Huang Family Newsletter, June 2009

Work - Lee made yet another quick visit to the US Virgin Islands to present to their governor, and also did a couple of day trips to Baltimore as a part of a study on the economic impact of panhandling. Amy continues to slog through a very difficult physiology class for her nurse practitioner's license. The house is now abuzz with several home improvement projects, and Amy has made substantial progress on our postage stamp-sized garden in the front of our house.

Play - We celebrated many milestones this month, including Aaron's Gotcha Day, Mom K's birthday, Father's Day, and of course the arrival of Jada and Aaron's first cousin, Nathan. Despite many runs to the home improvement store (see above), the kids still got to hit their familiar haunts (Please Touch Museum, zoo) as well as a few special ones (Longwood Gardens, Odunde).

A Cure That Prolongs the Pain, Redux

I've never let my lack of expertise keep me from opining on today's hot topics, so why stop now? If I may make a few quick points concerning Washington's current health care debate:

* First and second, per Greg Mankiw's column in this past Sunday's New York Times, there are two costs that many people who are for Obama's health care plan fail to take into account (or, perhaps, naively think will not be borne): 1) anything that is publicly provided actually does have to be paid for (i.e. by all taxpayers), and 2) any time you force a lower price than the market is willing to sell for, you'll have shortages (remember long lines at the pump in the 1970's?).

* Third, per David Brooks' column in last week's New York Times, taxing health care benefits is probably the most prudent way to go, in terms of fixing the system's distortions and controlling costs. Funny, Candidate McCain ran on this and was vilified by Candidate Obama; let's hope President Obama flip-flops, listens to what his own advisors have been saying all along, and throws his support this way.

Much of the American public appears to not understand just how easily unintended consequences can rear their ugly head (job-creating legislation can destroy jobs, saving a car company can destroy the car industry), or how taxing something can actually be the fairest, easiest, and most effective way to reform (taxing health care, taxing carbon). Congress, with a few exceptions, sure doesn't seem to get that. 2010 and 2012, it seems, can't come soon enough.

Historic, or Historically Bad

First, the stimulus bill, and now this: "Houses Passes Energy Overhaul Bill 219-212." Known as the "cap and trade" bill (although, importantly, in his press conference the day before, President Obama never used that phrase, nor did he call it a "climate change" bill), it would create a market for pollution via permits, thus giving producers an incentive to either figure out the best ways to reduce emissions, buy from other producers who can do better, or sell to others who can't do better.

Unfortunately, in order to get the legislation passed, most of the permits are going to be given away for many, many years. This was intended not only to buy off needed votes but also to tell the American public that producers won't raise our prices as a result. Only they will anyway: Producer A may not have to pay more for polluting when it is making widgets, and therefore have to jack up prices as a result, but its free permit could be sold to Producer B instead, so making widgets carries an opportunity cost that will have an effect on prices.

As stated above, first the stimulus bill, and now the cap and trade bill: two actions intended to do overall good, but are they anything more than a clever way to transfer resources to key interest groups? I'm not so naive as to think this sort of stuff hasn't happened all along - what is the joke about making sausage and passing laws? - but these two pieces of legislation are historically large in size in terms of taking taxpayer dollars and funneling them to various end recipients.

Even worse, the mechanisms they put into place may in fact exacerbate the very problems they're trying to fix. Even if you assume that the stimulus bill will in fact stimulate in the short-term, it's quite possible the long-term impact is higher taxes and a downgraded dollar, certainly not what's good for our future economic prospects. Meanwhile, even if you accept the need to take drastic action on CO2 emissions (and, let's hope there is healthy discussion on the science here rather than skeptics being labeled as haters), the cap and trade bill has so much top-down regulation that it is just as likely to stifle market innovation as stimulate it.

Yet another troubling trend that ties these two pieces of legislation together is the mantra that they are both "jobs bills." It is ignorant at best and disingenuous at worst to take taxpayer dollars that otherwise could be spent, saved, or invested by American people and businesses and fund projects that may or may not be the best use of funds and call that "jobs created." And, it doesn't take much thought to realize that a solution to rising unemployment that is just about creating jobs, with no regard as to whether in the process other jobs are being destroyed and still others are being prevented from being created, is not the best way out of the mess we're in now.

There many idealists out there who laud the Obama team for throwing the kitchen sink at our recession and for taking the mightiest swing yet at climate change. The sentiments of the Obama team I applaud as right; however, I cannot help but cynically wonder if there wasn't also (instead?) a licking of the chops as folks realized this crisis was the best opportunity (cover?) possible to put into motion unprecedented transfers of resources that will, unintendedly, impair our economic competitiveness and our environmental efforts for decades to come.

Historic, or historically bad? As with the stimulus bill, count me among those fearing the worst with the cap and trade bill. Or, as Jack Welch puts it on his Twitter page: "Climate bill passes House..filled with holes..will create more bureaucratic jobs than real jobs..Senate only hope for common sense." Indeed.

Morning Time

You may have heard some variation of this African proverb before: "Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up and knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up and knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle; when the sun comes up, you better start running." Indeed, if I may mix my metaphors while staying within the animal kingdom, it's a dog-eat-dog world out there.

And yet, I believe it is vitally important that, when the sun comes up (or, in some cases, even before), the first thing you should do is not start running but get down on your knees and pray. No matter how busy I get or how many responsibilities my life consists of, I will always strive to spend my first slice of time each day with God.

There are many aspects of the Christian life that even those most secular of good living magazines, motivational speakers, or self-help gurus can easily co-opt. Even non-believers can appreciate the long-term destructiveness of substance abuse, unforgiveness, and marital infidelity. And, similarly, even if Jesus is not your Lord and Savior, you can probably see the merits of taking a little time in the morning, before lacing up those proverbial sneakers and starting to run, to quiet yourself before your Maker and organize yourself for the day.

