Government: What should it be good for?

For those who bother to read the preamble to our Constitution, it clearly states that the government, under the consent of the governed, has a duty to “promote the general Welfare” of the people.  This is something that our politicians, legislators, and the Commander in Chief of these United States need to keep first and foremost in their minds, because how society judges its government should have just about everything to do with how that government has helped and aided the people in making the society that they are integral members of, better and more fruitful.  This signifies that, to the extent the government does not competently perform its duties to the people, it ought to be held accountable by those people for failing to fulfill its main function.

 So then, quite obviously, what government should be good for is making the lives of the people to be better than it would be without such government and whenever that government consistently fails to do what it ought to do, then the people do have the right to replace or amend such, because the bottom line is that the main function of any good government, is to be beneficial to the people, especially in consideration that the people are taxed as their obligation to that government, which means that their monies so extracted should be prudently utilized for the greater good of the people.

 Indeed, any legitimate government needs to answer to the people by being forthcoming regarding the issues of the day, which signifies that the government needs to be far more transparent and open to the people, and far less obtuse and secretive.  That is to say, the less the people know about what is really going on behind closed doors of the government, the less that the people have a say or input in what their government is actually doing on their alleged behalf, and further to the point, it’s hard to hold accountable that which the general public is not even cognizant of.

 There isn’t any doubt that we need governance in order to have a well-functioning society, but not all governance is good governance, because there are plenty of governments that essentially run over the people, by the injustices so displayed in their court of laws, as well as the policing arm of the state demanding obedience from the people, and thus silencing dissent.  So too, our representatives need to actually represent the people as opposed to being beholden to those with money, position, and status who have essentially bought what they want, at the expense of the people.

 In fairness to the people, there should be a periodic true reckoning of whether or not the people are in actuality, receiving fair beneficence from the government that has an inherent responsibility to them, or whether the government has essentially been captured by private actors for the expressed benefit of those elites, and therefore the people aren’t receiving the good that they are entitled to and have faithfully paid for.

Incarceration needs to be totally reevaluated

The fact that America locks up so many of its own, and in comparison to Western European nations, thereby represents a true outlier as to what to do constructively about crime, should be seen, therefore, not only as an embarrassment, but also a reflection that America is not nearly as freedom and liberty-loving as it claims to be.

 While it could be argued, that violent crimes of all colors should necessitate the locking up of the perpetrator, it could also be argued that even in these sorts of cases, there might be viable diversion programs that would be sensible in getting to the root of the problem, but even if violence, mandates incarceration, we find that a significant amount of those so locked up, are locked up for “victimless crimes” such as substance abuse, prostitution, vagrancy, and the like. Further, there are those “white collar criminals” who are locked up and could probably be dealt with in a way and manner in which their communications are restricted and monitored, with an obligation to pay back those they have ripped off.

 Basically, it has to be said, that incarceration should not be the default of how we deal with people that have committed crimes, not only because incarceration as currently structured in so many ways, does a poor job of rehabilitating or fixing what needs to be fixed, but also because of the ongoing expense that is incurred.  This signifies that we ought to look at solutions that utilize the monies so devoted to the carceral state in a way that is not only more innovative but also cheaper in the funding, so needed, while also providing a better chance that the criminal will mend their ways by addressing that which will help to resolve or mitigate their situation.

 Look, if this country believes the best way to deal with crime is punishment and nothing else, then it truly doesn’t need to change a thing.  On the other hand, if this nation believes that it ought to at least investigate what could be done as an alternative to incarceration, then it needs to take up programs to do that very thing.  Further to the point, this nation should admit that a significant amount of crime is committed by those who have come from dysfunctional families, are ill-educated, and have a dearth of opportunity to consider.  This thus reflects that the structure of the society that we are all members of, should not only be studied, but that we ought to do something constructive to help those that are the most vulnerable, because those that see no future, and realistically have no future, because their skillset is suspect or completely lacking are the very same that are going to make trouble for society, and the best way to alleviate trouble is to figure out what causes it, and then do something productive about it, as opposed to locking people up, under the mistaken belief that this resolves the problem, rather than admitting that all this does is put it out of sight.

The United States and the chance of lasting peace that got away

The so-called “cold war” between the United States and the Soviet Union, lasted nearly 45 years, of which when those fifteen countries that were formerly part of the Soviet Union, became independent from the Soviet Union in the period of 1990 to 1991, this presented to America a terrific opportunity for America and Russia to bury the hatchet and to thereby not only ease the tension of a possible nuclear war, but also to ally themselves with one another, as was done, during the darkest days of World War II.  Instead, this opportunity was missed, and must be to the lasting regret of both nations. However, it has to be admitted, this construct is the clear preference of the military-industrial-technology complex that this nation devotes hundreds and hundreds of billions of dollars to, yearly, thus enervating the social safety net for millions of Americans, all because this nation at its highest level was somehow unable to come to a lasting peace or even to embrace a friendly alliance with Russia.

 To believe, somehow, that because Russia’s governance is different from ours, or that the way that their economy is operated is not fully in line with capitalism, thereby signifies that we can’t be at peace with them, is contradicted by the very fact that America has solid relationship with plenty of nations that are autocratic, repressive, and no respecter of the civil rights of their own citizens.  In other words, the opportunity to turn swords into plowshares with Russia was clearly missed, and this should be seen as a betrayal of the citizens of these nations, if not also of the world at large.

