Food Stamps/SNAP monthly allocation

The first thing to realize when it comes to those that are laborers in what are considered to be the traditional fields of employment, is that the pay frequency of those so working, varies from being monthly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, or weekly.  Not too surprisingly, the more infrequently people receive their paycheck, we find that, especially for those that do not have a lot in material assets, that the navigation around the knowledge that their next paycheck is perceived to be of a long distance away, can readily lead to some degree of difficulty in their thus managing their day-to-day expenses, bills, as well as other obligations.  In other words, those without a lot of savings or the means to access short-term loans on a reasonable basis, will invariably find themselves in the type of situation in which they will have to tighten their belt, so as to deal with the fact that their access to their next paycheck is uncomfortably far away.

When we take into fair account, that the need for food, is a biological necessity, of which, people that are hungry are often quite uncomfortable when they are lacking some reasonable degree of food security or access to such – it thus doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense that food stamps are allocated only once a month.  As might be expected, those that have to utilize food stamps, are often the very same people that do not have a lot of excess monetary capital lying about their premises, and further to the point, are the very same people that are quite vulnerable to suffering from food insecurity.  While it most definitely is quite helpful as well as being beneficial to those that are the recipients of food stamps, the point of the matter is that most people require three meals in a day, of which, that equates to people needing to eat around 90 meals in a month.  So then, when the voucher so being provided to get that food, must cover the entire month of meals, we thus come upon a construct in which upon receiving that allocation, a significant amount of those people will often feel “food rich” at that point, only to discover later and to their dismay, that halfway through the month, that they thus feel “food poor.”  In fact, we read at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov that in a study, “ SNAP participants, adjusted mean food spending decreased 37% from the first 2 weeks to the last 2 weeks of the SNAP benefit month.”   This clearly indicates that the people so receiving those food stamps are not very good at allocating their food purchases so that such would be equally distributed throughout the month.

It would seem, that a better way to distribute SNAP monthly allocations, would be to disburse such more than once a month.  After all, for those that deplete their monthly allocation too quickly, the wait for the next month’s allocation of such, seems interminable.  Further to the point, for all those that have a tendency to stock up on a bunch of food items, all in one visit, the division of that food stamp allocation to semi-monthly or similar, would cut back on not only those impulse purchases, but also would help to re-direct what is so being purchased to those items which more appropriately fit the budget at hand.  Quite frankly, the governmental skillset so needed to adjust food stamp allocations to something more frequent, doesn’t seem all that daunting, thereby signifying that the government should put into practice, that very thing.

Inequality breeds violence

America is a capitalistic nation with a social welfare structure and taxation which surprisingly is felt most tellingly, not upon the rich, powerful, and the elite – whether they be individuals or corporations, but to a very large extent on those of the middle class, upper middle class, as well as also a subsection of the upper class.  At this point, in America, there is absolutely not even the façade that this nation believes in equality, opportunity, fairness, justice, or even just common decency.  Rather, America, has devolved into protecting and embellishing entrenched entitled institutions, of mega corporations and well-placed people, in which the objective of the game for those that are the masters of such, is to extract and thereby to exploit the lesser people, relentlessly.  One might think that since there are so few that have so much, that the people would have the clear advantage via their massive numbers; but in point of fact, those that run the show, have the policing force of the state, along with its massive surveillance system, completely in their power, and when the arms of the nation are controlled exclusively by the hands of those elites, and the so-called “justice” that is rendered upon the people, is dictated by those that regulate that edifice, then the people are clearly at a significant disadvantage.

So then, what we so find in America, is a modern-day gilded age, in which the best-of-the-best, is available for all those that have exclusive access to it, so that these special people as well as these powerful institutions consequently have literally never had it better, and of which, none of them, wish to give up nary a thing in return to that government or its people, which created the foundation for their success to begin with.  On the other hand, there is a whole swath of people that basically play by the rules, believing in the American dream and its capitalistic system, of which some of these people do indeed have some meaningful degree of success and are appreciative of such – but alas we also have, what America prefers to sweep under the rug, which is the massive amount of people, that are basically born into a nation in which they will never receive fair opportunity, justice, peace, or a quality education.  In other words, they are born into poverty and neglect, in which, their lot has pretty much been fixed upon their first living breath.  These then, are quite obviously, the type of people that are going to be prone to committing violence, for they know that the hand that they have been dealt, is unfair and unjustified; thereby motivating them, since they have nothing to lose, to strike back against that society through any means, so necessary.

When a given person in poor circumstances, looks around, and sees that they have no future, and of which, the knowing of that truth, haunts them – they are going to consider what few options that they so have, in which the intent of the subsequent actions so taken will be to do what they perceive that they have to do, in order to get from society, some degree of respect, and if that has to be done through the barrel of a gun, so be it – for they rather die trying than simply to swallow their pride, because at least in the former, they will have had their say and will have stood up to that which is just as wrong as they are, if not even more so.

The evolution of humanity

Humanity must have an overarching purpose for its being, and that purpose has to be, for the betterment of that humanity, in whole.  What makes for the betterment of humanity is what makes for the betterment of a nation – which is, equality, justice, fairness, consideration for the other, and fair opportunity for all.  To the degree that those that are our elected representatives and our national leaders, represent these attributes in action, then to the betterment they thus serve humanity. Whereas, those that are in power and of influence that are divisive, narrow-minded, bigoted, deceptive, unjust, and self-serving are the very people and institutions that are clearly not good for humanity, while also serving as real impediments and obstacles to the good advancement of that humanity.

