Corporate tax abatement and the cheating of public schooling

Good public schooling, which is so necessary in order to have a continual well-informed and well-educated population, is obviously something in which the proper funding of, as well as the requisite infrastructure of, will pay significant dividends in the future, for thus having a literate as well as an engaged public, who clearly then understand the importance and value of civic virtue.  This would seem to strongly suggest that all activities that promote as well as to provide valued funds to those public schools are a net benefit to society; whereas, those activities and decisions which unfairly take away from the funding of public schools should be seen as a tragedy for that schooling.

It has been said, that property taxes typically provide about 60% of the funding for public schools – which signifies that because property taxes are of such importance to those schools getting the funding that they so need, that anything that unfairly reduces the burden for some, such as corporations, and then removes that funding from ever reaching the public schools, because those corporations have received favorable tax abatement, should be not only actively discouraged, but in every single case, be very closely examined as to whether or not there is any tangible worth in even doing so.

Those entities that control the purse, in the sense that they are the ones that offer meaningful employment to the citizens of a given community, know that the lure of those jobs, and of that economic activity, is going to be of a real enticement to any community’s governance and the decisions, so made, thereof.  After all, most communities have a strong desire to not only be vibrant and hence be a desirable place to live for their denizens, but they are also future oriented, and thus are longing to see that their community is not only competitive in regards to other nearby communities, but also has a plan in place, that demonstrates true vision and purpose.  That is why, those corporations that promise all sorts of jobs, and all sorts of benefits, that only want in return, some favorable property tax abatement, as well as some necessary infrastructure improvements, often seem to be, in whole, a fair bargain.

The thing about corporations, and especially those corporations that are highly successful, with a core of very intelligent and adept professionals that know their business and their objectives through and through, is that this is never going to be a fair negotiation between that successful corporation against those that are the civil servants of that community, who typically are not well versed in this general type of negotiation, and often fail to do a thorough due diligence about not only the terms and conditions of the deal, but also to take into full account the overall impact of favorable property tax abatement for those said corporations.  Indeed, what seems to be lacking from the equation is that whenever corporations don’t pay their fair share of property taxes, this then is going to present a situation in which the school budget will get ever tighter or lower, to the probable adverse effect of the education of those students.  In sum, it seems a real shame, that for-profit corporations that receive favorable property tax abatement, will often leave public schools stressed and hurting, and their students then with a real raw deal.

The suffering servant

There aren’t all that many people that truly want to be servants to another, or if they do, certainly then not on a permanent or on a consistent basis.  In fact, a lot of people look down on those that serve as being, in a strong sense, beneath them.  Further to the point, a lot of people put forth the concerted effort to thus place themselves into a position in which they do not have to serve others; signifying for them, that they will thus be in the pole position to be basically served by others, because of their position or their wealth .  So then, it would seem, that when it comes to both serving as well as being the suffering servant, there are few that feel that they are called to be that type of servant, ever – thereby, suggesting for a lot of folks, that those that are the suffering servants, are there, because of their innate failure or perhaps bad fortune or some inexplicable reason.

As might be expected, in any construct in which the belief is that what we so have as our status, or our achievements, is ours to own – it thus makes it rather straightforward to see those that are in servile positions, as being in a place then of primarily their own making.  This basically then also signifies that when it comes to power, to listening, and to the governance of a given society, that the people that make the decisions, are pretty much going to come from a place of success, or of accomplishments.  That is to say, the pundits on TV, the politicians that we deal with, are almost exclusively going to be people that have the accouterments of success, and therefore will perceive the world in a way that fits the status of their own life as well as those that they primarily congregate with.

This thus presents us with a world in which the suffering servant not only does not have a voice, but is effectively seen as an entity that deserves no voice.  Regrettably, this creates a situation, in which there is seldom room for improvement, because that which needs to be improved upon, is effectively being dismissed and ignored.  In truth, each of us deserves a voice, and those that are the most suffering amongst us, deserve such a voice, more than most, because they are so often, unheard.  It is those then, that take the time to listen to the un-championed, the forsaken, the forgotten, and the ignored, that are taking then the very first necessary steps to engage that which needs to be engaged; for what has been forgotten by society, is that the suffering that is part of society, which we care not to see, is often a fair reflection of the errors, injustice, and unfairness contained within that society.  That is to say, the suffering servant, exists and will continue to exist, until their story becomes part and parcel of the fabric of the society that we are an integral part of; signifying that it is our duty to not only pay attention and to give time to those so suffering, but also to do our part to relieve such, by correcting that which fundamentally gives credence to the belief that it is okay not to be our brother’s keeper.

The body does not give us life, for we are all immortal souls

A lot of problems that humankind have to deal with, can be accorded to their failure to properly understand that the physical body is not the real you – it never has been and it never will be.  Each of us, whether we so desire to believe such or to not believe such, have as our essence, our respective immortal souls.  This thus signifies that in reality, there is no birth and there is no death, and never will there be for any one of us.  That said, because so many of us seem to almost exclusively identify so closely to our body, there is a general belief that we are our body, and therefore for many a person, their main concern is paying homage to their own body, above virtually everything else.

When it comes to the truth, as well as to our priorities, it has to be recognized that for all those that do not understand their true nature, that they are going to, more times than not, concentrate more often upon those things and activities that probably do not represent the best usage of their time or of their mind.  In other words, those that think wrong, are going to be far more inclined to do things that are damaging to not only their own soul growth, but also damaging to those that they congregate and interact with, throughout life.  After all, those that have not taken the time to examine their own life, or care not to, are basically going through life with a misunderstanding of what life on this planet, represents.

