Tariffs, taxes, and the American Revolution

For a lot of people, the saying, “no taxation, without representation,” while seeming to be a reasonable complaint, also seems to be a bridge too far, to actually seriously contemplate, let alone to have an actual revolution, in response to that demand not so being successfully met.  In fact, it seems difficult to get enough people of substance and influence, to literally risk their lives, fortunes, and honor on behalf of such, but yet, this would appear to have been what so happened in the American revolution.

The thing about money and business, in respect to taxes and tariffs, is not a whole lot of people and businesses are all that thrilled about those taxes and tariffs to begin with; and for a certainty with their business interests involved, as well as their personal needs at risk, the arbitrary or punitive increase of taxes or tariffs is never going to go down well; especially if the perception by those colonists is that these taxes and tariffs are unreasonable.  In truth, unexpected and unwarranted taxes and tariffs will definitely have an adverse impact upon present business, while also probably negatively affecting future business, because the playing field for conducting such, has materially changed; in addition to the fact that when this is apparently subject to even further change, in the context of a construct in which the colonists have no say or sway, all makes for a very bad brew.

If you want to find a cause that will unite a people, find something that people universally believe is both unfair and punitive, and they will indeed start first with the grumbling and then they will progressively begin to look at their options as well as reasonable responses to such so as to counteract it.  Now, from the perspective, of the entity so imposing punitive taxes and high tariffs, they from a strictly accounting perspective, may well believe and also anticipate, based on past history, that they will receive a substantial increase in the future taxation revenue so collected; but they have made the presumptuous assumption, that such taxes and tariffs imposed, will not adversely affect people or their business behavior, when, of course, it will, in all probability.  So, in reality, if it used to be, that there was some degree of subterfuge in personal and business affairs, this will noticeably increase, by virtue of having that unwarranted imposition enacted.

When it comes to taxes and tariffs, it should be remembered, that you can shear a sheep multiple times, but you can only skin it once; and thereby the breaking point of what is to be considered being reasonably sheared by those colonists, to perceiving of such as being skinned, is something that no government of import, should want to cross, for by those actions, revolutions do happen, and some of those revolutions are successful.  Those governments that put an ever-higher burden upon those it so governs, and especially those governments that govern from afar, and thereby care not to listen to those opposing voices, may so find, that things will not go as expected or anticipated, for when a people's voice is effectively silenced, and when those same people, are finding themselves feeling that they are being treated more akin to serfs, they may well be so inclined to thereby seek their freedom, by any means, possible.

The freedom to express our opinion is our right

Many people believe that it is proper that we should be entitled to express our own thoughts, our own opinions, and our own speech, with very limited restrictions; of which, an example of a legitimate restriction, would be something like falsely calling out a fire at a crowded event, thereby leading to a possible ensuing panic and people getting potentially hurt.  Yet, as much as people believe that we should have the right to freely express ourselves, there are plenty of other people that believe that there should indeed be restrictions in place, precluding hateful speech, as well as other forms of speech, that those particular people do not care for.

The very basic problem with any restriction on speech, is that, many governments, even ostensibly free and democratic ones, absolutely want to have some sort of control or supervision of what is so being said and propagated, thereby signifying that often governments find the temptation to censor speech, under the excuse, such as for the security of the homeland, or for the peace and harmony of the homeland, very tempting to activate, and thereby utilize reasonable excuses to do so, such as desiring to preclude what has been defined as “hate” speech or that which is overly critical of the state, for instance.

For certain governments, busy bodies, and those other people, that don't care to hear opinions that annoy them, they do so find, that when a given person or organization can thereby be silenced, of their opinions and of their viewpoints, that this thus serves to put these entitled privileged people and governments subsequently in pole position, to have just their viewpoints and just their opinions, to be accepted by the general population as legit; whereas those that dissent or have a contrary opinion, are not accorded the same respect or opportunity.

Sure, perhaps, it is inconvenient, when other people have different opinions, especially those opinions that offend us, or hurt us, or that appear to us to just be wrong; but none of us have the right to demand that another person or organization, simply be silenced, as if we are to be the sole arbiters of what is and what isn’t allowed.  The fact of the matter is, that very few people, establish a viewpoint at a youngish age, in which, that viewpoint, never varies, never wavers, and never changes.  To actually believe that a young adult or even someone a bit older, is so wise, and so astute, that they no longer have room for growth as they age, or for change, is clearly mistaken.  This so signifies, that there are plenty of people that change their opinions and their viewpoints, based upon their life experiences as they grow older, if not all of the time, at least frequently enough, and dramatically enough, to end up, many a time, taking the very side that they so use to castigate against -- which is their unalienable right.

To be human, necessitates the free will to express ourselves in a way that we so wish, subject to sensible laws, as well as to believe what we so desire to believe, whether right or wrong.  Therefore, to express the opinion, that certain people or certain organizations must be silenced, for the good of the people, seems to fundamentally ignore the salient fact that either we are all entitled to the same unalienable rights, which includes the freedom of speech and opinion, or we are not; and if we are not, we clearly are not free.

Beyond smoke and mirrors

It certainly does make sense that we would like to make not only a good impression upon others, but that we would also like to impress others with some quality of ours that we both cherish and have.  After all, most everyone sincerely wishes to be validated by someone that they respect -- and that validation typically feels good to have acknowledged, in response.  That said, and as good as that might so be, there is an additional attribute which rises far above trying to impress someone, while also serving to get us out and away from being limited to our own self domain and ego, which is so represented by our sincere desire to make a positive contribution along with a meaningful impact upon others as our raison d'être.

Those that desire to impress others without any real substance behind such, and make this into their vocation, have not traveled much further than desiring those others to appreciate them for whatever supposed qualities that they are projecting to them, which seems to be not only a very small and limiting circle, but also a rather pathetic calling in life.  On the other hand, those that are able to find meaning in the passing on of their knowledge and wisdom onto worthy others, and find satisfaction, in those people's subsequent success, have clearly enlarged their circle, to include those that are well capable of receiving such, and thereby by these people's future achievements, have paid their fair respect to not only those that previously encouraged them, but have also passed such wisdom on, as well.

