https://www.90degreeturn.com/join daily 0.75 2023-10-21 https://www.90degreeturn.com/join/5rci8z6x0y66tfx3u8ukxi9lpm7g2v monthly 0.5 2022-10-21 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog daily 0.75 2024-12-15 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/negativitys-evil-power monthly 0.5 2024-10-21 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/hope-on-horizon monthly 0.5 2024-09-15 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/reflections-on-the-code-for-america-summit-2024 monthly 0.5 2024-06-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/3bbb811e-b38d-4fd3-952b-49414bd311a5/Code+for+America+Pic.jpg BLOG - Reflections on Code for America Summit 2024 - An old sales adage reads, “You can’t shoot the moose from the lodge.” I believe this is true. To test an idea, it's best to meet, mingle, and breathe the air of those who might someday want to adopt that idea. In short, I traveled to Oakland because I am obsessed with the truth. Like anyone, I hate rejection, but I'd rather not pursue an idea that few are interested in. I wanted to know if the Needs Monitor and the 90-Degree Turn philosophy resonated with government and contractor techies or if I was “off in left field,” as my dad would say. At 71, my time is precious, and I need to make the most of its shrinking supply. I'm perfectly okay with not chasing a bad thing. Bias is a powerful force. After years of observing, reading, thinking, researching, writing, and investing, an idea becomes an obsession. The more time and money we put into something, the more convinced we are of its merit. But it could be a farce. To break from this bias, one must seek out rejection. It's for this reason, primarily, that I traveled from Europe to California (including an 11-hour stretch from Amsterdam to Los Angeles). Approaching this crossroads was not something I did calmly. It's a bit like asking your partner if s/he still loves you. The truth may set you free, but it may also hurt. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/a-needs-monitor-gpt monthly 0.5 2024-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/b34cfa88-746f-4058-9750-d4714dde8dc7/A+Needs+Monitor+GPT.jpg BLOG - The Needs Monitor GPT - The citizen’s portal to government, the government’s portal to citizens. The Needs Monitor is being developed as a public portal for aligning individual needs with government resources. In the Needs Monitor, users register their issues — from petty local matters that have no personal impact or cost, like uncollected trash — to complex issues with a high personal impact, like financial planning. Every issue registered in the Needs Monitor is tabulated, validated, and tracked. While most issues can be settled in hours, others are more complex and may require solicitations. Users — whether private individuals or government employees — can see an ongoing summation of concerns across the country and how those concerns are being addressed. Through the Needs Monitor, citizens and government freely interact and collaborate to find and implement the best solutions to individual, community, and regional needs. For this reason, we refer to the Needs Monitor as the citizens’ portal to government and the government’s portal to citizens. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/recoding-america monthly 0.5 2024-03-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1700379068105-MESHLCS0K6AAPPF1U3VT/Recoding+America.jpg BLOG - Recoding America Recently, I found redemption in Jennifer Pahlka's 317-page "Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better." Unlike my experience as a tech contractor to the Federal Government, haunted by Washington's wastefulness, Pahlka is haunted by the "government's struggle to participate in the digital revolution." Despite this, the themes in Pahlka's book intersect with the themes of age, complexity, size, and (fundraising-centric) politics examined in my book, The 90-Degree Turn. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/a-soggy-old-legacy monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/c80adcdc-1f11-4de3-97d5-7e197edc6cdd/A+soggy+old+legacy.jpg BLOG - A soggy old legacy - Authoritarianism rules Swift and unequivocal in decision-making, authoritarian governments are models of efficiency compared to democracies. For this reason, they are tempting in bad times and almost a must in times of chaos. The only problem is that with authoritarian government comes the corrosive element of certainty. Certainty eats into truth and eventually leaves us two choices: submission or madness. Authoritarians will not wait for the U.S. and its democratic republic to navigate a better course. Just ask Donald Trump as he stands ready to solve all our problems. More than any other politician, he knows what the American people want. A true born authoritarian guaranteed to give the U.S. everything it deserves. A silly simple task for a man whose freedom to pretend has no limit. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/3-question-survey monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/6135fede-80d5-414f-8ef6-b66b30dabcde/Need+Monitor+Survey+1+Sep+23.jpg BLOG - the Needs Monitor Survey So, the Survey Says… My thanks to SurveyMonkey. What a brilliant piece of tech. Within a day, I was able to collect feedback from 202 individuals. What I appreciated most were the comments that indicate the Needs Monitor is understood. Only one person expressed confusion, but I was expecting many more. Here are the comments from the Needs Monitor survey conducted on 31 August 2023, followed by my answers. 1. How accessible is it going to be? Needs change from week to week as well as the demands/resources. Where would they be able to stay updated? The Needs Monitor will run 24x7x365 and function as a non-stop monitor of what's in the country's to-do hopper. From pending needs, to needs being acted on, to needs completed and being monitored. