Wars, refugees, and those that remain

There are far too many wars, civil or otherwise in the world, today; and of which, it is a truism that people that are in war zones are by the very nature of that war -- typically precluded from maintaining their normal course of business.  This so signifies that because wars are so often quite destructive, tragic, and horrifying, that the civilians that are not directly part of that war, will frequently find themselves to be in the middle of quite a quandary.

There are a lot of issues in regards to war, that affect the everyday life of those that are the denizens of those war zones.  For instance, just about everything, that people take for granted, is thereby subject to being disrupted, if not consistently disrupted during war, especially when it comes to food, electricity, rest, income, healthcare, education, and safety.  This so means that, for example, for those that are students, wars have an unfortunate habit of interrupting such education; and for those that need a steady income in order to procure the typical accouterments that families have a need of, we do so find, that wars disrupt this, as well.

So then, for those in war zones, in which a resolution, one way or another, preferred or not preferred, does not appear to be forthcoming; or in those situations in which the writing is most definitely on the wall; and of which for these particular foresighted people they know for a certainty that their lives are going to be affected in the most negative of ways, then the go-to solution for them is going to consist of seriously looking at exiting their current place of residency and thereby finding somewhere else, that is preferably far safer and more stable, instead.  In fact, it can be said, that those that are more knowledgeable about such things, are the very people that typically do not wait until they are hopelessly behind the eight ball, in order to take the necessary steps to enact their move.

Not too surprisingly, the very people that are most inclined to escape a bad situation before it gets even worse, are going to be those that are connected, informed, and educated, while typically also having a reasonable sum of monetary resources to draw upon.  In other words, the best and brightest, are often going to be the first in line, to leave their country of residency, sooner as compared to later; for they correctly realize that those that dilly dally too long, are going to find out to their lasting regret, that delay equates to much more trouble.

This thus means that wars can serve as a means to separate the best from all the rest; thereby leaving behind the poorest, the ill-educated, the infirm, the troubled, and the elderly, who don't have the same set of options to avail themselves of.  So too, once that war is resolved, or reaches an impasse, the country, itself, is clearly not going to be the same – not only for all the destruction, death, and injury that has occurred, but also because the very makeup of the people so left behind, represent to a strong degree the most vulnerable of the population, which seldom bodes well for the successful return of that nation into some semblance of a country that is on the rise.

The era of one-term Presidents is pretty much over

President William Clinton served two terms as President, who was thereby followed by President George W. Bush who also served two terms, and then by Barack Obama, who served two terms, as well.  Though that streak was broken in the Presidential election of 2020, it is fair to state, that Presidents in today’s era are more inclined to be re-elected then they were, when for eight successive Presidencies, after the two-term President, Andrew Jackson, we note that none of those thereafter, who became President had a second term, until the advent of Abraham Lincoln.

Abraham Lincoln’s administration was a unique administration, for his administration had to forcefully deal with the seceding of several States of that Union, and of which, the response of that President, was to thereby issue a Proclamation, stipulating that such a seceding was too powerful to subdue through the ordinary course of judicial proceedings, and that therefore as Commander in Chief, it was the obligation, of that President, to thereby take the necessary steps to defend the union by issuing a call for 75,000 volunteers so as to help form a powerful Union army, to thus wage war against those that had attacked Fort Sumter, so as to best defend that Union of States, and the Constitution, so of.

We so find, that if those eight Presidents that had preceded Lincoln, were considered to be weak in the Executive office, that Lincoln, on the other hand, indeed made the Executive office something to be reckoned with.  First, in regards to the Judicial branch, and in particular, the Supreme Court, we find that it was that Supreme Court, that decided in May of 1861, that Lincoln did not have the right to suspend habeas corpus, of which Lincoln’s response to that was to ignore that Supreme Court decision, and to keep habeas corpus suspended, as so needed, during that civil war.  It was not that Lincoln believed that the Executive branch was above the law, but rather Lincoln was of the opinion, that the interpretation of that law, should not solely be done by an unelected Supreme Court, and further to the point, Lincoln could not afford either the time or the effort, to prove the point, that abject obedience to poorly reasoned law, could in itself, lead to the very downfall of that government, which as President, he was sworn to protect and to defend.  Secondly, Lincoln did not hesitate to see that Southern ports were blockaded to preclude war materials from being imported to them, as well as to prevent cotton and other southern goods from being exported.  Also, it was Lincoln that saw to it that appropriate monies were issued so as to increase the manpower size of the army and navy; and finally, without Congressional approval, Lincoln issued his famous Emancipation Proclamation, thereby freeing those so enslaved in those States that were still in a state of rebellion.

In today’s America, Presidents so being elected, are in almost every case, so done with the anticipation, that they will seek a second term; of which, the process of seeking that second term, seems to coincide almost with their very first day in office.  It seems to be, that because the Executive office consists of just one person; and whereas, the Legislative branches are not only bicameral in nature, but also consist of a multitude of representatives with all sorts of different agendas and experiences -- that the smart money wants to back the same horse for two-terms, or eight years, in order to best get done what they so desire to get done through that Executive that often seems to have the power to get it done.

Nuclear energy is underutilized

There all sorts of debates and discussions about the sources of energy, that nations need in order to sustain themselves; and of which, the question of the moment, seems to be, what is the most appropriate thing to do about the negative impact of greenhouse gas and CO2 emissions that are thereby contributing to undesirable climate change. The most sensible answer seems to be nuclear energy, of which the fundamental thing about nuclear energy is that it is a proven and reliable energy source, and for instance, in countries, such as France, it represents the majority of where that nation so generates its energy. In short, nuclear energy, alone amongst all the other energy choices, is reliable, cost-effective, scalable, and storable; in addition to the fact that it produces zero greenhouse gas or CO2 emissions.

