Ethics and science

As mankind becomes more advanced, in many ways, it is recognized that science, has the capacity to change not just those things that we deal with on an everyday basis, so that these things will be beneficial for our desires and needs, but that science at this stage, has the very ability to change some fundamental aspects of life, itself.  For instance, without modern science, procedures such as in vitro fertilization would not exist, and those human babies coming forth thereby from in vitro fertilization would not be in existence.

This awesome power signifies, that scientific mankind, has an absolute obligation, to never in the scientific world, to simply have the attitude of "full speed ahead", but must on the contrary, understand that science has an absolute ethical obligation to be subservient to that which defines us as humanity, or else science has devolved into the error of the belief that science has the absolute right to create, without restraint, things such as Dr. Frankenstein's monster.

At this point, science is truly on the razor's edge, for in many aspects of life and the pursuit of what life is, science has the power to make quite meaningful change; but just because that power and that choice exists, does not mean that science should pursue such, without being bounded by a higher duty to do right by mankind, itself.  So then, the highest duty that all aspects of science has in their scientific pursuits is the recognition that the field of science was created, for the sole benefit of mankind, and not therefore to make mankind subservient to science, but for science to be of noble service to mankind, always.

This means that those that believe that man's natural curiosity and pursuit of all things, scientific, need not and should not be constrained by its higher duty to mankind and to ethics in general, is wrong-headed, and such a belief in and of itself, can be a clear and present danger to society and its good future. Again and again, far too many people of uncommon brilliance aggrandize onto themselves, that such supreme intelligence that they thereby have developed and utilized, in conjunction with the fact that they are accorded free will and freedom, indicates that they, alone, or with like-minded constituents, should not be stopped by anyone or anything in regards to the apparent progression or path that they are on.

As it has been said, those that make haste, in which a sound and prudent mind, considers instead the ramifications of their discoveries and their implications, are the very people that can upset the balance of what makes life and humanity, sustainable and ethical.  It must be wholly and fully acknowledged that while any subject matter can be abused or wrongly used, that it is science, above all, that pushes the envelope of the progress of mankind in a manner in which something that may appear to be on the surface of benefit and of aid to mankind, has behind its façade, quite horrifying implications, that have not been properly vetted.  So then, science, in order for it to be of good service to mankind, must always recognized that it must ever be the servant to, but never the master of, mankind.

The power of life and death upon patients

Modern medicine and modern facilities, has permitted those that are in seriously ill health often to continue to live; in which these very ill patients because they are receiving good quality medical care, along with the medical equipment that helps to deliver such, as well as certain necessary pharmaceuticals, are able to nowadays stay alive, whereas in absence of any or most of these very things, their ability to live, previously to such, would have been very problematic.  This thus signifies that modern medicine, is able to extend the lives of many individuals, though the quality of that life, for these extended lives, will vary from those that seemingly will never be able to sustain their own lives without the active assistance of medical equipment and thereby the necessary corresponding medical attention, to those that will, given enough time, with recovery and rehabilitation, in all probability, be able to be eventually self-sufficient, at some future point.

Further to the point, the medical profession, unlike those that just have a personal interest in the person so suffering from that ill health, are often able to determine to a reasonable degree, because of their expertise as well as their experience, those that are never going to be able to be self-sustainable, those that they are somewhat unsure of, and those that they are convinced have a very good chance of recovery. This signifies that the medical profession clearly is more knowledgeable about the reality of each specific situation in regards to ill patients, as opposed to those that are simply concerned family members and the like.  So then, it clearly is the medical profession that truly has the knowledge as well as the means to the prudent utilization of the power of life and death in regards to very ill patients, in which that power consists of such things as the treatments and medicines provided to patients, as well as the mixture of ministrations so provided or not, and additionally the drugs so provided and the dosages thereof.

Whether the administration of treatment or lack thereof, and whether the administration of drugs, especially in regards to the dosages of those drugs and the purpose of those drugs, is classified as appropriate or not, really comes down to the salient intent of those that are making those medical decisions in regards to those treatments and drug dosages.  This means, that it is critical that the medical profession does not have conflicting interests in regards to the patients that they treat, because interests that are conflicted or not clearly delineated, make for decisions that may not be, and probably will not be, in the best interests to those patients and those that are there with them.

All of this really signifies that when it comes to very ill patients, that each of those patients, must be the captain of their own fate, to the degree that this is possible.  That is to say, the primary purpose of the medical profession, is to, to the extent that it is reasonably possible, facilitate the return to good health to their patients, and when that is not possible, to provide then the care and treatment that minimizes unnecessary pain and suffering, thereby maintaining for each patient, their inherent dignity.  So then, it is thereby hoped that the decisions so made, for these ill patients, are always done with the intent to do right by those patients, by those that are experts within the medical profession. 

All who suffer from Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A significant portion of our soldiers will suffer from PTSD at some point, and the fact that this posttraumatic stress is being both taken seriously and thereby being medically treated is a testimony to its real existence and its debilitating affect upon those suffering from it.  It must be said, though, that PTSD, is not just something that only those that are veterans of western nations suffer from, but quite obviously the other side's combatants and enemy soldiers also are susceptible to.  Further to the point, and somehow seemingly ignored, is the quite obvious fact, that civilians caught in the middle of battles, engagements, civil wars, strife, violence, bombing, and the like are quite clearly going to also suffer from PTSD, and by virtue of the fact that these civilians consist of all people and of all ages, including in particular, women and children, in which all of these people are non-combatants and are not soldiers, than it is more than likely that their personal traumatic stress is unmistakenly going to be something that would be especially pernicious to them.

