California Recognizes Open Water Lifeguards as First Responders-MI Might Consider the Same

California recently recognized open-water lifeguards as first responders. That is great news, and perhaps it is something we can consider in Michigan.

Lifeguards complete extensive training, and as someone who does this type of work to help the local community and holds an open-water deep-water rescue certification, it is encouraging to see this recognition. I went through lifeguard training earlier this year and pick up a few evening shifts in Michigan and California. Some of that contribution may include beaches and inland lakes from time to time.

(Illustrative Only)
...and they say
we are not first responders.
You do it then,
we need more lifeguards.

As a volunteer part-time firefighter, I have also learned many of the same skills through my training. In some ways, lifeguards have higher physical requirements and more specialized initial lifesaving training, while firefighters focus more heavily on fire response as well as lifesaving techniques Lifeguarding can require CPR, AED, water rescue, swimming with victims, underwater rescue, oxygen administration, and other specialized certifications and skills. You learn much from this journey and I have great respect for the fields.

California Recognizes Open-Water Lifeguards as First Responders

• California lawmakers approved Senate Concurrent Resolution 192, formally recognizing open-water lifeguards as first responders and emergency response providers.
• The resolution passed the State Assembly on August 19, 2026, and will take effect after being signed by the Secretary of State.
• California lifeguards have performed more than 1.4 million rescues in the state’s oceans, lakes, and rivers.
• San Diego officials emphasized that lifeguards routinely respond to drownings, cardiac emergencies, floods, cliff rescues, boating accidents, and other life-threatening situations.
• The nonbinding resolution does not immediately change pay or benefits, but supporters see it as an important first step toward stronger recognition, resources, and protections for lifeguards.

Murphy, T. (2026, August 26). Lifeguards save lives. California is only now recognizing them as first responders. Times of San Diego. https://timesofsandiego.com/politics/2026/08/26/california-recognizing-them-as-first-responders/

Judicial Integrity and Public Trust: Strengthening the Rule of Law (The Allegory of The Clan)

Public trust in the courts is essential to a functioning society, yet trust can be weakened by polarization, extremism, partisanship, and misconduct by officials in positions of authority.

The Allegory of the Clan provides a philosophical thought experiment for examining how corruption and coordinated hate can target people who report wrongdoing rather than addressing the long stemming underlying problem. When officials abandon their oaths, disregard constitutional principles, or use their authority to protect or reward favored groups, the damage extends beyond individual victims and can undermine confidence in the entire system.

Illustrative Only
Some of these people
have lost their purpose
and faithfulness to
our oaths and social contracts.
We must protect the next
diverse generation from 
their crazed wrath.

The vast majority of judges, police officers, and public officials do their jobs honorably and serve their communities. We applaud their noble efforts and support them. Get as many young people to pick these fields to strengthen them. However, a small number of officials engaging in misconduct can create serious problems when effective checks and balances are lacking. Add the extremism of hate with corruption and unchecked misuse of power and we have not learned the lessons of history. So we can best support those doing good by fostering and promoting good actors and removing and holding to account poor actors. 

In the Allegory of the Clan a report of corruption and hate based misconduct led coordinated aggression, misuse of tax payer resources, false investigations, backroom deals, exploitive enrichment, religious suppression, blocking freedom of speech, threats of violence, stalking, hate narratives, putting kids at risk, undermining parents rights to keep their kids safe, and all types of behaviors the founding fathers and mothers of the nation launched a new society to stop. They did not care until they were at risk of being caught, categorized, witness names gathered, etc. The courts supported a particular religous belief, victim dumped and walked off as pattern. They think rights are only for them. Victims had no safe recourse and that was by design.

Now let us add a twist to our story. The people who felt entitled to target others did so because of their belief that they represent the religion and color that makes them first class citizens and provides justification to dehumanize others through second class citizenship. Their underlining assumptions were that they practiced the religion and were of the race of the earliest colonies. However, when you analyze the history one might find they didn't practice the religion of the early founders (Quackers, Protestants, Bapitists, Islamic Free and Slaves, Jews, Great Spirit/Native and other religions), don't have Sons/Daughters of Liberty historical footprint and don't represent anything but false narrative (not that narrow pedigree matters in a merit system). In contrast, the victims have histories in family back to a few years after the British colonies started and have supported freedom with generations of sacrifce. In that family there were Minute Men, indentured servants, people who choose America over Britain, military members in most major wars, possible Contributors to founding documents, etc. All wiped away through narrative and discounted distorted whitewashed history by a few bigots on the the bench. Retaliation being the tool of extremists in silencing others and suppressing rights. They were seeking to use narrative to rally the crowd to disperse responsibility for horrific crimes (i.e. parking one of the officers who had corruption reported against him outside the whistleblowers house that might have led to the whistleblower's death. There was a reason why they were there alone.)