 Indeed, governments come and go, as do empires and unions of nations, which thereby signifies that when the world changes, those that are paying attention need to see this as a true opportunity to help make this world a better and a safer place, because countries such as the United States and Russia have historically spent an inordinate amount of monies on military affairs, which doesn’t benefit humanity, while also making the world less safe, as well.

 We ought to think that since America believes it is so great, because it is a beacon of freedom and opportunity for all, that we, of all countries, would make it to be our point to do everything reasonable within our power to help make this world to be safer, by the recognition that warfare should be an absolute last resort, and thereby replaced by sensibility and diplomacy as contrasted to insisting that Russia is somehow a true viable threat to world peace, when in actuality, Russia doesn’t have the power to hold a candle to the United States, and further to the point, has absolutely no interest in doing so.

 In sum, the American public has been bamboozled into believing that its way of life is under constant assault, from all sorts of bad actors that simply won’t stand to accept our prosperity and freedom, when in actuality this isn’t the case at all, never has been the case, and never will be the case, and until America changes its tune and learns to be far less bellicose, the world will continue to be in danger of a worldwide conflagration, due mainly to America’s intransigence.

Where have all our heroes gone?

Although we are a quarter of the way through the 21st century, there just doesn’t seem to be any real heroes developing in the United States; whereas back in the 20th century, there was a multitude of heroes, such as:

               Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr: A great civil rights leader

              Helen Keller: An inspiring advocate for those with disabilities

              Dr. Jonas Salk: An innovator and developer of the polio vaccine

              Bishop Fulton Sheen: Renowned religious author and Emmy Award winner

              Eleanor Roosevelt: A powerful advocate of civil rights and women’s rights

              Daniel Ellsberg: Courageous whistleblower of the illuminating Pentagon Papers

 The list above could go on and on, because the 20th century had a significant number of people who were pioneers in civil rights, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, transparency in government, fairness and equality for all, justice, governmental safety net, social security, and enforced protections for minorities.

 When we look at the 21st century, we find that the attention of so many Americans seems to have devolved into just their personal cares, such as we see for those who spend an inordinate amount of time tethered to social media, as compared to engaging themselves in the real world and doing something of substance, instead.  So too, far too many Americans not only don’t know their history, but, when it comes to those they admire, are somehow fixated on just great athletes or actors or super-successful CEOs, as if these alone are our best and brightest.

 Indeed, we seem to live in a modern-day construct in which communities aren’t as healthy as they could be, because there aren’t enough people who are intimately involved in their community, and typically don’t feel any obligation to volunteer or to engage in community affairs of the day, which weakens communities because people don’t seem to understand that in organized numbers there is power, and in order to effect change, people need to join together, or else the powers that be, will simply continue to rule the roost, which might be okay, if all was well, but it is not.

 The reason why we need heroes is that not only do we need someone or something that will encourage us to get involved, but also because our heroes represent people that we can try to emulate, by conforming and adhering to what they are doing and saying, while also doing our fair part to bring meaningful change, because in the absence of the people, relating with the heroes of the day, nothing of worth actually gets accomplished.

 Perhaps it could be said that it isn’t so much that we need recognized heroes, but rather what we need is more of us to get engaged in activities which are going to be beneficial to the society that we are a part of, thereby making those that perform such on behalf of the people, to be people that we admire as our unsung heroes, because in the end, being a hero has a lot to do with basically accomplishing what ought to be done, by sacrificing something of our personal time to work for the greater good of society, as our valued and necessary contribution to it.

None of us is mistake-free

It’s good to want to achieve a perfect score, but a lot of times those perfect scores are achieved within a construct in which it’s fairly reasonable for a student who studies and applies themselves to get a perfect score.   In the real world, perfect scores are well-nigh impossible to achieve, even under the best of circumstances, not only because there are too many things occurring that are out of our control, but because the nuances of what is being accomplished don’t lend themselves to perfection, though they will lend themselves to achieving what needs to be achieved at a competent and sustainable level.

 Those that don’t ever want to make a mistake or pride themselves of the belief that they never make mistakes, are the same that pretty much aren’t going to do much of anything, other than just sit on their rearends and just exist, for those that don’t venture much of anything at all, are the same that aren’t going to make many mistakes, because they aren’t doing anything that risks them making a mistake.  On the other hand, those who diligently apply themselves to the task at hand, in their personal and professional lives, will make mistakes, of which the object of the exercise is to learn from those mistakes so that they can become better and more knowledgeable at what they are trying to achieve.  After all, whenever we push ourselves into unknown territory, or areas that we are not proficient in, mistakes are going to be an inevitable part of the learning process, but through the lessons learnt from those mistakes, we will progress to the point that those previous mistakes don’t really matter, because we have overcome them.

 Indeed, to progress in life, we need to grow into the skillset that we must learn to master, and doing so, will result along the way, of making mistakes, of wrong turns, and even setbacks, but those that persist and have a reasonable plan of action, are determined, and are relentless in the achieving of their goals, will work through their mistakes to get to where they need to be.

 So too, it is frustrating when we fail, but the lesson to learn from failing is not to give up, but rather to dust ourselves off and to do what we need to do to either overcome such, or when faced with a daunting task in which we simply aren’t qualified, to find something else that is a better fit for us, for there is never any shame in the trying, though there is shame in those that simply quit without investigating whether there is something else that could be achieved, even if it represents what appears to be a lesser goal, for one of the things that we need to remember is that the most important part of life is the journey, and that as part of that journey, mistakes will be made, adjustments will be made, knowledge will be gain, and obstacles will be overcome, all with the general understanding that everything that we are challenged with, is there for our ultimate benefit, because it will help us to become a better and a more self-satisfied person.

