Earlier this month, I attended a panel discussion at the World War I National Memorial and Museum in Kansas City. Dr. Matthew Naylor, President of the Museum, made some observations that frightened me. “There has never been a time since 1913 that is more like 1913 than today.” In 1913 the world and especially the …
When I was recently asked what my motto is, I first thought of the sentence that serves as title of this post. I realize that everyone is not always doing the best he or she can. When I reflect on my own life, I realize that there were times when I intentionally did not do …
A column by David Brooks (NY Times) brought my grandmother, Anna Catherine (Nancy) Campbell Platt Norris to my mind and heart. In the view of most, she had a hard life. At the age of 20 with no education beyond grade school, the father of her two little girls under three left and was never …
As presidential campaigns begin, it is important to understand the difference between these two and the people who benefit from them. The so-called federal entitlement programs include Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid along with a few others. These programs totaled $1.9 trillion for 2010 exlcuding Veterans benefits. Ninety-one percent of these benefits go to …
Recent search shows that even on a county by county basis, greater income inequality negatively impacts overall health. A study from Population Health Institute at the University of Wisconsin provides evidence that living in a more unequal U.S. county is associated with lower levels of health as measured by likelihood of dying before age 75. …
While in Scottsdale, I have been wearing the FitBit that my son, Sean, gave me. It has begun to manage my life. It does not sense by heart rate but it does count my steps. By default it sets a daily goal of 10,000 steps which is equivalent to five miles of walking. I can …
The most important thing to remember about giving advice about raising children is not to…unless asked. I am the father of seven nearly perfect children and nothing got me more than someone gratuitously giving me advice on how to raise children. There was the rare exception of someone who actually had [box style=”1″][alert type=”notice, warning, …
Marilyn just returned from 10 days in the hospital with an intestinal blockage. My appreciation of health professionals increased tremendously. Since both a son, Liam, and his wife, Marcie, are nurses, you would think I would have known how important their work is but I guess you never really appreciate it until you experience it …
Should I benefit from low wages earned by food, health, and services workers? Should my haircutter earn a living wage? MIT has developed a living wage calculator that shows what a working family would need to earn to the “income needed to meet a family’s basic needs. [This] would enable the working poor to achieve financial …
Suggestions for documenting family history based on my recent work on family narratives. Family stories will not outlive family members. I have become newly engaged with my family history. This fall I began work on a set of family narratives focused on my four grand parent family lines: Pickett, Muir, Platt, and Campbell. So far …