But having a morning time with God is more than just something anyone can see value in, regardless if one is religious or not. You see, fundamentally, to become a Christian, a true follower of Jesus, is much more drastic than we generally experience here in America. For it means to die to self and live for something and Someone else. For the Christian, God is not our co-pilot; He is our pilot. He is not our pathway to riches and comfort; He is our riches and comfort. It is not about living my life and making sure I conform to His ways, for His ways are now to be my life.

I am reminded of a story relatively early in the life of the great Hebrew patriarch, Abraham. Abraham came from money, but was called by God out of his comfortable life to a different place and purpose. Along the way, God put many faith forks in Abraham's road, and over time, Abraham demonstrated faith by taking the right paths.

On his way to the literal promised land, Abraham helped some kings defeat some other kings in a battle. When the time came for divvying up the spoils, Abraham refused any excess material gain, not wishing anyone but God to be able to say that he had enriched Abraham. This was a significant refusal, given Abraham's itinerant and somewhat vulnerable state. Later, God spoke to Abraham, saying, "I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great."

I like to think of this story in the context of having morning time with God. The world is a dangerous place, and a tempting one, as well. It is easy to enter each day fearing what harm may come, whether physical or spiritual or emotional. It is easy to scheme about what personal gain can be had, whether material wealth or professional accolades, or even status and success in the realm of ministry and service. No matter how long we have been a believer or how exalted our position is in the unwritten church pecking order, we are susceptible to all manner of temptations, subtle and not so subtle, to take our eyes off the ultimate prizes and purposes in life, and settle for less than ultimate prizes and purposes.

Hence, the very real need, upon waking up, to not run, but rather to wait before God. To quiet oneself long enough to renew one's compass so that it points in the right direction. To pray in God's ascendant place in our world, and then consider what that means for our lives. (As an aside, read the Lord's Prayer, and consider how deep you have to get into it before you get to "give us this day our daily bread.") And to study His word, which is part of how we resist being conformed by and to the world and accept being transformed into what and who God wants us to be.

One thing is true about the African proverb: every day is a matter of life and death, of grave eternal consequence. But its takeaway - as soon as you wake up, start running - is not right, at least if you are a believer. There may be many good things on this side of glory about being a Christian, but there are also many aspects of the journey that simply make no sense to the world, and if we are honest, to ourselves, however enlightened our faith and perspective is.

Ours is a faith that says we are blessed if we are persecuted, whose heroes include those who gave up great status and fortune to suffer and to serve, and whose ultimate Hero and Guide died a passive and humiliating death at the peak of His ministry. Perhaps others are more permanently converted than I am, but for me, in order to fully live out the Christian life, I need my morning time to get myself recalibrated for such a purpose and such a journey.

Blurbs Not in Real Time

Blurbs perhaps worthy of a Facebook update or Twitter tweet, if only I owned a mobile phone or laptop with Web access; that these are listed below not in real time probably defeats the fun of me posting them and you reading them, but here goes:

* The new phone etiquette: I know not to call anyone before 9a or after 9p, but I'm now realizing that when I send emails at 5a, I'm waking up friends who have their Blackberries by their bedside.

* Overheard at a motivational seminar: "If my wife ever leaves me, I'm going with her." Amen to that.

* A college friend of mine said it best: "The last universally performed courtesy in America is the tacit passing of beer and cash up and down the row at a ballgame."

* My wife making me mashed potatoes AND fruit salad AND pineapple sorbet is the culinary equivalent of walking into the bedroom wearing lingerie, a smile, and nothing else.

* Note to self: continue to go to Please Touch Museum first thing Saturday morning. Decision to try Saturday afternoon meant sharing the place with 10,000 other parents and kids. Way. Too. Crowded.

* Recent trips to Baltimore yield the following personal opinions: better than expected - Walters Art Museum, Peabody Library; not better than expected - Baltimore Aquarium, Lexington Market.

* Apparently, I do not learn my lesson: I have sent an email message and then subsequently regretted it far too many times in my life. Including today.

* Why isn't Hillary Clinton getting more accolades for effectively running State, not bringing palace intrigue into the Obama White House, and knowing the fine line between exploiting her rock star status and deferring to her boss?

* When I am on a particularly good book, my whole world revolves around getting back to it.

* I just got home from carrying my daughter 3/4 of a mile on my shoulders from school, after working a 10-hour day, preceded by carrying my daughter 3/4 of a mile on my shoulders to school. And, for her, I'll do it again tomorrow.

Tumult in Iran

I am woefully unqualified to comment on Middle Eastern politics, but the stories from the past week or so concerning Iran have struck a chord with me. Save for Egypt, I can hardly think of a country that evokes such dissonance in my mind, in terms of having both a progressive and educated citizenry and a dictatorial and backward administration. When I had heard that Ahmadinejad had won, and overwhelmingly, I imagined the kind of responses and counter-responses that would follow; sadly, this has predictably played out as I had feared. Even in areas that have seen relative progress and milestone events in the recent past, like Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka, there is far too much oppression and far too little enlightment.

Needless to say, much of world is quite tumultuous. And, in that context, consider this: we may register our complaints about American democracy, and rightly so; but think for a minute how esteemed we are among most of the world, which longs for such a freedom to voice such dissent. We may have had some contentious and even controversial elections of late, but consider how unusual our peaceful and orderly transfer of power is when compared to what we are seeing in most of the rest of the world. So will I not take these privileges - to vote and know that my vote counts, and to dissent and know that I will not be jailed or muffled as a result - for granted, nor will I fail to hope and pray for it for others who desire it in Iran and elsewhere.

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day! A pat on the back to all the dads out there. And, with that, a call to all of us to step up in our dadhood and be there for our loved ones: tell them we love them, tell them we'll be there for them, and then bust our tails making sure our actions match our words.

To paraphrase an inspirational speaker I recently heard, there's nothing more deflating than to walk around with a hole in your heart where your father's praise should be, and nothing more elevating than to hear and receive and live in that praise. We may not all be dads, but there are many kids out there who don't have dads that might benefit from getting some dadness from you. And we may not all have dads, but we all have a Heavenly Father from whom we can hear and receive and live in His praise. In that spirit, again I say, Happy Fathers Day.

