Tag: Hope

Having a Middle Class is a Choice.

On By TonyIn economy, PoliticsLeave a comment

A Middle Class Is a Choice

Traveling through Africa, I have seen wealth and poverty exist side by side. The gap is impossible to ignore. I do not pretend that every country I have visited is the same, or that I can explain another country’s economy after a short visit. But the contrast has made me think about what we are allowing to happen at home.

I worry about an America where there is plenty of wealth, plenty of work, and fewer and fewer people who can build a secure life from that work. A country where the middle class becomes something we talk about in the past tense.

As a business owner, a coach, and a city councilor, I hear a lot about what Americans supposedly don’t need. They don’t need college. They don’t need a higher minimum wage. They don’t need help getting health care or housing. They just need to work harder.

I have employed people for more than thirty years. I know how hard they work. “Work harder” is a convenient answer when you have no intention of changing anything.

Consider education. I have enormous respect for plumbers and welders. We need them, and skilled trades should offer excellent pay and a clear path into the middle class. But it is dishonest to tell working families that college is unnecessary while doing everything you can to give your own children a college education. Young people deserve more good options, including apprenticeships, technical training, community college, and a university degree they can earn without crippling debt.

The economic difference is substantial. Georgetown University researchers estimate median lifetime earnings of $1.6 million for someone with a high school diploma and $2.8 million for someone with a bachelor’s degree. Those are averages across careers, not a promise to any individual. Plenty of tradespeople do well, and a degree at any price is not automatically a good investment. Still, a $1.2 million gap is a strange thing to dismiss when you are advising someone else’s child about their future. 

Now think about illness. What would happen if you missed three months of work? Would you still have a job? Would you still have health insurance? If you owned a small business, could it survive without you? Would your employees have to find other work?

Senator Mitch McConnell was away from the Senate for roughly three months this summer while recovering from a fall and illness. He returned in September. I wish him a full recovery. I also wish every American facing a serious illness had the security to recover without wondering whether they will lose their income, their coverage, or their home. McConnell did provide some updates during his absence, and his office said he continued working with staff. The larger question remains: why is that kind of security so rare for the people Congress represents? 

Health coverage is already expensive even for people who have it through work. In 2025, the average annual premium for employer-sponsored family coverage reached $26,993, with workers paying an average of $6,850 toward that premium. Then come deductibles, prescriptions, and the fear that losing a job may also mean losing coverage. 

Housing is another test of whether we mean what we say about the middle class. A person should be able to work, pay their bills, and have a realistic chance of finding a home near their job. We need to build more housing and make it easier to bring homes to market. We also need to care whether the people teaching our children, caring for our parents, and staffing our businesses can afford to live in the communities they serve.

Instead, too many politicians point at immigrants and tell us there is the problem. They point at the person picking vegetables or working in a meat or fish processing plant while saying very little about the wages, housing costs, and health bills squeezing American families. Undocumented immigrants are not eligible for SNAP. Blaming a worker with little power is easier than confronting the people and policies with a great deal of it. 

I am a Democrat, but I am not interested in giving Democrats a free pass. Both parties have had opportunities to make education more affordable, protect access to health care, raise the floor for workers, and address the housing shortage. I want to know who is willing to do the work now.

People feel the price of groceries and gas every week. They know what comes out of their paycheck and what is left after rent or the mortgage. Telling them the economy is fine will not make their bills smaller. Telling them to blame someone poorer will not help either.

Real change means making the middle class possible again: education and training people can afford, wages that reward work, health care that survives a job loss or an illness, and enough housing for people to build a life. It means judging our leaders by what they make possible for ordinary families, not by how convincingly they explain why those families should expect less.

I have seen what a vast divide between rich and poor looks like. We still have the power to choose a different future for America. But we have to start acting like the middle class matters.

What 9/11 Means To Me.

On By TonyIn Belief, UncategorizedLeave a comment

What 9/11 Means to Me

Living in Italy part of the year, I sometimes lose track of important American dates. Labor Day can pass without a cookout. The Fourth of July feels different when there are no fireworks, no flags lining the streets, and no long weekend at the lake.

But I can never forget September 11.

Partly because it is the birthday of our dear friend, JoAnn Burchuk. And partly because of where Stephanie and I were supposed to be on September 11, 2001.

We were on our way to Italy.

Our two young children were home with our nanny and a friend who was helping house-sit. Everything was arranged. Bags packed. Plans made. We were ready for a wonderful holiday.

