Capital punishment and white-collar crime

There are all sorts of crimes committed in the United States, each and every day, of which, only a very few, and in particular heinous crimes, typically involving either murder directly or through one's deliberate actions, thereby causing the death of others, such as in terrorist actions, that entice the prosecution to request the death penalty for those egregious crimes.   So then, it can be said, that those that are convicted of certain murders as well as special circumstances that cause the death of others, can be and have been sentenced to death.

On the other hand, there are those crimes, known as white-collar crimes, in which these crimes aren't based on the illegal use of physical force but rather are typically financial crimes of malfeasance or purposefulness that cheats or steals from another, whether that be an individual, a collection of individuals, or a company.   These white-collar crimes can be especially pernicious and destructive, in which particular individuals or companies can be harmed so greatly by that white-collar crime, that they ultimately must go bankrupt, or lose their homes, or their livelihood, and may indeed have this lead to family breakups, depression, or suicide.

At the present time, white-collar criminals are treated in a manner in which some are able to circumvent imprisonment entirely by the paying of a fine, or through a combination of a monetary fine and probation; although some do suffer the indignity of incarceration as well as revocation of licensing in their profession, as applicable.  In point of fact, white-collar criminals despite some of them causing millions upon millions of dollars of harm and destruction, do not suffer to the degree that, for instance, first-degree murderers do, for they haven't killed anyone, though it could be argued that especially pernicious financial crimes that have eviscerated individuals or corporations are arguably worse than death for those that are left with nothing.

We find that theglobalist.com, states that, "the U.S. Office of Management and Budget puts the value of a human life in the range of $7 million to $9 million."  So that, as insurance companies are wont to do, in regards to accidents and deaths, unexpected or not, the human person is accorded to it, a general monetary value.   So then, if we were to take $10 million as being the fair worth of the life of a human being, then it could be said that those that commit financial crimes of at least $10 million dollars have in effect, committed a crime that is the equivalency of taking a person's life.  Additionally, the reality of the situation is that people need money to live, and so those innocent parties that have been dramatically harmed financially through outside criminal activities have most definitely been damaged to the degree that their life is worse off than it would have been had they not suffered that ill effect.

It therefore thus follows, that those that commit financial crimes of $10 million or more, should be subject to capital punishment, and those that have well exceeded that threshold, should as a matter of course, be executed.  Not only would this punishment more appropriately fit the crime in whole, but it would also be in accordance with establishing that white-collar criminals should be held accountable to the ultimate penalty, in order to deter them from committing such crime.

The aftermath of the Civil war and the right to vote

During our Civil war of 1861-1865, the North defeated the South, and in the aftermath of that war, there were three absolutely critical Amendments (the 13th through 15th) to our Constitution that were passed by the legislative branches of Congress and subsequently were ratified by the States.  The 13th Amendment was ratified in 1865, whereas the 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868, and the 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870.  In point of fact, none of these Amendments were ratified while Lincoln was still alive, as two were ratified during the Johnson Administration, and the last was ratified during the Grant Administration.  Each of these Amendments was critical to our republic, of which the 13th Amendment, abolished slavery; the 14th Amendment stipulated that African Americans were American citizens, and the 15th Amendment provided the right to vote to all male Americans, including those previously enslaved.

If, America, at that time, had lived up to the letter of the law of each of these Amendments, than America would have torn asunder from its heritage of permitting the destructive and inhumane institution of slavery and would have instead lived up to its Declaration of Independence, that all men are created equally.  This would have meant that America, in the 19th Century, had the opportunity to provide to all of its citizens, the same rights that each are entitled to, regardless of their race, or their class, of which, the immediate aftermath of the Civil War, actually saw some African Americans democratically elected from the Southern States into the Congress of the United States.

Unfortunately, despite the 13th through 15th Amendments, the South would essentially return to the planter class, which were the instigators of the Civil war, and they would once again take over the reins of governance within those States, and those that were enfranchised by the 15th Amendment, would lose that very right and having lost that right to vote, as well as being precluded by violence or through the bastardization of the law of that State from voting, the African American would lose their place at the table of this republic, and therefore despite the victory of the North in the Civil war, would have, in effect, none of the benefits of that war, won.

So then, it can be said, that laws on the book, even Constitutional law, which are unequivocal, are of no effect, if the people that are in the political, justice, and economic control of that community or State, do not permit such, and are not thereby stopped by Federal power in so doing.  This thus means that the winning of a war, even of a Civil war, does not mean, in and of itself, that change will occur, if the conditions within those communities and States are fundamentally placed back into the previous power structure, which in all practicality thereby supersedes the Amendments so written.

Those that have the right to vote, can effect change, and from that change, can aid in the implementation of the conditions to have this country live up to its lofty Amendments.  When, that right to vote, is circumvented or taken away especially from those previously disenfranchised, then within a very short while, those that have returned to power, can simply ignore those laws that get in their way, so that those that have lost via war, have won via their control of the ballot and the law as implemented within their domain. 

This thus means, that within the United States, the laws so written for the benefit of mankind as a whole, in order for them to be implemented and in effect for all, that each of us must not only exercise their right to vote, but also must make sure that all that are entitled to the enfranchisement of that vote have that vote, and that ultimately those implementing and exercising the law, are doing so for the benefit of and by the people, or all will be as if it was not.

The importance of focused commitment

Most everyone has goals of some sort or another, of which, some of those people will go on to achieve those goals, whereas many others will not, and some will simply lose track of their goals for they never truly formulated such within their minds.  In point of fact, people are capable of achieving astonishing feats if they are committed to doing so, and thereupon focus their attention on those feats, to the exclusion of most everything else, in order to achieve exactly that.

That is to say, our minds and bodies are obedient to our wishes, subject to the limitations of our abilities, so that those that those that wish to be great athletes, for example, but have poor hand to eye coordination, are more than likely, not going to succeed, because their physical capabilities preclude them from doing so, though they may deeply desire to be such.  So too, those that wish to be medical doctors, but have a strong aversion to blood as well as the studying of biology, are probably not made of the right stuff to be a good medical doctor.  So that, the limitations that our minds and bodies have are a relevant factor towards our success, of which, a conscientious student should take careful note of. 

