A Few Thoughts on HR 7148 and HR 7147 Government Budget: To Keep Or Separate DHS Funding

(Illustrative Only)

Cindy and Carlos are

part of the hypothetical

Feather Party which doesn't

currently exist. It is a party for

independent thinkers who

do not work with special interest

and cap donations so they

can best serve the people without

the unnecessary influences

and pressures. Just for

discussion. All decisions

are run through an agreed upon

decision making matrix that each

member uses to assess their own

thoughts. They bounce

around ideas and debates and

require no agreement.

Cindy wants reform now

and can't believe how much

foot dragging has occured on

the natural desire to improve systems

over the past decade. The

Country was built for liberty and justice

and this is unfair.

Carlos thinks it would

be difficult to send the bill back

for another Congressional vote

and feels its not the place

to open a broader discussion

on civil rights and enforcement.

He would like to send that through

on a separate reform package. He

will wait to vote

We are currently reviewing a funding bill that is scheduled for a vote in the Senate. The bill has already been approved by the House, and the links below provide additional information on its status and implications. Read through them and understand what is being voted on in terms of funding and where our taxpayer dollars are going. You might believe some departments could be better funded and some less funded.

There is ongoing debate about whether Department of Homeland Security funding should be included in the final version of the bill or removed altogether. This discussion stems from both recent developments and issues that have been under consideration for some time. While this post does not aim to resolve or debate that question directly, it is important to be aware of the bill itself and the arguments surrounding it.

Ultimately, addressing this issue requires thoughtful consideration of funding priorities and overall government performance. That judgment is up to each individual to make, but it cannot be an informed decision without first understanding what the bill contains and the purpose it is intended to serve.

Summary off HR7148:  H.R. 7148, the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2026, is legislation introduced during the 119th Congress to fund federal government operations for the full fiscal year. The bill allocates comprehensive funding to multiple departments, including Defense, Labor, Health and Human Services, and Transportation. Passed by the House on January 22, 2026, the act is designed to bolster national defense and incorporates several policy provisions, including reforms targeting Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs).

Government Budget Appropriations 

H.R.7148 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2026

H.R.7147-FY2026 appropriations for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS

The Value of Friendship

Illustrative
The value of friends.

Friendship is an important aspect of one’s life, and the more we develop quality friendships, the happier we often become and the more connected we feel to the social world around us. In many ways, friendship also plays a significant role in the world of business and life. When people become familiar with you and learn to trust your perceptions and judgments, opportunities tend to open up. This is one reason social networking is so common for those trying to advance within an organization, career, or professional field.

Much of what happens in life occurs through our social affiliations. These connections help us feel part of society and our communities, and they also help things get done when they need to be done. Because of this, being socially involved is both beneficial and practical. Friendship can take many forms, including close personal friends, social clubs, business associates, veterans groups, sports and recreation partners, or connections formed through shared activities.

On a deeper level, people are designed to function as part of a social organism. Those who are skilled at connecting people and building friendships are especially valuable because they foster interactions that often lead to growth and development. At the same time, it is important to be thoughtful about the types of friends you keep, as they tend to influence you personally and often reflect aspects of your own value system.

This does not mean judging every friend over minor details, but it does mean striving to surround yourself with quality individuals—people who are honest, demonstrate integrity, have your best interests in mind, and show consistency in their behavior. When you surround yourself with strong people, your chances of succeeding both personally and professionally increase because your support network is solid.

On the other hand, if you surround yourself with people who create negative experiences, you are more likely to become entangled in those negative patterns. This study was interesting because it explored the nature of friendship and reviewed existing literature on the topic. Whether you are a regular person, a veteran, or simply someone living your life, it is worth considering the importance of good friends and how they help create a sense of connectedness with the world.

Adult Friendships and Wellbeing

Leadership, Core Values and Organizational Performance (The Story of The Clan and Open Hate)

Organizational culture is built from more than just policies, procedures, and official positions or responsibilities. There is a softer side to organizational development and performance that includes core values and beliefs that gradually become embedded in the culture of an organization. Some companies adopt an entrepreneurial culture, some power-oriented culture, others collaboration, etc. and each approach has its benefits and drawbacks. Much of this cultural direction stems from the personalities of key influencers within the organization.

These influencers may hold formal positions of authority, or they may simply be unofficial social network figures who, despite not having high-ranking roles, significantly shape how others think, feel and act. Over time, these influences contribute to the formation of a culture that becomes an underlying set of assumptions about how the organization functions. This culture is just as important as formal policies and procedures, and one could even argue that it is more important.

Organizational culture can be measured, tested, and traced, allowing leaders to intentionally engage in organizational development efforts that support both long-term and short-term growth. This is why it is critical to hire executives and leaders whose core values align with the organization’s mission statement and who act primarily in support of that mission. When leaders demonstrate this alignment, they build trust, and trust fosters commitment. Commitment leads to engagement, and engagement ultimately drives performance (The social side of performance).

