You Can’t Get From Here to There

In a moment of rare optimism I attempted to drive from Sherman Texas to Fort Worth during the Friday rush hour. If you’ve read previous blog entries, you understand that I am pessimistic about most things, knowing that Murphy’s Law, “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong” applies to all human endeavor . But, for some reason, I actually thought I could drive across the northern half of the DFW Metroplex during peak rush hour late on a Friday and only suffer a few minor delays and slowdowns.

I even had a plan. I used to go the round-about way over to Gainesville and then down I-35. But due to construction (which, oh by the way, will never end), 35 essentially comes to a standstill just north of Fort Worth. I hear that people have died of thirst or exploding bladders while stuck there. Instead of highway signs warning of heavy traffic and delays they should simply say “Abandon all hope ye who enter here”. It’s that bad…all the time. So no way, I’m going that route. I’ve made it across the Metroplex on weekends or non-rush periods by simply heading down 75 and taking 121 either to DFW Airport or all the way into Fort Worth. How much worse could Friday rush hour be?

The answer is: As bad as it could possibly be. Compounded by a multi-vehicle accident that essentially shutdown 121 just north of the airport (I guarantee you that a lot of people missed flights), there was no good way to get where I wanted to go. To make matters even more stressful, my wife is over in the passenger seat with her I-phone giving me all kinds of instructions. I decided to give it a try and we only went from gridlock to almost gridlock. Little did I know that “almost gridlock” was as good as it gets during Friday rush hour in that part of the Metroplex.

But having vast local knowledge and minimal patience, I concluded that I could do better than Mr. Know-it-all GPS/real-time traffic conditions/I-Phone Cloud Navigator. Turns out I was wrong. I didn’t find a better way, but I did find out that most every major route that goes anywhere in the Northern half of the Metroplex is under-construction. I eventually ended up out by the Texas Motor Speed Way north of Fort Worth. And even there, running into construction, detours and delays.

Eventually I had to surrender and listen to Mr. I-Phone Cloud Navigator, and he routed me back to I-35. Against my wishes and better judgment, I followed his instructions and ended up stuck in the very same jam I wanted to stay out of in the first place. I could have avoided a lot of frustration and anxiety by just going the old route (82 to Gainesville and 35 to Fort Worth) and ended up in the same mess. But apparently, given where I had traveled in my search for alternative routes into Fort Worth, this was the best option.

We were eventually directed to exit I35 and after a few dubious routings through neighborhoods where I swear I heard gunshots, we ended up at our destination. Missing dinner, but making it just in time for the main event, an outdoor concert. The Fort Worth symphony was doing the music of Pink Floyd. By the time we got to our seats I was numb, but not “comfortably numb”. The drive back, late at night, took less than half the time spent trying to get there during peak rush hour. So in the end, was it all worth the trouble? Of course, the music was great, we got to spend time with old friends and I have another story to tell.

While I can only laugh about the craziness of that rush hour trip, I do wonder what we’re going to do about the gridlock that is crippling our major metropolitan areas. It’s costing truckers billions of dollars. And what is it doing to the poor souls who have to commute every day in the middle of this mess? People either fight the rush hour beast or they go in very early and come home very late, effectively putting in 14+ hour days. It’s insane and no way to live. We have to figure out a better way to transport people and products around this country, especially through our major metro areas. Want to Make America Great Again? Just figure out a way to get from here to there in a reasonable amount of time and in one piece.

So Far...Not So Good

“Trump gets a lot done in his first year and drives the mainstream media crazy.”- Neal Click 12/26/16

2017 is nearing the half-way mark and again my annual predictions turn out to be only half-right: “GDP growth at 3%” and “Trump gets a lot done in his first year and drives the mainstream media crazy.” At this point, we’re probably looking at GDP under 2%. And Trump isn’t getting much done, but he is driving the mainstream media (and everyone else) crazy.
I think a lot of us expected better things in 2017. If not from the new administration, at least from the economy. It felt like we might be on the cusp of a breakout from the anemic pattern of 1-2% growth. Apparently not.