Before there was Hiroshima or Nagasaki, there was the firebombing of Tokyo

While most Americans are quite familiar with the fact that the United States of America dropped two devastating atomic bombs on Japan in August of 1945, they are far less familiar with the firebombing of Tokyo, accomplished five months previously, in March of 1945, of which it is estimated that there were 100,00 deaths, upon this major city filled not with military officers or armaments, but with civilians.

 To believe, somehow that the deliberate and premeditated killing of civilians at an industrial scale is somehow acceptable and therefore not a clearcut war crime is not to understand that warfare necessitates some degree of rules that are abided by all parties, and the wanton killing of unarmed civilians for no greater purpose other than to put the “fear of the wrath of God” into them is a chilling type of inhumane mindset.  Remember this well, military officers have a definite chain of command which necessitates that several of the highest officers in this land, in addition to the Commander in Chief, somehow saw fit to permit this air bombing with incendiary cluster bombs, with the sure knowledge that this would create an incredible conflagration, which it duly did, and subsequently killed 100,000 people, along with a significant amount of property damage.

 So too, it’s easier to commit this type of action, when the propaganda so being disseminated at that time, made it seem as if Japanese were subhuman, and by virtue of designating the Japanese as being lesser than, it thus made it far easier to kill that which wasn’t considered to be fully human, though, of course, Japanese are just as human as any other race within this world.

 The one thing that can be said about bombing, precision or not, is that the destructive power of bombs is often quite impressive. To the degree that bombing is a necessary act to destroy enemy military infrastructure and/or military troops has its place, but it should not be used on civilians, or in areas in which civilians are prominent, because, quite frankly, war is supposed to be about military forces engaging one another, and not about unnecessary and unwarranted taking of lives of civilians, especially when we consider that the firepower of modern day’s armaments has never been exceeded in the history of humankind, which signifies that there is an inherent responsibility to demonstrate restraint, for those that do not, winners or losers, should be held to account for wrong and unnecessary acts, for the sake of the good and future of humanity.

 Instead, what we so find is that it is the victors that do all the judging after a war, in which their crimes aren’t even typically recognized as crimes, but rather, the losing side is the one to suffer the general opprobrium and penalties which are duly imposed upon them, seemingly saying to the general public, that it’s okay to commit war crimes as long as you win, because the only thing that really matters is winning, no matter the ethical and moral cost that will have to be paid at some future date, somehow and somewhere.

The need for a new Kefauver Committee

We find that way back in 1950-1951 Congress held televised hearings investigating organized crime, and while there have been subsequent committees and in fact today we have the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations which deals with many things, including organized crime, it has to be admitted that when the general public is questioned about organized crime and the naming of any individuals that come to mind, they typically can’t come up with a single American name of such in the 21st century, but rely on names such as Al Capone and John Gotti from yesteryear.  Look, we live in an age of the information superhighway, along with a high level of domestic monitoring of our communications of all sorts, which thus would seem to signify that never has so much actionable information been available to be acted upon, but there doesn’t seem to be much that is being robustly done that addresses the scourge of organize crime, which begs the question as to whether this nation believes that organized crime is simply a non-entity because it seems as if the powers that be, treats it that way.

 The fact of the matter is that there is so much illicit activity happening within America’s borders, such as with illicit drug manufacturing, its transportation, and its distribution, that it doesn’t seem possible that this nation doesn’t know who some of the biggest players involved in this trade are within America, and never seems to make it to be its point to do something constructive about it, through the usage of RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations) Act, or through the usage of the IRS for all the money being illicitly made but undeclared and hence a form of serious tax evasion.

 So too, the point of having hearings addressing organized crime is not to simply embarrass particular players within such a milieu, but to see that justice is done, because not doing so, sends the wrong message to Americans, and especially impressionable Americans, that apparently it’s okay to break the law, and to undercut the good values of America, because it seems as if those that have the power to do something constructive about it are unwilling to do that very thing.

 The one thing that can be said about organized crime in all of its many facets, is that those that are involved directly or indirectly in it do not desire to be exposed, because not only is publicity bad for their business and their image, but it puts a face upon the crimes that are being committed and the next sensible step thereby to implement would be to indict as many as possible at the highest levels of organized crime by bringing appropriate charges against them, whether it be criminal, perjury, or taxation related.

 There does come that point, where those in governance have a responsibility to the people of this nation, of which one of those responsibilities is to see to it that illicit activities that are well- organized and well-funded, face the music of what they have done and continue to do, because that’s the right thing to do and is also necessary for the continual safety and happiness of the people.

Sensible tariffs

There is no doubt that tariffs, properly considered and thought about, have their place. Still, it has to be recognized that this is one of those things in which tariffs imposed on a certain country and its specific goods may prompt a countermove by that same country on our domestically produced goods intended for export, and so on.  In other words, tariffs are always a two-way street, unless one country can just impose its will upon another, which may well result in some future form of blowback. In reality, the best tariffs are going to start with the foundation that a conversation needs to occur between the respective countries and businesses so that something sensible can be agreed upon, which makes for the best structure of tariffs.

