Being Happier and Healthier in 2025: Consider Giving to a Volunteer Fire Department

"151 Fire truck at Cedar Burn Fire, Mt Hood Nat'l Forest" by

  Forest Service Pacific Northwest Region

is marked with Public Domain Mark 1.0.

You decided that you want to make a commitment to being happier and healthier in 2025. I hear it all the time from friends, family, people I know, etc. that they want a new version of themselves. The problem is that many of them fall back into the same rut. In order to make meaningful change they might consider small acts of kindness, volunteering and donating to institutions like firefighting.

To be fair it can be any institution they can contribute to but since I volunteer firefight/PT I think this is a good one for people to contribute and donate. I try to raise enough money to buy some new equipment and perhaps even a leadership/training course for the community (last one is more of an idea but the equipment is needed as soon as funds can be raised.)

There are a couple of articles and studies you may want to consider,

If you want to be happier then consider the benefits of volunteering, donating and other acts of kindness. Happier 2025 Altruism

We can also consider that people who volunteer are in better shape, have less depression and greater life enthusiasm. Health Benefits of Giving

Whether its volunteering, donating, raising awareness or small acts of kindness you will feel a lot better about yourself. People complain all the time how negative things are or how they want to do something new but then don't consider the opportunities in front of them.

For example, the vast maority 87% of communities are protected by volunteer firefighting and volunteers constitute 65% of firefighters nationwide. The Next Era of Firefighting. These community-oriented guys and gals are out there every week training raising their skill level and are able to support multiple towns and entities in a rural location. You must give them credit for that!

This is something I do but you can consider joining, volunteering, or donating to any number of organizations. It helps to make your communities self-sufficient. If you are interested in helping your local fire department, a company with resources, etc. please send me a message to the right and I will point you in the right direction. Tax free non-profit.

Corruption Index Release: Keeping Communities Thriving (Hypothetical Thought Experiment)

Corruption can be a drag on any economy, damage trust, reduce social cohesion, and often creates victims wherever it leaves its footprint. Ensuring resources and systems are used for their highest and noblest purpose goes hand in hand with reducing corruption anywhere it is exposed. When it has been challenged and overcome, you will also often see an improvement in a sense of community as well as improved economic prospects and trust of institutions. Reducing corruption helps to improve free exchange and institutional performance.

To help highlight how such corruption might work on a ground level we have been using a philosophical hypothetical thought experiment for learning purposes....

In this example a Clan of corrupted officials engaged in years of unchecked misbehaviors that included threats/violence, putting kids at risk, sexually exploiting women (maybe guys as well🤔), alleged rape of an underage teen girl who thereafter committed suicide, alleged missing drug money, misuse of public resources, retaliation against whistleblowers, helping their friends enrich from misbehaviors/manipulate, silencing concerned citizens, disrespected vets, created secret hit lists, manipulated the sick/dying, so on and so forth. The bad stuff one can conjure!👿

These are a few horrendous examples one might think of when considering the stuff some people can justify and do without appropriate checks and balances. Due to that lack of maturity and seriousness from some decision makers, the misbehaviors went on a long time impacting not only the economic health of the area but also the way in which people act and interact with each other. They did more then steal from institutions, rob from the joy of life of victims but also stole from the future of their community (Selfish "super cool" people). 

What makes this hypothetical discussion important is that despite almost no support the community and faithful officials became fed up with the incorrectly applied immunities and started to report and successfully challenge hate, corruption, bullying and negligence. In this case, a net was created to help them bust themselves through their own goal directed behaviors, actions, and choices. If one understood how bullies, bigots and bankrupted souls deal with someone saying "no" is pathologically jump to well used tools that were successful in the past. Except this time evidence was collected and decision makers could not simply sweep it under the carpet with a dismissive shrug. 🤷

The goal was to ensure the system adapted to a higher functioning state to ensure it focuses on serving  the community as well as create pressure on bad actors to not be slaves to hate, corruption,  social networks and unwritten Clan rules. Five stages have been determined thus far and a 6th may emerege which appears likely as we restore democratic principles with kindness and in the spirit of universal values of freedom. 

People can forgive, but they should never forget the victims and the damage these people did to their community. Resilience is necessary to preserve our futures and the health of the whole.

What we can learn from this philosophical example is that power of good and being always faithful to our principles ensures the sun comes up every morning to illuminate our way into the future. The light of liberty shines bright thawing the coldest hearts of hate supports, segregationists and decision makers who lost their compass. More importantly that the power rests in our everyday kitchen table conversations and the good will of noble people/officials who truly serve others. Darkness may dim our prospects for a short time but will never snuff the lamp; least we all lose our way. 

