Category: Observations

There are many more critical topics on voters’ minds in tonight’s debate than how the two candidates view the contributions and financial role of credit unions  in the American economy.

Two  weeks ago I posted a blog with Vice President Harris’ remarks from an April 2023 Treasury CDFI award  announcement:

“When we invest in community lenders, we help build a future where all people—no matter who they are or where they start—have the resources they need not only to succeed but to thrive.

“These grants—representing the largest CDFI grant program in history – will enable hundreds of community lenders to invest in small businesses and entrepreneurs, and also provide home loans for families, financial services for local nonprofits, and capital for community organizations.” 

Over $590 million was awarded to 203 credit unions which was 34% of  total funding.

I stated if someone had an example of President Trump’s involvement, I would be glad to give equal time.   I received a response  the same day.

President Trump’s February 2018  Meeting with Credit Unions

The following text and a NAFCU article link are from Richard Harris, the retired  CEO of Caltech Employees FCU:  Although the attached article  is not a formal statement from former President Trump, it however, was perhaps the first time a sitting President engaged directly in person with credit unions. I was honored to represent the group as then Chair of the NAFCU Board of Directors. 

In addition to Richard  and the Presidents of NAFCU and CUNA,  several other CEO’s  present included:

Jeanne Kucey ,CEO of JetStream Federal Credit Union); Jim Kenyon, CEO of Whitefish Credit Unionairlines, Tyrone Muse  CEO of Visions Federal Credit Union;  Angie Owens president of American  Federal Credit Union; and Lynette Smith CEO of Washington Gas Light Federal Credit Union.

Cedit Unions and President Trump in the Roosevelt Room of the White House (February 2018).

The NAFCU article outlines several items discussed.   Richard’s description of the event: “He started the meeting by going around the table and having each credit union CEO tell who they served in their FOM and a little bit about our credit union. 

 Who were our members? How were we financially helping our members?  We went around the whole table. The President also had Gary Cohn, his economic advisor at the time, and his Chief of Staff, General Kelly, attend the meeting with us. The meeting lasted approximately one hour as I recall.

I was quite impressed with the President’s engagement with us.  Regulatory burden was the primary topic of discussion.”

Harris  continues:  “At the time, deregulation and the perceived overreach of the CFPB were front and center. The Trump Administration was actively seeking support from banks and credit unions to get behind their legislation and advocate to Congress for passing deregulation legislation. “ 

“This meeting did not take place in conjunction with any other credit union gathering in Washington DC. It was hastily arranged and the participating credit union CEO’s needed to fly to DC with little notice.” 

I asked Richard if NCUA came up:  “There was no reference or discussion on NCUA or any of his appointees. His interest seemed to be very focused on how he could help the consumer, in this case our members. “

The Importance of Your Vote

At this stage of 2024 election, pundits estimate less than 7% or fewer are undecided about whom to vote for.   Many will tune into tonight’s debate to firm up their views for Trump or Vice President Harris.

The two topics cited in the excerpts above are traditional party themes:  democrats’ support for investments in community development and republicans’ promise to reduce governmental regulation.

These examples  show credit  unions have had some visibility with  these two candidates in the past.  In this very close contest it might even be possible that credit union’s unique purpose earns a shout out from one political team or the other.

Credit union professionals are probably as divided as is the country for whom they support.  The critical point is  that every vote matters.

Whatever your presidential preference, urge your members to exercise their most important democratic right-their vote.

Christian Nationalism is an unholy union of American exceptionalism, White supremacy and Christian identity parading across stages at rallies and worship services.

Many people, especially traditional believers are confused and left wringing their hands about how to respond?   Is this just a temporary merging of the political right and politics facilitated by leaders who will leave the scene after elections are over?  Or is it something more permanent in our confused and complex American belief system.

During the past six months NPR has presented a number of in-depth stories on Christian Nationalism.  Here is a link to a 25 minute report from July 9.

This week Presbyterian Outlook told the story of three Seattle area church ministers working together to develop a faithful and reasonable response to this distortion of the denomination’s historical Christian doctrines.

How do we keep our sanity amid a chaotic political-religious climate?

On July 7, 2024 Dr. Matthew Taylor spoke on this growing influential force in our social and political discourse.  His talk was called Christian Nationalism, the Capitol Riot and the Rising Threat to American Pluralism.

It was presented as part of the summer speaker series at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC.   His approach is analytical with multiple examples to document  his major points.  Because his talk is almost an hour, here is a brief outline.