 Also, when it comes to tariffs it needs to be recognized that there are going to be winners and there are going to be losers, from an export/import business perspective, so then a conscious decision needs to be made as what a given country’s priorities are when it comes to tariffs, of which, a reasonable viewpoint would be to see that tariffs are minimized for the basics and essentials of life, which thus benefits those that have the least amount of flexibility when it comes to where they expend their money, and thus this signifies that high tariffs are best imposed upon items which are seen as luxury or non-essentials in which those that have the capital can continue to buy these goods, but will do so at a higher price.  In other words, it’s a mistake to hurt the pocketbook of those who are most vulnerable, but rather it is best to impact the pocketbook of those who have that discretionary income to purchase those high-value items, should that still be their desire.

 Additionally, the imposing of tariffs should necessitate that the legislative arm of the state has its fair say, so that both sides of the political aisle can weigh in on where and how much tariffs ought to be while also taking into account that a serious conversation should be made with foreign nations in consideration of those tariffs which are being contemplated upon; in addition to the important point, that tariffs ideally should not be imposed without warning, but should have plenty of warning, so that all involved parties have time to adjust to how the rules of the road are changing.  So too, tariffs that are imposed willy-nilly, that are here today, then gone tomorrow, and then back the next day, and change from one percentage to another percentage on a daily basis, or simply on a whim, should never be permitted, because it isn’t fair to any party and businesses need to know where they stand or else they won’t be able to properly prioritize what they should or should not be working upon. 

 To the degree that tariffs help to protect domestic industries definitely has its place, and thereby imposing tariffs on certain foreign goods has its purpose, but all of this needs to be carefully thought through, which necessitates communication with all pertinent parties, which is not only sensible but also represents the right thing to do.

What are we fighting for?

Each time that America insists upon going to war, declared or undeclared, it needs to not only ask the question as to what America is fighting for, but after it is all said and done, it needs to answer the question as to whether or not America achieved what it set out to achieve.  This question and corresponding answer are absolutely paramount, especially with a nation that has the audacity to determine that its required budget for military affairs should be $1.5 trillion, which quite obviously means that those who are its citizens are going to get a whole lot less when it comes to any sort of safety net, education, infrastructure, healthcare, and so on. 

 The reality of America and its wars is pretty darn clear, of which it could be said that since the end of World War II, there has not been a single war in which whatever objective America professed to have in mind was actually achieved, and in many a case, was not only not close to being achieved, but actually made the situation worse.

 To believe somehow that America is fighting for freedom and democracy throughout the world is an absolute lie that has no foundation behind it whatsoever.  There isn’t a single country since the aftermath of World War II that America has helped to secure freedom and democracy, which clearly makes the point that America isn’t fighting for freedom or democracy at all.  Rather, America seems to be fighting for the glory of its empire, but doesn’t have the integrity to admit to this, perhaps because the American public would not be all that supportive of such a huge amount of money being devoted to that empire, which benefits the few and well placed, while hurting the common people of this nation, thereby contributing to our present day, civil unrest.

 Those who will not examine what did or did not occur from a fight, which cost this country blood, sweat, tears, and money, are the same who have their heads in the sand.  So too, those that keep insisting that the only way to resolve conflict is with the sword are the same who will continue to support this same sort of mindset when it comes to their own population, whenever they are not behaving in the manner that it so desires, which definitely undercuts freedom, democracy, and just about all the good that this nation was founded upon.

 Indeed, today’s warrior mindset, in which America believes that diplomacy has no place, because that necessitates conversation, compromise, and concern for the other, signifies that America’s only true belief is might is right, and thereby America will fight first and ask questions later, of which, in the end, it doesn’t even care about the answers, as long as the other side, submits, or if things aren’t going well, America gives up, because the cost is too high, and then makes it to be its point to find someone else to fight with, ad nauseam.

The infrastructure of the illicit drug trade in America

We read from the RAND corporation report that “Spending on cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine by Americans reached nearly $150 billion in 2016,” which surely means that this number has increased even more to account for illicit opiates as well as fentanyl.  The sheer size of this number should be deeply disturbing to all Americans, but even more so, it signifies that for all this illicit drug business to be occurring within America, this necessitates a robust infrastructure for these illicit businesses, which isn’t discussed or thought about nearly enough.

 When we look at an orthodox American business, we recognize that for that business to reach sales of just 1 billion dollars, it will require real estate, security, computers, personnel, transportation, logistics, data storage, accountants, lawyers, salespeople, management, inventory, and banking.  All of these very things are also necessary for the illicit drug trade and even more so, because illicit drugs operate outside the law, but nevertheless still require things that all companies of a certain size need in order to operate, be efficient, and grow.  This thus signifies the rather obvious point, that whether transactions are done with cash, or cash like instruments that banking is going to be required to be involved with all the money that is coming in and going out, wittingly or unwittingly, but still involved in the drug trade, which means that whatever controls that are currently in place to monitor such are doing an incredibly poor job of catching much of anything.  So too, while the United States has plenty of law enforcement personnel, it just seems rather obvious that certain of those law officers have been compromised in one way or another, or else there would be a much more serious interdiction of drugs coming to America and being distributed throughout America.  The bottom line is that whatever is being done at present sure isn’t that effective, because just about any illicit drug is easily obtainable within just about any city in America, without exception.