Reporting corruption and actively expecting officials to do the same sets the social expectations of good governance. We need less legal experts and more people who understand the purpose of justice (They are similar but not the same. One is a technicality and the other its true North compass). The best and brightest are those who swore and oath and live by it, do their best to fulfill an institution's purpose with integrity and don't sell out greater values for the lower values to help friends, clans, hate networks, corruption, or anything else that undermines our institutions. Time answers all questions......

Corruption Index In the Review of 2024

Corruption Index Statement

A couple questions:

-Why does corruption persist so long after it is well known?

-Why might we want to pick leaders, judges, decision makers, administrators, etc. with higher value systems?

-What is the relationship between corruption and fraud, waste, and low economic performance?

-How might communities protect their community from corruption when they do not have adequate support?

-Does democracy and the will of the people have its own power beyond top-down mechanisms?

-When we know there are victims, and we don't correct what does that say about our commitment to the health of institutions, health of the community, and the next generation?

*This is a hypothetical philosophical theoretical discussion for learning purposes so take with a grain of salt. It is meant for discussion to explore the concepts of freedom of religion, speech, patriotism, oaths, community, etc.

Manufacturing and Mining Rise: A Local Example (Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization March 2025)

Manufacturing is growing in the U.S. and that is a good thing. Manufacturing matched with modern technology can increase growth. Furthering that with advanced human capital and labor skills could also help to develop capacity (invention, innovation, creation). Likewise, there has been some improvements in infrastructure over the last few years which will help to encourage lower transactional costs.

Consider that mining 90.3% of capacity which is above its historic trend of 86.5% new mines to help fuel manufacturing can help. As complex global issues interplay, we may have some limited supply so having a better balance with domestic production can help.

Let us consider a town like Escanaba as an example. I will also start writing about San Diego and other places (i.e. tourism up in San Diego and Escanaba as other revenue sources). For the moment I'm just talking about Escanaba. However, I like to write about both for my and whoever else is interested.

There has been some discussion of opening a mine and possibly a port in the region (We are not yet discussing the increased investment environment of the area). High levels of capacity utilization indicate a need for additional mining. There is also additional need for ship building which would utilize similar capacities (complementary) but that is also a different discussion.

We can discuss ideas as they relate to a port, improved airport, and other activities for a different day.
Industrial Production and Capacity Utilization March 2025

-Industrial production increase .7%

-Manufacturing output increase 0.9%.

-Durable manufacturing index increased 1.6 percent

-Motor vehicles and parts rose 8.5%.

-Mining gained 2.8% at 90.3% capacity (This is important for the UP).

-Capacity utilization went to 78.2%

Civilization and the Significance of History to Modern Society

Reading is a little of a pastime for me and I have over the years collected a many great books. Sometimes a few too many so I need to offload some. Get more and sell the one's I read. This book is on the history of civilization and covers Vikings to Eistein. There are a lot of great pictures and artwork because that is also part of our history and how we process information from a psychological level. 

EBAY $20 Free Shipping

Those who read history begin to understand some of the patterns of society. How ideas are formed, how they impact stages of development, and how ideas are changed and adjusted over time. Even the U.S. is more of an idea then it is a physical place based on freedoms that were not common in many other places at the time. 

Education and history help us understand who we are and where we came from. The many ideas thoughts, challenges and triumphs that have led to our current place. While the book doesn't necessarily talk about the U.S. it does talk about our broader development as a society throughout history. 

It is definitely worth the read. Typically, I give around 50% of my profits for any hobby activities, art, etc. to charity. I'm going to try and give 100% (Don't quote me if I'm a few dollars off or something). Certainly, I get the benefit of a dinner or two, attend a charity event, so on and so forth. Generally, I like to donate to orphans and local issues. It isn't much money but it does contribute.

“A diffusion of knowledge is the only guardian of true liberty.” James Madison to George Thompson, 1825.

This is an interesting piece that does help highlight how being an educated citizen helps lead to better decisions and fostering of a strong democracy. The Significance of History in Educated Citizens

U.S. Treasury Purpose and Monthly Receipt of National Income and Spending

The U.S. Treasury helps monitor and manage our economic system. Because we are such a large organization as a nation, we do need a mechanism to strengthen overall economic resilience and maximize opportunities. That requries a lot of thought, research and coordination. Someone has to be at the helm of the financial ship to adjust and change to the trough and crest of economic waves.

