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 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.

If you were in the business of touting positive public policy developments in Oregon, there is at least one issue that would NOT make the list – foster care.

The state’s record in this issue is both terrible and embarrassing.

As someone who was involved in state public policy issues for more than 40 years, I cannot believe that more state managers and workers have not paid a price for this failure.  “Paid a price” means losing their jobs.

This became clear again yesterday as Oregon Capital Chronicle covered the story in this way:

“The Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), under pressure by lawmakers and advocates over its care of foster children in hotels, released a report on Tuesday acknowledging past mistakes.

“Many were related to its contract with Dynamic Life, a Keizer-based non-profit run by a former pastor, which started at $500,000, but quickly expanded to $12 million for support services for foster kids while they were in hotels.

“The contractor hired staff to look after vulnerable children but didn’t run background checks on them and didn’t give them proper training.  Public records revealed that staff mistreated children by improperly restraining them and withholding medication, among other things, and yet DHS paid Dynamic Life more than 100 times what it typically pays foster parents to care for children in short-term rentals, according to an investigation by Oregon Public Broadcasting last year.”

This is only the latest step in what could be called a crescendo of bad acts dating back more years than are worth counting.

The agency’s report, which was conducted by the DHS Office of Resilience and Emergency Management, detailed mistakes in hiring Dynamic Life.  It also included promises by DHS management to ensure better oversight of contracts in the future.

That response didn’t mollify the agency’s harshest critic in the Legislature, Senator Sara Gelser Blouin, chair of the Senate Interim Committee on Human Services.  She told the Capital Chronicle the report was superficial and doesn’t reflect the seriousness of the problems suffered by children, and the agency’s failure to ensure they were protected.

Her quote:

“Although the report concludes with an acknowledgement of ‘the extreme stress and harm’ to DHS staff, not once does the agency accept accountability for or even acknowledge the severe harm imposed on children. 

“This includes dozens and dozens of inappropriate physical restraints, consistent and severe medication errors, violation of child rights and reported shaming over sexual orientation and gender identity.  These harms were a direct result of DHS’ failure to regulate and monitor these unlicensed organizations despite paying them millions of taxpayer dollars and entrusting them with the lives and bodies of some of the most victimized and traumatized kids in Oregon.”

In this year’s legislative session, Gelser Blouin tried to pass a bill that would have mandated that contractors supervising foster kids in temporary lodging be licensed.  But DHS objected to that requirement, saying it wouldn’t be able to find a provider to care for kids in hotels.  So that provision was removed from Senate Bill 1521 before it passed.

Not good.

Overall, thousands of Oregon children remain in the state’s foster care system.  They deserve better than they are getting from the State of Oregon.

 

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 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.

The Wall Street Journal asks the question in this blog headline:  Why is it so frustrating to see a doctor these days?

My answer?

It isn’t, at least not for me in Salem, Oregon where I live most of the year.  I have lived there since 1979.

For one thing, this means that I and my family know the Salem area’s health care system, including know many of the medical practitioners who practice in our area.  Thus, it has become relatively easy to get access.

That’s just one person’s story.

Here is the way the Wall Street Journal described the general system:

“You struggle to make an appointment.  You sit and sit in the waiting room. You get barely any face time with the doctor.  Why is it so difficult?

“Despite years of efforts to improve efficiency and access, wait times to see a doctor have only gotten worse, amid a shortage of physicians in almost every specialty.  One survey found the average time to secure a new–patient appointment is approaching one month in 15 of the largest cities in the U.S., and another survey found more than a third of Medicare patients are waiting more than a month to see a doctor.

“At least half of patients report experiencing ‘operational friction’ — long hold times on the phone to reach a scheduler, difficulty getting a timely appointment and trouble accessing follow-up information, according to surveys from patient-experience firm Press Ganey.  Patients complain of endless time in the waiting room and little face time with the doctor once in the exam room. 

“Digital patient portals — which are supposed to help make scheduling, follow-up and communication easier — have been hard to navigate for both patients and physicians.”

The Journal goes on to report that “one of the biggest reasons for the frustrating waits is a shortage of doctors across the country — making it tougher to get an appointment and increasing the amount of time wasted in office waiting rooms.  Federal data show the U.S. is short 12,945 primary-care practitioners, indicating that less than half of primary-care needs are being met.