Nothing that we purport to desire to achieve for humanity at the present time can conceivably be accomplished in just one generation – but rather, step-by-step and thus through persistence and drive, we can, each of us, help build upon the good values and good principles that have preceded us to thereby get us ever closer to where we need to be.  None of this is possible in a vacuum, and further to the point, each of us, has our own weight to carry as our obligation -- for to take humanity to a better place, takes a collective and focused effort, for there are no shortcuts to earn what has to be earned by our merit.

The dissatisfaction that most of us feel deep within our psyche, is there as a constant thorn in our side, or as a ping upon our conscience, so as to awaken us up from our lethargy, or else to serve as a reminder that a life lived around distractions, and mindless activities, is a life poorly lived.  None of us has the same abilities, and none of us has the same background, but all of us, should have a vested interest in seeing that we as a people, are part of the process of progress, as opposed to being those that seemingly don’t care or that actually work in opposition to such.

What each of us gets out of life, is what we put into it – and while it is true that we do not all start at the same place, the destination for all, is collectively the same.  This thus signifies, that each of us has the fair opportunity to be contributors to the greater good of humanity, and therefore of a life well lived; for that in a nutshell, should be the abiding purpose of our life and of our being.  We are each given opportunities to prove our value, and each of us are tested so as to see whether we are true to what we profess in our heart to be.

As it has been written, no man is an island, and the fact that each of us is here on the same planet, signifies that each of us, has been created by the very same hand with therefore the same unalienable rights.  The fact that we recognize those unalienable rights as being invaluable is one thing – but the other thing is whether we are the ones to defend those rights, come what may, and thereby to help make society better for our participation in it, or whether we won’t do our fair part, instead.

Texas is the 9th biggest economy in the world

A lot of people know that if California was a separate country, that it would represent the fifth biggest economy in the world.  Not that far behind, though, is Texas, which if it was a separate country would represent the ninth biggest economy in the world, making it thus bigger, all on its own, than entire nations such as Russia or Brazil.  The most important industry in Texas is the oil and gas industry, of which,  Texas from an oil perspective, represents 43% of the domestic oil production so produced in the United States, as we read at visualcapitalist.com.  This would seem to indicate that when it comes to oil and gas, the perspective that Texas has, may indeed be at odds to all those that desire to steer away from non-renewal energy sources, as well as to all those that are especially concerned about climate change, pollution, and the like.  Further complicating matters, is the fact that oil and gas, from an export perspective is quite beneficial to Texas, and hence to the United States, because oil and gas, most definitely represents very big business, and therefore is of real benefit for the United States export market, of which oil and gas, thus represents the highest percentage of those goods so being exported by America to the world, at large.

Not too surprisingly, based upon the industries that Texas is dominant in, this thus makes a big difference in regards to the policies that Texas so proposes and professes, and thereby the concentrated political power that it thus wields.  This signifies that a successful politician in Texas is almost for a certainty going to be someone that is a proponent or at least at a minimum, a defender of the oil and gas industry, because to not be, would pretty much be political stupidity.

Additionally, while many an American desires to see lower gas and oil prices, so that their personal energy needs extract less from their respective paychecks – those that actually produce the gas and oil, are on the other hand, going to want to typically get as much as they can get from the marketplace.  This thus creates the puzzling scenario, in which, America has for decades, castigated OPEC as being a market manipulator, as well as a cartel, which is gouging the world in regards to the profit markup and availability of that oil so being sold; but what is seldom mentioned is that America is actually the largest producer in the world of oil, but does not, itself, have a separate domestic market for that oil, in which that oil is thus priced at a rate substantially lower than OPEC, as a courtesy for its own people, so as to reduce the profits so made from that industry, upon its own people, domestically.  

So then, what is good for Texas, may or may not be good for the nation as a whole – but make no mistake about it, Texas is incredibly important to the economy of America, most notably because of its oil and gas reserves; of which, it could be said, that if Texas, was to deliberately manipulate the oil market, so that, for instance, it produced less oil than it could produce, or restricted the domestic access to such, that this would in a sense, appear to then represent in form, a domestic version of OPEC.

The importance of thinking

Most everyone believes that they think, every single day, and while that is basically true, we do so find that a significant amount of people, don’t ever take the time to examine thoroughly their own life, let alone the purpose behind such, and thus the meaning of it all.  Far too many people, just buy into the orthodoxy of whatever that it is that those that are in power are selling to them – of which, perhaps these people are also somewhat discriminatory in what they accept or agree with, as compared to that which they don’t accept or don’t agree with.  The main thing is, though, that what we get out of life, has a lot in common to how much we put into that life.  So that, those that wake up, and ask the question, as to why things aren’t this way or aren’t that way, as opposed to believing that there can only ever be slight variations in the way that things basically are -- represent those people that are actually doing some real thinking, and thinking with a real purpose behind such.

We are meant to think, and what we so think, has a lot to do as to whether we see ourselves as truly independent agents, with not only the wherewithal to think for ourselves, but the obligation to do so – as compared to all those that pretty much think along the lines of simply going along with the flow.  So too, we often live lives of which our supposed obligations and duties, keep us forever occupied – of if not completely so, than our hobbies and habits successfully do their part in filling in any available open gaps in our life, therefore indicating that we need not do a whole lot of thinking, because each day appears to be complete in and of itself.

So then, for those that have discounted the importance of thinking, this thus entraps them into a sort of inertia, which because there is no inner drive from them to generate the escape velocity from such, keeps them forever in a certain set place without a whole lot of corresponding variety in their life, whatsoever.  Perhaps this is okay, in the sense, that those that meekly follow the leader, can have a somewhat satisfactory life, when that leader is actually traveling in a direction of some worth and value.  The problem, though, is when that leader fails to meet an ethical standard of substance, which leaves thus those that will not think, vulnerable to all sorts of bad outcomes, which accordingly comes their way.