Each of us has options of how we go about structuring our interactions with others; and of which the perspective that we bring into those encounters, determines to a large extent the actual worth that those interactions so represent.  There is many a person that is really too modest, or feels that they have nothing of real import to impart, that don't seem to rightly comprehend, that even those tales of woe and mistakes so made and suffered, have their teaching value; for it is a heck of a lot better, to take personal lessons learned and suffered through, and rather than keep such exclusively to ourselves, provide the object lesson so learned to others, in the hopes that impressionable others, will not too fall prey to the exact same thing or similar, that bit us.

Far too many of us, want to impress others, to the exclusion of just about everything else; never seeming to consciously recognize that such a desire as that, is really nothing much more than seeking ego gratification.  We are meant, instead, to achieve so much more than that, of which, this can only conceivably come forth from finding something of merit to champion, that is outside of our own personal domain.  What that so particularly represents, varies from person-to-person, but in substance, it's always going to be about the same; which is to find someone or something that complements our drive and desire to help make society a better place for our participation in it, so accomplished by our doing our good part to have a positive as well as a meaningful impact upon all those that we interact with.

Acting out and the need for attention

There are plenty of people that “act out” and they do so for a variety of reasons, such as for the attention, or as a general need to have acknowledged that they are valued, and thereby worth the time of somebody to pay some mind to them, as well as to get basic confirmation from those that they congregate with that they are still considered to be a member in good standing within their particular group.  In truth, almost all of us, need to feel that we belong to someone or to some group, and many of us that feel that way, will act out, at least from time-to-time when we feel that we are being consistently ignored, or marginalized. Therefore, this so signifies, that in those situations in which a given person, is not getting the attention that they need or that they crave from that of which they expect to receive some attention from, that they will thus become susceptible to looking outside their own people or group to someone or something else to get such, and that is probably seldom a real good thing.

So then, for a certainty, those that act out and seek attention, but don't seem to receive in response the corresponding reaction so desired, or the attention so craved; are going to find that someone else that provides for them that attention, for good or for bad reasons, is probably going to appeal to them.  That, in a nutshell, is the fundamental problem, so seen, when we consistently fail to validate people that need our undivided attention.  After all, we are social creatures, that need to feel valued, and especially to feel valued by those that make up our social group.

Additionally, there are plenty of people that do get a reasonable amount of attention, all things considered, when we account for the fact that people have responsibilities and duties that may well necessitate spending appreciable time and energy away from the group, in order to take care of work, school, and other meaningful things of that sort.  So then, those people that continue to act out, are probably doing so, not so much because they really aren't getting attention at all, but rather as a way and means to manipulate others for their benefit, so as to receive the attention, that makes them feel valued or satisfied.

That said, though, those that crave attention aren't always necessarily high-maintenance, for some of those people when they do get the attention that they so richly desire from someone that they highly value, are thereby subsequently pleased to be compliant to the requests and desires of that person who is now paying attention to them, because having seen their personal value, validated, they are thus far more amendable to accommodate that person who has shown interest in them. So, to a certain extent, some of those that act out, are more than willing, to do to their quid pro quo part in return for having received that attention by thus conforming to the expectations that the other party so desires, thereby providing to all involved, a happy medium.

Why we like to give and why it feels right

One might think that the volunteering for a cause, without compensation, would be in ever shorter supply in this fast-paced world; but that isn't really true at all.  There are plenty of people that really do enjoy volunteering, and really do take pleasure in the helping of other people, irrespective of whether or not they receive anything that one would traditionally consider to be compensation for doing so.  

The reason why so many people want to give, has an awful lot to do, with the fact that first of all, we are meant to be connected, human being to human being, for we are social creatures, along with us also intuitively recognizing the important value of human connections that are real, meaningful, and sincere.  Each one of us wants to be valued, and one way to demonstrate that we value someone else, is to do something for them, without expecting anything in return.  For in reality to do something that is bigger than one's own personal domain, makes us feel like we're part of something bigger than us, and to feel that, brings the type of satisfaction that money cannot buy.

Each one of us has a deep desire to be needed, and especially to be needed by those that are our peers, for it is in that needing and thereby the filling of that need, that we feel that we are contributing to the betterment of humankind, which thereby allows us to feel that we are doing our good part to make a positive contribution for others – as compared to simply sitting back and desiring to be strictly catered to by them, as if we were born to that sort of entitlement.

We may want to be a lot of things, in our professional life and in our personal life, but when it is all said and done, ultimately, we want to be doing what so needs to be done to be living a purposeful life, or else we will feel some degree of dissatisfaction and disappointment as well as a lack of fulfillment if we so fail to do so; especially when we know for a certainty we could have and should have done so.  So too, the troubles and worries that we may so have in our own lives, make us better able to be put those things into perspective when we go on to helping others, for in the seeing and the knowing of how much others suffer through myriad things, makes us re-evaluate whether our lives our thus half full or half empty.

All of us want to feel wanted, yet, many of us may find ourselves not feeling in our lives, from some of the most important people that we know, that we are so wanted.  Our response to that could be manifold, but one of the best responses, so of, is to find something outside of ourselves, that permits us to lend a helping hand to someone in need, that will through the success of such, build our self-esteem up and make us feel that we are indeed doing our part to help make this world a better place for our being part of it.

“A free Press is the unsleeping guardian of every other right that freemen prize”

The above quotation comes from the incomparable Winston Churchill, of which, we don't hear and thereby take to heart often enough nowadays this important and vital wisdom, so necessary for the sustainability of a vibrant as well as an informed general public. It must be remembered, that whomever controls the narrative, is in the cat's bird seat, of manipulating and thereby effectively controlling the direction of the general population's proclivities, which is of immense value for those governments that would prefer to see nothing brokered, and desire to keep their population instead within the rails of their orthodox party line. 