In this world, each of us is going to be thoroughly tested, so as to give us the fair opportunity to determine as to whether we so desire to primarily concentrate upon that which represents selfishness, injustice, and self-centeredness, or whether, on the other hand, we desire to do our fair part to make this world a better place for our participation in it.  Because each one of us has been gifted with free will, what we do or do not decide to do, is at our volition.  Those then, that consistently listen and then comply  to that still, small voice, within, are going to be in a far better position to make the type of meaningful decisions and corresponding actions which will truly reflect that we are all in this together, as opposed to those, that listen only to their own ego and its desires.

There are many things, and many stages that our individual bodies will go through, in this experience of life on earth.  Indeed, some of those things that happen to us will be hurtful, hateful, tragic, and damaging to our body as well as to our psyche.  Yet, through it all, our soul survives and will ever survive, because the nature of our being is immortal.   So then, fear not, for we are not the body, but rather, we are the immortal soul, temporarily encased within a physical body for a finite amount of time.

Build more underground

There are a multitude of ways to travel from one place to another, of which, to a very large extent most traveling, with the exception of some very dense cities, is done above-ground, so done through walking, biking, vehicles, buses, waterways, airplanes, and things of that ilk.  While there are many advantages to traveling above-ground, there are also some major disadvantages, as well.  For instance, that which is built above-ground is typically going to have to deal with all the complexities of other people so being in the same general vicinity, in addition to all the other forms of transportation in the area, as well as buildings that occupy space, and then there is the infrastructure of all sorts, which thus in total, lends itself to all the delays, interference, and collisions that can occur when all of these various things, are compelled to interact with one another.  Further to the point, that which is built above-ground must also deal with the weather, which can, in and of itself, create dangerous and damaging conditions.

The first convenience of having a given structure being built underground, is that, we do so find that pretty much for the most part, that weather is a non-factor; in addition to the salient fact that the natural insulating properties of the earth, lends itself to a temperature that is neither too hot or too cold.  Additionally, when it comes to a form of travel, those that build things underground, have the ability to tunnel under rivers, or to tunnel under or through mountains, and basically also to not be overly concern about interfering with any of those structures that have built above-ground.  So too, though structures for habitation or for storage or for security can also be built underground, for the most part, a lot of that which is currently underground is specifically built as a way and means to transport people readily from one place to another, such as through a subway, a tube, a metro, or an underground railway system, which because these forms of transportation don’t have to worry about pedestrians crossing their pathway, or weather-related events, or of any of the basic obstacles that we so find above-ground, makes for a very efficient means of transportation.

It seems that we are so used to building above-ground, that society has somehow failed to recognize that buildings aren’t limited to having to be built above-ground, but can at least have a meaningful portion of such be built underground.  So too,  far more infrastructure of all types  could be engineered from the get-go to be structured underground, as well as also prioritizing that more transportation be built underground.  Also, in consideration, that each year we see more and more people moving from rural or backward areas into megacities of all types, it thus behooves society, in general, to take into fair consideration that a ready solution to accommodate all these peoples in a more efficient way, is the better way to go, of which, more underground usage of all types thus needs to be planned and subsequently accomplished for our transportation and logistical needs.  In short, we should build more underground, which will make for a better and more efficient usage of all the space that we so have.   

One life, one experience, think again

Western nations are guilty of all sorts of sins, of which, way too often, the people within those nations desire to see life broken down into binary bits; such as, good and evil, life and death, heaven and hell, and so on and so forth.  In this dynamic, many people really do believe that upon our physical death, we either go to heaven for eternity or go to hell.  Further to the point, those that don’t believe that humankind has a soul, simply believe that death is the annihilation of the person.  In short, it’s absolutely pathetic how many believe these delusions, which is a reflection of how spiritually lazy, far too many of those in western nations are; for apparently many a person does not care to contemplate the actual meaning of life, by devoting the worthwhile effort to ponder upon such.

It seems somewhat incredible, that humankind, from a scientific level, believes that there is such a thing as evolution, for fauna as well as for flora – but somehow are also able to believe, that each individual human life, consists of just one span of, 85 good years, if we are so fortunate, or thereabouts.   The problem with this mindset, in which there is an orthodox belief that we have just one life and therefore just one experience on this good earth, is that, quite frankly, this can’t possibly be correct. After all, look at all the advantages that some people are so fortunate to be born with or to have, and correspondingly, look at all the disadvantages that so many suffer from.  Further to the point, clearly, this isn’t a level playing field, and therefore because it isn’t a level playing field, it just doesn’t seem fair that some people are obviously going to be birthed into situations in which a very favorable outcome for them is in the cards, whereas so many others are left with the short end of the stick.

As much as people desire to believe that we go to heaven, or by our actions are sent to hell – the truth of the matter is that we grow to heaven, and therefore this signifies that we get opportunity after opportunity, incarnation after incarnation, to prove our mettle so as to get to where we are destined to be.  That is to say, life is not just one experience, but rather consists of a cycle, within this earthly plane, of birth, death, and then rebirth…  This thus signifies, that the death of our physical body, relieves us from being overly fixated upon our physical confinement, to recognize that our actual being is the consciousness that we have been gifted with by the very hand of God.  It is this consciousness that we subsequently take from one life to the next, from one dimension to the next, which is in its essence, eternal, and therefore not subject to a beginning or to an end.

Those then that will not learn the truth of who and what we really are, or care not to learn, or are simply hard-headed, will thereby place themselves into a seemingly endless cycle of living life after life after life, without graduating to the level that they need to be on.  The point of this life, is not only to live it well by being of service to our fellow human beings, but also to acknowledge the bountifulness of God, and finally to develop the wisdom that will thus generate for us, the escape velocity to break free of our earthly bounds.