And then…

Instead of flying to Italy, we found ourselves back home, desperately trying to reach friends and relatives in New York and attempting to understand something that seemed impossible to understand. Two of the planes that struck the World Trade Center had taken off from Boston—the same airport from which we were supposed to depart.

Our neighbors knew we were flying out that morning. When they saw all the cars in our driveway, they immediately became concerned. They came over to check on us and cried when they saw that we were safe.

My father, my father-in-law, and my brother were all traveling across the country. With air travel shut down, each had to figure out how to get home. Like millions of other families, ours suddenly felt scattered across a country that had become frighteningly large and uncertain.

That evening, we all sat down for dinner.

Our children were happy—but confused—to have everyone home. The nanny was there. The friend helping her was there. Stephanie and I were there. This was not how the day was supposed to end, but to the kids, it probably felt like an unexpected gathering.

They didn’t understand what had happened. They only knew that their teachers had been afraid. School pickup had been chaotic. Adults were whispering. The television was showing the same terrible images again and again.

Outside, the streets were too quiet.

Inside, the tension kept building.

Then, as we were eating, Stephanie asked the children a question:

“What was the best part of your day?”

I looked at her and thought, What the hell are you talking about?

This was a terrible day. One of the worst days any of us could remember. How could there possibly be a “best part”?

Then I caught her knowing look.

“Even on hard days,” she continued, “something good happened. What was it?”

It was brilliant.

She wasn’t pretending the day wasn’t awful. She wasn’t asking us to ignore the fear, the grief, or the uncertainty. She was reminding us that terror did not have to take every single thing from us. Even on the darkest day, we could still search for one moment of goodness.

So we went around the table and shared the best part of our day.

That simple question became a family tradition. It spread to friends and relatives, many of whom still ask it at their own dinner tables. I have carried it into my work. At the end of a gymnastics camp—especially after a difficult day—I still ask my athletes:

“What was the best part of your day?”

Twenty-five years later, that may be what September 11 means most personally to me.

I remember the lives lost. I remember the families who never again had everyone sitting around their dinner tables. I remember the fear, the confusion, the silent streets, and the desperate phone calls. I remember our neighbors crying with relief when they found us safely at home.

But I also remember my wife finding a small light in an impossibly dark moment.

When it was Stephanie’s turn to answer her own question, she said the best part of her day was knowing that it was our friend JoAnn’s birthday.

That is not denial. It is resilience.

The world can be frightening. Life can change between breakfast and dinner. Planes can be grounded, families separated, and everything we thought was certain can suddenly disappear.

But even on the hardest day, something good happened.

Sometimes we just need someone wise enough to ask us to look for it.

So, happy birthday, JoAnn. Even on that terrible day, your birthday gave us something good to hold on to.

And now I pass the question on to you:

What was the best part of your day?

Open journal with handwritten text and drawing beside lit candle on rustic windowsill at night

The Worst Things Humans Have Done Were Done to Other Humans

On By TonyIn Belief, Education, HistoryLeave a comment

The Worst Things Humans Have Done Were Done to Other Humans

I studied History as an undergraduate, with a concentration in post-war America rather than World War II. For a long time, I focused more on the systems that emerged after the war: the rise of suburbanization, the Cold War, labor shifts, media influence, corporate expansion, and the changing identity of the American middle class.

Recently, though, I started reading World War II diaries.

Some were written by Italian civilians trying to survive the collapse of their country. Some were written by American soldiers processing what they saw overseas. Others came from people who survived concentration camps and somehow found the strength to record experiences that most of us can barely comprehend.

What struck me was not simply the scale of suffering. History books already teach us numbers. Millions dead. Cities destroyed. Entire populations displaced.

What struck me was the intimacy of cruelty.

The worst acts in human history are not abstractions. They are humans harming other humans directly, personally, deliberately.

A guard deciding another person is no longer fully human.

A soldier learning to suppress empathy.

A bureaucracy organizing suffering with paperwork and schedules.

A crowd convincing itself that violence is justified because the victims are somehow different.

That pattern exists throughout history.

It existed in slavery.

It existed in genocides.

It existed in political purges.

It existed in colonial violence.

It existed in lynchings.

It exists today whenever people are taught to fear and hate one another before they truly know one another.

We often talk about history as though it belongs to the past. But history is not dead. History is a warning.

One of the most dangerous myths people believe is that atrocities are committed only by monsters. The reality is more uncomfortable. Many atrocities are carried out by ordinary people who become convinced that cruelty is acceptable, necessary, patriotic, profitable, or unavoidable.

That is why remembering matters.

Not to drown ourselves in guilt.

Not to endlessly relive suffering.