That said, there are plenty of people and organizations, that are anti-nuclear, of which, on one side are all those that believe that all the energy that a given country actually needs can reliably come from renewable sources, so defined as biomass, solar, geothermal, hydropower, and wind. The reality is that, when it comes to energy, and especially things such as electricity, people and industries demand that such not only be reliable, but also that it needs to be instantaneous, and that which has been currently defined as renewable, does not now and probably will not ever, be able to successfully fulfill those fundamental requirements. Then there are those on the other side that are anti-nuclear, mainly because the companies and utilities that best represent nuclear, are correspondingly taking away business from coal companies, oil companies, and natural gas companies, signifying that those that directly compete against nuclear energy, do not thereby wish to lose profit and market share to nuclear.

The world, needs energy in order to sustain itself as a modern world, of which, humankind has demonstrated its great ability and knowhow to create the means to make energy through all of the standard ways that we so see today. Not too surprisingly, the amount of monies, investment, and profit to be made in the energy markets is gargantuan, and those that currently have market share are not wont to give up what they already have, come hell or high water. So then, the lobbyists for what has been labeled clean and renewal energy have their own agenda to pursue; and those that have been providing the bulk of the carbon intensive energy to this nation and to the world, over the last century or so, want to continue to support and even to augment their resources so as to remain the only real game in town.

This thus explains why nuclear energy has not achieved as great as market share as it deserves to represent, which is especially distressing in an era in which greenhouse gas emissions, CO2 emissions, and climate change still represent issues that seriously need to be responsibly addressed. It would seem, then, that the best answer to a lot of the concern about climate change, as well as the need for reliable energy can be resolved most appropriately by the continued use and expansion of nuclear energy, and of which, if more nations would make that use a real priority, and then some, this would help to alleviate a lot of the ills that plague us in regards to climate change.

The United States government and immigration enforcement

We read at americanprogress.org, that the American government in 2012 expended more money on immigration enforcement, than it did on “…its combined spending on the FBI, Drug Enforcement Administration, Secret Service, Marshals Service, and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives.”  While it certainly makes sense that America should want to keep its borders secure, it is also fair to say, that the immigrants crossing the border, are typically those that are desiring to improve their lot in life, and thereby have a strong inclination to be law abiding and to subsequently work hard so as to prove themselves worthy of being in this nation.

One of the things, that is pointed out, again and again by pundits, is that unauthorized immigration into the United States, is illegal.  However, what we so find, and of which this is somewhat ignored, is that the reason that so many immigrants desire to come to the United States, is because America at its finest, embodies opportunity, equality, fairness, and hope.  So then, it certainly makes sense for people that live in close proximity to the United States but find themselves stuck within hopeless situations that compromises their opportunity for success, or of safety, or of education, to desire to find a sanctuary for themselves and their progeny.

Further to the point, if capitalism and the American way, is the supposed ideal of what a country should want to be and also to represent; then it certainly makes sense for that nation to welcome all comers, because the more people that are denizens of the United States, the more secure and the more economically powerful the United States, so becomes.  That is to say, the more people contained within a nation, that are willing to apply themselves and to work hard at their job, and even to take on jobs that most native-born Americans care not for, the better that will be for that nation. 

America should be feeling good, that so many people are voting with their feet, by desiring to come here.  But rather than feeling good about such, America’s immigration enforcement has determined that the most appropriate way to look upon those illegally entering the United States, is to see them as having violated the law, and thereby to treat them, effectively as criminals, with thereby oppressive carceral conditions placed upon these illegal immigrants in which justice is never swift, and that justice is seldom fair. 

The thing about those that are trying to immigrate to America, without expressed authorization, is that we need to remember that these are not only human beings, but typically are human beings that are quite willing to do their good part in working hard, paying taxes, and thereby being of overall benefit for this country.  To take these vulnerable people, and to treat them in a way and manner in which their humanity is discounted or effectively ignored, is not only not appropriate, but it isn’t even necessary, from this the supposed land of liberty and freedom.

In this land, we are led to believe that those have pluck, hustle, and determination as part of their makeup, are the type of people, that we should admire.  There should then, thereby, be more accommodation of those people that have risked all, to have something of meaning in their life, of which, virtually all those that illegally immigrate to America are not asking for a handout, but merely are trying to get a toehold into that land that claims to welcome those so yearning to be free.

The East India Company and today's corporate power

In 1600, Queen Elizabeth I issued a royal charter to the East India Company, essentially permitting that company to conduct business of behalf of the crown, on a for-profit basis, in which the shareholders would be the beneficiaries of that success, and of which, the English crown permitted the East India Company to create its own army and navy – thereby signifying that it was permitted to take up arms if need be, make treaties, sign contracts, and also to enforce taxation upon other nations as all being part and parcel of its makeup.  In other words, the East India Company could conduct its business, essentially any way that it best saw fit, with the intent that by having that power, it would ultimately be of benefit to its shareholders as well as to the English crown.

All of the above basically makes good business sense, since governments are always in the need of treasure, trade, and monies – so that, it's fair to say that generals are at best, very good at making war, but probably not so good at extracting profit or exploiting resources out of foreign lands; whereas, corporations that are structured in which the shareholders are for a certainty, expecting a good return on their investment, are more flexible in understanding that while a sheep can be shorn numerous times, it can only be skinned, once.

In today's world, corporate power has never been stronger, and never has so much business been done by corporations that are being transacted outside of their home base.  There are many mega-corporations that are absolutely dependent upon foreign trade, foreign resources, and foreign labor; and of which if any of such as that is upset, it upsets their profit and their business model, as well.  Fortunately, for the United States, their military is not only the preeminent military might in the world, but it is also global. Additionally, we so find that for these important mega-corporations, that the military seems to be available for them, at their behest, essentially free of charge; though, of course, the costs for that military has to be borne somewhere, of which, primarily it rests heavily upon today's as well as tomorrow’s taxpayers.

This thus signifies that one of the reasons why this government gets militarily involved in so many foreign affairs, is to make sure that something, for example, as vital as oil as it is held in the middle east, is implicitly controlled or managed by the United States.  So too, when it comes to other foreign lands that have critical minerals, it is necessary that the governance of these nations be structured in a way in which, their government is in lockstep and thereby in compliance with American business desires.  That is to say, the game plan of America is to see that all avenues remain open for American corporations, to the degree that such can be accomplished; in which, by doing so, profits can be extracted and exploited from foreign lands, in every way so possible, which makes for good corporate profits, and provides justification as to why America carries such a big stick.

