Companies with 500 employees or more must be mandated to be unionized

The battle for unions in the United States, has been fought, and unions, for the most part have lost.  At this point, for those that are employed in private enterprise, there just isn’t any horizon or reasonable contingency in which we will ever see again the rise of unions in the United States.  Because free enterprise has not played fair with their employees, it is due season that this national government gets involved so as to resolve what needs to be resolved, so that those that honestly labor for their wage, are thus able to make a living wage; which this country, needs to see implemented, nationwide, in order to be seriously considered as a nation of opportunity, as compared to a nation that consistently exploits vulnerable segments of its own labor force.

The bigger a given employer is, the more power it thus often has, in which, many a community will provide successful large employers with intrinsic benefits, for their placing their facility within that community, such as tax set asides and abatements, roads and other desired infrastructure improvements, and so on and so forth.  Yet, these very same large corporations, already have plenty of money and the resources to take care of what they need to accomplish, without having to pressure communities to provide them with special benefits.  This is especially unfair, when we consider that a lot of companies that desire favoritism from communities, are the exact same companies that do not play fair with their own labor force, in the sense of providing all that work for them with a living wage, decent benefits, work schedules that take into account input from employees, as well as fairness for those employees to actually engage in soliciting or being solicited by a union.

The answer to the problem that this nation has in regards to having so many of its citizens that do not make a living wage is to see that companies are mandated to be unionized at the wages and benefits so set by this national government, for all those companies of 500 employees or more that are not now currently unionized.  After all, it has to be taken into consideration, that all those that are employed that are not able to make a living from their labor of forty hours a week, often must lean upon the government, to prop up their salary through an Earned Income Credit as well as other pertinent programs, which when translated correctly, signifies that the government is essentially backstopping private corporations that underpay their workers, by that government paying for that shortfall, instead, which isn’t fair and which isn’t right.

It has got to be recognized that for those seeking employment from private enterprise, that the negotiation for a salary, is seldom a negotiation, and in truth, is a “take it or leave it” proposition, so set by those companies.  That isn’t just, and in order to even up the score, unions were created so that workers would have a seat at the table of private enterprise so that those workers would thus have the opportunity to make a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s labor.  For this, then, not to be currently provided to American workers by private enterprise, should be seen for what it really is: a shame, a sham, and exploitation, and thus it is high time for this national government to step in and to do the right and necessary thing.

Those that are blessed with many privileges have corresponding responsibilities

In the scheme of things, life doesn’t appear fair, in the sense that some people are born with privilege or seemingly entitled to so much; whereas, there are those others that are born with so little and are seemingly entitled to not much of anything.  The truth of the matter is, that each of us, has our own race to run, of which, it is our responsibility to do the best with what we have in the running of our respective races.  So too, there is a balancing in life, in which those that are gifted with a lot are expected to do something substantially good with their gifts; whereas, those that have been denied such gifts, are expected to do basically the best that they can, in consideration of their circumstances.

For all those that have many privileges, and spend nary a minute, in consideration of all that is wrong and unjust in this world, that is their free choice.  Yet, as might be expected, there are consequences for every choice that we so make and when those choices are consistently wrong, selfish, and misguided, there will surely come a fair reckoning in which each of us, on our own, must then answer to who and what we really are, and what we have or have not done with our life.  That sort of judgment thus takes into consideration, the expectations that each of us has been graced with, whether great or something far, far less.

The rights and privileges that have been bestowed upon us, are our responsibility, to own up to in the way that we thereby interact with one another.  That is to say, for those that value free speech, free assembly, and freedom of movement, they need to respect those very same freedoms for all other people, even when they might so disagree with the choices so made, because the nature of freedom is that each of us is equally entitled to these rights, as opposed to believing that only the privileged or the elites of this world, are worthy of such liberty.

The nature of governance, consists of a basic structure in which a small subset of the people are going to have a lot of power over others – in which, when it comes to governance, that power is supposed to be utilized for the beneficence of the people, as representatives of those same people.  Additionally, in our relationships with other people, we have a responsibility to take into account, that we should treat other people, the same way that we would desire to be treated if the shoe was on the other foot.  That signifies that we need to own up to not only our responsibilities to do the right thing, but to simply be fair to one another, in consideration that the best society is that in which there is justice for all, and without special set asides for those that are privileged, in which the same sets of rules do not apply. 

In this world, we will be tested, and those tests can come in many forms, of which, one of those forms, is for those that have everything, to demonstrate that they have the wisdom to do what needs to be done in order to help make this world a better place for their participation in it, and to know that whatsoever they do, to thus hold themselves accountable to it.  

Crime is a reflection of social conditions

There are plenty of people that believe in this basic simplicity, that crime is pretty much done by bad people and for bad reasons – thus we need then a strong policing force to stop those bad actors.  This seems to be the implicit belief in the United States, which is why the United States, locks up a higher percentage of its citizens, by a significant margin, over any other industrialized western nation.    Yet, for all the crime and punishment doled out by America’s justice system, the crime keeps on coming, in which, apparently despite all the criminals locked up, there are still plenty of other criminals plying their trade upon the public and its institutions.

The fact of the matter is that crime does not operate in a vacuum, so that there are always proximate reasons why crime exists, which should be considered to be a fair reflection of the actual social conditions of that nation, as experienced in real life.  That is to say, what breeds crime, has an awful lot to do with injustice, unfairness, inequality, discrimination, hopelessness, lack of opportunity, dysfunctional home life, bad environments, inappropriate role models, impulsive and bad decisions, and inadequate educational systems.  Further to the point, it can be stated with absolute certainty, that the crime rate of a given nation reflects fairly the social conditions, in whole, of that nation.  That is to say, those nations with low crime rates, are the very same nations that are noted for being more fair-minded and just, in the first place.