But to recognize how fragile civilization actually is.

The diaries I read repeatedly showed something else as well: people under enormous pressure searching for someone to blame. That instinct never disappeared after World War II. It simply changed form.

Today, many people are angry, exhausted, isolated, and financially strained. Instead of encouraging solidarity, powerful institutions often redirect frustration sideways. Workers are told their problems come from immigrants, neighbors, political opponents, different races, different religions, or people living in different regions.

Meanwhile, many of the people and institutions accumulating enormous wealth and influence remain largely insulated from the consequences of the systems they shape.

I want to be very clear: I am a capitalist.

I believe markets can create innovation, opportunity, efficiency, and prosperity. Human ambition can build incredible things. Free enterprise has improved countless lives.

But capitalism without limits becomes something else.

When profit becomes the only moral standard, people stop being citizens and become consumers. Workers become expendable. Communities become markets. Truth becomes advertising. Human dignity becomes secondary to quarterly earnings.

Healthy capitalism requires boundaries.

It requires labor protections.

It requires ethical regulation.

It requires accountability.

It requires remembering that an economy is supposed to serve human beings, not the other way around.

History shows what happens when systems become detached from human dignity. Sometimes the result is not immediate violence. Sometimes it is slow dehumanization: convincing people they are disposable, replaceable, or undeserving of empathy.

That dehumanization is the first step toward every historical horror.

And once people stop seeing each other as human, terrible things become possible.

The answer is not abandoning disagreement. People will always disagree politically, economically, culturally, and philosophically.

The answer is refusing to let disagreement erase humanity.

The person next door is probably not your enemy.

The struggling family in another town is probably not your enemy.

The worker trying to survive is probably not your enemy.

History repeatedly shows that ordinary people often have more in common with one another than they do with the powerful institutions profiting from division.

Reading those diaries reminded me that civilization depends on empathy more than ideology.

It depends on resisting the temptation to dehumanize.

It depends on recognizing manipulation when fear is used to turn people against each other.

Most importantly, it depends on remembering.

Because forgetting is dangerous.

The people who lived through humanity’s darkest periods were warning us.

We should listen.

“The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference. Because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies. To be in the window and watch people being sent to concentration camps or being attacked in the street and do nothing, that’s being dead.”
— Elie Wiesel, US News & World Report (27 October 1986)

Taking Back “Make America Great Again”

On By TonyIn Belief, PoliticsLeave a comment

You want to make America great again?

Good.
So do I.

But let’s start by being honest about what actually made America great in the first place.

Red baseball cap with the slogan 'Make America Great Again' embroidered in white text.

It wasn’t slogans.
It wasn’t hats.
And it certainly wasn’t loyalty to one man.

America was great because we stood up for what was right—even when it was hard.

We passed laws for moral reasons.
We struck down laws for moral reasons.

We waged a war on poverty—not a war on poor people.

We invested in each other. We cared about our neighbors. We believed that when America succeeded, it was because all of us were pulling in the same direction.

We built big things—dams, highways, universities, research institutions.

We made astonishing technological advances.
We cured diseases.
We explored the universe.

We cultivated the greatest artists, the greatest scientists, and the most dynamic economy the world has ever seen.

We reached for the stars.

And we were able to do those things because we respected knowledge.

We aspired to intelligence.
We didn’t belittle it.
We didn’t fear it.
We didn’t treat education or expertise like some kind of enemy.

And we didn’t scare so easily.

Today, that spirit is under attack.

Donald Trump and the people who enable him have replaced patriotism with grievance. They have turned politics into a loyalty test to one man instead of a commitment to one country.

They mock intelligence.
They undermine truth.
They divide Americans against each other.

And now, once again, they have entangled the United States in another Middle East conflict—one that makes Americans less safe, not more.

That is not strength.

That is recklessness.

The first step in solving any problem is recognizing there is one.

And right now, we have a problem.

America is not the greatest country in the world today—not when we tolerate corruption, cruelty, and ignorance in our leadership.

But here’s the good news:

We can fix it.

Because greatness doesn’t come from slogans. It does not come from rage.
It does not come from lies.
It does not come from bullying the weak, demonizing immigrants, attacking education, or turning patriotism into a costume.

It comes from courage.
From sacrifice.
From intelligence.
From decency.

From citizens who are willing to stand up and say:

We can do better.

If we truly want to make America great again, then the first step is simple.

STOP saying YES to Donald Trump and the politicians who enable him. STOP voting for the unserious members of the GOP whose only goal is to get invited to Mara Lago.