Self-incrimination should never be admissible in a court of law

Whether or not the 5th Amendment to the Constitution, as well as the adjudicated Miranda warning, effectively means that self-incrimination or a confession is thus always permitted per United States law, has been previously determined by a multitude of court cases, which thus demonstrates that self-incrimination or a confession, made under the appropriate circumstances as outlined by the 5th Amendment in conjunction with the Miranda warning are, in fact, admissible in a court of law.  That is to say, those that confess to a given crime, whether or not this is factually true, or self-incriminate themselves, whether or not this is factually true, will typically be subject to having that incriminating statement or confession, be an integral part of their court case.

Perhaps this is the way that it should be; but what has to be admitted is that, to begin with, not every nation sees self-incrimination or a confession in the same way.  In fact, historical Jewish law, bans self-incrimination and confessions from being admissible evidence, thereby proving the point that in certain countries, that there is an inherent belief that self-incrimination and confessions have no legitimate role to play in a criminal trial.  After all, the world is full of situations in which many a person will confess to their guilt, because their mind is not right, or because they have been coerced, or because they have been intimidated or tortured, or because they are clinically depressed, or because they desire notoriety, or because they are in an untenable situation, or because they are forsaken, or even for the notoriety of such.

That said, there are an awful lot of people, that believe that anyone that incriminates themselves or confesses to a crime, should most definitely be held accountable to that crime in a court of law for having made that admission.  Yet, recognize that there are multitude of ways that an incrimination can occur, or a confession be made; of which, none of these ways can be, in absence of supporting evidence, be determined to be actually the whole truth, of which, a criminal trial should always have as it basis, a determination to get to truth and fact.  That is to say, there are those people that claim that they are God or Christ, or some other senseless nonsense, of which, these claims are typically relatively easy to prove as being false.  So too, not everything so stated by anyone, should be believed, without suitable questioning and evidence behind such, so as to ascertain then its veracity.

Further to the point, any criminal trial, in which the guilt of the defendant is primarily built around that defendant’s confession, isn’t really a trial, at all; but basically, this is a “show trial”, so meant to get the result so desired in accord with the public perception of what has occurred, without the true facts of the case, getting a fair shake, whatsoever.  Remember this well, not all that glitters is gold, and not everyone that confesses to a crime or admits to this or that, has actually done so; for they may have been coerced into saying such, or they might be hopelessly confused  or inept– which is why criminal trials should always be about the search for truth and to determine facts, and thus not to be reliant upon confessions, whatsoever.

The rich don’t ever pay their fair share in taxes

It can be said, that just about nobody desires to pay their taxes, especially when the perception is that the tax edifice is unfair, uneven, and clearly favorably applied to those that are the most powerful well-placed individuals as well as also the same consideration being in place for well-heeled corporations.  The very first thing to say about taxation is that if any government truly desires to collect the taxes that it so needs to function properly on behalf of the people, then that government needs to make it their point to tax those entities that have the ready capacity to not only pay those taxes, but also that government needs to make sure that the tax code does not permit then those that are the richest and most powerful to somehow escape their fair tax liabilities.

For instance, we read at propublica.org that “The 25 richest Americans paid an effective federal income tax rate of 3.4% between 2014 and 2018.”  Further to the point, think about all of the multinational corporations that have profits in the billions upon billions of dollars, but seldom come even close to paying the relatively modest corporate tax rate, let along paying any semblance of what they really should be paying; despite the fact that corporations, are artificial constructions of the state, so meant to have been given legitimate permission to incorporate for not just the purpose to make profit, but also ultimately to provide tangible benefits to that society, which permitted their perpetual existence, in the first place.

The proximate reason why superrich individuals and corporate entities of all types do not pay their fair share of the tax freight, really comes down to the fact that these people and organizations have an undue influence upon those that are not only the policy makers but also the policy enforcers of those tax policies.  In other words, those that are very powerful are going to have a very strong tendency to do what needs to be done, in order for them to thus pay far less to the government in taxes than what they really should, so that they can thereby keep far more of the profits that they have so made.  The problem though with this sort of mindset and thus undesirable societal outcome is that those entities that can most readily afford to pay their fair share in taxes, have deliberately and with foreknowledge placed the tax burden instead upon those that represent the core of Americans, along with also burdening those of future generations with unpaid governmental deficits that one day, will have to be paid.

There are very few people in politics and in governmental positions that have the strength of character to stand up against those that are the richest and most powerful institutions in America; of which, when these representatives will not make such a stand, than the people, in whole, are damaged and hurt by such.  The rich don’t pay their fair share in taxes, primarily because they have co-opted our governance, or even worse, are themselves, in effect, the shadow government, that runs the show for principally their exclusive benefit.

To be the living poor and to be Christian

It would seem that in western nations to be poor is almost the equivalency of being a loser.  This seems to be the impression so made upon people, in which, for many a person and organization the overriding drive of their lives is to make and to have money.  Yet, for those that profess to be Christian and have actually examined the life of Christ as well as his disciples, those that have wealth seem to be on the opposite side of what Christ and Christianity represent and was always meant to represent.  After all, Christ, himself, had no material assets, and never desired or needed to have any.  Further to the point, Christ made it his point that the “Great Commission” is not a commission to achieve material wealth, but rather is a commission so structured to make disciples of many nations and peoples.

What might surprise some people is how powerful the orthodox Church, of many Christian faiths, did so become in the Christian era, in which, the church often joined hands with the prevailing political institution to thus have their corresponding power and control over the people – and seldom then were they in true service to the people.  Additionally, how is that any Christian edifice would ever desire to achieve or to acquire great material assets as if this somehow is in harmony with what Christ so characterized.  That is to say, Christ owned nothing; yet, the Christian church has billions upon billions of dollars of assets, of which, there are hundreds and hundreds of millions of people that are suffering and are continuing to suffer, each and every day, because of the lack of aid and help so reaching them.