Facial recognition software and the police state

In general, most people, want to believe that just because they are out in public, that they aren’t at the same time susceptible to being tracked via facial recognition software, as to their personal identity. That is to say, most people desire to go about their business, without feeling that they are always being watched, or are liable to being watched. While law enforcement cries out for the continual “need” for this or that tool to reduce crime, or for public safety – we do so find that in reality, what law enforcement wants is often in lockstep of what one would find in the most restrictive of police states and further to the point, a population that is continually under watch, is a population that is not truly free in their movements or their activities.

There are a lot of valid reasons why we should be concerned about the probable abuse of facial recognition software, which is that, by virtue of that facial recognition software, particular people of interest, can thus literally be followed as they go about their business from one place to another, which thereby includes their interactions with other people, who then are also thereby subject to being tracked by that same facial recognition software, ad infinitum. Those that truly believe that life is better, because they will be safer, when everyone of some degree of suspicion is continually tracked, don’t seem to realize that the very tool that could, in theory, be of benefit to them, can also be turned against them, at the most inopportune time, should they themselves or the people that they are associated with, stray away from the prevailing norm of behavior so expected out of them.

Those that are in law enforcement are prone to selling all sorts of narratives, of which, there is always going to be that one more thing, that will help make everybody safer, and will help solve crime; but what is seldom discussed, is the true price that we as a people will pay in regards to the sacrifice of our liberty and of our freedom. Not to mention the inconvenient fact that facial recognition software is the very same tool that clearly creates an American construct in which equality under the law, fairness, and justice, will quite obviously take a backseat to the pursuit of safety, reduction of crime, and the surveillance state.

Those of the public that cry out the loudest for the need of facial recognition software, along with those so utilizing such, as in law enforcement, should themselves be on the frontline of what it actually feels like to be tracked, monitored, and followed, all of the time, when they are out and about in the public sphere. There are many a thing that a given person does, which can be at a minimum, misconstrued by those that have an agenda to pursue. That is to say, those that seem to feel that they have absolutely nothing to hide, might so find, that an embarrassing public conversation so monitored, or an unanticipated confrontation, or a noted visit to some agency or to someone that they thought would be held confidential, are the very type of things that they might well rue being publicized; for when we as a people, are always tracked, everything is subject to being known.

Felony arrest and mandatory DNA

In this nation, one is presumed innocent, unless found guilty in a court of law. Yet, we do so find, that the policing arm of some individual States, or those people that are under federal custody, have effectively added more tools to their arsenal, which serves to place all people within those States or of federal custody under the strong possibility that a given felony arrest, will subject those so accused to mandatory DNA being extracted from their person. To date, we find that for federal charges, as well as in certain States, court law, has determined that DNA samples from those arrested under a felony charge, is considered to be permissible as part of the standard booking procedure by law enforcement within that State or federal jurisdiction.

Again, it is important to point out, that it is one thing to sample DNA from a given person convicted of a crime, and it is an entirely different thing to sample DNA from someone that has not been yet convicted, may not ever be convicted, and in fact, may have the charges laid against that person, be subject to being amended, reduced, or eliminated at some future stage. In other words, it is never a crime to be arrested; or even to be arrested for a serious crime; for not only are mistakes made in regards to who is or who isn’t arrested, but also circumstances of what has occurred or has not occurred in regards to a given crime can easily change, as more actionable information comes to light, or when such is investigated in more detail. Further to the point, when it comes to probable cause, those that create such probable cause, are quite capable of presenting such cause in a way and manner, in which the background of such a decision is skewed in favor of that probable cause being justified, even when in the light of the day, such probable cause when seen by neutral eyes demonstrates such as being mainly manufactured.

The presumption of innocence, is an important right, contained within American law, and therefore any and everything that takes away from that presumption of innocence, is one step further away from liberty and one step closer to a police state. Again and again, those agencies and institutions that have information and of which, the general public is not privy to that data, or even how that information is subject to being utilized, are at an extreme disadvantage to all those agencies having such data. A given person’s DNA is a form of identity, that is unalienable to them, and therefore should be theirs to decide as to whether or not they so desire to divulge such, to policing agencies, or any other institution, for that matter. So then, to be compelled by State or Federal law, to give up one’s DNA, for a felony arrest, is a very dangerous precedent, that should not be countenanced, under any circumstances.

In short, the more DNA that governmental agencies are allowed to collect from people, no matter what the circumstances are that permits such, the easier that it thereby comes for that government, to thereby decide to collect as much DNA evidence that can be collected at a given crime scene, and then utilize their DNA database to arrest any and everyone that shows up upon that list, of which, each of those people, aren’t really going to be presumed innocent, at all; but, in fact, are by those policing agencies, presumed guilty, with now the burden of proof of them, to explicate why their DNA was there

Governments save corporations but won’t save their own citizens

There are all types of businesses in America, and all types of business conditions to deal with for those businesses; of which, throughout the history of the United States, there have been crises of one type of another, in which some of those corporate institutions are backstopped and thereby saved by that government; whereas, some others are not saved and thereby go bankrupt. The given reason why any banking institution, or auto company, is saved, is said usually to be based upon the stability so needed for the continuance of the country’s economy, and to a lesser extent, to “save” jobs. While indeed it might make sense to save some of these corporate entities, a very strong argument could be made, that corporations that are functionally insolvent, no matter the excuse, should in a capitalistic nation, go bankrupt; with the only real option for governments to avail themselves of, instead, is for those corporations that are deemed to be “too big to fail,” or of national significance, to be nationalized as their just punishment for their failure to maintain prudent business practices so as to remain solvent.

