Victims and Justice (Hypothetical Thought Experiment)

We are continuing to explore a philosophical hypothetical thought experiment for learning purposes. Justice relies on good judgment and that in turn relies on good data. The vast majority of judges do the right thing and seek to live by their judicial values, principles, and duties. Let us explore an idea of false information being presented that would require a correction of judgement based on false premises. In this learning example, when mistakes happen there is a resonsibility to correct because that is the most moral path for the most amount of people. 

The Hypothetical Philosophical Learning Experiment:

Let us say a group of corrupted officials known as the Clan were spreading false information, providing false witness and engaged in all types of misbehaviors to enrich their friends and hide the Clan's activities. It was found later when more victims came forward that the Clan was engaged in a wider network of corruption (rape to violence) and created numerous victims. Some of these victims earned mistreatment because they did little else but report crimes, protect their families, and live by the oaths and principles of their nation that some of the leaders couldn't muster the strength to do. Extreme bias and manipulation led to garbage in and garbage out applications. Justice was not something that could be obtained.

Certainly, this would be a terrible situation and one that would lower trust if not corrected. Judicial principles, moral conscious, and good judgement are part of what builds trust. You can't force trust, but you can foster it. When we were kids, we learned to do the best we can to correct mistakes and stand for the highest principles (At least some tried to teach us). People believe in justice systems because they also believe that officials have the best interest of people, communities, and society at large.  When mistakes happen correction should be forthcoming  (In my experience the vast majority of people try and do the right thing because they know what is right and what is wrong for the collective good. Doin good and the necessity of doing good is a universal truth of all societies.).

Trust in justice is important, and I encourage people to have genuine trust. Of course silence can be forced but trust must be earned. That can be fostered by due diligence, ensuring courts have enough resources to function well, and holding to account bad actors who misuse their positions or provide intentionally false witness. Higher levels of truth lead to an implicit baseline that can spur social and economic engagement. Honoring the rights of victims means we acknowledge the wrongs and are committed to the rights that build a strong future. Those who don't do that have a different path and where that leads no one knows. 

Trust, Victims, Judicial Process

*This is a philosophical hypothetical thought experiment for learning purposes so take with a grain of salt. It is meant for discussion purposes so it is ok to have varing opinions.

The Necessity and Method of Fixing Firefighter Hoses

The other day a group of firefighters were inspecting a hose that was damaged during a recent house fire. Sometimes they get run over, dragged on the ground, punctured by debris or any number of things. Hard to tell. Therefore, departments must fix hoses when needed or purchase new ones to ensure their equipment is emergency ready. 

Unless you got a large bank account, which is unlikely in most fire departments, you will need to fix as much equipment as possible versus pulling out your check book. Therefore, a good group of handy men/women and financial support can go a long way. 

Most of the firefighters I have met are pretty good at working with their hands. They do their own home repairs, fix cars, farm, work in the trades, so on and so forth. A couple of people have been doing this for so long that they have gained decades of knowledge. 

Something I Learned: Having some mechanical skills, knowing how things, work, etc. can help ensure that fire equipment is in tip top shape without encuring ehorbant costs. 

To fix this puncture we cut the hose and put a new coupling on. The videos below have special equipment, but we were able to do this by hand simply by using a razor (took a little work) and some lubricant to help slide the hose on the coupling to be bolted together. We hen hose tested it with 200 psi preeure until the release valves became turned on. Lots of muscle and some knowledge did the trick. 

If you are interested in donating to a great fire department that serves their community, as well as the surrounding communities, consider sending me a message to the right and I will point you in the right direction. We got some things to buy that can't be a handy special.

You can read Regular Maintenance and Inspection in Fire Departments

If you want to learn what makes up a hose watch An Introduction to Hoses

The Benefits of Theater for a First Date: Point Loma and Escanaba (Two Tourist Destinations)

Theater is a big part of ensuring that neighborhoods and communities have artistic outlets. You may read 8 Benefits of Community Theater. They can also be part of your first date night! Yes, this production is actually called First Date. If you are lucky enough to get a first date this might be where you could take your future special someone. You could take them out to eat either somewhere fancy like Old Venice or down to earth like Harbor Town Pub. Alternatively if you are in Escanaba opt for House of Ludington, a glass of wine a Leighs or perhaps The Family Inn before you go (BTW...rumor has it someone might be turning a building into a martini lounge on Ludington Street in Escanaba. Its a rumor but good idea. Now we just need a place to smoke cigars. :))

The Benefits of Theater on a First Date:

1. Shows your classy, cultured and like the finer things of life. 

2. Appreciation for your community.

3. You can dress up and show some of your best threads.

4. You don't have to keep the conversation going the whole time. 

5. After a couple of glasses of wine, you might be able to reach out with your sweaty palm and grab their hand.

6. Whatever else you can think of. :)

Yep, don't underestimate the power of community theater. By the way research shows that a sense of humor is an attractive trait. Doesn't really work for me so well but I sort of giggle at my own jokes. 😦 Sense of Humor Attractive

I mostly write about economics and business so I thought this publication might be interesting when thinking about how to maximize the arts to create a win-win between local productions and tourism. Theater and Tourism

Being a little of a theater and arts patron enthusiast I try and support our local theaters from time to time. Sometimes I might act, paint an art piece, or some other activity. Two interesting theaters to check out Point Loma Play House (Cali) and Bonifas Theater (Michigan)

The Relationship Between Economic Development and Corruption (Hypothetical Thought Experiment)

Challenging and clearing corruption is a type of public service that raises economic prospects for communities and helps create predevelopment environments. Such environments improve investment prospects as well as strengthens quality of life of residents through greater trust, social engagement, and higher institutional effectiveness. 

