An Introduction To USAparadigm.com

According to experts on blogs, if I’m going to capture your attention with this, my introductory blog post at this site, I must do so in the next few sentences.  I sincerely hope I can do that, because I honestly believe I have a perspective on “goings on” in America that makes me more than just another blogger in the [insert your own adjective: Liberal; Conservative; Republican; Democrat; White; African-American; Asian; Gay; Straight; Religious; Non-Religious; Wall Street; Main Street …] Camp. This country is on a path to a future that the vast majority of its citizens will find very undesirable — from many perspectives, but although I see the country [just as anyone else does] through the lens of my ideological worldview, the financial situation will ultimately make all ideological considerations moot if we don’t develop the political will in our leadership to get ourselves onto a more sustainable fiscal path.  If you don’t agree with me at this point and your interest in what I have to say is waning, PLEASE consider the possibility that there may actually be something to my claim of potentially bringing a broader — perhaps even unique — perspective to the endless stream of opinions from bloggers in the various camps mentioned parenthetically above, and at least read the rest of this introductory blog post before making a decision to move on to something else.  If you agree with me to this point, I’d like to assume that you will at least read the rest of this introductory blog post [if that assumption is incorrect, all I can do is ask you to PLEASE reconsider — for the same reason].

Whether we like where we are as a country or not, and whether we like its current direction or not, we have only ourselves to congratulate or to blame.  Although speaking specifically about legislators, President James Garfield said it wisely [my substitutions in brackets are to broaden his remarks to all elected leaders, not just legislators — substitutions which I am confident he would approve] … “The people are responsible for the character of their [leaders]. If [they] be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption.  If [they] be intelligent, brave, and pure, it is because the people demand these high qualities [in the leaders they elect]. … If the next centennial does not find us a great nation … it will be because those who represent the enterprise, the culture, and the morality of the nation do not aid in controlling the political forces”.  So, those who like where we are and where we’re headed can pat themselves on the back and feel good about the choices they [or others, if they don’t bother to vote] have made in past elections — and those who don’t like where we are and where we’re headed [64% of Americans according to recent polls] can blame only themselves for being too apathetic about the political process [or worse yet, for not voting].  On the positive side, those in the latter category can see this election for what it is, exercise their right and duty to vote, and cast a ballot that has at least the potential of changing course and steering toward a more sustainable path to the future.  By the way, this introductory post is a bit longer than subsequent posts will be — they will be the equivalent of about one typewritten page [about 40% the length of this post].

Through this blog, I intend to speak to anybody who will listen to me about the issues we face and what we can do to address them more successfully than we have as of the date of this post.  Although I have been successful in life from the perspective of how I view success, I’m not extremely wealthy, and I’m not famous, or even well-known beyond my family, my friends, some of my former colleagues, and perhaps at least some of several thousand people in organizations I have had the opportunity to lead or audiences to whom I have had the opportunity to speak — so unless this blog and other things I’m trying to do “take off”, I won’t have a meaningful “platform” from which to express my views. What I am is simply one of what I honestly believe are millions of Americans who are deeply concerned about their country and want to leave it [as did the generations before us] in a better condition for future generations.

For anyone interested in my background and why I am concerned about my country, the web site of which this blog is a part — USAParadigm.com — has a set of links at the top of the Home Page that express Who I Am, Why I’m Doing What I Do, What I Do, and explain my rationale as to  Why [anyone should] Follow Me [vs. Other “Similar” Sites]?.  For now, let me just say that it’s my WORLDVIEW — my VALUE SYSTEM — that drives me, and these links at the web site will give you a perspective on how that value system developed and how it has motivated me to become more actively involved in trying to make a difference in this country’s direction.  This quote from a man who devoted his life to things of God and country, and who paid the ultimate price for doing so, greatly influenced my thinking in consideration of this undertaking: “Silence in the face of evil is itself evil.  God will not hold us guiltless.  NOT to speak IS to speak, NOT to act, IS to act.”’ … Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

My goal, as is probably evident at this point, is for this to be a serious-content site for people who are serious-minded about the condition of America.  But as the old saying goes, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, so I’ve included in the above-described “About” menu a page called The Lighter Side.  New content will be posted to this page at least weekly, perhaps more frequently as the 11/8/16 election draws nearer and nearer.  On it, you’ll see some amusing ways I’ve chosen to express issues, perspectives, and [hopefully, with no “tongue in cheek”], solutions — cartoons, quotations, and even some links [probably to YouTube, but I’m still in the “design” phase on that part right now] to “performances” of many verses of a song I’ve written [and am still writing] that puts a little humor into the situation.