Those that truly want to make constructive progress are always the same sort of people – which are those that take the time and trouble to not only to do their research via thinking – but to also make it their point to think their thoughts with others that are also known as independent thinkers, as well; so that, together, they can figure out ways that will help to make a society a better place for their participation in it.  To think, is to challenge authority, as well as to question those that are in power – for not all that glitters is gold, and all those that think, know this.

Deception and exploitation

In this world, there seems to be no end to mankind’s inhumanity to mankind; in which, many a person doesn’t much care about how they make their money as long as they get that money, one way or another.  So then, in a construct in which cheap labor is not only desirable for many an employer, and of which we so find that many of those employers so seeking such cheap labor don’t really care to know about all the details of how these people became available to them –  this thus helps to create a marketplace for unscrupulous people to thereby recruit for that cheap labor and these recruiters typically do so, by being extremely deceptive to those that they target for such recruitment.  After all, if the recruiters were to fully disclose the conditions of what that employment would actually be like, as well as the living conditions that would typically be expected, then this would certainly make their job of successfully recruiting credulous people, far more difficult.  Rather, their preference is to take advantage of the vulnerabilities of those that do not have much in their possession, and of these people’s desire for a better life, by concocting a plausible story for them, in the sure knowledge, that once those that have been recruited are away from their home base, and in particular are placed into a new location, of which, those so recruited have no friends, as well as being unfamiliar with the customs of that location, then all those so recruited will thus find themselves to be in a really bad place.

In other words, a significant amount of people that are exploited, have often been lied to or deceived about the employment that they thus finds themselves in.  Further to the point, while it is easy and rather convenient to blame and therefore to target those that have recruited people that have become exploited – it has to be taken into fair account, that the bottom line is that recruiters are only one part of the equation – of which, the other major part is all those that knowingly desire these workers, because their business model or their greed, is dependent upon a ready supply of workers that they can exploit, in every way so possible, so that they can thus make their money, upon the backs of those that have no say upon the matter.  That is to say, there wouldn’t be a whole heck of a lot of recruiters, if there wasn’t a need to fill for amoral employers that desire such, of which those employers clearly prefer employees that have no real choice other than to comply with the employer’s demands.

When it comes to exploitation, it basically begins with those that have some position of power -- that desire to have in their control, people that have no power, and thus must adhere to their demands.  So, you could say, that these unprincipled employers create the market, of which, outsourced to another agency, are the recruiters that take care of utilizing whatever tools of the trade so works -- which usually involves deception, though sometimes it is also violence, to get those that have little or nothing, to end up being tricked into a life which is in many ways, a living hell for them, but profitable for those that ply this dirty trade.

There is a real purpose behind pain and suffering

Many of us, fundamentally desire to have a life which does not entail us having to deal with any significant issues that would negatively impact or hurt us in regards to disappointment, rejection, pain, or loss.  Yet, as much as we may so desire to avoid these very things, it is indeed the exception to the rule, when we don’t inevitably suffer from some degree of pain and disappointment in our respective lives, for some period of time, or even for a lengthy period of time.  What seems to be missing so often, when we cry aloud about our particular woes, is that for so many of us, we really need to periodically have a “wake-up” call to thus get our minds and therefore our subsequent actions right, so that we don’t end up taking for granted, that which shouldn’t be taken for granted.

The thing about life, is that we really don’t know who or what we really are, unless we are tested, either by outside forces that impact our life, or when we conduct such a test upon ourselves.  After all, it isn’t possible to be ready for battle or to accomplish something of significance, unless we get into the arena of life, in which, because there are so many other agents and factors within that arena, this thus means that such is not going to be in our control – necessitating therefore that we have the wherewithal to make the adjustments so needed in order to accomplish the very purpose of our starting such an engagement in the first place.  In our life, we must prove not only to our own self, but also to respected others, that we can accomplish what we have so set our minds upon accomplishing.

In other words, the actions that we take within this world, must have real consequences, or else, our interest in this world, would surely be minimal.  Indeed, one of the reasons why we experience pain and suffering, is to ping our conscience so as to wake us up from our lethargy or laziness of mind, to thereby make the concerted effort to overcome such, or at least, to understand better why this is so occurring to us.  So too, life necessitates that there be real stakes at hand, of all that we say and do, thereby placing ourselves in the position to appreciate better the joy and satisfaction of tasks accomplished successfully, in the sure knowledge, that because of our persistence and good effort that we have succeeded in that in which we put our nose to the grindstone upon.

Life necessitates for us, some degree of drama, of which, the drama that we so face, is ours to conquer through our courageous, purposeful, and forceful actions.  Those that fail in overcoming the troubles that ail them, need to comprehend, that their feelings of defeat and despondency are impressed upon them, so that they will thus be reminded to dust themselves off, and thereby to try and try again.  There is, no victory more sweeter, than those that previously having been vanquished, have demonstrated their character by subsequently to have risen up to claim that which is theirs to own, of which, by doing so, they have thus successfully erased their previous pain and disappointment to reap joy and contentment, instead.

Energy that is weather dependent is by definition, undependable

There are lots of people that not only believe in, but desire to have renewable energy, to be the foundation of our energy needs in America.  In truth, that belief, and that desire, is certainly not wrong; and it also seems to represent well, common sense – but the fact of the matter is, that any energy source that is dependent upon the right weather conditions, whether that be the sun, wind, or rain, is going to represent an energy source that is problematic for all those that live within a construct in which their energy needs are constant as well as when such also represents the backbone of the things that they need to attend to every day.  So then, we need to keep in mind that solar power is dependent upon the sun, of which, even on the best of days, the sun does not shine in the same area for 24 hours in a day; as for the wind, the wind does not always blow every hour of every day; and finally for hydropower, it subsists upon a constant supply of water coming from snow melting, or from rain, and cannot well sustain itself in droughts as well as it will find itself subject to being overwhelmed by extreme storms.  Additionally, when it comes to renewable energy, excess energy so produced on a given day, must either be stored through batteries or similar, or else that energy will essentially go unused and will soon thus dissipate. 

