Author: Dave

Sally and I were trying to get in a quick walk around our condo complex.  It was chilly, almost 6 PM.  A small SUV, a Mercedes, pulled up next to us.  A guy got out.  He looked to have been in his late 50’s or early 60’s.  He carried a package of food from the street through the driveway and up a flight of stairs to the door of a condo.  We saw him return quickly to his vehicle and drive away.  Grub Hub?  Uber Eats?  I didn’t think it was my place to ask.  And why was a guy driving a Mercedes running food?  Is he retired and bored?  That would be a nice story.  But what if he was laid off and this is the only way he can make ends meet?  What if this is the way he is putting food on HIS table?  I don’t think you can make enough money to afford a Mercedes lifestyle delivering for a food service.  So, if this is a gig of necessity, what would you think if you saw him in line at a church or a community pantry picking up food for his family?  Did he need this gig?  It wasn’t my place to ask.  It certainly wasn’t my place to judge.

Last summer’s Big Beautiful Bill will result in many people losing their health insurance.

1. The cuts to Medicaid will prevent some Americans from accessing health care except in emergency situations, force more rural hospitals to close, and increase our insurance premiums as the doctors and hospitals are forced to shift the cost of their services to those of us paying for care.
2. The intentional choice to ignore the expiration of the Enhanced Premium Tax Credits will price a large number of Americans age 50 – 64 ½ out of the insurance market. If they are lucky, they can find jobs with benefits.  As they drop their insurance, these people will be forced to purchase short-term major-medical policies, junk contracts, non-insurance insurance policies, or just go bare and hope for the best.  With only the sick and the responsible purchasing plans, the rates have to increase.  There is a huge difference between insuring a risk and guaranteeing payment for a certainty.  And when the uninsured and underinsured access the hospitals and visit the doctors, this, too, will increase the rates for the rest of us.
3. Every price increase will force a certain number of Americans to abandon their insurance. We are creating a death spiral.

What I find odd is that every time I get into a conversation about Medicaid, someone feels compelled to tell me about the guy beating the system.  It happened again today.  The lawyer wanted me to know that his client is driving a nice car, has a nice watch, and is on Medicaid (free health care).  Say the words Food Bank and you will hear about all of the Volvos and BMWs in line for free food.

I don’t judge and I don’t care.

Being poor is a full-time job, one that you don’t really want.  I have helped people try to get Medicaid, people who more than qualified for the social safety program, people who had a real need.  It has never been easy.  I have been tossed out of the CareSource office, twice, while trying to get clients enrolled into Medicaid.  The stigma of needing help was relieved, in part, by the design of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  And yet, the judgement never ends.  The nerve of some poor people not groveling, not advertising their shame.

We don’t know why someone needs help.  And it is true that some of the people who take help don’t need it.  How many businesses took advantage of the COVID era Paycheck Protection Program (PPP Loans) that didn’t need the help?  You may remember the poorly targeted Loans that were quickly forgiven.  Even the smallest of businesses could claim $20,000, $50,000, or more, even if the business wasn’t likely to be impacted by the pandemic.  But this was money going to businesses, so it was OK.

We shouldn’t need to fight to provide food, shelter, and medical care for people in need.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Picture – Better Times Are Around The Bend – David L Cunix

Bonus Link – Sally wanted you to have this Mercedes link.

Gosh you’ve seen this movie.  The hero is about to capture the villain.  Good is about conquer evil when somehow, someway, the villain manages to grab a child or a beautiful woman.  The villain quickly puts his gun to the head of his hostage and orders our hero to put down his weapon.  The camera focuses on our hero’s eyes.  We see his steely resolve.  Now we see the ruthlessness, the pure evil of the gunman.  Stalemate.  It seems like forever.  The villain cocks his weapon.  Our hero relents and places his gun on the ground.  In the next scene we see our now captured hero and the hostage tied to chairs by the villain’s henchmen.  As you already know, either they will miraculously free themselves or someone (Batman, the movie’s real hero, or a dog) will somehow save them.

The problem is that you aren’t watching an old movie on Turner Broadcasting System.  You are watching CNN.