Not only is the free press of vital importance to the people, but those people need also to be active participants in their own country's affairs and thereby be engaged to that which does their governance on behalf of them.  After all, if the supposed representatives of the people, aren't really representing their best interests, then the people will so duly suffer.  So too, it is essential that we be attuned to hearing our news from outside sources, as well as from independent voices that are collectively beholden to no particular party or entity, so that we can be informed of what is really going on, around us, in our name.  For it must be acknowledged that no matter how much a given government or corporate entity claims that they are fine with dissent and contrary opinions, the truth is that in regards to the perceived interests of those that are its actuators, such dissent is neither encouraged or welcomed.

Further, it has to be recognized that each of us has their own viewpoint and therefore their own opinions on a variety of topics, and anytime in essence, that those that represent the free press, are restricted in what and how they are to discuss certain subjects and report upon them, then that is the equivalency of censorship; and therefore, this is an infringement of our essential right to free speech.

So too, it has to be acknowledged that one informed voice, alone, only has so much influence; whereas the free press because of its structure is able to potentially reach a vast audience, and thereby to motivate, influence, or inform a number of people, of that which is of interest to them.  Further, there are some people that are stationed within governmental auspices, or of corporate entities, that have a dissenting opinion, or information that they would like to see get publicized, for in many a case, they know things, that the general public does not, and they believe that they have a civic duty to enlightened the general public about such.  This thus signifies that the free press also operates as a viable outlet to bring the light, to that which has been hidden in the shadows.

It is vital for the people that the free press be independent from those agencies that would try to influence it for their own agenda, for the press has a needed duty to be a bastion of defense, as well as of necessary information, that as its core, provides to the people the type of content, that is accurate and detailed enough that an informed opinion can be achieved, so that a free people can freely formulate their own opinion about matters that interest them. The purpose of a vibrant free press is to remind us that we should never want to be a nation of lethargic sheep, but rather we are meant to be a nation of informed citizens, that know how to think for themselves.

That which is moral and that which is not

There are plenty of people that aren't really concerned about whether a given action so taken by them is moral or not, or right or not, and thus pretty much go about their business without the serious contemplation of such.  On the other hand, there is a significant amount of people, that do care as to whether what they are doing is right or wrong, moral or immoral, but are prone to judge their own actions through the prism that favors their perspective and their judgment, above all others, and especially those others that seemingly have a valid counterpoint.

For all those that actually do care about how their actions, behaviors, and deeds, are received by those that they interact with, the reality of the situation is that the judgment of such, should primarily be held by those that are our fellow sojourners in society.  That is to say, fair judgment, is always best done by a jury of our peers or by a higher agency, as opposed to each one of us, judging ourselves, as if somehow, we can separate our ego enough, while also removing self-justification, so of, to come to a fair judgment.

It then follows, that what we so define as right or wrong, logically follows that it must have the characteristic of a universal doctrine.  In other words, morality can't be that sometimes something is right and sometimes that very same thing is wrong, solely dependent upon which side of the equation that we are on, or in conformance to what we so personally desire it to be; rather, it needs to be consistent while also being perceived by outside parties as having been fairly applied, all of the time.  So then, it is fair to say, that what is good for the goose, must also be good for the gander, or else that isn't justice, and therefore that isn't right.

Intuitively, we know, that what is moral, can never be that which changes with the seasons, or changes with the times; for such to be a universal law, it must be correct for all seasons and all times, or else, it isn't really moral, but rather it is something that gives, at best, the illusion of being moral, but at its core, cannot be.  This signifies that a moral law, in order to be moral, must at its foundation be that which is universal, and thereby applicable equally to all, while also being that which is good in its substance, by thereby being a principle that will be of beneficence to whole of the people, and not just to the benefit of a select few.

So then, that which is moral consists of that which is universal, along with that which is also good.  For, in reality, we so find that nothing is moral if it cannot sustain itself as a universal principle that is applicable to all; in addition to also having a purpose that must always uphold humankind's unalienable rights, as well as encouraging and supporting the improvement of our character.  All those combined, thereby, are the attributes of morality, and if any of those elements are missing, then such is not moral.

There are advantages to remaining a private corporation

The most salient reason why corporations go public is to sell shares to the general public, thereby paying back and rewarding the original private investors with the proceeds from that stock issuance, which oftentimes, can be quite considerable – in addition to that corporation also receiving in return a massive infusion of new capital from those of the public that bought those shares.  However, once a company becomes public, not only do the public shareholders have some say, but also public corporations are prone to suffering from certain investors of that public thus being able to exert pressure upon management should they feel some degree of dissatisfaction; in addition to the fact, that the company is susceptible to being under the microscope, in regards to expected quarterly earnings, from TV financial programs and pundits.

When it comes to private corporations, they are to the general public, for the most part, pretty invisible, seemingly looked upon as just regular corporations, of no real import, one way or another.  This may indeed be true for the lion's share of private corporations -- for the bulk of those private corporations aren't all that big in the sense of employees, sales, or influence.  However, it is the exceptions to that rule that make some of these private corporations, a real force of nature.

The biggest advantage that any private corporation has, is the fact that the corporation does not need to answer to any other entity or organization other than to those that are the owners of that private corporation, which typically consists of a select few that were the founders of such, or related to those founders, or those that the founders specifically brought in, so as to grow the corporation. Further, a significant amount of public companies, pay out dividends each and every year to their stockholders, as a ways and means to share some of those profits, so being made by that company, and to encourage those that are its stockholders to continue with their investment, over the long term; and this expenditure of money is definitely money that has left that public corporation to go to those that are its stockholders, of which, that money can easily represent to that corporation a very large sum of capital and therefore of its profits, so leaving that corporation on an annual basis.  On the other hand, in regards to private corporations, because they are private, they don't have any dividends to pay, which means, that the profits so being generated can be continually invested into, for instance, the buying out or the investment of other enterprises, or things of that sort.