Professional Development for Pastors

Every profession, whether formalized or not, has its continuing education needs. Doctors need to be kept abreast of the latest procedures and drugs, techies need to learn new programs, and construction workers need to brush up on new materials and methods. Jobs that require broader but less specialized skill sets are no different: real estate developers have to stay on top of interest rates and demographics and environmental standards, architects have technical and sociological considerations, and consultants just have to read everything.

And pastors? There are certainly Biblical and theological advancements to stay on top of. Some, more globally oriented congregations may require their pastors to keep abreast of missiological trends and foreign affairs.

And, I would offer, pastors need to understand the world in which their congregants live, work, play, witness, serve, laugh, and cry. They don't need to know about every profession, but they need to know something of what's going on in those professions that might be relevant to a congregant's psyche and ministry. They don't need to be as learned as a university professor of economics or sociology or communications, but they need to be aware of economic or sociological or communicative trends, and how they affect the spread of Christian or other values. They don't need to blog, tweet, or facebook, but they do need to understand how Blogger, Twitter, and Facebook are used or can be used by their congregants towards either very useful or very destructive purposes.

I'm glad that pastors who tweet or who integrate their weekly reading of Business Week into their sermons are uniformly praised for being so on the cutting edge. But I lament that such pastors are upheld as uniquely progressive, rather than it being the norm.

Should not all pastors feel the need, just like computer programmers and architects and doctors and lawyers, to stay on top of these kinds of things, lest their ministries become increasingly distant from the realities of their congregants and communities? Should not a pastor's professional development not be limited to Biblical, theological, and missiological studies, but rather how those studies intersect with the real world in which their congregants and communities live and breathe? And if so, shouldn't we be responding to a pastor who has a Facebook page or who reads the Financial Times or attends an Urban Land Institute conference, not with a "wow, s/he's so out of the box," but rather with a "of course, that makes complete sense."

Please don't misconstrue the sentiment behind this post. I'm not trying to bash on pastors; far from it. Many of my friends are pastors, and I deeply appreciate the challenges of their profession. I do not want these words to be read as a dis on more traditional forms of pastoral development, or as a complaint that pastors aren't already doing enough.

All I'm suggesting is a rethink of what it means for a pastor to do professional development. Immersing oneself in books by John Calvin and sermons by Billy Graham counts; but so too should immersing oneself in a TED conference or a neighborhood historical society committee. I don't know that I would say there are too many scholarly papers written by pastors about the New Testament, but I would say that there are too few scholarly papers written by pastors about the communicative implications of Web 2.0 or the missiological consequences of a generation weaned on reality TV. After all, we support our pastors not just so that they can learn timeless truths for themselves, but so that they can express those timeless truths within today's generation, in today's contexts, and with today's tools.

Parking Wars

I don't watch much TV, let alone obscure cable shows, but the furor about how Philly's meter maids are portrayed in "Parking Wars" has reached even me. The Inquirer recently reported that leaders are in a tizzy about the bad reputation associated with aggressive enforcement of expired meters. Out-of-towners are quoted as saying they'll never return, on account of their precious cars being ticketed, booted, and towed. Even Buzz Bissinger used "Parking Wars" in his rant against Mayor Nutter, saying that Ed Rendell would've never stood for this.

Apparently the irony is lost on most people that we are complaining that a municipality is being too efficient in its enforcement of a clearly stated set of rules. Rudeness I can understand being upset about, but I have to think some of what's going on here is people expecting to have a little grace period when it comes to their meters; to be ticketed just minutes after expiration seems cruel rather than expected. Or perhaps many out-of-towners find paying for parking to itself be an affront; after all, isn't free parking our birthright as Americans?

Needless to say, while I hate to see Philly painted in a bad light, I'll take my offense with the rudeness part rather than the "we efficiently and consistently enforce the law" part. I thought we wanted more of that out of our municipal workers; hence the dissonance in my ears of hearing people complain about it when we finally get it.

Economic Growth and the Environment

I get nervous when environmentalism is misinformed as it relates to economic growth. Here's a blurb from the e-newsletter of a local environmental group that shall remain nameless: "The good news: U.S. carbon emissions fall by most since '82. Looks like tightening our belts to combat a bad economy and through-the-roof gas prices really helped. Will we continue when things start to look brighter?"

Um, I'm pretty sure that through-the-roof gas prices, which took place in 2007, while they led to less driving, did not lead to heavy decreases in carbon emissions, since the economy was still growing at that point. And I'm pretty sure that carbon emissions went down in 2008 because the economy was in the tank, not because we tightened our belts in response.

The story this blurb references gets it right: "This isn't a big shock given last year's economic downturn," said Frank O'Donnell, head of Clean Air Watch. "The real issue going forward is how to make sure emissions go down as the economy starts growing again . . . . We don't want a sick economy to be the solution to a sick planet."

Amen to that. Perhaps there are some radical environmentalists out there who really do want to solve our carbon emissions problem by slashing business activity by 90 percent. As for me, the real challenge will be to make sure that we can achieve healthy economic growth in ways that are as sustainable as possible.

Not that I want to pit economic growth against environmental impact. Rather, how can we have both, or at the very least not count on crippling our global economy. For it's economic growth that lifts people in developing nations out of debilitating poverty and allows families, communities, and nations to develop reasonable responses to a warming planet and scarcer natural resources. And it's environmental stewardship that seeks the long-term welfare of the planet, for the aesthetic beauty it will offer and the life-sustaining functions it will perform, for generations to come.

In other words, for the sake of the quality of life of us humans, and the protection of the planet on which we all dwell, we have to figure out ways to pursue both at the same time. So as for now, I'm not going to cheer a headline that says "U.S. carbon emissions fall" until it is accompanied by another headline that says "Global economy on the rise."