We are six weeks into the government shutdown.  How fitting that the core issue is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).  We have been watching the Republicans complain about this law for 15 years, literally 15 years.  Even if you ignore how the law was crafted as a compromise to attract Republican support, how at its core it is the natural evolution of ideas formulated by the Heritage Foundation in the late 80’s, the talking points of Newt Gingrich in the early 90’s, and Romneycare of 2006, the most important fact is that 15 years later the Repeal and Replace crowd have yet to offer a viable replacement.  The idea that we could disrupt the health care market, 20% of our economy, and torch health insurance, the way most Americans access and pay for health care, without an alternative is irresponsible at best.  And yet, we keep on being dragged to the brink of disaster.

There were many ways to improve the ACA.  Democrats had difficulty admitting publicly that Obamacare needed improvement lest their admission would be included in the next attack ad.  Republicans did not want to publicly improve the ACA, because they couldn’t appear to want to make it work.  (Notice how odd it was to hear MTG’s recent comments about the enhanced tax credit subsidies.)

The Enhanced Premium Tax Credit Subsidies were a part of the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.  This was the first meaningful tweak of Obamacare.  The focus was to make health insurance more affordable by tying the tax credit subsidies to a percentage of the individual’s/family’s income.   These subsidies were a huge help to people age 55 to 64 ½, individuals who pay higher premiums due to their age.  And the enhanced tax credit subsidies of the ARPA also made health insurance affordable to the residents of states that chose to not expand Medicaid.  Many, perhaps millions, of Americans will lose their health insurance if the enhanced premium tax credits are eliminated.  This was the intentional choice of the Republican Congress and Donald Trump.  The One Big Beautiful Bill of earlier this year intentionally excluded the continuation of the enhanced premium tax credit subsidies.

The One Big Beautiful Bill was passed by reconciliation.  The bill included significant cuts to the social safety net and big tax cuts for the wealthy.  The Republicans only needed a simple majority to ram through the legislation.  The only chance the Democrats had to slow down or stop this Robinhood in Reverse was now through the filibuster, preventing the quick passage of a continuing resolution to fund the government.   Hence the government shut-down.

Donald Trump has no interest in health care or health insurance.  We have been waiting for his plan for 10 years.  He does hate/resent President Obama and would love to terminate Obamacare.  Instead of negotiating with the Democrats, he chose to take the American people hostage.  Trump cut off the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits to 42 million Americans.  The courts ordered the administration to utilize emergency funds.  Trump took this to the Supreme Court, twice.  The Trump administration fought hard to not provide food for children and the elderly, even threatening the states that tried to fund the missing money.  Other Americans were experiencing problems at the airports.  In short, the president, his administration, and the Republican Congress were doing everything they could do to inflict pain.  Our most vulnerable were being held hostage.

Who would blink?  Look into the eyes of the Democrats.  See the steely resolve.  Now look at Donald Trump withholding money for food.  Look again at the Dems.  Now back to Trump who is about to treat the social safety net like the east wing of the White House.  Would the villain starve millions of Americans?  YES.  Eight of the Democratic Senators broke ranks and surrendered.  The government shutdown will end in a few days.  Government employees will be paid.  SNAP benefits will eventually be released.  There will be a vote in the Senate, sometime in December, to extend the enhanced tax credits.  The bill will be fiercely negotiated, the benefits watered down, and it will still be defeated.  A meaningful health insurance bill will not be signed by this president.

It was a terrible choice, food or health care.  These movies usually have a happy ending.  I can’t promise that this time.  Right now the Dems and the American public are waiting for Batman, a real hero, or a dog.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Picture – Hey Moreno, Not So Tight! – David L Cunix

There are those who would blame COVID.  There are just as many who would say that it is a function of age.  I can’t speak for anyone else, but I am prepared to accept responsibility and to admit that I find myself reflexively saying NO to almost any invitation.  I don’t wish to give the impression that people are breaking down our door trying to get Sally and I to socialize.  And we aren’t hermits hiding in our condo.  But, I have caught myself mentally, if not verbally, answering NO before the invitation has been fully offered.

