Arrests for the convenience of the state

Police officers are known for many things, but one of those things that they are not known for is their high expertise in criminal law.  That is to say, police officers are not lawyers and typically have never attended law school, which means that they actually don’t know the law backwards and forwards.  Additionally, no human being knows every single law or the appropriate application of the law in every single circumstance.  In other words, when police officers arrest a given individual, they often are just going to go to a common playbook that they are familiar with, and find a charge that seems to fit, which will thus justify the arrest, of which, there are those types of charges that pretty much can be used in many a circumstance, such as disturbing the peace, disorderly conduct, and things of that general ilk.

 The above thus signifies that when a person is being arrested and they ask what they are being arrested for, there probably isn’t any point in the asking, because the police officer is just going to find a charge that seems reasonable for the circumstances, for that initial charge leading to the arrest is not going to often represent the formal charge. In actuality, the charging of an individual with a crime is determined by the prosecuting agent of the state, who will look at the notes so provided by the police officer and determine what charges are most appropriate, or decide not to charge the individual so arrested, at all.

 This signifies that those being arrested not only don’t know for certain what they are being arrested for, but really won’t know what charges they will be accused of until the prosecuting agent weighs in.  Additionally, there are many cases in which someone is arrested in which no formal charges are ever filed, whatsoever, and thereby the person arrested is released.  While that might sound good to the person that has been released from having been arrested, it has to be noted that being arrested is for many people a pretty traumatic affair, and to thus lose one’s freedom for some period of time in which at the end of the day, no charges are filed, seems to be the type of thing, that should be investigated more thoroughly because there may be arrests being made that the officer of the law knew were under a spurious charge, but they did so perhaps because they simply wanted to enforce their authority that they are an agency not to be trifled with.

 The bottom line is that it is one thing for a police officer to engage in a conversation with a person, over some perceived incident, and to thereby let that person go, as compared to actually arresting and putting a person in handcuffs and the back of the police vehicle to be processed.  This means that police officers seemingly have a lot of discretion over what they are allowed to do, which seems to be something that should be monitored, but not necessarily by agents of the state, such as the prosecution, but rather, monitored by those who are citizens of the state to ascertain as to whether police officers are behaving in a way and manner consistent with civility and service to the community.

Israel was formed for the benefit of Western nations and Zionists

When we think of the Middle East, we are cognizant that the people who live there are primarily Arabic, Turkish, Persian, or Kurdish.  So too, the most prominent religion in this region is Muslim, though within the Middle East, there are many sects of that Muslim religion.  Yet, somehow in the country of Palestine, an Arabic nation, the nation-state of Israel was founded upon their land, and thus was born after World War II, thereby bringing Jews to the Middle East, but not just any of the Jewish faith, but in particular and specifically, European Zionists.

 There are a multitude of reasons, why Israel was created, of which, one of the reasons which is typically discounted is the fact that the Middle East has not only a religion which has been at odds with the prevailing European religion of Christianity, but also the fact that within the Middle East there is a tremendous amount of oil, which Western nations have an obsession about and have had an obsession about for decades, because the engine that still fuels Western economies is oil based, and thereby those that have oil, are in the dominate position to call the shots, which is why Europe, despite losing their colonies and direct colonial influence in the Middle East, were absolutely determined that they would not lose completely their influence in the Middle East because the price of this happening to them would conceivably be catastrophic.

 Indeed, it could be said that Israel represents the Western nations in the Middle East and thereby provides those Western nations with a formidable presence, which helps to keep recalcitrant Middle Eastern nations in check, because they rightly fear that war against them by Western nations would be disastrous for them.  Additionally, Middle Eastern nations have recognized that for their own stability, it is thus seemingly in their best interests to have alliances with Western nations, that though currently making sense, may be the type of relationship that could at some future point, be one that they will regret, because Western nations have their own agenda – for the business of oil is the type of business that Western nations must have their continual say and influence upon.

 All of the above indicates that Israel, as a proxy European nation, works hand-in-hand also with the United States of America to pursue the mission to, in essence, impress Western desires upon the Middle East, with the basic objective to have either compliant Middle Eastern leaders that adhere to Western goals or to defang those stubborn Middle Eastern nations so that they aren’t able to assemble a viable sovereign nation, and thus represent no threat to Western national interests.  In short, Israel is a powerful presence in the Middle East, and will continue to be so, because the intent of Western nations really comes down to the salient fact that as long as oil is the engine of economic growth, then Western nations must have a controlling influence upon such, and thereby a strong military presence in the Middle East is there to effect that very thing.

School motto: Give Them A Chance

The schools in America are clearly unequal, and far too often, still segregated and discriminatory, which is a true reflection that America still has a lot of ground to cover in order to make up for historic prejudices as well as the prejudices of today which thereby serves to keep those that are the unfavored, the disadvantaged, and the poor often excluded from their children having a fair chance of receiving a public education that would be of true value to them.

 Look, it has to be said, those in the most impoverished circumstances need to have at a minimum, within their community, an educational sanctuary that will serve not only to feed the students food, but to school them in a way and manner in which they will be accomplished in the fundamentals of not just reading, writing, and arithmetic, but also a prevailing moral code of what a good societal member consists of, which is consistent with the values of that country which professes to believe in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, for all.

 To the degree that America does not care a whit about dealing with systemic poverty as well as injustice is one thing, but to take those that are newly born or have immigrated to America at a young age, and to not provide them with a fair and equal opportunity to attend public schools that will do an outstanding job of educating them, is to destroy the hopes and dreams of those that have the potential to do wonderful things but are essentially closed out from having a reasonable chance of this actually occurring.