Silent Swoosh

I used to take Nike to task for talking big on social responsibility but doing little. Eager to reverse their negative reputation associated with sweatshop use, they trumpeted feel-good initiatives but didn't have much substance to those initiatives.

Fast-forward to the present, and I'm giving Nike some love for doing the opposite: becoming more environmentally sustainable, but doing it on the quiet: "Nike Goes Green. Very Quietly." Or, as a branding consultant put it: "Nike has always been about winning. How is sustainability relevant to its brand?"

A lot, operationally at least: recycled materials, elimination of excess waste, a faster assembly time that therefore uses less electricity. These are planet-friendly measures that happen to save costs without compromising quality.

So while Nike might not trumpet its green bona fides from a branding standpoint, it is nonetheless innovating from a sustainability standpoint for the purpose of operational competitive advantage. So after years of talking big and doing little, I applaud the athletic giant's commitment to a quieter, more operationally strategic contribution to the green revolution.

Inconvenient But Simple Solutions to our Planet's Problems

The part of me that grew up reading National Geographic applauds all green initiatives as well-meaning; the practical libertarian in me turns a skeptical eye towards large scale government initiatives that seek to legislate greenness. CAFE standards, "cash for clunkers" programs, requiring LEED certification, setting up complicated cap and trade programs: these all assume a level of precision of understanding how human behavior will play out that simply can't be had, and they all have unintended consequences and can be gamed.

Perhaps where I would place my effort is equally susceptible to these errors, but I'll venture my alternative anyway. As urban economist Edwin Mills would say, "Get the price right." Gas is artificially low because it doesn't account for tons of negative externalities. Our water bills don't properly account for each lot's contribution to stormwater runoff. We throw away trash with no regard to the additional cost of each bag on our municipal landfills.

Of course, I have just recommended three politically unpopular countermeasures. Not surprisingly, people aren't clamoring for these solutions. And so we will live with the consequences of convoluted, counter-productive, easily gamed top-down solutions, instead of somewhat more easily implemented alternatives that lead to behavioral changes in response to more proper price signals.

Again I ask: would you prefer politically untenable but rational and effective solutions, or crazily designed ideas that have the appearance of taking serious actions but which simply compound our challenges. I know which one I would choose, but I also know which one is leaving the train station. Which is a shame: one need not even crack open Al Gore's book to know, just by reading the front cover, that in order to do right by the planet, one needs to accept some "inconvenient" realities.

PS As a very long post-script to this post, let me also note that doomsday scenarios from the past have failed to come to fruition thanks to the remarkable ingenuity of humans to do more with less. Looking ahead, I am encouraged that we will continue to innovate our way to game-changing solutions to seemingly intractable problems like how to feed billions of people, how to make the most of scarce natural resources, and how to minimize any catastrophic impacts associated with global warning. However, I am discouraged if business is beat up so much around the world - vilified by reactionary citizenries and hamstrung by equally reactionary governments - that they are insufficiently motivated, capitalized, and encouraged towards the innovations that our livelihoods and our lives will depend on. So which will it be? Stay tuned.

Future Headline: Obama Linked to Bump Up in Philly Pregancies

Here's a future headline for you: "Obama Linked to Bump Up in Philly Pregancies." No, I haven't taken a side gig for the National Enquirer. I'm just predicting that in mid-August, we'll see a big spike up in pregnancies in Philadelphia, 9 1/2 months after the Phillies' World Series win and Obama's presidential victory.

Walking around the streets of Philadelphia during that time, you could see that love was in the air. And whether the euphoria loosened inhibitions, or loved ones looked each other in the eye and said, "This is a world we could bring a baby into," let's just say I'm guessing there was a lot of baby-making activity going on around. We'll check the birth announcements in a couple of months to see if I was right.

Water Footprint

Yesterday's column by Philadelphia Inquirer architecture critic Inga Saffron references a forthcoming change in the way the Philadelphia Water Department will be billing its customers. By next year, a much higher proportion of our monthly bill will come in the form of our contribution to storm-water run-off, as calculated by the amount of impervious surface on our lots. So low-water users with massive paved footprints will now have to pony up more, for example.

I had gotten the advance skinny on this from a colleague of mine who works in the Water Department, and it makes complete sense to me. After all, you want to give people incentives to do things that lower municipal costs and environmental impacts. And if your property causes more storm-water run-off and thus more problems for someone else to deal with, you should have to pay more. And, conversely, if you have designed your property in such a way as to minimize this negative spillover, you should be rewarded with a lower bill.

The big headache will be how to transition to such a regime - new plans can account for the new calculus in determining whether and how to include more pervious surfaces, but while you want to motivate existing landowners to adjust if needed, those adjustments can't happen instantaneously. So politically and logistically, that'll be a challenge. But the technical side of things appears to be in place to do billing in a more economically and environmentally rational manner. Kudos to the Water Department in that regard.

Unexpected Treasures Along the Way in Baltimore

I usually don't like to write about client work mid-engagement, but I wanted to make a point about cities in this post that a current project speaks to perfectly. Our firm has been hired to quantify the negative economic impact on the city of Baltimore resulting from panhandling. This has been a fascinating effort, although I'm daunted by the task and am trying to remember that, within a loaded, complex, and multi-layered issue, our job is just to cover a few of the economic consequences associated with panhandling.

One can argue there is some negative effect associated with people choosing to not come into town to recreate, whether nearby suburban residents, tourists, or conventioneers and their families. More subtly, there may be a universe of consumers who will still come to Baltimore, but limit themselves to one or two common attractions, thinking them safe enough to handle and considering any other forays to be too risky. There may also be a universe of consumers who are a little bit more adventuresome, in that they are willing to split their time at multiple hubs; and yet, the threat of aggressive panhandling may cause them to partake of these multiple sets of attractions on separate days, and/or shuttle between them by car or taxi, thus robbing them (oops, bad choice of words) of the opportunity to chance upon unexpected treasures along the way.