Still, it is remarkable how much progress a given person can and will make, if they find a subject of study that interests them greatly, and then determine to give their absolute best effort in mastering such a subject, and thereby make the conscious determination to do just that.  For it is in the committing to a singular goal and then the determination to keep one's eyes on the prize, that will allow dedicated students to make real headway and thereby to progress through the necessary steps as well as the necessary levels in order to achieve their worthwhile goals.

This doesn’t mean that those that commit to a given life goal or task, will not have to face setbacks and failures of one sort of another, for these impediments are not only possible but probable; however, those that have that focused commitment will see these instead as barriers to be overcome as opposed to barriers that will stop them in their tracks, never to progress again.  It is through their dedicated commitment, that high achievers will not quit, because they are not intimidated by complications, errors, and obstacles, that others will often fall back from, but rather they will renew their determination to break through such, and if necessary, will do so brick by brick, for they have risked mightily to become what it is that they have made that commitment to.

Those that are committed to their goals do not see adversity as something to be feared but rather as a challenge to be conquered.  After all, if what they were achieving was easy for most everyone to do, then such would not be a worthy goal to commit to, for the object of the exercise, is to be successful in a career or a life goal that not only has real meaning to them, but represents an achievement that requires true blood, sweat and tears, of which having done so, they have accomplished what could only have been accomplished by determined focus and immeasurable commitment.

"And that we are all responsible to all for all"

The above quotation comes from The Brothers Karamazov, written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.  It is something that all need to make conscious note of, because each of us has not only a responsibility for our own self, but has an obligation and duty to take appropriate concern for others and their lives; for no man is an island unto himself, but rather, we are in whole a community of people, living here within a social construct, that necessitates that each of us has a responsibility to that community to do right by it, and to do as much right as we can for it.

That is to say, to be destructive is a very easy thing to be, for to tear things down and to wantonly criticize, is the type of easy road that cares not for another, and cares not for the consequences of such negative and ruinous actions.  On the other hand, to build things up, is something that is going to take forethought, as well as good execution, and an abiding belief in the desire to help to create institutions and foundations that are well grounded and therefore will have a very good chance of standing the test of time; even time, beyond our physical presence. 

All those that look upon life as some sort of zero-sum society, and therefore make it their point to lead their lives in a manner in which they will do what they need to do to get ahead of others, are people that have placed themselves into a scenario in which they must win and others must lose, in order for them to achieve some sort of satisfaction in their life.  While it can be said that this is indeed a way to look upon this world, especially for those that see the world as being primarily capitalistic and competitive, that is not going to be an institution that will be longstanding, for those that are forever stepped upon, abused, and exploited, will in many respects, not be willing participants in such a game, and will, at some point or another, rise up to assert themselves, again and again and again.

The far more satisfying way to look upon society is to see each member of that society as having equal validity and from that acknowledgment, understanding that each then is entitled to their fair share of the fruits of that society.  This does not mean that each is equally entitled to the same share of those fruits, for each of us has different talents, abilities, throughput, and desires; in addition to the fact that some make bad and disastrous decisions, some are destructive, and some are rebellious; but rather indicates that we have an obligation and responsibility to be fair and open in all of our interactions, and to see to it that justice is fairly and openly applied.

All of us have been created by the same Creator, and all are equally loved by our Creator; so then, to subdivide ourselves into cliques and clubs, of winners and losers, of the exploiters and the exploited, is to lose sight of the most important thing, that we are all brothers and sisters, and to not do right and to not be responsible to our family, is irresponsible, flawed, uncivil, and represents the purgatory that we currently exist in.

Our Civil war has still not ended

History teaches us that our Civil war was from the period of 1861-1865, and subsequently ended at the Appomattox Court House; but this really just represents the ending of the military engagements between the two sides.  While it is true that each State that rebelled against this Union of States, are now once again conjoined into the United States; what is also true is that this bloody and destructive war, that cost the lives of an estimated 624,000 soldiers in battle, and had a monetary cost as estimated by civilwarhome.com, of $6,190,000,000 -- is that the Emancipation Proclamation, as well as the 13th though 15th Amendments to our Constitution, have never, not even until this day, been fully and fairly implemented.

That is to say, the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, but that Amendment did not abolished the replacement of such with, at best, second class citizenship for those previously enslaved, as well as the reconstitution of a system involving landless blacks being pressed into service by the white plantation class into doing the same sort of menial labor as they did previously while enslaved.  So too, the 14th and 15th Amendments, guaranteed to all citizens equal protection under the law, as well as the enfranchisement of the vote, respectively; but even today, these Amendments are effectively put to the sword, by the fact that blacks in so many communities are still segregated into impoverished and dilapidated neighborhoods, and denied fair opportunity as well as good schools, and often are exploited by those that are in power.  So too, many blacks are consistently denied equal protection under the law, of which, we can see this played out by the overwhelming amount of crime and punishment that blacks suffer to the exclusion of the powered class, that does not.  Additionally, despite the 15th Amendment, and the subsequent Voting Rights Act of 1965, blacks are denied the vote or essentially precluded from voting for all sorts of dubious reasons, so that the powers within those jurisdictions are able to well maintain their dominance.

In all of these things, the blood and sacrifice of so many that gave their devoted best to reunite the peoples of this union under the banner of true freedom, in the conscious recognition that all are created equal, and that all are thereby entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, have instead seen that in so many ways, these brave men that gave their last dying breath to this great republic, still have not had this unfinished work, yet advanced in a manner in which their noble deaths have not been made but in vain.

While the physical battles of this war have long been over, the enduring tragedy is that the Civil war in so many respects, has not lived up to its noble and lofty ambitions as expressed by the Emancipation Proclamation, and the 13th - 15th Amendments.  The South that rose up against their National Government, in defense of the institution of slavery, somehow, despite their defeat, was thereupon able to resurrect slavery in everything but its actual name -- has still not seen their ruinous mindset completely vanquished.  So then, until such a time as when America becomes a country that provides opportunity, fairness, and justice in a manner in which accommodates all, and especially takes into consideration those that have been historically denied what was theirs as per its Constitution and its Declaration of Independence, then America, still battles against itself in the Civil War that has not yet ended.