More from the Journal:

• According to the American Medical Association, plummeting Medicare-payment rates for doctors over the past two decades have pushed many independent physician practices toward financial ruin, while burnout has driven doctors out of the field or led them to cut hours. 
• All told, the AMA estimates more than 83 million people in the U.S. live in areas without sufficient access to a primary-care doctor, and many specialists are in short supply as well. 
• A large portion of doctors are nearing retirement. The Health Resources and Services Administration projects a shortage of close to 140,000 doctors in primary and specialty care in 2036.  All told, the AMA estimates more than 83 million people in the U.S. live in areas without sufficient access to a primary-care doctor, and many specialists are in short supply as well.  A large portion of doctors are nearing retirement age.

Still, amid all the frustration, there are some promising solutions that could make getting medical care less of an ordeal, even if the problem has not been severe for me.

Here is a summary of useful steps, including in each case a comment from me.

Making it simpler to schedule

Medical offices can be notoriously hard to reach, with patients finding it tough to break through automated telephone menus.

COMMENT:  For me, I have found scheduling to be fairly easy, including through a portal that carries subscriptions from all my physicians in Salem.

Cutting wait time in the office

Medical offices are using electronic-record data to identify staff and scheduling issues that are often at the root of the long waiting-room times, and are adopting time-management strategies to fix them.  More practices are creating a “digital front door,” sending texts to patients in advance with links to portals or websites where they can fill out forms, update medication lists, and confirm insurance coverage up to a week ahead of time. 

Another cause of prolonged waiting-room times is inefficiency in so-called “patient cycle time” — the amount of time from when a patient arrives at the office until the completion of the appointment.

One clinic began starting clinic times earlier in the day to decrease the volume of patients toward the end of the morning hours, and changed its medical-assistant schedules to ensure they were available to get patients into exam rooms at the beginning of the morning and afternoon clinic sessions.

COMMENT:  I have experienced all these steps to reduce waiting time and all have worked well for me, including going on-line to provide appointment details before arriving at the doctor’s office.

Getting face time with the physician

To make sure patients have adequate time with their doctor, practices are changing the way they schedule appointments, reserving longer appointments for new patients and annual exams, and shorter ones for follow-up visits that may not require as much time.

Virtual care is also opening up appointments outside the traditional doctor’s hours.  Oakland, California-based health system Kaiser Permanente launched its first 24/7 virtual on-demand program that allows members to connect on-line or by phone to a clinician.

COMMENT:  Face-time with a doctor matters and, lately, I have gotten all I need, including with such steps as those outlined above.

On-line time with a doctor also works for me, though, of course, such a process never occurs with urgent or emergent needs, nor does on-line work every time. 

It just tends to work on occasion.  And another important step – finding a way for doctors to get paid for providing real service on-line.

A tech fix for follow-ups

Patient portals were supposed to help in many facets of the patient journey, from making appointments to communicating with doctors and getting test results and referrals.

Federal policies now require health providers to share test results with patients at the same time their doctors get them.

COMMENT:  Of course, such technology systems often don’t work, at least for people like me who are not as tech savvy as, say, are my grandchildren.  But, when they work, which is usually for me, they provide useful information.

For example, when I have blood work done, I often get results on-line even before my doctor sees them.

So, I appreciate the work of the Wall Street Journal to highlight this issue and to provide quality writing.

I also appreciate that I have been able to access the Salem, Oregon health care system with relative ease.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

As I write this, it is Monday after Easter weekend.  But the reality of what Easter means to those of us who are Christians does not recede even as the “holiday” does.

Easter means that Christ has risen from the dead to give us a chance for a relationship with God the Father.

Think of it this way using THE CROSS as a guide.  The fact that Christ died for us on that cross, as the song lyrics go, “creates a bridge to cross the great divide,” and, in a fascinating turn of phrase, “creates a cross to bridge the great divide.” 

In effect, we are taken across the horizontal beam of that cross to a new life with Christ.

One of my favorite columnists, the late Michael Gerson, captured these real themes well in what he wrote to commemorate Good Friday.  I give him full credit for excellent words and thoughts.