In truth, an abundance of inequality and injustice breeds discontent.  The solution then to rectify that discontent comes from the removal or amelioration of that inequality and injustice, as opposed to having in place, a police force, that will, for certain areas of particular communities, act not to serve and to protect the people, but pretty much as an alien occupying force, which exerts its form of justice, upon the streets.  The crime that we have in this nation, is related to the fact, that those that cannot have what they believe that they deserve or want, are going to thus find the means to get that which they believe they deserve or want, frequently through criminal or other illicit activity.

America represents an amalgamation of peoples with quite diverse backgrounds, of which, to the credit of this nation, it has attempted to meld itself into something of true substance, and to represent then that “out of many, we are one.”  Regrettably, the United States falls far short in accomplishing this achievement, and to the dismay of those that wish to see America live up to is founding ideals, it has visibly turned its back upon the poor, the disenfranchised, and the vulnerable.  The crime and the dissatisfaction that we see all around us, is a reflection of the current social conditions of this nation, and the solution is not now, nor will ever be, more law and order; but rather the appropriate solution needs to be based upon the foundation that each citizen in America, is fairly entitled to a fair opportunity to live a good life, with the incumbent structure so needed for this occur, solidly in place and functional for each of its citizens to avail themselves of.

Social Media and Keeping up with the Joneses

Social media is one of those things, of which, there is a rather large dividing line between those that are absolutely transfixed and engaged with social media of all types, and those that don’t really pay much attention to it.  Those then, that are intimately involved with social media, are often caught up in seeing other people’s lives being presented in a way and manner to them, in which, these particular people seem to have the best of the best of it, in regards to nightlife venues, material accouterments that represent success, and in the knowing of and in the hanging out with the right people.  Further to the point, the top influential people on social media, appear to not only dress the part, but to live the part, as well.

Perhaps then, that’s a good thing, and to the degree that this brings comfort, appreciation, and perhaps some vicarious pleasure in the peering into of other people’s successful lives, so much to the good.  However, the truth of the matter is, besides the overall deception which often is part and parcel of so many social media posts, which try so hard to sell the illusion that all is an endless parade of fun and games – is the inconvenient fact that many of those that follow people that are perceived as living a very good and enviable life through following their social media posts, are themselves personally caught in this dilemma of wanting what these social media success stories apparently have, while recognizing that for them, in their more honest moments, that they aren’t going to ever achieve or get close to such.

We find then that the shortcut to having a successful life, or a perceived successful life, doesn’t really lie actually in achieving the goals that would legitimately represent such, but rather has a lot more to do then with obtaining the symbols of what that successful life is being portrayed as.  This thus means, in the social media world, the trick to keeping up with the Joneses is to present one’s own story in a similar way to what has already been viewed – which means, that half of the battle is in the presentation of our own lives, carefully constructed to give the appearance that we are, in our own way, having the best of it, as well.

In other words, back in the day, the objective of the exercise was to keep up with the Joneses, that were primarily in our neighborhood, or were part of our general milieu – but, in recognition that social media, has literally a global reach, we now have to keep up with the Joneses, that could be just about anywhere, which provides us then with the advantage of understanding that it doesn’t much matter what our neighbor does or does not know about us or thinks about us -- what really matters, is only those that we have connected with through social media, of which, our objective for that audience, is to  manipulate our social media persona that thus will make us appear to be something grand, ourselves.

Government: Our Master or our servant?

When it comes to the governance of this nation, there are very few people, if any, that truly believe that we, as a people, are actually being faithfully served by our government in any aspect, whatsoever.  Rather, it is pretty obvious and clear, that the government as currently structured is a power onto itself, and therefore, the Master of the people, of which, those people, should be properly fearful of that government, for it thus has the awesome power to seemingly take away the liberty and freedom of just about anyone, at any time, for any reason, or for no reason, at all.

That said, the formation of this government, was supposed to represent a government which derived its just powers from the consent of the people – of which, this then became a government, of, for, and by those people.  Yet, clearly, that isn’t the case at all, for the governmental authority is so powerful and so strong, that those that are its citizens, recognize that the failure to obey that government, is itself, a threat upon their free speech, free association, and freedom.  In other words, while this government preaches to the world that it is the bastion of freedom and liberty, that is belied by the very actions that it takes domestically and abroad.

It might seem strange that our elected representatives don’t seem to actually represent us, but for all practical purposes, they do not.  This would imply that within the governance of this United States, there is a shadow government, that effectively controls what will or will not be permitted to occur within this nation, and utilizes then all the tools of its trade to manipulate, control, and to direct the mass of citizens in the behavior which will be tolerated and thus permitted within this country.  All others then, that are not in compliance with those dictates, are effectively monitored, through the vast hi-technology apparatus that the United States government agencies wields or works with, and if so necessary, dealt with in a way to effectively neutralize or to counteract their actions.

In short, American governance, as presently structured and implemented, is not in any aspect, whatsoever, serving the American public for the good of the people; but is instead, pressuring its citizens to serve and to be in compliance with that government’s desires, so they then will assist that government, in a way and manner that is pleasing to those that are its actuators.  Not too surprisingly, controlling millions upon millions of people, is most definitely a challenging task, which is why the government asserts tremendous amounts of pressure upon those corporations and others of influence, to comply with its demands, by providing the choice then for them, of thus receiving great beneficence from that government for good compliance, as opposed to suffering thereof, from having made the inappropriate choice.

Though each of us, is born with unalienable rights, what we so find, is that in America, those rights have been effectively subsumed by the government, and replaced with counterfeit unalienable rights, which when push comes to shove, have no tangible value, at all.