The U.S. Treasury states their purpose is,

The U.S. Department of the Treasury's mission is to maintain a strong economy and create economic and job opportunities by promoting the conditions that enable economic growth and stability at home and abroad, strengthen national security by combating threats and protecting the integrity of the financial system, and manage the U.S. Government’s finances and resources effectively.

You can check out the U.S. Treasury website at US Treasury.gov

For more details on income and receipts for the U.S. Government you can take a look at Monthly Treasury Statement These statements help understand how much money is made and where as well as how much is spent and the type of expenditures. You can review Feb. 2025 Treasury Statement

In general, the U.S. Treasury department impacts interest rates, savings, spending, investing, etc. through policy development and managing resources effectively. If you are a business owner, investor or want to understand fiscal matters and how they impact you then it is helpful to read up on their activities.

*As a side note. In the right column I started a link list of important websites. It is just this one at the moment but as I sort of read through some things I will place those important economic related webpages to the right for your perusal.

Exploring Corruption as a Violation of Human Rights (Hypothetical Thought Experiment)

It is beneficial and important for society to think about the need to ensure all systems function in the best interest of the whole society. That doesn't always happen and sometimes people do the opposite. We have been exploring a hypothetical philosophical thought experiment a number of years for learning purposes where blatant corruption and violation of rights occurred to help ensure perpetrators were rewarded for bad behaviors and a larger corrupted network was protected and immunized.

In this example for discussion purposes there was clear intent to enrich, put kids in danger, manipulate elderly, spread false rumors, bully people, target racial/religious minorities, sexual exploit women, allegedly causing the suicide of an underage girl after a rape, secretive hit lists, so and so forth. This group could do whatever they wanted because people were afraid and those who were suppose to protect the community kept giving them free passes through the blind eye. They were more concerned about perception than fulfilling their duties.

Behaviors were reported and whislteblowers came forward but were quicky retaliated against with aggression, false rumors, and violence. The behaviors were well known and perpetrators often bragged about misdeeds and even boldly told the victims why they were targeting them. They were protected and immunized and as more people reported bad behaviors it became increasingly clear there was an embedded network of coordinated Clan members. What is worse is that they had a history of it, it was insulated, and additional victims were created due to gross negligence.

This is an example designed to showcase some of the worst behaviors we can think of. We can learn from these thought experiments about the importance of institutions and justice to society. Behaviors are often goal directed the extent of the misbehaviors, and the skill of coordination helped highlight how widespread the problem was. There were no rights or recourse for victims and relatively low commitment of some decision makers to our oaths, social contracts, and essential beliefs as a people. The vast majority of officials believed in a higher calling and despite fear of rejection also began to stand with their community to do what noble souls do (brave men and women who swore an oath and tried to live by it. "Liberty and justice for all".)

The good news is that the system did start to change as the good citizens of democracy became aware of the immunized group and the illegal protection for misbehaviors. In general, people believe such systems should function for the whole and they should work toward their agreed upon publically stated purposes and oaths. Good stewards of public trust and administrators of those systems should be selected on merit and not friend/clan affiliations. While democracy and moral conscious was actively thwarted the people began to restore its essential purpose in their own subtle way with little to no support from those who were supposed to be protecting the integrity of such systems.

When one thinks of any system or organization they should think of purpose/mission, effectiveness, efficiency, and general support. Well run organizations do what is in the best interest of everyone and that is important to support in word and deed. The vast majority of good people doing good things should be encouraged and those who act in self-interest should be penalized and eventually removed. Because justice is a root fundamental aspect of society it naturally has an impact on trust, social cohesion, economic performance, patriotism and so much more. The best and brightest know why these systems exist while the most connected and least qualified often use these systems as a tool.

You can read this article which is sort of interesting. Corruption and Human Rights

Ask yourself a number of questions,

1.) Is there a relationship between a level of corruption and violation of norms, laws, and human rights?

2.) Should there be a universal perspective on how we treat people and make little differentiation between race, religion, political affiliation, friend network, etc.?

3.) Is there a moral and business responsibility to ensure that systems are run effectively, efficiently, and in alignment with mission/purpose? Does that help business and good governance?

4.) Do decision makers have a responsibility to correct when they discover corruption? Does that indicate that only the best of us should be in positions of authority?

5.)  How does corruption impact the functioning of the whole and how does restoring justice support fundamentals of social and economic interactions? Why when corruption is challenged and starts to be removed does economic health start to return?

6.) Should victims have a level of recourse or is it easier and more convenient to stick them with the bill? What does that say about values of decision makers?

7.) Is it possible that people see "their own" or in-group as less corrupt but "others" or out-group as more corrupt?