“The story of Good Friday — the garden, the bloody sweat, the sleeping friends, the torch-carrying crowd, the kiss, the slash of a sword, the questioning, the scourging, the mocking, the beam, the nails, the despair of a good man — is an invitation to cynicism. Nearly every human institution is revealed at its worst.

“Government certainly comes off poorly, giving Jesus the bureaucratic shuffle, with no one wanting to take responsibility, until a weak leader gives in to the crowd in the name of keeping the peace. ‘What is truth?’ asks Pilate, with a sneer typical of politics to this day.

“Professional men of religion do not appear in their best light. They are violently sectarian, judgmental and turn to the state to enforce their beliefs.

“The crowd does not acquit itself well, turning hostile and cruel as quickly as an internet mob, first putting palms beneath his feet, then thorns upon his brow.

“Even friendship comes in for a beating.  The men closest to Jesus slept while his enemies are fully awake.  There is betrayal by a close, disgruntled associate.  And then Peter’s spastic violence and cowardly denials. The women — all the assorted Marys — come off far better in the narrative.  But Jesus is essentially abandoned to face his long, suffocating death alone.

“And, for a moment, even God seems to fail, vanishing into a shocking silence.  ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ says Jesus, in words that many of his followers would want to erase from the Bible.  How could the Son of God be subject to despair?

“Consider how the world appeared at the finish of Good Friday.  It would have seemed that every source of order, justice and comfort — politics, institutional religion, the community, friendship — had been discredited.  It was the cynic’s finest hour.  And God Himself seemed absent or unmoved, turning cynicism toward nihilism.  Every ember of human hope was cold.  And there was nothing to be done about it.

“Then something happened.  There was disagreement at the time, as now, on what that something was.  According to the story, Pilate posted a guard at the tomb with the instruction:  ‘Make it as secure as you can.’  Then the cynics somehow lost control of the narrative.  There was an empty tomb and wild reports of angels and ghosts.  And the claim of resurrection.

“Even those who believe the body was moved must confront certain facts.  Faith in the figure Rome executed has far outlasted the Roman Empire.  The cowardly friends became bold missionaries, most dying torturous deaths (according to tradition) for the sake of a figure they had once betrayed in their sleep.  The faith thus founded has given the mob — all of us, even the ones who mock, especially the ones who mock — the hope of pardon and peace.

“For believers, the complete story of Good Friday and Easter legitimizes both despair and faith.  Nearly every life features less-than-good Fridays.  We grow tired of our own company and travel a descending path of depression.  We experience lonely pain, unearned suffering or stinging injustice.  We are rejected or betrayed by a friend.  

“And then there are the unspeakable things — the death of a child, the diagnosis of an aggressive cancer, the steady advance of a disease that will take our minds and dignity.  We look into the abyss of self-murder.  And given the example of Christ, we are permitted to feel God-forsaken.

“And yet … eventually … or so we trust … or so we try to trust:  God is forever on the side of those who suffer.  God is forever on the side of life.  God is forever on the side of hope.

“If the resurrection is real, death’s hold is broken.  There is a truth and human existence that cannot be contained in a tomb.  It is possible to live lightly, even in the face of death — not by becoming hard and strong, but through a confident perseverance.  Because cynicism is the failure of patience.  Because Good Friday does not have the final word.”

Well written, Mr. Gerson, my late friend.

And, I say this on the day after Easter, which is a wonderful holiday – but more than that…a sign of hope for a future!

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 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 just got back home after an Easter Sunrise Service at Southwest Church here in La Quinta, California.

So, I feel compelled to provide this proscript to a blog I posted this morning.

It could have been cloudy and raining here this morning, but as the service was in progress, guess what?  THE “SUN” ROSE IN THE SKY TO THE EAST.

And, about 2,000 years ago, THE “SON” ROSE, to give us a way to have a relationship with God.

Good news on this Easter!

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

As I awoke this morning, the sun was shining here in Southern California – or at least trying to do so because, I add, there is a bit of rain in prospect this morning.

It was – and is – a fitting way to celebrate Easter morning!

The sun was out! 

The son is risen!

Easter is more than a holiday when there is a scramble, at least among children, to find Easter eggs.  It is more than traditional Easter candy in the store.  It is more than Easter brunches across the land (though my wife and I will be attending one later today).

