My Poetry

Our Long Journey

Like the strong breakwater off the shore

Protecting boats anchored in the slips,

You’ve been the strength that keeps

Our boat safely harbored

Against the winds and storms of our life.

Even tho’ our boat has been blown off course

Many times over the decades,

Our journey continues, your hand on the rudder

Giving up your life preserver.

Protecting me, so often, as I fall overboard

I should have been lost at sea

But for strength and never ending faith

You bravely navigate the winds

To save me.

And as our journey continues to

Circumvent the world of life,

I, your first mate may likely

Lose grip of the rudder

Falling overboard, stalling our voyage.

My love for you is steadfast

And with the faith I have in you,

I pray that together we hold on

To the ship’s wheel,

And calmly sail off into the

Sunset of our life.



On This Night

 

Tonight all men should lay down their guns,

Quiet should fill the air, no cries of the young or old,

No grieving because no one was lost, no brother

Nor sister, father or mother or son has died.

People of all faith, creed or race

Should find the strength within to look

Beyond all of their differences, no matter small or large.

On this night,

Peace that mystical and elusive vision

We want for ourselves, should be the gift

Given to one another and shared with all others.

If only there was no need for guns, bullets or bombs.

On this night,

Instead of the sounds of pain, loss, and hunger;

Of hateful words screamed out in anger.

The singing of songs and prayers of hope

Would be heard from all corners of the world.

Only the sounds of breaking of bread and

Sharing of fruit could be heard.

On this night,

If only.

Copyright 2014, Dr Long

Happy Holidays



         As this holiday comes to an end, it is time to sit back and reflect on what we as Americans have to be thankful for. It seems as if depending on where you live defines a different aspect of American Society. I see people all day and night walking up and down the main highway that is close to my house and always wondered where they were going. They are old, young, white, black, most are partially homeless (some call themselves couchsurfers), alcoholics, drug addicts, plus whatever. They are the invisible people of America. No one really cares about them, and with actually talking to them just pass judgment. I see them and say to myself, "For the Grace of God, go I". Why should we care at all? Most people may age think it was of the choices they made to put them in that spot. The sadder part is about half of them are of my age, results of mental illness, drug abuse, veterans with PTSD from Viet Nam or Desert Storm, felony convictions which in may places disqualify them for trying to find a job or a place to live, or have given up on life. The other generation are the X-gens or Millennials have been disowned by families or have substance abuse problems, or even felony convictions because of draconian laws due to knee jerk responses by the legislature.






United States and Florida Society Stats

As I have watched the election season go by I have seen a lot of half-truths and a lot of total fabrications. Unfortunately you cannot judge your quality of life in the “Good ole USA” or the Sunshine state simply by your investment portfolio or your bank account.  I would hope that most Americans would feel the same way. So I have researched some societal statistics from government agencies and non-partisan think tanks.

In the area of foreclosures, unemployment, and food stamps in the United States the average foreclosures were 681; -0.1 change in unemployment (August 2011 – 2012) and 3.3% increase in food stamp participations (June 2011 – 2012).  For the same period the District of Columbia had 37,090 foreclosures; -1.7% change in unemployment and ranked in 22nd in food stamp participation and ranked 50 tied with North Dakota across all categories. Florida had 328 foreclosures; -1.7% change in unemployment and ranked 2^nd in food stamp participation and 9^th across all categories.

The total number of Americans participating in Food Stamps rose from 45,183,927 people in June 2011 to 46,670,373 in June 2012. The District of Columbia ranked 8^th lowest in participation 136,347 to 141,266. Florida was third highest in the number of participants 3,117,913 to 3,419,492 people.

Latest data available indicated that there were 17,412,000 children of immigrants living in the United States. The District of Columbia ranked 8^th lowest in 19000 children while Florida ranked 4^th highest with 1,207,000 children in immigrant families.

With a total US population of 314,900,669 the homeless rate was 0.21% with 649,917 homeless people. The District of Columbia ranked 1^st with a homeless rate of 1.04% or 6,539 homeless of 601,723 total residents. Florida ranked 8^th highest with a homeless rate of 0.30% or 57,551 homeless of 18,801,310 residents.

The US had a total incarceration rate of 497 people per 100,000 and Florida ranked 6^th highest with 556 people per 100,000.

Suicide rate within the US was 11.8 deaths per 100,000, District of Columbia was 4.4 deaths per 100,000 and Florida was 14.6 deaths per 100,000 or 38^th highest. Deaths caused by firearms occurred at a rate of 10.1 per 100,000, District of Columbia 16.6 per 100,000 and Florida ranked 32^nd with 12.1 deaths per 100,000.

 The child death rate within the US was 18 per 100,000; District of Columbia was 45 per 100,000 (highest in US) and Florida was 24^th with 19 per 100,000. The infant death rate within the US was 6.7 deaths per 100,000, District of Columbia was 12 per 100,000 (highest in US) and Florida was 30^th with 7.2 per 100,000. The United States ranked 49^th lowest within the world.

In K to 12 Grades Florida was 41^st in the amount of expenditures per student with $8,437 and ranked 44^th in SAT scores.