The mission of any Christian church, should be first and foremost, to be a great shepherd to their flock.  So then, to the degree that a church needs monetary assets in order to provide that service, this most definitely has its place; but the optics of what that church has and what it truly does, should be consistent to that which believes that in Christ, we have everything that we could ever need.  So then, those churches, peoples, and institutions that have great monetary and physical assets need to do a far better job of putting those assets to work in the helping of the living poor, and far less in trying to maintain their own wealth and power.

In truth, Christ took on a vow of poverty, but so many that profess to be Christian and also have wealth, have absolutely no intention of taking a vow of poverty, themselves.  This would seem to presuppose that today’s Christian is quite good at mouthing platitudes and not so good in actually living a life of material poverty and thus having no material assets.  Perhaps this is the way that it should be, of which, each of us is fairly entitled to the wages that we have so earned or have been gifted, which is therefore ours to keep and to thereby expend as per our discretion.  Perhaps though, Christ was right, and those that permit mammon to take precedence over God, are at best, lukewarm, and thus vomited out of our Savior’s mouth.

The Libertarian party will never become a major party

There are only two major political parties in the United States, the Republican party and the Democratic party.  While there are a lot of Americans that identify as “Independent”, there is no actual political party that is the Independent party, so for all practical purposes, those that claim to be Independent, are going to end up voting typically for either the Republican candidate or the Democratic one.  There are, once one gets pass the major parties, a whole slew of Third parties, of which, the biggest of these is the Libertarian party.  Yet, the Libertarian party has so few members, in total, that with the exception of some local elections, those that run under the Libertarian party banner are primarily running as a protest vote against the two major parties.

The Libertarian party platform is contained within the saying that it desires “as much liberty as possible” and “as little government as necessary.”  One might think that with a general sentiment as being all for liberty and less for governmental interference that this would resonate most visibly with people that are successful, educated, and well-placed.  Indeed, the makeup of the Libertarian party does reflect these types of people, along with those on the pathway to that sort of perceived independent success.  After all, when we look at successful people that believe wholeheartedly that their success is built upon their effort, or their astuteness, or things akin to this, they then may well be susceptible to believing that they shouldn’t need to really pay much of anything in taxes, or to be interfered with in regards to the liberties that they feel that they are fairly entitled to.  That sort of position, has its logic, but as in many a thing, there is also the unfortunate forgetting that few of us, actually get to where we get, without having been provided some sort of assistance by other people, governmental programs, or just the basic infrastructure of this nation which permits such success to be more readily generated.

In life, there is only so far that a person that is all about their own self, and hence is self-centered and selfish, can go, without feeling some degree of pushback from other people that are members of that same society.  In other words, while we should give credit to those that are highly intelligent, motivated, clever, and that exert themselves with a good and concentrated effort upon their given goals – it has to be recognized that not everyone has the same innate capabilities or abilities within their skillset.  So that, while it can be said, that those that are Libertarian and successful, can pat themselves on their back, it has to also be recognized that there are other citizens of these same United States, in all sorts of various stages, good or bad, of their respective lives, that each of us needs to acknowledge, as well.

Indeed, there are those people that point out that they don’t really need help from anyone, and to their credit, they aren’t really wrong about that – because they are often adept at what they do, and quite accomplished in the things that they have done.  However, to believe then that we owe nothing to anybody else, or to our government, or to society, is to believe that individual achievements trump everything else; when, in fact, those that desire to be a member in good standing of society, have an obligation to do their fair part to lend a helping hand to that society, of, for, and by the people.

Earning money and making money are not the same thing

For most Americans, they make their living by actually laboring for it; for instance, from those jobs that don’t even pay a living wage to those types of jobs that compensate those that work at them at an exceedingly high rate.  The thing, though, fair or not, at least it can be said that those that labor for their living and therefore are paid through wages, with appropriate taxes taken out for Federal, State, local, Social Security, and Medicare, are people that represent the standard method of earning their money.  On the other hand, there are plenty of other people, that don’t labor for a living in any traditional sense, but instead, are able to use the medium of money to make money for them, through financial alchemy of all types.  When it comes to those types of people, it has to be said, that the money that they make, primarily comes though their ability to exploit, to be clever, and to take advantage of financial situations; and of which it is important to say, that the “work” that they so do, basically does virtually nothing to enhance or to make life better for society, at large, but in reality, represents the making of money without doing any real labor for it.

Again, those that labor for their wages in industries in which the labor that they are so providing, is helping to make society better, for example, by furnishing a service, or creating a product, or in their contribution to necessary infrastructure, and so on and so forth, are accomplishing something of real merit.  As for those others, that make their money, through those activities in which there is essentially a shuffling of money from one entity’s hand to another, with one party getting the better of the deal; doesn’t help to produce anything of actual substance for society at large, but merely demonstrates that certain people are especially adept at making money without laboring for it, by their cleverness, exploitation, and other advantages that they utilize for their expressed advantage.

The more that any nation concentrates upon or permits financial alchemy, encourages it, or does not discourage it, the more that there will become an ever higher inequality between average folks as compared to those that are especially astute at manipulating money for their own benefit.  Those types of societies are not fair, they are not just, and they pervert what it means to be free, as well as to what is supposed to be represented by equal opportunity.  There is, within any society, those rules that are written as well as those implicit unwritten rules, that good members of society make it their point to adhere to.  That is to say, there is the law and the spirit of the law, and when any society consistently permits particular entities to basically profit upon the labor of another, or to exploit the other, then what is so happening is that one party is making their money from the blood, sweat and tears from the other.  A nation that is just, would make it their point, to discourage such activity, and would also make it their point to shame those that do such.