 Each generation should want to aspire to be better than the previous generation, and in consideration that the rich don’t need any help, and the middle class though squeezed, seems to be able to maneuver their way through society so that they can manage alright; this thus signifies that this government of, for, and by the people needs to create citadels of sound public education so that this country will have the best and brightest throughout all age groups and income levels, and thus become what it claims it desires to be, which is great, again.

 Indeed, most people can handle just about anything that comes their way that is unfavorable if they can see that there is some legitimate pathway that will either make their life better, or if not that, their children’s life better.  We live in a day and age in which the separation between those that are ill-educated as compared to those that have a good education has never been more stark, so that, it behooves this nation to see that those that are currently the least amongst us, have their fair opportunity to prove themselves by being educated in a facility that is structured to do exactly that, which would make not only for a more cultured society, but also a more inclusive one, as well, for those that have educated their minds are the same that are well positioned to be successful and to do good for their community.

The return to serfdom

We read through Google AI that in January 2020, “The wealth of the world's billionaires was approximately $8 trillion,” and that in April 2025, “A record 3,028 billionaires had a combined net worth of $16.1 trillion.”  This signifies that over the last five years that the wealth of billionaires has doubled.  Perhaps this is a good thing, but in reality, it’s mainly a very good thing for billionaires and is not a good thing for those who are, in essence, subsidizing those billionaires; as well as it isn’t good for societies, for the more unequal a society is, the more systemic problems that it thereby has.

 When it comes to governments, it has to be remembered that governments need money in order to conduct their business, and the best place to scare up money is going to be taxing appropriately those who have buckets and buckets of money, as in billionaires.  Regrettably, governments the world over seem to have effectively been “captured” by those billionaires, so that billionaire wealth isn’t taxed at the levels that it should be, and, of further insult, they aren’t taxed appropriately when they no longer are among the living.

 There was a time when the middle class of America was the envy of the world, which perhaps is still sort of true today, but those that have spent any time looking at the sheer numbers of the declining middle class, and their general nervousness that they will be able to maintain their position, let alone improve such, would make most people re-evaluate that all is well, for the middle class is being squeezed, so that though it has been said we will always have the poor amongst us, we also have a middle class which is not nearly as secure as it should and ought to be.

 We seem, therefore, to be on a path in which, just as in times of old, societies will be structured and are being structured in a way in which the superrich have everything, with a small enclave of those that directly or indirectly support those superrich personages, and in which everyone else pretty much has the scrapes off the master’s tablecloth to live upon. Indeed, inexorably we are returning to serfdom, because without a government that actually is of, for, and by the people, we have instead a government that is of, for, and by the billionaire class, proved by the fact that billionaires are consistently getting their way in everything that affects them, and thereby getting ever richer, which thus signifies that the mass of the population is getting ever poorer and thus have ceded their hopes of achieving the American dream, to those that have more than enough already.

 It could be said that life is a battlefield, and if that is so, the battle is clearly in the distinct favor of the billionaire class, which is an incredibly small subset of the people that populate societies.  This signifies that the “lord of the manor” is back, and is bigger and more powerful than before, for when that which governs us has been compromised on behalf of the superrich, then the result is what we see today, and unless the billionaire class is brought to heel, we as a people will return to being lackeys and serfs.

The objective unfairness of DUI “Less Safe” laws

Just about every driver is aware of the law in regards to a DUI (Driving Under the Influence), of which, what is considered to be Driving Under the Influence is directly related to the alcohol in a given driver’s bloodstream of which the Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) at or above 0.08% is considered to signify that the driver is under the influence of alcohol and subject therefore to jail, monetary fines, and possible license suspension.  This thus indicates that a DUI is a very serious offense, especially considering that most people need an automobile to get to work and to take care of errands and things of that sort.  So, to be charged and convicted of a DUI is pretty much devastating to the driver guilty of such.

 We live, though, in a day and age in which not only do a multitude of people take prescribed medicine, which could readily impair their driving ability, but we also have a multitude of people who take illicit drugs, which could do the very same thing.  The difference, though, between these drugs, licit and illicit, is that, unlike alcohol, there doesn’t seem to be an industry standard as to how to measure such, in order to determine not only possible impairment, but to objectively state that this drug is or is not in a given driver’s bloodstream, and therein lies the rub.

 The problem with drivers who have taken licit or illicit drugs that appear to have impaired their driving ability, is currently dealt with differently in different States, so that a State such as Georgia, has something labeled “DUI Less Safe” which relies on an officer’s testimony that because the driver had, for instance, bloodshot eyes, or the smell of marijuana, or failed the field sobriety test that these are considered to be a true indication that their driving was impaired, and therefore the charge of DUI Less Safe is appropriate.

 The problem with charging somebody with DUI Less Safe is that, first of all, the physical characteristics of a person’s eyes can vary greatly from person to person, and bloodshot eyes may have absolutely nothing to do with having indulged in licit or illicit drugs.  Further to the point, the smell of marijuana just isn’t going to be something that is tangible enough to ring true all of the time.  Finally, field sobriety tests aren’t a good or fair way to determine whether a person is or is not impaired, because those tests aren’t conducted in a scientifically objective way.

 All of the above signifies that a DUI Less Safe charge should be substantiated only when the evidence of drugs has been determined through a reliable chemical test of the driver’s blood, and in the absence of such, the charge should be seen as speculative. That is to say, those charged with a DUI are charged because their blood alcohol level is at or exceeds a certain level, which is why it must be said that DUI Less Safe charges should be held to the same sort of scientific account, or else it really isn’t fair or just, at all.