1. The Christian Nationalist presence and role in the January 6^th events was neither accidental nor incidental. He provides numerous photos and videos showing this involvement.
2. These seemingly independent mega churches and evangelical charismatic movements are networked together in an “ecosystem” of social media, round tables, and shared view of the five roles of church leaders. The prophetic and apostolic roles carry the highest authority.
3. The churches believe in “strategic spiritual warfare” with a mandate for their followers to achieve leadership of the seven mountains of American society.

Every part of his analysis is documented including the leaders’ original outreach to Trump as a candidate in 2015 and then subsequent involvement in his administration.

Dr. Taylor’s goal is to call attention to this growing force which is counter to the historical American openness to diverse points of view whatever the topic.  He shows how the group’s symbols are becoming increasingly mainstream embraced by the current House Speaker and a Supreme Court Justice in their display of the Appeal to Heaven-Flag of Liberty- a prominent symbol seen on January 6 in the Capitol riot.

He cautions these people are “true believers” not temporary cynical hustlers after money and power.   He observes that these coordinated efforts might appear bigger than each of us, but not bigger than all of us.

I believe this factual and historical presentation of this movement is vital as it seeks to impose their vision for all of America.   Movements started with pure intent, can become distorted, even perverse.  Leaders can use their collective resources gathered for one vision, to expand to a much greater goal: power over others.

It has happened before in other countries, when democratic processes are used to support authoritarian prescriptions and then veer into fascism.

Awareness is the first goal in setting bright lines for the freedoms America provides the entire spectrum of believers or non.  Christian Nationalism is a step too far away from an open, diverse and tolerant society.

There is a unique singing/sharing experience traveling across America and Europe this summer. It is the opposite of a Taylor Swift concert.  In these events, the audience is the show.

These ad hoc communal sings are led by an Australian musician, director and composer Astrid Jorgensen.

Her one night gatherings are called The Pub Choir.   It demonstrates the capacity of one person to help people discover and express their collective joy.

Learning to Sing Together

Here is how one person described her experience:

A few weeks ago, I walked to a small neighborhood arts venue and sang along with 250 of my neighbors at the sold-out event called “Pub Choir.” It was not in a pub, and we were not in a choir, but all in attendance now feel famous because the performers recorded it and put it on the internet. Even months later, I am still bubbling from the collective effervescence of learning a three-part harmony version of “The Best,” famously covered by Tina Turner.

(It’s not about you, but about us)

“Australian choral director Astrid Jorgenson set the stage by telling us to put our phones away. They would be filming us. We were the show. She had us belt out the chorus from “What’s Up,” by 4 Non-Blondes to figure out which voice part to stand with. Before she told us what song we would be singing and recording that night, Astrid said, “You might not know this song. You might not even like this song. But tonight, it’s not about your preferences. This is about us, singing together.”

“Astrid taught everyone their lines with a glorious low-budget PowerPoint presentation. We were instructed to follow our color-coded lines that were accompanied by memes to remind us of the style we were going for.  . .Astrid would sing the line for us, then have us sing it back to her.

(a holy call. .. and response)

“It was a holy call and response with subtle correctives like, “I see you moving a lot and working hard. I like your version, but I am wondering if you might want to try my version?” When she heard that a few of us “got it,” she winked at us saying, “I see you elementary school music teachers out there! Fabulous! Now squeeze the hand of someone near you and whisper to them, ‘We’ve got this’ and make sure they follow you for the slippery part.”

“. . .she moved us into three voice sections telling us we could check in with our friends during the bathroom break. We were not to stand with the section where we might have been placed in other choirs in the past, but where we felt most confident belting it out.

“Singing passionately was the goal. When we sang the line, “Tear us apart? Nooo … ” we were to look like our heart was being poured out like a waterfall. To direct us she danced across the stage, flipping her hair, shimmying, and occasionally pausing the rehearsal to have us all erupt in cheers for one section that finally got the slippery part right.

My friend Julianna and I squeezed hands with our neighbors, poured out our hearts, cheered, and shimmied on command. When Pub Choir ended, we hugged strangers while complimenting them on their passionate singing and practically skipped home.”

Creating Community with a Sense of Unity

I love this example of creating a community of shared effort from complete strangers.  The result is  a moment  of pure joy.   Ok, it is only for 90 minutes and maybe just one or two songs.  But it shows the power of leadership in a common effort-even when some believe they have no singing voice at all.

This is an example of a Seattle video from a Pub Choir singing Tina Turner’s The Best.  Makes you want to skip out of work and go sing.    Singing makes you feel awesome.