Crime, the system, and punishment

The United States has too much crime, and though such crime has actually been in decline since 1991, the amount of people that commit crime as well as the amount of people punished for such crime, are substantially higher than any other western nation.  One would think, that in the world's richest nation, that this seemingly intractable problem of crime along with its incumbent punishment, would be something that America, which represents being the industry leader in so many different positive areas of contribution and progress, would have resolved such, or at least be in the processing of making meaningful resolution to, but that isn't the case.

All of the above, would presuppose that the current status of the criminal justice system in America, is clearly not working, and therefore, it is high time to throw out the old and to develop instead a system that will be constructive in creating a nation, of far less crime, victimhood, and punishment.  The first step in making progress in America is the conscious recognition that the more unequal a society is in income, opportunity, and advancement, then the much more significant likelihood that such a country will have issues with crime.  This makes eminent sense, in that envy and jealousy are the banes of human existence, and when those that have little or nothing, suffer from the onslaught of all the material benefits that others have in apparent boundless abundance, such will breed discontent, and from that discontent, crime.

So too, cities and communities that are wholly unequal in the sense of the infrastructure of those communities, in which some live in areas of beautiful parks, no crime, good schools, and stable households; whereas others exist in the very opposite of those things, with dilapidated parks, plenty of crime, horrible schools, and dysfunctional households.  This would indicate that those that live under stressful and trying conditions are quite obviously going to have a very strong tendency to not overcome the environment that they are part of; so that, it would behoove this government to ameliorate the social conditions of what the poor and disadvantaged have to contend with on a daily basis, and by doing so, the result would be more hope, progress, and success.

While America prides itself on its adversarial judicial system, in which the vigorous prosecution of crimes must face off against the resolute defensive counsel, the truth of the matter is that most people accused of crimes, never have their day in court, and never face their adversaries, but are browbeaten into submitting to a plea bargain, instead.  On the other hand, those with plenty of capital are actually able to afford a zealous defense, and from that, assure themselves of a result that will be far more palatable, so that in America, one gets all the justice that one can pay for.

If and when America aggressively pursues the very things that create the basis of crime, which substantially consists of low opportunity and no hope neighborhoods, ill-education, dysfunctional and failing families, a minimum wage which is not a living wage, as well as justice unequally applied, then America will continue to play its zero-sum game of crime and punishment; never resolving the core of the problem which is right in front of their face, of which inequality, unfairness, and injustice, are the witches' brew of crime.

Childbirth and abortion

We live in a modern age, in which never has it been easier for women to take control of their bodies and to therefore decide consciously whether they wish to take the chance of getting impregnated or not.  That is to say, there are a multitude of birth control options available to women that are engaging in sex, such as those involving medically approved devices that can be inserted into their vagina, chemical pills or chemical shots that can be taken to preclude pregnancy, and a variety of other ways and means, in which plannedparenthood.org lists a total of eighteen different ways to preclude an unintended pregnancy.  All of these choices are readily available, in addition to the fact that men can do their part to prevent pregnancy by wearing a condom or having a vasectomy. Additionally, for those that have engaged in sex without having taken appropriate precautions, there is a pill available for those that have had unprotected sex to preclude getting pregnant if taken within 72 hours of such activity.

Yet, despite all of these above choices, of which almost all women are quite readily aware of, there were as reported by cdc.gov, in 2015, the statistic in America that "… the abortion ratio was 188 abortions per 1,000 live births."   While this ratio trend has been declining, the amount of abortions per live births is still a ratio that is higher than what it really ought to be, especially when we take into consideration the experience of childbirth in comparison to an abortion, which are obviously quite diametrically different. That is to say, despite the travails of childbirth labor and the pains so involved, most women actually appreciate and enjoy giving birth to their child, and are only too happy to share their newborn birth story with others, as well as to post such on social media, and overall they see such as an event to be well celebrated. On the other hand, though most abortions are physically not very painful but rather akin to some discomfiture, most women that are willing to share their abortion story, typically do so in a manner of confidentiality, and certainly do not wittingly post their abortion story on social media.

So then, childbirth and abortion are quite obviously two divergently different stories, of which one is celebrating the beginning of new life, and the other one, most definitely is not.  So too, stories of joy and happiness are the stories that we love to tell again and again; whereas stories of tragedy and agony are the stories that typically haunt and bedevil us.

This thus means that those believing that women should and must have a choice, especially in consideration that it is, after all, their body -- have both a responsibility as well as an obligation to first make a prudent choice; for they are the ultimately going to be the only ones that are on the frontline of having to deal with the situation for what it is, and they are the ones therefore that will have to live with that decision, whatever it may be, for better or for worse, forever.

So then, it makes eminent sense that the correlation between sex and pregnancy must be something that should be ingrained upon the minds of all those that are sexually active, for unprotected sex has definite consequences -- even of birth and death; of which, those that are clear about what they are desiring to achieve or to avoid in the first place and act accordingly, are going to often find more serenity and peace than those that are not.

The desire to be liked and valued

Almost everyone, without exception, wants to be liked and to be valued, especially by those people that are most important to them.  After all, this world is a rather lonely place without human companionship and the respect of one's peers.  That said, for some people, being liked seems to come naturally to them, whereas for others it is much more of a struggle.  While there may be many reasons why this is so, fundamentally the main reason is that those that are likeable typically present themselves and behave in a manner which is likeable, and those that do not, find it more problematic to be likeable.

That is to say, since most every life presents at various times: challenges, troubles, pain, and sorrow to at least some degree; people therefore have a natural tendency to gravitate to those that make them feel better about their own life and their own situation, in contrast to all those that are seemingly narrow-minded, argumentative, and uncaring.  So that, the first part of being liked and valued, is treating people with the appropriate attention and concentration that demonstrates that one is actually concerned about another, as compared to being just about one's own self or displaying a blithe unconcern.