Vote with your pocketbook

It used to be that for an effective boycott or civil action to occur, the leadership would have to come from institutions such as Unions or Churches.  We now live though in a day and age, in which social media permits those with like interests to band together to be effective in getting across their complaints about the unfairness or discrimination of different businesses or organizations, thereby permitting those that are motivated to effectuate change by the pressure of an unrelenting boycott, that has specific goals in mind and stays focused upon the prize, that will make their blood, sweat, and tears all to be worthwhile.

 Indeed, catchy and pithy sayings such as “don’t buy where you can’t work,” are not only easy to remember and to identify with, but they get right to the point about the complaint that the people have, especially when this government, of, for, and by the people has taken a “hands off” approach to injustice, or has thus permitted the wheels of justice to move so slowly, it would appear that those wheels aren’t moving at all.

 This is why, whenever the people are disappointed that progressive legislation that has been passed is either being effectively ignored or has been neutralized by those in executive or judicial positions, that this necessitates a call to arms to do something of merit to reverse what has been wrongfully taken from the people.  So that, when we think about diversity, equity, and inclusion being negated by executive or judicial fiat, the correct response is to band together, to put pressure on those institutions that are not being progressive in their hiring practices, so that their business is affected in a way and manner that they will be forced to pay attention.

 After all, the demographics of America have seriously changed over time, so that, never have there been more citizens who are non-white, non-Christian, and not necessarily in harmony with conventional views upon gender or sexual orientation, as well as of national origin.  This is why like-minded people who have money in their pocket need to be cognizant of where they spend that money, and thereby to support those institutions, stores, and restaurants that are inclusive, and to boycott those that are not, for in doing this, they will make progress in those areas where progress needs to be made.

 What makes a boycott effective comes down to the boycott being focused on a certain specific issue, and that those who are part of that boycott will not relent from their efforts until they receive justice.  This thus signifies that boycotts need to have an overriding specific purpose that will often have ripple effects when successful, because other companies and institutions will desire to get ahead of the curve, as opposed to having to deal with a boycott that will negatively impact their business enterprise.

 Indeed, all those who are motivated for change have got to recognize that collectively their money and their voice can effect that change, by hurting businesses where it really counts, which is their profit and their reputation.

Are foreign-based gangs a true threat to Americans?

Just because something is talked about, over and over again, so that the perception is that the barbarians are at the gate, doesn’t necessarily mean it's true. For instance, we are told that America is being overrun by primarily Latino-based gangs that are wreaking havoc in our communities by committing violent crimes, drug dealing, and drug running -- thereby making our communities to be unsafe and effectively in some aspects, that in some communities, it is alleged that they are now under the domain of these foreign gangs.

 The truth of the matter is that while there are foreign gangs that have infiltrated America, their overall footprint isn’t all that great and the crimes that they are committing are not only localized but often is focused upon their own people that have immigrated to this nation, as opposed to some fearful belief, that law enforcement, and the overall protection of American citizens is somehow been negated or is in danger of being overcome by these foreign gangs.

 The primary problem that foreign gangs have, of why therefore they aren’t really the scourge of our civil society, is the salient fact that foreign gangs are obviously foreigners, and thus do not look like the primary race of America, which is the white race.  Further to the point, most of those that are part and parcel of foreign gangs not only do not look like white people, but they are also incapable of ever assuming the guise of what an upstanding white citizen looks like.  Additionally, the members of foreign gangs are notable for their lack of having a good grasp of English, of which also the minimal English that they do speak has a strong accent which makes them out to be foreign born, and those that are foreign born, ill-educated, and unable to play the part of what a responsible citizen looks like, are not going to be readily amalgamated into the polity of any community, especially when they are seen as being detrimental to such.

 No doubt, within America, there most certainly are criminal elements, but those criminal elements that are most successful are the very same that look the part of regular American citizens, and thereby are adept at infiltrating or making clandestine agreements with law enforcement and politicians, which is why the mafia not only exists in America, but persists.  On the other hand, foreign gangs are not only not part of the mafia, but their chances of ever being part of the mafia are slim, because they are way too violent, and the crimes that they are committing do not permit them to be something that law enforcement would lack motivation to see eradicated.

 In sum, foreign gangs may in fact be here in America, but they are essentially exploiting their own, and lack the sophistication and tools to not be seen as a blight that needs to be eradicated, which, in due time, they will be; because they simply are no match for all the multitude of law enforcement arms of America, in addition to the fact that these foreign gangs don’t have the mojo to corrupt who they need to corrupt to effectively stay secure in the crime business.

Accept your friends for who they are

Friendships aren’t the easiest thing to maintain in the world, because undoubtedly our friends are going to disappoint us in one way or another, and because of that disappointment, we may find ourselves desiring to change them into a form that will conform to our expectations of what that friend ought to be doing in the relationship with us.  The thing that people need to understand well about friendships is that the healthiest friendships are ones that allow room for error and mistakes, as opposed to being judgmental and unforgiving to the other, especially in consideration that not only is a lot of what we have to complain about, not really that big of deal in the long run, but also that we are pretty much incapable of fairly judging our own friendship as viewed by our friend, and thereby because of this flaw, we have a strong tendency to see ourselves as being far more virtuous or helpful, then we actually are, typically because we aren’t fairly judging our own self, mainly because that is impossible to do.

