Weather Extremes and Energy Resilience in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

(Illustrative Only)

Blizards coming.
Food stocked up.
Putting some extra
wood out just in case
the eletricity shuts
off again. 
Solar panels 
can help. 

In the Upper Peninsula of Michigan Upper Peninsula, we have recently experienced some unusually erratic winter weather. Storms and blizzards are certainly nothing new here, but the intensity of some recent storms feels different from what I remember growing up. At times the snowfall has reached two to four inches per hour, requiring snow blowing several times a day. In one recent storm, several feet of snow fell, paused for about six or seven hours, and then returned again with another heavy round. Strong winds and impassable roads only add to the difficulty—sometimes the best option is simply to stay home.

Experiences like this naturally raise questions about broader climate trends. Discussions about Global Warming often focus on rising temperatures linked to pollution and increasing greenhouse gases. That relationship is widely supported by research, but another aspect people notice locally is the possibility of more extreme or erratic weather patterns. Rising temperatures may be one part of the story, while stronger and less predictable storms may be another.

These conditions also highlight practical concerns about infrastructure and preparedness. Many communities rely heavily on centralized electricity systems that are aging and sometimes fail during severe weather. When heating systems depend entirely on electricity, outages during extreme cold can quickly become dangerous. Having multiple heating options can make homes more resilient during emergencies. Political debates often offer competing explanations for these issues, but regardless of the debate, nature ultimately sets the conditions we must live with.

In my own case, there are currently two backup heating options available: propane gas and a traditional fireplace that is more than 100 years old. I have considered converting the fireplace into a combined gas and wood system, similar to a wood stove and fireplace combination. This would provide an additional heating option during emergencies. Looking ahead, I am also considering installing solar panels when it is time to replace the roof shingles. That could increase the ability to generate electricity independently and reduce reliance on the grid.

Erratic weather pattern
or normal?

Because I spend a lot of time outdoors camping and fishing, another idea is to install a small solar panel on the garage connected to a battery and inverter. Even a relatively inexpensive system could charge larger batteries that might be useful during outages or emergencies. It could also provide limited power for some garage tools. Another possibility is connecting the furnace to a battery backup so it could operate temporarily if the electricity goes out.

Whether every claim about climate change proves fully accurate or not, one thing seems clear: our current energy systems lack diversity and resilience. Developing a wider mix of energy sources and backup systems may help communities better manage extreme weather and future environmental challenges. The same principle applies to broader geopolitical uncertainties as well. Rather than assuming the worst or dismissing concerns entirely, it may be wiser to think carefully about long-term energy planning and climate resilience. 🌎⚡❄️

How does pollution affect climate change?

Chewy thinks
snow pants
on the floor
are awesome!

• Pollution contributes to climate change primarily through the release of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and nitrous oxide (N₂O), which trap heat in the atmosphere and increase global temperatures.

• Burning fossil fuels for energy, transportation, and industry is a major source of these pollutants, significantly intensifying the greenhouse effect and accelerating global warming.

• Industrial activities release chemicals and particulate matter that alter atmospheric composition, affecting cloud formation and how sunlight is absorbed or reflected by the Earth.

• Agricultural pollution, including methane from livestock and nitrous oxide from fertilizers, adds powerful greenhouse gases that further contribute to climate change.

• Deforestation increases atmospheric carbon because trees that normally absorb CO₂ are removed, reducing natural carbon sinks and releasing stored carbon back into the atmosphere.

• Aerosols and particulate matter influence climate by either reflecting sunlight (cooling effect) or absorbing heat (warming effect), making their overall impact complex.

• Pollution also damages ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and oceans that naturally absorb carbon, weakening the planet’s ability to regulate climate.

• The combined effects of pollution-driven climate change include rising global temperatures, sea level rise, disrupted weather patterns, ocean acidification, and increased risks to human health.

The Environmental Literacy Council. (2024, November 25). How does pollution affect climate change? https://enviroliteracy.org/how-does-pollution-affect-climate-change/

Executive Communication Styles Can Impact Employee and Organizational Performance

(Illusrative Only)

Communication 
styles impact 
organizational performance.
A soft skill that can 
be learned and developed
over time.