The above would signify that to the degree that it can be controlled, that nations and soldiers engaging in warfare have an absolute obligation to engage in such away from civilian populations, as much as possible; and that any battles being considered that will consist of soldiers engaging with or surrounded by civilians as well as the infrastructure of that civilian population, should be avoided, to the degree that it can be avoided.  This signifies that in fairness to all non-combatants and civilians, alike, that those that are considering engaging or pursuing the enemy, have an absolute obligation to take into real consideration, that the pursuit of the enemy, wherever it may be, must be seriously weighed against the harm or potential damage needlessly done to civilian infrastructure and the population of it.

Again, in recognition that PTSD is real and debilitating, nations need to take into more consideration, that the engagement of the enemy, in areas in which there is a high likelihood that the civilian population will suffer death, injury, and the accompanying trauma that comes with it, must be a salient factor so weighed by those decision makers.  So too, part of the suffering of PTSD, has also to do with the guilt that certain soldiers will feel when those of the opposing side that have been harmed or killed, are in fact, women and children, as well as those others that are truly non-combatants.

So then, the pursuit of the enemy to the ends of the earth must be mitigated by the conscious consideration, that all those that are not directly part of the battle, and are in fact, civilians --should be, to the reasonable extent possible, protected from harm to their physical bodies as well as to their psyche, by the avoidance of having to see or to be part of the injuries, death, destruction, and trauma of battlefield engagements.  This signifies, that any nation with a real conscience, will recognize that those that are born on the other side of conflicts, but are not enemy combatants, do not deserve to suffer from that which they are not an active participant of. 

Controlling the Word of God



Most people, at some point, feel something on the inside, that gives them a desire to believe that who and what they really are, is something beyond just their physical form.  Societies understand this need, and creeds, religions, and faith-based services in communities and countries have been built specifically to fulfill those desires of the people and often embrace such, for the proposed betterment of the people.  Even, in those communities and countries, in which God has been eradicated, via law, or through ignorance, people, still have that inkling.

The thing about communities and countries, is that those that are in power, often desire to control and manipulate their population, in order to maintain their position, authority, and status;  because those that are in power, are the beneficiaries of all sorts of wonderful material things, properties, privileges, and are the recipients of overall favoritism, in which, anything that purports to show that mankind is inherently equal, and that all are equal in the eyes of God, are not necessarily the type of things that these privileged elites desire to have preached or proselytized.  

This therefore is one of the most significant reasons why the Bible was in previous ages, not translated into the vernacular of the people, but remained instead in  Latin, Greek, Aramaic, or Hebrew, of which, most people were not familiar with those languages, and therefore would not be able to read or to comprehend the Bible, if they even saw such in print, and further, were placed into the position of thereby learning what wisdom that the Bible presented via those that disseminated such, which in most cases, were orthodox representatives of the governmental power.

So then, when William Tyndale, for instance, translated the Latin version of the Bible into English, for the English speaking people of England, such was seen as something akin to heresy or treason to the state. This meant that for Tyndale, his dedicated work in creating this seminal translation, would not mean that he would be knighted, but rather instead, he would be eventually tortured and executed by the state, for his unauthorized translation of the Bible; for the King of England, and the Roman Catholic clergy, would not countenance any potential breach in their control of the Word of God.

Yet, it was Tyndale's translation of the Bible into English that ultimately prevailed, for the very act of suppression of that which the people desired to know of, could not now be stopped and thereby would subsequently overturn the religious authority of that day, for the contradictions between Catholic clergy of that time, and the Word of God, demonstrated in principle that the Word of God, as taught and exercised by those authorities, was not consistent with the actual Word of God.

This thus signifies, that any governing authority that is master both of the secular as well as the spiritual, is the type of authority, that desires to control the whole person, and in all probability, not for their betterment, but rather in order to exploit and to manipulate them.  So that, an educated public, a public that questions authority, a public that recognizes a Higher Law that all most equally answer to, and a public that thinks independently, are the very basis for a good life, fair liberty, and the lively pursuit of happiness.

Stock market capitalization to GDP ratio

It has been said, that the ultra-billionaire and esteemed investor/businessman Warren Buffet, considers the stock market capitalization to GDP ratio to be a favorite indicator as to whether or not the stock market is overvalued, fairly valued or undervalued.  That said it is therefore necessary to understand that stock market capitalization is defined as the total dollar market value of the outstanding shares of stocks publically traded on the United States stock exchanges.  In regards to GDP, this is the acronym for Gross Domestic Product, and reflects the estimated total market value of all goods manufactured as well as services produced in the United States.   As it stands in February, 2020, that ratio of stock market capitalization to GDP is at 158.4% which is considered to be extremely overvalued.  After all, when the stock market goes up on an annual basis, of 8% or even more, whereas the GDP of the American economy does not even exceed 3% on an annual basis, than the ratio of that stock market capitalization to the GDP is going to, over time, increase dramatically in ratio, which it has.  Further to the point, it doesn't appear logical that the stock market capitalization can or should be decoupled from the GDP of the country that stock market represents, in which, a fair conclusion can be reached that when such a ratio is overvalued, this demonstrates in principle, over speculation in securities; no doubt, aided by "cheap" money and overleveraging of those investments in order to gain outsized returns in an economy that has been hovering at lukewarm for years.