This so signifies that once a private corporation reaches the stage in which they are able to consistently make good profits, that they therefore are in a very good strategic position, which provides them with the flexibility and the maneuverability to get business done, with thereby an absolute minimum of outside agitation or pushback, which allows them to pursue whatever business arrangement that they best see fit, thereby giving these private corporations an enviable amount of dexterity to get accomplished business deals that make good sense for them.  In short, private corporations that have access to the capital so needed or have generated such, have created a clear pathway that arguably will permit them to grow at a faster pace than public companies, for they need not pay out any dividends, nor answer to public shareholders, which has eliminated those inconvenient obstacles and puts them instead into a very strong business position.

Before there were clocks and watches there was twilight and dawn

We live in an era in which the knowing of what time it is, is as straightforward as looking down at our watch, or our smartphone, or at a clock on our counter or elsewhere.  So then, at virtually any time, we know what time it is, and thereby are able to deal well with all the things that are time sensitive, such as showing up for work at a certain time, going to an event at a specific time, or meeting up with a friend; which are all things that we monitor through the knowing of what time of day it is, of which, those people or things that we are interacting with, all keep track of time the same way that we do.  In other words, time is structured in an orthodox way that all are privy to.

Nowadays, we take the knowing of what time it is, as a given, of which, few people, ever contemplate upon how often and how dependent we are on knowing that time, of which, the prime example of this, is when we simply meet up with people at a certain time, in which, by the knowledge of that time, down to the minute, makes the accomplishment of that mission, seamless.  So then, to turn back the clock, so to speak, before there were watches, and before there were clocks, we were left in an era in which the time keeping was primarily based upon the position of the sun in the sky. 

We therefore find that the coordination between peoples, without clocks or, quite obviously, any other modern communication device, was left to the reading of the sky as well as of the sunlight or the lack thereof, in which, to a very large extent, such coordination came down to, each party, having a clear understanding of what they were referring to when they agreed to meet up, in which, this would thereby necessitate a very common comprehension of what something like dawn or twilight would mean to each party, and thereby, such became a good way to successfully meet up.

What modern society pretty much takes for granted is that it is in the knowledge of what time that it is, that thereby is the key that permits us to successfully get well accomplished what so needs to be accomplished, of which, the knowledge of that specific time and date, is the critical component to that success.  Those that have previously had to deal with the lack of such specificity, had to make do with their own ways of marking time through things such as a sundial, the reading of the stars, the sky, or the sunlight.

We have come a long way from having to meet up with people, based upon the position of the sun, of which, despite that handicap, there were some advantages for those people, in the sense that times were slower back then, thereby signifying that back in the day, humankind was not nearly as beholden to the specific time, so marked down to a minute, as we are so, today.

Corporate power must be checked by government

There is a fair amount of people, and certainly an awful lot of influential people, that believe that corporations are the “cat’s meow.”  These people that are typically so big on corporations are quite obviously, and almost exclusively, those that directly or indirectly benefit from the profits and monies so made by these corporations, of which, some of the mightiest of these corporations, incredibly have annual sales in the hundreds of billions of dollars.  The main reason why certain people and many corporations desire to have a laissez faire type of governmental or public oversight, is that they don’t want any undue or undesired interference in their primary business of making money.  After all, when life is good for a particular corporation, they have no interest in changing a thing.  On the other hand, the very reason, that America has an ever-higher and ever-growing disparity in the distribution of its income and wealth, in contrast to a more equal sharing of such, is the fact that corporate power in America has never been stronger, than it is so represented currently in the 21st century.

There is only one entity and only one force, that could conceivably hold a candle to what has become of these corporations, which as artificial creations of the state, are supposed to exist under the aegis of the state for the general benefit of the public, expressly provided as a condition for having been granted perpetuity as well as the removal in most cases, of personal liability.  If this government, will not do its part to see that corporations serve the public good, at least as part of its mission, then that government has done a grave disservice to the people, for the people are subject to the laws of physical life, and have therefore a finite amount of time on this good earth to enjoy the fruits of their labor; whereas, corporations if not properly regulated and controlled, are something akin to Frankenstein’s monster, which thereby becomes a corporate beast, of which, because of corporate power, strength, size, and influence, creates a construct which is exclusively good for those corporate entities, to the detriment, of the public, at large.

Most people just can’t conceptualize how big corporations have become in the modern age, but recognize, that when corporations are able to make billions upon billions of dollars in corporate profits, each and every year, then what the general public thereby is dealing with, is never going to be a fair fight.  Those then, that make up the governance of this nation, have a sacred duty to the people, to do right by the majority of those people, and for a certainty, at a minimum, play fair with the people.  Remember this well, the lust for profit and the desire for power, is a siren call that many find themselves inclined or compelled to, and as part of that drive for profit and power, many a corporate officer, is going to be sorely tempted to offshore as much of the work and labor that they possibly can for profit, as well as to cheat the tax authorities by the abusing and taking advantage of the tax code for their own corporate benefit, and are susceptible to “doctoring” whatever documents need to be “doctored” in order to circumvent pollution and environmental laws, when so deemed necessary, and finally, will do whatever serves their purpose to strangle in the cradle, any nascent labor union activity.  In truth, only the government has the necessary power and sharp tools to check corporate power and greed, and when that government is ineffective in doing so, or co-opted by corporate influence, then the end result is what we so see, today.

This is what happens when communism fails

The very idea and concept of communism, seems on the surface, to be something that would appeal quite vividly to all those people, that have little or no material worth, along with having no good prospects of ever getting there; because communism in its form, promises that all goods and property will thus be owned by the people collectively and in common; sort of like one for all, and all for one. The fatal flaw of communism, is the apparent deliberate lack of understanding that human nature, in far too many cases, is not only selfish in its personal desires, but seldom believes that they and everyone that they so interact with, are equally deserving of the same thing; or in simple terms, that everyone is now and forever basically entitled to the same material goods, without regard to effort, education, throughput, or skillset.