 The one thing that we know for a certainty is that sums of $150 billion just can’t be hidden and what this nation really needs to do a far better job of accomplishing, is to follow the money, because all those transactions are going somewhere to something, again and again, of which, there doesn’t seem to be the type of serious interdiction that should be accomplished, actually occurring.  Additionally, America has some very high-budgeted secret agencies, such as the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA, which one would think would have their finger on the pulse of the drug trade, but rather, it seems like these agencies, regrettably, either aren’t doing their job well and competently, are quite possibly, are compromised and even aiders and abettors of the illicit drug trade, for their own ulterior motives, typically justified under the mistaken belief that if it is only the underclass of America, suffering from this drug scourge, it’s no big deal.

 All of the above would indicate one important belief: America hasn’t done nearly enough to eliminate or to rein in substantially this drug flow in America, which begs the question as to why, because the volume and monies are so large, it seems as if the powers that be aren’t even really trying, which is rather suspicious.

Learn to govern yourself

There wouldn’t be a need for government if people knew how to govern themselves and did so in a competent and reliable way.  After all, when we think of the purpose of government, it really comes down to providing the ways, means, and structure so that the people are able to best obtain satisfactory lives, based upon the foundation of fairness, equality, justice, and opportunity for all.   This signifies that the purpose of government is to help assure that these things occur, and the best governance is that governance which has the interests of its constituency first and foremost in mind and performs its duties on behalf of its citizens, for the betterment of the people.

 We find that the best family structure is not just a family that knows what is proper, but demonstrates through the head of the family, in their actions and deeds, that they live by the same code that they profess to believe in, so by example, this thereby underscores the words and good advice so given.  That is to say, for those in authority to know the right thing to do, but to do the very opposite will result in a family that is going to acknowledge that apparently rules and good advice are meant to be broken or disobeyed at one’s discretion or convenience, which is the type of object lesson that damages young minds.

 So too, the best government is that government in which those at the very top are full of integrity, fairness, wisdom, and the belief that all are created equally, and therefore is no respecter of persons, but rather makes it to be their point, that favoritism has no place in that governance, but rather it is the content of one’s character that matters, and thus that government is not beholden to those that have bucketloads of money, or are in positions of great corporate power, and so on.

 Additionally, it is important to remember that those who behave well when their parents are in the same room, or when their teacher is in the classroom, but when outside of such, they show their true colors, are those who have failed to develop correctly the governance of their own self.  Indeed, nobody can be watched 24/7, so there is plenty of opportunity for all sorts of bad events to occur when it seems as if nobody is watching, but that which is done in secret and is wrong will have negative repercussions, sooner or later.  Also, it has to be admitted, that it is not possible to be two opposing things, for in the end, we will be one or the other, so that those that occasionally lie or cheat because it appears to be beneficial for them, at that moment, need to admit to themselves, if nobody else, that by doing so, they have failed to govern themselves properly, for if it is good enough for the goose, then it is good enough for the gander, which is why we have so much trouble in this world, because bad deeds ultimately have bad consequences, known and unknown, all stemming from our failure to govern ourselves responsibly and ethically.

Governments and religion

When it comes to the loyalty of its citizens, most governments are cognizant that their citizens typically have an affiliation with some form of religious faith and that many of those take their faith quite seriously.  This signifies that governments in many a case, understand therefore that they should try to be in harmony with the prevailing religious faith, at a minimum, so that the population is more at ease with that governance, for whenever a governance is at odds with the faith of the majority of the people, then one side or the other will ultimately prevail, and even though governments have control of both the purse and the guns, religion has a way of prevailing, given a long enough span of time.

 So then, intelligent governments that are engaged with their citizenry, recognize that being on the right side of the faith of the people, is going to be a win-win, which is why we see that historically there has been set aside a particular day of the week, dedicated to the people’s faith, so that typically secular activities such as carousing, drinking, shopping, and the like have had restrictions imposed upon such, voluntarily or by law, so meant to be of benefit and aid to religion, because by limiting what is considered to be acceptable to perform on a set aside religious day, restricts what people can or cannot do, and therefore will possibly mean that people will amend their behavior in a way that comports with the tenets of that religious faith, at least, for that day.

 Additionally, governments understand that the right form of religion imposes an ethical code of conduct on its believers, which typically conforms to what the government would prefer to see from its constituents.  That is to say, governments understand the value of integrity, family, obedience, labor, and charity, which signifies that to the degree that religion can help these to be imprinted upon the population, then the better behaved that population will be, which makes for a more quiescent population, which is typically something that governments prefer, especially over civil unrest, and a consistent clarion call for change, change, change.

 While critics have said that “religion is the opium of the people,” it needs to be recognized that societies need not only social cohesion but also social direction, or else the result will be something less than ideal, and to the degree that religion in a positive way can help people to believe in something outside of their own personal domain, and to believe that how they interact with others and behave makes a difference, in this world, and on judgment day, it has to be admitted therefore that religion not only has its place but is vital for the governance of people, especially when the population is large and spread out along a vast amount of territory, because there needs to be commonality from north to south, and from east to west, and while a Constitution has its place and purpose, so does religious faith, especially when these two things, together, augment one another.

The collective pursuit of the removal of the unauthorized foreigner

What we find in any society is that there are those times in which that society progresses by doing the right thing of justice, fairness, and equality for all, as opposed to those times of doing the wrong thing, consisting of prejudices, intimidation, and injustice for those who are not part of the orthodox power structure and its beliefs.  Indeed, there are those societies in which those that are in privileged positions have no interest in seeing their position subject to being assailed, and therefore make it their point to find a “bogeyman” that needs to be controlled or contained, by selling the story that this “bogeyman” is the reason why that society is in danger of losing its overall status, wealth, and safety.