 While it may not be the easiest thing to accept our friends as they are, it’s the best policy to have.  Additionally, we shouldn’t just pout or be secretly angry when things don’t go as expected, for good communication is a necessary component of a good friendship, we thereby though need to do our part to overlook that which doesn’t necessitate a negative or critical comment, thus being careful to bring up our judgments or disappointments in the other’s behavior towards us, only when it serves a good or higher purpose.

 A life without good friends is always going to be a life that isn’t going to be as good as it could be, because human beings are social beings, that need to relate one to the other, and when this is lacking, because we don’t have any close friendships this therefore makes for a more dissatisfying life, which is why we not only need to have friends, but also why we need to be good to our friends, even when we feel that they aren’t as good to us, as they ought to be.  Similarly, it’s essential to have good friends, for when the chips are down, it is our friends whom we desire to lean on, so that they can be that ever-present help in trouble, helping us to get through what we need to get through.

 Also, we need to acknowledge that none of our friends are mind readers, so if there is something that we need to get off our chest, then we need to bring it up, or else it will remain unspoken and therefore unresolved.  Additionally, friendship isn’t necessarily always about the difficulties and issues that we have in our personal life, but needs to have a mixture of just plain fun and joy, so that in our friendships, sometimes we are going to have to leave some of our biggest troubles at home, to perhaps be dealt with on a different day, because part of friendship is the knowing that we need to enjoy our life, as opposed to just enduring it.

Recognize the soul in your intellect

We find that especially in Western nations that the development of the mind is of upmost importance, so that there is a subset of those that populate these Western nations that are highly intelligence, and often take pride in the fact they are knowledgeable about certain subjects at a level which is unsurpassed by virtually anyone else, except for those that are in the same sort of field.  This signifies that they are able to see and to know things that most others are either completely ignorant of or simply don’t have the capacity to know.  This thus gives those of such specialized intellect a definite leg up upon all those that lack such.

 In life, we are responsible for our ideas and the actions that we take on behalf of those ideas applied, so that those who have high intellectual knowledge need to be cognizant that they need to be responsible to that knowledge, because not everything that we know is going to be beneficial when applied, which means that discretion is necessary to be exercised within that knowledgeable domain.

 So too, those that are highly intelligent, must at the end of the day, recognize that not only do they have an innate responsibility to do right by the society that they are a member of, but that within their being there needs to be, or should be, the recognition that they must answer to the eternal soul, that all have within their being, and by doing so, this will keep them grounded and aid them in making right decisions, as opposed to the belief that because they have developed their mind so adeptly, that they need not answer to anyone or anything, because they are part of the class of people, that have applied themselves to knowledge so well, that they are thereby superior to virtually all others, and hence need not bend their ear to those that they consider to be beneath them.

 Indeed, not too surprisingly the power behind the throne is often in the hands of those that are intellectually superior to the general population or even the leader of such, and because of this, they thus have far more power to effect change and to effectuate what does or does not happen, of which, when the intellect is not tempered by some sort of humility or the knowledge that their ethical soul should not be discounted or ignored, then bad and misguided decisions are the result of those that have not taken into proper account, the value of wholesome reflection.

 That is to say, the knowledge of how to make and implement a device or its equivalency that is so powerful that it would be devastating to humankind if so activated or released needs to be prudentially controlled, or else in the wrong hands, it could wreak incredible and terrible havoc upon societies, which is why those that know so much, are the very same that need to comprehend that knowledge used unwisely, is the very same as knowledge that has forsaken the bounds of ethics, to become that which could be a horrible bane to society as we know it.

Power and pride need the virtue of humility

Oftentimes, it is not easy to achieve power.  This signifies that those who have achieved power are typically the very same who have been focused on achieving it, above all, thereby indicating that many powerful people do not demonstrate humility, because they believe they cannot afford to possess it, which would thus diminish them.  So too, those that are too prideful typically won’t countenance being humble in anything that they do and accomplish, because it is often their belief that they got to where they are by their own initiative, and therefore need not bow down to anyone or anything.

 The problem with power and pride making a purposeful or ignorant decision to discount the value and virtue of humility, is that these people because of their position in society, are in the catbird seat to get done what they desire to get done, and when they believe that they need not listen to anyone, except those that echo their positions and opinions, then it becomes a scenario in which whatever that they want, they so get; and if they can’t get it right away, they will take steps to do what they have to do to get it, which may mean not just stepping over people, but actually stepping on them, as well.

 In truth, those that are at the pinnacle of power, should desire to have informed and virtuous assistants that will help to keep them grounded, by telling them the types of things that they really do need to know, because without that balance, those in power, will simply believe that they are so gifted, that there really isn’t a thing that anyone else could tell them that would be of interest, because they know what they need to know, and need not know anything more.

 For a certainty, there are those who are so prideful that they won’t deign to listen to others, because the person so expressing their viewpoint is considered to be beneath them, and thereby to listen to them would reflect having to have some humility, which those who are prideful believe would make them look weak or indecisive.  Yet, powerful and prideful people need to be self-aware, because their power permits them to do and enact things that those not in a position of power aren’t capable of doing, and because of that, they should desire to receive honest feedback from those that they are affecting, so that they can be of service to others, as opposed to ignoring service, or believing that service is something unbecoming of their powerful and prideful position.

 Indeed, power and pride have a way of corrupting the individual, of which, those that will not bother to self-reflect and take an honest account of who and what they are, along with an understanding of how their actions affect others, are putting themselves on a pathway that will not end well, which is why those that can temper their ambition with humility, are the same that will accomplish great things, because they are wise.