Easter is a time to reflect on what God has done to give us a way to have a relationship with Him.  It is time to reflect on the fact that, at a specific time in history, Jesus, God’s son, went to the cross to die an excruciating death, the purpose for which was to pay the penalty for our sins and to give us a way to have a relationship with God and Jesus.

I found these words on-line:

“Today, Christians look back on these events (the death and resurrection of Jesus), not to relive the grief, sadness and morbidity, but to renew our commitment to living on a higher plane, the one Jesus challenged us to live on.

“We recognize the cross as a symbol of God’s love, but historically it was an instrument of torture devised by the Greeks and Romans to prolong the death of those deemed guilty of crimes against the state. Since Jesus was guilty of no such thing, the cross had to have a higher meaning — one that could hold the hope of humanity.

“Jesus shared its meaning when he said:  ‘This is how much God loved the world:  He gave his Son, his one and only Son.  And this is why:  So that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life.  God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was.  He came to help, to put the world right again.

“Today, the cross is still a symbol of God’s forgiveness. The penalty of our countless sins against God — all kinds of sins — is death … eternal death.  As Jesus hung on the cross, our debt to God was being satisfied.  The cross was God’s way of picking up our tab.  It was His way of saying:  ‘I forgive you.’ The cross was a bridge to God’s forgiveness, and we have been invited to freely walk across it.”

Reflecting on this reality morning, the words of one of my favorite hymns come back to me again – and I cite them this morning, just as I did in a previous blog a couple days ago.

Trying to fathom the distance
Looking out ‘cross the canyon carved by my hands
God is gracious
Sin would still separate us
Were it not for the bridge His grace has made us
His love will carry me

There’s a bridge to cross the great divide
A way was made to reach the other side
The mercy of the Father, cost His son His life
His love is deep, His love is wide
There’s a cross to bridge the great divide

God is faithful
On my own I’m unable
He found me hopeless, alone and sent a Savior
He’s provided a path and promised to guide us
Safely past all the sin that would divide us
His love delivers me

The cross that cost my Lord His life
Has given me mine
There’s a bridge to cross the great divide
There’s a cross to bridge the great divide

Good words, well-used – including the words “bridge” and “cross” that appear interchangeably. 

“God provides a bridge across the great divide.  God provides a cross to bridge the great divide.”

On this Easter morning, I hope all of us can go beyond the trappings of another holiday on the calendar and reflect on the true meaning of the season.

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 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.

As I write this, I am still dwelling on the harsh reality of a Good Friday service last night at the church we attend here in La Quinta, California, Southwest Church.

To put it simply, the staff there did a great calling our attention to the excruciating death Christ suffered on the cross, an act he took on to provide a way for us to have a relationship with God.

This was a powerful, yet stark, prelude to Easter on Sunday when we will have a chance to get past death to life.

So, for Sunday, I have another blog in the planning stage to celebrate that the “sun” has risen, and that the “son” his risen.

But, before that, I cannot help by post a column written by New York Times analyst Maureen Dowd.

She writes about the other-worldly experience seeing one Donald Trump hawk Bibles in this Easter season as if he knows what’s in the greatest book ever written.  He doesn’t.

Speaking of dissonance – Trump and Bibles.  This is it.

I’ll Dowd illustrate the truth of the dissonance.

**********

On this holy weekend, one man is taking the Resurrection personally.

Donald Trump is presenting himself as the Man on the Cross, tortured for our sins.  “I consider it a great badge of courage,” he tells crowds.  “I am being indicted for you.”  Instead of Christ-like redemption, he promises Lucifer-like retribution if resurrected.

In January, he put up a video on Truth Social about how he is a messenger from God, “a shepherd to mankind.”

Trump is, as the nuns who taught me used to say, “a bold, brazen piece.” He is a miserable human who cheated on his wives, cheats at golf, cheats at politics, incites violence, targets judges and their families and looked on, pleased, as thugs threatened to hang his actually pious vice president.

Yet, more and more, Trump is wallowing in his Messiah complex.

Trump wouldn’t know the difference between Old and New Testaments. So he may not realize that, rather than a sacrificial lamb, he is the Golden Calf, the false god worshiped by Israelites when Moses went up to Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments.