Basically, any renewable energy source, that is dependent upon the right weather, is going to, in the scheme of things, not only be not acceptable for any society that needs a continuous source of energy, but it also will not ever be, on its own, a dependable energy source.  This signifies, that while it certainly makes sense to want to take advantage of renewable energy sources that are available to us, such as the sun and wind, that we still also have to be realistic in the recognition that to make our energy sources totally dependent upon that which is not wholly dependable is fundamentally a major flaw.  Rather, it would behoove us to see renewable energy as something that will serve to provide us with a portion of our energy needs but until such renewable energy becomes fully or nearly fully dependable, it cannot ever be our only source of energy.

It’s good to see humankind, driven to find alternative sources for our energy needs, of which, the overriding motive is to lessen our dependence upon that which is perceived as being damaging to the environment, as well as to the climate, and is considered to be non-sustainable over the long run.  Still, what has been put on the agenda as being sold as the proper alternative to fossil fuels and the like, are not currently good enough, to perform their functions at the level that modern society demands and needs, signifying that a mad rush to replace that which is reliable with something that is not, is clearly misguided, and therefore needs to be adjusted to reflect and to take into fair account, this inconvenient but salient fact.

This is what happens without labor unions

The eternal battle between those that labor and have no say within the structure of their work employment as contrasted to those that essentially dictate the terms of where, what, and how such labor will be deployed is quite obviously the type of the battle that wholly favors the employer over the employee.  Further to the point, every single employer, large or small, recognizes that those so seeking employment from them, do so out of a general necessity to obtain wages in order to pay bills so as to thus appropriately uphold responsibilities that people must attend to on a daily basis.  This signifies that whether or not the labor market is considered to be “tight” or rather to be suffering from “slack” doesn’t nearly make as much difference to those so seeking employment, as economists will try to make us to believe.  We find then that basic laborers so seeking employment are typically without any real power to change the terms and conditions of their employment with anyone, unless they have the agency of a strong labor union, behind them, for in united numbers there is power, and without such, there is not.

So then, in a construct in which many a person needs a job, the advantages of this known fact are all going to be on the employer’s side, which we see demonstrated time and time again, wherever there is the absence of strong labor unions, by virtue of how many an employer is thus able to “get over” on their employees.  Though we have labor laws which stipulate the conditions of which overtime will be paid and how much that compensation for that overtime will be, we do so find that there are many employees that have had to do work or are expected to do work “off of the clock”, and therefore to basically labor without compensation at straight pay, let alone time and a half.  So too, when it comes to the productivity of employees, we also find that employers are constantly seeking ways to improve that productivity, of which, the basis foundation of such, is to get more work done in the same amount of time – so, for instance, we find that the assembly line for those sorting packages, or of cutting chickens, is sped up, thereby producing from that same employee a higher degree of productivity without that worker typically receiving any corresponding increase in their salary.  None of these things that take unfair advantage of employees would be possible or even really conceivable, if employees had the protection and the strength of a strong labor union, backing them, but in absence of such, and in consideration that this government cares not a whit about the common laboring man, this is what so occurs in the real world.

The bottom line is that the labor cost is an important component in the overall profitability of a given company, and when that company can exert pressure, or utilize persuasion, by one means or another, to get more labor out of their workforce, without having to provide a commensurate increase in pay, then the employer, personally reaps the benefit, thus essentially wresting the bread from the mouths of those that they so employ.

Support your local credit union

People need banking institutions in order to receive their paycheck, pay bills, as well as to organize their finances.  There are for most people, two basic choices when it comes to their banking needs – which are having an account with a traditional bank, of which nowadays a lot of these banks are national in character; or to do business with a local credit union, which provides basically the same services as banks but typically are more consumer friendly, by charging lower fees and by permitting low account balances without penalty -- while also having very competitive interest borrowing rates as well as having competitive saving rates, and finally credit unions are non-profit in their structure. 

It would seem then that most people would thus go to the low-cost choice when it comes to their banking needs, especially in the sure knowledge that non-profit organizations are going to by their very structure, be institutions that are able to provide to their members, a better overall package.  Yet, though there are plenty of people and businesses that do utilize credit unions, the bottom line is that national banking institutions are in an entirely different financial assets league and demonstrate such through their huge aggregate market capitalism, their market share, their credibility, their influence, and their overall impact upon consumers and even the economy. 

The advantage of using a non-profit credit union is that the structure of those credit unions is created around those that are its depositors, which are the actual members of that credit union, and further to the point, the efficiencies of a given credit union, aren’t siphoned away from those credit union members so as to become profits to that credit union, but are, in essence, returned to those that are its members, by virtue of that credit union’s lower fees and lower expenses.  Additionally, credit unions, because they are typically local within a particular community, city, or State, are going to do a far better job of re-cycling the money that is deposited within their premises, so as to be of benefit to that same community, at large.

After all, because national banks are for-profit institutions, it doesn’t take a genius to understand that for-profit businesses essentially make their money or their profit, off of all those that are its consumers.  So then, in the banking business, this means that banks basically make their money off of those that utilize those banks; whereas, for non-profit credit unions, because they are member-owned and member-supported, their overriding mission is to provide a good service to those that are its members, above all.