Encourage don't discourage.

Executives must learn how to communicate effectively with teams, employees, and other decision-makers within an organization. This is a soft skill that develops over time. As leaders begin working with more complex and abstract ideas associated with senior leadership, they must learn how to articulate those ideas clearly in ways that reduce confusion.

Communication style often reveals itself in both verbal and written forms. For example, most people have read an email that seemed unnecessarily pointed or aggressive, demonstrating how tone can shape perception. Acceptance or rejection of information. Similarly, when someone tries to explain a complex concept but cannot translate it into clear, concise language, the audience may struggle to grasp the core message.

Effective communication styles can draw people together and encourage knowledge sharing. In organizations that rely heavily on intellectual and human capital, fostering this type of knowledge exchange is essential. Consider research on leadership communication and how it influences organizational behavior. At the same time, reflect on the feedback you receive from your environment—whether from colleagues, professors, or senior executives—and continue refining and strengthening your communication style over time.

 Leadership = communication? The relations of leaders’ communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge sharing and leadership outcomes.

• Leadership communication styles significantly influence how employees perceive leadership effectiveness, satisfaction with the leader, and team commitment.

• The study identified six key leadership communication styles: verbal aggressiveness, expressiveness, preciseness, assuredness, supportiveness, and argumentativeness.

• Supportive and assured communication styles are strongly associated with charismatic and human-oriented leadership, while task-oriented leadership is less dependent on communication behaviors.

• Leaders who communicate in supportive, clear, and confident ways promote greater knowledge sharing among employees and improve perceptions of leader performance.

• Precise communication by leaders independently predicts higher employee satisfaction and perceptions of leader effectiveness, even when accounting for leadership style.

De Vries, R. E., Bakker-Pieper, A., & Oostenveld, W. (2010). Leadership = communication? The relations of leaders’ communication styles with leadership styles, knowledge sharing and leadership outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(3), 367–380. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10869-009-9140-2

Personal Income Increases as Household Expenses Continue to Rise January 2026

(Illustrative Only)

Cynthia needs to go
to the doctors and has
been saving up a few months.
She doesn't understand
why medical costs are going
up. She was a teacher
for 30 years and
has to scrape together
her money to pay the bills. 

Something doesn't seem right.

A bit more positive economic news emerged in January 2026. Personal income increased, and disposable personal income rose by about $220 billion. Personal expenditures also increased, but by a smaller amount—about $81 billion—suggesting that, overall, people may have a little more money available after covering their expenses.

To fully understand the impact, however, it is important to look at how that income is distributed. The key question is whether these gains are broadly shared across the population or concentrated among a smaller group of higher earners.

Compensation increased during this period, and dividend income also rose. This may suggest that some of the gains are flowing to individuals who already earn relatively strong wages or who hold financial assets that generate investment income.

Spending patterns also shifted. Expenditures increased in areas such as healthcare, housing, utilities, and insurance. Healthcare spending is particularly notable. As the population ages, demand for healthcare services will likely continue to grow.

At the same time, healthcare costs have been rising quickly. While this growth reflects increased demand and industry expansion, it also means that many households ultimately face higher costs for care and insurance.

Personal income and outlays, January 2026.

• U.S. personal income increased by $113.8 billion (0.4%) in January 2026 compared with the previous month.

  

• Disposable personal income (income after taxes) increased by $219.9 billion (0.9%).

• Personal consumption expenditures (consumer spending) increased by $81.1 billion (0.4%).

• Personal outlays (total spending including consumption, interest payments, and transfer payments) increased by $85.8 billion.

• Personal saving totaled about $1.05 trillion in January.

• The personal saving rate was 4.5% of disposable personal income.

• Growth in personal income was primarily driven by increases in employee compensation, dividend income, and government transfer receipts.

• Consumer spending increased mainly due to higher spending on services, which was partly offset by a decline in spending on goods.