The text came early Wednesday evening.  The couple was going to their favorite restaurant at 6 PM tomorrow.  Would we like to join them?  The couple are lovely.  The restaurant is also one of our favorites.  We haven’t gone to dinner with another couple, any non-related couple, in months.  So, I immediately responded, “Thank you.  Sally is working tomorrow till 8:30.”   That was easy.  I mentioned the invitation to Sally a few minutes later.  She reminded me that she would be off at 4:30, not 8:30.  And though she is just as apt to say NO as me, she admitted that she would like to see them and join them for dinner.  I was relieved.  Since I had provided a specific excuse that turned out to be wrong, I felt some obligation to correct my error.

We went to dinner and had a wonderful evening.

It can be very easy to say NO.  Work was always a great excuse.  It is hard to go anywhere if you are stuck in the office.  Joe Jackson noted in the song, My House, that the character had given birth to a perfect little alibi.  The kids, and for some of us, the grandchildren, seem almost too conveniently in the way.  And yet when your friend turns you down, again, for lunch because of some school function, you just nod your head understandingly.  YES takes effort.  YES involves risk.  YES might even involve money and it will definitely take time.  NO is easy.  No is too easy.

Sally and I have said YES three times in the last few weeks.  I wouldn’t call it a trend.  This social openness is hardly a breakthrough.  Let’s just say that we are putting our toes in the water.

The water feels pretty good.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Picture – Dinner With the Fishes – David L Cunix

It was a little after 10 this past Monday morning and we had a lot to do before the start of Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) at sundown.  The first stop was the Eyezone.  Dmitriy had my new lenses.  I had to drop off my glasses.  There was a lot of traffic on Mayfield Road.  We were going well below the 35 mph speed limit.  I noticed the right lane was moving faster.  We were behind a grey vehicle with Connecticut plates.  It wasn’t until I got past Lander Road that I realized that there wasn’t a vehicle in front of the grey SUV.  We were almost to our destination.  There was no need to try to get around him for just another couple of blocks.

The grey vehicle, still in the left lane, slowed down to a crawl.  Both Sally and I were concerned.  Then it stopped, right on Mayfield Road and we saw the driver get out.  Sally wondered if he was lost.  I figured that he was out of gas.

The man approached our car, a Lincoln Corsair.  He was a Black man, stocky, my guess – 5’7” and 170 pounds.  I lowered my window and asked him what’s up.  He didn’t say a word.  He appeared agitated.  He got right up to my window and just stared.  I raised the window.  His mouth was moving.  I don’t know if he was saying anything or just mouthing words.  Were we about to get car-jacked? Robbed?  Shot?  I hit the button for voice commands and said, “9 1 1”.  Nothing.  It turns out that with a Lincoln you must specifically say, “Dial 9 1 1” or the system just wonders if you want to use the phone or find a radio station.  There was a large red pick-up right behind me.  I couldn’t move.  The man has not left.  He is inches from the glass, staring into the car, mouthing words.  I try the voice command again.  Nothing.  I am concentrating on his hands.  I don’t see a gun or a knife, which is good.  But I have no idea what is in his pockets.  Sally has been watching the red pick-up.  It speeds by us on the right.  I checked the rearview mirror.  Looked clear.  I backed up quickly.  My mirror brushed his shirt as I got past him.  He was startled, but did not move.  I moved to the right lane as soon as I could safely got past him.

Were we shaken?  You bet.  Can I tell you the make and model of the vehicle?  NO!  And no, we did not write down the license plate number.  We would make terrible witnesses.

This is Mayfield Heights.  This is a safe neighborhood.  No one is threatening to send in the National Guard to our little suburb.  Are we safe in Mayfield Heights?  You are safe until you aren’t.  Sally and I travel.  We are often asked if we feel safe in Punta Cana or Mexico, or in the other places we visit.  I always say “Yes”.  You must have situational awareness.  You can’t do stupid things.  You don’t tempt the fates, but I have never worried about walking around New York City at night.  I feel at home in the Caribbean.

