Betsy's Blessing

We spent the weekend of July 4 on Oahu with Christian and Shandra and the Clawsons.  Saturday we had a lovely day at Waimanalo Beach.

Here's 'lil Bessie.

Christian gave Betsy a lovely blessing after Sacrament meeting Sunday.  Then we took a few pictures.

It was so nice to spend time with the Clawsons again.

Monday morning we took four-wheelers on an excursion from Kualoa Ranch up Kaaawa Valley.  It was a beautiful morning.  "Lost," "Jurassic Park," and a number of other shows have shot at this location.

J. Lynn claimed to be scared, but she actually had a great time riding her machine.

A Few Pix from Our Trip

We've been back from the mainland for a couple of weeks now, but it doesn't seem like it's been that long. Here are a few pix from our visits to Great Falls Park, the Air and Space Museum, and Shenandoah National Park. Others (Court, Anna and David) have included more and better pictures, but these are special, as my camera was broken, and I couldn't see what I was getting!

Great Falls is a beautiful spot on the Potomac not far from the Roosevelt Bridge.  Hadn't known it was there, so had never been before.  Very pleasant spot.

Only took one pic at the museum -- the Blackbird spy plane, successor to the U-2 of Gary Powers fame.  Way back when, I was told the plane leaked fuel like a sieve while on the ground but sealed up under the low pressure conditions at high altitude.

Shenandoah Park was another place we'd never been -- at least off the highway.  The hike was beautiful, even though I didn't get so hot I wanted to jump in the cold water.

We had a wonderful time.  Thanks to the Taylors, Rob & Anna & keiki, Whit & Jim, & Court for making it nigh unto perfect.

Yellow Orchid

J. Lynn received this orchid as a birthday gift from a friend. Don't think I've ever seen one so bright and huge.

Two Down, One to Go!

I finished volume two last night.  Wish I remembered more of what I read.  I did note that TR and other higher ups always bailed out of Washington during the summers because they couldn't take the heat and humidity.  TR was probably the first "progressive" president, pushing for more government regulation of business, starting a conservation movement, etc.  He was also a strong force internationally, encouraging Panama to break away from Colombia when he failed to get the canal treaty he wanted during his first term, and sending the "Great White Fleet" around the world as a show of force in the Pacific toward the end of his second term.  He could probably have been easily reelected a second time -- and served a third term -- but for his decision that it wouldn't be right.  Interesting read.  After a break, I'll have to finish the trilogy.

One More Time

We had quite a storm -- lightning and thunder -- Monday afternoon and evening. J. Lynn was stuck at the Honolulu airport for an extra hour due to the storm. This morning we woke up to quite a bit of fresh snow.

Mauna Loa had even more snow.

Ah, April!

 The month began with a last winter storm of the season.

Now we have Jacaranda in full bloom.  (View from my office window yesterday.) 

Also, clear morning skies (this morning), with midday temperatures in the mid-70s.

Disastrous Budget Cuts

A recent column by Michael Gerson (“The real world effects of budget cuts”), as well as the frequent predictions of disaster that we’ve seen in the media during the budget debates, reminded me of an experience I had almost forty years ago. I was serving on the USS Enterprise during Vietnam, when word came down of cuts that were expected in the military budget. We had a new photo officer on the ship. Most of his previous assignments had been in joint commands. As we discussed the cuts, he said: “Let me tell you how this works. When the Navy is told its budget will be cut, the response is: ‘Can do. It will be hard, but we will make do.’ When the Air Force is told its budget will be cut, the response is: ‘That’s too bad. We won’t be able to fly bombers and fighters.’ So the Navy budget is cut and the Air Force budget is restored.”

I have thought of that occasion often over the years. Government departments and agencies at all levels seem to have learned from the Air Force. When the National Park Service was told a few years ago that its budget would be cut, it immediately announced that the Washington Monument would be closed. When the state DOE is threatened with a budget cut, we are told that will mean no books for our children’s classes. When the Agriculture Department is threatened with cuts, they announce that will be the end of the school lunch program. So when the administrator of USAID announces that a cut in his budget will mean 70,000 additional deaths as a very successful program is cut, I’m not surprised. Bureaucrats have learned that the way to preserve their budgets is to threaten to cut their most visible, critical and/or popular programs. No one suggests cutting personnel in middle management or eliminating programs or expenditures that would hardly be missed by the public.

Had I been in that House committee hearing, I would have said: “So you are telling me that the malaria control program is the least important program that you have and that there are no other places your agency could make cuts that would have a lesser impact?”

We need leaders in government that have something of the old Navy “Can do” spirit. Government, after all, is not a “jobs program.” Government agencies need to prioritize, focus on their most important functions and be willing to cut and streamline bureaucracies and programs so as to accomplish as much as possible at the least cost to the public. I have no use for administrators who threaten to cut their most important programs as a ploy to avoiding cuts in their budgets.