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlc7sHBQ4Oo)

Music at This Year’s Political Conventions

Music is at the center of many communal events. At the Republican convention last month, the following musical motivators were part of the experience:

Among the offerings: Kid Rock performed his 2000 song “American Bad A–”; “Real American” by Rick Derringer; and Lee Greenwood performed “Holdin’ a Good Hand” in person.

Here is my suggestion for the Democratic convention taking place next week.  It is the 1971 release byThree Dog Night- Joy to the World:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9uoq9gfeL0)

You may have read about the multiple riots in Great Britain following the stabbing deaths of three children in Southport.  How did this horrible crime lead to instant countrywide rioting and attacks on mosques, immigrant shelters, minority shops and stores, and ultimately the police?

The Five Minute News is a free daily pod and YouTube broadcast by Anthony Davis, a British journalist who lives in the US.

This episode is a case study of how disinformation is created and then spread by both foreign media (Russian  Today-RT) and domestic extremists.

Disinformation is intentionally designed to spread anger, fear and chaos.  It is false.  The initial creator in this instance is quickly identified and the post taken down in an hour.  But it had already spread throughout the world by social media provocateurs in Britain and elsewhere with this completely made up, totally false, account of the person in custody.

The Role of Musk and X

This broadcast also documents Elon Musk’s role in spreading the false information and augmenting it with other fake documents.  He ultimately adds his prediction of civil war in Britain.  The country’s far right extremists all amply these apocalyptic predictions.

This is the full broadcast, ten minutes rather than five!

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEuJ3V1yzzQ&list=PLGNXhNKeaOmWgTQ3T7oA5ioACZvSB5cRC&index=2)

It should be a mandatory watch for anyone concerned about the state of public discourse and the role of social media in the US and around the world.  And the malicious intentions of Elon Musk.

Ukrainian refugee professional artists, living in Wales, received a small grant to present this puppet and shadow theater show in England.

(photos by Nadiia Khomaziuk)

A 2026 National American Celebration-How Will Credit Unions Participate?

This historical milestone may be a perfect opportunity for credit unions to celebrate their contribution to the creation of economic democracy in the United States.

The America 250 Celebration’s mission is “To commemorate and celebrate our 250th anniversary with inclusive programs that inspire Americans to renew and strengthen our daring experiment in democracy. The shared experiences of America 250 will have ignited our imaginations, elevated our diverse stories, inspired service in our communities, and demonstrated the lasting durability of the American project.”

The five themes suggested for this commemoration by cities, towns and organizations are: The Unfinished Revolutions, Power Of Place, We The People, American Experiment, and Doing History.

All five are certainly illustrated by the cooperative system’s role in America.

The Skill to Listen in Public Debate

Silence involves listening, for one cannot argue without first listening to one’s opponent. As the writer of Ecclesiastes reminds us, “The words of the wise are heard in silence, more than the cry of a prince among fools.”

Thankfully, Solomon has not yet called and asked for his wisdom back.  (Frank Bruni)

An Upside Down View of the Economy

. . .maybe the economy isn’t booming despite higher rates but rather because of them. It’s an idea so radical that in mainstream academic and financial circles, it borders on heresy. But the new converts (along with a handful who confess to being at least curious about the idea) say the economic evidence is becoming impossible to ignore. By some key gauges—GDP, unemployment, corporate profits—the expansion now is as strong or even stronger than it was when the Federal Reserve first began lifting rates. So, with that in mind, here’s how the theory works.  (From Bloomberg)

“People talk about the middle of the road as though it were unacceptable…

Things are not black or white. There have to be compromises.

The middle of the road is all of the usable surface.

The extremes, right and left, are in the gutters.”

Dwight D. Eisenhower (Source: Eisenhower, Dwight D. “Quotes,” in Our White House)

A history note from a Credit Union Times July 11, 2006 article on pandemic preparations:

WASHINGTON – Lockheed Georgia Employees Federal Credit Union CEO Ed Collins testified, jointly for CUNA and NAFCU, before the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations on credit unions’ preparedness for pandemic influenza.

Politics and the Economy

From a July 24, Axios commentary on the election’s possible impact on the economy.

The bottom line: There are untold moving pieces in a $28 trillion economy, so if you think you’re absolutely sure of how a given election outcome will affect any one of them, you might just be letting your politics brain do the thinking for you.

Making Amazon pay

Gas taxes fund most road maintenance, so what can states do when more cars go electric? Minnesota and Colorado are charging a fee for every retail delivery within the state. This Stateline article is about how more states may follow suit to shore up their transportation funding.  (from Marketplace.com)

To raise your spirits: A 2009 video of Marines singing Days of Elijah at Camp Pendleton:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjZ_IlP9c5A)

From a friend:

Rest and let the world turn on its own