The actual way that communism has played out in the real world, is that there is not now, and probably never will be, a true communistic state. Rather, a significant amount of people that live in ostensibly communistic states have often been cheated out of getting a good and living wage, while also being stifled via the lack of an impactful voice in the political realm, along with suffering from the arbitrary rule of law, in addition to their inability of receiving fair access to private property, and in particular, a home to thereby claim as their own. We so find that the usual true beneficiaries of communism are those that represent the state, along with those at a high level that provide the necessary muscle and spying apparatus to keep therefore the people in line. So pretty much, communism, as practiced, is a government that has an elite that owns everything, while also having the corresponding power to suppress all those that would have the audacity to wish to oppose such. Still, as might be imagined, there is always going to be in-fighting between those at the top, along with pressure from below, in which the people and institutions get ever more difficult to control, which thereby leads to the fall and collapse of some of these communist nations.

It would be nice, if the falling of a communist nation, thereby meant a better construct for the people in general, but as in most things, in which a vacuum is created, of which, those that once held firm control of the assets and arms, have either departed from their country for safer shores, or disappeared in one form or another, is that almost immediately upon such a change, there will be ambitious others that will gravitate to this opportunity, of which, virtually none of these people, are going to be commoners, whatsoever. Instead, a meaningful portion of these replacements are invariably going to represent the muscle of the former communistic state, in the sense of military power and spying acumen; as well as those others that are well placed in the most important industries within that nation, that will thereby take over such, for the benefit of those few. In other words, when what is called communism disappears, what it is replaced with is seldom a real improvement of empowerment so being provided to the people, but rather, nothing much more than the passing of the baton to typically a combination of those that are oligarchs in principle, along with top military personnel, that are in their effect, just as bad as what they so replaced, leaving the people, bereft of much of anything, though perhaps hopeful, that the new boss won’t be quite as bad as the previous one.

The rich get appeals and the poor just get jail

Those that pick up a book, or watch a movie, or go to see a play at a theatre, recognize well, that each of the stories so told, has a beginning, a middle, and an end. That is to say, most of these stories, clearly have a final act and of that act, we so find the resolution and thereby the conclusion of that story told. In other words, “the end” for these stories, really is the end. For those that are poor, ill-educated, impoverished, un-championed and the like, they recognize intuitively that when they get in trouble with the law, for whatever reason, fair or unfair, that the resolution that they will thereby consequently suffer will be final and thereby there is no appeal for them to a higher source, or a higher court, for it is indeed finished. On the other hand, those that are well connected and have a wealth of money to draw upon, will in many a case, make sure that first of all, that they hire an experienced and competent attorney, so that, whatever that they so have to deal with, will be dealt with in a way and manner, in which the initial resolution will not be final, or if not, will be upon the terms agreeable to that person so accused. In other words, the rich get special considerations not available to the general public, along with often being able to appeal whatever justice that they don’t agree with, and the poor just do their time in jail.

No doubt, some cases, do have compelling errors that do indicate that a miscarriage of justice was carried out, and thereby are deserving of having such appealed to a higher court, for instance, for procedural errors, or for the misinterpretation of Constitutional law, and the like. Still, the problem with the appeals as so read by the general public, is the salient fact, that appeals, with a few notable exceptions for progressive attorneys to challenge unjust and unequal laws, is pretty much provided mainly as an aid only for those special few that have the ways and means to challenge successfully how the law is so being applied specifically to them. That is to say, there isn’t any “equal protection” under the law, but rather the law as practiced and exercised is clearly done in a manner that is diametrically different depending upon one’s class, status, and position in life.

We are instructed not to break the law, if we are unwilling to pay the price for such a bad action. Yet, that only seems to apply to those that have not the means to successfully fight back, of which, those people, for a certainty do pay the full price. Those, then, on the other hand, that have money and are well connected, are typically quite conscious of the law, as well as knowing that they often have the ability to skirt around that law, should it ever come down to that, and thereby are willing to take calculated risks, in the knowledge that the supposed downside for them, seems quite manageable. We so find, then, that for the small-time crook or miscreant, that three strikes signifies that they really are out; whereas, for the rich and well positioned, three strikes are an out, but they still have a lot more at-bats left, to still get a hit and thereby to get themselves home safely, and they often do just that.

The class divide

While in America it is true, that there are no hereditary positions of nobility, and therefore no associated titles representing particular ranks and status, from such; to say that therefore in America that all are equally entitled and hence equally valued is definitely to miss the forest for the trees. In fact, in things large and small, there is a massive class divide, so seen first amongst those that are so far and beyond the normal crowd, that they are a class onto themselves; thereby followed by those that are quite successful and accomplished, then by those that make up our ever-dwindling middle class, followed lastly by those that are the lower class or underclass. For each of these classes, America, represents something different, of which, to a very large extent, nobody other than those that cater to, have permission of, and service such, personally interacts with the elite of America, ever. That is to say, the superrich live in their own neighborhoods, policed, when necessary, by their own security force, with their own parks, their own schools, their own cultural places, their own shops, and their own restaurants.

The superrich aren’t really interested in intermingling with anyone other than their own social class, unless business or other social exigencies, necessitates differently. So too, they live in enclaves of privilege, and do not suffer fools, gladly. For instance, when the superrich attend a big sporting event, they aren’t actually going to sit out in the seats with the general public, but rather they are safely ensconced in a luxury box, instead. When the elites go shopping, they are permitted to enter the premises through a special entrance, with their own exclusive hours, and their own exclusive host. So too, the restaurants that the superrich frequent, are purposely structured in a way, that only those that feel of a certain achievement or of a social class are comfortable enough to actually be there, with them. Additionally, the schools that their children attend, are both exclusive and private. We find also, that the cultural events and museums that the superrich visit, are almost always the type of venue that are clearly meant to only be attended by those of a certain intellect, or of social achievement, and none else. And when the elite travel, they don’t bother with commercial airlines or well-known hotels, but make it their point to use private aircraft, and stay only at those places which properly cater to people of their class.