Perhaps because credit unions aren’t really known for doing a whole lot of soliciting, whereas banks are quite adept at not only doing a lot of advertising, but also soliciting people through direct mail or other means; and of which, banks are also known for their endless promotions and come-ons, that perhaps then, all that solicitation does indeed make a difference to the choice that an individual makes, or if not, at least places into the consumer’s mind, that such and such national bank, is more credible or more secure, than a local credit union.  Whatever that it is, is quite unfortunate, for credit unions, represent the superior product typically for a whole swath of consumers, especially those that cannot afford to be nickeled and dimed, but suffer from such, consistently.

“It Is Difficult to Get a Man to Understand Something When His Salary Depends Upon His Not Understanding It”

The above quote comes from the incomparable, Upton Sinclair, and is as true today, or perhaps more so, then it was back when Sinclair first espoused such wisdom.  The thing about how we learn and comprehend, is that however that we get our information, whether it is through social media, our educational system, or establishment media, or various other assorted means, that we often don’t think enough about the possible motivations and the incentives of those that are writing their words and teaching us.  In other words, those that are dependent, for example, upon the need for fossil fuels to be the prevalent form of energy in America, are going to easily find a way to espouse the necessity as well as the reliability of these fuels, through their voice.  That is to say, it doesn’t matter much to these people, how pertinent or right that the opposing side may well be, when these persons recognize that for their continued good salary as well as their steady employment, that they would be far better served championing what is personally beneficial for them, above all else.

There are plenty of people that seem to be rather intelligent, perceptive, and astute, so it does seem rather surprising whenever we get from them an answer that doesn’t seem to mesh up well with the reality and totality of the situation as we see it.  Yet, when we begin to comprehend, that when we communicate with others, that we have to take into fair account, that their opinions or even that which they call “facts” are often subject to their personal proclivities and interests, then this thus begins to make more logical sense to us.  This thus means, that part of the explanation for why business decisions are sometimes seemingly unfathomable, is the fact that the executives of those companies so making those decisions, often have an incentive or incentives, that are in opposition to those that they so employ.  In other words, in the executive office, their main goal may be to hit certain profit and sales margins, and if this thus means, less money for those that they so employ, or layoffs of certain employees, then these executives are going to often do that, because these upper management people don’t want to understand or to take into account, that those that are their employees have their own needs to meet, as well.

We like to believe that we live in a world of equal opportunity, egalitarianism, and fairness, but the reality of the situation is that there are plenty of people that have no interest in a world like that; but prefer instead to be in a construct in which they receive more opportunity, are accorded their class benefits, and life is structured in a way that is purposefully favorable to them.  They want this, because they want what they want, and don’t care about backing anything that would take away from what they so have, and therefore will not listen to reason or anything that would upset their current status.  Indeed, the vast majority of people clearly know the difference between right and wrong, as well as between fairness and unfairness, but despite knowing this, they find that for their own selfish interests, that they are better served by pretending to not understand, what they do indeed understand, because they do not wish to give up what they so have and value.

Regulatory capture

Basically, regulatory capture, essentially means that the implementation of federal regulation upon a given industry, has in effect, been “ captured” by the very companies that are being regulated, so as to favor those corporations through the process of, for instance, those that are doing the regulating and/or the legislation of the laws that applied to such being, in effect, regulated by industry insiders, or adherents to that industry, or lobbyists working on behalf of that industry.  In other words, regulatory capture occurs whenever the regulators aren’t truly independent agents working on behalf of the government, but rather are well-versed industry insiders that have switched hats so as to thus implement toothless regulation, as well as to see that such regulations are enforced in such a way, that it benefits that industry, specifically; or, we so find that regulatory capture occurs through the lobbying efforts of the lobbyists in a manner in which the legislation is amended or enforced in a way that benefits that industry, at the expense of the public good.

The regulation of industry, is basically a lawful process in which the public believes that a given industry is thus subject to some necessary and prudent regulation – but in reality, some of those companies subject to such regulation, have essentially captured the regulatory body in such a way, that their business model will not be negatively impacted, or if not completely successful in doing so, mitigates such to the degree that such impacts their business model, only marginally. 

When it comes to regulation, it has to be remembered, that those that are the executives of these mega corporations, as well as those that are its stockholders, that they demand to have a good return on their investment  -- so that these particular people are extremely motivated to accomplish whatever needs to be accomplished to be successful and to be profitable, in the here and now, as well as in the future.  Therefore, the regulations so initiated and enforced upon these corporations, they believe have to be re-structured in such a way, that their bottom line will not be negatively impacted or hurt.  This means, that these mega corporations are going to look to exploit any weaknesses or nuances within a given regulation and to the degree that they can do so, capture such, so that they will be able to conduct their business in a way and manner, that such regulation is essentially a non-factor.

While many a person believes that the federal government, is an institution that is second to none – it has to be recognized that the federal government and its departments are only as strong as the budget that it so has, the strength of the legislation so being enforced, and the people that make up that department.  So then, there are myriad ways for mega corporations to impact given regulation, in which, corporations are extremely adept at exploiting such for their benefit – and when, in essence, the federal government, does not have in place, robust procedures, or effective rules and regulations, to protect and defend the public interest, then the end result is regulations with good intentions, that have often been subsequently captured in a way, in which the impact of those regulations on behalf of the public weal of the nation is of minimal or of no effect.

Private security and the Constitution

We live in an era in which more and more often, the interface between the general public and those who for all appearances are acting under color of law, may well end up placing some of those citizens in the unenviable position of having their freedom curtailed, as well as their Constitutional rights, vacated, by such.  In other words, those that are under governmental authority, such as police officers and other law enforcement personnel, know for a certainty that they have specific laws, as well as rules and regulations that they must adhere to, or else they could be found to be in violation of Constitutional law, and thereby the arrest or the seizing of goods from a given suspect, may well be found to be in violation of that law.  On the other hand, there are, for instance, businesses or even portions of townships, that hire private security guards or their equivalency, to essentially “police” their premises and property, and of which, because these private security personnel are not governmental law enforcement, this thus essentially means in a lot of cases, that Constitutional rights for citizens in regards to searches, seizures, due process, self-incrimination, legal counsel, and equal protection, are essentially marginalized or are of no effect within this interactions.