The need to walk a mile at a minimum wage job

There are plenty of people that at some time have had to work a minimum wage job, and if they are true to that experience, then they will have the empathy for those that work at minimum wage jobs, in appreciation of what they had to experience, good and bad.  On the other hand, there are plenty of people that have never worked a day at a minimum wage job, would never accept it, if offered, at any point in their life, and have then zero direct appreciation of what a minimum wage job entails, and often don’t care to ponder upon such.

It's very easy to ignore that which we never have experienced, as well, as it is very easy to ignore the steps that are taken to bring food to our plate, packages to our door, the cleaning up of a hotel room or home, the picking of vegetables and fruits, and many other things that are hidden from our view, or that we don’t care to investigate or to learn about.  The thing about life, is that just about everyone has some moaning and gripping about their job, and their particular situation, of which, most of those so complaining aren’t really expecting any real sympathy or empathy, but just want someone to hear what they have to say, and thereby get such off of their chest.  This would signify that lots of people have heard about those that don’t make a living wage, or have to have two or more jobs, or take on some sort of additional gig job, but none of that really resonates with them, because they aren’t in the same boat.

So then, as might be expected, those that have not personally gone through the experience of working at a minimum wage, typically have little conception of what this actually feels like – in addition, to never having experienced the work conversations and politics of fellow employees that are also making that same minimum wage.  So too, those that have not worked a minimum wage job, have a tendency to discount the effort, the skill, and the work ethic that must be displayed by those so working in minimum wage jobs, of which, if they had, they might well comprehend better, that hard work, deserves a living wage.

It has been said, that the best tippers are those that themselves were servers, or are currently still serving – of which, they typically, besides leaving a good tip, also take the time to stack up the plates, and generally help clean up the table for the server.  The reason why so many that are servers and have been servers take such good care of their current server, when they are the customer, has an awful lot to do with the fact that this is the type of customer that they most appreciate, so they thus try to be that customer, themselves.  Additionally, that sort of consideration, is a way of showing respect for those that work in the service industry, of which, those then that have ever had a minimum wage job and/or have been exploited, are in most every case, going to comprehend far better, the travails then of being paid a minimum wage.

We make progress by every step that we take in the right direction

In western societies, we are surrounded and inundated with all sorts of “come-ons’ that are meant to make us to believe that no matter how long we have been doing the wrong thing, and thus suffering the consequences, so of, that if only we would wake up and avail ourselves of this one magic pill, or this one surgery, or this one this or that, that not only will all be well, but that we would be thus magically transformed, seemingly forever.  Perhaps, in some cases, this indeed does work, but the reality of the situation, is that the progress that we make in this world, is based primarily upon a sound foundation of good precepts, that we thus adhere to, and we make it our point to be true to, each and every moment of our day.

For instance, take a tree, such as a mighty oak, this tree did not suddenly become mature and strong within a day or even a week, but rather, day by day, it developed itself, slowly, inexorably, from a young sapling into something of real substance.  So then, recognize that as a tree goes through stages, and then continues to grow and strengthen for decades upon decades, that the same sort of progression is ours to avail ourselves of, by applying ourselves to those necessary and good things, day by day.

In truth, there are no shortcuts to growth in our essence, for what we so have and make through our own efforts, we have fairly earned.  Each of us is called to grow, and those that consistently ignore that calling are the very same people that regress and thus do not progress.  So too, those that recognize that calling at a later age, have then lots of ground to make up, for those that have missed their opportunity to improve themselves, must now work at double-quick speed to catch up to where they really should be at.

The choice of what we do or do not make of our respective lives, is solely ours to make.  While there are, for many a person, a legitimate excuse for why they have slipped and fallen, to thus rely on those excuses as being then the reason why a given person has not made something of merit with their life, isn’t going to do much for them.  The race that each of us is meant to run, or to walk, does not have the same starting line for all, for that is the nature of this material experience on this good earth; of which the variety then of circumstances that we so see, thereby makes for a far more interesting and compelling experience, for all.

Remember this well, each of has been gifted with free will, of which, the choices that we thus make, whether or not we wish to own up to, are ours and ours alone.  Those then, that consistently choose well, and thereby progress in the right direction, are getting ever closer to the only destination that ultimately matters; whereas, those that do not, are stuck within a construct, in which, essentially, only they can walk themselves out of, by lifting their head up, and walking, step by step, to the Light.

Direct language and euphemisms

There is many a person as well as many a nation, that when they have done something that is clearly wrong, or at a minimum, is suspect, are going to want to spin their tale in such a way that they don’t look so bad; and even better, to somehow escape any negative consequences without having to outright lie.  That is why, in this modern age, we see so many euphemisms being utilized, in which, quite frankly, the euphemism, is basically an attempt to coverup what is surely a very bad action.  For instance, torture is torture, and has little or nothing to do with enhanced interrogation, for an interrogation, properly done, is the serious and systematic questioning of another, with perhaps, enhanced, meaning that such is done through an especially skillful and experienced interrogator.  So too, there isn’t anything as alternative facts, for facts are facts, and if two supposed facts contradict one another over a particular subject matter, at least one of those so-called facts is wrong, and possibly both.

Again, the reason why euphemisms are utilized, is to escape the fair consequences of bad behavior, in which, most of the time, that bad behavior is not in question, which thus means that euphemisms are thereby used in the hope that the punishment, will be lessened, reduced, or not even imposed.  There are a significant amount of people and governments that perform bad actions, that know that having been caught in that bad action could have rather dire consequences for them; so that, in recognition that denying the obvious is probably going to be of no help to them, they make it their point, to come up then with creative euphemisms to basically disguise the reality of what has so occurred.