Culture forms the underlying assumptions behind that commitment and establishes the informal rules that guide motivated behavior. Therefore, it is vitally important for organizations to think about the cultures they are developing and how the formal and informal informational paths lead to tangible outcomes. 

The Influence of Core Values and Organizational Culture on Employees’Productivity

The Story of the Clan: The Purpose of Core Values

This is a strong hypothetical, philosophical thought experiment illustrating what a complete failure of justice might look like. Such failures often emerge within insular social networks or cult-like groups that hold extreme views or misunderstand the broader environment. These conditions are reinforced when members socialize exclusively with one another and when effective checks and balances are absent or weak throughout the system. Organizations are influenced by actors and defaults can become domino oriented without commitment to essential shared values. They and their immunized clan court network want you to believe you are less than and rights that don't benefit them are not worth supporting. None of this was by accident. 

In this scenario, certain individuals had a long history of bullying others and misusing official tax funded authority for in-group gain. Through employment ties and personal networks, they were able to warp local institutions to target people for financial benefit, personal vendettas, or simply because those individuals did not fit their narrow worldview. For many, their social identity remained frozen in the dynamics of high school, as well as underdeveloped perceptions of value, never maturing beyond it. They were bullies and bigots decades ago, and they remained so years later. Complaints were simply ignored by clan aligned officials therby creating a second class citizen status they won't correct. Illegal and criminal behavior normalized. 

The courts knew that for years the victims were being persecuted at a level that not only indicated they didn't have our social contracts in high regard but struck directly against the core purpose of the nation. They knew and they incentivized it. Victim rights were openly discarded to shield hate groupos. If we consider the 5 years ago when the targeting started and the displays of court sponsored hate through back deals and false investigations we find it to be a precursor metric. Human and civil rights mocked and wave after wave of hate encouraged. Kids were damaged, community members harmed, elderly manipulated, and corruption further embedded. The group bragged about their crimes with a level of judicial collusion. They believed in a future where if they had their way the vast majority of society would not be welcome nor would they have basic rights. Trust declines by poor intent and performance. 

The most important concern in this thought experiment is not the specific actors involved. They are the smallest part of the equation. Wherever extreme partisanship, racial or religious bias, and distorted notions of social worthiness (dehumanization), similar problems can arise. A clear indication of default. The beginning of collectivization apparent and this is why one of the victims is standing for generational trusts and oaths that protect fundamental rights and foster rights of recourse. They have no support but still persist. The deeper failure lies the root assumptions of the choices thereby putting the collusive network on trial. Protect and serve an in-group is not what the system was designed to do. They followed the same process we saw in third world justice systems.

As a thought experiment you can adjust the key points around and come to any conclusion you desire. What should be forthcoming is the root awareness of your own value system. Who is and who is not worth basic rights and is that by merit or some other factor like race, politics, friends, religion, or other?

Two Pictures: Birdrock Flowers and The Curved Sunset

You may be interestedin a few of these pictures. My amateur hobby photos. If your interested send me a messag to the right. Most start at about $50 with free shipping and I can print most sizes for that price. Special printing will have a different price so ask for it. 

Birdrock Flowers

The curved sunset

Veterans Can Learn Stoic Responses that Often Leads to Stronger Personal and Organizational Leadership and Performance

(Illustrative Only)
Representing Veteran Stoic 
Lessons for Executives, Leaders,
Business Owners. etc.

When one masters their response they begin to master their environment and philosophy can help us understand how this may work.Those who serve in the military, including veterans, often develop advanced skills out of necessity. They are regularly required to overcome challenges and complete missions, and those experiences tend to produce deep insight. Great challenges often lead to great change both personally and environmentally. 

Some may argue that philosophy has little to do with military or veteran development, but it is closely connected to understanding human nature under pressure in a broad environment. The article discussed philosophy and Stoicism, which was especially thought-provoking. As people develop, their emotional reactivity tends to decrease while their strategic thinking improves. This is where true mastery begins. Win or lose you did your part and were positively impactful.

At this stage, individuals learn to choose their responses making them a key strategic player. They act in ways that are most helpful to their unit, community, society, or organization. Developing this ability requires consistent challenge, adaptation, and overcoming adversity. Taking a moment to step back and think through options often leads to better outcomes. Acting impulsively, on the other hand, often leads to mistakes.

These ideas also apply to business ownership and executive development. This is one reason veterans are often strong candidates for leadership and development roles within organizations. Statistically, many have also succeeded in business by creating new opportunities for themselves. In many cases this persistence in the face of challenge and the ability to step back and make a strategic choice has long term benefits for personal and organizational development.

Over time, lessons learned across different situations help develop the ability to pause, evaluate options, create a strategy, and then execute it. Those who have served not only observe large organizations in action but often face situations that force them to challenge assumptions and adapt to new realities. Through this, they come to understand the edges and possibilities of personal development.

For those who master these challenges, they have learned a lesson in real life that most others can only view from a book, podcast or theory; even though they may not always know. This is a lesson many people struggle to successfully navigate throughout their lives. No executive grooming program can tap the worm at the core on that level. You understand when you can think "Impossibility is a paper tiger" crumple it up and threw it in the trash can where it belongs. Each challenge is a lesson and a chance to improve so choose to adapt willingly and come out stronger on the other side.

