Thoughts for the Day, November 4, 2025: Day 35 and counting with no end in sight

Day 35 is one step away from record setting territory.

Congress is making history as they are now tied for the longest government shutdown with day 35. Since there are no plans to bring the House back into session and the president has no incentive to settle because it allows him to do what he wants because the Republican Congress will not stand up to him, I do not see this ending soon.

In the meantime, federal agents have been working for 35 days without pay. Air traffic controllers are overwhelmed and calling in sick. They have one of the most stressful jobs on the planet and they are being asked to do their job while not getting paid. I cannot imagine how those that are being asked to work because they are in critical jobs feel about their fellow Federal employees who are not in critical jobs and are getting paid to stay home.

We are only a few weeks away from the two busiest travel days of the year. How do you think that is going to go over if families cannot get together because Congress refuses to do their job?

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Moral Compass and Integrity versus Policy

My disdain for Trump centers around his total lack of a moral compass and his total lack of integrity. No matter how much I agree with some of his policies I could never vote for him because I value moral compass and integrity over everything else. I believe having good moral compass and integrity is the most important characteristic of a human being, especially those in leadership positions.

Since Trump’s election in 2024 I have had multiple conversations with friends who I know voted for Trump and continue to support him. What I learned is that these friends do not put the same value on having a moral compass and integrity as I do. In fact, it is Trump’s policies that they value first and foremost. They either look past Trump’s lack of a moral compass and integrity, or they don’t believe Trump has integrity issues, which I cannot comprehend. For them it is policy over integrity and moral compass.

This was a big eye opener to me. Everything I have read about leadership is that the most important characteristics in a leader are integrity, trust, and a strong moral compass. Without these characteristics, even a leader who provides great vision and policies will eventually fail because of the lack of integrity and trust.

I asked CHAT GPT the following question.

Question: How important are having a good moral compass and integrity versus having good policies when evaluating a presidential candidate?

CHAT GPT response: Evaluating Presidential Candidates: Moral Compass vs. Policies

1. The Role of Moral Character

• • Integrity builds trust. A president’s credibility shapes national unity and international respect. Without honesty and consistency, even strong policies lose legitimacy.

• • Moral compass guides judgment. Crises often require choices beyond written rules — moments when a leader’s conscience determines the outcome.

• • Ethics outlast popularity. History ultimately measures leaders by character: fairness, empathy, courage, and truthfulness.

• • Trust enables leadership. Citizens and allies are more likely to follow a leader whose values they believe in.

2. The Role of Policies

• • Policies drive real outcomes. Economic growth, healthcare access, climate protection, and national security depend on coherent, achievable policy design.

• • Competence matters. Even a virtuous leader can fail without the skill to manage government or the insight to select capable advisors.

• • Durability of impact. Laws and regulations persist long after a presidency — shaping generations to come.

3. The Balance Between the Two

• • Integrity without policy → admired but ineffective leadership.

• • Policy without integrity → efficient but untrustworthy governance.

• • Best combination: A leader whose moral compass informs their policies — ensuring both ethical direction and practical results.

4. How Citizens Can Evaluate Candidates

• • Look at patterns, not promises. Past behavior is the clearest indicator of both ethics and effectiveness.

• • Ask two questions:

• • Do their values align with the nation’s democratic principles?

• • Can they turn those values into sound, workable policy?

• • Remember: Integrity earns trust; policies earn progress — and democracy depends on both.

Lessons learned: To beat Trump and his MAGA followers will take more than attacking his lack of integrity and lack of a moral compass. The 77 million who voted for him in 2024 are willing to overlook his lack of integrity and a moral compass.

To beat Trump and his MAGA followers will take sound policies that appeal to most Americans. It will take a candidate who combines integrity, a moral compass, and strong policies that appeal to center Americans and not the extremists of the left or the right. As proven in 2016 and 2024, campaigning against Trump’s lack of morality will not get it done. Seventy-Seven million voters in 2024 did not value morality over policy. This is an important lesson to remember.

To me it is a hard lesson to swallow.

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Freedom of pain

Since April of 2021 when I came down with Covid, my legs have never been the same. At one point in time, I thought I was going to have to refit by bathrooms with handicap railings. I had my legs examined by an excellent orthopedic surgeon in 2022 and found that I had arthritis in my knees and hips, but I was not in need of a hip or knee replacement. He prescribed PT which I did with some improvement, but I was still walking slowly and guardedly. Keeping up with Leah was a challenge. Although it never stopped me from doing the things I loved, the pain eventually got to me. In July of this year my hip was so bad I went back to the orthopedic surgeon assuming I was going to be scheduling hip replacement surgery. Much to my surprise, my hip had not deteriorated in the last two years, and my doctor said I will probably not need a hip replacement in my lifetime. He offered me a cortisone shot, but we agreed on a more aggressive PT treatment for three months and then we would see where that got me. I made great improvements with the daily PT exercises, but I was still not where I wanted to be. So, at yesterday’s follow up exam, I asked for the cortisone shot.

Today was the first time in four years I didn’t wake up with pain in my right hip. I am gradually adjusting to walking normally. It didn’t hurt me, to lift my right leg over the seat to get on my bike today. There was no pain as I was pedaling up the very challenging Crooked Tree hill. Not once today did I reach for Aleve or Tylenol to help with the pain.

I will be meeting with my orthopedic surgeon in March. If all goes well we will be developing a plan to address the arthritis in my knees so I can straighten them again. In the meantime, it is 45 minutes of PT and stretching exercises six days per week. Thank God for modern medicine.

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One game does not make a season

Michigan men’s basketball team opened their season last night against Oakland U with a 121-78 victory. Oakland is projected to finish in second place in the mid-level Horizon League. Oakland was without two of its starters, so they were somewhat handicapped as they tried to take on the # 7 Wolverines. I am not sure having a full complement of Oaklands’ players would have mattered.

I have been watching Michigan basketball for nearly sixty years, forty of which I was a season ticket holder. In all my years I have never seen a Michigan team play so well in their first game of the season. Here are some highlights.

• • Michigan’s 69 points in first half was a school record

• • Michigan had seven players score in double figures, a school record

• • Michigan made 19 threes on 35 shots for a 54% shooting clip from downtown

• • Michigan had 29 assists and only 8 turnovers for a 3.6 assist to turnover ratio (2.0 is considered outstanding)

• • The new point guard Elliot Cadeau had 12 assists with only one turnover.

Oakland Coach Greg Kampe has been the coach at Oakland for 42 years. He said it best. “I would tell you that was one of the best performances I’ve ever seen a team play in early November. I was pretty amazed. Their flow was great.” This is my Quote of the Day

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Quote of the Day: See above from Oakland Men’s basketball coach, Greg Kampe

Orchid of the Day: My Orthopedic Surgeon, Joshua Anderson for talking me into a cortisone shot.

Onion of the Day: Congress until the shutdown is settled.

Question of the Day: Which do you value more moral compass and integrity, or policies? It is a question we all must ask ourselves as we think about who we will be voting for in the future.

Lyrics of the Day: We are stardust, we are golden. We are billion-year-old carbon And we’ve got to get ourselves Back to the garden

Well, then can I walk beside you? I have come to lose the smog
And I feel myself a cog In somethin’ turning

Lyrics of the Day for November 3, 2025. The Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd.

Video of the Day: One of my favorite groups doing one of my favorite songs. Pink Floyds ability to combine Rock and Roll and theatrics was groundbreaking.

(1610) Pink Floyd - Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) [PULSE Restored & Re-Edited] - YouTube

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