• Real personal consumption expenditures increased slightly by 0.1% for the month.

• The PCE price index (a key inflation measure) increased 0.3% in January and was 2.8% higher than one year earlier.

• Core PCE inflation (excluding food and energy) increased 0.4% for the month and 3.1% year over year.

U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. (2026, March 13). Personal income and outlays, January 2026. https://www.bea.gov/news/2026/personal-income-and-outlays-january-2026

Common Forms of Judicial and Justice Corruption (The Story of the Clan)

(Illustrative Only)

An old man showing a path

through the snow covered

woods. Many people

have lost their way; 

he walked here before.

"A society grows great

when old men plant trees

in whose shade they know

they shall never sit." 

Ancient Proverb

There are no great men/women without

a great society and there are no 

great societies without great men/women.

Much like bundling sticks. 

The natural systems.

Look deep and you

will find your own

inner light.

Great Man Theory

Time answers all

questions.....

Justice is essential to a healthy society because it creates the trust and shared expectations that holds society in unison and together. When justice systems are weakened by corruption, prejudice, or abuse of power, the foundations begin to erode. Corruption must be confronted and removed because ignoring it undermines the principles embedded in our social contracts and that can have social, economic, and adaptive longtail reverberations.

A philosophical allegory called the Story of the Clan illustrates these dangers. In the story, extreme bigotries and corruption allow those in positions of authority to target minorities, silence critics, spread false rumors, and use intimidation. Children, elderly, veterans, victims, and unwitting blind monkeys all put at intentional risk. People who reported wrongdoing were swiftly punished, and when misconduct was exposed, some perpetrators received lenient treatment. More victims were created from derilect of duty. As a result, the system fails not only because of the closed Good Old Boy networks within our learning court but also of the extreme partisanship of the checks and balances beyond that network.

Although the system is eventually corrected in the story, the damage is severe and many victims remain harmed. Freedom of religion undermined, free speech gagged and muted, and sacred values invalidated. Minorities are often the first to be targeted as a precursor of a line of thought, injustice can expand to affect others over time. Allowing in one place is a foreshadowing of allowing it in other places (the natural systems). There were clear stop signs run through as patterned and encouraged behaviors. As a thought experiment, eventually wiser officials undue some of the harm which they can never do, try and reduce the sadistic dehumanization and support the open displays of a lack of faithfulness to certains core societal oaths. There was no accidents, just willful lack of moral conscious and lost moral authority as tools that were designed to protect us were used to harm us.

Most people within justice institutions are committed to doing the right thing, but reform can be slow. Wise leaders would support the majority of good officials and strengthen the functionong of the institution while improving trust by positive change. Some won't and it is usually those who scream and blame the loudest while ignoring the truth of a whisper. Because of this, engagement matters. Participating in and strengthening these institutions is essential to preventing corruption and ensuring justice serves the public. Isolation leaves them to their own closed cognitive looops. They try and suck others in. We have a responsibility to support good officials and strengthen them through our willful support of the foundations of justice. The best and brightest, the next generation that values diversity of life, should join these institutions, serve the public/communities and foster the strength of society. It may protect the next victims and their futures, and the generation after that, so on and so forth as illumination from the torch of liberty must be preserved. We started as a society born from the Enlightenment Period and those who we vote for and elect into positions must have enough good light in them to continue to brighten the paths. Beware of narratives and poor logical constructions. The proof is in the pudding. They struggle to correct because some of those we entrused with sacred values do not necessarily believe that these institutions should serve us all. How the institution performs is based on who we elect and put within positions. Your grand childrens, childrens and great grand children's futures are on your fingertips. Don't drop it, and don't drop them.

You may be interested in this study as many of the reasons and elements were in our leaning Story of the Clan,

An analytical study on corruption across various sectors of the judicial system.

• Corruption is defined as the misuse of authority for personal gain, commonly occurring through bribery, fraud, and embezzlement, and it undermines public trust in institutions and slows economic development.

• Judicial corruption weakens the rule of law, reduces confidence in courts, and limits citizens’ access to justice, especially for individuals with fewer financial resources.