Plays should not always be played the same way

Plays have been around since civilization first started. There are plays still being performed such as of Shakespeare that have been performed for centuries, of which, truth be told, the play as it is today of Shakespeare, is not the same play that was performed centuries ago, or even necessarily a decade ago, because directors, set designers, playwrights, editors, the players, and the like, all have their place and their input to bring forth, along with the salient fact that no real creative personage desires to carbon copy what has come before, but rather desires to use the source material as a template to create thereby their own vision and spin of a particular play.

 There are those plays which have been on Broadway, or on a tour of cities for Broadway shows, that have been enticing audiences for decades, of which, while an argument could be made that audiences love the familiar, because they can identify with what they have previously heard and seen, which thereby brings them comfort, that though doesn’t seem as if it should be the only thing about how a play should be presented, because it limits the director’s hand, and doesn’t adapt to the fact that audiences are subject to change over time, nor does it make the attempt to make the play better or more relevant.

 Look, it has to be said, there isn’t any fixed rule that necessitates that a play has to be the same thing, ad nauseam.  Rather, plays that are currently on Broadway, should be subject to change, of which, that change shouldn’t have to wait until there is a revival of a given play which hasn’t been performed in that theatre for several years, but rather there should be a pathway for plays to have more than one current version, so that the audience and the performers of that play, aren’t doing essentially she same thing every performance, by acting and reading the same lines, again and again and again.

 Indeed, there is a lot to be said about having variations to plays, as a purposeful thing, because as much as a given person might have a favorite food, or some favorite clothes, they aren’t going to keep wearing or eating the same thing every single day.  So too, those that are an integral part of the show aren’t necessarily going to desire to perform the same thing in the same way, and still find it to be fresh after hundreds of performances, but rather they would appreciate the opportunity to have a variation in how the play is acted and performed.

 All of the above signifies that the audience does not need to see the same play that was performed yesterday or that will be performed tomorrow, but should be given the chance to see the play in a format, that is subject to change, in which, the acts are interpreted differently with different lines and different staging, which will enliven many of those in the audience, to remind them that the players are real, and the story so being told is done in real-time, making this a medium that is superior to that which has been recorded and cannot be changed.

Every decision has a consequence

The decisions that we make in life make a material difference to how our life turns out, but not just for ourselves, but also for others, as well, because there are those decisions that will have consequences that impact others, directly or indirectly, for good or for bad.  This thus indicates that we really do need to pay attention to the decisions that we make, in the sure knowledge that even if we don’t consider ourselves to be of that much importance, still our impact upon those that we know or congregate with can have consequences far beyond what we envision.

 Indeed, we learn by the examples and exemplars that we come in contact with throughout our lives, and when we see people in authority who have made decisions that are immoral, unethical, and selfish, we will feel that impact upon us.  This is why we need to recognize that ultimately, no matter who we are dealing with, that the decisions that we subsequently make are ours to own, which signifies that we are accountable for our own thoughts, actions, and deeds – thereby indicating that we need to be responsible in those very things.

 Far too many of us don’t seem to recognize the responsibilities that we have been gifted or burdened with, and it is our duty to do right by those responsibilities, to the best of our ability.  It is well to remember that this world is a proving ground, of which, each of us will be tested, again and again, providing us with the fair opportunity to prove our mettle, and therefore to show that we have not only learned our lessons well, but that we have appropriately applied those lessons for the betterment of the society that we are an active member of.

 We are thus provided with temptations, not to destroy us or to misdirect us, but rather they are presented to us so as to determine whether we will or will not make the right subsequent decisions, and thereby to garner the best consequences, or whether we will make the wrong decisions, and suffer fairly the fate of having chosen unwisely.  What we become and what we are is fairly determined by the collective decisions that we have made, for few can truthfully say that where they are in life has absolutely nothing or little to do with the decisions that they have previously made, but rather there is a correlation of decisions made, the consequences so of, which must be recognized.

 In fact, the consequences of our decisions may not be fully known to us, because what we do and say impacts others in ways that we may or may not have anticipated.  Nevertheless, we are responsible for all of our decisions, and to the degree that we are cognizant of the consequences of those decisions that are unsatisfactory to us, we need to make amends so as to right the ship, for in the end, the captain of the ship of our life is the one at the wheel.

Promises made and promises not kept

Just about everyone has come to that stage in which they have met their match and have come up short, and thereby in their desperation or of the hope that the door is not completely close, they turn to God, or perhaps to their parents, or even to their self, and make a solemn promise that if this cup would only pass from them, that they would make amends for what they did wrong, or to make good on an event that transpired that was deeply regretted.  Indeed, even the most prideful will find themselves at that point on their knees, in abject supplication, and in apparent sincerity, to ask forgiveness, to make amends, and finally to make that promise that they will reform and make good on that promise, come what may.

 In life, we find that words and intentions are not the same thing as actual deeds, and that therefore promises made are not always going to be promises kept, because quite frankly, not every promise is an easy task, and because a given promise, has its challenges, along with its commitments to what needs to be done, it is not therefore a simple or even straightforward task to get accomplished.  So too, there are many a person that makes promises wily-nilly without any real intention of keeping such, though occasionally they do, and the reason that they don’t keep their promises is that they didn’t really have an intention to do so, but merely mouth the words that they believe will make that trouble to pass, and thereby get on with their lives, without any real concern that they have violated their promise, whole cloth.

 Then there are those others who really do intend to make good on their promise, but because of their addiction, or their lack of determination, or their ingrained weakness, they find that they can’t seem to make good on that promise, even though they give it a good try.  For these people, it is doubly disappointing to know that they have broken their vow, along with having slipped right back into the sinning or back into their character faults, which have caused them so much pain and trouble, and thereby continue to hurt them, and when they duly reflect upon this, they feel immense sorrow and disappointment.