So then, for example, it isn't fair to expect that one's own selfish and bad behavior will not have meaningful consequences in how we are perceived by other people.  So that, when we are all about our own self, to the exclusion of all others, then one might expect that selfish person to be rather emotionally lonely, since that person has deliberately created a construct in which they are really just about what is in it for their own self.  On the other hand, those that sincerely care about other people and are able to demonstrate that in their actions and behaviors, are going to be seen as of value to other people, because most people appreciate having someone that they can count on as well as to lean on; especially in consideration that life, in many respects, necessitates cooperation and cohesion.

Additionally, everyone that is liked by others appreciates such, because it validates them as a person of value.  So then, it can be stated, that those that are valued, in almost all cases, have a far better self-image as opposed to those that perceived themselves as not being valued, or aren't really sure of their value.  Yet, as in most everything, such is not static, but is always subject to the whims and changes of everyday life; for those that believe that they can simply rely on their past behavior or to be defined just by their past, without taking into account the present or the future, will find that their image is subject to change, for better or for worse.

We are who we are, by the things that we do day-by-day, and should we find that we are not so happy with what we appear to be, then it is our own responsibility to change such.  The change that we should desire to make, is the change that will help make our relationships better; and that change often involves behaving in a heartfelt manner that shows that we truly care about others and by doing our part to make things better for them, we will, far more often than not, be valued and liked.

Urban revitalization

There are plenty of urban areas in major cities in need of revitalization, of which, ideally done, this can be done in a way to benefit the people and to specifically benefit the poorest and most disadvantaged that live in those decaying communities and areas.  However, in many cases, private enterprise, banking enterprises, court systems, and specific governmental agencies, don't see the poor and disadvantaged that live in urban blight as people to be helped and aided in a responsible way, but rather see these people, that are often without an effective voice, as people of no consequence and therefore to be discarded, whether voluntarily or through court action; so that these areas of the community can then be reclaimed not as places of safety and opportunity for those that have been the denizens of them, but rather to be for those that have taken them, and for the benefit of those particular people that have displaced the  poor and themselves are the beneficiaries from the monies spent and from the noticeable improvements and revitalization of that community.

After all, when those in the know, consider urban blight and the remediation of this, they look upon what they desire to accomplish as being far easier to accomplish, if the people that will be noticeably impacted, have no voice, and therefore will not have the ready capacity to stall such progress via civil action or lawsuits.  That is to say, urban areas are carefully and minutely studied, in a manner in which those that wish to redevelop it are not interested in having to deal with situations in which they will have to overcome a lot of community protests or people "pushback" and will definitely amend their plans in such a manner so that those that are least able to fight back, are the ones that will be specifically targeted, and in particular, they prefer to deal with areas of urban blight in which the voice of people have either been completely or nearly completely compromised or of no consequence.

Not too surprisingly, more often than not, it is the poor people and typically minorities that are thereby forced from and evicted from their homes and communities, so that the "necessary" progress of the community can be made, all of which has been sold to the general public as a necessary action in order to bring change, as well as being a requisite for the greater good.  After all, the renewal and the revitalization of areas previously suffering from urban decay and hopelessness, and replacing such with the modernity of awesome infrastructure easily appears to be the type of community improvement that most everyone would agree is good. 

However, the displacement of real people and community businesses that have been historically denied everything, but have nevertheless stayed the course, and to thereby provide these with nothing in return, except for minimal promises and anemic commitments, means exactly what it appears to mean, which is the deliberate taking from those that have nothing, and the forceful removal of these people via a trail of tears into some other area of blight and hopelessness; so that those  that take over the revitalized urban area, are the true beneficiaries of such, and those that were its erstwhile residents, are cast aside as so much wretched refuse, not worthy of consideration or concern.

Housing, in comparison of the baby boomer generation v. the millennial generation

One significant part of the American dream is to own one's own house, of which, taking somebody born in 1955, and therefore a baby boomer, and having them purchase a home in 1987, we find that as listed by the census.gov that the median price of that home in 1987 would have been $104,500.  On the other hand, taking somebody born in 1985, and therefore a millennial, and having them purchase a home in 2017, we find that as listed by the census.gov that the median price of that home would have been $323,100, or an increase in the price of the home of 209.19%.

Obviously, during that interim the income and salaries of those employed have also risen, but so significantly have some of the costs that the millennial generation must deal with such as their far higher student loan and tuition costs, healthcare costs, gasoline and vehicle costs, insurance costs of all sorts, and accessories such as cell phones, the internet, streaming devices, and other modern inventions that simply didn’t exist in 1987.  While there have been some consumer items that have not advanced much in regards to inflation, the main component of a house that has come down, is the mortgage interest cost, which has in recent times been at near historic lows, and is most definitely a very meaningful factor in the overall cost of a given home.

However, another factor adversely affecting the ability of the millennial generation to purchase a home is their confidence in their employment status, of which, the era of stable and secure employment with a given employer, has become far more precarious than it was a generation before them, and in recognition of that insecurity, some of those that can currently afford a home, are less reluctant to pursue that avenue, especially when they have so much other debt and obligations to attend to.

Additionally, the marriage rate of Americans has declined significantly since 1987, and in an era in which it never has been more important to have a dual income in order to afford a house, the fact that less people are married lends itself to less people being able to purchase their own home.  While it is true that a couple need not be married in order to be a couple, the situation in which two people that are together, but are not married, makes the process, and the terms and conditions of purchasing a home, much more problematic, for the paperwork, legal ownership, and negotiations involved.

All of the above factors are meaningful reasons why the millennial generation does not own homes at even close to the percentage rate that the baby boomer generation does.  This certainly does not indicate that the millennial generation is foolish for having not done so; but more correctly indicates that they in comparison to the baby boomer generation, lack more often the monetary capacity to prudently purchase a home, and that the decision to do so, is far more problematic for those of their generation, in contrast to the baby boomer generation; for the millennial generation has expenses, debts, and the price of homes which are all higher to contend with, and their job security as well as their inflation adjusted household income have suffered, so that the result is that they don't buy what they really cannot afford.

Can't make bail and in jail

According to statista.com, "There were over 10.5 million arrests for all offenses in the United States in 2017."  This means that those arrested, were for all practical purposes, no longer free and therefore no longer able to self-determine what they would do on a given day; which essentially means, that the obligations that each person so arrested would have to normally attend to, such as childcare, pets, bills, work, and school, would not be able to be performed while in the state of being arrested, leading in many instances to a very rapid downward spiral in the credibility, employability, and responsibility of that individual.