Our second stop on Monday was the Cleveland Clinic main campus to visit a friend.  Sally expressed concern about driving back on Mayfield Road.  I hate that she would have any doubts about her safety.  She will get over this, but we should never be forced to live in fear.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Picture – Welcome To Mayfield Heights – David L Cunix

I had been promoted to Sales Manager just after I had completed my first full year with Prudential.  The other SM’s were a couple of decades older and their staffs consisted of agents that were far more seasoned and professional.  Thankfully at age 26, I had a lot more experience as a manager than I had as an insurance agent.  The key with my group would be TCB, though for these guys that would be Training, Coaching, and Babysitting.

We were still a Debit office.  Our agents collected some of the monthly premiums and entered them into a book they had to manage.  Some of the agents were math challenged.  Some were morally challenged.  Part of my job was to determine which agents couldn’t add and which couldn’t resist temptation.  These flaws were not mutually exclusive.  I needed to audit all of their books to create a baseline if they were to have any shot at success.  It would be a ton of work and I realized that this needed to be done after the time we were scheduled to meet with clients.

I locked the building door just before midnight on a cold February night.  My Chevette was the only car in the parking lot.  A word came to me as I was brushing the snow off my windshield – Winning.  The only way I could possibly succeed would be to outwork my agents and my peers.  Working smarter by knowing that I had to work harder.  I would not compete with anyone but myself.  I created well-defined goals and mapped out the steps I would need to take.

That winter night was over 44 years ago.  I have had an incredible career, but it certainly wasn’t a straight line.  There have been both failures and successes.  The constant was my willingness to work, to challenge myself to build a practice while staying true to my values.  I honestly believed (and still do) in life and health insurance and the value the clients get from both the product and me.

There have been a lot of empty parking lots.  I remember Dodge Caravans, Mazdas, and Volvos.  Along the way there have been Camrys and Lincolns.  Lots of empty parking lots.  Lots of winning.  Nothing was ever handed to me.  And I never took anything, or anyone, for granted.

I closed my office last Thursday.  Part of the process involved shredding 40+ years’ of Week-At-A-Glance books.  I also emptied a drawer and discarded the records I had kept of every application I had written since 1979.  These books were not the proof that I had been here, that I had been productive.  My value can be found in the claims that were paid, the problems solved, and the concerns addressed.  The results of those efforts did not disappear on August 1^st.

As I have noted, there is no point in there being a finish line if you aren’t allowed to cross it.  I broke through the ribbon last week.  It is time to leave the day-to-day operation of the practice to my successors.  It is time for me to redefine Winning.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Pictures:

Winning – David L Cunix

The Last To Leave – David L Cunix

 

The first appointments, 10 years ago, were contentious and aggravating.  He was armed with notebooks and pencils.  He questioned everything and wrote down my answers, word for word, in tiny print.  He needed health insurance for the next few years until he reached 65 and Medicare.  He didn’t trust the insurance companies, the internet, or much of modern society.  He was willing to give me a try since he had been referred to me.

My secretary quickly lost her patience with Neil (name changed), though ever the professional, she only complained to me.  Neil refused to leave a message with her.  If I wasn’t available, he would tell her that he’d call back later and hang up.  His official address and all of his mail was directed to his attorney’s office.  And any correspondence from him came by registered mail.  He did not have a computer.  He did not have an email address.  And he didn’t want one.

My third appointment was particularly challenging.  I was talking with my secretary after Neil had left.  I told her that I might fire Neil as a client.  She was neither surprised nor displeased.  I was walking back to my office when I suddenly realized that I was making a huge mistake.  “You know”, I told my secretary, “It is harder to be Neil than it is to be his agent.”  We were so caught up in the inconvenience and weirdness of working with Neil that we were completely oblivious to his daily struggles.  “Do you agree that he isn’t faking this behavior?  You don’t think that he is just being a jerk, right?”  She understood my point.

Neil just needed a different type of service.  I prepared a detailed agenda prior to our next appointment.  I also prepared a list of the questions he would most likely ask along with my detailed answers.  I had a copy for both of us.  He was shocked by the thoroughness of my preparation.  Our meetings became more relaxed.  I would send all forms to Neil in advance, even printing online forms so that there were never any surprises.

And then I got to meet Neil, the artist.