So then, we so find that those well-placed corporations who have undue influence upon important governmental officials, and that are also able to create a narrative that makes sense, have a fairly good chance of being saved by that government, which is obviously very beneficial for those saved corporations, because, unlike a given individual citizen, they are afforded the opportunity to thereby continue as a going concern. When it comes to the common people of America, we do so find, that the people, are virtually never bailed out, ever. Rather, if a given person is suffering credit card debt, which they are unable to timely pay, they then will not only have that credit revoked, but are subsequently subject to being harassed or even sued to collect the funds so owed to that credit banking institution. So too, when a given person is unable to make their car note payment, that vehicle is subject to being taken from that individual’s possession, and then to subsequently recover such a vehicle thereby requires the payment of corresponding repossession fees and other assorted penalties, and if that payment is not forthcoming, the individual has forfeited that vehicle, along with being subject to being harassed or even sued to collect the funds so considered to be owed upon that vehicle. Additionally, should a homeowner fall behind on their mortgage payment, the mortgage lender, has the right to foreclose upon that homeowner, and thereby to evict the homeowner from the home and then to take over possession, of that home. Finally, for those with student loans, that have been unable to make their mandatory student loan payment, and have no forbearance upon such, we do so find, that a lot of those students’ loan monies are subject to being extracted from Federal IRS refunds so being expected for that taxpayer.

In short, many individuals, have debts and obligations, somewhat akin to what businesses have to deal with; with the important exception that some of those businesses have received bailouts of one trillion dollars, or thereabouts; but individuals on the other hand, are left to suffer their own fate, without often any consideration be taken into account of extenuating circumstances, the economy, the wages so being paid, unemployment, their health, or anything else of merit. What we so find, is that when it comes to well-placed mega corporations, they are permitted to make as much profit as they can when times are good, and when they mess up, the government has their back; but when it comes to the common man, the only deal that they seem to get is always the same “raw” one.

Is this really a government of, for, and by the people?

All governments seem to have citizens that complain about this or that; of which, in some of those governments, because they are totalitarian, dictatorships, or similar, such complaints are often done sotto voce; whereas in republics and democracies those so complaining are prone to being rather vociferous and demonstrative in their complaints.  However, it may so be, we do so find that complaining about governmental policies and implementations, is something that seems ever endless, often without any real satisfaction, for any party, as if those that are our elected representatives, aren’t ever listening to those that voted them in.  That is to say, in those governments in which the people have the ballot box, the elections are free and open, and the debates are part of the process, would seem to be, all things considered, the type of construct in which at a minimum, the people of the party so winning, would be satisfied; but such satisfaction when it does so come, typically seems transitory and never secure.  In other words, part of the continuing tension and discord that one sees in a country such as the United States, is the fact that neither of the two major political parties, seems to be in complete lockstep with its adherents, and further to the point, the people of those parties, often feel almost irrelevant to such.

So then, what we so have is a situation, in which, despite the vote, that for all intents and purposes, the government so in charge, isn’t really of the people, by the people, and for the people, at all; but seems to have a mind of its own, instead.  That is also the very reason why all the desired change that people expect and want, year in and year out, never seems to ever occur, because those that believe that they have voted for that change, clearly themselves aren’t personally in charge, nor do we so find that the legislative representatives so meant to represent the people, are actually doing what was so expected of them as their sworn duty, by their constituency, either.  Indeed, then, the reason that there is so much complaining, which never goes away, really comes down to the fact, that the people have been cheated out of their own governance, which is the very first principle of what such governance was appropriately created for in the first place.

In truth, governing isn’t really all that difficult, when such governance takes into full account that its primary purpose is to promote the general welfare of the people.  For if that government was doing that very thing, then the complaining so being done, would be getting ever less in volume, for a satisfied people is the very same people that not only have no compelling reason to complain, but also are the very same ones that will praise the wisdom and fortitude of that good governance.  So then, a nation of complainers, is an unhappy nation; and further to the point, represents a nation, in which the people are not an integral part of such governance, which thereby makes them ever prone, with justification, to complain.

The forgotten Kerner Commission of 1968

In response to the 1967 inner-city riots, President Johnson created the Kerner Commission to ascertain as to what the problems and exacerbations were that served to create the foundation for inner-city violence and their subsequent destructive riots, and thereby what could be successfully done by that government to ameliorate such in the future. The Kerner Commission was the best of commissions in the sense that the government really did want to know what could reasonably be done to help make America a better place for all of its citizens. The Kerner Commission report made it clear that discrimination, segregation, lack of opportunity, ill-education, poor housing as well as inadequate infrastructure, along with a police force that often conducted itself in minority areas as an occupying force were the elements that led to the frustration and thereby the kindling of those riots; of which, we do so find, that over fifty years later, that a lot of the very same problems so identified by that esteemed commission, have not only not been rectified, but are arguably even more entrenched and worse, then they were back then.

It isn’t so much that America hasn’t made any progress in regards to the fair treatment of its minority citizens, of which, there are many areas that can easily be pointed to that are indicative that progress has indeed been made. The problem is that, there are apparently intractable issues in regards to the purposeful segregation of those that are the poorest and most vulnerable of our citizens, into enclaves of ghettoized poverty, devoid of hope, devoid of promise, and devoid of opportunity. For these citizens, that are caught in an endless cycle of poverty and dreams denied almost at birth, we find that no good progress has been made, whatsoever.

It is well to remember that this nation is the richest nation that the world has ever known, but to its lasting disgrace and shame, it tries to paint the picture that equality, justice, opportunity, and fairness is really part and parcel of its everyday life, when in virtually any major city within this nation, there is quite obviously a subset of its own citizens, that are treated in a manner in which they are not respected, and these people are absolutely forlorn in every possible definition of that word. These poor discriminated people are the forsaken and the forgotten -- except when it comes to making quota on arrests so done by the policing arm of the state.

A lot of the success or lack of success in America, really comes down to the neighborhood that a given individual grows up in. All children are born with a desire to learn, and to become something of merit in their respective lives, and when that desire is properly nurtured and has the infrastructure that supports such, mostly good things occur. On the other hand, when those dreams are basically snuffed out in the cradle, then what so happens, is a significant portion of those that live within this construct of American democracy, have a promissory note that not only has not been paid in full, but basically have a promissory note that is bogus, fraudulent, and without legal standing, whatsoever.