All of the above should serve as a warning to those that believe that market capitalizations only always go up, and that they need not have to have any relationship with important indicators such as GDP, because apparently stock market capitalizations are entitled to have a mind of its own.  The problem with this type of thinking is to a very large degree, we now find that the price of a given stock on a given day, has less to do with the fundamentals of that stock, or even the future expectations of that stock, and far more to do with people and institutions "investing" in stocks under the premise that they need not worry about much of anything, because if the stocks so bought, goes up, they make money, or at least they seem to make money, that is, on paper.

What has been forgotten is that when any underlying asset is overvalued, and the stock market capitalization to GDP ratio clearly indicates that this is true, that the way down, is far quicker and far more precarious then most pundits imagine or admit to; for when the buyers of a stock, are far outweighed by those that desire to get out of that stock, at any cost, then stock market crashes, are especially dramatic, and the adage that stocks go down a heck of a lot faster than they go up, becomes chillingly true.

Clearly, investing in stocks has fundamentally changed over recent years, so that those that buy and hold a given equity for a long period of time, are seriously outnumbered by those that maneuver in and out of the market, and therefore care a lot less about the fundamentals of a given stock, or even care to know such; and a lot more follow their own belief that they know how to speculate wisely, but they may just find, sooner or later, that speculation with equities that are overvalued, will come back to haunt them.

Smart devils and knowledge without good character

Most definitely, knowledge is a form of power, so that those that are born into little or nothing from a material or status standpoint but have a mind that is capable of learning, have within their domain the ability to utilize that mind to become knowledgeable.  That knowledge however, can thereby be utilized for the selfish advancement of a given individual or can be utilized for the greater benefit of mankind, of which, society as a whole, should be very interested in seeing that those that are knowledgeable use such knowledge for the advancement of mankind, as opposed to using such knowledge for its harm or strictly for individual gratification.  This, thus means that as good as some schools and educational systems can be, it isn't good enough to simply provide the means for students to know and thereby to apply such knowledge in the real world, without taking into consideration and correspondingly spending a good amount of time, in recognition, that learning and the application of that learning must ultimately be held accountable to a higher standard.

In point of fact, those that are savvy, smart, and ambitious, do not always use their knowledge in a manner in which their objective is to be of material aid to their fellow societal members, but often find that their personality desires through misguided enticements or thought processes -- makes them far more inclined to utilize their smarts for the express benefit of their own self and those that they relate to, and typically when this is accomplished in a zero-sum construct, signifies that other people suffer for that decision.  Further to the point, those that are well informed as well as being influential can cause considerably more damage than those that have ill intentions but aren't all that smart or ambitious, or well placed to do all of the harm that they intend or may desire to do. 

While it is true that all people, should be taught the importance of having and maintaining good character, it is especially true that those that are quite bright, need to really take such to heart, for those that are in the position of which their acuity of mind allows them to read situations in a manner in which they thereby have an advantage upon most everyone, have within their power, the opportunity to be quite impactful for good or for bad.  So that those without good character may find it relatively easy to thereby take the low road, because they see the personal rewards from doing so as being of far greater worth to their mindset, then doing the right thing, and especially are prone to making that decision, when they are able to convince themselves that they have the personal right to do so.

As in many things, knowledge as applied can be applied for either good or for bad, so that those that teach subjects but never find the time to address directly to their audience the dangers of the misuse of their subject matter, are making the cardinal error of teaching within a vacuum, without taking into full account that knowledge so learned, being eventually applied, must be entwined with good character, or the end result could not only be quite undesirable, but tragic in its subsequent consequences.

Inconsistent work hours are inherently unfair

Far too many employees, especially those that are making wages that are on or below a living wage, suffer through the indignity of having very little control, if any, of the work hour time slots that they will work, as well as the amount of hours that they will work in a given week.  That is to say, as companies have benefited in technology and knowhow, so as to reduce their inventory levels to being able to take advantage of "just in time inventory," they then have segued such into the labor part of their operations, in which their objective is for their employees to essentially be "just in time employees."  This, thus means that those companies, want to and thereby demand that they be able to call in employees at a moment's notice to work, whenever and however long such should be needed, while on the other hand, they also maintain the power to forego employees and those hours that these employees were expecting to work, when they aren't as busy as anticipated.  So then, the employers of such, are able to reduce their labor consumption by treating their employees as moveable objects, to utilize as those companies, best see fit.

All of the above is unfair to the employees, that do not receive consistent hours of weekly work, and further are placed into the unenviable position of knowing that their refusal or inability to work hours as dictated by their management, will lead them to being vulnerable to having either their hours of work being reduced, or less desirable hours to be worked, or both.  As bad as all this may be, it is further unfair to those that are employees by virtue of the salient fact, that those that do not have a consistent and reliable work schedule, as well as a mandatory requirement that their employer pay them for a certain specific amount of hours each week, is that they are thereby stuck in a position of finding it difficult to properly attend to both family and personal affairs, as well as being able to successfully budget the monies that they did receive in compensation in a sustainable manner.