I’ll never know why Neil became the way he was.  I did get the opportunity to learn that he was a world traveler, more comfortable in Europe than here in the states.  He was an artist and had performed on many well-known stages.  He was a genuinely nice person.  And he was grateful that someone cared enough to try to make his life easier.

I learned of Neil’s passing about a month after he died.  His family didn’t call and I don’t even know that they knew that he had an agent or a friend.  I heard the news from the insurance company.  I found the obituary.  It appears that he died alone.

Accepting the reality of death is an important part of being an insurance agent.  If people don’t die, why would they need to purchase life insurance?  If we never get sick or injured, we don’t need health insurance.  And if you have a lot of Medicare clients, you must accept our mortality.  Neil was only a few months older than me.  Our last few appointments had been comfortable.  He even called me in February to wish me a Happy Birthday.  I was hoping to see him, one more time, before I closed the office.

It was harder for Neil to be Neil, than it was to be Neil’s agent, because with a little bit of empathy and effort, it wasn’t really that hard.

**********          **********          **********

I wanted to write this post a month ago.  I couldn’t because I have been dealing with an unexpected health challenge.  I had multiple tears in the retina of my right eye.  Two procedures and a gas bubble in my right eye later, I am finally at a point that I can read and write without too much effort.  Honestly, this has been very strange.  Driving? Fine. Reading? Sometimes.  Looking down to read or write was difficult.  And they didn’t tell me about the brain fog.  Heck, the day after the surgery I briefly thought that it made sense for the Browns to move to Brook Park.  I am happy to report that I’m better now.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Picture – Inner Strength – David L Cunix

I was surprised to see a green and white flag in the sand in front of a group of beach loungers.  “You’re planting your flag here?  You know, the last one to do that was the Spanish and that didn’t end well.”  The three Canadians laughed.  The guys, and their wives, were from Cape Breton Island, an area on the eastern end of the Province of Nova Scotia.  We talked for a few minutes and I asked if I could take a picture of their flag.  As you can see, they were more than willing.

We recently spent 10 days in Punta Cana, a key resort area of the Dominican Republic.  We value the friendships we have made with vacationers from other countries during our trips.  And though we talked with people from the U.K., Germany, and Argentina last month, we spent most of our time with Canadians.  Lots and lots of Canadians.  We spoke with more Canadians on this trip than we did when we went to Niagara Falls last August.  And they were from across the country, from the Maritime Provinces to British Columbia.

It was an interesting time to talk with Canadians.  The Canadian federal election was held on the Monday of our vacation, April 28^th.  Donald Trump has continued his fever dream of absorbing our neighbor to the north.  Every TV in the resort was commandeered by rabid hockey fans.  And one group of 98 travelers brought THREE musical acts with them, courtesy of Carol and Air Canada. (I apologize that I don’t recall her name.  Carol is an Air Canada employee who works with Canadian travel agents to organize an annual trip.  We were invited to join their group, one evening, to listen to an impromptu performance of a few of the musicians.)

We spoke with Canadians while on the beach, in the restaurants, the sports bars, and in the lobby lounge.  A few entered conversations gingerly.  Once they found out that we were both politically aware and decidedly not MAGA, they visibly relaxed and talked freely.  And who can blame them?  They are on vacation.  They don’t need any aggravation.  None of our new acquaintances had any interest in becoming part of the U.S.  We talked with a native of a small town near Gander, Newfoundland, a woman who was traveling for the first time outside of Canada, as well as numerous experienced travelers, many of whom had visited our country.  NONE OF THEM VIEWED THE 51^ST STATE AS ANYTHING OTHER THAN AN INSULT.  The Canadians shared some of their country’s flaws with us.  They acknowledged areas where they could improve how they work within their country to make Canada more self-reliant and stronger.  Our Canadian friends have a proud history.  Canada is not for sale.

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Your vacation at a resort has a beginning, a middle, and an end.  Unlike a cruise where we all get on and off the ship on the same days, we are all on different schedules.  You will see some people for a number of days and some for just one or two.  We had a family of six sit down next to us on the beach.  We had never wondered what would be the best way to get everyone on the beach to avoid you and your little family group, but we learned that day.  The loud guy wearing the “Gulf of America” hat may be an all-star at de-socializing the beach.  Nobody talked with them.  We never saw them again.