And then let’s get back to the work that actually made this country great in the first place.

Building.
Inventing.
Discovering.
Learning.
And taking care of one another.

That is the America worth fighting for.

And that is the America we must build again. 🇺🇸

Compassion Is Stronger Than Cruelty

On By TonyIn Belief, Hope, PoliticsLeave a comment

The political atmosphere in this country has become dangerously toxic. Too many leaders, pundits, and influencers no longer work to bring people together—they work to keep us divided, angry, and afraid. Division has become a tool for holding onto power. When we are constantly told to fear one another and to treat “the other side” as an enemy, violence becomes inevitable.

The recent assassination of Charlie Kirk is a tragic and disturbing reminder of where this road leads. I disagree with nearly everything Charlie Kirk stood for and said, but disagreement is not dehumanization. His death should not be celebrated. Political violence has no place in our country.

In the aftermath, discussions have predictably become polarized. Some commentators emphasize the danger of right-wing violence, others deflect blame or minimize the pattern. As Howard Kurtz reported on Fox News, President Biden pushed back against suggestions that right-wing violence is to blame, underscoring how fraught and contested public reactions can be. The piece “Why blaming ‘the left’ is easier than deterring violence after Charlie Kirk’s murder” highlights how convenient narratives and political convenience often shape the conversation—yet they do little to actually deter violence or heal a divided nation.

Fear as a Weapon

When cruelty is directed at one group, it becomes easy for the rest of us to look away and feel grateful it is not aimed at us. That is exactly what those in power count on. They weaponize fear—fear of immigrants, fear of people with different skin colors, fear of other religions, fear of neighbors who vote differently.

This us-versus-them mentality blinds us to what our country could be. We are told that if we don’t agree 100% with whichever party is in charge, we are un-American, radical, or dangerous. That is not freedom. That is manipulation.

More That Unites Us

I have spent much of my life traveling—across states and countries, among many languages, religions, and cultures. What I know with certainty is this: people everywhere want the same basic things.

They want safe neighborhoods. They want to raise their families with dignity. They want meaningful work and the hope of a brighter future. These are not partisan goals. These are human goals.

When you open yourself to the richness of the world, you see clearly that compassion—not cruelty—strengthens a society.

Rejecting Violence, Choosing Unity

There is no need for political violence, and there is no excuse for those who instigate it. Violence, intimidation, and cruelty cannot build a future; they only destroy one.

We cannot be tricked into believing cruelty is strength. We cannot let fear divide us into warring camps. The truth is there is far more that unites us than divides us—and our leaders should remind us of that every day.

Compassion is not weakness. Compassion allows communities to thrive. If we choose compassion, we choose unity. If we reject violence, we choose hope.

The world is still a wonderful place. It’s time our politics reflected that.

References

  • Howard Kurtz, “President makes comments following Charlie Kirk murder as he rejects suggestions about right-wing violence,” Fox News.
  • “Why blaming ‘the left’ is easier than deterring violence after Charlie Kirk’s murder.”

Reflections on Life and Friendship.

On By TonyIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

This was copied from one of my other blogs (VACILANDO). I thought it was worth sharing here.

The Spirit of ‘76 — A Dedication to My Friends Through the Years

There’s a line from a song that hits me every time I hear it:

“And me, I’ve seen my dreams come true

But that don’t make me no hero, just one of the lucky few…”

It’s from Spirit of ‘76 by The Alarm — a song about growing, surviving, taking chances, and holding on to belief even when the world gets dark. Mike Peters, who wrote it, recently passed away. He was an incredible songwriter, and oddly enough, I ran into him a few times over the years. It’s a story for another day, but it connects deeply with my brother, who passed away ten years ago from the same cancer that took Mike’s life. Life’s strange like that — full of echoes, connections, and chance moments that never quite leave you.

Lately, I’ve been thinking about the friends who helped shape me, especially those I grew up with during the 70s and 80s. It was a different world back then — one without GPS tracking, instant messages, or helicopter parenting. We were wild, mostly unsupervised, and totally free. Feral, some might say, and maybe that’s not wrong.

Our parents worked. We raised ourselves — and sometimes our siblings too. From the moment we could ride a bike, we could be anywhere: at the lake, in the city, maybe even a different state. It was chaotic, and it was beautiful. Tight friendships were not a luxury; they were a necessity. There were no cell phones to check in with, no social safety nets. Your lifeline was your crew. You stuck together, or you sank.

Those years taught me how to read people, how to adapt, how to lead, and how to follow. We learned resilience not from books, but from scraped knees, missed buses, heartbreaks, and long summer nights with nothing but music, stars, and dreams.