The unfair dynasty of inherited money

There are no titles of nobility in America, but one wouldn’t necessarily know that, by the fact that more and more of the wealth in America is being concentrated into ever fewer hands, and of which, a substantial portion of that wealth, is thereby subsequently inherited by the progeny of these wealthy families; thereby, signifying that in America, that this isn’t really a land of fairness, equality of opportunity, justice, or anything of that sort; but rather America represents far too often a construct in which the very wealthy are able to pass on quite successfully all the advantages of that wealth to those that have been fortunate enough to be have been born into those families of wealth and status.

We read at inequality.net, that “Wealth managers have pointed to a substantial intergenerational transfer of wealth, recently estimated at $68 trillion, as baby boomers pass on wealth to the next generations.”  No doubt, any good family should have a strong desire to pass on their good name as well as their good ethics, and to the degree that they are so able, to also pass on some portion of their monetary wealth as a means to be of aid and of value to their progeny.  The problem though, is when that wealth is concentrated ever tighter among a separate elite of Americans, then, the very principles of the governance of this nation, are subject to being compromised, if they have not already been compromised, by that extreme concentration of that wealth.  As much as people so desire to believe that the most important issues of the day are voted upon, or legislated upon, in which everything is on the up-and-up and fair, the reality of the situation tells us, that whatever agency has the deepest pockets and the right connections, typically gets their way, instead.

There isn’t any doubt that money and status absolutely matters, and when that money and status is fundamentally held in the hands of privileged people and institutions that are in their way, above the claims of the common people, then we do so find that in America, we don’t have a meaningful democracy at all; but rather we have a nation that is run by a dynasty of those that have power, privilege, and money, which apparently has no end, because these people and those institutions are permitted through their undue influence, to pass on a huge portion of that wealth, position, and implicit power to those that they have earmarked to have those funds.

While it certainly is true, that the government does not deserve all of a given person’s wealth, upon their death, that government certainly deserves a meaningful portion, so of; for while these people were among the living, they were permitted to utilize what was theirs, for whatever purposes and desires that they so wanted.  But one would think, that death, should change something of that construct, and of which, we so know, that the most important inheritance for a given individual, should be the value of what it so means to be a good American, a good citizen, of good wisdom and of good virtue.  On the other hand, when privileged people inherit boatloads of money, but lack wisdom and virtue, then for a certainty, one will see what we so presently see, which is a dynasty that cares only about their own and is motivated to maintain or augment such, by any means necessary.

“Willful disruption of governmental processes”

One of the favorite mottos of the law-and-order type, is to “not do the crime, if unwilling to do the time.”  That type of short and succinct advice, seems sensible on the surface, but in reality, is just a bunch of hooey.  In point of fact, there isn’t any one person, or institution, that can for a certainty, list and thereby cogently describe each and every conceivable crime that there is on the books in the United States, along with knowing the specific punishment of each, and then be able to elucidate in writing the irreproachable claim that none of these so-called “crimes” would in any way, form, or manner, contradict another law, and of which, not a single one of these laws has ever been overturned, modified, or changed, ever and never will be.

One example, of a law, which has been manufactured and basically serves as a catchall for the governmental policing arm to arrest and thereby to remove people that are inconvenient to them, is the crime of “willful disruption of governmental processes,” which basically seems to be a crime that any common citizen of this land could be accused of, when there are out in the public sphere and are protesting something, or recording something, or just plain standing around in a public place in which those governmental authorities do not desire them to be.  In other words, when the government is annoyed by somebody, it has conceived of a way of stopping this annoyance, by concocting a crime charge, that serves to do exactly that.

The point of this type of law, really comes to down to the government exacting upon its citizenry, law-and-order, that reflects only the prevailing view of those that have actuated that government policing authority, against all those that they consider to be a nuisance and thereby an inconvenience to the state.  Of course, governmental authorities, don’t typically like to be bothered by citizens that question them, or are an annoyance, or are an inconvenience, or are basically precluding that government from doing what it so wants to do, because that government often does not seem to desire to answer to those people, as if governmental authorities, themselves, are above the law.

When we logically think about “willful disruption of governmental processes,” and thereby the crime, thereof, the common-sense thought that comes to mind, is whether or not, a given governmental process is, by definition, always legal, on the up-and-up, and right.  That is to say, should the government be permitted to have carte blanche as to what they so deem to be a necessary governmental process in which it is that very same government, that rules upon its own actions?  Rather, doesn’t it make more sense that the general public should be permitted to at a minimum, question that which appears to be a governmental process that does not seem correct without having to suffer the indignity of being silenced, arrested, fined, and convicted, for simply having the courage to make a stand?

America is supposed to represent the land of liberty, but when that government is permitted to exert arbitrary power so it can thereby put its boot upon the prone neck of the common citizen, for those citizens supposed willful disruption, then liberty and the American dream, have been betrayed.

American workers are carrying more and more of the load of Social Security taxation

Social Security taxes are routinely taken out of employee’s paychecks, with the employer also contributing the same share, of which this is applicable upon tens of millions of those workers – because those Social Security payroll taxes are a mandated requirement imposed by Federal law.  Because Social Security taxes have been around since 1937, there is a tendency for a lot of folks to believe that whatever taxation that employees and employers are paying in the present day, must be around what it was back at the inception of such a tax, but this isn’t true at all.

In 1937, Social Security taxes for a given employee was a total of just 1%, and was subject to a maximum income of just $3,000, before that tax was thereby phased out.  Of course, since 1937, we have had an awful lot of inflation, but to blame inflation for the rise in Social Security amounts so being collected, would be disingenuous, for the current amount of income before the Social Security tax is phased out for employees in 2022, is now $147,000; in addition, to the salient fact that today’s employees and employers are responsible for a significantly higher percentage amount so being extracted from each paycheck, to wit, of 6.2% for Social Security, along with 1.45% being so allocated to Medicare.  In other words, the Medicare allocation of these taxes, is at a higher percentage than the original complete Social Security tax was when first enacted.