The words that we use conjure up mental images, so that, words that have very negative connotations such as murder, rape, coldblooded, and genocide, are thus replaced with alternative words or sayings, which are meant to be less chilling and thus less negative in the mental images that they provoke; and ideally for those using these replacement euphemistic words, perhaps provides them with the  “benefit of the doubt” for those so listening that want to thus believe that somebody claiming that their heart and best intentions were in the right place, should thus then take precedence over those ensuing bad actions, that have been exposed.

The thing about life in regards to the people that we really love and care about, along also with those that have a deep affinity for the nation that they are a citizen of, is that many a person or governmental representative does not desire to believe that what appears to have been a very bad action, is as cut and dry as it might first appear.  That is to say, we want to believe the best about our family members, as well as to believe that our country always has our best interests at heart, which thereby makes it easier then to believe in the euphemisms which when constructed adeptly, make it appear that what has so occurred, isn’t really all that bad, after all.  Regrettably, though, those that hide behind clever euphemisms as opposed to owning up to what has really happened, are the proximate reason why there is so much injustice and wrong in societies, and why it will continue to be so.

Indentured servitude and student loan debt

Indentured servitude was part and parcel of the American experience, especially so for those so desiring to immigrate to America in the 17th, 18th  as well as into the 19th centuries, of which, these people, accepted indentured servitude as the price of admission to come to America.  Basically, indentured servitude signified that a person was under contract, typically for a term as short as four years, and as long as seven years, to pay back, for instance, their passage to America, along with their room and board, and they would thus have to perform labor for that person or entity that had paid for their passage to America.  The indentured servant while performing their work in service to their sponsor, did not obtain a salary, but would, after completing their servitude, be free to become their own person.

As might be expected, indentured servitude was a hard life, especially in consideration, that the work that they were typically involved with, was the type of back breaking labor, that could debilitate a lesser person, and oftentimes, did.  So too, most people that agreed to be an indentured servant did not have a real conception of how difficult or abusive being an indentured servant actually represented in the real world, and so, there was a great deal of resentment to being an indentured servant for such a lengthy period of time, in which, that servant was basically without human rights.

While, the 13th Amendment to the Constitution put an end to indentured servitude in America, we do so find, at the present time, that our higher educational system, appears to have taken on the aura of indentured servitude for many of those that have taken out student loans.  We read at bestcolleges.com, that 43.5 million Americans have student loans, and of which, 3.4 million of those, have loans that total at least $100,000, with apparently nary a single one of those that have been stuck with these loans, actually being guaranteed that the debt that they have so incurred, will provide them with a corresponding degree or even a job, that would be commensurate with the monies so spent on that education.

So then, the work that students have performed in their studies, provides them with no assurance of adequate compensation, now or in the future, and of which, years have been spent incurring that student debt, without a guarantee that this investment of time and effort, will actually be worthwhile.  In short, successful or not in their education and job placement, those that have student loans, are themselves fully responsible for the paying back of those loans, which essentially means that their income will be garnished, week in and week out, for probably, years upon years.  In other words, student loan debt appears to be the price that many students must pay for the opportunity to get higher education in America, of which, the responsibility to obtain employment, is theirs alone; and, of which, these students have traded both time and money for what they think will be a better life, without knowing that they will get even a fair deal, for having done so.

The flexible 72-hour time limit for arrest to arraignment

Nobody desires to be arrested, and a significant amount of people that are arrested, typically had little expectation that they would be arrested.  The most obvious thing about being arrested, is one’s freedom at the point of that arrest has effectively ended.  This would presuppose that most people that are arrested, desire strongly to cut to the chase, and simply wish then to see that whatever charges that they are going to have be impressed upon them, end up being determined as soon as possible, because the sooner that a given arraignment is held, the sooner that the actual charges will thus be formally made against them, or, in some cases, dropped; as well as also the sooner that they will then have their bail amount set for those so charged with a crime.  Once, bail is set, those that are arrested, are presented with the opportunity to bail themselves out, if they have the monetary means to do so.

For some of us, when we, for example, go to school, time seems absolutely endless, because we are not engaged with whatever subject matter is being discussed.  When it comes to those that have been arrested, and hence are no longer free, most of those people, have a strong desire to see that the 72-hour time limit for an arrest to a mandatory arraignment or release, occurs within that actual 72-hour window.  In fact, many an arrest process, can exceed far more than 72 hours, because oftentimes in many justice courts, we find that for Saturdays, Sundays, and Holidays, that the clock is thus stopped, which perhaps is fair for those that work within the justice department, but wholly unfair to those that have been arrested, and who strongly desire to have things take their course, in an expeditious and speedy manner.

After all, in this modern world, time really does matter, and those then that do not report to work in a timely manner, could easily lose their job.  Further to the point, those that have other obligations, such as to their family, to their school, to their bills, to their vehicle, and so on and so forth, cannot well attend to those things when they are locked up.  So then, just the very nature of being arrested, even when the charges are subsequently dropped or reduced to some minor infraction, can be extremely debilitating to a person, depending upon their personal circumstances, which hardly seems just or fair to them.

In short, 72-hours to arraign someone that has been arrested, in which weekends and Holidays don’t count, isn’t fair to those having been arrested.  We do so find that In today’s world, there always seems to be some place or something that is opened 24 hours, every single day of the year; so then, it would behoove the justice and policing arm of the state then, to get to the business of making their case to a judge or magistrate, within a more reasonable time period of just 36 hours, or in fairness, even less for those crimes which are adjudged to be of a relatively minor nature.  That is to say, in a country in which guilt needs to be proven, those that have been arrested, should be processed in a way and manner, in which this very mindset is thereby taken into full and fair account.