Two men smiling together while taking a selfie in a cozy, stylish indoor setting with various furnishings in the background.

Fast forward to last week — I was on a work trip in Iceland, and I had dinner and a beer with one of my oldest friends. Someone I met during my first year of college. Back in the fall of 1984, I had just quit competitive gymnastics and was coaching to pay the bills. I wanted to be a teacher. Or maybe a politician. I had no real idea — just this drive to do something that mattered.

We were part of the punk and new wave scene. We studied hard, worked harder, and lived for the weekends when we’d see bands, play a little music ourselves (badly), and just exist in this weird, beautiful community of misfits. It was raw. It was real. It was formative. And that friend? He helped me find myself when I didn’t even know I was lost.

During those college years in New York, I started feeling the push from my parents and professors to fit into boxes. A teacher should look like this. A politician shouldn’t say that. A gymnastics coach? That’s a dead-end job. You’ll never make any money. You’ll never make a difference.

And yet, I kept going.

Eventually, I transferred to a school in New Hampshire. Summers were spent coaching at a gymnastics camp just outside NYC. I was one of the younger coaches — full of nerves, full of awe. But I learned. I grew. I made more friends — and quietly fell in love with someone. (I could write volumes about the people at this camp. Love them all). Life was intense and vivid and complicated, and I wouldn’t change a second of it.

What strikes me now, looking back, is how those friends — the ones from college, the ones from camp — saw me. Really saw me. Not for who I was supposed to be, but for who I was becoming. They accepted the radical thinker, the idealist, the scrappy coach, the music-obsessed kid with big ideas and no clue how to pay rent.

And here I am now. Writing this from the terrace of my apartment in Italy. I’ve got an amazing wife — my rock for over 35 years. Two kids, grown, thriving, chasing their own paths. I’ve coached a few gymnasts who have made Olympic teams, yes. But more importantly, I’ve helped athletes become who they are, in and out of the gym.

But my heart is also with the friends who have struggled — and there have been many. Some have faced down their demons and still fight them every day. Some fell into patterns they couldn’t quite break — whether it was drugs, alcohol, failed relationships, or simply the weight of expectations that never matched their own dreams. Some just never quite “closed the deal” or found the life they were looking for. I see you. I still believe in you. I believe in your ability not just to survive — but to flourish. Think back to the dreams we shared. The promises we made in parking lots and coffee shops and on the hoods of cars in the dead of night. There is still time. 

You see, some nights when I can’t sleep

I still think of you

And all the promises, all our dreams we shared

I know those lights still call to you

I can hear them now…

And every now and then, like anyone else who’s lived a little, I find myself flashing back to those Talking Heads lyrics:

And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack

And you may find yourself in another part of the world

And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile

And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife

And you may ask yourself, “Well… how did I get here?”

A humorous image of a white car half inside a house, protruding from a broken window while a quote from the song 'Once in a Lifetime' by Talking Heads is displayed.

It’s surreal — because that’s exactly what happened. Somehow, in the whirlwind of choices, failures, detours, and friendships, I ended up here. And the honest answer is: I got here because of the people who stood by me. Who lifted me up. Who challenged me, believed in me, and let me be messy and real and unfinished.

The work was hard. The path wasn’t always clear. But it was worth it.

And me? I’ve seen my dreams come true.

But I know I’m just one of the lucky few.

So this is for my friends — the ones from those lost summers and gritty winters, from New York and New Hampshire, from the campgrounds and the music clubs, from the gyms and the midnight drives. Some of you are still here. Some are gone too soon. All of you live in the best parts of me.

“I still believe a man can change his own destiny

But the price is high that has got to be paid

For everyone who survives, there are many who fail…”

I carry your spirit with me — the spirit of ’76. And I will never give in until the day I die.

The Economic Impact of Leadership Decisions. Demanding Better Leadership in America

On By TonyIn Belief, economy, Elections, PoliticsLeave a comment

Leadership is, at its core, a moral endeavor. A good leader doesn’t just pass laws or cut deals—they set a tone, a standard. They challenge us to rise to the moment, to be better citizens, neighbors, and people. The best leaders inspire confidence, compassion, and cooperation. They elevate the national character.

Donald Trump, on the other hand, brings out the worst in America.

His political brand is not built on unity or progress, but on grievance and division. Instead of drawing upon America’s strength, generosity, and resilience, Trump taps into resentment, paranoia, and selfishness. His rhetoric isn’t about what we can build together—it’s about who to blame.