Just as the Israelites melted their ornaments and jewelry to make the calf, Trump is trading tacky products for gilt to pay gazillions in obligations. After his $399 golden “Never Surrender High-Top Sneaker,” Trump is selling a $99 “Victory” cologne for “movers, shakers and history makers” with “a crisp opening of citrus blends into a cedar heart, underpinned by a rich base of leather and amber, crafting a commanding presence.”  A gold bust of Trump tops the bottle. (“Victory” perfume for women comes in a Miss Universe-shape bottle.)

Weaponizing his martyrdom, Trump is selling $59.99 “God Bless the USA” Bibles adorned with a flag and the chorus of Lee Greenwood’s song handwritten by the singer, plus the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, and Pledge of Allegiance.

“Happy Holy Week!” he wrote on Truth Social.  “Let’s Make America Pray Again. As we lead into Good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to get a copy of  the God Bless The USA Bible.”

David Axelrod says that, even as a secular Jew, he’s offended:  “This is a guy who has violated 11 of the Ten Commandments.”

Trump posted a promotional video claiming “Christians are under siege” and vowing to “protect content that is pro-God.”  He held up the Bible — recalling the appalling moment in 2020 when Ivanka handed him a Bible from her designer bag and he clutched it in front of St. John’s Church, opposite the White House, moments after the police tear-gassed protesters and journalists in adjacent Lafayette Square at a demonstration about George Floyd’s murder.

“All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many,” Trump barked.  “It’s my favorite book.”  Maybe the Bible has replaced that Hitler book Trump’s ex-wife said he kept by his bed.

But it’s all a scam.  Running for president is about enriching himself, just as when he peddled NFTs, steaks, ties, suits, bath towels, vodka, water, office chairs, Trump University and mug-shot mugs.  He even sold pieces of the suit he was wearing when he took the mug shot.

“I want to have a lot of people have it,” Trump said of his Bible.  “You have to have it for your heart, for your soul.”

Just what the world needs:  A soul cleanse with a grifter Bible, where the profits could well be going to pay legal costs in trials about breaking commandments — bearing false witness to try to steal democracy, coveting a porn star, then paying the star hush money to keep quiet about the sex.

What could be more Elmer Gantry than that?  As Sinclair Lewis wrote about his corrupt, power-hungry, narcissistic, womanizing preacher, “He had, in fact, got everything from the church and Sunday school, except, perhaps, any longing whatever for decency and kindness and reason.”

Religious snake-oil salesmen have a storied history in American literature and films, from Flannery O’Connor’s “Wise Blood” to Peter Bogdanovich’s beloved movie “Paper Moon,” about a conniving Bible salesman and his small helper.  But it’s shocking when the charlatan might be in the Oval.

In her 2016 book, “The Confidence Game,” Maria Konnikova explained that we’re easy prey for faux Nigerian princes because of all the chaos in our world.  “The whirlwind advance of technology heralds a new golden age of the grift,” she wrote.  “Cons thrive in times of transition and fast change.”

If there is one thing Trump knows how to do, it’s exploit chaos he creates.

There has to be a yearning in the populace that the con man can channel; and, at a time when religion and patriotism are waning, people are searching for more. Unfortunately, these days that search often takes the form of conspiracy theories.

As Donie O’Sullivan reported for CNN, no sooner had the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore than a bunch of crazy conspiracy tales blossomed about terrorism, D.E.I., Obama, Israel and Ukraine.

Declining faith in religion and rising faith in conspiracies create fertile ground for a faker like Trump. If the profane pol is re-elected, we’ll all reap the whirlwind.

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 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 open this department, one of five I run as a very competent manager, to cite three very good quotes.

The other departments I run are the Department of Words Matter, the Department of Pet Peeves, the Department of “Just Saying,” and the Department of Inquiring Minds Want to know.

So, for the good quotes.

FROM COLUMNIST FRANK BRUNI IN THE NEW YORK TIMES:  “In terms of optics and in terms of energy, I wish President Biden were younger.  There’s no point in pretending otherwise.

