This is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf.  Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all of my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist.  This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write.  I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf.  The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie.  And it is where you want to be on a golf course

I came up with a few more perceptions based on the last few days as my wife and I made our annual trek by car from Salem, Oregon to our winter home in La Quinta, California.

I did so on the 16-hour drive south because I had nothing else to occupy my mind, other than staying in my lane (see below).

Dollar general:  I don’t know why exactly, but I noticed a lot of Dollar General big rigs on the drive south.  Who knew that a store specializing in buying stuff for $1 could become big enough to buy a fleet of big trucks?  I never have been to a Dollar General store, but those that exist must attract a lot of customers.

Amazon prime trucks:  As always, I saw lot of Amazon trucks, carrying stuff from one place to another so Jeff Bezos could continue making millions, if not billions, thus funding more private space travel.

Fog:  Driving in fog is not fun and we had many hours of that reality on the trip south.  It was not bad enough for us to feel trapped, but it was a tough slog.

Road conditions:  There were bad road conditions a lot of the way south, both on U.S. 99, which we traveled for a number of miles on our second day, and also, on I-5.  Then, heading east on I-10 heading, the road was basically under construction.

On some of the roads, highway engineers – perhaps that’s an oxymoron – appeared to have created an additional lane heading east.  That made the lanes very narrow.   On several occasions, I felt hemmed in by big trucks on both sides.

I did hear our GPS voice say something like, “Stay in the right five lanes,” a distinctly California phrase you would never hear in Oregon.

Our Air BNB in Lodi, California:  We have stayed in an Air BNB in Lodi, California on several of our trips north and south.  The other day as we arrived in Lodi, we checked with our “landlord” and learned that a person who had stayed in the Air BNB site reserved for us had come down with Covid and was so sick she could not leave the house.

Of course, we wouldn’t have wanted to stay there anyway, with its exposure to Covid.  But our landlord said he would make other arrangements for us.  And he did – another Air BNB in the area.

We made the best of this potentially bad situation by venturing a few blocks away to a winery where he whiled away a couple hours with drinks in hand.  That reminds me to say that the Lodi area is much like Yamhill County, both in terms of topography and wine.

Is the middle ground always the best?  As I drive, I thought of this question because a friend of mine had raised it in regard to issues between Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers and one of the companies he endorses, State Farm.

The issue was that Rodgers provided faulty information about his Covid vaccination status, leaving the impression that he had been vaccinated, though he used the word “immunized,” instead of “vaccinated.”  But, he finally admitted that he had not been vaccinated.

Based on his invalid assurances, he came under intense criticism, including having to sit out for a game and pay a National Football League fine (which did not amount to much because of his high salary).

Now, as for the middle ground, it’s this.

State Farm tried to have it both ways as it, (a) criticized Rodgers’ conduct, but (b) said he was entitled to his personal views.  So, it would not remove him as an endorser. 

In politics, I have long been an advocate for middle ground on pressing public policy challenges.  After all, that’s often where the best solutions lie.

But, is middle ground always right?  No.  In the case of Rodgers and State Farm, I believe the insurance company should have fired him, given the terrible example he set in the face of a continuing national tragedy – the pandemic.

Then how about this imponderable?:  If you send something by ship, it is called “cargo.”  But, if you send it by car or track, it is called “shipment?”

Why?

Inquiring minds want to know.