You yearn for those moments that you can never get back

All those that are super young, typically lack perspective, which traditionally comes with age, experience, and wisdom so obtained.  To live a good life is to understand that there are stages to life, of which one of those stages is the firm acknowledgment that what is physical, must so eventually face its demise.  This is known to each of us from the beginning, but often becomes of more pertinence as our body, or our mind, begins to betray us – though, for those that are more astute, such recognition comes much earlier.

So then, the family that we grew up with, the friends that we make and have made, are eventually going to leave us, or we will leave them.  Perhaps when these events occur, all will be well, because everything that we wanted to say, do, and act upon, has been accomplished – but, in truth, those that we are especially close to, are the very same people that we desire to have forever with us, so as to celebrate our mutual accomplishments, to talk to, to gaze upon, and to just enjoy each other’s company, and when that is gone, it is seemingly gone, forever.

it has to be noted, that when we go to our favorite venue, or sit in our favorite chair, or visit the home that we grew up in, and the person that we use to enjoy spending our time with, is no longer there to join us, we can become rather dismayed that all is not how it once was.  So too, though time is absolutely relentless, and continues to tick away, day by day, there is a tendency for many of us, to picture those that are the dearly departed, as actually being forever locked into a certain time and place, when we most appreciated one another’s company, and we yearn for that time to be back in the present.

We want those that we really love to be with us, forever, because they are the ones that have helped to make our lives, better and more meaningful.  We desire to have them with us, so that we can continue to have those comfortable conversations, as well as to reminisce about bygone days.  We desire to do then the same sorts of things that we use to do with them, that thus brought us the greatest joy, again and again, because it has become for us, a touchstone, that we never tire of. 

Sure, life moves on, and we have our other friends, family, and relationships that bring us satisfaction.  But what cannot be replaced is those that represented to us, the security that all will be well, as well as providing to us, unconditional love and acceptance.  For those then that have departed us, we yearn for those moments when we were together, joyful, happy, and satisfied.  Though we cannot get those moments back, we can show our respect and love to those that we cared so much for, but have left this world, by making sure to be good to one another, and by remembering them in that special way, in which, they are always with us.

Employer of last resort

One of those things which has always seem senseless is to dole out money, food, and other accouterments to people without requiring that those people receiving those goods or corresponding aid actually do anything of substance in return.  No doubt, there are going to be a certain percentage of the people, that are, true wards of the state, because they are handicapped in one form or another that thus precludes them from doing gainful work – though, in truth, even those that appear to be challenged, are often quite capable of accomplishing some tasks of merit.  Indeed, there are plenty of people that are currently unemployed but are quite capable of accomplishing good work, with the proper training and direction, of which, this government should see that this is thus accomplished, for the mutual benefit of the people.  That is to say, all able-body people, almost without exception, that are capable of working and thus willing to work, should have training and then work assigned for them, which thus will provide the dual benefit, of that work so being done for the betterment of that society, as well as having that person then fairly earn their keep.

To believe that somehow there isn’t enough work to do in this nation, is belied by all the structural problems that this county has, of which, not a single major issue that the United States needs to address, has been fully and completely addressed in a comprehensive way.  Indeed, oftentimes what should be worked upon, is ignored, or underbudgeted, or left for another day.  That is to say, there are plenty of tasks that need to be accomplished, such as environmental cleanup of dangerous pollutants, bridge repair, reservoirs upkeep, sewer maintenance, safe water access, fire breaks, road repair, safer communities, playgrounds, parks, and so on and so forth.  All we need to do to understand what needs to be done is to simply note all of the frustrations that we have on a given day, of things that we wish were better, corrected, or repaired.

There is truly plenty of work to be done and in recognition that those that work for the government are working in a department that is not structured around the need or the requirement to make a profit -- understand then that to believe that private industry, somehow, is always going to be the answer in regards to absorbing those of the working age, to work for them, have got to realize that for-profit industries are exactly the same industries that are typically reluctant to pay a living wage, as well as to provide good benefits, because it will hurt their ability to be profitable, to grow, and to compete.

We do so find that the amount of monies spent on what is labeled as welfare, is estimated to be $1.19 trillion, as we read at budget.house.gov.  Further to the point, the labor participation rate is far below what would be considered to be full employment, of all those that are able and willing to work.  Those then that are willing to work, need to be provided with the opportunity to work, and to do so with the United States government as their employer of last resort, which will thus provide to the people of this nation, necessary infrastructure as well as other duties accomplished, and provide to those that are working for that government, a living wage, experience, and often an improvement of their self-worth.

The need for both boundaries as well as autonomy

Each of us has been separately created by the very same hand of God – which therefore signifies that each of us is entitled to the same unalienable rights as everyone else – no more and no less.  Yet, we live in a world in which that autonomy may be fully called into question, because of the governance of our nation or community, as well as the fact that for some people, they are not permitted to have the necessary boundaries so as to preclude others from violating what would be commonly looked upon as their personal space.

Those that see that their boundaries are violated on a consistent basis, should be, for instance, those that are in the beginning phase of their life, such as a very young child – in which, the violation of the boundary of that child, is for the overall good and protection of that child – as opposed to it being a controlling mechanism used against that child.  Additionally, those that are incarcerated, are to a very large extent, not only no longer autonomous individuals but typically are subject to having their boundaries violated on a routine basis.  Then there are those others that are handicapped in some way, that thus necessitates what would normally be their boundaries, thereby being imposed upon, again for the betterment of that person and their particular situation. 

Although there are exceptions, as noted above, for the most part, each of us is entitled to having in place the necessary boundaries to protect us from being used, manipulated, and abused, by others – with the corresponding understanding that our behavior towards others must take into account that they too have the same boundaries, in turn.  Indeed, it is in the abuse of boundaries, that creates all sorts of problems for people, and the longer that those boundaries are violated, and the more consistently that they are ignored, the more trouble thus ensues, for those having their boundaries violated, who then are clearly not fully autonomous in what they think, say, and do.

