Here the topics for this week's blog: Mediterranean crossings; symbolism; an aging budget; momentous decisions; national/regional bankruptcies.

 Immigrant flood. Having just returned from a Mediterranean cruise, I have been watching the news stories of the thousands of Middle Eastern refugees flocking to southern Europe. On our cruise (Rome ­-- Istanbul -- Athens -- Rome), I am sure the ship's bridge kept a wary eye out for those frail, crowded, less-than-seaworthy craft. Last Tuesday's news showed a lucky boat-load that had made the relatively short crossing to a small off-shore Greek island.

Symbols, abroad and at home. In the second Gulf War, with the fall of Saddam's regime, I remember that most Americans did not understand why irate Iraqis took off their sandals/shoes to beat Saddam's face on the fallen statues. For them this was their ultimate, traditional way of showing disrespect -- ­shoes to the face. Last Tuesday, one Syrian refugee (male), safely on Greek soil, with no statue to disrespect, faced the camera and shouted disparagingly, "Bashar al-Assad, may God rip out your mother's eyes!"
     Here at home, the mass shooting in Charleston, SC, awakened (again) debate over the Confederate flag. Needless to say, responses ranged from the well- to less-well considered. Among the  well-considered remarks were those of Charleston's mayor, Joseph Riley. I am sure that for the first time most Americans found out that Riley (a Democrat) has served for forty years. You are not re-elected ten times without being a respected member of the community. On the less-well considered side, were comments from the white primacy sector, led by the right wing Council of Conservative Citizens (CCC).
     This is as good a time as any to highlight the "even handed" approach of the often disparaged Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to groups granted charitable status (501C3). For example, you have National Public Radio (NPR) and the CCC. Talk about equal opportunity. Brings tears to your eyes!
     As the week ended, one stalwart African American woman scaled the flag pole on the SC capitol grounds and took down the offensive flag. She and a fellow cohort were arrested and quickly released on personal recognizance bonds. The flag was run up again, to await a final decision by the SC legislature.
 
The "greying" US budget. In last Wednesday's Washington Post, economic columnist Paul Samuelson took up the always controversial subject: the portion of the national budget devoted to the elderly. In the mid-1980s, when CO's three-term governor, Richard Lamb (Democrat), talked about aspects of the elderly, he earned the monicker, Governor Gloom, and his comments on a "duty to die" brought forth a storm of comment. Imagine the response in today's even more closely interconnected world.
     Last Wednesday, Samuelson, too, wrote about the increasing portion of the US budget devoted to our fast-aging population. The very nature of the subject raises the unspoken question, "For how long is this spending level sustainable without changes elsewhere in the federal budget?" We are an aging nation, while in many other nations more than half of their population are less than 30. US: 2%; world: 52%  This has both economic and political implications -- a fact often lost on our own aging law makers at all levels of government.

Momentous decisions. As is often the case, the Supreme Court waited until the last week of the current session to announce decisions on two issues, important both socially and politically: same sex marriage and the Affordable Care Act (ACA, aka Obama-care). The former was much awaited, will be much debated, and no doubt subjected to delaying actions in some states. For some, same sex (gender ?) marriage is an issue with religious and moral overtones. It is not just controversial, it is value ladened.
     The ACA, on the other hand, was a volatile, long standing political issue, seemingly the defining anti-Obama issue for the Republican party. With the Court having given state insurance exchanges its affirmative imprimatur, one would assume derisive howls would echo outside the beltway far into the hinterlands. Problem: what is the alternative? Here the GOP is at somewhat of a loss. They have no firm, agreed upon alternative to ACA. There was much baying-at-the-moon, but little else.

What's in your wallet? This is not a good time to be in Greece and in need of cash from the local ATM. The Greek government has shuttered its banks until July 6th and limited ATM withdrawals to 60€/day -- if you can find one that still has cash. We should not feel smug, though; Puerto Rico has announced it, too, is also facing bankruptcy. Now about that cruise that stops in San Juan.........

Fair winds and smooth sailing in the coming week. Thank you for reading.