 It's hard to believe that in this enlightened age in which we have been correctly taught that we ought to judge others by the content of their character, that there is a nasty undercurrent that believes the very opposite in which characteristics such as the color of a given person’s skin, or their income, or their religious faith, or their heritage, are all things that need to be in conformance to those that believe that they alone have the marks of a certain righteousness and therefore all those that do not have those same symbols should be seen as the lesser and thereby should be pursued out of existence, or else that society will be harmed by them.

 Indeed, those in authority or who have the collective ear of the people are in the pole position to push for policies that insist that life can be broken down into a very simplistic formula, of which those who agree with them in principle are right, and those who do not adhere to that principle are wrong. This though isn’t enough, for the powers that be further stipulate that the people need to choose as to which side that they are on, and if failing to make that choice, will be considered to be on the wrong side, because the intent by those powers is to make it be the duty of all those “right thinking” people to concentrate therefore on the noble effort to eradicate, eliminate, or to restrict those that have been designated as an unauthorized foreigner as well as their sympathizers.

 In other words, foreigners and their supporters that do not conform to what the powers that be consider to be in adherence to what they desire, by virtue of, for example, their lack of income, their lack of being the right color, or their lack of being the right religion won’t be tolerated, and further to the point, it necessitates that all people that desire to be in keeping with this professed mandate must do their fair part to exclude these people from having any place in society, with the overall objective to eliminate these undesired people from having any foothold in society by denying them the very things that people need, such as income, shelter, and acceptance.

 It is this type of relentless mindset that basically insists that a side must be taken and those who take the wrong side are the same who will be held to be guilty of essentially aiding and abetting those who are undesirable and will be subject to the same type of opprobrium and punishment so doled out upon the unauthorized foreigners.

Monopolies are bad for continual progress

It seems a real shame that American governance has turned its back on trust-busting as well as on the vital need to break up monopolies that dominate particular markets, especially in this day and age, when never have so few mega-corporations been so profitable and powerful.  No doubt, size has its place, and can indeed most of the time demonstrate the efficiencies of that size, but the bottom line is that the lack of competition is going to make these companies not only complacent that they are deserving of their status, seemingly forever, but also when they are permitted by this government to buy out and merge with upstarts that might well become a competitive force, that simply ends up shutting down the innovation and creative destruction from coming into play, because it has been co-opted  After all, we need to recognize that corporations are mainly driven by both growth and profit, which means that for many a corporation that owns a particular market, that they aren’t interested in coming up with true innovations that may well cannibalize their existing product line, but instead are more concerned about doing what they can to continue to have their customer base be beholden to them, especially when the R&D to continue with their current product line, will remain quiescent, since they aren’t interested in wholesale change, but rather prefer small incremental change, instead.

 Look, corporations that own a market are going to, for the most part, desire to keep that money flow going for as long as they can, without desiring to risk anything of substance that may or may not even work for them.  That is to say, those in upper management aren’t typically looking for anything that will disrupt a good thing, even if they recognize that it may well be time to take that under serious advisement, because they enjoy the status and privilege of the status quo, and don’t desire to see what already works well enough be in danger of having that flow, interrupted, which is why they aren’t interested in anything that would truly be a game changer, because it might mean risking what they have, and they don’t want to do that.

 The hard part in any business, is becoming successful, and from that success, the next objective for many corporations is to increase and to enhance that success, which can be done through many avenues, including the merging with competitors, so that market share will rapidly rise, and the bigger that market share becomes, the more power and influence that company will have on every level, which is typically quite good for not only the bottom line, but for the longevity of that corporation, as well, and since corporations are subject to responding to their stockholders in addition to their Board of Directors, they aren’t going to want to take unnecessary risks, but rather they prefer to show projections in which the profits and growth will keep coming in at a healthy and steady pace, which lends itself to the protection of legacy products, and a reluctance to be innovative and certainly not to embrace creative destruction, because the risks don’t align well with the rewards.

Picking on the wrong target

Bullies come in all sizes and shapes, but the one thing we can say that is common for all bullies is that they pick on those that they perceive are the most vulnerable, for they make an easy target for them, along with the salient fact that they are going to be able to bully them without any real fear that they will ever lose the battle.  While this may well make a bully to feel good that they have intimidated and hurt the other, it doesn’t, though, do much of anything to correct or to alleviate what is really bothering the bully to begin with, which makes that person or institution a bully in the first place.

 In other words, those that bully typically have their own gripes that frustrate them endlessly and therefore they decide to strike out against those that are the least able to defend themselves successfully, but by doing so they have not resolved the crux of the problem, which is why they are going to keep up bullying again and again, without seeming to understand that those that they are bullying, are in actuality, not the problem, and clearly therefore are not the right target.

 The reason bullies repeatedly pick the wrong target is that they seek an easy solution to a problem they have not properly considered, and that is more complicated and nuanced than they think.  That is to say, the frustration that breeds bullying has a lot to do with a lack of self-respect and a concern that the foundation a bully stands upon is under some sort of assault, with the little that they have subject to being lost, and because they can’t seem to figure out where the problem lies, they seek out and hurt those who are easy targets to ease their frustration. 

 So too, the powers that be, don’t have any real issues with those others that do the bullying, because in many a case, it is those powers that are the problem, because they make it their point to desire to see some sort of constant class warfare, which signifies that those that should join together, because there is power in those numbers, are less susceptible to joining together, if they perceive the other as competing for the same small slice of the pie, as compared to wondering why it is that only the few and connected have what appears to be more than their fair share of that pie.

