An indication of what a person will do is what they have done. President-elect Joseph Biden was the president of his junior and senior high school classes. He was also a starting halfback on his high school’s undefeated football team.

I take note of his being his class’s president because it was an early indication of what he might become. He feels comfortable in a leadership role, and knows how to lead. Some people show this trait in high school or even earlier, and others wait. Age 40 is a time when some men change. The late Bob Hansut of Highland, at close to 40, ran for the Highland School Board, liked it, became its president, then president of the Ulster County School Board’s Association, and then the head of the Kingston Hospital Board. And at the same time he was a member of the Lloyd Town Board. I miss Bob.

Winston Churchill’s life took off when he was approaching 40. Joe Biden was a United States Senator at age 29. I like that since starting in the senate he has almost 50 years of public experience and also knows people to call if he is unsure of what to do. He will be calling Elizabeth Warren, Barack Obama and others.

He may be ready to name most of his cabinet members because he has worked with them and knows them.

 Near record number of hurricanes and storms

As I write this the United States may be setting a record on the number of hurricanes/storms that the United States has had in a year. The worst were 1994 and 2005 (Katrina)  and now 2020. The reason given for 2020 is Global Warming. September was the hottest September in the history of the United States, and the last five years have been the warmest that the world has had.

President elect Joseph Biden has a plan to deal with it. He wants to replace coal plants with renewables: solar and wind. 

The reason Biden wants to tackle Global Warming is the five ways the climate is changing hurricanes: higher winds, more rain, slower storms, wider ranging storms, and more volatility. The hurricanes thrive on the hotter oceans. Warm water holds more water and rain. The warmer water gives the hurricane greater energy.  Recent hurricanes have become much more destructive and left Houston, Louisiana, and the Panhandle of Florida with millions and millions of dollars of damage, to be paid for by FEMA.     

Most recently, Hurricane Eta slammed South Florida with rain, up to two and a half feet of rain in places. 

Highland businesses badly hurt by the virus

I have been in contact with a Highland Facebook friend whose family has been devastated by the Covid19 virus. She told me that people lost their jobs, or their income.

She said, “I had to stop cutting hair and I haven’t recovered. People are still fearful and not going to hair salons, restaurants, gyms etc. Nothing is back to a full normal at all due to the continued restrictions. If we have to lock down again...it will add to the already financial suffering.”

Our doctors out of hand malpractice costs are hurting us

New York State doctors have to pay the highest malpractice because there is no cap. In turn the doctors charge us, and the cost for medical care in New York State is the highest in the nation. California, Colorado and Texas have a cap of $250,000, and New York has a lot of awards of over $1 million.

A lot of doctors do not want to practice in New York State because of the state’s ridiculous malpractice cost and they have to pay the highest malpractice insurance cost in the country.

Antonio Delgado lost In four Counties but won in Ulster

Democrat Congressman Antonio Delgado was reelected to a second two year term, while trailing Republican Kyle Van De Water in four of the counties, but winning and getting re-elected in Ulster County, as he defeated Van De Water in Ulster, 44,323 to 29,506. The count in five counties was 143,786 to 135,250, a span of 8536.

Biden will stop student visas ban from India and China

President Donald Trump had banned students from India and China coming to the United States to study and then many to chose to stay here, including IBM CEO Arvind Krishna, who was from India.

President-Elect Joseph Biden will end this practice and IBM Poughkeepsie may continue to hire them. Four percent of the Highland School District student body is from Asia, and Highland High School has had valedictorians, who are from China and India.