 Finally, there are those who, at the time of their pleading, were absolutely sincere that they would make good on their promise, and had duly sworn to do so, and in that moment, their words and intentions were true.  However, time has a habit of eroding even the best of intentions when the temptation to go back to what we are familiar with still exists and is available for us to rejoin, as well as the fact that we take comfort in doing what we have been habitually doing, even though we know that it is wrong.  These then are the most troubled souls, because when the chips were down, they pleaded and begged, and promised reformation, but subsequently did not reform, signifying that the path they are back on is the same one that is going nowhere and will not ever redeem them.

The federal minimum wage needs to be much higher

On May 1, 1956, the federal minimum wage was raised to $1.00/hour.  That’s right, $1.00 an hour, which goes to show you not only how low that the minimum wage was, but also that quite obviously the value of a dollar was appreciably higher back then as compared to what it is today.  That is to say, smartasset.com calculates that the buying power of $1.00 of 1956 would be equivalent to $11.85/hour in 2025.  Yet, the federal minimum wage has not been raised since 2009, and remains stuck at $7.25/hour, despite the fact that the United States, in whole, is not only a much richer country than it was back then, but that this wage has not kept up with inflation, in addition to the fact that the wealth disparity between those that are very rich as contrasted to those that are not, has arguably never been higher, than it is, presently.

 While each State has the right to raise their minimum wage to take into account inflation, fairness, and other considerations, and therefore are permitted to legislate a higher minimum wage for those that are employed in their respective States, we do so find, that twenty-six States do not have a minimum wage of at least $11.85/hour and that twelve of those States, have kept their minimum wage at the same level as the federal minimum wage, which is exceedingly low.

 It would be one thing if a minimum wage were equivalent to a living wage, but it isn’t that at all. The minimum wage really represents a wage that will put a minimal amount of money into the employee’s pocket, but certainly not enough to make a living on, which is why so many people that make a minimum wage, are the very same, that will take on a second job, because their first job does not provide them with enough income or hours of employment to live on.

 Look, it has to be said, that all those who are not only willing to work, but are actually working, should be provided with a wage that they can reasonably live on, especially in consideration that this is the richest nation in aggregate in the history of the world.  Indeed, suppose America believes that those so employed need not earn a living wage, or even have the minimum wage indexed to inflation, as Social Security is. In that case, it need not change a thing. Still, the result that this country will get will be the result that we currently see, which is a sizeable dissatisfied section of the country, and a continuation of the rich getting richer, at the expense of those who are poor and exploited.

 This signifies that the representatives of this nation need to do their job, which is to do right by the population of this country, and to thereby see that the minimum wage is adjusted to a much higher level that will do something constructive about the poverty and lack that so many working Americans suffer from, and it this nation will not do this, it is to its own lasting disgrace as the so-called leader of the virtues of capitalism, supposedly lifting all boats.

Interest rates definitely do matter

Regrettably, there are a fair number of Americans who really don’t understand interest rates or the cost of money, but they really should.  After all, what we collectively pay for in terms of our student loans, mortgages, credit cards, and various loans comes down to the cost of that money, and the higher that cost is, the greater it impacts our pocketbook.  For a certainty, those who are debtors, strongly prefer that interest rates be low,  because that signifies for them that the cost of that money is going to be lower, regardless of whether they mathematically understand the difference between a 20% interest rate or a 5% interest rate  So then, it is true that those that are debtors are going to desire lower interest rates. In contrast, those who are savers, along with being conservative investors, are going to prefer interest rates to be higher, because higher interest rates signify to them that they can get a better rate of return on their CDs, savings accounts, and money market accounts.

 Since this government of the United States has a massive federal deficit, and continues to be fiscally irresponsible regarding balancing its books, it is incumbent for America to strongly desire that the cost of borrowing money, be trending to being lower, because that means that the monies so being allocated to the payment of that debt, or at least making that debt to stay current is going to be easier to achieve.  This would seem to strongly imply that this government would be a strong proponent of lower interest rates. So too, it follows that we find when interest rates are lower that this typically encourages the general population to spend more and to thereby save less, which is good for the economy, for the advantages of saving have effectively been reduced meaningfully.

 That said, one of the notable problems with lower interest rates and thereby less savings is that we often get more dollars chasing after goods and services, which thus creates the drawback of higher inflation.  Additionally, for those who prefer to passively save their money and to thereby invest that in CDs or similar, they are going to have to add to their risk, because the return on CDs is too low and will not therefore keep pace with inflation.

 All of the above are indicative that interest rates most definitely matter, and that those who are savvy understand well that the best time to borrow or to add to one’s debt is when interest rates are low, and the best time to passively invest is when interest rates are high.  This signifies that those that read the tea leaves best, are the same that are going to get a superior result, as opposed to all those that blithely go about their business without bothering to understand that ignoring the fundamentals of interest rates, will impact their financial well-being, and thereby not valuing correctly the money that they have in hand or that they owe, will be something that they will ultimately regret.

CEO incentives are good for the CEO but bad for Americans

When it comes to corporate America, we find that those that are in upper management, such as the CEO, CFO, President, and so on, are often incentivized by the Board of Directors, with stock options which are dependent upon the stock price rising, which is of upmost concern to those then in management, as well as for those that are its stockholders.  While this might seem to be a win-win for everybody in the sense that a higher stock price, typically reflects a corporation that is both growing and making sustained profits, the problem is that when that incentive is so lucrative and so desirable, that those at the highest echelon of corporate management, are going to be sorely tempted to do things that are unethical, deceptive, and just plain wrong, so that they can meet whatever goals have been set forth before them, and thereby collect their outsized stock option benefits.  That is to say, while it is true that money is a great motivator for many people, we also find that money is a great corrupter for those who are tempted to push the envelope in order to obtain what they believe they have to have.