To be at freedom and at liberty, necessitates that we are in charge of the decisions that we so make, and thus are able to take responsibility in what so ensues, good or bad.  On the other hand, when our boundaries are constantly violated, this thus creates a dynamic in which our subsequent actions, have extenuating circumstances attached to them, based upon the fact that our own entitlement to having appropriate boundaries and thus to being autonomous have been violated, which thus has an impact upon our subsequent actions and judgments, so made.

Those that are nurtured within an environment in which their boundaries are secure, and thus seldom violated, along with the fact that they are knowledgeable of the responsibility that their autonomy means for the decisions that they so make, are going to be far healthier people, as opposed to those that have had not only their boundaries trampled upon, but their autonomy compromised, as well.  That is to say, for all those that desire to have healthier and more vibrant societies, we need then to firmly address at a very early age, the boundaries and autonomies of those that are our fellow citizens, to see that each of us, has fair access to such, and when not, to ameliorate such to the best of our collective abilities.

Banking, credit cards, mortgages, and equal rights for women

There are an awful lot of people that don’t really care about history, perhaps because they are simple- minded, perhaps because they are lazy, or perhaps because they believe that life is lived in the present and not in the past. It would appear that nowadays women in America, seem to have just about all the rights as men do, along with the fact that we do so find that at least on a legislative basis, women definitely have the same rights as men do when it comes to banking and credit worthiness, though that has not always been the case.

In 1974, the Equal Credit Opportunity Act was ratified, in which that act prohibited “…. creditors from discriminating against credit applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, age…”  This thus meant that before that 1974 legislative act, that banking and credit issuing facilities could, and in fact did, routinely deny women the fair access to having their own bank account, without the expressed authorization, for instance, of their husband. This did not mean that every woman was denied that access, but what it did signify was that such access to banking for women was at the sole discretion of that banking institution.

As might be imagined, those that do not have access to their own money or to their own credit, cannot actually be free and independent.  This makes those without such access, at the mercy then of those that control that access, and therefore places men, or those of that influence, into power positions, which by their very nature in the way that they are thus utilized, discriminatory.  While this news that such financial discrimination against women did occur, may seem remarkable to people of the 21st century, this is indeed the way that it so was.

Fortunately, we live in a more enlightened age, which thus provides for women as well as for others that have historically been discriminated against, the legislative Acts that serve to provide them with the same solid foundation that other privileged Americans, as in white males, have basically had as their birthright, from the inception of this nation.  We need to keep in mind that there are a multitude of ways to imprison people, that don’t really involve locking them up – and one of those ways is to make it so that their education, or their opportunity, or where they live, or their employment, or their access to money, be restricted because of who and what they are.

To be free and to be at liberty, means not only having a voice which can profess whatsoever that it so desires to say, but also to have the fair access to opportunity, growth, and monetary rewards, which are often a requirement to live then a good life.  Those then, that are denied those very things, and live their lives in a way and manner, in which what they so want to accomplish or access, is actually controlled by a male entity or institution, qualified or not, good or bad, are definitely not free or at liberty.

None of the superrich will ever get into Heaven – not one!

We read in Holy Scripture: “Jesus said to him, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.”  But when the young man heard this, he went away sad, for he was one who had great possessions.” (Matthew 19: 21-22)

Indeed, those that have massive wealth, are often reluctant to let go of that wealth, whatsoever; for they see that wealth as being what makes them of immense value to themselves as well as to others.  That is to say, heaven, is one of those things which is difficult to fathom, since it is not tangible, and so therefore, those that are the superrich, who never seem to believe that the grim reaper will ever snatch them away, are absolutely content upon relying on their riches to take care of any contingencies that may so arise, expected or unexpected.

In this world, wealth and connections are a definite source of power, and thus those that have that wealth and power are almost always reluctant to release their firm grip upon such.  The more astute of these superrich, recognize that perhaps it does avail them, to play both sides, and hence they are generous to many good organizations as well as being a benefit to the people, but in virtually every case when so doing these good deeds, they make sure that they will still have control of a vast treasure-trove of wealth so that they are protected from the vagaries of what may come their way.

The choice that each of us has to make, is whether we get our comfort from being a good servant to God, and thereby following the commandments of our God, or whether we feel more comfort in obtaining those necessary connections and wealth that will, in theory, serve to not only protect us, but to enhance our position, in society.  Those of the superrich, make that vote, each and every day, of which, their vote is always the same – which is to never relinquish their wealth because in the world that they are part of, they are used to that wealth opening up all sorts of doors and countless good opportunities that are exclusive for them.  Those of the superrich are not wrong in their thinking that wealth has its value, because indeed, it clearly and most definitely does.

The crux of the matter though for the superrich, is that for an absolute certainty, nobody can buy their way into heaven – and further to the point, God is no respecter of persons, so that all the earthly accouterments so rewarded, awarded, earned, or veritably stolen, aren’t ever going to resonate outside of this earthly dimension.  The superrich have often lorded it over others, perhaps with a gentle hand, perhaps not – but the game that they so play has been concentrated and directed upon wealth and power, of which, any generosity so demonstrated to others, is for the most part, a smokescreen.  Those of the superrich have indeed had their treasure and their time to enjoy such, though when they depart this world, they will be poor, indeed.