Society should be fairer than what it currently is

We would like to think that the human social experience is one in which there has been a steady progression to enlightenment, in thus how societies should be best formulated and actualized.  Yet, regrettably, to a very large extent, countries such as the United States, clearly have regressed in just about at every meaningful level, when it comes to having a society that is fair in its structure and thereby in its results.  It isn’t so much that American policies haven’t had enough time to demonstrate their effectiveness, but rather America does not even try to encourage, let alone, desire to actualize, a society that is based around seeing that as many of its citizens, as possible, are provided with the required tools so necessitated to have a fair shot of living in a safe neighborhood, with a good public school system, and sound infrastructure, along with plenty of good economic opportunity for those that have steadily applied themselves.

The bottom line, is that America pretends it is a land of opportunity, it pretends that it is a land of justice, along with fairness, and of equality for all, but it, in reality, isn’t any of those things, at all.  For the most part, those that are born into poverty of every sort, cannot count on their government, or even most members of society, at large,, to lend a true helping hand on behalf of them, because that supposed government, of, for, and by the people, cares not a whit for them.  This is the proximate reason why there is so much trouble in America, of which, those problems appear to be unsolvable – leaving those that live within those problem areas, to their own means to make something of substance in their lives.  So too, this is why an inordinate amount of monies is dedicated  year after year to ever more  law and order, and thus to all the forms of oppression so enacted against the most defenseless, misunderstood, and un-championed of society. 

Those that know that they have no future and hence are filled with hopelessness, are seldom going to be “good” citizens, because they have nothing vested in the American dream, for they have little or no hope of having any part of it, themselves.  The preferred answer for this American governance, in regards to the poorly educated, and the forsaken, is primarily to keep them in ghettos of poverty, thereby making it so much easier for governance to monitor, to abuse, and to manipulate them.  The fact that the United States is clearly on a course in which these difficulties will not only never be rectified, but in all probability, will continue to be exacerbated, is a fair reflection that this government has no solutions, because it cares not to solve that which could be solved – of which, the resolution to such, is to provide to all Americans, the fair opportunity to become something of merit, by seeing that each American is fairly provided with decent housing, good public educational facilities, safety, opportunity, and the proper incentives for these people that have consistently been treated as second class citizens or worse, to become that which they always had the capability of being, which is members in good standing, of the society that they should be an integral part of.

To win over the people of a nation

America believes that its form of governance is the very best that has ever been birthed into existence, in which, this country, in theory, is a government of, by, and for the people.  The thing is that though the population in America does have the vote, in point of fact, America is not a nation in which the democratic vote has much impact upon its real policies, legislative acts, and justice within its own borders.  That is to say, there is a huge class of Americans that distinctly believe that they have no voice, no opportunity, and have no part within the American dream, which is the seminal reason why there is so much angst, anger, and incivility within America, and will continue to be so.

Clearly, America’s house is not in order, and if there was a time when that house was more in order, that would have most likely been seen during the implementation of FDR’s New Deal, and the subsequent changes so enacted in America, which gave rise to its vibrant middle class, and therefore brought home to the average American, that America was indeed that nation of liberty, freedom, and opportunity.  It isn’t so much, that America has consistently lacked great leaders, or great legislative acts, for many a time America has been led by visionary leaders, as well as having thoughtful acts initiated, but the overall impact upon the people, in whole, has been disappointing.  The history of America is to understand that it believed in its manifest destiny, which necessitated then the wholesale destruction and the compromise of American Indians, or of any other nation that got in its way; in addition to American governance believing that it had the right to have particular human beings to be classified as property, who therefore had themselves, no rights, that a white man needed to respect.

Yet, despite it all, there is good in this nation, and more than enough good, that those that have been historically discriminated against, and are oftentimes still discriminated against, have indeed, made progress, of which, some of them, thus have ended up achieving a toehold into the American dream.  The reason that this is so, is that America, despite its many contradictions, as well as its disappointing failure to live up to the principles of its Declaration of Independence or of its Constitution, recognizes in its more honest times, that America was created with a solid foundation, that was meant to be lived for the greater good of all of its people.

Indeed, a people of any nation, cannot ever be won over, and hence must then be policed with a strict adherence to law and order, when a significant portion of those that populate it, are oppressed and without fair opportunity.  The success of America can only be assured, when those that are the least amongst us, are provided not just with a helping hand, but with the necessary infrastructure so required that they will thereby see themselves as members in good standing of this nation, because they now have fair access to that which will be their basis to build their own earned life of merit, upon.

Cryptocurrency is definitely not a currency

The coin of the realm is important to governments all over the world, as well as obviously to the people that utilize that currency for their transactions; done so,  in such a routine way, that most people take it as a given, that currency such as the United States dollar has existed, seemingly forever, though, in truth, it has not; of which, we find historically that many a currency, upon the demise or revolution within a nation, loses all or most of its value, because of the fact that the faith and confidence behind its fiat currency has been permanently broken. So then, this is why virtually every accountable government, understands that is has a responsibility to safeguard their currency, for it can be said, that nations rise and nations fall, upon the stability of the coin of the realm.

When it comes to cryptocurrency, there is no real government regulation of it, nor is there any independent agency that meaningfully regulates such, which is why cryptocurrency is so volatile in its value; and further to the point, this is the reason why cryptocurrency is not actually a currency, at all.  In point of fact, virtually no licit transactions are done through cryptocurrency because of that lack of stability; in which, we find that nobody in the business world desires to do transactions in cryptocurrency because speculation is not part and parcel of how businesses are meant to be run and conducted; rather businesses as well as people require that their monetary transactions be done in a medium that is universally accepted, stable, and fungible.