 Indeed, an argument could be made that if huge stock options for upper management are so beneficial for the corporation, then it thus follows that this would also be beneficial for all those who are employed there to also have stock options, so that whatever is good for the goose should be good for the gander. The thing is though, while it is true that there are a fair amount of companies that do provide stock options for their employees, it is a truism, that most of those stock options for your standard employee, is something that is nice to have, but isn’t going to make them rich, or impact their life so dramatically, that they move up in class and status; whereas, for upper management, those stock options are worth millions upon millions.

 The main issue with outsized incentives for upper management is that there is going to be a strong tendency not to disappoint the earnings and revenue numbers that Wall Street is expecting, quarter by quarter, which thus lends itself to manipulating the accounting books in a way in which earnings are managed and manipulated which thereby makes the best impression.  So too, those that have stock options are going to be incentivized more times than not, to perform what they believe will help to “goose” the short-term profits as opposed to taking the time to make investments now in Research & Development, that might well serve the company a whole lot better.

 Finally, when profit is everything, because one’s large bonus is dependent upon such, this puts one’s self-interest in the driver’s seat, and thereby that which concerns the community, the environment, or in general, doing the right thing, is going to take the back seat to that self-interest, and so to thereby believe that multi-national corporations are going to always do right by the people is belied by the fact that self-interest will always come first, and therein lies the rub.

Let the strong survive, and the continuation of white privilege

Nobody in their right mind truly believes that all races, all creeds, and all national origins don’t matter when it comes to how people are treated in the United States of America.  That is to say, most everyone recognizes implicitly all the advantages that the favored race has in America and continues to have, and to the degree that white Americans don’t completely boss this country in all of its dimensions but have had to cede control in different areas, does not though indicate that whites are somehow no longer the favored race, but rather whites certainly will continue to be the favored race for quite a while, and arguably there are certain races and creeds in America, in which, it doesn’t seem even conceivable that they would ever supersede the white man.  For instance, it can readily be believed that Native Americans will never be in the catbird seat, and this pretty much continues with every other race in America.  So then, all of this is really a prelude to the fact that a significant portion of white Americans somehow are able to believe that discrimination against certain races and creeds has been eradicated, or if not completely eradicated, remedied in this country, but that viewpoint is clearly mistaken.

 The fact of the matter is that being white lends itself to all sorts of privileges that other races and creeds will either never have, or have to work extremely hard to earn the respect to be treated in a way and manner that is similar to the favored race.  That is to say, whites don’t have to earn a damn thing for they are born with that privilege; whereas, those of other races and unfavored creeds have to continually prove themselves, and often do so against the odds, because the structure of the institutions in America which once were on the pathway of liberal progression, have reverted to the belief that nobody should be provided with any sort of handout or unearned merit, regardless of their circumstances of past or present discrimination, but rather each should simply run their race, of which, the belief is that somehow all races and creeds are beginning that race pretty much at the same starting line as the favored race is at, which simply isn’t true, whatsoever.

 Look, it has to be said, past discrimination cannot ever be fully remedied, but it certainly can be ameliorated, and for the government of this country to turn its back on those that have been historically discriminated against, and still are discriminated against, demonstrates that America is not living up to its creed of equal opportunity, liberty, and freedom for all.  This is why legislative laws have previously been passed, in order to provide the structure that will help to level the playing field, and to provide fair opportunity for all, thus making this a country that is a sanctuary of fairness to everyone that comes to its welcoming shores, and thereby to do something constructive about the fact that white-born advantage has for far too long superseded the content of one’s character.. 

The anti-abortion delusion

Certain areas of conflict are so divisive that sensible people don’t bring them up when they know for a certainty that the opposing side has views upon the subject which are adamant, unchanging, and unyielding.  One of those seminal subjects of argument comes down to those who are pro-life, who are also known as anti-abortion, as opposed to those who are pro-choice, also known as pro-abortion.  When these two sides get together, civility seems to take a backseat, because each side is convinced that they are in the right;  whereas, it could be said that each side has its reasonable points. 

 One of the things that is most annoying about those who are anti-abortion is their contention that life begins at conception, which thereby means there is no reasonable pathway to ever have an abortion, and thereupon essentially means that women are not sovereign when it comes to their own reproduction, but that their body is essentially controlled by the state.  What makes this position completely untenable is the fact that pro-life people do not correctly comprehend what life actually means.  To believe that life begins at conception necessitates a belief, therefore, that the physical body is preeminent and that if there is a soul, it does not factor into their anti-abortion mindset.  In other words, those who are anti-abortion are the very same who seem to believe that physical life is the only life, and when we are physically dead, we are dead.  The contradiction to this is that many of those who are pro-life are quite religious, which presents this dilemma -- for if it is contended, that we have a soul, it has to be admitted that one’s soul is indestructible, which thereby means that such a soul has neither a beginning nor an end, thereby signifying that the aborting of a fetus does not ever destroy the eternal soul of which, it is the soul that represents eternal life.