One might think, because being arrested is so traumatic, not just for the pending charges so made, but also for the basic needs and responsibilities that each adult must attend to, that as a matter of principle, the justice system of the United States of America -- in which it must be stated that per American jurisprudence all those first arrested are presumed to be innocent, would therefore make it their point to process and to release as soon as possible, all those arrested for crimes that would not necessitate the undue imprisonment of those that have been convicted of nothing.   Unfortunately, the wheels of justice in America are excruciatingly slow.

All of this is especially disconcerting, in consideration that the Sixth Amendment to our Constitution, stipulates that "…the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial…" of which it must be stated that all those that are currently incarcerated but have not been convicted or even necessarily had the formal charges made against them, must wonder exactly what the word "speedy" actually means.  Additionally, America, has an inordinate amount of people that are arrested that are thereby subject to some amount of monetary bail, in which, as reported by vox.com, "99% of the total jail growth from 1999 to 2014 was in the detention of people who are legally innocent," or in other words, are non-convicted but incarcerated in jail, for being unable to meet their monetary bail amount.  This clearly means that in America, there is a fundamental difference between how justice is served to those without money or ready access to money, as opposed to all those that do have money or ready access to money; for monetary bail, by its very nature, is as simple as if you got the money for that bail, you are released, and if you do not, you are jailed, pending your "speedy" trial.

America should be greatly shamed over all those that are jailed but have not yet been convicted of a crime, and should thereby resolve to make it their principle to see that all those that are currently jailed but non-convicted are released immediately so that they can try to regain normalcy to their lives, before such is effectively ruined or destroyed by their having been arrested, but not having been even convicted.   While it is true that some of those arrested, especially those arrested for heinous and violent crimes should be subject to more strict rules in regards to their being freed, the object of the exercise should be to look at all those that are arrested, as being placed into a way station so as to process those so arrested, and then release them forthrightly pending their "speedy" trial.   After all, innocent upon proven guilty, should actually mean: freedom until conviction.

Poverty and relative poverty

Poverty can be defined in numerous ways, of which, some people believe that those that are truly impoverished are only the ones sorely lacking in such basics as food, healthcare, housing, education, reliable electricity, and so forth.  So then, it thus follows that the most impoverished peopled in the world are, by that definition, those that live within societies in which those things are hard to come by, and therefore are truly impoverished.

On the other hand, poverty can and should be looked at from a relative perspective, so that, in western nations, one would expect that these countries would first of all, have very few people living in abject poverty, simply because of the sheer size of the wealth within that country.  So that, for instance, as reported by fortune.com, the USA has a grand total of an astonishing 41.6% of the global personal wealth, which would presuppose to the uninitiated, that certainly this would mean that there is no poverty in the United States, whatsoever.  Rather, the USA in 2012, as reported by vox.com, found that "17.9 percent of Americans lived on less than half the median income, after taking taxes and transfers into account;" whereas, in Denmark, that percentage was just 5.4 percent.

This signifies that in America, despite having by far the most wealth in aggregate, and despite the fact that the per capita GDP of America is greater than Denmark, has on percentage terms more than three times the amount of people living on less than half the median income than Denmark, and therefore have far more people suffering from being relatively impoverished.  While some pundits are quick to point out that those that are impoverished in America, frequently, still have reliable access to food, healthcare, housing, education, and electricity, what they do not so frequently mention, though, is that the quality of all of these things, are sorely lacking for those that live in poverty.

Additionally, perceptions do matter to people, so that, in a country in which citizens are bombarded constantly with advertisements and social media posts of all types night and day about the super-wealth of America, those that suffer from the lack of good nutritional food, good education, good housing and safe neighborhoods, as well as good and affordable healthcare, are not only living lives of a lower quality and are disadvantaged, but they most certainly in comparison to their fellow Americans, are not only living in relative poverty to them, but are forced to eat crow, day in and day out.

Further to the point, the United States, is an incredibly unequal society, of which, visibly, one not only sees that inequality in any major metropolis, but this is further demonstrated by the fact that the Gini coefficient for America is considerably higher than virtually any other nation, demonstrating the vast chasm between those that have and those have not in this country.  Not too surprisingly, the poor in America, suffering from the lack of so many essentials, as well as the unfairness of their plight, are frustrated in their lot.

This thus means, that though the poor in America do have so much more than those lacking in the basic necessities of life, such as what we find in developing nations; what the poor and impoverished do not have in America, is much respect, compounded by the fact, that the blame for not having that respect and success is placed upon their shoulders, for, after all, America is in theory, the land of opportunity. So then, America effectively blames the poor for being poor, and until such time, as America recognizes its complicity in this unfortunate situation, America though perceived as being rich, is in spirit, very, very poor.

Vox Populi, Vox Dei

Vox Populi, Vox Dei is Latin for "the voice of the people is the voice of God."  A motto such as this, one might think, should be the motto of the United States, or what was then known as the colonies, for within its Declaration of Independence, we are told that "...all men are created equal," in which each person is endowed with certain unalienable rights, and that to secure those rights, governments are instituted amongst mankind, deriving their just powers from the consent of those so governed.  These are the essential words of that Declaration of Independence; yet, the current government that rules this land, for all practical purposes is for a certainty not the voice of the people, and therefore is not the voice of God.

The error within the government that we currently have, reverts back to its failure to understand that first of all, we are all created equally by the hand of God; which presupposes to all those governments that existed at the time of the inception of this country and many that so exist today, that rather than the misguided belief in the divine right of Kings, the colonies believed that its power should be a dispersed power fairly and equally applied throughout its population, so that fairness, equality, and egalitarianism would reign throughout its land.  Additionally, the colonies believed it was wrong that any people should be controlled by one hand that ruled them all; all being done, without the colonies being provided with any legislative representation, or any consent by those people.