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/dontlookup monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/ea47418e-46df-41b9-93c3-b2c649bf44ef/Is+academia+without+action+academic%3F++.jpg BLOG - Don’t Look Up – APSA 2023 Not unlike a startup, promoting a political philosophy like the 90-Degree Turn requires turning over as many stones as possible. However, as stones are infinite, one must be selective. Given that I have a degree in Political Science (and recently examined the Federal Government and the challenges it faces), I thought it logical to turn over the stone labeled American Political Science Association (APSA). When I did and realized APSA was having its annual meeting at the end of August, I grew excited. On the event's website, 2023 APSA ANNUAL MEETING & EXHIBITION, I was amazed by the number of papers being presented. Such a repository would certainly include learned academics looking for answers to the national debt crisis and seeking government reform to prevent future debt. But my amazement quickly turned to disappointment when I couldn't find a single paper among thousands on the "U.S. national debt" or "government reform." When I simplified my search to "debt," I received 33 hits, including "The Causes and Effects of China's Economic Statecraft." But nothing related to the U.S. debt. It would seem, for this American association, that the problem is over there, in China, and not here at home. When I simplified "government reform" to "reform," I received 266 hits, but nothing related to the U.S. government. Don't Look Up might just be the APSA motto for 2023. Pressing issues central to preserving democracy fall outside the spectrum of burning hot topics like "The Politics of Bathroom Access, Exclusion, and Gender Identity in the States." When bathroom access takes priority over national debt and government reform in an organization made up of the country's leading political scientists, something is off. Way off. Now, I understand how liberals become conservatives and reactionaries. Fox News would eat this up. As science is the pursuit and application of knowledge, the APSA should change "Political Science" to "Political Studies" so as not to mislead anyone into thinking something of real benefit could be derived from having a degree in it. I have argued that the Federal Government operates with an overhead of 99.5%. This is reflected in the APSA database, where a preoccupation with the extraneous appears to deny attention to topics that matter. Not to a select few but to a country and the democratic world as a whole. Akin to our politicians in Washington, APSA prefers to study the obtuse soft periphery of government to the hardcore issues needed to sustain it. On the topic of "campaign financing," I got 35 hits, but none related to the corrosive effects of campaign financing. And I found only one panel that mentions lobbying: "Lobbying and Campaign Contributions in the United States." But here, the focus is on participating, not fixing. The APSA is reminiscent of the Office of the Inspector General, where success is not measured by actual results but rather by potential results. Like Washington, it seems the science of political science is stuck in neutral. Comfortably observing government as an astronomer might observe a distant star without hope or aspiration of changing a damn thing. I have not given up and hope, eventually, to connect with individuals in academia with an interest in this topic. That said, from my initial assessment, it would seem this will be a steep climb that may offer no benefit other than having tried. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/milton-amp-me monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/461b3ce6-2d9e-4836-8158-aa1f5cb7154b/Milton+Friedman+pic.jpg BLOG - Milton & Me https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/chatgpt-is-the-tip-of-the-iceberg monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/holocaust-20 monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1673170457212-X40T045B6653W6J5BDGK/Blog+%239+Holocaust+in+slowmo.jpg BLOG - Holocaust 2.0 - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/blog-8-from-damnation-to-salvation monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/fbe199df-d78e-42ad-a499-e375e197f892/Blog+%238+Damnation+to+Action_1.jpg BLOG - From Damnation to Salvation - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1671370173333-5USJ1PQKIY24E3S8WZUS/Blog+%238+Damnation+to+Action.jpg BLOG - From Damnation to Salvation - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/the-time-to-cut-off-congress-is-now-or-never monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1670150499026-JJUNVBZH10M2V2UFPDZ7/Blog+%237+The+U.S.+Congress+vs.+House-America+.jpg BLOG - The Time to Cut-off Congress is Now or Never - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/blog-6-media-the-spin-doctors-of-democracy monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1668927756366-6AD5TTPOFDX1M0YNDBSS/Blog+%237+SPIN+Doctors+of+Democracy_1.jpg BLOG - MEDIA – The SPIN Doctors of Democracy - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/blog-5-bankrolling-bad-actors monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1667735090849-BANWQX66VF71YWE8MSXQ/Blog+%235+Efficiency+and++Spending+pic.jpg BLOG - Bankrolling Bad Actors - Make it stand out The Rocket-man, Putin, pills, and a pile of cash. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/blog-4-a-theory-naked monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1665995031153-WJ9MWAQZTFZXFSY6B4FJ/BLOG+%234+The+90-Degree+Turn+Architecture+for+Change.jpg BLOG - A Theory Naked - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/blog-3-changing-world-order monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1664976268364-ZDGI77IG2L8UKSSU5UJL/Blog+%233-+Changing+World+Order_pic+.jpg BLOG - Changing World Order - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/blog-2-an-unworkable-thesis monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/1663513130578-NIWG2945CTXAQAYGAH7U/Untenable+thesis.jpg BLOG - An unworkable thesis - Make it stand out Unworkable https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/where-i-went-wrong monthly 0.5 2023-11-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/a0fc8df3-c6b7-4224-b5dc-e4909f461039/tom-jur-oW2Fr25cGbY-unsplash.jpg BLOG - Where I Went Wrong https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/category/Rejection monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/category/Reasoning+together monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/category/Dialogue monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/category/Common+ground monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/category/reasoning+together monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/category/common+ground monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/category/dialogue monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/category/rejection monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/tag/reasoning+together monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/tag/common+ground monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/tag/dialogue monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/tag/federal+government monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/tag/fixing+washington monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/blog/tag/rejection monthly 0.5 https://www.90degreeturn.com/about daily 0.75 2025-10-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62dc2bffe5d01612ea705164/91632f80-675e-4e86-86d0-55420dadfd99/Book+Cover_Amazon.jpg https://www.90degreeturn.com/videos daily 1.0 2024-12-01