Yet, despite the fact that cryptocurrency is not a currency, the value of all the cryptocurrency in existence, is indeed a staggering sum of money, in which it has to be recognized that cryptocurrency is not backed by anything, other than the confidence of those that speculate in it.  Further to the point, those that speculate in cryptocurrency must recognize that whatever monies that they have put forth, to purchase cryptocurrency, provides them with nothing tangible, such as a stock or bond certificate, or of that which represents legal tender of a nation. In other words, those that speculate with cryptocurrency are doing so, without a net,  and because cryptocurrency is not regulated, makes such essentially an unregulated and unregistered security.  That is to say, there is basically nothing or very little actually backstopping cryptocurrency, whatsoever, which signifies that there are no or little safeguards for those that speculate in cryptocurrencies, at all.

As in a Ponzi scheme or a pyramid scheme, all may be good for a while, but eventually there comes a point, in which, those that have made their money, cash out – and those that got in late, end up losing their speculation.  Perhaps there is a place for cryptocurrency in the world of speculation or currency, but cryptocurrency as currently structured is not a currency and never will be; because a currency of any real value requires universal acceptance, transparency, as well as the necessary regulations, structures, and protocols that are required to help maintain that value and worth.

Eternal good health

In this world, so many of us, are focused upon having or maintaining our good physical health, for as long as possible, as if this is the be-all and end-all of our existence.  That said, those that are more knowledgeable and wise, recognize that we need not just good physical health, but also good mental health, as well as good spiritual health.  In truth, the focus of our lives, should always be upon that which is eternal, and thus everlasting, as compared to that which is temporal, and thus subject to its inevitable demise.  This does not mean that we shouldn’t be concerned about good physical health, for this is the house that we utilize in our material incarnation; but rather indicates that the most important health, is that which is eternal in its nature as opposed to it being just of the physical.

Each of us is called to grow, for the purpose of life, is to find our way back to where we need to be – so that, though many a trouble we face in this world is of our own making, we also will inevitably happen upon those needful “thorns in our side” so meant to get our attention, to thereby fixate away from that which really doesn’t matter, so as to replace that distraction, with that which really does matter.  For, after all, the good overall health that we actually need does not rest upon a foundation of just physical health, but rather rests upon sound soul health – for all those then that are not able to take on the attributes of love, calmness, empathy, patience, justice, truthfulness, and the like are not where they need to be, and where they ultimately must be.

While it must be said that medical doctors play their necessary part in the helping and in the aiding of the physical body, that in and of itself, just is never going to be good enough – for each of us invariably must age; in addition, to the fact that there does come that time when our physical body will no longer be able to successfully house our soul.  All those that are unprepared for their departure from their physical form, are going to be lost and unprepared for what comes next, for they typically have not concentrated on that which is eternal and therefore lack the appropriate skillset  and mindset to best traverse what comes next.

All of us, in our own way, are meant to find out who and what we really are – which therefore allows us the opportunity to grow and to transform ourselves into what we should really be.  This signifies, that the physical should be best seen as the temporary housing of our soul, which thus means that for those that desire to be true to themselves, they must make it their point to concentrate and to place their main energies upon those activities which are eternally beneficial, as opposed to that which only brings a temporary satisfaction.  In truth, the good health that each one of us really needs, must be eternal, of which, those that are right thinking and right acting, are clearly on the right path that will ultimately take them to the only destination that everlastingly matters.

The biological warfare of the United States of America

The United States is the only superpower in the world, and strongly prefers to keep that way.  Not only is the United States a large land mass with a population of well over 300 million, it is also bordered by two nations that are quite friendly to it as well as being subservient to America; in addition, to the salient facts, that the United States is in aggregate the richest nation in the world and by far, the most militarily powerful.  In short, the United States is second to none.  Further to the point, the United States does indeed have the greatest University system that the world has ever known, and those then that are quite intelligent, clever, and are amendable to doing what their country desires them to do, makes the United States an incredibly formidable nation, because the elite of those so educated, have developed great talents, which are ready then to serve their country, in seemingly whatever capacity that they are called to do.

As might be expected the United States, does not like to be embarrassed, and in particular, does not like to see released, items that are embarrassing or inconvenient to it.  Yet, this is a nation of laws, and some of those laws, such as the Freedom of Information Act, basically force this government to divulge secrets that they so desire to keep dead and buried.  So then, as much as sensitive documents are redacted, there comes a point when suppositions can essentially be reasonably verified, and then judiciously acknowledged as being factual.  One of those very things is biological warfare, in which, to this day, the United States has been vociferous in denying that it has ever engaged in this type of activity against any foreign nation or entity, but the evidence that this is a falsehood is overwhelming.

The fact of the matter is, that there are a multitude of ways to engage in battling an enemy that need not involve, shooting that enemy or engaging in traditional warfare with that enemy of any sort.  For instance, one way to take down a nation, is to overthrow its governance through a sponsored revolution backstopped by the United States but never acknowledged by it.  Another way to destroy a nation is to destroy its economy, or its coin of the realm, which thus is debilitating for the continuance of that government, as well as to the comfort of the people.  Then there is also another very sinister way to destroy or to seriously damage a nation, which is through targeted biological warfare, so done through, for instance, the surreptitious aerial bombardment of a nation, that thus releases the plague or any of a multitude of biological agencies that are seriously damaging to people, or to the countryside, or both.

Regrettably, the United States utilized biological warfare against both Korea as well as China in the 1950s, and the only reason why this is not widely known, is because the United States never successfully scaled up that biological warfare against either Korea or China, but rather made it a point, to just demonstrate their capability to do so in the real world, so as to know its overall effectiveness.  There are, indeed, a multitude of ways to kill or to hurt people through warfare, and for a certainty, poisonous biological agents are one of those ways – the United States knows this for an absolute certainty, because it did such.