The main problem then, with private security as it so currently operates, is that when the adjudication of Constitutional law, seems to state that the Constitution only applies to governmental officials and their corresponding interactions with the general public, but has little or nothing to say about private entities, acting under color of law – we do so find that a significant problem for the general public is that they have thus less legal rights when interacting with private security then they would have with an actual law enforcement officer.   This thus lends itself to all sorts of potential abuses, for if the powers-to-be, in this era of massive corporate power, makes it their point, to see that they protect their private property through the exclusive use of private security guards; and if townships are able to circumvent their need for police officers, by contracting through private auspices, their own private security force, this thus essentially means that Constitutional law may not apply to those so being accosted by those private security forces.

After all, for all those that desire to have more law and order, but express a general dissatisfaction that the accused currently have too many rights, and therefore are often handled far too leniently; we find that the workaround to this is already in existence, which would appear to be private security forces acting under the color of law, instead.  This thus signifies that whenever there exists an avenue in which the rights of the people, per the Constitution and its Amendments, can be successfully circumvented through the use of private security or its equivalency, then there is bound to be those that will see fit that this very thing so happens.   Indeed, it doesn’t make any good sense, that law enforcement is held to account to adhere to the rules of the road; whereas, private security apparently is provided with free rein to act as law enforcement, but not be held to the same restrictions, so of.

Western society and the lure of money, money, money

People have a tendency to forget, that when humankind first walked upon this earth, that there wasn’t any money; of which, then, we so find that the things that human beings really needed in order to sustain themselves, such as food, water, health, societal relationships, work, spiritual communion, and the like did not at that time require money, and to this day, signifies that we should not be overly dependent upon money or its equivalency.  In other words, the unalienable rights that are bestowed upon each one of us, is for each of us, free of charge, which thereupon signifies that the only legitimate governance is that which aids and abets society in maintaining at its foundation, these very unalienable rights, with or without money being integral to such.

All sorts of evil exists because of the humankind’s continual lust for money, as well as its belief, that money is considered often to be the definitive answer for whatever ails or troubles them.  Rather, it would be more appropriate to recognize that when money is placed up upon the mantle, that the end result of any governmental structure which treats money as the be-all and end-all of existence is going to be dissatisfactory in the here and now, as well as in the future.  In western society, never have the people in aggregate had so much, but regrettably because money is treated as the boss commodity to pursue, and of which, the structure of many a western nation, is based upon and is supportive of the most selfish of principles, we do so find that not only is the game unfairly structured and played, but that the end result, clearly reflects that unfairness and selfishness.  This thus signifies that the society that we live in, often doesn’t meet for its most disadvantaged and disabled, the minimum standards that any good and responsible society should represent, and the fault therein, lies in the fact that it is predominately money, as opposed to something of worth as in character, that serves to separate the wheat from the chaff.

Anytime that money serves as the driving force for people to get up to do this or to do that, then that which controls the access to that money, or serves to divvy it out per their proclivity, is the same entity that effectively rules over all others.  It would be far better, in any society, if that civilization would appropriately recognize that the highest priority of that society is to create a structure in which the highest aggregate pursuit of its citizens is the pursuit of justice, equality, peacefulness, hopefulness, and fairness, above all.  We are, after all, what we prioritize in our mindset and in our being; and when the thing that drives more people to go forth and to do stuff, is their need or their belief that they have to have money, then the end result is going to be what we see in many a western nation – a dissatisfaction and a constant nervousness in the present, trending towards an end game which has no interest in helping to make society better for all.

Sublimate your anger

A lot of us, suffer from some periods of anger, mostly having to do with something that appears to our mind to be unjust, unfair, upsetting, disrespectful, or wrong.  In fact, we can probably finds examples of injustices done to us, every single day; but we have to remember that the people that make up this world aren’t perfect, and in particular, that we aren’t perfect, either.  Additionally, life is going to present frustrations to us, because many a person, simply wants what they want, come what may; without necessarily understanding that to get what a person wants, may well necessitate hard work, persistence, patience, or even ultimately come down to just good fortune.

The reason that so many strike out in anger, is that they have a strong tendency to give in to that anger, without having taken the time to think about reasonable alternatives to lashing out in anger.  In other words, anger, for a lot of people, is instinctive, and because it is instinctual, they act out, without really thinking about whether or not, that angry reaction is right or wrong, or even appropriate.  This thus creates the problem, of which, many a person has so suffered from in which by striking out in anger, we almost instantly regret what we have done, because we know that not only is this display of anger typically an overreaction to what is so happening, but that there really isn’t a valid reason for having acted in that way to begin with.

Let’s face it, most of us respect deeply, those people, that have the strength of character, to not react to something that would provoke anger within our being, by these same people remaining in good control of their persona.  We admire them, because we recognize that in the scheme of things, that while they could have reacted in anger, that their reasoned response was the better way.  The reason, then, that some people are able to handle their potential anger issues so much better than us, is not only because they are more thoughtful about such matters, but also because they have made a conscious choice  beforehand to not react stupidly to provocations or situations in which they would be susceptible to losing their way.