So too, the amount of money being collected by the Federal government in regards to Social Security taxes so being collected, is as reported by cbpp.org, “35.9 percent of all federal revenues” for 2019; whereas, in 1950 that percentage was a mere 5% of all federal revenues.  This presupposes that fundamentally the Social Security tax has been transformed over the ensuing years; in which, more and more, that Social Security tax represents for each individual their contribution, in essence, to their individual retirement, even though the structure of Social Security stipulates that the funds so being extracted from individuals for Social Security taxes, basically does not ever represent a personal account, but really represents, their portion so being allocated for Social Security reserves, which each individual, thereof, has a future claim upon, subject to their lifetime earnings, disability, and other factors.

One of the most egregious problems with Social Security is that the structure of it, to begin with, made the fatal error, of making each individual, no matter how little that they earned or how much, subject to that taxation, from the very first dollar so earned.  A far better way to have addressed, a program that was earmarked to be of benefit for the elderly and disabled as an economic security safety net, would have been to see that all earnings below a living wage, so indexed to inflation, would not have been subject to that Social Security tax, whatsoever; and only those earnings on a yearly basis above a living wage, would have been subject to such, of which all those earnings above that given threshold, would then thus be subject to no taxable maximum.

The bottom line is this, the people that need Social Security benefits the most, and can afford the least to have their taxable income subject to such, are all those that have struggled to make their mark in this land, and the least that any government of any legitimacy can do for the very people that it is supposed to promote the general welfare of, is to do exactly that.

“He who pleads his cause first seems right; until another comes and questions him”

The above wise proverb comes from Proverbs 18: 17, and is as true now as it was before; and further to the case, it will be true, forever.  We live in a society of which, regrettably, there are plenty of the mindset, that believe that if they can just get their story out first, or their narrative, or their spin, and somehow get a quick judgment from someone in authority upon such, thereby validating their version of the story as the truth, then all will be well for them.  In truth, for those adjudicating such, who are too lazy to investigate, or represent blithe unconcern so that they do not ask needed questions or bother to cross-examine a given story, so as to determine its substance, and further are unwilling to contact and thereby to listen to the other side, then whatever resolution that subsequent so happens, is by definition, unjust.

After all, let’s face it, for many a person, that has done a misdeed and desires to take the easy road of concocting a story that will not make them look too bad, or will, even better, absolve them of any error, and of which, they believe that their story will not be examined, are in the most enviable of positions, for by being first to plead their case, they are thereby enabled to circumvent fair justice, so being applied to them.  Further to the point, the other party which therefore has not been listened to, or arrives at the scene too late to effect any change on a decision already reached, is for a certainty, getting the short end of the stick, which besides being unjust, thus serves to encourages that unfortunate person, to desire to see that in the future that they get some sort of revenge upon the other; for one injustice leads to another, and then to another, ad infinitum.

So too, there is egg on the face, of that personage that renders a poor judgment, for not bothering to allocate the time to have both parties to show up at the same time and venue, so as for each then to have the opportunity to state their case and for that individual that is judging such, to subsequently ask pertinent questions about the event in question; of which, as the wise adage so says, the truth of the event, thereof, typically lies somewhere in the middle. That is to say, that there aren’t really that many times that clearly one person is 100% wrong, and thereby the other person is 100% right, but rather there are often extenuating circumstances, and other issues, that turns what so appears to be a case of black and white, into something more akin to shades of gray, which is why it is a mistake to simply believe the first story so being told, without fairly investigating such.

It is well to remember, that none of us, wants to suffer from a judgment so rendered in which we never were provided with a chance to have our say, or the opportunity to cross-examine the evidence so put against us, or to question that who accused us of this or of that; and further, it also is to be found especially unnerving, when that justice that we so expected to be impartial and fair, hasn’t been that at all, but rather has simply been perfunctory, instead.

Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914

The United States has had over a century of experience in trying to regulate, tax, as well as to control the dispensation and importation of narcotics – so defined in this particular act as being coca-based as well as opium-based drugs; in which, a fair judgment through a century of this type of regulation and subsequent legislation, so enacted, reflects that America has essentially failed in its mission to successfully and constructively deal responsibly with narcotic abuse on behalf of its citizens.  The very purpose of such regulation so passed in 1914, and thereupon subsequently enacted, was for the government to make sure that first of all, the distribution of narcotics was only done through authorized medical authorities, in which, those medical authorities would thereby be compelled to keep accurate records reflecting the distribution of those narcotics so being prescribed to those patients determined to have a need for such, so that those patients, would thereby deal with their pain management in a responsible and medically approved fashion.

So then, it is fair to say, that America has been well aware of the dangerous potential abuse and the thereby the implicit peril of all those medicines and drugs that have been determined to be narcotics in their nature; but somehow, despite this knowledge, has failed to come up with an efficacious plan that first of all deals successfully with the unauthorized distribution and usage of such; in which, further, we so find, that this government has also failed to deal, often enough, with those medical authorities and druggists that clearly have prescribed and distributed far too much of these regulated narcotics, to “patients” that do not have a compelling or legitimate need for this medicine, and then have compounded that error in recent times, by basically treating narcotics as a drug in which the lust for profit by the authorized manufacturers and distributors of such, trumps any sensibility or proper regulation, whatsoever.

The effectiveness of a good law, really comes down to how it is dealt with in the reality of the situation as it so transpires in the real world.  When it comes to the Harrison Narcotics Act of 1914, the precursor to further laws such as the Controlled Substances Act, we do so find, that despite the governmental recognition of not only the dangers of narcotic usage in regards to dependency, as well as the undesirable side effects, so of, from the continual usage of these narcotics, is that this all seems to be ignored, in the belief, that pain relief, above all, should be the guiding light; while also effectively ignoring the fact that many of those that claim that they are in “pain,” are really essentially seeking to procure a prescription to an addictive drug that provides them with a desirable euphoric feeling.