9.) If we removed the moral conscious from corruption how might the tolerance of corruption impact economic growth on a fundamental level? Think about microtransactions that make up a community, society, and economic growth and how those are based in basic exchanges of trust in commerce and life (economic and quality of life transactions that foster exceptional performance). Leading to...

10.) How does high or low trust by many people influence the environment?

11.) Is patriotism loyalty to a social network or to principles of a people? Why do some people stand for the principles of their nation and health of their community and peoples despite the amount of crimes committed against them? What is integrity and loyalty oaths in this context? (One☝️nation under God)

*This is a hypothetical philosophical thought experiment for learning purposes so take with a grain of salt. It has uncovered 5 stages thus far that range from default to community resilience. It is meant to generate discussion so feel free to share your thoughts and opinions. Doing so positively, politely, and in the best interest of knowledge is most helpful. 

 

Escanaba City Council Meeting March 20th, 2025: Sustainable Energy, Firefighting, Fiscal Management, Indiana Jones/Committee, Water, Opioid Money, Apps

Another exciting day in Escanaba as we blaze a trail in creating one of the world's best communities! (That is my opinion and there are many who may agree.). Over the past few years, we have seen the local cities/communities and county really come alive to create positive change and upward trends that have thus far bucked some national trends. Below is a discussion on a few things being discussed. You can read the agenda for Escanaba Meeting March 20th, 2025

MPAA Sustainable Energy:  Energy diversity can help create resilience. Localizing some energy is also important for any location to better protect from rolling blackouts, outages, industry stoppages, etc. While we will likely need to rely in the near and midterm future on traditional sources one can see that multiple local and national inputs could create resilience under various circumstances (There are lot of opinions on this.)

Ludington Stree 1905 Escanaba
Some improvements near park coming in.
Boulevard
Source: Esky Post Cards

-Improving Firefighting through Hydrants: Standardization does help because everyone can use the same fittings. A few dry hydrants might help (The only problem during the winter is freezing unless they are pressurized. Maybe a solar/electric warmer tape of some type might work.). You want multiple departments and trucks to be able to use the various sources of water with ease.

-Vocational Training Center. Research helps to further the idea that vocational training does impact local industry growth as well as improve the economy overall. Vocational Training Research G20. Dang! We be serious about getting the people the skills they need. Partner some of that training to local industries (i.e. Billerud, warehousing, etc.) and participants might have high employment rates while contributing to the development of their community. It could also have an impact on the tax base and by extension improve employment and reduce crime.

-25/26 Budgeting: Notice how the city goes out of its way to encourage active participation and comments on budgeting and finance. It helps for transparency and ensure citizen issues are heard. We can teach other locations the importance of strong fiscal management. So far, the city (I think also the county) are fiscally solvent which indicates they do well staying in the black. If I was an investor I might take notice.

-Water Development: Escanaba is considered to have some of the safest water around. This helps our kids grow strong and people to live long healthy lives. Notice how they invest in their water proactively and avoid delaying decisions. Our water has become a model for some other places. Perhaps better than bottled spring water considering that bottled water is known to have more micro plastics than faucet water. In this case, our water is pure. Our Data Clean Water and Nanoplastics. As a personal preferences I would rather live in a community with clean water versus one without. 

-Planning Committee and Historical Committee: I should really get involved in the Historical Committee. If I had lived my other two live possibilities one would have been get a library card and be a contractor and the other an archeologist like Indiana Jones

-Drug Money and Mediation: There is a free service for mediation if needed. Also if you are a non-profit you may be interested in Opioid Settlement at DeltaCounty.org (I was looking for a grant for somethign else but this might be good for your local organization.)

You may be interested in this article 7 Advantages of Living in a Small Town. A few of us were talking about this the other day. Escanaba/Gladstone are places where young entrepreneurs should really consider. Generally low costs, people who care about each other, opportunities, and an upswing in economic development. We have a downtown that someone could buy a building, improve it, and do well with relatively low outlay costs. Especially true for tourist related business, micro manufacturing, exporting, firms, stores (fruit, butchery, cigar lounge, specialty, etc.) I keep thinking about buying a building down there.

Two Good Resources:

Escanaba Daily Press: If you are an investor consider getting this application. We have our own local newspaper and it has a great new column on local businesses. There is a cheaper online subscription or a delivery option. Escanaba Daily Press App.

City of Escanaba App: If you want to keep up on local happenings, governance, activities, etc. consider My Escanaba App. Staying ontop will help you make business and investment decisions. Welcome to the Digital Era. Also notice the discussion in the meeting on fiber optics. Digital nomad destination location. So much fun in the summer and the other 3 seasons. Fall is beautiful and crosscountry skiing in the winter.