To strike back against those that strike against us, is regrettably to forget who and what we really are, in essence; for if all we can do is to match hate with hate we haven’t really gained or learned a thing.  Rather, we need to remind ourselves that not only will perspective put us into a better place, but also that most things that happen to us, on a daily basis, are not worth expressing our vehement anger about.  In other words, while we may well be justified in being angry in a given situation, to give in to that anger, probably is not going to successfully resolve the issues that are in front of us and hence we may well regret such an action.  Instead, we should try our best to readdress our anger in a way and manner in which we can do something constructive with it, as opposed to destructive – which thereby makes us wiser and more civil. 

This government plays favorites in a supposed free market capitalistic system

We read at fiscaldatatreasury.gov, “The federal government spent $6.27 trillion in FY 2022.”  This thus clearly indicates that the federal government spends an incredible amount of funds each and every fiscal year, and of which a significant portion of those funds is earmarked to the corporate world and therefore serves as an extremely lucrative backstop to the capitalistic system as so run in America.  Not only that, the federal government is also the very place that essentially determines as to whether or not when certain corporations are in dire financial straits, that this federal government, will or will not lend a helping hand to them, not only through tax forgiveness, but more importantly through financial loans, of which, these loans are often set at below market interest rates with typically liberal repayment conditions, so of; and finally, we do so find that these favored corporations that this federal government provides aid to, are often further assisted by virtue of the specific business sales so transacted by these corporations to their valued customer, the federal government.  In short, the federal government is wont to financially support particular insolvent institutions or of those trending towards insolvency, that for some reason or other, cannot find a fellow corporation to save them, or a banking institution to lend to them, except for the federal government which selectively does so.

In consideration that capitalism is supposed to be the private or corporate ownership of capital goods, in which these goods are by definition, subject to the vicissitudes of the economic system and the conditions, so of – along with these companies having to constantly compete with other entities, in what is supposed to be a free market – we do so find, that when certain well-positioned corporations are able to thus call upon “Uncle Sam” to specifically aid them as compared to all those forsaken others which are effectively dismissed; that this thus indicates that every other private or corporate ownership of capital goods, that does not have this same available federal outlet, are in essence, clearly competing in a marketplace in which the field is definitely not level, whatsoever. 

Additionally, as bad and unfair as that is, quite frankly, the federal government never wants to come across as being wholly stupid in the decisions it so makes to support this or that company, so in having their actions justified to the general public, as being necessary for the public good, it likes these companies that have been supported by this government then to be successful in righting their respective ship.  So then, what we so find, is that “investments” by the federal government into specific corporations, often has an even more corrupt element, which is that this federal government, will often do what they can, to at least at a minimum, represent to that corporation, themselves, as being the “buyer of last resort,” thus contracting as much work and product buying as is so possible with those corporations that this federal government has determined it must so help. 

In short, while the vast majority of businesses, in America, sink or swim on their own, for better or for worse – those other corporations that are in the most favored positions, don’t really ever have to worry about sinking, because their relationship with the federal government, affords them the luxury of knowing that this government, of, for, and by the people always has their specific back.

Empathy is the foundation of good human relationships

In life, more of us need to place less emphasis on our supposed needs and more emphasis on the understanding that this world never has, and never will, exclusively revolve around our desires or our will.  This thus indicates that for a lot of us, we need to exit our little bubble of protective existence and entitlement, to  understand that in order to become a good member of society, that we must step out and thereby accord to all those other people that make up society, the type of respect and courtesy, that we so want and expect in return, from them.  This thus means that we should endeavor to treat people the way that we wish to be treated, which necessitates consideration of their feelings, being non-judgmental, generous in spirit, as well as being a good listener.

None of the above means that we should ever place ourselves in some sort of abject obeisance to other people, but rather that we should be less individually egotistical and selfish; replacing such with the sure knowledge that everyone here on this planet, have been created by the very same hand, and therefore are inborn with the same unalienable rights that we so have and appreciate.  In other words, we need to be more inclusive in our dealings with others, as well as to understand better that good relationships are built around mutual respect as well as in our continual demonstration of empathy one to the other.

Quite obviously, we don’t all think the same, nor do we all have the same priorities, for we come from different backgrounds and have different thought processes.  After all, if we actually lived in some sort of cookie cutter society, life would be excruciatingly boring, because sameness in everyone pretty much leads to dullness.  Of course, those that we find to be difficult or troubling, may not initially be those that we wish to congregate with or to deal with; but we have to take to heart, that these then are the very same people, that will provide us with the rich opportunity to demonstrate in action that we care enough to try to be of aid and of material help to them; or if not that, then at least to try to take into account, that behind their mask of trouble, still remains that which is in essence, the same substance that we are made of.

The insecurities that so many of us fall victim to, has a lot to do with the lack of harmony that is missing, far too often in our relationships, in modern society.  In order to make progress, then, in overcoming this, it is vital that each one of us, make it our point, no matter how upset or disappointed that we are in someone, that we constantly maintain our focus to see in their eyes, that they are, just as human as we are; so that, we see within them, their validity and inherent worth, which thereby serves to keep us grounded in the sure knowledge that they are us and we are them.

The more outsourcing the more blue collar laborers lose

One might think that corporations that are based in America, and therefore have been part and parcel of what has help create the foundation of success in America, would, by their very nature, thereby be conscious of their obligation to first do right by those that are American citizens, by providing those Americans with good and stable employment opportunities, in the firm belief that Americans come first.  In fact, though there are many corporations that do follow this policy, of being supportive and fair in their domestic employment; we also find that each year more and more of that work that could be done in the United States, is being outsourced to foreign lands primarily because of their cheaper labor conditions, instead.  So then, for many a corporation, their main concern is not about domestic employment, a living wage, stable employment, or any of these types of things, but really they are firmly beholden to money and profit, above all else.