Those of the superrich that must engage with people in public, or congregate in public spaces, make sure that within these domains, that these other people and places typically conform to the dictates and desires of the elite. This is why there are all sorts of rules and regulations that are put into place, along with expectations so demanded, that people must conform to, in order to comfortably access specific cultural events and places. After all, the elites are a separate class, and all those that desire to hobnob with them, must meet the expectations so laid out for them to comply with, or else they will be ostracized, and if necessary, removed forthwith. Remember, the superrich are different, and if one is inclined to forget this, such a faux pas as that will be duly noted and suitably dealt with.

Gospel of Thomas Saying 18

The Gospel of Thomas Saying 18 reads as follows: “The disciples say to Jesus: "Tell us what our end will be." Jesus says: "Have you then deciphered the beginning, that you ask about the end? For where the beginning is, there shall be the end…” For all those that wonder why it is that Christ so often spoke in parables, and seemingly in riddles, it is important to recognize that wisdom cannot be imparted successfully without the recipient of that wisdom, doing their fair part to understand and to comprehend what is so being said and meant by those words. Therefore, those that speak in parables and riddles are doing so, in order to primarily test the sincerity and the desire of those so listening, as well as also in the conscious recognition that those that always desire easy answers, are typically the very same people, that want easy lives.

It is good to yearn to know what the principle point of life is. It so follows, then, that we should thus concentrate either upon the beginning of life, or conversely upon the end of life; but yet, though those two things appear to be opposites, it must so be recognized, that every beginning, by definition, has at a minimum, an implied end; so too, every ending, necessitates that there must have been a beginning. So here we are, clearly cognizant that each one of us so exists, of which, some of us, never bother to question our existence or the point of such; whereas, those that are more curious and inquisitive about our origin and purpose, and thereby their place in it, will at least attempt to try to figure it out, for an unexamined life, surely is a life that lacks vital enlightenment.

Those that go to fortune tellers and the like, are the very same people, that desire to skip to the end of a book, without reading all of the drama and tales so told in-between, because perhaps they just have to know whether it all works out okay, or perhaps because they can’t handle the tension of the trials and tribulations so being dealt with. So too, many a person, wants to know, especially in their quieter moments, or perhaps when they are down and out, or sickly, how it is that their life will be so seen and adjudged. Further there are those that are unbelievers, or perhaps too busy to care, or because they are dull of mind, that still find themselves in a weak moment or similar, interested to know what the end of this life will so represent for them.

The thing is that the very concept of beginnings and endings, comes forth from our distorted perspective that life is linear, and further that time therefore exists, in all dimensions and places; as opposed to the belief that time is a human construct, meant for the benefit of humankind, so that a particular story can be so written and told; but is, in totality, an elaborate illusion in actuality. To believe that there is a beginning, necessitates, that there is an end; but we will so find, that our existence, never had a beginning and never will have an end, for we are beyond time and space, for mortality is the servant to that which is immortal, and that substance which is immortal, as in our soul, has always been and always will be.

“A Declaration …Setting Forth the Causes and Necessity of Their Taking Up Arms”

Before there was that seminal Declaration of Independence, so agreed upon on July 4, 1776, there was a previous declaration, as entitled above, so agreed to by the Second Continental Congress of the thirteen colonies, so signed on July 6, 1775, or nearly a year before that Declaration of Independence. This particular Declaration made it clear that those thirteen colonies felt they had a justified cause as well as the urgent necessity of taking up arms against Great Britain, in order to assert and to protect their right to civil and religious freedom. So too, those colonies felt that they had no good choice but to fight for their independence, because, for instance, their pleas for governmental representation went unanswered, along with their strong desire to see that there be the removal of oppressive unrepresented taxation, in addition to the ending of the interference and unwarranted interdiction of trade and property, as well as to answer to the suspension of the legislature in some of the colonies, along with ending the suffering from the quartering of soldiers upon those colonists; these all, warranted action against the tyranny so impressed upon them.

It is somewhat ironic, that as part of that Declaration, it so stated, that “We have counted the cost of this contest, and find nothing so dreadful as voluntary slavery,” but these were indeed the words so chosen by those colonists in that Declaration, of which, it can be said, that they felt the oppressive boot of the British empire upon their neck, and cared not for it, especially in consideration that the colonists had a right to feel, justifiably, that the economic growth and strength of those thirteen colonies, came primarily from the people dedicating themselves to that task, and believing wholly that they should be the beneficiaries of that labor, and of that blood, sweat and tears, so done, for the greater good of the members of that society.

Additionally, the cause of that revolution, was a cause, in which the colonists, desired to see that the people were firm supporters to that justification of that revolution, and further to the point, recognized the dangers, travails, and trials, yet to come; along with the full understanding that by throwing off the shackles of British tyranny, that there would be a new birth of freedom and liberty, and thereby the creation of a government, so meant for the beneficence of the people.

So too, the colonists understood well that “the enemy of my enemy is my friend,” and in a world in which Great Britain was seen as an European power that prudently needed to be checked, or else, such a power could conceivably unduly influence or conquer western European nations, it made sense, to have a Declaration so printed, that other western European nations, would take good notice of, and thereby possibly lend a helping hand, through financial means, through trade, through armaments, or even through foreign soldiers, aligned on behalf of those colonists.

The steps so taken for American independence, were never haphazard, but were instead seriously debated upon, of which, the perception of the colonists, was that without that necessary fight for colonial independence, that the colonists were in imminent danger of losing their birthright, of life, liberty, religious freedom, and their pursuit of happiness.