I talk to people in all segments of the transportation and logistics industry. This is the most confusing economy I’ve seen in my lifetime. Reports from the transportation/logistics world are all over the map. Some segments are doing well, others are not. Within segments, some companies are doing well and other are not. It really depends on what industries and markets are being served. If you’re closely tied to automotive or “big retail” you’re probably not having a great year. If you’re closer to construction or other types of manufacturing you may be doing ok. If you’re disciplined and not adding too much capacity, too quickly; you’re being smart. If you’re finding ways to play in the e-commerce explosion… profitable ways to play… you’re being smart or perhaps you’re just lucky.

A lot of what’s going on doesn’t seem to make sense. Many large shippers are aggressively going after rate reductions at a time when the long-term capacity forecast would say that rates have probably bottomed out and are very likely to go up. I talk to companies on a regular basis that need to fill key positions, but aren’t willing or able to offer the level of compensation necessary to attract qualified people. At the same time, I see candidates who are unemployed or under-employed, but unable to find new employment because of location or experience or frequent job changes or any number of other random factors.

I think businesses and employees are uncomfortable and uncertain. There’s not a lot of confidence out there. And, that’s not good for the economy. Even where I live in North Texas, as things are about as good as they can be, there is a sense that the most likely direction is downward or at best sideways. In regions of the country where things have not been so good, the mood is even more negative. The anger and frustration that fueled Trump’s run to the White House has turned to malaise. And those who did not support him in the first place have essentially become a lynch mob. Not a good recipe for “Making America Great Again”.

Then there are the fundamentals. Government debt continues to climb and consumer debt is back up to Pre-Great Recession levels. The ‘juice’ created by low interest rates and Fed policy decisions has just about run its course. At some point, one has to pick-up the check. One cannot buy more stuff without cash or credit. And my sense is that we are feeling the effects of this reality. Add in the demographic shift as Baby-Boomers go from consuming to downsizing to retirement, and those generations coming up are unwilling or unable to follow in their predecessors “go big or go home” footsteps; and you end up with low-growth, limited opportunities for marginally qualified workers and an economy that will punish those companies that are poorly positioned or poorly run.

In other words, it’s tough out there. And this may just be the way it’s going to be. Slow or no growth. Changing markets. A nation too divided to move the needle on pro-growth legislation. A workforce unprepared for the new economy yet unwilling or unable to take on “old economy” jobs. But success awaits those willing to adapt, willing to learn and; most of all, willing to work hard. And that’s pretty much how it’s always been.

Some will win
Some will lose
Some were born to sing the blues
Oh, the movie never ends
It goes on and on, and on, and on
Don’t Stop Believin’- Journey

Paris Is Burning...Again

“Just because a country signs a UNFCCC agreement does not mean the agreement has any legal effect in the country. The Clinton Administration signed the Kyoto Protocol in November 1998, more than six months after the agreement opened for signature. President Clinton never submitted it to U.S. Senate for ratification. In March 2001, President George W. Bush rejected Kyoto and the U.S. never became a party….”

“…Kyoto was legally binding and countries still failed to comply. Non-binding targets in the Paris Agreement will not produce any greater confidence that countries will comply.”

“…from the year Kyoto entered into force until the first commitment period ended in 2012, the U.S. was leading the top twenty economies in the world in reducing emissions without being a part of the Kyoto Protocol or embracing stringent EU style carbon policies.”

From the Senate Majority White Paper presented to the Committee on Environment and Public Works, April 16 2016



OK, so President Trump did what he said he would do and rejected the Paris Agreement. My sense is that the UNFCCC agreement is ill-conceived and not enforceable. That it would do little or no good; and to the extent that it might be followed would likely harm the very economies that are doing the most to support and feed the world. BUT, these days, any agreement that proposes to reduce carbon emissions and greenhouse gases is, de facto, an agreement that must be supported. It doesn’t matter if it’s right or well thought out or enforceable. If its goal is to reduce the world’s carbon emissions, it is something one is expected to support.