In essence, the very root of communities is based in the social and economic transactions that develop a sense of identity as a community. That is important because people know they want their taxpayer dollars used well and in the best interest of society. 

The Thought Experiment Example:

We have been exploring a hypothetical philosophical theoretical thought experiment for potification and learning purposes that uncovered 5 stages and possibly a 6th of community based democratic resilence,

All type of misbehaviors that ranged from sexual exploitation of women (Some underage. Likely boys as well.) to targeting people (racial, religious, out-group, etc.). A clan-based network misused public resources to enrich themselves and had no respect for children, women, vets, the sick/dying, or anyone else. The victims intentionally had no recourse as a sign of values of some decision makers who maintained Clan loyalties. The community and faithful officials stood up and successful challenged through mass reporting the misbehaviors of the Clan despite gross negligence, blind eye justice, threats against whistleblowers and lack of respect for our social contracts and institutions. No longer could they put people on secreit 'hit lists' and share accurate official complaints with perpetrators so they could use aggression to silence discovery nor could they any longer help their buddies whisk away and dishonor our oaths such as ".....liberty and justice for all."

What this thought experiment helped realize was that the power of democracy is in each of our hands and rests in the finger tips of people. When communities stand together for the highest moral conscious (despite the default of a number of officials) they can change their prospects and create a bright and illuminated future for their children and grandchildren. In this example, investment interests increased, a sense of community formed, qualty of life raised, and future economic prospects rose. What we might also find are things like increased balanced budgets, reduced crime rates, etc. Times answers all questions....

(If one analyzed and mapped human behavior from a sociological level we would likely find that economic development and social development are interrelated. All behavior is goal directed and that is true for individuals and communities.)

This study indicates that corruption reduces investments, distorts market mechanisms, and creates cycles of poverty and inequality. The Relationship Between Corruption and Economic Development

*This is a philosophical theoretical thought experiment example for learning purposes only so take with a grain of salt. It is meant for discussion purposes. This is a process to teaching ethics, moral conscious, and good governance.

Customer Service and Customer Loyalty: A Story of Good Service

In customer service and customer retention it is the small things that add up to increased sales. It is much easier and more lucrative to maintain your current customers than it is to spend exorbitant amounts of money constantly trying to recruit new customers only to lose them from poor service. Below is a story of good customer service.

I don't know about you, but I have stopped doing business with places that seem to have disdain for their customers and gravitate to more customer friendly places. Processes should be designed around the customer’s needs and not to make things easy just for the company, managers and accountants. (I'm also not a fan of phonetrees and saucy personalities.) 

Let me give you an example of something that worked right and gained my loyalty. I had some body work done on my car which I think someone hit it while parked during a snowstorm. My friend noticed one of my taillights were out. I went and bought bulbs and stopped by a local mechanic to see if they would put it in.

(I am actually pretty good at fixing up cars but because of the snow I didn't have access to my garage at the moment and the last thing I want to do is drop something on the ground. As a side note, I will be buying an old luxury car 1987 Rivera from my friend when I get back from Cali for like $1K or less for winter and to put my fishing dingy in the trunk. 6 cylinders and everything works. I'm going to try and soft negotiation him down to $900. As a tip, if you raise your eyebrow just a touch while a seller gives you the price and pretend you’re thinking, you can sort of watch to see if they are contemplating dropping the price. 🤫)

Anyway, the mechanic said its an electric problem and I would have to make an appointment. I went back to the parts store to return the bulbs, and the guy said, "Let me take a peek to see if it was the expensive LED in the enclosed case ." (Car manufacturers should stop designing things to jack the cost!). He reaches in and up into the hole and pulls out a disconnected wire and we plug it in. Whallah! It worked. My guess is the body shop unplugged and never connected it back up. I'm not sure why they were looking at that side. 🤔

The lesson here? Good customer service brings repeat customers and more referrals. The two guys working behind the counter were very friendly and happy to help and saved me some money. Check out AutoZone in Esky! <<<<<<A referral.

According to this study, Customer Relationship Managment (CRM) appears to impact customer loyalty. Customer Service and Customer Loyalty

Delta County MI Board of Commissioners Meeting (3/11/2025): FOIA Requests and Costs

This meeting didn't have a lot of variety of topics but did discuss in detail the cost, exempt nature of some requests, legal opinions, etc. As one watches they naturally will come to understand how these requests work and the amount of hours and cost associated with them. FOIA requests are a transparency tool but are not free. 

One thing you do see is that despite people having jobs they are committed to serving the county's needs. The effort to find meeting times with busy schedules is notable.  

33 Economic Clusters Commit to Growth, Jobs, Emission Cuts

For about 5 years I have been looking at, studying, and figuring out ways to recreate organic or focused clusters in unique locations. Such locations have natural and geographic benefits that make them ripe for developing natural cluster. When studying a phenomenon, one would need to read the literature and prior research. This is important because people have already looked at various aspects of factors that lead to growth.

Below you will find an article discussing coordination of clusters to strengthen jobs, growth, and reduce emission. Clusters are designed to innovate and further industry advancement. Alternatively, they could be developed to maintain stability under various market factors if growth is not the central goal (more organic).

Improved employment and higher wages are common in clusters as people are trained for available jobs. You will often find trade schools and universities that feed talent. Since the industries are seeking to be cutting edge they are going to pay for top labor/professional labor. Human capital is an essential component for innovative industries.

The commitment to lower emissions is another topic that seems natural to clusters. While these clusters made a special commitment to reduce pollution the very local proximity of resources, density of networks, focused investments in clusters makes them generally efficient and environmentally friendly per output (product, patent, ROI, etc.). One would have to look at specific studies if they are available but in general efficiency and waste are inversely related.

World Economic Forum 33 Economic Cluster Collaborate