Author: Florence Tandy

Experienced Executive; Board Director; Expert in Organizational Leadership, Strategy, Governance

This land

On By Florence TandyIn environment, Kentucky, Nevada, travelLeave a comment

I live in Kentucky.  Beautiful, green, terrain that goes from flat in the west to rolling hills then to mountains in the east.  peaceful lane

See?  This picture was taken by my talented daughter  in my driveway  last year just as the leaves started to turn.

.peaceful drive

I love to travel, but I think Kentucky is about the prettiest place on earth.

I just returned from Nevada – Las Vegas, actually.  Now, Las Vegas has it’s share of lights and glitter and glamour.  It sure impressed me! But it doesn’t have much green.  It has desert.  Lots of desert.  See?

Land of Fire

If it wasn’t for the red rocks in Nevada’s Land of Fire state park, the entire landscape would be gray.  Most of the rest of the area we saw was like the background in this photo. Not green.  No trees, hardly any plants at all, and most of those were rather gray-green.. It was pretty in its own way, I suppose, but it was rather uniform.  The mountains were nice, but they were just a darker shade of gray.  The red rocks at the park  were nice, but it sure was hot. Desolate.  I kept waiting for someone like John Wayne to meander up on his horse looking for water, and then the director to yell, “CUT!”

It made me think about the kid who grows up in Nevada and goes to the east for the first time ever.  What would he think of all that green? And trees? And ample water?  We tend to think of people coming to America from foreign countries and wondering what they think of this land, but what about our own?  We are just as diverse, landscape wise, and experience wise. Yet we assume, unwisely, that we are alike, because we are Americans.

It’s cool to live in a county with so much diversity.  Now if we could just start to appreciate it in all its forms.  From culture, to landscape.  From skin color to economic circumstance.  What a wonderful place this would be.

A good life

On By Florence TandyIn Northern Kentucky, respectLeave a comment

A friend was buried today.  I didn’t know him very long, but I knew him well.  He was a good man. Loved his family, his community, his church, his motorcycle.  He loved to laugh, have fun, meet people.  He was sometimes too loud, sometimes said things that were a little insensitive.  ‘Politically correct’ did not hold much sway with him. But he cared about people, never ever meant to hurt anyone.  In fact, he tried to lift others up.  If he heard something nice about you, he told you.  If he noticed something good in you, he mentioned it.  He willingly shared his knowledge. All who knew him are better for the experience.

He was a friend, and the world – and I – will miss him. I’ll miss his hearty laugh, his ready smile, his bad jokes, his kindness.  And I’ll remember what it means to care about others, and hope I can follow his example.

Jack, I am glad I knew you.

Trouble

On By Florence TandyIn affordable housing, poverty, predatory lendingLeave a comment

I attended a meeting today to get our community organized to fight the ill effects of predatory lending.  The problem has become practically epidemic in recent years.  Predatory lenders are those who prey on low income and vulnerable families.  They take many forms, from rent-to-own stores, to subprime lenders, instant refund tax preparers, to pay day loan stores.  On the one hand, I think, “How could people be so gullible?”  Then I realize that people are gullible because they so want to believe that they can have the American dream. These predators feed them a line that they probably know in their heart of hearts is too good to be true, but they believe it.  Sure, they can afford this house they want so bad.  Maybe the payments are a little steep, or the interest will change next year.  But that’s a long time off, and maybe the raise will come through, or a new, better job will come along, so it will be fine then.  But it isn’t.

They believe that by getting an instant refund on their taxes instead of waiting 3 or 4 weeks like the rest of us, they will be able to pay off some bills.  They don’t realize that paying bills a few weeks early robs them of money to pay even more bills if they could just wait. Or save for their kids’ education, or a new home, or some other dream.

They simply believe.  I think people tend to believe other people tell the truth.  When someone tells them not to worry about the fine print, or that it’s okay to sign that blank document they’ll fill in later, they believe they are honest, not trying to harm them or their families. How sad for them, and for our society, that there are so many would would prey on the poor, the elderly, the uneducated, the vulnerable.  Are the rest of us powerless to help, or are the ones who would take advantage able to do that because we don’t speak up to end this horrible industry?

A drop in the bucket

On By Florence TandyIn affordable housing, creationism, environment, evolution, povertyLeave a comment

There is this new museum near to my home, I am ashamed to say, called the Creation Museum.  I haven’t been, nor will I go, but it depicts how the earth was created from the literal Biblical accounts – seven days, you know.  It tries to debunk that supposed ‘myth of evolution’ by depicting Adam and Eve hanging around with the dinosaurs.  The scientists are up in arms, as are a lot of other people. But  a lot of folks are rather impressed with the museum, support it, plan to take all their out of town guests there. To each his own . . .

But I can’t help thinking about the millions of dollars that were spent to portray one side of an old and tired debate – creationism vs. evolution. I think I remember seeing $29 million in the paper. 

And I am thinking about that phrase that was popular a while back, “What would Jesus do?”