Additionally, those that are struggling with inconvenient work schedules that are inconsistent in both hours to be worked as well as hours scheduled at their company, are placed into a undeserved "catch-22" in which they are handicapped in finding a second job, by virtue of the fact that they don't currently have consistent and knowable hours, to thereupon be able to reliably schedule the hours that they would be available for that second job, which becomes even more problematic when the second job is also a job with inconsistent hours that vary from day to day and week to week. 

This signifies that a construct in which employees suffer from inconsistent work hours in the sense of both hours worked as well as hours scheduled, means that they are being dealt with in an unfair manner that exploits them in a way in which they are essentially treated more as if they are beasts of burden, as compared to being treated as human beings, of merit, value, and real worth.

The superrich trio that owns it all

America should be greatly shamed that just three individuals, as reported by the Institute of Policy Studies, own more collectively in monetary assets than the bottom half of America's population.  This signifies, that 160 million Americans combined, in this the country of egalitarian principles, of equality and fairness for all, are superseded by just three individuals that basically own it all and then some.  This is proof positive that the current tax system as exercised does not accomplish what it is supposed to accomplished, for that tax system is obviously not progressive, and does not appropriate tax wealth effectively from the superrich, and in particular, allows those assets of the superrich to blithely compound upon itself, over and over again.

It would be one thing, if even the poorest of the poor in America, own their own home or at least had safe housing of some sort, as well as had a reliable means or reasonable access to transportation, and were provided with a quality free education, healthy living conditions, a living wage, and additionally had fair access to quality healthcare that did not bankrupt them -- but in reality, this isn't true.    In point of fact, there is an underclass in America, of significant size, that doesn't own much of anything, of which their prospects are bleak and they live lives that are in many respects, insufferable.  Further, the great middle class of America is often stressed, because in order to maintain their status, they have to juggle so many duties and obligations that it seems like they never will be able to ever truly stop running, just to maintain their place.

There isn't any good point in knowing our Declaration of Independence, because a significant mass of Americans, unlike the superrich, aren't actually independent, but are in reality, dependent upon their own government to provide material aid to them, and of this aid, it often isn't enough.  Additionally, too many Americans are far too often overly dependent upon monopolistic institutions that employ them at wages, which are typically unfair, un-negotiated, and unsecure.  Further, there isn't any good point in knowing our Constitution, because this country rather than being of, for, and by the people, is actually of, for and by those that are superrich at the expense of the people.

The pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, cannot truly occur when three individuals own it all, leaving but breadcrumbs for half of the population.  This signifies that despite the fact that the people have the vote, that clearly those that are the representatives of, the members of, and the lawmakers and interpreters of the law, are in fit, form, and function servants of the only class that effectively matters, which is the superrich.

If America was fair, there would not now be, and never would there be, a trio of men, that own more in wealth, than 160 million Americans, combined.  This means that the system is clearly broken, and the dream of America being a beacon of opportunity and hope, for those that have little or nothing is effectively a nightmare and has been negated by those that own it all, of which this government, apparently will not ever assert itself to take what needs to be taken and to thereby prove the self-evident truth that all of mankind is equal, and equally deserving of the right to a fair chance and to a fair opportunity.

Electricity is mandatory, whereas a governmental police force is not

For the average person, that doesn't really think through things as much as they should, when it comes down to the question as to whether something like electricity is more important than having a policing arm of the state, they may well feel that societies would not be civil without that policing force, and therefore policing is of more importance.  In point of fact, hands down, electricity is by its very nature is of far more civilizing influence upon societies and therefore is of far more value than policing, and always will be.

First, it is important to note, that no civilization could be considered to be modern, if it did not have electricity, for we utilize electricity for just about everything of real merit, such as for the power that we need to power up all our devices that run or need to be recharged.  Further to the point, electricity itself is something that can come from a variety of power sources, such as wind, solar, nuclear, coal, and further electricity can thereby be stored so it is available to be utilized at any time of the day or night.  So too, electricity gives us the ability to have light, whenever we desire such, so that we are not limited to just the light that our sun gives out; as well as the salient fact that all the other parts of modern day civilizations, such as the cleanliness of drinking water, sewage, gas, security, food, clothing, buildings, housing, hospitals, communication, computers, phones, transportation, and so on and so forth, rely either directly or indirectly on the need for a reliable means of electricity.  We are so dependent upon electricity that civilizations begin to quickly collapse and erode, when electricity is suddenly gone, such as through a blackout, and thereby every possible means to restore electricity as quickly as possible to the population is generated.

On the other hand, as much as some people desire to believe that it is only the active presence of the police that are preventing us from devolving into some sort of dire chaos, the fact of the matter is that police as they currently exist, is a rather modern invention, and that further, for the unenlightened, that the policing arm of the state is primarily there not really to protect and to serve the general population as a whole, but rather to protect and to serve those that are the power brokers within those communities.  In fact, rather than seeing police, as being entities that equally and fairly apply the law against miscreants, it would be far more realistic to see them as being instruments of and beholden to their superior civilian authorities, utilized to keep those that have little or nothing in line, so that the privileged elites are never in harm's way.

