Don Rowe

Why do I post questions? A free fish feeds someone for a day, fishing lessons feed them for life. Offering a solution may satisfy someone for a day or start an argument lasting much longer. Questions offer people lasting opportunities to seek and refine their own answers.

Does the right to a trial by a jury of the defendant's peers imply the decision of the jury is binding on everyone? What exceptions should be allowed? Who should apply those exceptions?

When a problem has been festering for years, decades, or centuries, and becoming more complex, what is a reasonable amount of time to spend seeking a peaceful solution? If those involved hate each other more than they want a solution, should that affect the timeline?

Politicians only care about corporations and the rich! Mommy, how are they elected? With over half the votes. How many votes do corporations get? Corporations can't vote. How many votes do the rich get? 1% Where do they get the other votes? From ... you're too young to understand.

Do we know more than me? Is ignorance, misunderstanding, or misinterpretation proof that something is wrong or can not exist? How can we know what we don't know, or what we need to learn?

It's been said that two wrongs don't make a right. Do two rants by people on opposite sides of an issue make a right or provide all relevant information?

When is it appropriate to judge someone solely by their religion? Do all believers agree on every aspect of their religion? Do the differences matter?

Does caring require acting in exactly the same way in every instance?

Do others sometimes assume we mean something other than what we actually said? Do the words we choose always reflect our true intentions? Do others hear our intentions, their intentions, or an interpretation of intentions? Who is responsible for misunderstandings?

Activities to help kids of all ages explore bias, speculation, analysis, consensus, and more at winningdecisions.org/curriculum.php

If every student in a math class gets the same answer, and the teacher says that answer is wrong, what should happen next?

If you do what you have always done, you will get what you always got. How much can we depend on elected representatives to fix things? How can we influence elected leaders? What questions should we ask during political campaigns?

"When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe." - John Muir. How can we discover the connections? How will we know if we missed something important?

It is OK when "we" do it because "we" are forced by "them" or other factors beyond our control. It is wrong when "they" do it, and especially despicable when "they" do it to "us". What might inspire people to reconsider their groupings of "us" and "them"?

The communist creed: "From each according to his ability, to each according to his need". A proposed capitalist creed: "From each according to his gullibility, to each according to his greed". Any other options?

It's been said that hell hath no fury like someone confronted with their own advice. We all know how others need to change and how others ought to behave. How can we be a good example?

"For every complex problem, there is a solution that is simple, neat, and wrong " - Henry L. Mencken. How can we know if we're overlooking something?

Should we vote on it? Should math students vote for their favorite solution to an equation? Should two wolves and a goat choose lunch by voting? Should we vote on what to decide by voting?

It's been said that those who know the least know it the loudest. How important is being loud?

"Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument an exchange of ignorance." - Robert Quillen. What should we look for in candidates for public office or expect from elected representatives? What evidence of priorities or abilities could candidates offer?

Is two political parties alternately taking control and being controlled a desirable form of government? What should be the role of political parties? Do parties have any obligations to those not in the party?

What should guide people dealing with grief, anger, or hate?

A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion. - Proverbs 18:2. Are all opinions equal?

What is peace? Does the same concept of peace apply to nations, communities, neighbors, political parties, or management and workers? How does peace begin and end?

Any two humans likely have much more in common than DNA. How could people explore what they share?

How should people decide who or what to believe? Are there any fundamental principles people should consider before acting?

Compromise means (select one or more): a) Making accusations until your opponents give in. b) Dismissing anyone who disagrees as "not a team player". c) Holding out for the right price. d) Something else.

In sports, it's said that there is no "I" in "team". In politics, should there be an "I" in "Congress"?

The military says no battle plan survives contact with the enemy. What might be beyond government control during a shutdown? Can unintended consequences be prevented or mitigated? What is the long-term plan to retain any benefits gained by a shutdown?

How much of a person's future should be determined by where they were born? What parts of anyone's life could be influenced by people born elsewhere? What obligations does anyone have to the place they were born?

Does any manager know everything there is to know about running their department, preventing problems, managing a crisis, inspiring those they lead, and everything else related to the job? If not, who should they learn from?

I don't know the answer. Should we investigate or invent an explanation and declare the matter closed? Does lack of evidence either way prove an invented explanation is true?

Sometimes voters feel like they're forced to choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledummer. What are some ways to expand the options?

In a chain of events, or events with multiple factors, how do we decide which link in the chain is most responsible? Which is the best link to remove to break the sequence? Is the simplest, most convenient, or most familiar link always the best choice?

"They did not mind stating apparently opposed truths; they knew that they could give to men a higher truth, in which the contradictories became two sides of the same truth." - Stopford A. Brooke. How can we tell if seeming contradictions can be reconciled?

How does violating an oath to defend, support, or uphold the Constitution of the U.S. compare to burning an American flag?

Dividing everyone into "us" and "them" comes easily to many. Hate, fear, and greed reinforce the divisions. Everything may appear fine when "we" are in charge. History suggests "they" will take over in time. Is this cycle desirable, preferable, or inevitable?

Can there be bad answers to good questions? What are the long-term goals? How does each possible solution get us closer to long-term stability? How could we anticipate or stay alert for unintended consequences?

A swinging pendulum is not stable at either extreme. Does making progress toward stability count as an accomplishment?

If I think you're wrong, can I claim victory? If I can find any fault with something you say, do, or believe, does that prove that I am right? Could we both be partly right or both be wrong? If we're both only partly right, is voting a good way to settle it?

Voters and politicians sometimes talk about their party taking control. Is one party having control while all others are controlled the best form of government?

Are you a potential political prevaricator? Take this test to find out, either for yourself or on behalf of someone else: winningdecisions.org/humor.php#pr...

Is the stronger leader one who inspires others to follow, or one who compels others to follow? Can a leader learn from others, consider different perspectives, or shift a position and also be strong?

Yes or no? Right or wrong? Is there anything in between? Could both sides be partly right and partly wrong? Are there possible unintended consequences? What happens next? Who might know something others don't?

Can people be better than the worst thing they ever did? Might some be worse than the best thing they ever did?

I believe, therefore I am. How is your identity affected by what you believe, why you believe, or how you respond to new information or to those who believe differently?

Is there, or should there be, something other than borders uniting all citizens of a country?

Which comes first, the opinion or the fact? People sometimes talk about the importance of "rule of law". Should there be a corresponding "rule of fact"? Is there a factual basis for distinguishing fact from opinion?

Inspector Martin: By George! How ever did you see that? Sherlock Holmes: Because I looked for it. What should we look for? Where should we look? When should we stop looking? What might stop us from looking at all?

It's been said that we always know more than me. Who else might know something others don't know or might overlook?

What parts of history, culture, or behavior should be honored by monuments or by naming things after people? How did those being honored set an example for others? What actions, behaviors, or beliefs cancel everything worthy of being honored?