 So then, the delusion of the anti-abortion crowd is their belief that they are saving lives, but in actuality, they are, at best, taking control of another person’s physical body, so that the fetus can conceivably come to full term, which they contend creates life.  What it does is create physical life; however, the soul preexisted before the physical body and will exist after the physical body, for souls are beyond time and space, as they have no end and no beginning.  This thus indicates that the argument against abortion should really be about that women, as well as men, need to be more cognizant that sex begets babies, and if they wish to avoid the inconvenience of a woman becoming pregnant, when this is not desired, they have a multitude of options which will preclude this, that they should, as responsible people, take advantage of.

 Additionally, though Roe v. Wade is no more the law of the land, the structure of how abortion was legislated through that decision, was reasonable at the time, and seems fairly reasonable today, of which, the sooner a woman can address her pregnancy and make a responsible decision the better, and there really should be a cutoff point, in which abortion is no longer permitted, such as fetal viability, which is generally considered to be 24 weeks. But to say that pro-life proponents are somehow protecting life seems to ignore the fact that a fetus is contained within a sovereign woman’s body, and that life does not now, nor has it ever begun at conception, but rather life for physical beings begins only when the eternal soul enters the body, which is just before birth.

The Johnson and Johnson corporate credo

The corporation known as Johnson and Johnson was founded in 1886 and incorporated in 1943.  Its chairman from 1932 to 1963, Robert Wood Johnson, wrote a credo in 1943, which if corporations of America actually believed in and followed this credo, this country would be in a far superior position than it currently resides, because this credo is one that demonstrates that corporations have a responsibility to do right by the community that they are an integral part of, and by the people that they employ, along with the customers that so purchase their products.

 For instance, Johnson wrote that the corporation needed to “…maintain reasonable prices,” of which so many corporations of today aren’t especially interested in reasonable prices, but rather desire to get as much out of the pockets of consumers as they possibly can.  Additionally, way before diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) became part of the American lexicon, Johnson wrote that “we must provide an inclusive work environment...”  He also wrote that “compensation must be fair and accurate,” and also “there must be equal opportunity for employment…” Furthermore, we find that Johnson wrote “We are responsible to the communities in which we live and work..” along with “bear our fair shares of taxes,” and also that we need to protect “…the environment and natural resources.”

 Not only was Johnson’s credo brilliant in its concepts and his expression of those deeply held beliefs, but all this remains as relevant today as it was back when it was first written, and quite frankly should be part and parcel of what all corporations should be held fully accountable to, because corporations need to be good citizens of the state, which, after all, have permitted their existence in the first place, which thereby means that they need to do right by the employees that they hire, along with being in harmony with the environment that we all live and breathe in, and also serve well the people that are its consumers.  This isn’t really a high ask, at all, but is a reasonable request that corporations understand better that their objective should not be exclusively about money, money, and more money. but rather it should be about providing fair products at a fair price, and to take care of its own in a fair manner.

 Instead, we seemingly live in an age of unending greed, that seems insatiable for a lot of corporations today, of which, the objective of far too many corporations, is to “game” the system, so that they receive from the state, tax abatements and tax avoidance of all types, and seemingly take pride in paying the least amount of taxes that they can thus successfully avert, by using all sorts of financial shenanigans to cheat the system, and thereby put the burden of paying taxes onto the backs of American citizens, throughout this great nation.

 Indeed, it has to be remembered that corporations are artificial constructs of the state, and should thereby be held to the fullest account to their responsibilities of that state, of which, those responsibilities start at the principle that they need to be good corporate citizens, so proven by these corporations being focused not exclusively upon profit, above all, but rather by doing right by all those that they are in contact with, which demonstrates corporate responsibility, for the good of the people, and of this country.

Recessions and the fear of economic slowdown erode union power

Those who are in the corporate business world never seem to let a crisis go to waste, signifying that the best time to undercut or damage a union, or simply the employees of the company that are non-unionized, is when there appears to be the imminent threat of a recession or a slowdown in their business.  This thus allows these corporate entities to pressure unions even though they have an agreement; but it is still insisted that adjustments need to be made, which will in their effect, hurt those of the union, because economic conditions have forced the corporate hand to reduce labor expenses.

 No doubt, there are business cycles, but the thing is, there is something called profit, and the earnings so retained from that profit, of which, if corporations made it their point, that their employees are the most important thing to them, as well they should, then a poor business climate or not, they would be more proactive in coming up with salvation plans that would not first impact negatively labor employment, their salaries, or their benefits, for as it has been said, bad times don’t last forever, so hasty and imprudent decisions made now, have serious consequences for employees which should be averted.

 So too, in this global age, it doesn’t even have to be about a recession to express the belief, for instance, that foreign companies are poised to take market share, or are actually taking market share.  This, then, is indeed a problem of a different sort, of which the very purpose of governments so created, especially when that government has tremendous economic clout to do something constructive about foreign companies, is to take up the mantle to do right by domestic corporations so that they are prudently protected from ceding share to foreign markets.

 The thing about unions in companies, is that a significant portion of corporate management, spend an inordinate amount of time, concentrating on what they can do to weaken said union, which is why when there is fear in the air, corporations are typically already prepared with what they are going to advocate for, in regards to unions having to sacrifice something of merit, so that the company can maintain its existence and strength.  This type of mindset wreaks havoc upon those who are employed, because it, first of all, does not give them a true seat at the table, which would be indicative that contracts so mutually agreed upon aren’t really solid in their construction.

 Finally, when it really does come time for heads to roll, the heads that should be first in line to be eliminated, should come from upper management, for these are the very people that have the highest responsibility to the corporation and the employees that make up that corporation and when they have failed in their foresight about this or that, they should be the ones to face the music, as opposed to those that in the scheme of things, need the consistency of their paycheck, along with job security, which they absolutely depend upon to make their way in society so as to do right by their own.