The Imperial Presidency

In America, there are three branches that thus serve to form its national government, which are the Executive, the Judicial, and the Legislative.  When it comes to the Executive branch of government, this office has been from its inception, the office more than likely to aggrandize more power to it, not only because of the title of that Executive, which is the President of the United States, but also because there is only just one President, at a given time.  When it comes to the Judicial branch, there is a hierarchy of Judicial branches, from local, to the county, to the State, to the Federal, all the way up to the Supreme Court, of which, that Supreme Court is made up of nine judges.  As for the legislative branch, this is a bicameral legislature, with 100 Senators, and 435 Congressional representatives.

So then, for those rich and well-placed personages that wish to wield power, and thus to utilize their influence upon the governance of these United States, the best target to go after, has got to be the President of the United States, because as it has been said, the buck stops there.  Further to the point, power has a way of playing upon the mind of a given person, in which, those that make it their point to let those in powerful positions know that whatever that they so wish to happen, can indeed happen, often do find a willing audience to such, especially when the semantics are structured in a way and manner, in which, the taking of dramatic action will, in theory, be for the betterment of society.

At the present time, the President, may issue Executive Orders, which perform the function, that such so implies, in which, basically an end-around is made, by circumventing both the Judicial and Legislative branches, by simply issuing an Executive order, thus implemented through the signature of just the President for that respective Act.  The problem with this sort of power, or of any power in which the Judicial branch and/or Legislative branch is ignored, averted, or subverted is that the Executive branch pretty much takes on the mantle of being aristocratic in nature, which thus means that this country fails then to actually be a governance of, for, and by the people, at all.

The main issue to have with an Imperial Presidency is the fact that the President, through acting by their sole volition, is thus no longer accountable to the people; because for the most part, the people are an irrelevancy, and hence the President doesn’t need to be concerned about what the people do or don’t think about those Acts, so initiated, through the Executive Order of that President.  Additionally, whether or not the people end up agreeing with a given Executive Order, those very same people, have got to recognize that when the President has the power to order and to do whatsoever appeals to that President, or to execute orders at the behest of those that have the President’s ear, that this is in reality, a form of tyranny, which will in its effect, erode liberty and freedom, by replacing such with control, obedience, and submission.

Cryptocurrencies are not currencies, they are speculations

As it has been said, the more things change, the more that they stay the same.  When it comes to cryptocurrencies, one might think, that these cryptocurrencies have somehow changed the game in regards to the primacy of the United States dollar, as well as other orthodox currencies around the world.  The one thing, though, that we can state with a certainty, is that national governments, almost without exception, do not ever permit any unauthorized competition with their national currency, of which, a given nation’s currency is thereby controlled and regulated by that national government, for the supposed good of that population.  This certainty makes sense, because money is simply a medium of exchange, of which, those that are utilizing that money, in all sorts of transactions, need to have the security of knowing that the money is fungible, liquid, stable, and universally accepted -- which is a truism for all major national currencies around the world.

The first thing that we know about cryptocurrencies is that they are clearly not currency, or else, if they were, than governments, the world over, would relentlessly put them out of existence.  Further to the point, the usage of cryptocurrencies is typically never one of actually buying goods or trading goods through the exchange of those cryptocurrencies, because the problem with cryptocurrencies, besides the fact that they are not universally accepted, is their unacceptable amount of volatility in their value.  Because cryptocurrencies are unstable, and unsecure in the sense there is no national authority to backstop them, this thus signifies that for most people and organizations, they are not going to desire to transact business in cryptocurrency, unless by the very nature of their business, probably because it is illegal or illicit, their hand is forced into utilizing something that theoretically is anonymous and cryptic.

In the United States, the Internal Revenue Service, taxes cryptocurrencies as property, and thereby treats it as such, for taxable capital gain purposes.  This is the reason why cryptocurrencies are therefore apparently legal in America, and why this is also true in many other nations, as well.  In other words, those that speculate in cryptocurrencies are essentially purchasing something of substance, which may go up or may go down, but is seldom ever actually utilized as an actual form of currency.  While it is true that the national government, does regulate the currency of the nation – it is also true that those that wish to barter with one another, and therefore exchange one set of goods for another, are permitted to do so – which is the basic way to look upon any transactions so done with cryptocurrency. 

We do so find that Bitcoin and Ethereum, have both seen their cryptocurrency rise remarkably higher against the United States dollar, but this has little to do with the intrinsic worth of that dollar, and a heck of a lot more to do, with those that are attempting to make some easy money, or literally easy crypto, by their speculation in such.  Human nature has a tendency to want to speculate, and a strong desire from many a person to make money without having to put forth a lot of effort, which is why there is so much cheerleading and manipulation to try to get a given cryptocurrency to rise, which signifies that a lot of cryptocurrencies have a lot more in common with Ponzi schemes, than they ever would have with being actual legitimate currency.

Money is an asset as well as a liability

The money that a given entity has, as in regards to cash, or electronic deposits, or used for material goods, or paychecks received, is an asset.  The money that is owed for those same material goods, as well as student loans, or credit card debt, or a mortgage, is a liability.  Those that have assets that are greater than their liabilities have a positive net worth, and those of which their liabilities are greater than their assets, have a negative net worth.  It might come as a surprised to some people, that the biggest debtor in the United States, is the national government, which though it does indeed have massive assets, also has tremendous deficits and liabilities; in addition to the fact that since the coin of the realm is sanctioned by that same government, this thus makes the money that we as individuals have access to or own, a definite liability of that same government, since it is our government that backstops the coin of the realm.

So then, in consideration that money is both an asset as well as a liability, there does come that point, in which those that have their assets in money or currency, recognized that their money is essentially backed only by the full faith and credit of its national government – no more and no less.  In other words, those that have cash and cash-like instruments, may not be cognizant of such, but basically they are creditors, of which it is their government that is the debtor to them.  Those then, that believe that America is a country of both long standing and strong stability, perhaps don’t waste much time thinking about the value of that money, because they believe that the currency of America will always have tangible and real value, though undoubtedly subject to erosion of that value via inflation.