It is befuddling to believe that somehow, this government was hoodwinked by powerful pharmaceutical corporations into believing that somehow, that today’s narcotics, were fundamentally different than yesterday’s narcotics, and thereby the addiction or potential abuse of such substances, would not re-occur; when the proof that these narcotics being subsequently abused, was fairly in evidence,  from the get go, for all those that would care to look, but decided, instead, to hold their tongue, because in this nation, money and profit, is more highly valued, then the good health or protection of its citizens.

Capitalism at its worse: the consistent lack of fair wages

While there are advantages to living in the richest nation that the world has ever known; that doesn’t end up meaning a whole heck of a lot for those that make up the underclass of people that work in jobs in which the wages so being paid to them, the work conditions, so of, and the hours and schedule, therein, are in reality, unfair to them.  The biggest problem with capitalism and a structure in which companies are permitted to offer wages to potential employees that are in harmony with the prevailing minimum wage and no more than that, is that the minimum wage, does not represent a fair or a living wage for all those that make that minimum wage or are marginally above such.

In point of fact, there isn’t any good reason to have a minimum wage if that wage is not representative of a living wage, for a minimum wage that does not represent a living wage, is by definition, not a fair wage.  There are plenty of economists and capitalists that will argue that the wages so being paid to potential employees, are always subject to the conditions of the marketplace as well as the throughput so produced by that employee; this thereby represents to them, at least, the justification of why wages can thereby be below a living wage.  While that is indeed one way to look upon the issue, it isn’t the most appropriate way – because, in fact, any employer that cannot pay a living wage to every potential employee that they so desire to hire, should be precluded from hiring that employee, and thereby then let the chips fall where they will so fall.

In reality, what so occurs in America, is that the employer is almost always in the position of power, and the potential employee, in absence of a strong trade union, or a mandated living wage, or a skillset that just so happens to be in demand, is the vulnerable petitioner for that employment.  Those that do the employing, implicitly know that people need wages in order to procure food, shelter, healthcare, and the like, and therefore those employers are able to exploit that power to their advantage.  After all, for many an employer, there isn’t any compelling reason to pay a fair wage, when the person so applying for work, is in no position to fight back -- but pretty much has been reduced to accepting whatever wage that is put in front of their face, or suffer the ill effects of no wage at all.

Perhaps there was a time when a mandated minimum wage law, was structured fairly and made perfect sense – but that time, if it ever existed, has long passed.  This thus signifies that the minimum wage needs to be fully and completely replaced with a mandated living wage, which would thereby represent a fair wage; subject, just as Social Security benefits are subject to, a yearly inflation adjustment, so that it thereby remains a living wage, year-by-year.  It is vital to remember this well, no modern-day nation, is worth its salt, if it treats its own domestic workforce as a labor body which should be subject to exploitation -- but rather that nation has an obligation, instead, to provide its laboring people with something of substance, and thereby of respect.

Make sure to apologize by corrective action, so taken

All of us, make mistakes when we are so dealing with others, of which, some of these mistakes are of the nature in which quite clearly an apology is warranted, and many of those that so need to apologize to the other person, actually do end up going ahead and doing that.  Yet, not every apology is equal, and those making such apologies, know this for a certainty.  For instance, when we say that we are sorry to someone, but our body language or our voice seems to express something that is the opposite of such sorrow, then that apology rings quite false.  So too, those that qualify their apology, by blaming it mainly on some other agency, such as drinking, or anger, or frustration, aren’t really serving up a true apology, but rather are making more of an excuse for their ill behavior.  Finally, all those that apologize, and somehow are able to believe that their mere apology without any subsequent correction action or even an honest attempt to make good on an action to help right that wrong, have the hollowest of apologies.

Those that are on the receiving end of an apology, while often appreciating that they have been apologized to, will often find that sincere apology or not, that mere words, do not heal well a deep wound.  That shouldn’t be surprising to any of us, for our innate sense of justice, often cries out, that in sympathy to those that have been wronged or hurt, that they need something therefore more fulfilling than mere words to represent well a lasting and soothing balm.  This thus signifies, that the person so providing a sincere apology, must not only freely admit to their wrong, but also must do so without equivocation or excuse, and further to the point, they then must go ahead and couple that apology with the type of action that proves their sincerity and provides therefore the foundation of why that apology represents something of lasting value, by their subsequent good actions, so taken.

Again, to err is human; so too, to correct that mistake is our imperative obligation that we must so attend to, so as to thereby make good for that which was wrong.  Those then that desire to take shortcuts in regards to apologies by taking the easy way out, by thereby mouthing words that sound good or that seem appropriate, but don’t ever take the personal time for self-reflection, or to acknowledge that they have a duty to see that whatever ill that they have perpetuated, needs to be addressed in a forthright manner, haven’t taken the opportunity to learn from their mistake, or to become thereby a better person for having subsequently done the right thing.  In life, there are going to invariably be regretful things that each of us does, that we can’t take back because the action has already occurred; but in which, we can thereby do the next best thing, which is to admit our wrong through our sincere apology, then determine that we will not repeat such, and finally to take positive and correction action to make good, to the degree that we can so do, to ameliorate the harm that we have done.

Batteries store energy, they are not a source of energy

In modern society, we use batteries all of the time, such as for all of our myriad electronic devices, as well as, nowadays, even in our mode of transportation, such as vehicles.  The thing that some people get so wrong about batteries is that batteries are not actually a source of energy, but rather they store energy so as to keep an electronic device functioning, or a vehicle, moving.  This thus signifies, that batteries by their very nature, in the sense that they store energy, need to be carefully dealt with, for energy stored in compact packages, can be susceptible to that very same energy being unexpectedly destructive, as well.