• Major causes of corruption in the judicial system include political interference, lack of transparency, insufficient accountability, backlog of cases, and shortages of judges and court infrastructure.

• Complex legal procedures and bureaucratic delays create opportunities for bribery, favoritism, and manipulation of legal outcomes.

• Survey results in the study showed that many respondents were only somewhat aware of corruption in the judiciary, indicating limited public awareness of the problem.

• Political influence was identified by most respondents as the primary factor contributing to corruption in the judicial system.

• Common forms of corruption identified include bribery, favoritism, manipulation of evidence, and intentional delays in legal proceedings.

• Corruption disproportionately harms poorer populations by limiting their ability to obtain fair legal outcomes and increasing social inequality.

• A large portion of respondents believed that there is little transparency in legal procedures and judicial decision-making.

• Proposed solutions include stronger anti-corruption laws, improved transparency, public awareness campaigns, regular inspections, better training for judicial officials, and independent oversight mechanisms.

Rukhiyana, K. K., & Vyas, M. (2025). An analytical study on corruption across various sectors of the judicial system. Journal of Informatics Education and Research, 5(2), 2249–2258. https://jier.org/index.php/journal/article/view/2681?

*This a philsophical theoretical thought experiment so take with a grain of salt. Feel free to come up with your own conclusions as long as you thought about the concepts. There is no right or wrong way to look at it, but only helpful and unhelpful to society.

Economic Dashboard Over 20 Years:Could Broad Based Capitalism Improve Innovative Developmentm, Community Resilience and Trust? (hypothetical Feather Party)

(Illustrative Only)

Grandpa Todd joined the
hypothetical Feather Party 
of independent voters because
he wants to protect rights,
pass on generational
American values,
resilience of communities,
and opportunities for the
younger generation which
may be dwindling. 
With so much money on top
it seems as though
some may have forgotten
why they were elected. 
New ideas are needed.

Shhh don't say
that too loudly as
you might go on a
partisan's list. There
may be reasons why
that is becoming more
common as well.
Freedom
of speech.🤫

Would a larger independent
party help reverse the trends?
Would it keep people a 
little more focused on
serving normal people if
leaders were drawn from
communities?

*the hypthothetical Feather
Party is a philosphical discussion,
doesn't exist at this time, 
is made of independent voters
that tip partyline votes, focuses
on the young generation, encourages
new ideas, seeks to
connect democracy to
communities, doesn't work
with special interest, limits
campaign donations, and each
member is encourage to vote
their conscious based on a
shared decision making matrix.
Some will support one thing
and others will support 
other things. A place
for intellectuals, logical thinkers,
scientists, and those who
want a shared sense of purpose.

There are several trends worth considering and thinking about from a philosphical perspective. Based on an initial review of available data and a brief check of sources, there may be areas where economic and political leadership could improve to help ensure the nation remains healthy and develop in ways that enhance the lives of average Americans.

It is important to note that the presence of trends does not imply causation. The information below would need to be thoroughly scrubbed, reviewed, and supported with deeper analysis to reach precise conclusions. However, from a high-level perspective, and given the variety of sources from which the information is drawn, the likelihood that these observations are at least broadly accurate appears reasonably strong.

Organizations must find solutions to problems and that starts with voting in the best and brightest and not the most partisan, special interest vetted or connected here or internationally. 

Philosophical Questions: 

1. Could broad basec capitalism improve economic performance and trust? 

2. If wealth is being concentrated is it possible that a broader based capitalism could help your communities rebuild?

Feel free to make your own conclusions as ultimatey each of us must be able to take in information and decide for ourselves. We don't need others tellings us what we need as we are an educated intelligent people. In earlier times when we all lived in a village and worked toward shared benefit we could not afford to not exlore adaptive ideas. Or rely on a few top down perspectives that impact all of us but haven't necessarily panned out well. Let us try bottom up management for a change. 🤷 Vote your conscious.