Further, the colonies believed that the power to tax was a form of control and coercion upon the population as a whole, in which, in absence of the people's influence upon the nature and extent of such taxation, that taxation was not legitimate; and therefore the most appropriate measure to oppose or to protest such taxation was to do so in a forthright way, subject even to arrest or civil warfare.  The people of the colonies, at that time, believed that their voice should be heard and further, they believed this so thoroughly, that they were willing to risk their very lives, their livelihood, and their honor to fight for the right to be a free and independent country, subject only to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people.

While the revolution of the colonies was successful in the sense that they threw off the chains of British governance and domination, through their grit and determination, in which, the colonies were able to thereby be united into one body politic, the follow-through into today's America, would seem to indicate that the governance of this country is most definitely not the voice of the people but rather is in so many ways and forms, actually the voice of the very few and the very privileged, of which those that rule the people today, behave in a manner that demonstrates that this government cares not for the voice of the people.

All this is to the shame of what America could and should actually be, for when the people's voice is silenced, and replaced instead with a bastardization of what America was founded upon, then our unalienable rights have been torn asunder from us, and so too, the true voice of God has been dismissed and replaced with tyranny, instead.

Free higher education

It wasn't that long ago, when free public education for Americans, became universal; for as America transitioned from an agricultural economy and rural existence into an industrial and scientific economy with large concentrations of people in cities, it was recognized that it was important to develop our children in a manner that they could and would become an integral part of the growth of that economy, as well as being literate in the sense of being able to perform at least at a minimal level, the good ability to read, write, and to do arithmetic.

The current "free" public education is primarily paid through State budgets, often in conjunction with property taxes, as well as other taxes paid into the State, and with some financial contributions from the Federal government.  However, once 12th grade is completed, in most States and communities, any further education is the responsibility of the student that pursues that higher education.  Some of those students receive scholarships, or grants, or subsidies of one kind or another in which their cost for collegiate education becomes for them, quite affordable.  Then, there are a multitude of students that have to take out loans, either partially, or fully to fund their education, in which those loans are the responsibility of that student to pay back.

The fundamental problem with student loans, is not only the sheer dollar amount of student loans, of which according to studentloanhero.com, there is a current total of "$1.56 trillion in total U.S. student loan debt," but also, the trajectory rate of those student loans, which despite living in an era of low inflation, as well as educational breakthroughs such as technology and the internet -- which would seem to be something that would reduce costs, they have instead, skyrocketed.  This means that those graduating from college, as well as those that have attended college but have never gotten around to graduating, are in very many cases, leaving college with not only a negative net worth, but an expense which can be for many, quite burdensome. 

While there are a few States as well as communities, which offer some sort of collegiate education which is free, or nearly free, and may also have some contingencies attached with that education, they are in aggregate, the minority.  So then, in an time in which this country has indicated that they need more and more students to graduate in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) fields, as well as the general complaint that so many students do not graduate with job-ready skills that match today's economy and world, than this Federal government, should make it a point to come up with an agenda that would provide these High School graduates with at least, a pathway towards free higher education.

One straightforward way to provide collegiate courses would be to utilize the internet more to teach classes, in which the scaling of those classes should be far more economical than brick and mortar schools.  Additionally, another way would be to provide a quid pro quo, between students and their government, by educating those students for free with a corresponding commitment by those graduates that they will thereupon serve in the government, for a period of time as a civil service obligation to their government. Finally, the biggest and richest corporations in the world are located in America, of which, a tax addressed specifically against those companies, could be structured in a manner in which by subsidizing the education of higher education students, such a tax would be paid in full.

The bottom line is that if this country truly believes that good higher education is necessary for the growth and progress of this great nation, than the least this government should do, is to provide a viable option that allows motivated students to achieve that education without having to pay directly for it.

Incarceration city

According to prisonpolicy.org, there are "6.7 million people under correctional control, which includes not only incarceration but also probation and parole."  To put this in perspective, the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas, metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 6.7 million peoples, which is the equivalency of everyone in America that is currently under correctional control; signifying the staggering amount of people that are either incarcerated, or on parole or probation, in America.

It might be one thing if the huge amount of all those that are compelled to be an unfortunate affiliate of the correctional control system was actually consistent with the amounts of those people that are part of the correctional control system of other Western nations; but America is a distinct outlier, which signifies that as in so many things, America doesn't believe that it needs to learn a thing from any other country's jurisprudence correctional and punishment systems, which thereby means, quite obviously, that the correctional control system within America is not going to get appreciably smaller anytime soon.

Because America is the richest nation that the world has ever known, of which, despite having an embarrassingly high amount of peoples that are impoverished, ill-educated, incarcerated, and disadvantaged; yet, has proven that it can still excel economically, it somehow doesn't seem to recognize that by ignoring the huge amount of peoples that are part of the correctional control system and basically pretending that they don't really exist, does not make for a stronger nation, but demonstrates its weakness.

America has a population of 327.2 million peoples and to thereby have a little over 2% of those people that are either incarcerated, on probation, or on parole, demonstrates in principle that the American jurisprudence system as currently structured and operated, does not know how to conceptualize a solution to how to best address behaviors and actions that are considered to be crimes, and thereby apparently worthy of being part of the correctional control system.  First off, it goes almost without saying, that to propose that the best solution to address crime or what is perceived to be crime, is to lock away so many citizens behind bars, or to process citizens in a manner that they are seemingly forever branded and treated as something less than a citizen, is disgraceful. Rather, a country, especially a country that claims to be the bastion of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, needs to live in principle these very words.

This so signifies that the sooner that America admits to the complete and utter failure of its criminal justice system, the better this country will be.  In point of fact, if America made its abiding principle, that rather than taking the easy road, and thereby putting behind bars those that are troublesome, bad, and impulsive, they would instead address the very issues that create this bad brew, then America, would have far less crime.  That is to say, crime is typically committed by those that feel that they have no future, no hope and lack the tools to address such; whereas, those that believe that they have a fair future and fair hope are willing to put forth a fair effort to become something.  Therefore, crime occurs from those that primarily have been locked out from the necessary accouterments of opportunity, and it is high time to replace such with the key to the liberating golden door of a fresh start.