And isn't that the beautiful thing about intricate and compact cities like Baltimore or Philadelphia or Boston? Every time I have gone down to Baltimore for this assignment, I have left a little slice of time to see sights, and to walk to them, and as a result I have become quite enamored with the city. Its history and architecture evoke similar themes as what I see in Philadelphia. I was wowed by what I had pre-planned to see (the incredible Walters Art Museum and a nice little exhibit on Edgar Allan Poe at the Pratt Library) as well as by what I was instructed to see once I got down there (the breathtaking library at the Peabody Institute - see photo). I even chanced upon a little pocket park dedicated to Pope John Paul II, and had the best sweet potato I've ever had at Milton's Grill. Not bad for a couple of hours' time!

And so I wish that for people who come to Philadelphia. That they'll go off the beaten path of wherever their hotel or conference is, and do more than just hit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. That they'll chance upon attractions and sights just by walking from Point A to Point B. And that the walking itself, far from just being a functional thing to get you from Point A to Point B, would itself become a desired activity, as you enjoy people-watching and building-gawking and historic marker-reading.

Harder to do in cities when panhandling enters into the equation. And harder to do in suburbs and in more car-oriented urban settings, since low density and wide boulevards deter the sort of walking around that leads to chance encounters with pocket parks and elaborate architecture and sweet potatoes. Or, as I had previously posted, it's a good thing when your place is set up so that more is more, rather than less.

I'm not by nature a thrill-seeker; you'll not find a person who knows me who would characterize me as spontaneous. But give me intricate and compact places where I can find unexpected treasures along the way, over bland and predictable amenities, however impressive, any day of the week.

Four Stories about a Father and a Son

You may know from a previous post that I'm on a seven-year rotation when it comes to reading through the Bible. So as of earlier this week, I'm back in the gospels, as familiar a part of the Bible to most people as any, and therefore tempting to gloss over as "old news."

One thing that has helped this go round is that this is the first time I've studied the gospels since I became a dad. And reading what Jesus and his parents went through in his early years reinforces for me how profound, precious, and solid God's plan is for our lives.

Consider young Mary and Joseph, already probably getting whispers from their local community about an unexpected pregnancy. A Caesar-decreed census brings them to their hometown of Bethlehem, where their baby is born in far from an ideal setting. They flee to Egypt and then to Nazareth, a step ahead of a vengeful Herod.

My own kids arrived into our lives in circuitous ways, as well. And God had a plan for them to get them here. And God had a plan to bring His Son into life and onto death. And God has a plan for us as well, however roundabout and remarkable our journeys may seem in the meantime. Having read the Gospels many times, but now for the first time as a dad, I see what God shepherded His Son through, and how He turned out, and I am full of wonder and encouragement.

Next Firsts

My daughter likes watching this DVD called "Primary Colors," in which college-age performers teach kids about having good character. One of the performers introduces himself as Philip from Virginia Beach, and states that he aspires to become "the first black president of the United States."

Circa 2003, when the DVD was made, I'm not sure anyone would have predicted that a black president would be inaugurated just six years later. But this historic milestone has happened, and with it comes speculation of when other firsts will take place: the first female president, the first openly gay president, the first Muslim president, the first Hispanic president, the first Asian president.

Much of the speculation tends to focus on when America would be "ready" for such a Commander in Chief. Maybe I tend to think too much in terms of leadership development, but it seems too little of the conversation focuses on how easy are the on-ramps into the pipeline that might lead to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

In other words, presidential candidates don't just fall out of the sky; they rise up through the ranks. And if certain groups feel opposed or under-motivated to pursue the types of preparatory positions that put them in the running to eventually become presidential material, it's far less likely one will emerge as a candidate at the national stage, no matter how "ready" America is to be led by them.

The founding of our nation saw the prominence of a remarkable cadre of leaders. You could make the case that in our 230+ years of existence, we still haven't had better than Franklin, Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Hamilton, and Madison. But I think that's a half-truth. Sure, those six were extraordinary; but I think we're still in the business of producing some of the world's finest leaders. However, not all of them end up in government. Which is fine: you need to sprinkle your leadership talent into other sectors, not just politics.

But if, for whatever reason, people are dissuaded from engaging politically - too dirty, not prestigious enough, can't break into the network, let someone else do it - then we all suffer a little as a consequence. It is not unlike the argument that I often make concerning the expected vocations in Asian-American circles, which is that the world may be cheated of the wonderful contributions of otherwise talented and inspired Asian-Americans in other vocations if they feel pressured to not pursue them.

At least in the national eye, there are a number of promising black and female politicians who represent quality leadership and may be destined for America's highest offices. To find equivalents in other under-represented demographic categories, we may need to look more locally, as fewer have risen to higher prominence. And, given that observation, we may need to do more to encourage more people in those categories to take that on-ramp and get themselves in the pipeline, from which we may someday see more "firsts" at the highest levels.

Maybe I'm deluded, but I think mainstream America is more ready than most might assume for their highest offices to be filled by people different from them, as long as they are honest, qualified, battle-tested, and courageous. We may not need to worry so much on the demand side; instead, we may need to focus our efforts on the supply side, and see to it that on-ramps into participation are not otherwise constrained for all Americans.

What Miley Cyrus Can Teach Us About Christian Discipleship

I don't own an iPod, I'm rarely in a car so as to listen to a car radio, and don't have a boombox at home. So basically, I'm pretty detached from music, whether secular or religious.

So I was surprised to have recommended to me by my wife, for both the sound and the meaning, none other than a Miley Cyrus song. "The Climb" is, for a teen idol, a surprisingly mature exploration of doubt, perseverance, and perspective in the midst of life's obstacles. Particularly for someone who has a celeb dad, as well as more fame and fortune than any 16-year-old could want, it is impressive that Ms. Cyrus appreciates that life is ever full of uphill climbs, internal and external naysaying is ever present, and we don't always win.