Why we so compete

In today’s modern society, many of us, often find ourselves, wittingly or not, competing in school achievements, in job achievements and obtainments, in wealth achievements, as well as in our desire to achieve a good overall status in society.  There are a lot of people that believe that competition is healthy for us, and for a certainty, competition can be healthy for people especially when that competition brings out the best in a person in the sense of effort, desire, and throughput.  Of course, there is also the underside of competition which is not so much talked about, in which, some of those who compete, find themselves susceptible to doing whatever that they need to do in order to, in their viewpoint, “win.”

The main reason why so many people buy into competition, is the perception that we live in a zero-sum world, and within that world, there is only a fixed amount of goods, or achievements, to go around, and therefore what we so failed to compete and win, is subsequently lost to us, forever.   So too, many people are status hungry, and while part of them admires the success of the other; we also find that often part of them, sees that success of the other, as something that if they do not measure up well to, thus labels them as something, less than, which subsequently bothers and irks them.

Yet, fundamentally there is a problem in all the competition that we are participants in, which is the fact that when people believe that they need to get as much as they personally can get; this signifies that the self-centeredness and selfishness of that person’s desire is the driving force of what they so think upon and do, to the basic exclusion of all else.  Additionally, a competition, by definition, has winners and it has losers, so that, competition is something that is going to separate us as a society, of which, such separation, serves to place a dividing line between those that are its best achievers, as compared to those that are not.  Further to the point, those that are seen as the winners in the competition, have a strong tendency to believe that they deserve it, no matter where they so started the race, when that competition so commenced.

So much of the unease, trouble, civil discord, injustice, inequality, and the like that we see in society, today, reflects that any society that makes competition the be-all and end-all of its existence, is a society in which there will never be civil peace, because it doesn’t take into account, that not only is each of us different, with different motivations, and different circumstances, but also that competition has too often a lot in common with a dog-eat-dog philosophy.  On the other hand, those that are wise, compassionate, and are team players, recognize well, that the only societies that will ever be both long standing and just, are those societies that make it their abiding principle, that cooperation is the most appropriate way to conduct human affairs.  In other words, we are all in this together, and while we can so decide to race against each other, the better side of our nature, recognizes that we are much better off if we aid and help one another, because the race is not really to the swift, but to those who have the endurance and the strength to persevere and to thereby keep on doing the right thing.

When everything is a secret, the people are not free

In his Gettysburg address, Abraham Lincoln, said, “…that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.”  Yet, is what Lincoln so said at that time and place, still true by what we know and understand is happening with our present-day governance?  That is to say, is this actually a government, of, by, and for the people, or it is more accurate to state that this is a government that is overly secretive, surveils its people constantly, consistently lies to the people, especially when that lie is considered to be necessary by that governance for the protection or the convenience of the powerful and the elite, and is the general population, ever truly treated as an entity, deserving to know the truth of important and relevant matters?

When any government, is permitted at its sole discretion to keep a vast number of secrets from the general population, of which, those secrets, hidden agendas, hidden agencies, and hidden power structures, are not available for public purview or oversight, then the people, by definition, are not free.  No doubt, any government worth its salt, has a need to keep some of its affairs, from the public eye, but even of these prudent secrets, there needs to be representatives of the people, that have full and complete access to that of which, though it can’t be discussed with the general public, allows these representatives, if so necessary, to do their good part in standing in as a responsible agent for the people in the defense of their unalienable rights, and fairness, thereof.

To believe, that somehow the government, on our supposed behalf, is always and forever doing the right thing, in all the actions so secretly taken domestically as well as overseas, is to be far too gullible.  Rather, it is important that governments operate, to the furthest extent so possible, as agencies that are auditable, accessible, and transparent in the duties that they so perform on behalf of its citizenry.  After all, how is it possible for the public to property access whether that government is or is not, behaving and acting in a manner that is responsible, ethical, and consistent with the very principles of its Constitution without such public oversight?

So too, it must be acknowledged that those that are up to no good, are the very same ones that have to be secretive, opaque, and deceptive in what they are actually doing, so they will therefore not be exposed for who and what they really are.  Thereby, to believe then, that all the secrets so held by the government are always and forever necessary in order to protect the homeland, and things of that ilk, is simply not something that is actually plausible.  Rather, the government has a very strong tendency, especially when they are knowingly contemplating and performing actions that are inimical to the very Constitutional principles that they have sworn to uphold and to defend, to keep such as a secret, and will therefore go to great lengths to keep it that way, typically under the guise of national security, and thereupon look at all those that desire to be enlightened about what is really going on, under the name of the people, as unpatriotic; when it is that government, and its actuators, that are themselves, guilty of such.

The unequal application of property taxes

All those that own their own domicile, are responsible for the payment of property taxes upon that property, each and every year.  Those that are renters, may seem to have “no dog in this fight,” but in fact, because their landlord pays property taxes on that rental property, we do so find, that renters, in an indirect way, also pay property taxes, because when expenses for landlords go up, the renters are the ones that are going to have to basically foot that bill as well.

In America, there are those rules, and then there are those exceptions to those rules, along with also special deals so done through the legislative arm of the city or county, with or without public oversight.  That is to say, one might think that property so own, such as certain corporate buildings, churches, schools, hospitals, non-profits, and the like, all are subject to property taxes, but in fact, this typically isn’t true, whatsoever.  For the most part, though not always, non-profits, schools, universities, museums, foundations, religious institutions, and credit unions, are often not subject to property taxes, and some of these organizations sit in very desirable locations, of a considerable size, of which this particular piece of property, may be worth millions upon millions of dollars, but is somehow legally not subject to a property tax.  Additionally, there are public companies, that because of their size, strength, and influence, for instance, as in a Walmart or Amazon, that are able through a “negotiation” to reduce or to eliminate property taxes, in return for bringing jobs into a community.  The fact that corporations that make billions in profit, have even the audacity to ask for a reduction in their property taxes, should be seen as galling to the average citizen.