I think Jesus would have said to stop the debate and get to work helping people.  What if that $29 mil was spent providing safe, decent, affordable housing for low income families? Think what a difference that would make for those families.  They would probably not stop and worry, “But wait, someone is not getting the message about the literal intrepretation of the Bible!” They would appreciate that their children were warmer, safer, better prepared to learn. 

What if that $29 mil went to educating families about the dangers of predatory lending, and to shutting down the lenders that are trying to take advantage of those who think they have few choices.  Or if it went toward raising the minimum wage to a living wage.  Granted, $29 million would be only a drop in that very large bucket, but it would at least be a start.

Or what would $29 million do to lower our use of fossil fuels to slow the global warming crisis? Another drop in the bucket, I’m afraid, but it is a drop we must add, and soon. Instead of fighting about whether this environment we have was created or evolved, it’s time to get together to save it instead. 

What gall!

On By Florence TandyIn airplanes, respect, tuberculosis2 Comments

Who does Andrew Speaker think he is?  Everyone knows that tuberculosis is a pretty bad disease and is spread through the air.  Everyone knows that the air on an airplane is pretty poluted on the best days, and that one is more likely than not to come off an airplane with the virus du jour.  So he knows he has TB, gets on a plane anyway, or make that several planes, long international flights.  Runs from the CDC when they track him down – on another plane, no less.  And his comment now is that he really didn’t think he was putting anyone at risk?

Right.  Maybe he should have stopped at “I didn’t think.”  or maybe changed the sentence to, “I didn’t care.”  What incredible disregard for other people.  What arrogance! 

I’m afraid it rather sums up the way too many people have become these days. The thought is ME, ME, ME.  Speaker is perhaps the quintessential ME guy.  He is even willing to put his bride at risk, for goodness sakes!  Not to mention all the hundreds of people he came in contact with.  Shame on him.

The land of plenty

On By Florence TandyIn povertyLeave a comment

I am one of the lucky ones.  I grew up in a solidly middle class family.  We had all we needed to eat, plenty of clothes to wear, transportation.  We were loved, didn’t have to worry about physical abuse save the occasional swat on the behind (the times were different then).  My parents were not drug abusers, alcoholics, or gamblers.  Our community was safe, neighbors looked out for neighbors, the schools were decent. 

While this country is experiencing the greatest economic prosperity in the history of the world, it is a sad reality that this economic prosperity is leaving a great number behind.  President Bush talks a lot about no child left behind, but what about whole families, whole neighborhoods? The gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen. There is a grand canyon of difference between these two ends of society, and the sad fact is that the vast majority of the wealthy ignores the growing number who are poor. 

Being a believer in the inherent good in people, I know that most do not ignore the poor intentionally.  It’s just that they don’t have to see them much.  Their kids go to private schools, or at least suburban ones.  Their travels don’t normally take them down the streets and through the neighborhoods where low income families live.  They don’t think about the person cleaning their hotel rooms, the washer of their dishes in the restaurant where they eat lunch.  They certainly don’t think about the factory worker in China or Indonesia who made their clothes. 

But we must think about it. And we must think about how to make it better for them.  It’s partly a matter of economics. When poor families can’t pay their bills, we all suffer with higher costs. When low income communities are plagued with crime, we all pay with higher taxes for police, jails, courts.  When families lack health insurance, our rates go up. And the list goes on.

It’s definitely our moral imperative.  As individuals, we certainly cannot solve the issues surrounding poverty and opportunity in this country.  But collectively, we can make a difference.  We can support increasing the minimum wage and stopping predatory lending practices. We can encourage our cities and towns to rehabilitate low income housing, force landlords to keep up their property, fund public transportation, lower crime through community policing efforts.

 We must not forget to think about those don’t have enough food to eat, who are plagued with health problems, whose wages don’t provide enough for the basics.  We have to do something about it, because this land of plenty should be a land of opportunity for us all, not just for those of us who are the lucky ones. 

getting stronger . . .

On By Florence TandyIn beliefs, gardening, motherhood, nonprofits, politicsLeave a comment

Greetings!  One of my favorite saying is, “That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” This blog is my attempt to make myself stronger – expland my horizons, get out of my comfort zone.  You see, they tell me I should start blogging.  This is a totally new concept to me, putting my thoughts, rants, ideas, opinions, celebrations out into the world for anyone and everyone to see.  But blogging I will try.  I suppose it won’t kill me.

I will be blogging about the things that are important to me.  The list is fairly diverse:

I’m an avid gardener, and find the stress relief and satisfaction I get from watching things I planted grow, well, satifying.

I am the director of a nonprofit organization, so I am passionate about how this country treats those who are less fortunate. I also have an opinion or two about management, mentoring, community involvement, that I am likely to share from time to time.

Being a mom, I am pretty passionate about my kids, too.

And who knows, a word or two about politics, religion, the environment, travel, entertainment may creep in from time to time.