Truth be told, police are not now, and never have been mandatory, for those that are in neighborhoods, and communities, are well able to handle their business in a way in which they are able to protect those that make up their community as well as to apply justice as they see fit, and have done exactly that in the past.  In contrast, electricity is absolute mandatory, because without such, neighborhoods and communities would soon revert to far more uncivil and primitive times.

Fat, fatter, fattest

America has a significant weight problem.  According to healthline.com, "In the United States 36.5 percent of adults are obese. Another 32.5 percent of American adults are overweight."  That is a staggering statistic, and one that is readily easy to see, when we simply look around at our fellow Americans.  It would be thing if all of this weight gain was strictly cosmetic, that is to say, that though Americans were heavier, they were still essentially healthy. Unfortunately, that isn't true as those that carry a lot of excess weight most definitely suffer the woes of such, by thereby suffering far more frequently from diabetes and heart disease, which is a major contributing factor to increased healthcare expenditures as well as the shortening of people's lives and in particular, the quality of such. 

What has changed in America is that Americans overall, eat far more sugar based products and highly processed foods then they ever have in the history of America. These particular foods are typically convenient, competitively price, and often taste good.  The fundamental problem with these foods, however, is the fact that the body treats these less dense calories far differently than it does for those that ingest meats, fruits, and vegetables, and the like, so that processed foods, are basically too easily digested and thereby leaves the eater of such, feeling far less satiated, then eating whole foods that contain fiber, and thus slows down the digestion and metabolism of such.

While America could spend a lot of time and effort, trying to educate the public about the dangers of sugars and highly processed food, another way to address this very real problem is to place a national excise tax upon those foods that are highly processed so as to raise their cost to the consumer; while, on the other hand, subsidizing foods that are more wholesome, by providing a tax subsidy to them, thereby making foods that are better for the body, more competitive in price.

Another very important avenue to address this very real problem is the recognition that good habits that are developed at an early age can be beneficial for changing bad eating habits into much better ones.  So that, in consideration that schoolnutrition.org, states that "Nearly 100,000 schools/institutions serve school lunches to 29.8 million students each day," it is thereby incumbent upon the government as the provider of these educational facilities, to not be contributing to the problem of obesity, but rather instead being pro-active and thereby becoming part of making the diet of our American children, better, by not providing highly processed foods as an option for school lunches or for breakfast.

The bodies of Americans are getting fatter, not really because Americans don't walk as much as they use to, or have more sedentary activities, in general, but rather it comes down to the salient fact that Americans consume more calories than their body needs to on a given day, and by doing this day in and day out, they pick up weight.  Not too surprisingly, the food that we eat, good or bad, will be reflected in the bodies and the weight of those bodies that we have, in which, based upon the fact that never have so many been so overweight or obese, America needs to make a concerted effort to right the ship, for in truth, this weight gain, and thereby the poor health that accompanies such, is a very real health crisis.

Corporate taxes and corporate gifts

Obviously, corporate taxes are not the same thing as corporate gifts; so that to the degree that corporations are under taxed, this thus gives them the flexibility to allocate more of their money towards corporate gifts, of which, those that provide gifts to educational institutions and the like, know that those monies well spent can have an enormous positive impact upon not only the perception of the corporation so giving, but can also serve to be quite beneficial for corporate recognition.

When corporations pay taxes, that money is thereupon utilized in basically whatever manner that the taxing authorities are authorized to spend it.  While those taxing authorities do appreciate the value of those taxes so collected, they do not typically bother to send out a thank you note, or a general acknowledge of such appreciation, but see the collection of those taxes as the duty those corporations owe to a good society and good governance.

On the other hand, corporate gifts, especially sizeable ones, often have the recipient of those gifts, not only sending out a thank you card, and not only expressing their appreciation, but in many instances, those institutions, such as educational facilities, will make sure to give appropriate credit to that corporation so providing that gift, by, for instance, acceptance of branding materials donated to those institutions, or even accepting discreet advertisements or propaganda that promotes the vision and worthiness of those corporations.  In addition, as anyone that has ever received a gift knows, the recipient of that gift, and especially of a gift of real monetary worth, will invariably show favoritism towards the gift giver, either directly or indirectly.

This thus signifies, that when the taxing authorities do not appropriately tax large corporations, that those savvy corporations, with their found money, so to speak, will look to take those monies that were not taxed, and thereby use such often in a sophisticated manner, in which, there is either an explicit or implicit quid pro quo, of which, these corporate entities will negotiate the terms and conditions of their gift giving in a manner in which it will not only provide a real service to the recipient of such, but will also provide a real benefit to that corporation.

While some people will argue, that none of this should be seen as a big deal, as to whether these institutions are the beneficiaries of largesse through either taxation or through gifts; it is of importance to recognize that there is a massive chasm between the two.  That is to say, the payment of fair taxation is a duty, and in general, no corporation is singled out as being better than another.  On the other hand, when corporations make gifts of sizeable amounts, those gifts are in many respects, able to be a corrupting influence upon the recipient of such, which may well result in that receiving institution's overall integrity being compromised, especially for those that are anticipating further generosity, and believe therefore that by cuddling up to a particular corporation, that they will be the intended recipient of such future largesse.