Now you see why it is so important to stand against corruption and hate. They have no checks and do not always stop at the stop signs. When you stand for what is right you are protecting your community, past/future victims and encouraging the system to serve all citizens. Freedom and the Bill of Rights being more valuable than almost all other activities and outcomes. The victims being more patriotic than any of the perpetrators and willing again in family history to uphold our shared values against those undermining our institutions to benefit themselves and harm others. They do so peacefully in spirit of protecting the next diverse generation. They shield future victims in ways the clan court was not willing to do. They do so in positive and helpful ways.

Trust of the institution across various levels continue to decline and those who could fix don't know how to do that because they are in part socialized to look at others as less deserving, worthy, or paticipants in the history of society. The fundamentals of societal purpose and basic underlining assumptions of the value of human freedom may not be in alignment. The explicit values are manifested in the actions and the implicit bias in the decisions. The good news is the vast majority understand the importance of shared futures. Most are trying to do the right thing.

Judicial integrity requires more than technical compliance with the law. Anyone can misinterprete intent, take laws out of context or use technicalities to justify poor behaviors. We have seen this in history (i.e. slavery, targeting of religious minorities-founding principles, etc. ) Courts must also uphold the principles and purpose of the constitutional system. The goal should be to serve the public—not a political party, wealthy interests, clan networks, foreign interests or extremist groups.

Strengthening accountability, encouraging open discussion, and restoring confidence in the courts are important steps toward ensuring that the justice system fulfills its mission and earns greater public trust. or not. 

*The Allegory of the Clan is a theoretical, hypothetical, philsophical thought experiment so take with a grain of salt and feel free to bring forward new points, alternative ideas, and disagreements/agreements. There is no right or wrong answer as we are just exploring the positives and negatives.

This page is sort of interesting. 

Center for Judicial Ethics: Promoting Integrity and Public Trust in the Courts

• The Center for Judicial Ethics, part of the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), focuses on strengthening judicial integrity and public trust in the courts.
• The Center provides research, training, and resources to help state judicial conduct commissions oversee judicial behavior and address misconduct.
• Public confidence is viewed as essential to a strong judicial system because it affects whether people perceive courts as fair, impartial, and legitimate.
• Judicial ethics involves issues such as conflicts of interest, financial disclosures, gifts, recusals, social media, and professional conduct.
• The Center is also addressing emerging ethical issues involving artificial intelligence and its use in legal decision-making.
• State judicial systems use different approaches to discipline, with the NCSC providing resources to help understand how judicial conduct is governed across states.
• Overall, the Center emphasizes that ethical judicial behavior and accountability are important foundations for maintaining public confidence in the rule of law.

National Center for State Courts. (n.d.). Center for Judicial Ethics. https://www.ncsc.org/our-centers-projects/center-judicial-ethics

How Going Stoic Helps Achieve Your Goals and Find More Joy

Let’s talk about focus for a moment. There’s a concept in philosophy—and I like philosophy because it can be a little like practical psychology—that relates to how we spend our time. It is called Stoicism we can stay busy running from one thing to another, trying to get everything done, while spending hours on things that really aren’t important. That can clutter our days, create stress, and make it harder to achieve the goals that matter most.

If you’ve chosen your goals based on your skills, abilities, and what you truly want to accomplish, then you should spend your time working toward those goals. That means removing some of the clutter—things that don’t matter, don’t bring you happiness, or don’t contribute to your purpose.

(Illustrative Only)
Declutter the 
things that distract
you from focus and
peace. 

As you get older, you begin to reflect on your experiences and see things differently. You realize that some of the energy you spent running around and staying busy wasn’t really necessary. It wasn’t wasted because you were learning, but many of those activities simply didn’t matter in the long run. They were just busyness.

You also begin to realize that you should do more of the things that make you happy, rather than simply doing things to make other people happy. The same can be true of your activities and relationships. You naturally begin to gravitate toward the people and things that are more meaningful and productive for you.

I thought this study was interesting because it connects philosophy with empirical research and evidence. It’s an interesting look at how focus, self-reflection, and our choices can shape how we spend our lives.