“And from the casual conversations all around me and the formal polling of voters, I know I’m in robust company.  A great many Americans consider his age unideal, and that belief is why there’s no wishing away the focus on it.  The swell of attention to it over the past few months is more beginning than end.  There are tsunamis yet to come.

“Even so, aspects of the subject get too little consideration, starting with this crushingly obvious and yet frequently overlooked fact:  The presidency isn’t a solo mission.  Not even close.  It’s a team effort, and the administration that a president puts together matters much, much more than his brawn or his brio.”

COMMENT:  Bruni is right on.  The presidency is not a “solo mission” and I would rather have Joe Biden in charge of appointments than Donald Trump.  Given Trump’s previous track record, he would appoint scofflaws like Rudy Guilani!  Biden won’t.

FROM COLUMNIST JAMELLE BOUIE, ALSO IN THE TIMES:  “As the week began, it looked as though Donald Trump would finally face consequences — or at least, a consequence — for his actions.

“Last month, a New York state trial court found the former president liable for inflating his net worth and misleading banks and insurers in order to receive favorable loans for his various businesses and commercial enterprises.

“The judge, Arthur F. Engoron, imposed a penalty of $454 million, to be paid into the state’s general fund.  Letitia James, New York’s attorney general, gave Trump a 30-day grace period to secure bond as he pursued appeal of the judgment.  ‘If he does not have funds to pay off the judgment, then we will seek judgment enforcement mechanisms in court, and we will ask the judge to seize his assets,’ James said last month.

“As of Sunday, Trump did not have the funds lined up.  He could not find a company willing to pledge nearly half a billion dollars on his behalf.  And even if he could, he would need to pledge at least as much in collateral to the company.

“Almost any other defendant would have to face the consequences of coming to court empty-handed. On Monday, the day the money was due, a New York appeals court said that it would accept a far smaller bond of $175 million, a significant and unexpected victory for the former president. He has 10 days to pay.”

COMMENT:  Again, Trump gets away without consequences for his alleged actions.  I wish it wasn’t so.

AND MORE FROM THE TIMES:  “The news that NBC had hired and then abruptly cut ties with the former Republican Party chair Ronna McDaniel this week may feel like a flashback for TV insiders and viewers.

“Once again, a major news network is on the defensive over an attempt to balance out its ranks of talking heads — a mainstay of the genre — with a pro-Trump surrogate whose qualifications for the role appeared to run counter to the basic tenets of journalism.

“McDaniel, after all, had been a prominent exponent of the false notion that the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump.  McDaniel was also at times involved in Trump’s attempts to stave off the certification of Joe Biden’s victory.

“While the crack-up may seem as if it was inevitable in retrospect, it was also reflective of a hallmark of the Trump era:  After two impeachments, a Capitol riot and numerous criminal indictments, the question of how to cover Trump is no closer to being solved.”

COMMENT:  The Times has it right.  The question of how journalists cover Trump is not being solved.

To that, as a former journalist myself, I add this:  Journalists need to remember that Trump not only acted a lot like Hitler in his first term as president, he values Hitler now.

Trump wants to be a dictator in the spirit of Hitler.  Presiding over killing people – especially migrants looking for a better life – doesn’t bother him at all.

As Hitler rose to power after the first World War, I wonder if journalists thought about their rule in covering him as a dictator.  Probably not because they lived at the time, with no benefit of hindsight.

Tough for journalists in this country, as well, and they have not found their footing yet.  A difference is that today’s journalist don’t need hindsight.  They have all the information they need given how Trump conducted himself in his first trip through the Oval Office.  And, of course, they have all of Trump’s fulminations, which focus on dishonesty and selfish ambitions.

The Ronna McDaniel issue is only the tip of the iceberg.  Better for wise journalists – yes, there are some left – to decide new ways of covering trip before we go under as a nation.

PERSPECTIVE FROM THE 19^TH HOLE:  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 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 a Congressional press secretary in Washington, D.C., an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and 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.

Those who know me know that I cannot sing a lick.  I remember the time my late mother-in-law heard me try to sing and dissolved into gales of laughter.

No wonder.  But that’s not the primary point of this blog.

This next paragraph is.