Several notable trends over the past 20 years include:

• Increasing trade deficit

• Rising concentration of wealth

• Declining trust in government

• Increasing mergers and acquisitions

• Increasing perceptions of corruption

• PACs on the rise

• Growing ideological partisan voting

• Declining economic freedom

• Increasing movement of wealth overseas (..likely underreported due to private data.)

• Rising national debt

• Declining perceptions of freedom of speech

Broad-based capitalism, in theory, may help reverse some of these troubling trends. Maybe or maybe not? Achieving this may require a larger independent voting bloc that is less influenced by money in politics and the partisan ideologies often tied to that money. From a broad-based perspective, more wealth generation should occur within the hands of average Americans and within local communities.

Broad-based capitalism is closely related to broad-based capital markets, meaning a wider distribution of investors (i.e. small and medium) and capital across many industries and across firms of different sizes. i.e. the firms in your community. The concept focuses on maximizing market participation and wealth creation across the full spectrum of businesses, communities, from microenterprises to large corporations.

This approach could also influence innovation by engaging a broader base of human capital (See how the concepts are related to maximize benefit to the most amount of people? We cannot afford to leave any demographic behind.). Research has suggested that smaller firms often generate more innovation per employee than larger firms. (Small and Large Firm Innovation) We can tap that power to rebuild.

Encouraging wider participation in entrepreneurship and capital formation may therefore strengthen innovation across the economy. That could mean higher household income levels as decisions and income are closer to the people who earn it. Innovation in the development of human capital is especially important because, when widely distributed throughout society, it can create cascading “butterfly effects” that support long-term economic and social progress. In Theory.

Trade Deficit

Data Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis

Year	Trade Deficit
2005	-$714B
2006	-$762B
2007	-$705B
2008	-$709B
2009	-$384B
2010	-$495B
2011	-$549B
2012	-$537B
2013	-$462B
2014	-$490B
2015	-$500B
2016	-$502B
2017	-$552B
2018	-$621B
2019	-$442B
2020	-$982B
2021	-$1.18T
2022	-$1.31T
2023	~-$1.18T
2024	~-$903B
2025	~$901B

2005

-$714B

2006

-$762B

2007

-$705B

2008

-$709B

2009

-$384B

2010

-$495B

2011

-$549B

2012

-$537B

2013

-$462B

2014

-$490B

2015

-$500B

2016

-$502B

2017

-$552B

2018

-$621B

2019

-$442B

2020

-$982B

2021

-$1.18T

2022

-$1.31T

2023

~-$1.18T

2024

~-$903B

2025

~$901B

Concentration of Wealth Top 1%

Federal Reserve Distributional Financial Accounts data

Year	Share of Total U.S. Wealth Top 1%
2004	26.9%
2009	28.1%
2014	30.4%
2019	30.4%
2024	30.8%
2025	~31%

Trust in Government

Data Source Pew Research Center

Pew Research Center regularly asks whether people trust the government to do what is right “always or most of the time.”

Year	% Trust Government
2004	~36%
2010	~24%
2015	~19%
2019	~17%
2021	~24%
2024	~22%
2025	~17%

U.S. M&A Deals by Year

Dealogic/SIFMA and industry reports

Dealogic/SIFMA and industry reports.

Year	Number of Deals
2005	8,214
2006	10,265
2007	10,696
2008	9,067
2009	7,315
2010	10,148
2011	10,562
2012	12,228
2013	10,223
2014	10,632
2015	10,509
2016	9,774
2017	10,390
2018	8,327
2019	9,870
2020	~11,000
2021	~16,000
2022	~17,000
2023	15,643
2024	13,697

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) – United States (2001–2025)

Data Source

Scores are on a scale of 0 More Corruption –100 Less Corrupt. Data Source

Year	CPI Score
2001	76
2002	77
2003	75
2004	70
2005	76
2006	73
2007	72
2008	70
2009	75
2010	71
2011	71
2012	73
2013	73
2014	74
2015	76
2016	74
2017	75
2018	71
2019	69
2020	67
2021	67
2022	69
2023	69
2024	65
2025	64 (latest)

Number of PACs in the U.S. by Year (1990–2024)