Stoicism, Mindfulness, and the Brain: The Empirical Foundations of Second-Order Desires

• The article examines Stoic ideas about self-regulation alongside findings from psychology and cognitive neuroscience.
• It focuses on how people can regulate immediate desires by developing higher-order preferences about which desires they want to act upon.
• Stoic practices are compared with mindfulness approaches, particularly their potential role in attention, emotional regulation, and self-control.
• The authors connect philosophical ideas about voluntary action and self-regulation with contemporary research on brain processes and behavior.
• The article suggests that combining philosophical analysis with empirical research can provide a stronger understanding of how people develop greater control over their thoughts, emotions, and actions.

Wittmann, M., Montemayor, C., & Dorato, M. (2025). Stoicism, mindfulness, and the brain: The empirical foundations of second-order desires. Frontiers in Psychology, 16, 1569237. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1569237

City of Gladstone Commission Regular Meeting (07-13-2026)

The Gladstone City Council meeting is being posted here for people to view. If you're trying to attract interest from investors, startups, or others considering the area, it helps to have this information available online. One thing we've seen since COVID is that more communities are putting meetings and information online, making it easier for people to get a feel for what's happening within a city.

It's also helpful to see some of the city's work involving modern infrastructure, audits, and other areas of development. The city is updating and moving forward, so take a look at the video and review some of the information below. The more you follow along, the better feel you'll get for the area.

(Summary of transcripts. Any mistakes let me know.)

ATV / ORV Ordinance & School Safety (1:25 – 30:35)

• Public Comment: An elementary school principal requests a revision to local street ordinance restrictions (specifically regarding 29th Street and the 600 block area near the school). She highlights ongoing safety concerns with light/ORV traffic cutting across school grounds during recess and outdoor learning times.
• Commission Discussion: Commissioners debate ATV/ORV traffic compliance, speed enforcement, and the historical growth of the town over the last 40 years.
• Education & Enforcement: Members emphasize the need for youth education (potentially involving a school resource officer) and enforcing existing regulations rather than relying solely on signage.
• Procedural Motion: The commission forms a dedicated committee (including designated commissioners) to evaluate the ordinance amendment, redact specific restricted sections (e.g., 29th Street/600 block), and coordinate with city staff to start the required public hearing and posting process.

City Approvals & Financial Requests (31:00 – 38:56)

• The commission handles routine administrative approvals, special city requests (including event scheduling for August), and contract/equipment work authorizations.

Blight, Vacant Properties & Economic Tools (39:04 – 57:36)

• Vacant Building Registry: Discussion on establishing a registry to inventory abandoned or neglected properties while acknowledging administrative oversight and inspection challenges.
• Code Enforcement Constraints: Clarification that code enforcement is limited to visible public right-of-way issues (e.g., long grass, structural roof collapse, broken windows) unless properties are registered rentals.
• Funding & Incentives: Review of potential economic tools to assist property owners with structural issues—including Neighborhood Improvement Authorities (NIA), Tax Increment Financing (TIF) captures, Brownfield redevelopment options, and state matching programs (such as MATCH on Main).

City Financial Audits & Infrastructure Lawsuit Response (59:00 – 1:01:39)

• Audit Clarification: In response to a public letter and lawsuit requesting an independent forensic audit of city finances (2019–2025), it is noted that annual audits have been consistently approved by the State of Michigan Department of Treasury.
• Water Infrastructure Project: The official refutes claims in the lawsuit, emphasizing that state and federal funding for critical water projects depends on these approved audits. The city is actively moving forward with replacing a 100-year-old water intake pipe to secure the municipal water supply before system failure.

Monthly Treasury Statement Receipts and Outlays Ending August 31, 2026

The US Treasury Monthly Statement Released Today shows a deficit so far this year. The idea of sustainability and the need to adjust operations and processes to improve performance is needed. 

Monthly Treasury Statement of Receipts and Outlays of the United States Government for Fiscal Year 2026 Through August 31, 2026

• August historically operates at a deficit, recording a shortfall in 71 out of the last 72 fiscal years due to a lack of major tax due dates during the month.

• Calendar timing shifts led to the acceleration of active duty, military retirement, veterans benefits, Supplemental Security Income, and Medicare payments into July 2026, while additional veterans benefit payments shifted from September 1 into August 2026.

• Total receipts for August 2026 reached $360 billion, driven primarily by individual income taxes ($179 billion) and social insurance/retirement receipts ($141 billion).