Yet, the thing that we can say for an absolute certainty, is that nations do rise and nations do fall, and those that bet their bottom dollar that the currency that they so utilize will therefore always have value, when such is not backed by anything like gold specie, or something akin to that, are probably going to be quite regretful when something important that they count on to have real value, is suddenly, without notice, reduced to something considerably less.  After all, those that have substantial liabilities, of which, they can’t conceive of being able to pay back those liabilities in a manner in which they won’t suffer, unduly, are going to want to see that those same liabilities are thus severely discounted, and if that same entity is also the nation with all of the guns and ammunition and is willing to use such, then a deal is going to be structured, which will favor only those in the know, and will punish all those that are not in the know.

Remember this well, the United States officially abandoned the gold standard under the Nixon administration in 1973, and since that time the value of that very same dollar has eroded around 85% over that subsequent time period.  In short, slowly but surely, those that have assets in dollars, have seen their assets in real terms, decay substantially; whereas, those with liabilities designated in dollars, have been paying their liabilities with cheaper dollars.  Indeed, the die has been cast, and clearly this national government has little or no interest in ever paying back its national debt in anything even approximating the value of a dollar, today.

Where money has no value

We live in a modern society in which a significant amount of our transactions, if not all of them, we find that we use the coin of the realm to buy what we so desire to buy, and are suitably paid with that very same coin of the realm.  In other words, money, translated simply, is the standardized medium that is utilized, in which each side typically values it essentially the same, and therefore are willing to trade their labor or their goods for that money ad nauseum.  The fact that money is fungible, universally accepted, and for the most part, holds is value, makes it a very good way to transact business—thereby successfully circumventing the necessity of trying to determine the worth of someone else’s goods with some other tool that would somehow practically serve as a fair monetary unit.  While it is true that mutual exchanges of goods are made, from time-to-time without any money exchanging hands, this is the exception, and not the rule, because most people and businesses, don’t desire to devote an endless amount of time to bargaining back and forth, when they can simply set a price and be done with it.

Many people believe that if they can only get their assets to a certain specific number, that all will be well for them, because in having those monetary assets, they would thus be safe and secure from the vagaries of what life might present to them.  Regrettably, many a country, with barely any notice, has ended up debasing their currency or essentially have made such worthless, and virtually every country has some degree of inflation that thereby makes the worth of their money, degrade over an extended period of time.  Therefore, it would be fair to state, that the value of money, changes, and can indeed change rather dramatically over very short periods of time.  That said, though, pretty much those that do have a lot of monetary assets are almost always in a very good place to be.

However, as in any rule, there are exceptions, and in consideration that there are at a minimum, 900,000 islands in this world, it has to be stated that if a given person who has assets of millions upon millions of dollars was to find themselves somehow to be on a deserted island, with absolutely nothing, but those millions of dollars in cash, in their backpack, they would indeed be in that place in which having that money would be worthless.  After all, picture being on that island with that money and of which there is no other person on that island, and no businesses upon that island; so that, there simply is then no logical way that the money could be spent or utilized to buy anything.  That person, in one aspect, would still be rich, but rich in a way that would present no good for them, for the money on that deserted island would have no value or utility. So then, when it comes to money, recognize that this is best seen as a convenient medium of exchange, but to be defined by that coin of the realm, is a mistake, because that which has the most value, has no price upon it.

The Department of Defense should be called the Department of War

The United States loves to use semantics when it comes to those types of things that might disturb people in their firm belief that the United States is truly the land of liberty, freedom, and the rule of law – for the United States tortures people under the moniker of “enhanced interrogation,” and when it kills other nation’s civilians, it likes to call those civilians that they kill, “collateral damage,” and pretty much the list goes on and on.  There are legitimate reasons why the United States, changed its War department name from the Department of War, to the Department of Defense, such as the fact that back in the day when our armed forces were first put together, the Department of War was synonymous with the United States Army, in which, only later did the Navy, and then over a century beyond that, did the Air Force, become part and parcel of our armed forces; we find then that the thinking was that these separate armed forces divisions, did not desire to be perceived as being under the exclusive control of the Army.  Subsequently, the National Security Act of 1947, enacted legislation of which each branch of the armed forces was thus its own department, subsequentially subsumed under the new controlling department name of Defense.

The thing about the word, defense, is it is not the same word as offense; in fact, it means the opposite of such, and in consideration that the United States is not only a global power, but is the premier global power, proven by the fact that it has over 750 military bases worldwide – of which, this then would seem to clearly indicate that the United States isn’t really about defense, at all; but, is instead about worldwide domination, and that domination to be done through the implicit threat of war, at the sole discretion of the United States.

When we look at the United States, it shares a very long border with both Canada as well as with Mexico, in which, neither of these countries is a danger or a menace to the United States; but, in fact, these respective nations are pretty much always in harmony or in compliance with United States demands.  Further to the point, there isn’t any sole nation in the world, or even a consortium of nations, that would even consider waging war against the United States, for they recognize the stupidity and futility of such.  So then, there isn’t any defense ever really going on in America, but there is though certainly plenty of offense, as the United States, has been waging war, almost continuously, since the conclusion of World War II, with just some very brief respites from such, of which, not a single one of these wars so waged, has really needed to have United States participation in it.

The United States should be honest with its people, especially since it claims to be of, for, and by people in its governance.  Therefore, the Department of Defense should be renamed to the Department of War, forthwith, and additionally, the United States should make its case to its own people, as to the reasons why it has to be at war, all of the time, without any of these wars, since 1942, actually being authorized through Congress, as mandated per the highest law of the land, its Constitution.