All of these CEO’s who are coming out in support of “The Agreement” and condemning Trump for rejecting it, are doing the smart thing. People who support “The Agreement” are much more passionate about climate change than those who do NOT support “The Agreement”. If I am leading a global company or a company that relies heavily on an educated workforce under 40 years of age, it makes a lot of sense for me to support any high profile initiative that “is good for the planet”. It’s a winning position with most of my employees and customers.

And as for all of the other countries supporting The Agreement, they breakdown into three groups. The liberals (mostly Europeans) who know that they have no choice other than to support any climate change program; the poor nations who stand to lose nothing and perhaps gain a great deal if by some miracle The Agreement actually did what it’s designed to do; and, lastly, the big players like China and India who have no intention of making any changes unless someone else pays for it. In the meantime, they will exploit their competitive advantage and keep on pumping out more carbon emissions.

And the media is totally in the bag for any program that addresses climate change. Add in that most of them are anti-Trump, no matter what; and rejecting The Agreement, becomes just another blood in the water feeding frenzy for them.

I’ve written before that I do believe the climate is changing. And it may be changing in ways that will be catastrophic for some parts of the world. What remains unclear to me is how much of the change is man-made. Some of it, no question. And efforts to reduce carbon emissions are a good thing. I’m all for it. But crippling the economies of the most developed countries, transferring wealth to third world nations where corruption and mismanagement will piss most of it away and allowing our largest global competitors to pretty much conduct business as usual seems like a bad deal. And what if we really do reduce carbon emissions significantly and it turns out that it has less to do with climate change that we thought? Probably time to move to higher ground. In the meantime, we should continue to work toward reducing carbon emissions and developing alternative energy sources. But let’s not kid ourselves that something like the UNFCC agreement is going to be the game changer.

My advice to President Trump would have been to just go with the flow. Express your concerns, sign The Agreement and then just ignore it like everyone else will. Your core constituents might howl, but they will still support you. Your opponents would have been caught totally off-guard and forced to consider that perhaps you’re not just a crazy old man with a long red tie and an orange complexion. Remember this…taking care of Mother Earth, even if it's only a symbolic gesture, wins every time.

We Need To Remember

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.


When I was in school, 9th grade as I recall, we learned this poem, “In Flanders Fields”. Written after the First World War, by Lt. Col John McCrae, a soldier, physician and poet. McCrae served with the Canadian Expeditionary Force at the Second Battle of Ypres in Western Belgium.

My guess is that kids these days don’t read, much less memorize, poems about wars or those who died fighting in wars. Someone would be offended or upset and a teacher would likely lose their job for recommending a poem such as “In Flanders Fields”. But these words need to be read and we need to remember.

Thank God For Mothers

God blessed me with a good mother, exceptional grandmothers and a lot of wonderful aunts. I was raised by a bunch of strong, smart, loving women. My mother, my grandmothers and most of those aunts have passed on. No doubt they have things running smoothly in their corner of heaven.

If the woman or women who raised you are still around, thank them and tell them that you love them. For the ones who have passed on, remember them, thank them and tell them that you love them too. They are still watching over you.

“All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel mother.”
― Abraham Lincoln

Life, Liberty and Healthcare

Well here we are again. Trying to figure out how to provide healthcare for 325 million Americans and who’s going to pay for it. The healthcare problem is challenging, but it’s not all that complicated. It comes down to five basic questions:

_1 Are all Americans entitled to healthcare?
_2 If all Americans are entitled to healthcare, what level of healthcare are they entitled to?
_3 Are all American’s entitled to the same level of healthcare?
_4 How do we control the costs of healthcare and still provide timely, high-quality service?
_5 How do we pay for it?

What we have now is not sustainable? I have the opportunity to review benefit plans as part of the compensation negotiation between employers and candidates. Over the past 5 or 6 years health insurance benefits have changed significantly. Premiums have increased big-time for employers and employees. Some of the premium increases are being offset by increased deductibles and more HMO offerings. In other words, the more “affordable” insurance options now carry high deductibles and are often part of an HMO network (as opposed to PPO networks.)