 Indeed, the anger directed by those who bully is almost always addressed against the wrong target, because the right target is typically corrupt and selfish people as well as institutions who are very well placed, connected, and have lots of power, or access to such, which signifies that a bully isn’t going to be successful should they try to outmuscle them, and essentially are going to fail, if they try.  In reality, bullies need to recognize that in order for meaningful change to occur, they are going to need to join up with those whom they previously bullied, because in numbers, there is strength.

Better communities, better lives

While there are still a fair amount of people that live in very small towns, and thereby almost by definition, know their neighbor, by virtue of the fact that the smaller the town the more that there is a need to know one’s neighbor, because there are going to be those trying times when they need to draw upon their assistance in one form or another, along with the salient fact that those that know one another, typically do a better job in looking out for one another.

 Nowadays, most of us live in fairly large communities in which there is a tendency to be about one’s own personal business and also because we have commitments and obligations to attend to, we believe that we don’t therefore have any real extra time to know or to bother with our immediate community, which makes for the type of community in which there may well be a lot of people that if they knew one another would find their commonality, but since they don’t bother to be a part of the community, this means that no connection is ever made.

 Look, it has to be said, that the best communities are going to be those that have people that are engaged in activities that are positive for that community, by for instance, volunteering, collaborating with others, or taking the time to help those in the community, which is all based around the foundation that they want to live in a community where people know and value one another, because by doing so, it makes for a more cohesive community, which thereby is safer and more pleasant.

 This signifies that in order to have a better community, as many people as possible, need to take some time out of their busy personal lives, to engage with others through events, through support, through cookouts, and through their desire to be of aid one to another, because each of us brings something to the table of talents, and those that are good at particular things can bring that skillset to use, so that the community as a whole will benefit.

 So too, a community that is engaged with one another is the same type of community that will focus not just upon keeping things stable, but also making it their point to bring improvement where things can be improved upon, as well as encouraging suggestions or ideas that can be considered which will make things even better, for there are lots of programs, both community funded or governmental funded that are there for the asking.  Indeed, that which makes a given community better is also going to make our lives better, along with the fact that a community that believes in one another is going to be there for one another when troubling events occur, because not only are they better prepared, but also because they are going to be more coordinated in taking actions where action is needed.

 In sum, good communities don’t just occur through happenstance, but rather they occur because the members of that community have made a conscious choice to see that their community is a good community by doing their fair part to make it so.

Should all citizens be required to do six months of community service?

The United States has an all-voluntary military force, which thus signifies that the draft, which was previously mandated throughout the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and did not end until 1973, meant that those so conscripted were compelled by law to serve in the armed forces for two years, which, when the draft ended, meant it was therefore no longer the law of the land.  This signified that since that time, nobody has been conscripted into the armed forces of the United States, and since there is also no mandatory community service required in America, either -- means that a wide swath of Americans have never been mandated to serve their nation in any capacity. 

 It would seem as President Kennedy once said, “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.,” are words that are ignored by many Americans, though it must be said, there are plenty of people that do volunteer to do community work as well as those that have volunteered to be part of our armed forces, but for a certainty, that amount of citizens isn’t close to all Americans.  This thus presses the question as to whether this nation should compel all citizens to serve their country either through the armed forces or through community service, of which, a reasonable amount of time to do such which would not overburden anyone, if it was legislated into law, could be set for just six months, and of which, those six months, would not even have to be done all at once, but could be divided into, for example, three periods of two months, or two periods of three months, with the starting age to begin such service as early as sixteen, and the finishing date to be no later than twenty-nine.

 The above seems not only reasonable but would provide the raison d'être of what it means to be American, and thereby that freedom really does cost, for the freedom that so many Americans enjoy, came at a blood cost, and therefore we owe it to those that founded this nation and those that have sustained this nation, to do our fair part to show respect as well as our fidelity to this the land of freedom.

 So too, it needs to be understood that whenever a government demands nothing from its citizens, then the buy-in from those same citizens is not going to be at the same level as those who have sacrificed something to that country.  In other words, there doesn’t seem to be any point in elementary students saluting the flag through the Pledge of Allegiance to America if being American, just simply means being born within America.  Indeed, it ought to be governmental policy that Americans should sacrifice something of value, to demonstrate that they value American ideals and dreams, or else they aren’t true patriots, but rather are resting on the laurels of those that have sacrificed blood, sweat and tears on behalf of all Americans, through their valor and bravery, which are the attributes that we too can demonstrate in our own way through our giving back to our nation, with our valued community service to this nation.

When the people no longer believe in their government

This is supposed to be a government of, for, and by the people, but in actuality, it doesn’t seem to be that way at all.  Rather, it seems like the government not only plays favorites, which thus signifies that it isn’t fair, but that the structure of government seems to be one in which those who are the most powerful and connected get their way, and therefore a significant portion of the population gets no more than the scraps off the government’s bountiful table.

 While it is probably true that most people do not desire to pay much in taxes, it has to be acknowledged that in order for a government to carry out its functions properly, that necessitates that the people will have to contribute something of their own though their labor, so that these functions can occur, typically done through taxing the people, though it can also be accomplished through voluntary acts such as through community service, of which, it needs to be admitted that without a buy-in from the general public than the government is not going to be doing all the good things that it could get done, because the people are not willingly committed to this mindset.