These statistics are not flattering. I only compared one statistic to the rest of the world and that was infant mortality. With our technology, level of medical expertise, and availability of public health capabilities this country should be one of the lowest in the world, not 49^th.  Florida, the Sunshine State, does not live up to that sun-drenched paradise envisioned in Jimmy Buffett songs, but a state with a high incarceration rate, very high number of people living in poverty relying on Food Stamps, high number of homeless and insufficient funding for children in grades K to 12. Politicians may talk about GDP growth and low interest rates, but look at the human numbers resulting from Congress inaction and the incompetence of the Florida legislature, and it is a totally different picture.

An Open Letter to Florida’s Elected Officials in Washington, DC

Dear Senator Nelson and Senator Rubio and our elected Congressmen and Congresswomen:

          Last year in Hernando County a small independent church and a Pastor with a vision of helping feed a couple hundred people realized that day how bad the hunger problem in Tampa Bay was. With the support of a few small businesses, another church, United Way of Hernando, and Feeding America Tampa Bay with the hope that $4500 would feed at most 500 people. Hours before the event even started, throngs of people started getting in line hoping maybe to get even a little bit of food, a lot more than the 500 that was expected. A little more than a week before a Pastor along with Feeding America Tampa Bay faced a line of more than 1900 people standing in line hoping to get some food. These couple thousand people along with more unknown amounts of hungry people who seek help from small bare bones food pantries are some of the people who hired you for the job that you have. Please remember that you folks only have Temp Jobs and your employers (us) cannot understand why this is happening. Thousands of people along with their children and elderly are hungry here. While Christmas vacation was in place for the schools many children did not have breakfast or lunch. You see, these groups of your employers have to deal with their hungry children crying and hearing the rumbling of their own stomachs to think much about your upcoming performance appraisal. An employer of yours who died about twenty years ago tried to help fix this hunger. Harry Chapin stated that "Hunger and poverty is an insult to America". He was right.

As I sit and ate my bowl of cereal this morning and read the paper I consider myself and my family blessed. We have food, can afford to buy the morning paper, and even donate food ourselves. At one time we were considered upper middle class, but now we are just the middle class and I try to remember how that happened. As one of your employers I can’t remember why we didn’t catch what was happening sooner and give each of you a letter of warning. When I got promoted as one of your employers (i.e. turned 18) I got excellent training. I learned that your job description is our Constitution, and in the first paragraph of your job description you are hired by us to manage the methods of establishing efficient and honest justice standards; and ensuring that the system your more senior employers put in place continued to ensure that we live in an environment of domestic Tranquility, maintain our defense and provide for those volunteer to do this, and promote the general Welfare and liberty for all of us.

As I read more of the newspaper I realized that contrary to what a large portion of your employers expected, you took our business capital and divided it up so much that we are not going to get a good return on a funds. We are going to have dirtier water supplies, poorer quality of air that we breathe, and now not only more hungry people but they are also going to get colder in the winter and even hotter in the summer. Why? Because you let yourself become distracted by hoping we will continue to hire you and that a small group of rich Americans will pay to try to persuade us come Election Day to let you keep your job or hire an unknown new guy. In addition I find it hard to believe that it takes more money so that you can do your job than it does to help provide basic needs for a large number of people that you work for. And this brings us back to the original issue of the long lines of people needing food because you failed to perform those basic terms of your employment.

Five Weeks To Go and We are still Ignorant

I realize that people place the blame on people rather than the system. Our country has become so polarized that I don't care who is in office or who has control of Congress will make much of a difference. Americans have to stop pointing the finger at others and become knowledgeable. As long as the American citizenry continues to be truly ignorant of the facts then we will have the best government money can buy.  The mantra of "I got mine so what" has to stop. If we look at some of these hot button issues during this election we will realize that backers behind the super-PACs are betting on us to believe their message and not do our homework.

 Social Security and Medicare-if we increase the income limit if will hurt business, baloney, we can leave the threshold that employers have to match at the same level, but for those who make more than the threshold they should pay their share up to $ 1 million. Television ads keep trying to confuse everyone between “payroll taxes” and income taxes. The payroll tax has been set at 6.2% for the worker to pay and 6.2% for the employer to pay, i.e. social security and Medicare. If you are self-employed you pay the total 12.4%.  For the last few years, the worker share has been 4.2% so that more money could enter back into the economy; drawback being less money going to fund Medicare and Social Security.  Because that temporary tax deduction had a built in self -destruct mechanism, no one is “increasing payroll taxes”. Pay attention to those who want to monkey around with income taxes; they seem to change every year and deductions and credits can truly effect the middle class, one way or another.

 Illegal immigrants- they are here and the vast majority of them pays taxes and performs jobs that most Americans would not. For those who complain about illegal immigrants causing them to lose their job and who have had their unemployment benefits stopped, large agribusinesses have lots of jobs. There is always a need for migrant farm workers.  Will you pick tomatoes for 5 cents per 100 pounds, or be part of a cleaning crew at minimum wage or even less. I don't know about you but I can't afford to pay $4 a pound for tomatoes or more for other produce. Those that are here and honestly working let's document them and for those who are truly criminals, deport them. Period!