The song's central metaphor of a mountain climb easily connects me to the Songs of Ascents (Psalms 120 to 134). Three times a year, God's people journeyed upward to the mountain city of Jerusalem, singing the Songs of Ascents along the way. In these songs are a full gamut of emotions, apt for a people who experienced the full gamut of joys and sorrows.

So are our life narratives intertwined with victory and defeat, smooth sailing and bumpy waters, ecstasy and tragedy. Leave it to a timeless tale of a wandering and not always faithful people to gird us for the ardors and twists and steepness of our own faith journey. And leave it to a teenage pop star to encourage us to, amidst defeats and obstacles and naysayers, keep on climbing that climb.




Miley Cyrus, "The Climb"

Verse 1:
I can almost see it
That dream I am dreaming
But there's a voice inside my head saying
"You'll never reach it"

Every step I'm taking
Every move I make feels
Lost with no direction
My faith is shaking

But I gotta keep trying
Gotta keep my head held high

Chorus:
There's always gonna be another mountain
I'm always gonna wanna make it move
Always gonna be a uphill battle
Sometimes I'm gonna have to lose

Ain't about how fast I get there
Ain't about what's waiting on the other side
It's the climb

Verse 2:
The struggles I'm facing
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down
But no, I'm not breaking

I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm gonna remember most, yeah
Just gotta keep going

And I, I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on

(Repeat Chorus 2x)

Secondhand Tweeting

I still see no compelling reason for me to join the tweeting masses on Twitter - after all, I don't even have mobile web access - but since I regularly post at my two blogs, I figured I'd feed those posts through Twitterfeed to my long-nascent Twitter account. Not the same as real tweeting, and props to my friends, professional athletes, and thought leaders ranging from John Piper to Jack Welch for more fully exploiting the value of this unique forum; but as for me, I prefer my sharing to be a little bit less real-time and a little bit more long form. So as for Twitter, see you there, secondhand, but directly probably not ever.

Stretching Every Penny

Apropos to nothing, I wanted to offer three tricks of the trade from my past life at The Enterprise Center. If there was ever a place where we needed to stretch every penny, that was it. And yet, in scraping and clawing with the meager resources we had, I'd like to say we made for a great work environment for our employees, a moving example for our entrepreneur clients, and an always-hungry work culture that gives us an edge in an increasingly competitive landscape.

1. Hire interns up the wazoo and give them tons of responsibility. Fact one: we simply can't afford to have interns only do grunt work. Fact two: they are looking to take on more than they can handle. Hence, we found eager young local college students, told them to figure out how to run entire departments, and gave them the freedom and support (if not the resources) to give it their best go. As a result, we got way more done each day than you could possibly imagine an organization of our budget could, and interns got way more than their peers did from their work experiences.

2. Do monthly walk-arounds with the facility manager to grade the building, learn what's going on, and see people in action. We loved having a 35,000 square foot facility at our disposal, but the upkeep was an ongoing challenge. One way I killed multiple birds with one stone was to schedule walk-arounds with our facility manager. From this monthly activity, we would decide on a grade for the building that appeared on his monthly scorecard. We could also talk about different aspects of building maintenance all at once and in a very hands-on way. It also circulated us through peoples' offices, where we could observe them in action and get their take on building issues.

3. Simultaneously test out janitorial candidates and cover spikes in janitorial needs. Keeping up with a 35,000 square foot facility requires a lot of janitorial support. And when multiple events hit on one week, it can be overwhelming to cover. Two birds, meet one stone: the best way to test out a new janitorial candidate is to put him or her to work, and the best way to ramp up to meet short-term demand is to hire short-term help. So we'd schedule applicants for shifts, see how they did in terms of punctuality and quality, decide if we wanted to use them for ongoing work, and pay them either way for the hours they worked.

I'm sure there were other ways we stretched the penny. These are just three I wanted to mention here in passing.

Being an Urban Christian

Much is made of the importance of urban Christians infiltrating urban systems. Jeremiah 29:4-7 is quoted to remind us transplants that our "shalom" is found in the "shalom" of our new city. Or we are exhorted to consider the notion that a primary element of our faith is that it is incarnational, and just as "God became flesh," so might we enflesh ourselves among urban people and urban places.

All well and good. Easier said than done. It is easy for a blogger like me to opine on all that is up, down, right, and wrong in my city, but vastly messier for me to embed myself in its politics and commerce. And it is easy to spout off truisms about the importance of authentic relationships, but vastly scarier to myself be unpolishedly authentic or to let into my world the unpolished authenticity of my neighbors.

Don't get me wrong: I believe there is great advantage to our souls and to our ministries in living in urban settings. It's where much of the action in a region is, and thus where one can truly make a difference in seeking "shalom." And while cities by no stretch have a monopoly on personal and familial dysfunction, the diversity of peoples' backgrounds and the ease of interacting with them that one finds in cities facilitates the fostering of meaningful and cross-cultural relational connections.

Still, being here is but half the battle. The other half is to actually engage, to not consider oneself above having contact with dirty politics or contentious civic gatherings or hurting people or breaking families, but to truly "incarnate," and to truly co-mingle one's own "shalom" with that of a complicated and flawed city. Easier said than done; so having said it, let's do it.

Family Fun, Cheap and Easy

One of the nice perks of living in University City is, as the name suggests, being near a big university in a big city. Tangibly, it makes the dilemma, "What should we do on a weekend evening" a pretty easy one to solve: walk down the street, let the kids putter through the Penn campus, dine outside at a reasonably priced restaurant, and retrace our steps home. No car needed, less than 25 bucks expended, fresh air and exercise obtained.

If only the company wasn't so crabby: Amy and I were both pretty tired, Jada was her typical sassy self, and Aaron seemed ever on the verge of yet another spectacular tantrum. Given all that, I guess it's all the more to be glad for a family outing option that's that cheap and easy.

The Incredible Shrinking World

Granted, I was heavily influenced by having recently finished two books on globalization by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman ("The World is Flat" and "The Lexus and the Olive Tree"). But I still could not help but think of the incredible shrinking world when I and my business partner met with the Governor of the US Virgin Islands earlier this week.