For me, one of the best ways to focus on the true meaning of Easter – commemorating the fact that Christ rose from the dead – is to think of words from great songs we sing at this time of year.  Not just to think about the lyrics, but also to focus on the true meaning of what Christ accomplished for all of us.

Easter is more than eggs, candy, and brunch.  It is a time for remembrance and reflection.  The words of the songs below do a far better job than I could of capturing the real meaning of Easter.

Easter would not be complete for me unless this first song was performed in a powerful, upbeat way. 

UP FROM THE GRAVE HE AROSE

Low in the grave He lay,
Jesus, my Savior,
Waiting the coming day,
Jesus, my Lord!

Refrain:
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o’er His foes,
He arose a Victor from the dark domain,
And He lives forever, with His saints to reign.
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch His bed,
Jesus, my Savior;
Vainly they seal the dead,
Jesus, my Lord!

Death cannot keep his Prey,
Jesus, my Savior;
He tore the bars away,
Jesus, my Lord!

As a person who likes words, the next song uses two words “cross” and “bridge” interchangeably, with different definitions, to make the point about what Christ has done for us.

A BRIDGE ACROSS THE GREAT DIVIDE; A CROSS TO BRIDGE THE GREAT DIVIDE

Trying to fathom the distance
Looking out ‘cross the canyon carved by my hands
God is gracious
Sin would still separate us
Were it not for the bridge His grace has made us
His love will carry me

There’s a bridge to cross the great divide
A way was made to reach the other side
The mercy of the Father, cost His son His life
His love is deep, His love is wide
There’s a cross to bridge the great divide

God is faithful
On my own I’m unable
He found me hopeless, alone and sent a Savior
He’s provided a path and promised to guide us
Safely past all the sin that would divide us
His love delivers me

The cross that cost my Lord His life
Has given me mine
There’s a bridge to cross the great divide
There’s a cross to bridge the great divide

If I had to pick my favorite Christian song of all time, a bit of an artificial act, I admit, this next song would be at the top of the list.  It asks us to survey the cross and understand that “love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.”

WHEN I SURVEY THE WONDROUS CROSS

When I survey the wondrous cross
On which the Prince of glory died,
My richest gain I count but loss,
And pour contempt on all my pride.

Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
Save in the death of Christ my God!
All the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to His blood.

See from His head, His hands, His feet,
Sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e’er such love and sorrow meet,
Or thorns compose so rich a crown?

Were the whole realm of nature mine,
That were a present far too small;
Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Celebrations at Easter are good for the soul and life, especially during this difficult time in our history.  Reflecting on the good words above is one way to focus your mind and remember what Christ did for all of us as he arose, thus confirming a way for us to have a relationship with God.

So, sing — or at least think — about the good words of Easter songs.

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 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 have thought a lot about the question in the headline as I reflect back on a life going to church.

First, I went in Portland, Oregon, where I grew up and my family attended church regularly.  Good for the family and me.

Second, I attended church in Salem, Oregon, where I and my family have lived since 1979.  Salem Alliance was – and is — our church home there.  It is a church that focuses on Christ and what he has done for us.  And, further, it avoids divisive political issues.   

Third, as my wife and I now spend our winters in the California desert, we attend Southwest Church.  It is a huge church in our area that has, as its theme, “We are a gospel-centered, multi-ethnic, inter-generational church… and we love discipleship!”

Now, there is no way to argue with that sense of mission!

To answer the question in the headline, I have come to several conclusions:

• Sunday sermons should be designed and delivered to help assure that those who attend are thankful they were in church to honor God and their relationship with Him.

• Sunday sermons should be designed and delivered to encourage those who have not yet made a decision to follow Christ to make that decision.

• Sunday sermons, especially given the large numbers of people who attend Southwest Church in La Quinta, California – all ages, all backgrounds, all ethnic derivations, all economic standing – should be designed and delivered to avoid divisive topics.  Especially politics.

One recent example for me highlights the problem with focusing on divisive topics that just happen to be part of a sermon series that hews to a particular book of the Bible.  In three weeks at this one church, the topics in order from the book in question were, (a) advice on church discipline, (b) admonitions against Christians going to court against other Christians, and (c) commitments to avoid sexual sin.

All might have been good topics for a class or seminar that persons chose to attend in the spirit of the scriptural admonition “to rightly divide the word of truth.”