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Dinner one evening was at the El Dorado, a restaurant that features cowboy steaks and huge beef ribs.  The roaming Mariachi trio could play any request, including a reasonable version of Metallica’s Enter Sandman.  Sally and I enjoyed a beautiful performance of Obsesion.

This was our fourth trip to TRS Turquesa.  I never thought that I would ever have a favorite resort.  Most of these places are pretty interchangeable.  Read the reviews.  There is always someone complaining that the rooms are “dated”, the food OK, and the workers don’t speak enough English.  And yes, those people really shouldn’t travel.  The rooms are always clean and comfortable.  The food, thinking about how many people are being served daily, is surprisingly good, sometimes excellent.  And the hard working servers, hostesses, maids, and staff do an incredible job.  We have stayed at 16 different places over our 27 vacations at all-inclusive resorts.  TRS Turquesa is the one that feels like home.

 

Dave

www.againreally.com

Pictures:

• Hanging With The Proud Canadians
• Afternoon Performance
• At Lunch

All pictures – David L Cunix

There may be some confusion.  He may be the richest man in the world, but that doesn’t make him the smartest.  He is certainly not the most ethical nor the most honest.  He might not even be the most powerful, though buying a president may help with the power thing.

What is the end game?

Donald Trump’s executive orders have received a lot of well-deserved attention.  These presidential decrees could have significant impact on our economy, our culture, and even our standing in the world.  One of his first was to challenge birthright citizenship.  The “Protecting the Meaning and Value of American Citizenship” limits citizenship to the children of U.S. citizens or those of lawful permanent resident status.  This could reverse what had been considered settled law and our understanding of the 14^th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

This is not the only major challenge to the Constitution.

Congress has been sidelined.  What was once a co-equal branch of government now waits for its marching orders, incapable of setting its own path.  Court orders are being ignored.  Who can say whether the Supreme Court will hold their ground?

Trump is also ready to challenge the 22^nd Amendment.  Can he legally serve a third term?  No, at least not under our current law.  Will that matter?  Gosh I hope so.

Toadies, like Ohio’s Attorney General Dave Yost, will back all/any of Trump’s executive orders and wouldn’t dare stand in his way.  Without significant Congressional push back, we may be looking at the Supreme Court as our country’s last defense.

There is, of course, the other presidential challenge.  Twenty years ago we had “Amend for Arnold”, a push by Republicans to allow Arnold Schwarzenegger to serve as the President of the United States.  We have been here before.

Article II, Section 1, Clause 5:

No Person except a natural born Citizen, or a Citizen of the United States, at the time of the Adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the Office of President; neither shall any Person be eligible to that Office who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty five Years, and been fourteen Years a Resident within the United States.

To be fair, the Arnold supporters were only interested in pursuing this through normal channels.  Normal channels may no longer exist.  It is one thing for Elon Musk to buy Donald Trump.  He has always been for sale.  Can Musk buy the United States?  Never say never.  Musk may have the money and the lust for power, but he would still need us to be very weak if he is going to close the deal and take over the country.

F. F. O. – The fight to save our constitution and our country is Far From Over.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Picture – The Current Rule Book – David L Cunix

 

My secretary said that I had missed a call from a very angry man.  I didn’t recognize his name and the area code was from the Toledo area.  I had no idea who he was or why he was so upset.  He started to yell as soon as he picked up the phone.  He wanted to know why I had sent a birthday card to his mother who had died months earlier.  He was truly offended by the “sales pitch”.  I didn’t know him, but I did know his mother.  She had briefly been a client, about ten years before in the early 1990’s, when she had been between jobs.  We had even gone out on a few dates.  But she couldn’t find suitable employment in Cleveland, so she moved to the Toledo area to be near her daughter and grandchild.  I didn’t know she had had a son.  I certainly didn’t know that she had died.  I saw no reason to go into too much detail.  I just let him know that she and I had been friends and how once a year I got to take a moment to think of her.  That seemed to resolve his anger.  We never spoke again.