Not telling the whole truth

People are familiar with the saying from our court system of being sworn in to “tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.”  Regrettably, while there are many people that will dutifully affirm that they will indeed tell the whole truth; the fact of the matter is, far fewer ever do so, in a court of law, or in life, in general.  The thing about the whole truth, is that in the telling of such, it does not provide those so speaking to that whole truth, any wiggle room, whatsoever; and if there is one thing that we know about human nature, is that most people prefer to have that wiggle room, to maneuver, to distort, to leave out, to manipulate, and to deceive -- in particular in those types of situations in which the telling of the whole truth would either expose them in a way and manner that they really don’t want to see occur, or perhaps, in the protecting of another person’s sensitive feelings or concerns.

The thing about not telling the whole truth, is that for many a person, they have been not telling the whole truth for so long, and for so often, that it has become for them, second nature.  They thus find themselves in the position, time and time again, in which they cannot really express the whole truth, because the edifice of the life that they have thus built upon, is actually based to a significant extent upon not ever divulging the whole truth to anyone of significance.  After all, it could be reasoned, that a good friend of ours, probably doesn’t want to or couldn’t handle the whole truth about what we really think about them, especially when a negative feeling we have about them has been hidden from them, for such a lengthy period of time.  In other words, if some of us, were to suddenly become true confessors, and thus to unburden everything that we really believed, in comprehensive divulgence, as in a complete “data dump,” those so hearing such, that also had an emotional involvement in that confession, would probably not only be hurt from such, but could, in fact, be devastated.

That said, it is always easy to justify any action, as being done in order to protect our friends, our family, and others, in general – when, in truth, the real reason is seldom that consideration at all, but rather has an awful lot to do with protecting our own self-image, and therefore how we are perceived by people or organizations that we really care about.  The reason why so many are so reluctant to tell the whole truth, is because they believe that by doing so, they will be exposed for who they really are, and hence lose the respect of their peers, and fall down, perhaps heavily, in the pecking order of life.  Those then, that fail to tell the whole truth, are the very same people, that do not desire to “face the music,” at the present time, nor do they desire to face that music, at a later time, either,  They don’t tell the whole truth, because they want to have their cake and eat it too, and do not ever want to have pie thrown upon their face.

Questioning the work that we do

Most of us, at some point or pretty much continuously, have had to take on a given job, consisting of assigned work, that we ourselves, are often just one component within that work, and of which, we may or may not know the highest purpose of the work that we have so performed, therein.  Nowadays, many of us are paid laborers, often working for a company or a boss; yet, there was that day and age, generations ago, in which most of us were hunter-gatherers, or we worked almost exclusively with livestock or agriculture.  It was in those simpler times, that we not only knew what we did for a living, but we knew for a certainty, the purpose of what we so did.  In today’s world, many of us, are not just cogs within a machine, but to a considerable extent, workers who don’t really question as to what the end product actually is that we work upon, or even to really know for a  certainty its true purpose.  Perhaps we don’t question it, because we don’t really care, or the scope of what we are working on is seemingly so small, that it doesn’t appear that it would matter to know, or perhaps we simply don’t really want to know.  That said, for whatever products so being manufactured, for an absolute certainty, there are those that know the expressed purpose of that product and have no excuse for not admitting such, though they may have their reasons for why they would prefer non-disclosure of such.

Not everything so being manufactured, has a really good purpose behind it, though in this world of semantics, there are always going to be descriptions of products that though destructive or damaging in their nature, thus serves to disguise their true purpose; but those in the know, really do know what those products are all about.  So too, there are some highly intelligent and well-schooled people, that are delighted for the opportunity to explore and to invent new products or devices, but lack the seeming capacity, to actually desire to comprehend that not every invention or device so made, is something that could not be subsequently turned into something quite destructive or intrusive, as well.  That is to say, there are many a product so developed for a good purpose, that can also be re-purposed in a way and manner that this new product or new use of the same product can be something that is inimical to a society, as well as to our freedom and liberty.

We should want to question the work that we do, to know what the good or bad of it, actually is – for those that are part and parcel of that which is damaging to the human psyche, or to societies, or to peace and harmony, should at least be cognizant that they are indeed part of the problem and not of the solution.  On the other hand, those that are involved in those products which are uplifting, and good for society can thereby take solace in knowing that their labor is indeed for a good cause.  In short, for all those that labor, we should have a desire to know, as to whether we are contributing to the betterment of society, or are contributing instead to that which is destructive of society, so done, either way, for a paycheck.

The courage to incarnate

Each of us, is an eternal soul, temporarily housed within a physical body, which thus knows birth, life, and eventually physical death.  We live in a world, in which, there are those few that are born within the most favorable of circumstances, and there are also those many that are not.  So too, some of us, have strong familial connections, primarily because our parents and relatives are good people, and then there are those others that are born into the most dysfunctional of families, with all the attendant problems that such families as that, have.

One might expect, then, knowing our selfish nature, that there would be an oversupply of those wishing to incarnate here on earth into the most favorable of circumstances, and not too many that would ever desire to incarnate into those problematic and difficult circumstances.  Yet, it must so be recognized, that each child born into this world, has for a certainty, a soul, that has volunteered to incarnate within that child’s body.  So then, it may then come as a surprise, that high or low, rich or poor, good or bad, each soul thus finds a body to incarnate within, favorable or not.

This thus signifies that to incarnate into those most problematic of circumstances, is indicative that the soul so doing so, has the courage to perform that act.  Those then that take on the most difficult of challenges, have though the fair opportunity to demonstrate that despite their perceived handicap, that they can thus make the best of a very poor lot, and to the degree that they do so, it is to their eternal credit.  On the other hand, those that are provided with the proverbial “silver spoon” in their mouths, but somehow, aren’t able to identify with anyone or anything outside of their own privileged milieu, and thus lord it over others, will be fairly judged for their inability to recognize that all that God has created, is equal in its value.