But, for a Sunday sermon, not good topics.

Back to Salem Alliance Church.  I had the privilege of serving in a church leadership volunteer position there over a number of years where the topic of Sunday sermons was a frequent one for us.

We tried to adhere to what I listed above and, with emphasis, I add that we avoided politics, which, if it had been emphasized, contained more potential to divide than to unify.

I say all this as we embark today on another Easter season.  Last Sunday was “Palm Sunday,” and now we are in the midst of a week to mark Easter and, in the process, to focus on what Christ has done for us.

Which is to offer salvation to us based on His grace, not on our works.

So, have a great Easter season to celebrate Christ’s resurrection and what that means for all of us.

**********

Later this week, I intend to write several more blogs to highlight the reason for the Easter season.

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 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.

To answer the question in this blog headline:

• To Trump, “hostages” means the now-convicted protestors he pledges to release as soon as he becomes president again – IF he becomes president again.

• To the rest of us, “hostages” means that we are hostages facing the prospect of huge dislocation – perhaps a near-civil war – if Trump makes it again to the Oval Office.

This came to mind for me this week when I read a column by Tom Nichols in Atlantic Magazine when he wrote under this headline – “Donald Trump’s plan to pardon people in prison for their crimes on January 6 — people he now calls “hostages” — is yet another dangerous and un-American attack on the rule of law.”

More from Nichols:

“This past weekend, Trump stirred up one of his usual controversies by declaring that there would be a ‘bloodbath’ if he isn’t elected.  Trump’s supporters played a game of gotcha with outraged critics by claiming that Trump was merely describing an economic meltdown in the auto industry.

“Unfortunately, Trump decided, as he so often does, to pull the rug out from under his apologists by defending bloodbath as a common expression and clarifying that he meant it to refer to ‘getting slaughtered economically, when you’re getting slaughtered socially, when you’re getting slaughtered.’”

Nichols says Trump’s threats and violent language are nothing new.

“But while the nation’s pundits and partisans examine what it means for a presidential contender to mull over ‘getting slaughtered socially,’ Trump has added a much more disturbing project to his list of campaign promises:  He intends to pardon all the people jailed for the attack on the Capitol during the January 6 insurrection.”

Nichols remembers that, back in 2021, Trump claimed to be appalled by the violence at the Capitol.   But that didn’t last long — and there is no reason to assume Trump was sincere in the first place.

“The only surprise here is that it took Trump this long to adopt a radical position supporting the people who were willing to do violence on his behalf.  According to the House Select Committee’s investigation, his own staff had trouble getting him to call off the January 6 mob, to whom he said, ‘We love you.’  Many of those convicted for various crimes committed on that day went off to prison convinced they’d done the right thing, and Trump — a sucker for sycophancy — must have been moved by such shows of support, which included people singing to him in jail.”

Both as president and in business – if “business” is what he does – Trump has shown an innate disgust with the whole idea of the impartial rule of law.  He’s in serious financial trouble for lying about the value of his properties when it suited his interests; he has always seemed to believe that rules are for chumps, and that people — especially people named Donald Trump — should be free to enjoy the benefits of whatever they can get away with, legal or otherwise.

And more from Nichols:

“…in promising pardons, Trump may have a motive even darker than his general hatred for rules and laws.  As he makes his third run at the presidency, Trump no longer has a reservoir of establishment Republicans who will support him or serve him.  He distrusts the U.S. military, not least because senior officers and appointees thwarted his efforts to use the armed forces for his own political purposes.  And although he may yet win re-election, his MAGA movement is now dependent on the kind of people who will go to his rallies and buy the trinkets and hats and shirts that go on sale whenever he speaks.”

Where, then, Nichols asks, can Trump find a truly loyal cadre willing to offer unconditional support.

In prison, that’s where.

“Trump is no longer flirting with this idea. The man whose constitutional duty as president would be to ‘take care that the laws be faithfully executed’ is now promising to let hundreds of rioters and insurrectionists out of prison with full pardons.  And eventually, he will make clear what he expects in return.”

So, to conclude, if we needed another reason to oppose Trump, we just got one.  Hundreds of folks will get out of jail as they continue to offer obedience to their corrupt leader, Trump.