Also at the Home Page of the web site [www.USAparadigm.com] is a list of links to pages that outline my view of What The Heck Is Going On? under the following headings [at the web site, each heading links to the associated page]:

• What The Heck Is Going On?
• America’s Heritage
  • Our Founders
  • Founding Documents
  • Was Religion A Key Factor Or Not?
  • The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly
• The Situation Today
  • Dysfunctional Government
  • Unsustainable Fiscal Path
  • Declining World Stature
  • Loss Of A Common Value System
  • A Major Paradigm Shift Well Underway
• The Outlook
  • If Nothing Changes …
  • What Must Change?

I will enter posts to this blog approximately once each week, sometimes more frequently as the 11/8/16 election draws nearer and nearer.  Each post will be approximately equivalent to one typewritten page [about 40% of the length of this one]. As a blog history develops, the Home Page of the web site [www.USAparadigm.com] will contain a box labeled Blog Categories, which when clicked will display a drop-down list of category tags that correspond to the pages of the site [the menus described above] — so selecting a category will bring up blog posts associated with that topic.

If you have read this post to here, please accept my sincere thanks.  Please stay with me for another couple of minutes — I need your help [don’t worry; I’m NOT asking for money!] …

If you attach even a modicum of believability to the high-level concepts I’ve expressed here, I would sincerely appreciate your serious consideration of doing any — or even several — of the following:

• “Like” the USA Paradigm page on FaceBook
• Post a mention by you of my blog on your Facebook timeline.
• Post a “Recommendation / Endorsement” on LinkedIn in whatever expertise category you think is appropriate.
• Post a Tweet on Twitter recommending following @USAparadigm.
• Sign up at www.USAparadigm.com to receive direct email notifications of my blog posts.
• Forward this post and/or send a link to www.USAparadigm.com with a “check this out” recommendation to any email or text lists to which you sometimes send emails.
• Mention my blog to any groups of friends with which you periodically meet [civic organizations, social groups like card clubs, church Bible study groups, etc.].

No blogger or columnist ever started out with a large following.  One’s reach expands through simple math … If what I have to say appeals to even 10% of the people with whom I am in contact in one way or another and they do ANY of the above things, that can expand the potential “platform” to at least hundreds [much more if they do several of the above things]; if that or even a smaller percentage of the people reached in that way do ANY of the above things, the potential platform could easily become thousands; etc.  I have seen some outright silly things “go viral” and suddenly get millions of “hits” on web sites and in social media apps [who knows — maybe some of my The Lighter Side posts will generate some of that kind of exposure :-)].

I am NOT trying to “get famous” or achieve any kind of recognition through this effort. If it is successful, my satisfaction will come from the knowledge that I at least had some positive impact on a better future for my country. If it fails to generate interest sufficient to become significant, my satisfaction will come from the knowledge that I heeded the very wise words of Dietrich Bonhoeffer quoted above — “NOT to speak IS to speak, NOT to act, IS to act” — and that I spoke, and I acted.  Stated another way, “Babe” Ruth, considered by many to still be the Home Run King in American baseball [714 career Home Runs in an era of 5.6% fewer games per season than there are now], is also high in all-time rankings for batting average [#10 at .342], on-base percentage [#2 at .474], runs batted in [#2 with 2,213] — and interestingly, strikeouts [#118 with 1,330]. He’d never have been the Home Run King if he’d swung at fewer pitches for fear of getting out.

By the way, why did I name the web site USAparadigm?  See the page A Major Paradigm Shift Well Underway under The Situation Today in the What The Heck Is Going On? side menu at www.USAparadigm.com.

Stay tuned!

Charles M. Jones

Author: Charles M. Jones, PE, CPA

[retired — neither license active] View all posts by Charles M. Jones, PE, CPA