It is not an easy thing to incarnate into those trying situations, but it has to be remembered, that this planet, as presented to us as human beings, is to be best seen as a proving ground.  That is to say, there are plenty of those that are only too willing to claim that they love others, or that they so desire to serve others, and to proclaim this or to proclaim that – but the mere mouthing of words, is never going to be the same thing as the actual doing of deeds.  So then, we will be tested, again and again, until we not only get it right, but also so that we can appreciate the reality of truly walking in another person’s shoes.  That is to say, empathy is best accomplished, when we actually are those very things, for having experienced them, rather than imagining or picturing such.  So too, none of us is going to get it right to begin with, because not only are we prone to making errors, but we have to somehow overcome our own selfish tendencies and ego that insists that we have to have it our way – when, instead, it would be better to understand that we are all in this, together, and that as one global family, we need to do our good part to help one another to get to where we all need to be.

Jesus wept. God still weeps

We read in Holy Scripture that “Jesus wept” (John 11: 35).  This proves the point that Jesus not only had human emotions, but that Jesus was gifted also at being empathetic with others.   Indeed, our Messiah, could relate to even those human conditions, so representative of humankind’s foibles, troubles, and dramas, and encouraged each one of us, to make it our point to overcome and to ameliorate such through our own efforts or faithful belief.  So too, our God cares about what God so created, and therefore, whenever humankind continues to make the same types of selfish, ego-driven, and mistaken steps, God feels the pain of that collective human error.  In other words, what we do here on planet earth, not only matters to us, individually, as well as to our family, our friends, our cohorts, our society, and to the world, at large, but it matters deeply to our God.

Every good parent, desires the good for their progeny, of which, God as our natural parent, desires that good, for us.  So then, whenever we forsake God, or ignore God, or do things that are clearly wrong, this serves to take us thus further away from the only Light that will bring us eternal salvation.  What we so do here on this earth, is always at our volition, but having done what we have so done, it is therefore our responsibility to own up to it.  Those then, that consistently think and do the right things are going to find themselves, invariably becoming closer to where they need to be; and all those that veer off that straight and narrow path, will find themselves to suffer for the mistakes that they have so made, sooner or later.

Because God is just, and always remains fair and omniscient, there is thereby no shortcut that can ever be taken to reach God, because that which is wrong, needs first to be corrected; because nothing that is not in keeping in harmony with the attributes of God, is capable of sustaining itself within God.  We have been created as companions to God, of which, the greatest gift so bestowed upon us, is the liberty and freedom to be whatsoever that we so desire to become.  This thus means, that God has provided us with the opportunity to walk way from God, and even to oppose God with all of our might.  As might be expected, those that have chosen those things that are at odds to what God so represents, have chosen poorly, and will therefore reap what they have sowed.

God weeps for us, because God knows that the more poor decisions that we so make, is going to create for those that have made those poor decisions, a more difficult battle that must be overcome, in order to thus prove our character as being one of actual merit, once we truly recognized the error of our ways.  The good news is that God gives up on none of God’s lost sheep, and never will – which is why great avatars incarnate upon this earth, in order to lend a helping hand to all those that are lost, so that each one of us can thus return to the only sanctuary that will bring eternal bliss to our soul and thus end the weeping, so of.

Enforced disappearance

Enforced disappearance is the forceful taking of the liberty of an individual, and then the concealment of the fate or even the whereabouts of that disappeared person.  In other words, as bad as it is to be arrested, or even to be convicted of a crime, and thus incarcerated – we find that in at least those cases the person so arrested or so incarcerated, has a known facility where they are located at, and of which, that facility will almost always have some semblance of rules for those of the family, legal representatives, or perhaps the media to make contact with the accused or convicted.  On the other hand, those that are forcefully disappeared, through whatever means, sanctioned or not by governmental authorities, are effectively hidden away from those of the family, legal representatives, or the media.  That is to say, the person that has been disappeared has a fate, that is unsearchable, unknowable, and typically rather dire.

To say that the enforced disappearance of anybody is one of most heinous wrongdoings that can be committed against any other human being, would be no understatement – for first of all, there is, quite obviously, no rule of law that is being followed or adhered to in regards to such a forced disappearance.  Additionally, enforced disappearance, is used against particular targets, to essentially not only silence that person so disappeared, but also to provoke terror and fear within communities and family units, that thus make those people far less likely or willing to speak out, or to speak up, for their obvious concern that the situation could get even worse for them, personally.

Any governance that is part and parcel of enforced disappearances, or appears to basically acquiesce to such, is a government that has betrayed its people and has no real legitimacy.  The reason why there are those governments, or outlaw states, that enact enforced disappearance against certain peoples, has an awful lot to do with those agencies, not wishing to countenance any other viewpoints or behaviors that are not in keeping with what that regime so desires and wants.  That is to say, enforced disappearance is meant to silence those that are perceived as being enemies or annoyances to the state, as determined by those that are at the upper echelons of that state.

So too, for those that are targeted to be disappeared, a significant purpose of why such disappearances occur, is to first isolate that individual, so as to make then that individual to be defenseless, and then to interrogate that individual in the hopes that actionable information will be extracted from them which can then be used to hurt or to disappear other individuals that are seen to be a nuisance or a danger to the state.  An enforced disappearance for a given individual is typically not preferred over the usual arrest and charges, because what is so occurring by that disappearance is not only happening in secret, but because it isn’t public or known, means that it cannot be very effectively opposed; in addition to the fact that a forced disappearance thus serves to keep opposing or dissenting opinions at bay, because few ever would wish to be disappeared, themselves.