And if you are already confused, you’re not alone. That’s part of the magic show health insurance has become. Give them Gold, Silver, Bronze options and whatever other metal you can think of; and just maybe no one will figure out what’s really going on. The truth is most people figure it out eventually when the bills come in. They realize they are paying more for less. Or they figure it out when they realize that the HMO option they selected forces them to change doctors, have fewer doctors to choose from and go through a tedious process of referrals and approvals before treatment.

We are where we are, as they say. And it’s time to answer those five questions.

Are all Americans entitled to healthcare? I say yes. It’s just unacceptable that someone would suffer and/or die when there is a medical solution to their condition.

What level of healthcare are they entitled to? Again the standard is if someone is sick, in pain or their life is at risk; they should have access to treatment.

Are all American’s entitled to the same level of healthcare? The key word here is “entitled”. If by entitled we mean “at least” the same level of healthcare and not “only” the same level, then I would say yes. This is not a free country, but we do have freedoms. If someone wants better or more healthcare than they are “entitled” to, and they can pay for it, that option needs to be available.

How do we control the costs? As Shakespeare wrote, “first we kill all the lawyers”. Just kidding, sort of.
But we do have to reduce litigation risks and get physicians away from practicing defensive medicine. Secondly, we need to streamline the “process”. The administrative side of the healthcare industry is way too expensive and inefficient. Third, more emphasis on healthy living. If we are all going to pay for each other’s medical care, we have the right to demand healthier food choices, higher taxes on tobacco and alcohol and maybe a few other things that will really make Libertarians mad. Fourth, open up markets to more insurance providers. No brainer. Lastly, we need to figure out how to fund research and development of new drugs and treatments other than by charging an arm and a leg when they are finally offered to the public. And as part of that, new drugs and treatments should get to the market sooner. The government bureaucrats are unnecessarily driving up costs and delaying drugs and treatments that could benefit thousands of people.

So how do we pay for it? We’re already paying for it. And we’re not getting what we pay for. There will be taxes. Some of us who make more will have to pay more. Some who can’t pay now, will have to pay later. I see us with a “basic” entitlement healthcare program and everyone will have to participate. All physicians will have to take a certain number of “basic” coverage patients at the prescribed rates in what is essentially a managed care system. Then for those who can afford supplemental or umbrella coverage, they get to use the “express lane”. More options, more services, more timely, self-managed and expensive.

This is fixable. Those at the top of the pyramid are going to take a haircut. No way around it. Physicians, hospitals, insurance companies, big pharma, medical equipment and supply companies will get dinged. High income individuals will get dinged. Basic healthcare is a right, not a privilege and we need to make sure that it is there for all of us. And, you’re getting this from a conservative. What is this world coming to?


Leave all the afternoon for exercise and recreation, which are as necessary as reading. I will rather say more necessary because health is worth more than learning.- Thomas Jefferson

Easter and Believing and Doubting

Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”

But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”

A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”

Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”

Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”

Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.

John 20: 24-29


I am a believer. But I am also a doubter. And, in my opinion, anyone who says they have no doubts is either dishonest or delusional, or both. The Bible is full of doubters. Almost every major character in the Bible had doubts at some point. So I think God is OK with doubters.

We have doubts when bad things happen to good people. When natural disasters strike. When an innocent child is dying from some terrible disease. When a van loaded with Christian seniors returning from a retreat gets crushed by a pick-up driven by a young man who decided texting was more important than driving. When a job is lost. When a marriage falls apart. When a child raised the right way, goes wrong. When prayers seem to go unanswered. When one ask “Where is God in all of this”? Why is this happening?

Even Jesus himself had a moment of doubt. In the Garden of Gethsemane he prayed not once but three times that “this cup” might pass. But, he always added these words, “yet not as I will, but as you will…” Jesus was both divine and human and the human side of him was filled with dread. And the human side of Jesus was looking for a way out. That is our human nature as well. And when we look for a way out, doubt is usually right there with us.

Doubting is part of believing. Doubting comes with the territory of being a human being living in a broken world. Easter is a good time for us to think about what we believe, why we have doubts and what we will do with our beliefs and our doubts.

As believers, we live by faith. We surrender to God and say those words from long ago…yet not as I will, but as you will. What other option do we really have? He is God and we are not. I have no doubt about that.