Richard Elfers

Washington

Contributor at Enumclaw Courier-Herald

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Articles

Other peoples’ bad decisions affect our lives. How do you cope? | In Focus

2 weeks ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

Have you ever suffered from somebody else’s bad decisions? The obvious answer is, “Who hasn’t?” That’s the current problem we face in many areas. Whether it’s the state government that increased its income and expenditures over the past year, and yet has decided to increase taxes to cover budget shortfalls. The Democratic governor is advocating cuts in government spending, but the Democratically controlled legislature is resisting him.
Power is addictive | In Focus

3 weeks ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.” — Abraham Lincoln“The object of power is power.”— George Orwell, 1984“We know that no one ever seizes power with the intention of relinquishing it.” — George Orwell, 1984The above quotes remind me of the time I actually exercised power. That was when I served on the Enumclaw City Council for four years.
Laughter really is the best medicine | In Focus

4 weeks ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

Why do people laugh? According to Psychology Today, “People laugh for various reasons, including social bonding, relief from stress, and the enjoyment of humor. Laughter serves as a universal form of communication that helps strengthen relationships and can even improve physical health.”My Renton High School English teacher told my class that people laugh because they are surprised.
There’s never been one “American identity” | In Focus

1 month ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

“The American identity and the current cultural or political ideologies can’t be understood without knowing that there’s never been one America, but rather several Americas, each with their own characteristics…” (Colin Woodard. Regional Cultures Shape U.S. Society and American Life: bgindependentmedia.org). America is a nation of immigrants. Different ethnic and racial groups came to America, settling in distinct regions.
Want to prove your honesty? | In Focus

1 month ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

Have you ever been lied to? What happens to the relationship when someone lies to you? If you’re like me, after you’ve been lied to, you’re reluctant to trust that individual. You’re never sure from that time on whether that person is telling the truth. Boundaries and guardrails have been destroyed. Once gone, it’s difficult to rebuild trust. Did you know that President Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president ever to be caught lying in public?
McCarthyism never died - and it’s back with a vengeance | In Focus

1 month ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

After World War II, the United States government felt threatened by its World War II ally, the U.S.S.R.From the end of World War II until the collapse of communism in 1991, fear was the dynamic that motivated both national and international decision making. This era emerged from post-World War II McCarthyism.
If Democrats want to represent the people, they need to embrace Christian teachings | In Focus

2 months ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

Do you believe that Democrats have ceded religion to the conservatives? I do, and so does Texas Representative James Telarico (D). Telarico, a Christian, believes that many conservatives in the U.S. think Democrats are hostile to religion. But Christian nationalism found on the religious right is not Christian. It’s a form of idolatry. Telarico won in his district in 2018 where our current president resoundingly won in 2016.
America enters its second Gilded Age | In Focus

2 months ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

“In the United States, the Gilded Age is the period from about the late 1870s to the late 1890s, which occurred between the Reconstruction Era and the Progressive Era…. Historians saw late 19th-century economic expansion as a time of materialistic excesses marked by widespread political corruption” (Wikipedia.com). It was the age of the robber barons, rich industrialists and bankers like John D. Rockefeller, J.P. Morgan, and Andrew Carnegie.
USAID update: Confusion reigns, but there are reasons to hope | In Focus

2 months ago | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

A few weeks ago, I shared with you the effects of cutting off USAID funding to my daughter’s non-profit, Our Hope South Africa (Thembalethu, in Zulu). My daughter, Betsy Meyer, had to lay off 20 caregivers of children living with HIV. This is the follow-up letter from Betsy to her supporters in regard to the cut-off of aid:“The short of it is that our grant funding and the wellbeing of 600 HIV positive children STILL hangs in the balance.
Our country needs to embrace infinite thinking | In Focus

Feb 11, 2025 | courierherald.com | Richard Elfers

What’s the difference between finite and infinite thinking? Why is it Important? The difference between finite and infinite thinking has to do with how a person looks at the future. If you’re a finite thinker, your emphasis is on winning and losing. Your thinking is short term. If you’re a long-term or infinite thinker, then you consider whether or not what you are building and working toward will last for centuries.