I have been sending birthday cards to my clients since I started with Prudential in 1979.  I order them, a thousand at a time, from Posty Cards of Kansas City.  They are not pre-signed or pre-addressed.  The envelopes are preprinted with my return address.  I personally address every envelope.  I personally sign every card.  This is a point of pride.  It has always been important to me.  The marketing gurus call this a soft contact.  It is much more to me than advertising.  That card is the tangible evidence that there is a real person behind that policy number and an equally real person promising to service their needs.

This year’s holiday card, also from Posty Cards, included a very important annual letter.  This year’s letter let my clients know that I have decided to close my office at the end of July.  I still have a little over four months to prepare for this transition to my successors, Angela Elias and Carol Fyffe.  Today was an important part, at least emotionally, of this move.  I addressed and signed the last of the birthday cards today.  I had decided that when they ran out, they ran out.  Today is the day.  These last cards will be mailed in the next few weeks.  I have always tried to work a couple of weeks ahead.

I could see these people, every one of them, as I addressed their cards.  Some I’ve known for decades.  One of these last cards will be going to my friend, Rich.  He and his wife have always thanked me for their cards, one time stopping Sally and I in Beachwood Place Mall.  One of the last of these cards is going to someone I met in December.  Same card.  Same level of importance.

Did every client appreciate or even care that I sent them a birthday card?  Did they all realize that the cards were intentionally mailed 10 days prior to their birthday?  Of course not.  That’s not the point.  The point is that I cared, that this was just another part of the way I felt that I should do my chosen profession.  And as so many of us grew old together, the thought that this could be the last birthday we celebrated “together” was inescapable.  It has been over twenty years since I received the call from the angry son.  Relationships and even the act of contacting someone can have both risks and rewards.

Today was my last business birthday card.  I will miss these moments.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Picture – The Last Cards – David L Cunix

To my readers:

These blog posts tend to reflect my views on politics, religion, and, in general, life in suburban Ohio.  My focus is on domestic politics and policies.  I try to stay in my lane.  And though I pay attention to world affairs and have opinions, I have shied away from international topics.  There was even a post extolling the three magic words, “I Don’t Know”.

Silence is no longer an option.  Each of us must find our voice and use whatever platform is at our disposal.

At the risk of sounding overly dramatic, I believe that we are witnessing an upheaval of the world order.  Not only will the alliances created to provide relative stability post-World War II be shattered, but I also believe that the goal is to redraw all of the world’s maps.  Renaming the Gulf of Mexico is nothing compared to renaming entire countries.

Let’s imagine a world, like in 1984, where there are three superpowers.  We can use real names in this scenario – China, Russia, and the United States.  We recently greenlighted the Russian conquest of Ukraine.  There really will be no reason for the war to end at the Polish border.  They are celebrating in China.  We will not save Taiwan.  We probably won’t save Japan.

And the U.S.?  I fear that we are months away from the 2025 version of the Gulf of Tonkin incident.  Sadly, this skirmish will take place in Lake Erie or Lake Michigan.  We will use this event to attack Canada and no one can / will stop us.  There is no real interest in making Canada the 51^st State.  It would have too many representatives in Congress.  Canada would become a territory, as would Greenland, and every other country located between us and the Panama Canal.

There will be justifications for every one of these actions.  You can almost hear Lyndsey Graham’ denunciation of the vicious Canadians.  I can already feel Marco Rubio’s shock and silence.

Europe will need to invest all its money and weaponry to defend their core countries.  The leaders in Paris, Berlin, and London will watch helplessly as the Baltic States are picked off one at a time.  What will India do?  What will happen to Australia or South America?  I don’t know.  In truth, I’m really more concerned about what is happening to us.

My father, the child of immigrants, enlisted in the U.S. Navy to defend his country.  It was World War II.  He and his peers were fighting for an America that did not always live up to its ideals.  They would not recognize today’s United States.

Some of you were voting for cheaper eggs.  Some of you imagine that we now have a “strong” leader.  But Donald Trump’s strength is us, the military he refused to join, the public service he disdains.  If we allow his greed and avarice to prevail, we will have sold our principles for nothing, our grocery baskets empty, the soul of our country gone.

Dave

www.againreally.com

Picture – A Good Place To Replant Our Values – David L Cunix