Economic Gaslighting

Despite inheriting one of the strongest post-COVID economic recoveries in the world, Trump continues to insist the U.S. economy is a burning wreck in need of saving. It’s not just dishonest; it’s deeply cynical. And his proposed “solution”? The same failed, chaotic economic nationalism that marked his first term.

Trump’s obsession with trade imbalances reveals either a profound ignorance of basic economics—or something worse. According to him, any country that sells more to us than it buys is “taking advantage.” That logic, applied globally, would demand that every country run a trade surplus simultaneously—an economic impossibility. It’s nonsense. But it’s dangerous nonsense, dressed up in patriotic bluster.

His proposed tariffs—broad, punitive, and economically suicidal—aren’t just bad policy; they’re theatrical madness. So much so that it becomes tempting to hope it’s all a con. Maybe the rumors are true: maybe these tariffs were a hustle, designed to enrich allies and donors through insider schemes. That would be criminal, yes—but at least it would be rational. Because the alternative—that Trump truly believes this—is far more terrifying.

Even House Speaker Mike Johnson, in a moment of accidental honesty, defended Trump’s shady cryptocurrency promotion by essentially saying, “At least he does his corruption in the open.” That isn’t a defense—it’s an indictment. When open corruption becomes a selling point, we’ve crossed a dangerous line. We’re no longer arguing over policy; we’re debating whether accountability still matters at all.

And that’s the deeper damage Trump has done—not just to institutions, but to our expectations. He’s lowered the bar so far that basic decency, transparency, and truthfulness feel like exceptional qualities instead of minimum requirements. His administration didn’t just tolerate racism, sexism, and religious bigotry—it amplified them. What once disqualified someone from public service now earns a standing ovation at political rallies.

This has real consequences.

The Cost of Chaos

Everyday Americans are paying the price for this dysfunction. Trump’s tariff wars and isolationist rhetoric have driven up the cost of goods. Inflation, while a global issue, has been worsened by policies that disrupt supply chains and alienate our trading partners. Meanwhile, allies abroad are increasingly distancing themselves from the U.S.—not out of opposition to our values, but because they no longer trust our leadership to uphold them.

We are watching the slow erosion of America’s global standing, and it won’t be easy to rebuild. Trust lost is not easily regained. Partnerships neglected don’t quickly recover. When the world begins to see America as erratic and self-absorbed, the long-term effects are economic, diplomatic, and moral.

We Deserve Better

America can’t afford more elected officials like Donald Trump. It would mean more decline disguised as greatness, more failure rebranded as strength, and more selfishness masquerading as patriotism. We need leaders who actually believe in America—and in Americans. Leaders who build instead of blame. Leaders who lift us up instead of dragging us down.

We’ve seen what Trump brings out in people. We know the cost. It’s time we demand better from our leaders—and from ourselves. New Hampshire deserves better. Dover deserves better. America deserves better.

And the good news? A better future is possible. Across this country, new leaders are stepping up—people grounded in principle, driven by service, and committed to healing, not dividing. The path forward won’t be easy, but it is ours to choose. Hope isn’t naive. It’s necessary. And it starts with choosing leadership that brings out the best in us all.

Robert Reich: The Big Picture: How We Got Into This Mess, And How We Get Out Of It – OpEd

On By TonyIn economy, PoliticsLeave a comment

Donald Trump isn’t the cause of what ails America. He’s the consequence. The real causes go back four decades. 

Let me start with a bit of family history. During the 1950s and 1960s, my father, Ed Reich, owned a shop on the main street from which he sold women’s clothing to the wives of factory workers.

This time of year reminds me of his anxious dependence on holiday sales (and in the days after Christmas, the frantic returns). Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, he needed to earn enough to pay the bills and have a sufficient sum to carry us through the first part of the following year.

We weren’t rich but never felt poor, and our standard of living rose steadily through the 1950s and 1960s — as factory workers and their spouses did better and better.

This was an era when the income of a single factory worker or schoolteacher or baker or salesman or mechanic was enough to buy a home, have two cars, and raise a family.

FOR THREE DECADES after World War II, America created the largest middle class the world had ever seen. During those years, the earnings of the typical American worker doubled, just as the size of the American economy doubled.Over the last 40 years, by contrast, the size of the economy has more than doubled again, but the earnings of the typical American have barely budged (adjusted for inflation). Most of the gains have gone to the top. 

In the 1950s and 1960s, the CEOs of large corporations earned an average of about 20 times the pay of their typical worker. Now they rake in over 300 times the pay of an average worker.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the richest 1 percent of Americans took home about 10 percent of the nation’s total income. Today they take home more than the bottom 90 percent put together.