In America, from an employment cost perspective and in consideration that America has specific labor as well as environmental laws, we find that the cost of wages in America vis-à-vis developing nations – in regards to the amount of total compensation for a foreign worker -- that this is indeed considerably less than what that corresponding work would be compensated at within America.  Additionally, there is the very real threat to labor, that if those domestic workers will not give in to corporate demands in regards to wages and work conditions, that this thus means that such work may then be outsourced, which all serves to keep the blue collar laborer down, with not only no negotiating position with corporate management, but also forever in a position of no say and of no power, as well.

We currently live in a construct in which whatever a given corporation of influence wants, they so get; which is beneficial to the bottom line of said corporation, but often devastating to local communities and in particular, the blue collar work force within those communities.  This thus means, in essence, that corporate elites get an ever increasing amount of compensation from their profits that goes into their exclusive hands; leaving the government, then, to provide for those, that would prefer to provide for themselves, but now must count on the government to aid them in their everyday affairs.

The main reason why so many who labor in America, have no pricing wage power or any meaningful influence upon their working conditions, has a lot to do with the fact that their work can often be outsourced, as well as the fact that they will habitually be threatened with such being outsourced, if they don’t comply with management demands.  Clearly, this is exploitation, which benefits mainly corporate elites, and hurts the common man; of which, we see the result of this by not only the ever greater unequalness between those that have as compared to those that have not, but also in the despair and lost of respect, that blue collar workers must suffer through, because they are part of a fixed game, in which, they always lose.

Higher education and the conspiracy against the poor and disadvantaged

If higher education for those that are the most disadvantaged and poor, was really of interest or of concern and thus treated as a meaningful priority of our government, then that government, of, for, and by the people, would take the necessary steps to serve far better those that are the most ill-prepared for higher education, and therefore are also the same ones most in need of governmental assistance and good applicable programs structured specifically for them.

At the present time, higher education has never been of more relevancy to the material success of a given individual, and while it must be stated that higher education is not for all; of which, those that do not gravitate to higher education, may so find that trade schools and the like would probably be more suitable or of benefit to them; we do so find though, that those that are left behind by poor educational facilities, unmotivated teachers, and the constant lack of necessary school structure and resources, that this has further serve to compound the injustice to all those that attend these unqualified schools, leaving these students with virtually none of the attributes so needed to be a successful student at some future point, should they be inclined to try their hand at higher education.

One might think that any legitimate government that was actually worth its salt, would demonstrate in principle that the very best thing that they could do for those that live in enclaves of poverty and hopelessness, is to provide to these children with what would amount to be the best avenue to successfully generate the escape velocity so needed, so as to raise themselves up, which would be the proper education of those that are born with hope, but typically find such hope being inexorably sucked away from their person, day after day.

The argument could be made, and should be made, that this nation, has made it its point and principle, to preclude those that are the most disadvantaged amongst us from achieving any hope of success through higher education by denying them the structure, the aid, and thereby the tools that would permit this to successfully occur.  So then, the only fair conclusion, that a reasonable person could perceive from this is that quite obviously this government clearly desires that it have and that it maintain a permanent underclass, so created for the purpose of these un-championed people being exploited for the benefit of primarily businesses, which find it very profitable to have a labor class that is compelled to work in areas of poor remuneration, without union representation, and without a voice, so as to make a good profit off of their personal sweat, blood, and tears.

After all, it is only the lower class that can be consistently fooled and taken advantage of, because that is the only class in America, which has basically nobody to represent their interests, in addition to these people being the least educated and astute.  That is to say, those that are the elite of America, recognize well that as long as there are distractions to keep the lower class occupied, as well as a strong policing arm to intimidate them, then, these corporate elites indeed have a good exploitable labor base that will do what they so demand and thus remain forever in their place.

“Blessed are they who are not held by possessions, for they shall be free”

The above quotation comes from the insightful mind of Kahlil Gibran, and certainly seems at odds to those that are enthralled to the western world and of western values – for we find there that far too many people are either held by their possessions or of their desire for more possessions, believing that these possessions are thereby the key to both their security as well as to their happiness.

The thing about possessions is that it takes a strong mind and the firm control of such, to understand that our value in life does not come from what we so have and own; but rather from what we so do to help make society a better place for our being a participant in it.  When it comes to possessions, each one of us knows for a certainty, that we can take nothing material with us to the world beyond; and while it certainly seems prudent to desire to leave into the hands of those that we respect and love, some material contribution to their welfare, that shouldn’t be the main driving force of our being; for a far better legacy and of more meaning for them is to leave for those that we care for, our living example of good character, sound morals, and valued community service.

Those that are overly enamored of what they so have and further have a desire to add more to their treasure chest, are obviously beholden to that craving, which perhaps unbeknownst to them, can become the primary driving force of the decisions that they so make.  That is to say, those that are materially oriented, typically find that they are never quite ever satisfied, and because of that lack of satisfaction, or perhaps because that satisfaction never seems to last for a long enough period of time, they keep coming back to their supposed need to collect even more of what they so have.  Further to the point, the desire for material goods, if not tempered by good character, can set some people upon a path in which they will do whatsoever that they have to do to get such, which thereupon distorts their moral compass as well as their values.

Those of us that live in what appears to be a very material world, do not need to buy into whatsoever is up for sale.  Each of us, has been gifted with freewill and thereupon our own consciousness to do whatever that it is, that we set out mind upon.  In other words, we are the masters of our own fate, and thereupon how we approach the world.  Those then, that value freedom, must understand that freedom necessitates to the degree so possible, the release of unnecessary desires as well as unnecessary possessions which serve more to enchain us to them, and almost never to free us because of them.  To be wise, is to understand that our good interactions with one another and our good works, is of far more meaning than our possessions; for that which is temporal in substance, should never rule over that which is eternal.