An Open Letter to Change Presidential Debate Structure

 Dear CPD (Committee of Presidential Debates),

2020 has provided so many insights, challenges, and opportunities.  The presidential debate is another shining example, and in this open letter, I implore you to please consider changing the presidential debate structure beginning in 2024.  The American people deserve great candidates, and while you have no control over the candidates that are nominated, you do control the way they are presented in the debate structure.  As such, we implore you to drive a process and environment that minimizes sensationalism and gets back to focusing on the key issues:  Truth and Integrity.  Leadership and Ability.

How do you change a presidential debate to be more effective?  Here is my proposal:

Move to a 2-pronged structure, which is actually 3 "events".

• Prong #1 is "event" 1 and 2.  Event 1 is candidate A and Event 2 is candidate B.
• Candidates are pre-recorded answering a prescribed set of questions on camera in an interview format
• The event is 30 minutes long
• Between recording an air-time, fact-checkers work to check all the facts / statements made in the interview
• The interviews are aired back-to-back in a one-hour segment (i.e. two 30-min segments)
• As the interview continues, every time a statement was fact-checked, there is a sticker displayed on the screen.  It displays a Check or an X based on if the statement is accurate or false.  It also displays the Fact Check # so viewers can research later if they so choose.
• At the end of each contestant's segment, a total tally of "Checks" or "Xs" is displayed so the viewer can see a quick-glimpse of the candidate's ability to relay truth and fact in their session (or not).
• Prong #2 is "event" 3.
• This is a live debate
• It is only an hour
• it is on any key issues highlighted in the 30-min segments or other pressing matters that have arisen since those were tapped and thusly aired.
• When a candidate's time is up, their microphone is turned off.  Any candidate who cannot meet the guidelines or stick to the rules will be asked to leave until the next question is introduced.

The country continues to pull itself further and further into a divide, and so much of that stems from a lack of listening, empathy, and agreement that debate is not only healthy, but can be done with civility.  The presidential candidates and those who drive and control the debates help set that tone, and we, the American people, deserve more than sound bites and hyped-up sensationalism.  

And the best part?  These things are things you can control.  We implore you to do so.

Sincerely,

A Concerned American

Tea (and Spices) Please!

We made a quick trip to Hilton Head Island recently.  Because of Covid and despite the island saying that masks were mandatory (and literally no one anywhere wore them, unless in a store...and even then it was questionable), we didn't do much shopping or eating out or perusing.  We would have liked to and probably will in a post-Covid / future trip, but one stop we did make is worth sharing.

If you haven't yet been, a stop at the Spice and Tea store in Sea Pines on Hilton Head Island IS A MUST!  We spent almost $200 on spices, candles, and bags and bags of tea, and it has all been one-million percent worth it.

Some of our favorites?  Toasted S'mores black tea, Hazelnut black tea, Mystic Dragon green tea, Key Lime green tea, the pumpkin-spice candle, and the fiesta spices (for tacos and stuff).  I could go on and on, but if you love tea and spices or are curious to try some, try from the best!

PS - if you have any other flavor recommendations from this store, feel free to list them!  Happy tea time to all!

The Future of Education

 COVID-19 has created this new reality, literally thrusting us toward facing the things we consider normal to determine if they are, in fact, so and continue to be so.

One of those things is education.  Granted, I have some very strong opinions on the matter, but I'm not here to rant or rave or pull you onto one side or the other.  I'm simply here to state a few things that seem to genuinely need considering.

(1) If the world is becoming more digital and more global in how it connects and from where things can be done, why is education still so behind in this facet?  

(2) Higher education does not only mean college.  Labor forces, trades, and other skilled crafts are in just as much demand as they were in the past.  When your AC breaks, you still need someone who knows what they're doing.  If you're building a house or repairing plumbing, you still need a skilled plumber.  Just because the world is becoming more tech-heavy doesn't mean jobs don't exist in the skilled labor trade, and the lack of awareness and emphasis on these wonderful fields and careers has to be considered.  Diversity in skill is still important.

(3) Loans.  I know there is a lot of talk right now about wiping out loans.  As someone who has them, does the idea tantalize my spidy-senses in the hopes that maybe I'll be free from that debt?  Sure.  But i also know i actively chose to have that debt.  Choice is choice.  What's not choice is the debt demanding 6.5% or more in interest.  When you consider wiping out debt, how far back do you go?  And how far forward?  But if you reconsider the interest at which the debt is paid (say, maybe 1%, or 1/2% or whatever) the lender still makes a profit and the solution is scalable.

It's a conundrum I find exists in so many facets of the world - the view is on the band-aid fix and not the scalable opportunity.  Often it may come down to effort, cost, and timeline, but it's unfortunate so many discussions seem to shy away from effort, like effort or work is somehow the culprit or the deterrent.  

"Nothing worth doing is easy" or "if it were easy, everyone would do it", and yet, Easy seems to be the only thing in focus.  And while I have theories on why that may be, it is disheartening to think that seems to have become the new norm.  I have hope we can be better.