Then, the economy generated hope. Hard work paid off. The living standards of most people improved through their working lives. Their children enjoyed better lives than they had. Most felt that the rules of the economic game were basically fair.

Although many women, Black people, and Latinos were still blocked from getting a fair share of the economy’s gains, the nation committed itself to changing this. New laws guaranteed equal opportunity, barred discrimination, promoted affirmative action, and expanded educational opportunity for all.

Today, confidence in the economic system has sharply declined. Its apparent arbitrariness and unfairness have undermined the public’s faith in it. Cynicism abounds. Equal opportunity is no longer high on the nation’s agenda.

As you’ll see in “The Big Picture” video on this page, recent American history can be divided into five periods:

  1. 1946-1979, we grew together. Almost everyone gained ground.
  2. 1980-2008, the great U-turn. Most economic gains began going to the top.
  3. 2008-2010, the financial crisis. The banks were bailed out but millions of Americans lost their jobs, homes, and savings. The experience revealed the gross inequalities of wealth and power that underlay the new economy. This caused widespread disillusionment with the system.
  4. 2010-2016, anger at the establishment. Both Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump emerged as anti-establishment candidates — although Trump’s anti-establishment persona was fake (and still is). 
  5. 2016-2050, the choice between oligarchy and democracy. The 2024 election represented a lurch toward oligarchy, but I believe Trump and his oligarchy will overreach, and we’ll choose a more robust democracy. 

***

WHEN MOST PEOPLE STOP BELIEVING that they and their children have a fair chance to make it, the tacit social contract begins to unravel. And a nation becomes susceptible to demagogues such as Donald Trump peddling the politics of hate. 

Many of the most vocal proponents of the “free market” — including Elon Musk, executives of large corporations and their ubiquitous lawyers and lobbyists, denizens of Wall Street and their political lackeys, and numerous multimillionaires and billionaires — have been actively reorganizing the market for their own benefit.

The consequence has been a market created by those with great wealth for the purpose of further increasing their wealth.

This has resulted in ever-larger upward distributions inside the market, from the middle class, working class, and poor to a wealthy minority at the top. 

Because these distributions occur inside the market, they have largely escaped notice. We tend to debate only downward “redistributions” that occur outside the market, through taxing the rich and transferring some benefits to the poor and working class. 

Musk and Trump want to reduce such redistributions. 

But the hidden upward redistributions inside the market are arguably larger.

This is why it’s so important that those of us who care about social justice speak out and explain what has happened. And why it’s crucial that Democrats focus on reversing the staggering inequalities of this era and getting big money out of politics. 

Otherwise, the only explanation most Americans receive for what has happened comes from Trump authoritarians who falsely blame immigrants, “socialists,” the “deep state,” “woke”ism, Democrats, Black people, women, and other countries. 

And the only agenda most Americans receive for remedying what has occurred is by backing Trump and Musk and their lurch toward fascism. 

My friends, the underlying issue is not the size of government. It’s whom the government is for. The fundamental choice is democracy or oligarchy.

Season of Hope: Embracing Life: Lessons from Loss and Love

On By TonyIn HopeLeave a comment

I had a different plan for what I was going to write this morning.

Yesterday morning (Christmas morning) we went on a walk with our dog to Wagon Hill.  It was cold but beautiful.  Whenever we walk there there we always see other people out with their dogs. Enjoying the walk. Enjoying the joy their dogs were having.  We saw this little black poodle just bouncing and pouncing. Having a great time. Cooper, our dog joined in the fun as we spoke with the poodles owner. The dog’s name was Shaina.  The owners name, Laurie.  Both so full of life.  We spoke as we walked together and as we got towards the end of the walk she reveled that she was recently given some bad medical news and given just a few years to live.  She was not sad, she was focused on positive things.  She was focused on making the most out if the time she had left. It really got me thinking- we all have expiration dates. Let’s make the most out of the time we have left. Let’s not leave things undone. Money unspent, people not knowing we love them.

All this got me thinking about my friends and family who are no longer with us. The pain will always be there. Is it odd to find comfort in the pain? It is how I remember them.

I went to see my niece in a play the other day. It breaks my heart to see her and her brother because they look SO much like their dad who passed away.

My friend Jeff  has had a tough go of things.  About year ago he lost his wife unexpectedly.  Shortly before that lost his mother. He hit a tough patch but has bounced back. When his mother passed he asked, “How do you continue on when the person who built your heart is gone?”  

