added my name to it:

August 31, 2017
To: President Donald J. Trump
To: Speaker Paul Ryan; Leader Nancy Pelosi; Leader Mitch McConnell; and Leader Charles E. Schumer

As entrepreneurs and business leaders, we are concerned about new developments in immigration policy that threaten the future of young undocumented immigrants brought to America as children.

The Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which allows nearly 800,000 Dreamers the basic opportunity to work and study without the threat of deportation, is in jeopardy. All DACA recipients grew up in America, registered with our government, submitted to extensive background checks, and are diligently giving back to our communities and paying income taxes. More than 97 percent are in school or in the workforce, 5 percent started their own business, 65 percent have purchased a vehicle, and 16 percent have purchased their first home. At least 72 percent of the top 25 Fortune 500 companies count DACA recipients among their employees.

Unless we act now to preserve the DACA program, all 780,000 hardworking young people will lose their ability to work legally in this country, and every one of them will be at immediate risk of deportation. Our economy would lose $460.3 billion from the national GDP and $24.6 billion in Social Security and Medicare tax contributions.

Dreamers are vital to the future of our companies and our economy. With them, we grow and create jobs. They are part of why we will continue to have a global competitive advantage.

We call on President Trump to preserve the DACA program. We call on Congress to pass the bipartisan DREAM Act or legislation that provides these young people raised in our country the permanent solution they deserve.

I am a loss to explain why 800,000 people are being given a death sentence.  I made it a point of answering the President's Tweet by noting how he was weak.    As I was reflecting upon this past 24 hours, I ran across this that is ever so powerful that I identified with as I continue the on-going work for all the properties at the Daily Outsider:

This is also as there is the issue of what to do about North Korea (which our team at Daily Outsider will work on ) as the President wants to cut off trade and blaming everyone.

It is not easy to be optimistic, but I see no other choice.....