Stoicism and Military Leadership: Why Calm Command Still Matters

*This is for a project that helps veterans.

What Is the Concept of Deloading in Working Out?

Training means pushing yourself until you reach a certain limit in order to foster growth. When you do this day in and day out, especially while playing a variety of sports, you’ll eventually start feeling tired—not just for a single day, but over several days in a row. That ongoing fatigue is typically a sign of overtraining.

During periods of overtraining, you may feel lethargic and low on energy. This happens because your body is essentially in a state of inflammation. While some inflammation is part of the growth process, failing to give your body enough time to recover can increase the risk of injury.

After about a month and a few weeks of heavy training and daily sports, I personally started to feel overtrained and lethargic. That’s usually the point where your body is telling you to scale back—to go lighter, reduce volume, and do less for five days or maybe a week. This recovery period gives your body a chance to catch up.

Once your body has had time to recover, it often comes back stronger than before. The small tears in muscle tissue have healed, and that healing process is what leads to improved strength and performance. I’ve included an article below that explains what deloading is and why it matters.

I’m also a licensed fitness trainer and yoga instructor, among other qualifications. If you’re looking for guidance, coaching, or someone to help keep you on the right path, feel free to send me a message and we can set something up.

The Science of Deload Weeks: Why Focusing on Rest Is Key to Fitness Gains

The Underlining Assumptions of Justice in The Story of the Clan (An Independent Party May Help)

(Illustrative Purposes Only)

Ezekiel joined the hypothetical
Feather Party because
he wants to help society. Restore
a sense of even play. 
He is not rich, lived
a middle class life, but is
more educated than many
of the richer politicians. 
He has real life experience
of people's needs.

He takes no special interest money,
caps donations
and he wants the freedom to 
make the choices he wants,
vote his conscious, and
decide issues without
required partyline perspectives.
He feels people are caught 
in the partisan cognitive loops. 
He can hang with Republicans
and Democrats to understand
both perspectives because
he owes no loyalty to
anything but the central
artifacts and oaths. He
seeks to serve the people and
the next generation.

He feels that he can 
help reform the justice system
to put in place protections
for central laws while
helping good officers
be promoted and catch
criminals. 

Would such a party
help or not help with 
these unresolved long-stemming
issues?

*No such party at this time
it is meant for philosophical
illustration.

Every economic and social system rests on assumptions and patterns that develop through everyday life and interaction. Institutions work best when they remain focused on their core value to society, using resources effectively and responsibly. Constitutions, laws, codes of ethics, oaths, and mission statements all serve the same purpose: they measure real behavior against shared ideals. Every action should support societal values.

The Story of the Clan is a philosophical and hypothetical learning exercise that explores what happens when values and incentives are misaligned. In the story, harm is intentional and even rewarded, while the system designed to stop it fails. As this failure becomes known, it spreads. When organizations undermine their essential purpose, they adopt goals that were never agreed upon. This is how corruption, misuse of public resources, and loss of trust take root.

Most people in the Story of the Clan act with integrity. They protect the community and deserve respect. We should always support the vast majority of good officials, officers, politicians and actors. Still, some individuals misuse their positions. Stronger checks and balances are needed to separate good-faith mistakes from repeated, intentional harm and to hold bad actors accountable when they abuse trust or public resources.

The problem worsens when corrupted officials begin deciding who is worthy of rights and protections based on superficial narratives. Once these divisions appear, systems weaken. There are no first- or second-class citizens. Differences in beliefs, backgrounds, or identities do not reduce a person’s worth or their connection to a shared history of sacrifice. We belong to the same social family, and progress depends on learning from one another; not targeting some to reward others.

The Story of the Clan shows why moral clarity matters. Hate and corruption should never be normalized simply because they are quietly enforced through unwritten rules. In the story, victims are targeted, wrongdoing is protected, and whistleblowers face retaliation. Informal power replaces lawful authority, leading to a breakdown of moral conscious. We should support and strengthen these systems together by encouraging integrity.

Yet the victims endure. They continue to act with dignity, carrying forward the hopes and sacrifices of generations who believed in freedom and justice. Their perseverance brings forward deeper questions about honor, responsibility, and the long-term health of society.

Justice, unity, and hope begin with individual choices. Future leaders should be chosen for integrity and ability, not connection. By loving our neighbors, protecting our humanity, and resisting corruption, we keep our shared compass steady. When values are clear, direction follows, and society can move together through conflict toward stability, peace, and a shared future. Some will continue to struggle to understand our essential purpose as a society and thus checks and balances are to remind and curb their bad choices and behaviors.

"The foundations of justice are that no one shall suffer wrong; then, that the public good be promoted"-Cicero

*This is an philosophical story meant for general exploration and discussion. One can change up the elements and come to their own conclusions. No right or wrong answers as long as you thought about it. We are going to write in a positive story of higher levels of adaptation so take with a grain of salt.