The bottom line is that education facilities, and institutions of all types, have a real need for money or its equivalency and when that money comes from individuals or corporations, they will, more times than not, at a minimum, surely not bite the hand that feeds them.

Any foundation built upon lies will not stand the test of time

The most basic reason why this world is not a world of peace, harmony, and mutual respect, really comes down to the fact that far too many people, lie far too often.  That is to say, though lying often serves the purpose of deception, the truth of the matter is, that most people avail themselves of lies, not so much for deception purposes, though they do, but typically as a ways and means to take inappropriate shortcuts in life, so that by doing so, they subsequently will not have to face the music of that which they should face for those actions and deeds accomplished through the art of lying.  This thus means that by lying they are attempting to divert having appropriate justice be served upon them.

While some will say, that people that lie, will eventually get caught up in their lies, in the scheme of things, life actually teaches us that in this world, lying, for an inordinate amount of people, can actually work out quite well for them.  The fact that some of those that lie, seemingly, get away with it, is a contributing factor towards other people, justifying their own lies, so as to hopefully get the same sort of positive result.  In other words, as much as we might wish that our justice system both socially as well as in a court of law, would be absolutely perfect and thorough, the reality of the situation is that ultimately in many cases, those that lie, are going to have to be the ones to correct their own behavior, for the proverbial watchtower can only catch so much of mankind's sins, lies, and follies.

To understand better why it is so important within society, that we are honest with one another, it must be recognized that virtually every crime as well as virtually every stupidity that people do, is based upon the action of lying in some way, form, or manner.  This signifies that honest people, do not commit crimes, except those crimes of conscience, or of ignorance, and in all cases, have the integrity to own up to what and who they really are.  As for those that lie, far too often, the truth from their own lips, never emerges, for liars, typically veer so far off the straight and narrow, that they have absolutely no intention of ever getting back onto the right path, for they are completely unwilling to own up to who and what they are, because they do not desire to ever face the fair consequences of their bad acts.

All of the above means that those that are parents should definitely be concerned about the lies that their children tell them, and should not dismiss even little lies, that have little consequence, of being of no real concern, for those that first get away with a little lie, are often those that are emboldened to pursue yet a bigger and then a bigger lie, until they become a person, that lacks true integrity though they might be quite skilled as acting as if they have such.  A person of real principle, does not tell lies, because they do not desire to become something that is un-pure, dirty and hypocritical, but rather will make their stand in the here and now, and thereby suffer what must be suffered, rather than postpone and let fester and grow that which destroys them from within.

"No State shall… make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts"

The above clause comes from Article 1, Section 10 of our Constitution, in which, quite obviously it makes it clear that the representatives of the various States, believed strongly that it was necessary and proper to restrict all of the individual States to a sound monetary policy.  The main reason that this was so, was because during the revolutionary period, continental currency was notorious for not being worth its value as printed on that currency, and a country without stability or control of its currency is often going to be a country that will find it hard to conduct business locally, as well as across State lines, net alone internationally.

Today, however, the currency of the realm in the United States, known as Federal Reserve notes, are not back by specie, such as gold or silver, nor are those dollars backed by anything of real value or substance, except for such inchoate concepts as being backed by the full faith and credit of the United States government.  Not too surprisingly, since the United States completely left the gold standard in 1971 the inflation or the worth of our currency has plummeted drastically, in which it takes in the present day, as calculated by in2013dollars.com, around $6.37 to equal what $1.00 was in 1971, or the worth of $1 today, is the equivalency of 15 cents, back in 1971.

The whole point of attaching specie to paper money is to help to not only stabilize paper currency, but also to prevent the national government from forgoing their duty to keep their fiscal house in order.  The bottom line is that paper currencies that are backed by essentially nothing, eventually reach the point where the confidence in the value of that paper currency, disintegrates to such a degree, that governments, have to thereby replace or revalue that currency to reflect its true worth on a national, as well as on an international scale.

Those that wrote the U.S. Constitution and ratified such, were no fools, and understood well that sound money and fiscal responsibility were part and parcel of what nations' needed in order to establish and to maintain a firm monetary foundation.  This so signifies that America, clearly is on the pathway to some sort of monetary upheaval of truly epic proportions, for when any currency is stripped of its stabilizing value given through specie or something of that equivalency, and replaced  instead with essentially nothing of lasting substance, than all sorts of trouble will thereby ensue. 

This does not mean that all is lost, but what it does mean is that there will most definitely be losers when the current monetary system is replaced with something that will be based upon restraining prudently the monetary printing press, which currently seems to operate in America, 24/7.  No country can simply print fiat money as its way to keep its fiscal house in order, without at some future point, having to face the true consequences of their actions.   That reckoning will surely come, and those monetary houses built upon foundations of sand, will not well stand the towering terrible storms that will inevitably come their way.