There are no simple answers. Life is comedy and tragedy. The minute you are born you spend the rest of your time on earth either living or dying. I believe in the Butterfly Effect. Your parents gave you more than life. They taught you lessons. Your job was to continue and teach those around you.  As a parent there are three things that I wanted to teach my children. The “3 R’s” 

  • Respect
  • Reliability
  • Resilience. 

We want our children to respect others and to be respected.

We want our children to be reliable. To be that person that others turn to and can count on.

We want our children to be resilient. To bounce back. I want my children to be a super ball. As children we remember the awe, how can this little ball store so much energy to bounce so high? bb0273915d14e24a6ec801a138f012f8

That is what I want from my children and, my friends, that is what your parents would want from you.  Today, tomorrow, this month. BOUNCE. Bounce so high you touch the stars. Bounce so high others look at you in awe and wonder, “how can someone store so much energy they can go so high?”

That is the most important lesson. That lesson, I hope, will give you hope and hope to those around you.

I love you both and hope that you can bounce.

What is dying?
I am standing on the seashore.
A ship sails to the morning breeze and starts for the ocean.
She is an object and I stand watching her
Till at last she fades from the horizon,
And someone at my side says, “She is gone!” Gone where?
Gone from my sight, that is all;
She is just as large in the masts, hull and spars as she was when I saw her,
And just as able to bear her load of living freight to its destination.
The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her;
And just at the moment when someone at my side says, “She is gone”,
There are others who are watching her coming,
And other voices take up a glad shout,
“There she comes” – and that is dying.

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A Season of Hope- Finding Hope: A Holiday Message of Giving

On By TonyIn Hope, UncategorizedLeave a comment

I published this series a few years back and I want to edit and repost it. I am not proud to say that this time of year I struggle with a little bit of depression. I have a GREAT life and an amazing family so it just makes me angry when I feel this way. Writing is a way for me to work through it. I miss friends and family from my youth. I miss my kids when they were little and excited by Christmas.

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Last year at this time my wife had just to started treatments for cancer.  We were unsure of what the future would bring but we at least had hope.  Today, I am happy to say that my wife is cancer free.

In April, on my other blog Vacilando, I posted 30 days of peace. It was at a time when I think we, as a country, needed to focus on peace.

Now, 7 months later, let’s focus on HOPE. As a 58 year old, I have faith in our next generation.  I was texting with my son last night and told him that I have more faith in his generation than my own. They are largely engaged, environmentally conscious and see that they can change the world. They still have HOPE in their eyes and their hope gives me hope.

This holiday season these young consumers want to give—and to give back. Speaking to my children I’ve learned they plan to spend more than they did last year on gifts for family and friends.  My son said he and his girlfriend plan on giving to a charity and volunteering as their gift to each other. I found statistics for their generation and learned that a substantial majority plans to donate to a favorite cause or to spend time volunteering. Retailers will get in the spirit, too: nearly 75 percent say they will make charitable contributions to celebrate the season. And the good cheer doesn’t end there. Giving back inspires more giving back. Consumers prefer to buy from retailers who translate their values into action, whether it’s in the form of cash donations, commitments to sustainable practices, or community involvement, and many shoppers say they will actually spend more with these brands. It’s clear that giving back is good for business.

This is exciting news and a happy blurring of the lines between what we care about and how and what we buy and sell. Companies can engage consumers with their brands and products by demonstrating a clear sense of social purpose. Consumers have the opportunity to choose companies or products that support the causes they champion. At a time when consumers are increasingly demanding not only great products but companies with values that match their own, the holiday season is an ideal time to bring humanity to buying and selling.

While shoppers of all ages say they will open their hearts and their wallets this year for causes that matter to them, we can expect to see some generational differences. It’s the most digital time of the year, more millennial parents than consumers overall plan to make donations to their favorite charities. And millennials (young, college-educated, upwardly mobile), will increase the size of their charitable donations this year by a larger amount than shoppers in other age groups. But younger consumers won’t be far behind when it comes to spending to support causes they believe in. Gen Z shoppers (ages 16-20) are both brand loyal and loyal to brands that show social impact through their actions.

Younger millennials and members of Gen Z, perhaps because they have grown up in the era of B (benefit) Corporations, for example, when they buy a pair of shoes a pair goes to a child in need, and they expect business to be a force for good.

Make a difference this year by shopping local, shopping with a conscience, giving back to the community. Can’t think of what to get that weird cousin on your dad’s side? Make a donation in their name. Buy them a membership to a historical theater or museum.

Remember- you can give back throughout the year.  It doesn’t need to be just at Christmas time.