Healthcare-I am a retired medical department officer. I don't like paying for health care anymore than any other person (especially when my recruiter told me that if you do 20 years, you get free medical care), but it’s much better than my colleagues in the private sector.  The "Obama-care" started out as a noble idea to ensure that every American has some access to basic medical care. It ballooned into a 2000 page monstrosity thanks to special interest groups such as the American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association, the Healthcare Insurance Industry, AARP and the list goes on.  The magic question: Is basic healthcare a right or a privilege? It can't be in-between. If you claim that your faith is Christian, Jewish, Muslim or Buddhists, the basic premise is to take care of your brother. If those of you who do not believe that each American should have some basic healthcare, then you are a hypocrite.  Enough said.

I served 28 years and as a Naval Officer I took an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, including all of the Bill of Rights. I guess that makes me a Liberal (defined as supporter of liberty) and yes I am a card-carrying member of the ALCU because their sole purpose is to defend the bill of rights. Bottom line, we need to come together and fix our country with humane ideals and those visions that made us a great nation, not believers of the 30 second sound bite of campaigning rhetoric!

Hunger is a true American Disgrace

      Adlai Stevenson in a speech on September 6, 1952 as the Ambassador to the United Nations stated that “A hungry man is not a free man.” Right now in the United States there are according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) in 2011 50.1 million people living in “food in-secure households” which by definition is “households were uncertain of having, or unable to acquire, enough food to meet the needs of all their members because they had insufficient money or other resources for food. Food-insecure households include those with low food security and very low food security”. For those households with children, 20.4% lived in food-insecure homes. To put this in real numbers of those 50.1 million people, 12.1 million adults lived in households with very low food security and 8.6 million children lived in food-insecure households in which children, along with adults, were food insecure. That’s a lot of hungry Americans for a country who is considered to be one of the richest nations in the world.

If you were to do a further analysis of the USDA data then: The prevalence of food insecurity varied considerably among household types. Rates of food insecurity were higher than the national average (14.9 percent) for the following groups:

• All households with children (20.6 percent),
• Households with children under age 6 (21.9 percent),
• Households with children headed by a single woman (36.8 percent),
• Households with children headed by a single man (24.9 percent),
• Black, non-Hispanic households (25.1 percent),
• Hispanic households (26.2 percent), and

     Low-income households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty threshold (34.5 percent; the Federal poverty line was $22,811 for a family of four in 2011).  (USDA ERS) If you only look at those who are classified as very low food insecurity defined by the USDA as “In these food-insecure households, normal eating patterns of one or more household members were disrupted and food intake was reduced at times during the year because they had insufficient money or other resources for food. In reports prior to 2006, these households were described as "food insecure with hunger". This makes the overall picture for Americans look even bleaker for the following groups:

•  Households with children headed by a single woman (11.5 percent),
• Households with children headed by a single man (7.5 percent),
• Women living alone (7.9 percent) and men living alone (8.0 percent),
• Black, non-Hispanic households (10.5 percent),
• Hispanic households (8.3 percent),
• Households with incomes below 185 percent of the poverty line (14.2 percent), and
• Households located in principal cities of metropolitan areas (6.8 percent).

     Poverty is the big common denominator among all Americans receiving SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program). In 1992 the Federal Poverty line for a family of 4 was $13,950. (SSA Bulletin, Spring 1992) In 2011, the Poverty line was $22,500 for a family of 4; and this is gross income (before any income or FICA taxes are withheld. For 2011 this amounts to $11.25 per hour and in 1992 it was $6.98 per hour. For example in Florida minimum wage is $7.67 in 2011 and $3.25 in 1992. US Census data from 2001 through 2003 indicated that 31% of people lived in poverty for at least two months of tha time period and a little over 11% lived in poverty for a whole year. From 2004 to 2006 28.3% lived in poverty for at least two months of that period and 2.8 % during the whole time period. In 2009 the average people living below the poverty level was 14.3% and in 2010 it increased to 15.3% and in 2011 15.9%. 4.7% of adult children lived with their parents as of 2010 data. Data released in November of 2011 showing that 1 of 3 Americans live in poverty or slightly about the defined threshold or about 100 million Americans. In fiscal year 2010 40.3 million people received some form of nutritional benefits at a cost of $64.7 billion. These are real people who work, they are not freeloaders. They pay taxes and contribute to the economy.

     Hunger and Poverty is a national disgrace. This country produces more food than consumed. Every day people waste enough food to help others. This problem starts at the top and goes down. It is not red or white, democrat or republican, even neither liberal nor conservative. It is a national problem that needs real solutions. Churches, synagogues, Islamic prayer centers, and Buddhist temples need to help provide input. Towns, cities, counties, and states need to stop political maneuvering and come to the table to look at ways to help solve problem. Congress and political candidates need to quit distorting the facts and once in the history of this country and tell the truth on their ideas in solving these issues, not political rhetoric.

“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”  Confucius