 Indeed, there are a lot of things that break the people’s confidence in their government, of which one of the most important ones is the hypocrisy of that government, which insists upon loyalty from its citizens, but doesn’t provide close to the amount of benefits that the people should have access to.  So too, whenever it is perceived that the government is basically corrupt, in which, the richest and the elites of society, get whatever that they want without having to make any fair sacrifice to get such, makes those that lack such power, to lose respect for that government, and therefore to consider how they can get what they want, without also doing their fair part to contribute to that government and to society, at large.

 Additionally, it needs to be understood that whenever the government no longer has the general public to believe that it has their best interests in mind, will therefore necessitate a stronger policing force of the state to control the people, because those that don’t believe, aren’t going to be forthcoming in what they are supposed to do, because they don’t see why they should comply when those in high positions get far more than their fair share, while contributing far less than what they should and ought to when it comes to their fair obligation to society.

 Finally, there cannot be good cohesion with the citizenship from one person to another, or from the government to the people, when just about everybody perceives that the object of the exercise is not to work together in cooperation for the greater good for all, but seems more to be about getting what they can get, deserved or not, which therefore means, this isn’t a society that cares about one another, but rather prefers to compete against one another, no matter how unfair the game is played, with a government, that quite frankly, doesn’t give a damn.

The whole truth is hard to find

We want to believe that what others tell us, or what we read or hear, is the whole truth, unbiased, and completely transparent.  That is the ideal, but in reality, that seldom is true, which is unfortunate, but we live in a world in which we deal with fallible and vulnerable human beings and one of those things about people is that they seldom have a real desire to make a case that will make them look bad or guilty or damage their image, while also typically not having an interest in divulging information to people that would be harmful to their overall agenda, which is why we find is that in so many times, what we hear, or learn, is not consistent or aligned to the whole truth.

 To speak the truth at all times and in all situations is probably not something the vast majority of people will ever do, especially when doing so puts them in a rather uncomfortable situation.  This would thus indicate that when we read something or listen to something, we ought to want to know who the person or institution is, and what they represent, to get a better idea as to why they might be biased in a direction that distorts what the actual situation is.  In other words, we must, in all situations, consider the source, and while we may not know their motivations fully, we oftentimes have a pretty good idea.

 Indeed, the whole truth is so seldom disseminated that when we actually hear the whole truth, it is, in its own way, shocking, because it is devoid of any misdirection or tempered with excuses or other things of that sort.  That is to say, the whole truth, can be seen as viewing the world and our society as it really is, and because of that, it can serve as a wakeup call for those that have not been paying attention, that there is plenty of work to be done by people that have the capacity to do good deeds, but have been content to ignore some of the most pressing issues of the day, under the wrong belief, that things aren’t really that bad, when in actuality, they are even worse than what they preferred to believe.

 The test of anyone who considers themselves to be authentic really comes down to the fact as to how honest and transparent that they really are, because those who spend an inordinate amount of time merely wearing the cloak of openness but are not engaged enough to do those things that are consistent with what they profess to believe, have not lived the type of life that reflects that they are a person of true integrity.  The bottom line is that those who hide behind deceit, when it is convenient for them, but consider themselves to be paragons of virtue, have done so to their own detriment, because those who lack integrity when it truly matters the most have been tried and have been found wanting, for in the end, the whole truth will be told.

"The pen is mightier than the sword."

There seem to be far too many governments and principalities that truly believe that might makes right, which, for those who have that might, makes them feel like they are doing the right thing, even though in many instances, they definitely are not.  The thing about the progression of humankind is that it needs to thoroughly comprehend that humankind needs to advance from the misguided notion that military armaments and draconian social restrictions are somehow the way that societies should govern themselves which thereupon lends itself to an endless cycle of sword against sword, and if that is the way that things are going to continue to be, surely then, we truly do have our collective heads in the sand, because first and foremost, we have been gifted with a mind, as well as plenty of historical wisdom to lean upon that we apparently are not giving enough mind to, though we really ought to.

 While there might well be a multitude of ways to win a given civilization over, the superior way is always one that shows respect for one another and clearly elucidates why a given pathway is the best to follow.  This signifies that we need to make our case to people in a way that appeals to their sensibilities, rather than forcing them to adhere to certain things or else something bad will happen to them.

 After all, any country that considers itself to be a democracy, or behaves in a manner in which the people supposedly have a voice, needs, therefore, to listen to that voice, in which arguments can be made for and against a certain proposition, so that the people have their fair say.  This thus shows not only respect for one another, but also gives people a reason to buy into their democratic participation in selecting their representatives under the expectation that their voice and concerns do matter, which makes for a society that has a vested interest in how things are conducted.

 We should want ideas to matter, and further to the point, we should want the population to be educated enough to understand these ideas, because an educated population is one that is not only going to be a lot harder to fool or to control, for that matter, but will be able to respond to the issues of the day with substance, which will make for a better resolution, as compared to a few lording it over the many, without the people having any true input on what actually goes down.

 That which is the best society is that which has fair laws equally applied to all, that values the people’s input, and is just and transparent in all that it says and does. This is what a good society should aspire to, and whenever a society resorts again and again primarily to the sword, domestically and/or through its foreign adventures, this clearly is a society that has run off course and needs to ground itself instead in sensible dialogue and to draw upon that wisdom which leads humankind to truly understand that to evolve it needs to honor the pen and discard the sword.