The drug war and selective enforcement

America has all sorts of laws against unauthorized drug possession, against drug usage, and against drug sales, of which, certain drugs are listed unto the restricted federal schedule, in which, those drugs are thereupon categorized into their particular degree of harm to those that use them, in conjunction with their degree of abuse or addiction perceived, per drug.  Whether those drugs are properly categorized is subject to debate; nevertheless, the penalties for those that have possession or usage or sale of these drugs are coordinated with the partition of these drugs per that schedule.

The FBI's uniform crime report for 2017, states that there were 1.63 million arrests for drug law violations, of which just over 1.4 million, were just for drug possession.  This means that approximately 85% of the drug arrests performed in this country had nothing to do with the illegal distribution of drugs, or the actual usage of the illegal drugs, or even the manufacture of illegal drugs, but actually occurred for the simple possession of those drugs.  Further to the point, in order to be arrested for the possession of drugs, means, in most cases, that the person so being arrested was stopped in the street, such as in "stop and frisk"; or stopped while driving their vehicle, for whatever reason, dubious or not; or were found to have illicit drugs inside their place of abode.  In all of these cases, the person that has been arrested for drug possession, has been arrested basically because they are not secure in their persons, as per their Fourth Amendment rights, but have had that security breached, by law enforcement, rightly or wrongly.

Additionally, according to drugabuse.gov, "in 2013, an estimated 24.6 million Americans aged 12 or older—9.4 percent of the population—had used an illicit drug in the past month."  So that it can be said, that when there are an unfathomable amount of people using an illicit drug on a monthly basis; whereas the arrests for the entire year of all illicit drug violations, is only 1.63 million, than quite obviously, a valid argument could be made that the law enforcing arm of the state, could easily arrest far more people than it already does, but clearly does not. The apparent reason why this is so, is that though law enforcement officers are very adept at arresting people during traffic stops, citizen stops, and via the visiting of citizens at home, they also are evidently very selective in those that they do so arrest, noticeably preferring to arrest those that are marginalized, impoverished, ill-educated, and poor.

In other words, law enforcement deliberately does not concentrate upon those that are engaging in illegal drug usage and possession at, for instance, our higher institutions of learning, nor does law enforcement concentrate on arresting for illicit drug possession those that live or congregate in very nice areas, or things of this sort; though illicit drug possession and usage, is rather common throughout all segments of America, but rather, law enforcement is quite cognizant of the fact that arresting the wrong people, has negative consequences for all those in that industry.  That is to say, the laws so written for illicit drug usage, are broad enough, to arrest far more than the 1.63 million arrests yearly, but are selectively enforced primarily upon those that are the underclass of America; as well as being held as a valued weapon in the state's arsenal to be deployed against all those that are considered to be annoyances or enemies of the state, now or in the future.

The end of freedom and the replacement with state-sanctioned control

There are plenty of people, perhaps good people, or perhaps obedient people, or perhaps law and order people that believe that it really is okay for the government or its agencies to monitor everything that a given person is doing, because only those that are criminals or enemies of the state have anything to hide.  At best, one could call these people, misguided; at worse, dupes of the system, or those that lack the ready capacity to think thoroughly or cogently, for each of these people, are fundamentally wrong, and are anathema to what this country was founded upon.

This country was founded upon freedom, and states within its Declaration of Independence, which is the seminal document of America, that our most fundamental and unalienable rights do not come to us from the state, but rather they come to us by our Creator, and therefore all those that are American, have the right to freedom of thought, to liberty, to a free conscience, and the right to be about their business, without untoward interference from the state; especially in consideration that the state in order to be legitimate, receives its just powers from the consent of the informed governed.

We now live within a construct in which the state, to a very large extent, has aggrandized more and more power unto itself, under the guise that such power and intrusiveness is necessary in order to provide good welfare, safety, and security.  In this era of technology in which the eyes and ears of the government has never been more invasive than mankind has ever known, in which the recording of such, is no longer limited to people's memories or human witnesses, but is done seamlessly with technological tools that have the capability and capacity to record, store, and to collate everything, in which all that is done is saved, seemingly forever; the people are in great danger of losing their liberty from that which purports to protect and to support them.

For instance, in one's everyday driving, most people adjust their driving habits and their concentration upon the road, when they spot a police car that is traveling next to them or behind them, for they do not want to go through the process of receiving a traffic ticket or possibly worse.  So too, phone calls, emails, conversations, text messages, and social media posts, are going to always be impacted, when those that are utilizing those things, are cognizant that all these various ways of communicating are being constantly monitored and recorded by governmental agencies or their assigned agents.

That is to say, those that are being watched and monitored all of the time in everything that they do or say, mundane or not, by state-sanctioned agents, in which, wrong behavior is punishable in some form or manner, or has possible negative repercussions in the present or future, then those people will have a very strong inclination to modify their behavior in a manner in which they are in conformance with desired governmental dictates, to the exclusion of what they really are or really want to do or be.

This so means that ubiquitous and intrusive governmental monitoring of its own citizens, is primarily done as a means to control, discipline, manage, restrict, and to regulate what this government will permit as authorized behavior; and therefore all those that are outside of that state-sanctioned norm, will be dealt with in a manner that will either neutralize them or will eliminate them.

Violence as a disease

There are all sorts of common diseases, recognized as detrimental to the health of a person, such as cancer, diabetes, tuberculosis, and a host of other well known diseases.  So too, alcoholism is considered to be a disease by esteemed authorities, which perhaps because of this designation as a disease, makes it easier to address.  This would seem to then imply, in an era in which America suffers from a great deal of violence, and of a much higher violent incident rate than other similar countries, in which punishment and incarceration seem to have not made any significant inroads in the reduction of that violence; that violence in order to be successfully addressed, should be looked upon as a disease, for the sake of, at a minimum, to come up with solutions, not currently considered.

That is to say, rather than placing all the blame on a given person that is violent and then punishing that person, perhaps it would make a lot more sense to look at the symptoms of what creates the basis of those people that have a preponderance in being violent.  After all, the simple crime and punishment model that the United States presently uses does not work, because the systemic amount of violence in this country is not going away, so that, those that believe somehow, more punishment will  resolve what has not been resolved, are stubbornly stuck in a mindset that will not ameliorate this issue.