True freedom necessitates full emancipation and full equality

In January 1, 1863, President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, thereby freeing all those that were slaves in those States that were in active rebellion against the Union of the States.  Upon the successful conclusion of our civil war, the 13th through 15th Amendments were passed, which signified that on a national level, slavery was eradicated, and further that all those that were born or naturalized within this country were thereby citizens of it, and additionally that those previously disenfranchised from voting by virtue of their race, or previous condition of servitude, were thereby enfranchised to vote.  Each of these measures, demonstrated the true greatness and vision of America, but as in everything, there is the law, and then there is the application of the law in reality, and these are often two entirely different things, of which the aftereffects of this, still are quite relevant, today.

In point of fact, though slavery is no longer legal in America, and therefore all people in America, are by definition, free; in actuality, the face of America, though it is changing, is a face that favors in particular, the white race, as well as favoring those that are connected to the right people, and in many cases, favors those that have money and know how to use such to influence things, all at the expense of those that do not.

This country has an ethical and sacred duty to live up to the very words of its own Declaration of Independence, that tells us that "all men are created equal", so that the proof of whether this country lives up to those most noble words, comes down to taking a very careful  and comprehensive look at the reality of those that live within this country, as to whether therefore the mankind in this country, are thereby judged by the content of their character, or whether they are prejudged by something other than their character, such as their creed, their race, or their gender.

The reason that Lady Justice is so often portrayed with a blindfold across her eyes is because justice is supposed to be impartial and to the degree that it is, the laws therefore are being equally applied and equally enforced.  However, clearly, our modern day age, tells the story of what America really is; in which, those that were previously enslaved, and have been Americans for generations upon generations, are far too often, the poorest and the most illiterate amongst us, which could only be the case through the misapplication of justice, substandard education facilities, and lack of opportunity.

It is one thing to not know the right thing to do, and it is entirely a different thing to know the right thing to do, and then not follow through on seeing it so be done, thoroughly.   So then, the sin of America is not its lack of knowledge, nor its lack of vision, but rather its inability to follow through on that which separates those that mean well but fail to do well, as compared to those that make it their point, to mean well, and will not ever quit until they have done well.

A world with profits, above all, is a world with its values misaligned

In this capitalistic society, there are many true believers, that believe strongly that whatever the market will bear, should be the true price of just about any product being sold; and that further those that are the employers, should seldom be mandated by a government agency to be compelled thereby to pay some sort of living or even a minimum wage; but rather, the marketplace as whole, through some sort of self regulation as well as by competition, will come to an equilibrium of what the prevailing wages shall be.

It all sounds kind of nice in theory, but the reality of the situation is that not everything that is priced is actually priced fairly.  That is to say, in a truly competitive marketplace in which literally everything conceivable that is for sale or rent, contains a multitude of competitors, and further no single competitor is dominant within a given industry, nor is there in existence some sort of consortium of similar vendors all working together as if one, directly or indirectly, then in all probability, the pricing of such goods will be fairly close to truly being what the market will bear.  However, the nature of the capitalistic system, is for the big fish to eat the small fish, so as to sooner or later, thereby reduce the choices that consumers have to a few really gargantuan players, that thereby are able to control the pricing of their products for sale, by virtue of having economics of scale that cannot easily be matched by anyone else still left standing, and/or by receiving favoritism by government entities, including tax authorities, so that,  these companies effectively are able to not only extract additional profits from consumers, but are essentially subsidized by governmental entities in doing so. 

In regards to labor, only a fool believes that someone that is not part of a labor union, can ever really be in the position of having a true and equal seat at the table of negotiation in regards to their given salary, and therefore vast amounts of people, are placed into the unenviable position of having to accept the pay so being offered to them, because they actually don't have as much choice, as certain people believe. While it is true that they do have choices and that they do have options, these are, almost without exception, still leaving those individuals in a very vulnerable negotiating position.

So then, when it comes to products being sold, or the prevailing wages of those that make up the labor force -- to a very large extent, those that are in control of their marketplace, are able to charge a price that permits them to make a greater profit, because any company or group of companies that effectively are unassailable and monopolistic in structure, are in position to do just that.  Further, without the power of unions, corporations are able to quite easily set labor conditions which are beneficial primarily for those corporations and at the expense of those that are in need of work.

It is one thing for a business to make a profit, it is an entirely different thing, when that profit, is the be-all and end-all of their existence.  In the scheme of things, money and thereby profits should not be of more value, then the very humans that make up societies.  This thus means that those that are clever enough, through whatever means, to make excessive profits and proceed to do so; have their values misaligned, for successful and sustainable societies are built upon human cooperation as opposed to human exploitation.

On being deliberately ignorant of the effect of one's actions

Each of us engages in activities, throughout a given day, of which many of those activities, directly or indirectly, have some sort of effect upon other people.  Those that are enlightened, strongly desire to know the effect that they have upon others, so as to better understand the consequences of such; for good or for bad, and subsequently with that newfound knowledge, can consciously amend their actions so as to better accommodate their effect upon others.  That is to say, if one has a habit of being dismissive to others, it is possible to correct such an action, by simply being less dismissive, and therefore more open to the value of others, and to thereby accommodate those others more readily.