To a very large extent, most of the public, despite whatever warnings that have been applied to devices that utilize batteries, or on the actual package container that consists of the battery or batteries, don’t seem to typically express a lot of concern or worry about those batteries; thereby, leading to those very same people and businesses often being rather cavalier about not only how they interact with those batteries, but also in regards to the disposal of those batteries, as well.  As in many a thing, the government needs to take on more responsibility in doing their good part by informing the general public that the public needs to be more cognizant of the potential dangers of batteries for not only the end user, but also in regards to the proper disposal of; by impressing upon the people, that batteries can be explosive, flammable, subject to being mishandled, and damaged, as well as acknowledging more forthrightly that batteries typically contain chemicals that can be quite dangerous.  Further to the point, through chemical leakage, poor design, cheap materials and the like, batteries can be susceptible to spontaneous bad and tragic events.

Again, batteries are storers of energy, and thereby they must periodically have that energy renewed, typically accomplished through electricity or else the device so using those batteries will soon become inoperable.  This thus signifies that the ease of providing that electrical charge to those batteries has to be universal as well as being readily available, which is typically the case when it comes to batteries in modern, western societies, but isn’t necessarily the case in foreign lands that lack the infrastructure to assure such.  So too, the price of that electricity most definitely is an ongoing cost in regards to batteries, so that, it would behoove governments to provide that electricity as an essential public service that should be responsibly regulated, which we so find is often the case.

Because batteries store energy, but are not themselves a source of energy, it is imperative, that the electricity so needed for those batteries be structured in such a way, that the electricity to these devices be both dependable as well as being robust, for a battery without stored energy, has little practical value.  So too, once a battery becomes unreliable, weakened, or has been completed used up, the discarding of such, should be something that is uniform throughout this nation, as well as being responsibly structured so as to thereby be safe for the environment.

It’s all about me and the alienation, so of

We seem to live in a modern society, in which never have so many felt entitled, privileged, above it all, special, and selfish.  That is to say, there are an awful lot of people, especially those that should know a lot better, in which because of their status in life, or their money, or their willful ignorance, are pretty much all about their own self, and thereby these are the very same people that are thus only interested in their own personal satisfaction, above all else.  In other words, it seems to be, especially for those people, a race to the proverbial bottom, of selfishness, narcissism, self-centeredness, and just about anything that continually validates their own self, without much of a concern or care about anyone or anything else.

Not too surprisingly, when our sole focus is pretty much upon getting ours and our satisfaction, then everything else must thereby take a back seat to our desires, or must be subservient to our desires, or else ends up being used for our desires.  This thus signifies, that those that are especially selfish, have by their actions and by their mindset, pretty much separated themselves from society, to live instead in a world of their own, in which in that world, the only thing that really counts, is them, and nothing else.  So then, at a certain point, those that are solely self-absorbed, whether they consciously recognize this or not, increasingly become more and more alienated from humankind, because they are not part of the social milieu, at all, but rather are part of a team of exactly, one.

Any society in which a significant portion of its membership, involves people that aren’t interested in contributing anything of value or of worth to that society; but rather see that society as nothing much more than as an instrument to exploit, or to take advantage of, or to use for their own purposes, and thereby believe that this is justified, because they have been endowed with free will, have not examined their own life in any meaningful way; for those that are in it only for themselves, must so recognize, that if everyone else was to have that same sort of attitude or mindset, then the inevitable fall of that society would be imminent; for we are, in actuality, social creatures, so created with an implicit understanding that we have a duty and an obligation to do our fair part of helping to make society better as our just obligation to such.

While each of us entitled to follow our own chosen path, those that insist that they wish to concentrate solely upon themselves, and on no other, are invariably going to come to that point, in which those that engage with them, are only those that are either compelled to do so, or those that are in their own way, extracting value from the other.  So then, we find that in a selfish person’s most honest moments, that they must so admit to themselves, that all is vanity; unless they are able to forthrightly find someone or something that is bigger than their own limiting ego.

The banking system should be non-profit

Logic would seem to tell us, that the loaning of money to people and businesses, should be one of those things, in which a small but steady profit should be made, by those banking institutions, and nothing much more.  That is to say, in a truly competitive environment in which banks, credit unions, and the like are truly competing against one another, the access to that money so being loaned would have to be competitive, and thereby the cost to the consumer and businesses to obtain those loans would be reasonable, and hence the cost of that money to those receiving those loans, would be manageable.  That, at least, is the theory, but the reality is completely different.

What we so find is that first and foremost, any business enterprise in which the biggest players within that enterprise are thereby designated by this government as “too big to fail,” are clearly implicitly dangerous in their construct to that nation.  In other words, the current situation in which when times are good, that these mega banks are thereby enabled to make billions upon billions of dollars in profit, through the mere loaning of money, or via leveraged investment schemes – in which, in addition, we find that the biggest and largest of these mega banks, have been effectively backstopped by the federal government, so that when those loans go bad, or those leveraged bets run against these mega banks, that they are thus bailed out by that same government -- effectively makes these mega banks the most desirable of all businesses, because these mega banks can never lose; of which, in essence, the profits so made are functionally privatized, representing thereby a form of monetary extraction from the pockets of one’s own citizens and businesses -- and when these mega banks subsequently suffer massive losses to the extent of insolvency, they are, in essence, made good by those very same citizens as so authorized by that government.

In order for business transactions to seamlessly be accomplished, the coin of the realm, as thereby represented by our currency of dollars that are utilized physically as well as electronically via interactions between businesses and people, so occurs  This thus signifies, that those institutions that control those dollars in the sense of the availability of that money, the cost of that money, such as in interest rates, and the liquidity of that money, have an incredible amount of influence over not only the general economic conditions of that nation, but effectively over the people, themselves – because the people thereby need fair access to such in order to successfully conduct their affairs and take care of their responsibilities.  In other words, banks, have untold power over the people and businesses, in which, for whatever reason, this government, enables those banks to extract profit and thereby to have dominion over the people and those businesses; whereas, sensibility tells us that a far better way for the people and businesses to relate to the coin of the realm, would be for those banking institutions, to be within their structure, non-profit, and thereby never conflicted about what they should or should not do, as opposed to our current corrupt state of affairs, in which the game is permanently fixed in favor of those mega banks for no good reason, whatsoever.