The reason for property taxes, in the first place, is primarily for the city and/or county government, to collect funds so necessary for police and fire personnel, for schools, for parks, as well as for necessary infrastructure so needed within the community.  Those that are excluded from the paying of property taxes, or have had their property taxes negotiated down in return for jobs and the like, or are senior citizens, and have thereby availed themselves of having their school portion of their property taxes removed, means that all those others, that are not subject to those exemptions, are going to have to pay for those that have not paid their full or fair share.

While there may be good reasons why so many companies and organizations are exempt from the paying of property taxes, a very strong argument could be made and should be made, that those that are exempt or have had favors bestowed upon them for a reduction of their taxes, should in many a case, be subject to paying their fair share.  After all, nobody really wants to pay property taxes, to begin with -- so to believe, somehow, that it is just fine to charge your average homeowner the full freight of those property taxes, but somehow, for example, a university with an endowment in the millions or possibly the billions of dollars nothing at all, is grossly unfair.  In the nature of things, property taxes are what a good citizenry has a responsibility to pay their fair share of, in order to have the accouterments of a good and vibrant community environment, and those that do not pay their fair share, are essentially riding on the backs of all those that do.

Agricultural Child Labor law exemptions

There are rules and then there are exceptions to those rules, of which, it is the height of hypocrisy in this modern day and age that children should have to suffer unduly from some of these exemptions to what should be good rules, which clearly instead have been structured in a way, in which profit and the greed so of, rules over the child’s welfare.  While, it certainly makes sense, that on a small family farm, (of which, the very existence of small family farms is in steep decline), that the work so needed to sustain that farm, will often necessitate the aid of the children of that family; but this has little or nothing to do with the Federal law, that so declares, that children as young as twelve years old, are eligible to work as many hours as they so desire, seven days a week, as long as such does not interfere with their attendance to school, as well as these children also having received parental consent to work.

Not too surprisingly, a huge swath of those so performing the back breaking work for others of agricultural and farming duties, are pretty much people that don’t have a lot of good options available to them, along with them typically not readily understanding their legal rights, and of which, those that are parents, are going to, in absence of anything of substance or merit for their children to attend to, be okay with their children working in the fields as well, because they often need and desire the additional income from such labor, as well as having an abiding desire to keep their children in close proximity to them.

Further to the harm, though, that these children suffer from, in regards to having them labor at such a young age in agricultural and farming duties, is the fact that the pay so legally required to be provided to them, is subject to minimum wage laws which permits the contractor for a period of time to pay a “youth minimum wage,” if they so are inclined to.  Additionally, children’s bodies and brains are still in the process of developing, and by virtue of the fact, that within a lot of these industries there are all sorts of hazards involved, including the tools of the trade, as well as noxious chemicals, makes such work especially pernicious and dangerous for young children.  So too, the fact of the matter is, that children are far easier to exploit and to take advantage of, then are adults.

While, it is true, that most parents have the best interests of their children, at heart, they are also susceptible to doing what they so have to do, in order to make some sort of a living; and when the wages and the hours so being paid and devoted to, do not allow these parents any real semblance of a decent life, they are going to, perhaps reluctantly, have a strong tendency to utilize their children as additional labor to help make ends meet.  That companies that employ these people have an abiding desire to exploit them and to take advantage of them, is unquestionable; that said, though, what is especially disappointing, is that the Federal government, apparently has no real desire to protect those that are its youngest and its most vulnerable, but instead, believes they should be sacrificed to profit, above all.

The United Colonies of America

This nation, per its Declaration of Independence, is known as the United States of America; yet, before such Declaration was ever made or contemplated upon, each of what we now call States, were known as colonies, and specifically these thirteen were colonies of Great Britain.  That is to say, America, was colonized by Great Britain, into thirteen distinct colonies; for the governance of America, was controlled by the hand of Great Britain, and so ruled by such, until America’s armed revolution, so declared, was made, in order to fight for its national independence. 

History tells us that all those countries that are known as colonies or previously were colonies, are countries, in which they are or were controlled by some other nation that is or was distant and distinct from that colonial territory, and typically such governance is or was administered for the benefit of that master nation.  On the other hand, a true nation, or those States within a nation, is self-governing, and therefore answers to their own internal governance, subject to its national government, and thereby to none other.

So then, the reason why America is not known as the United Colonies of America, is by virtue of the fact, that it threw off the chains of such subservience to Great Britain, in order to claim its independence from same.  Still, as might be imagined, it is one thing to make a declaration, and it is another thing, to change the thinking of those that are its inhabitants to understand and to comprehend that they no longer would be colonists, but rather, they would be, if such a revolution was successful, citizens of their own independent nation, instead.

This thus signifies, that to be a colonist, even under the most benign features of foreign control, is to be not sovereign in the affairs of the state or even of one’s personal affairs.  So too, the legitimate complaint so made in regards to being taxed or having to suffer from being burdened by involuntary servitude in the defense of that nation which is the colonial power, without having any native representation of the who, what, and the why of such taxation or servitude, is to know for a certainty, that one’s community and therefore one’s city is not a sovereign entity, but subservient to that master nation.

Those then that fought most nobly for the freedom of this nation, were all those that preferred to be the masters of their own fate, and were thereby willing to relinquish the incumbent advantages of having a powerful nation that protected them well from foreign attacks; along with having the knowledge that there was a strong possibility that the present commerce so successfully engaged with that master nation, which was also, in fact, its primary trade partner, would probably be negatively impacted, from this revolution of independence. 

We so find, then, that those that were the colonists back in that day and time, recognized well, that the only possible hope of that revolution so succeeding, in conjunction with that seminal Declaration so declared, would be if those colonists joined together, under the flag of thirteen States, so fighting for their sovereignty as a united and independent people.