The very first thing, that America needs to recognize, is that with the exception of those that suffer from some sort of sociopathic condition, is that there must be a cause or a series of causes, that creates the conditions that leads to violence.  In other words, violence typically does not precipitate itself, but rather is typically a reaction to something that has triggered that response in the person that is violent. Further, that trigger usually isn't going to be something that just has spontaneously occurred, but rather has causes, often of a long standing background, that are salient to that violent action occurring; such as, but not limited to: social embarrassment, disrespect, dysfunctional family background, low self-esteem, loss of hope, immaturity, selfishness, ill education, peer pressure, substance abuse, lack of opportunity, prejudice, injustice, and a dead-end life.

So that, it is fair to say that those that are frustrated with their lives and with their living conditions, especially in consideration that others have so much more as propagated through mass and social media, will feel not only envious of others and of their success, but when this is combined with their feeling of hopelessness and despair, will thereby create a cauldron of a potentially violent reaction.  This signifies that the disease of violence has relevant roots in the fact that those that are denied fair opportunity and fair success, will more readily demonstrate that frustration by being violent, especially when their perception is that their situation is well-nigh hopeless.

It would appear then that violence is often a disease of poverty combined with frustration, compounded by the fact that America prides itself on being egalitarian, just, and fair; whereas for a significant amount of Americans, America more realistically really represents discrimination, injustice, and inequality.  So then, until such time as America becomes a fairer and more of an equal opportunity country, the disease of violence will continue to be intractable.

Half of loaf and the desire for more

America has what appears to be a permanent underclass, of which, such is a rather huge embarrassment for this is within the richest nation the world has ever known.  So too, this underclass appears to prove the point that capitalism, is not now, and never has been, the best economic system, for a rising tide does not appear to lift all boats, but in fact, appears to keep some people perpetually in a state of near drowning.

Beginning with the "New Deal" as perpetuated with FDR in the 1930s, and the Great Society along with voting rights brought forth in the 1960s, America's governing body has tried to provide for its population the semblance of a minimum standard of living conditions so as to be of aid and help to all those that are indigent, old, or crippled in mind or body. Yet, despite all that has been done, virtually every major city in America, has an uncomfortably large underclass of people that are ill-educated, impoverished, of poor health and mind, that are typically unproductive, and suffer from the effects of high crime, incarceration, dilapidated housing and infrastructure, and an overall quality of life that is sorely lacking.

To actually fix such an intractable problem takes not only a lot of money as well as sustained commitment, but also requires systemic change at the grassroots level, because in order to relieve the underclass from all the problems now besetting them, then that current poor infrastructure and the lack of so many necessary things must be thoroughly and completely replaced with lasting and meaningful change.

If, such was accomplished in America, one might think, that this would therefore become the template of the model modern state.  Perhaps it would, but what many people have a hard time comprehending is that if, for instance, this country should pass a bill mandating a minimum wage of $15/hour, along with guaranteeing some sort of employment for every adult, such would initially undoubtedly be of a great boon for those that have suffered for so long.  However, the very fact, that those that have been left behind, and marginalized, would now appear to have a seat at the table of the great American prosperity, would provide those people with real hope, and for the very first time, a realistic belief that all those other things desired and needed, such as: good public education, affordable housing, safe neighborhoods, and fair justice, would also be theirs to be had.

That is to say, if those that have had nothing, were to finally have half of something, they would surely not be satisfied with just half, because the very fact that after all this time, they have received and achieved something of real substance, would prove the point that they would now surely be wrong in settling for just half, when in fact, the edifice still stands, indicating that they truly would have ready access to the whole thing. 

This signifies the paradox of a situation in which if those of the underclass, were to receive something of real substance, that materially improved their outlook and lives, they would not ever, simply accept this new order as being good enough, but would rather soon storm the gates of exclusion, knowing that just beyond that barrier, would lie everything else that would make their lives even better.

Respect, honor, and violence

America is a violent nation, of which such violence is especially lethal, because of the high prevalence of weapons such as guns, which are quite potent in their killing effectiveness.  Because so many Americans have fairly easy access to guns, this means that those having a quick temper or are prone to violence or to retribution or to intimidation or to revenge, have a ready weapon that can harm and kill other people in the blink of an eye. 

So then, one of the main problems with why there is so much violence in America is the fact that Americans have a preponderance of weapons that are violent in their effect upon humans, and the person utilizing that violent weapon has made a decision, thoughtless or not, of which the result has a very lasting effect.  So too, America in many ways, is a country in which so many of those that feel that they have been disrespected or have had their personal space or personal territory violated, will react in a manner in which to retrieve that respect or honor, they will strike violently at the person that has violated them.

It then can be said, that the sheer quantity of these instruments of violence in the hands of so many that have not the maturity to look at other alternatives before the use of them, is one of the most salient reasons of why there is so much violence.  Additionally, it doesn't help that so many believe that the use of guns is an appropriate response to having been violated, or disrespected, or having their honor impugned, in which one of the reasons why firearms are preferred is the person using it, recognizes that the physical distance between them and the person that they are shooting at, is great enough, that the person with the firearm is realistically in little danger of harm from the other, and therefore can extract "fair" retribution without any real risk of retaliation, at least, at that particular moment.

The fact that America has been so violent for so long, would further indicate that America has done a poor job in addressing the construct of how to appropriately respond to being dishonored or humiliated; for, quite obviously it is seldom appropriate to kill somebody, in response.  What has occurred, regrettably, is that much more violence is prevalent in lower socio-economic areas, probably because those people have already lost hope as well as their good dignity, and are therefore more prone to respond to being insulted in a manner that involves some violence, simply because of their joint feeling of hopelessness and despair.

Those that live within conditions in which they are ill educated, and are from dysfunctional families, in which fair opportunity and a pathway to mainstream success is basically precluded to them -- will often feel humiliated in their person, for their lack of success. This, thus means, that these people are going to be ready to fight at provocations that a more mature, a more reasoned, and a more successful person, might well brush off; and thereby do often strike back at those that have offended them, in the belief that the respect that they do desperately desire, will come only from the destructive bullets shot at another from their gun.