Island economies can be forgiven for thinking they are, well, an island to themselves. But globalization is only going in one direction (more and more of it), and the recent global recession verifies the interconnectedness of all of our economies (the US sneezes, and the world catches a cold).

There's nothing wrong with an island economy being tourism-dominant: it's what you're good at, so make the most of it. But even within that, islands must figure out ways to stay sharp in the pursuit of travelers, aggressively marketing and offering unique amenities and being mindful of how broader demographic trends alter the ways people recreate.

And islands must also realize just how vulnerable tourism is to forces far outside of their control. You could have wonderful attractions, top-notch service, and brilliant marketing, but if a 9/11 happens or the world experiences an economic slowdown, you're going to take a hit.

The fact is that globalization means no economies can erect walls, take care of what's inside, and think everything'll be OK. Globalization exposes structural weaknesses in that it forces healthy competition; and if you are falling short compared with others, you'll lose out. But globalization also offers wonderful opportunities and on-ramps for everyone to play at the highest levels. Businesses can increasingly locate anywhere, and islands can minimize or even eliminate the disadvantages of their geographic isolation.

The moral of the story is that the incredible shrinking world is both a profound threat and a remarkable opportunity. It is not unlike the tantalizing hoops prospect from some off-the-grid location finding his or her way to the most storied camp: any weaknesses that were covered up by their previous dominance of local competition are now exposed by the world's best young players, but any strengths can now be seen on the most public of stages.

This was the core of our conversation with the Governor, and what I believe to be at the core of his challenge as he considers the way forward for the US Virgin Islands. Time will tell which hoops prospects fall into oblivion and which move on to success at the highest levels; and time will tell the same for economies around the globe, even those that are literally islands.

My Night in Puerto Rico

How did a trip to St. Thomas end up with me spending a night in Puerto Rico? The answer is a business trip that felt more like The Amazing Race.

This past Wednesday, I was slated to present to the Governor of the US Virgin Islands on our economic development work down there. Because the meeting was scheduled for 1 pm, and because June is now considered off-peak for travel to St. Thomas, I had to fly down the day before, fly up the day after, and spend two nights on island in between. And there were no direct flights from Philadelphia.

So on my way in, I had an almost three-hour layover scheduled in Miami. Having never been, I was kind of looking forward to having extended time, if even in the airport, to catch a vibe of the place. Plus, I had plenty of reading material to make good use of the down time.

Unfortunately, our flight out of Philadelphia was four hours late getting out. So by the time we touched down in Miami, I had missed my connector. And, at 7 pm, it was getting relatively late in terms of alternative options.

I guessed there were no more flights that night to St. Thomas, and was correct, so I assumed I'd easily have enough time the next morning to catch the first thing out and make it on island in plenty of time to prepare for my presentation. I figured that because the delay in Philadelphia was mechanically related, I'd get a hotel voucher, spend an unanticipated but relaxing evening in Miami, and start all over again the next morning.

Except that the first thing out to St. Thomas from Miami the next morning apparently didn't leave until 11 am, and was full anyway. "What about through San Juan," I asked, my voice betraying a sudden desperateness in my plight. "No, that doesn't get you into St. Thomas in time," replied the kind representative. Now my brow is increasingly furrowing, as I contemplate what my options might possibly be at this juncture.

The kind representative was quick on his feet. "I could get you into San Juan tonight, and you could fly out of there first thing tomorrow morning, and that would get you in." Brilliant! I made it to the gate as they were boarding, got on, and starting thinking about my chances of landing a hotel room in an unfamiliar city that wasn't originally on my flight itinerary.

We landed in San Juan after 10 pm, and as I made it to customer services, my heart sank as I realized how empty the airport was becoming. Thankfully, I found another kind representative, who said he'd see what he could do.

Complicating matters was the fact that my original itinerary involving US Airways to Miami and American to St. Thomas. So I was talking to a representative from American, but the fault lied with US Airways. But I was in luck. The kind representative (from American) said he had spoken to his counterpart at US Airways and had secured me a hotel voucher.

I had a little trouble physically getting to the US Airways desk - I may have broken some federal laws in terms of going through doors I shouldn't have - but eventually made it, secured the voucher, and found my way to the hotel, which was conveniently located inside the airport. And I also got some meal vouchers, so was able to decompress in my room over chicken Caesar salad and bottled water at 11:30 pm.

The next morning, I checked out and, within two minutes, was in line for security. And shortly thereafter, I was touching down in St. Thomas, with plenty of time for breakfast and presentation prep.

The rest of the day also went smoothly, as my business partner and I made our way to the Government House, met with the Governor and his staff, and then afterward enjoyed a lush hike to and swim in Magens Bay. We concluded our successful day with a pleasant dinner with his fiancee at a lovely restaurant overlooking Magens Bay on the north side, and then opted for dessert at a second restaurant along the marina on the south side.

Needless to say, I slept well that night, two long days behind me and a travel day home ahead of me. I'm glad most of my business travel involves subways and short walks locally, and train rides and day trips for clients outside of Philadelphia. And I'm glad that, when my business does involve a plane ride, it's to a place as gorgeous as St. Thomas; and that, even when delays throw carefully planned schedules out of the window, things still work out in the end.

Housing in Pennsylvania

I had the opportunity last week to testify with one of my clients, the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania, at an informational meeting before the Pennsylvania House Urban Affairs Committee. With budget cuts at the state level looming, these sessions are a forum for legislators to hear from constituencies about the impacts of proposed cuts at the community level. Here are my prepared remarks, and here's a link to a story on the hearing.

***

Good morning. My name is Lee Huang. I am a director at Econsult Corporation here in Philadelphia. I received an undergraduate degree from Wharton with a dual concentration in Accounting and Management, and a Master’s in Government Administration from the Fels Institute of Government at the University of Pennsylvania, with dual certificates in Public Finance and Economic Development.