Data Source

PACs counted include all federally registered committees making contributions to congressional candidates (i.e., connected, non‑connected, corporate, labor, etc.) — this count does not include Super PACs and hybrid PACs separately, though some are included under nonconnected categories when they report. Data Source

Year	Total PACs Registered
1990	2,869
1992	3,067
1994	3,099
1996	4,518
1998	4,593
2000	4,496
2002	4,573
2004	4,864
2006	5,012
2008	5,220
2010	5,512
2012	7,311
2014	7,548
2016	8,666
2018	8,663
2020	8,855
2022	9,271
2024	9,233

Party Unity (Percent of Votes That Were Partisan) by Year

A general upward trend
Data Source 

2023-2025 appear to bump up completely but data seems incomplete and from other sources.

Year	House (%)	Senate (%)
2003	~52	~67
2004	~47	~52
2005	~49	~63
2006	~54	~57
2007	~62	~60
2008	~53	~52
2009	~50	~72
2010	~40	~79
2011	~76	~51
2012	~73	~60
2013	~69	~70
2014	~73	~67
2015	~75	~69
2016	~73	~46 (note: incomplete/estimated)
2017	~76	~69
2018	~59	~50
2019	~68	~54
2020	~70	~64
2021	~63	~79
2022	~53	~83

US Economic Freedom Score (approx. 2006–2026)

Heritage Foundation. It scores countries from 0–100 based on factors like property rights, government size, regulation, trade openness, and financial freedom.

Data Source and Data Source

Year	Score	Global Rank	Category
2006	~82	~4	Free
2010	~78	~9	Mostly Free
2015	~76	~12	Mostly Free
2018	~75.7	~18	Mostly Free
2020	~76.6	~17	Mostly Free
2021	~74.8	~20	Mostly Free
2022	~72.1	~25	Mostly Free
2023	70.6	25	Mostly Free
2024	~70.1	~25	Mostly Free
2025	70.2	26	Mostly Free
2026	72.8	22	Mostly Free

Estimated U.S. Personal Wealth Held Offshore (2005–2024)

Data Source and Data Source

Likely underestimated as information is private. It would be nice to see which countries that money is going and what their policies are that they attract this private capital. We might be able to retain that money here. 

(rounded estimates, trillions USD)

Year	Offshore wealth
2005	$0.9T
2006	$1.0T
2007	$1.06T
2008	$1.1T
2009	$1.2T
2010	$1.4T
2011	$1.6T
2012	$1.8T
2013	$2.0T
2014	$2.2T
2015	$2.5T
2016	$2.8T
2017	$3.1T
2018	$4.0T
2019	$4.1T
2020	$4.0T
2021	$4.1T
2022	$4.2T
2023	$4.2T
2024	~$4.3T

U.S. Federal Budget Deficit by Fiscal Year (Approximate)

Data Source

(Figures are in billions or trillions of U.S. dollars (USD))

Fiscal Year (Oct–Sept)	Federal Deficit
2005	$318 B
2006	$248 B
2007	$161 B
2008	$459 B
2009	$1,413 B (~$1.4 T)
2010	$1,294 B (~$1.3 T)
2011	$1,300 B (~$1.3 T)
2012	$1,077 B (~$1.1 T)
2013	$680 B
2014	$485 B
2015	$442 B
2016	$585 B
2017	$665 B
2018	$779 B
2019	$984 B
2020	$3,132 B (~$3.1 T) pandemic spike
2021	$2,772 B (~$2.8 T)
2022	$1,380 B (~$1.38 T)
2023	$1,690 B (~$1.69 T)
2024	$1,830 B (~$1.83 T)
2025	$1,775–$1,780 B (~$1.78 T)
2026 (est.)	~$1.55 T projected

Freedom of Press/Speech

Data Source

Scores: 0 = best, 100 = worst.

U.S. trends (approximate rank and score):

Year	Score	Rank (out of ~180)
2005	15.5	20
2010	17.2	22
2015	19.0	41
2020	23.3	44
2024	25.1	45