• Total outlays for August 2026 reached $527 billion, with Social Security ($141 billion), net interest ($86 billion), and health ($81 billion) accounting for the largest share of spending.

• For fiscal year 2026 through August 31, the cumulative federal budget deficit reached $1,966 billion, resulting from $4,845 billion in total receipts against $6,811 billion in total outlays.

Bureau of the Fiscal Service. (2026). Monthly Treasury statement: Receipts and outlays of the United States Government for fiscal year 2026 through August 31, 2026, and other periods. U.S. Department of the Treasury. https://fiscaldata.treasury.gov/datasets/monthly-treasury-statement/summary-of-receipts-outlays-and-the-deficit-surplus-of-the-u-s-government

September 2026 University of Michigan Survey of Consumers Declines to 47.8

The latest University of Michigan Survey of Consumers points to some increasingly cautious consumers. September’s consumer sentiment reading fell to 47.8%, suggesting that households are becoming more pessimistic about economic conditions.

That matters because economic behavior and social behavior are closely connected. When consumers feel less confident about the economy, they may become more cautious about spending, making major purchases or visiting retailers. Over time, that could affect sales and other areas of the economy.

Recent economic data have produced some mixed signals, and the decline in sentiment adds another piece to the picture. The important question is whether this is a temporary change or the beginning of a broader shift in consumer behavior. 

Continued monitoring of consumer sentiment will help provide a clearer view of where the economy may be heading. It can impact business and sales among other things because much of the economy is tied to consumer spending (sentiment and spending habits)

University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers: Consumer Sentiment and Economic Expectations

• The University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers measure how households view current economic conditions and their expectations for the future.
• Key measures include consumer sentiment, current economic conditions, and consumer expectations, providing an important indicator of household confidence.

• 

  (Source)

  The surveys also track inflation expectations, personal finances, business conditions, unemployment, interest rates, housing, vehicles, and household purchasing conditions.
• Preliminary September 2026 data show consumer sentiment at 47.8, down from 51.7 in August and 55.1 a year earlier.
• The survey is useful for understanding consumer behavior because expectations about prices, income, employment, and economic conditions can influence spending and other household decisions.

University of Michigan, Institute for Social Research. (2026). Surveys of consumers. https://www.sca.isr.umich.edu/

A Case for Leadership Character and Ethics That Foster Organizational Growth (The Allegory of the Clan)

Leadership is not simply about making good decisions; it is about making decisions grounded in ethics, values, and sound judgment. Good leaders consider the economy, society, resources, risks, and consequences. Starting with strong values can also prevent greater problems later and improve strategic options.

(Illustrative Only)
Ethics and 
Values are what
keeps us
healthy and strong. 
He encourages
the next generation
of leaders to stay
on the right path
and not get distracted
by money, hate, corruption
or the other dark
forces. Even
if they are lucrative. 

The Allegory of the Clan illustrates what happens when those values break down. In the hypothetical example, people misuse institutions, favor their own networks, impose their ideology, and target other groups. With few checks and balances, unethical behavior becomes normalized and even rewarded.

But when people begin challenging those poor values, the community starts to change. Economic activity improves, crime declines, and civic engagement increases. Problems that persisted for decades begin to reverse within just a few years.

The lesson is straightforward: positions of authority should go to people who can serve the broader community, not simply the most connected or ideologically aligned individuals. Checks and balances help protect institutions from corruption and abuse while encouraging stronger leadership.

Ultimately, ethical leadership benefits more than the individual leader. It strengthens institutions, communities, the economy, and public trust. Elect and select the best and brightest and not the most connected (or loudest in the room).

As you can tell values, character is profitable and good for society (The Truth North Values)

The Case for Leadership Character

• Leadership character goes beyond ethics and includes integrity, empathy, courage, self-awareness, determination, optimism, and curiosity.
• Research cited by Harvard Business Impact found that organizations led by CEOs with high character scores had average returns on assets five times higher than organizations with lower character scores.
• Character influences everyday decision-making and is important at all levels of an organization, not just among senior executives.
• Leaders shape organizational culture through their behavior, the standards they establish, and the decision-making environment they create.
• Character can be strengthened through feedback, coaching, practice, and role modeling, suggesting that organizations should develop character alongside traditional management skills.

Belcher, D. (2024, February 13). The case for leadership character. Harvard Business Impact. https://www.harvardbusiness.org/insight/the-case-for-leadership-character/