Econsult Corporation is an economic consulting firm founded in 1979. Our work includes high-level economic and statistical analyses for government agencies, non-profit organizations, and private companies. We have particular expertise in economic impact studies for a variety of industries and entities.

Earlier this year, we were engaged by the Housing Alliance of Pennsylvania to conduct an economic impact study of a proposed Commonwealth of Pennsylvania investment in Pennsylvania Housing Trust Fund. Liz Hersh has brought additional copies of this report if you do not already have one.

Using industry standard input output methodologies, which I am happy to elaborate on during Q&A, we estimated that every ten million dollars in such a fund could generate 23 million dollars in total expenditures within the Commonwealth and a million dollars or more in state tax revenues, as initial investments ripple through the economy in the form of suppliers ramping up to meet new demand and employees spending their new earnings within the Commonwealth. It could also produce within the Commonwealth 200 jobs and 7 million dollars in wages in a variety of industries: construction, of course, but also retail, professional services, and health care, among other sectors. Combined with any leveraging of other public dollars plus private dollars, this all could have an even more potent effect.

Rehabilitating homes is particularly potent, in that it produces more houses per million dollars, and also has a greater statewide multiplier effect. Importantly, the savings associated with both reduced housing payments, as well as lower energy costs as a result of more efficient housing are also stimulative, in that the savings go right into peoples' pockets and can therefore be spent locally; whereas, since we are a net importer of energy in the Commonwealth, almost all of every dollar spent on energy leaves our state economy. Finally, the economic literature also suggests there's a huge positive spillover effect associated with reducing foreclosures and the destabilizing effect they can have on communities.

On the flip side, proposed budget cuts would have an opposite effect. The losses to local economies would be greater than the direct investments by the Commonwealth, since those investments have a ripple effect in terms of economic activity, employment, and earnings: take away the initial investments, and the ripple effects are also lost. Reduced investment also leaves unfixed energy inefficiencies in our housing stock, and exposes communities to further destabilization in the form of foreclosures.

As an economist, I am aware of the difficult choices our elected officials face. As Thomas Sowell once remarked, “There are no solutions; there are only trade-offs.” The current recession is necessitating tough choices that will not be without pain; some of those choices will have to be made, and some of us will have to bear some pain.

It is my hope that this testimony, and the report we produced for the Housing Alliance earlier this year, provides useful information on the important work of housing trust funds, so that you can make those tough choices properly and with the best interests of Pennsylvanians in mind. Thank you for your consideration.

Unconvinced About the No Gay Marriage Movement

With the gay marriage movement gaining steam, I remain unconvinced by the opposing arguments. I've covered this ground in previous posts but wanted to revisit the topic, to see if I can't further clarify why I believe what I believe. I'm also open to hearing more or better reasons on both sides. So, in no particular order:

* It'll ruin our children. And divorce doesn't? Or loveless marriages? Or any number of bad parenting patterns? I fail to see how gay marriage is so destabilizing that it merits so much negative energy in the midst of so many other attacks on our kids.

* It'll ruin the institution of marriage. See above. We have a lot more institution-wreckers around that we could be channeling our efforts into minimizing.

* It's a sin. If so, last I checked, so was pre-marital sex, and you don't see campaigns against people who've had sex before marriage being able to marry. (And, by the way, I have no problem with Miss California or whoever is the beauty pageant contestant who has recently sparked some controversy by saying she's against gay marriage because she thinks homosexuality is a sin; as much as people want to hate on her, she's well within her rights to use her platform to say what she believes.)

* It portends an irreversible decline in morality and traditional values. More clearly perverted and scandalous gay behavior, maybe, to the extent that it is pornographic in nature and therefore offensive to the eyes and inappropriate for public consumption. But gay marriage, in which two people in love want to formalize their relationship, not so much.

* We'll have to equalize gay couples with straight couples in terms of things like financial benefits and adoption placement. I fail to see how this equalization is a bad thing, if in fact it leads to stabler households and more options for kids in need of parents.

* Marriage is about producing babies. So couples who choose not to have kids or who biologically can't have kids are also shunted to second-class status?

* It's a slippery slope to polygamy, bestiality, and other non-traditional forms of marriage. Not sure this has played itself out like that in other parts of the world where gay unions have been around for a lot longer.

As a Christian, here's what I think, and apologies if anyone finds this offensive: our faith has been the most homophobic of them all, when we alone have the moral sturdy ground from which to both adhere to our understanding that homosexuality is a sin and yet hold fast to our obligation to love and defend those who are different from us.

What if Christians were known, not for demonizing and hating on those who are gay or who support them, or for conveniently looking the other way on the whole "homosexuality is a sin" thing since it's politically incorrect? What if, instead, we stood fast on what we believed to be right and wrong, as we understand it in the Bible, regardless of how socially unacceptable it is, and yet with the same vigor condemned those who would vilify or even harm another person or group out of an un-Christlike homophobia?

And what if we focused our anxieties about the ruin of morality, the breakdown of marriage as an institution, and the safety of today's children not on a side issue like gay marriage but on the very real dangers in our generation, by fighting for our spouses and being there for our kids and taking a stand against pornography? But working on the foundation of our marriages, training our eyes and minds to avoid lustful situations, and instructing our kids in the ways that are right in the midst of all the wrong they are fed: that's just not nearly as neat and tidy and righteous as taking a stand against gay marriage.

And yet, those are the areas we really need to double down on. And as for gay marriages? Sadly, I can't say that where we Christians are on this debate is doing much to show the world what we're really about (truth and love), what wars are really going on (those for our very souls, our generation, and our children), and what weapons and assurances we truly have at our disposal to fight them (the authority of God's word and the empowering of the Holy Spirit to stand on those truths with fierce, unbending, tender love).

When history writes about our generation, I want to be able to say we fought the good fight, which to me means we fought well and also that we fought the right fight. I'm just not sure gay marriage is the right fight, or that how we're dealing with it is showing that we're fighting well.