This signifies, that those that really do pay conscious attention to what they say and do, and how this impacts other people, thereby make a  more concerted effort to conduct themselves in a manner which is of a more accommodating nature and thereby a more positive influence upon others, which subsequently improves their own character, day by day.  On the other hand, those deliberately not paying much attention to the effect of their actions, and therefore are essentially ignorant or unconcern about the consequences of their actions, have taken upon themselves the mantle that other people and how they are affected, is something that is of no or little concern to them.

The problem with being purposefully ignorant about caring about how one affects other people is that this is clearly selfish, and a society consisting of nothing but selfish people is always going to be a society that is going to be untenable.  Rather, it is in human nature, for people to be both sociable as well as to congregate into voluntary societies, for the betterment of those people, in whole.  This means that those that are entirely selfish, and do not pay attention to their actions and thereby the consequences of their actions, are in implicit violation of their duty that they owe to that society of which they are a member of.

So then, in order to properly learn to become good members of society, as well as to become mature individuals, it is imperative that we learn how to interact with other people in a manner in which we see other people as having the same basic worth that we have.  So that, as much as we might not appreciate meaningful constructive criticism or the pointing out of errors that we have made with other people, purposeful or not, these are the very things that we need to be aware of, because ignorance of such, is surely not bliss.

Those that closed their ears to that which they should and ought to be heard, are doing nobody a favor, for to deliberately be ignorant of that which we should be knowledgeable of, is a severe character flaw, that needs to be correctly, forthrightly.  Each of us is gifted with the art of communication, in which one of the purposes of that communication is to pass on relevant information, for the benefit of ourselves as well as to others.  Those then, that will not listen to that which is for their own good as well as for the benefit of society, at large, have discarded and disregarded that which needs to be properly addressed.

Reconstruction and the abandonment of the freedman

While the winner of our Civil War, was unequivocal, this victory for the North and of the Union, came at the cost of millions upon millions of dollars spent, as well as the wholesale destruction of vast amounts of valuable property, and the unfortunate lost of the lives of thousands upon thousands of soldiers on either side of the conflict, of which the end result was that the Union thereupon did become united; and that further, time has proven that the United States of America has essentially become in fit, form, and function, truly united, though the southern States, still are laggards in asserting and enforcing progressive rights for those that were formerly enslaved.  So too, the 13th-15th Amendments, made it federal law, that the abomination of slavery was eradicated, once and forever, and further that the freedman were granted citizenship, while also winning their enfranchisement of the vote.

Unfortunately, the great tragedy of the reconstruction period is that the federal government did not do what it should and ought to have done in order to materially aid in the uplifting of the black race, for to merely grant freedom to a people that for the most part, own nothing, were illiterate, and had marketable skills that primarily could only be successfully utilized for somebody else that had both the capital and property, meant that blacks, though free, were stuck in an endless cycle of still being subservient and thereby vulnerable to those that held those very things, which just so happened to be, their former slave masters.  Further to the point, one of the most crucial ways to rise up from poverty for those that have little or no material assets, is through the value of a good education, which thereupon opens up additional doors and opportunities; for those that are educated do not necessarily have to have capital in order to achieve something of substance, because their knowledge, is an asset in and of itself which can be through their labor, converted essentially into money, and thereby a ready means for their livelihood.

So then, essentially, the promise of reconstruction for the black race, was a promissory note that has never fully been paid; and while the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960s, the Great Society programs and other programs of this sort in general, as well as Affirmative Action, were most definitely important and vital steps in righting this wrong, the economic conditions for the black race, as well as the justice or lack thereof that they receive, in addition to the fair opportunities that should be provided to them, has not been ever fully rectified.  This signifies, that this country still has a moral and ethical duty to right those wrongs that slavery did wrought, and through the power and breadth of this present day federal government, needs thereby to make a concerted effort to do that very thing, for those that have no or little property, inferior educational facilities, and are targeted far more often for judicial punishments, are not fully free, and thereby are not truly freedmen.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…"

Those above words come from the most seminal document in America's history -- which is its Declaration of Independence, of which that Declaration was the inspirational rallying point for the colonists to rise up against their oppressive English governance, and to thereby ultimately create a government, of the people, by the people, and for the people.  This thus means that the only real reason why America represents itself as being the last best hope of mankind is the fact that its Declaration made it clear that America truly believes that all of humankind has been created equally and further that our birthright into this world, consists of unalienable rights, which no legitimate nation can ever take away from its people.

Of course, many nations and most civilizations have been ostensibly built upon noble words and noble thoughts, of which, quite unfortunately, the actual practice of these underlying principles, have often been found wanting.  Regrettably, America is one of those nations, that both claims as well as professes lovely sentiments, but the reality of the situation which is demonstrated through its executive actions, legislative acts, and judicial decisions, proves that America does not come even close to being what it was founded to actually become.

For instance, one's status in America most definitely matters in regards to how much equality and fairness a given person gets; so that how one is thereby treated in this country, is often dependent upon one's racial characteristics,  religious faith, income, wealth, education, gender, and family background or origin.  That is to say, rather than all American citizens being subjected equally to the same legislative acts, the same judicial decisions, as well as the same executive actions, in a manner which is consistent to the fact that all are created equally, and that all have the same unalienable rights, we find that this is violated constantly and consistently in a manner in which the few reap special benefits, whereas the masses, as well as specific un-favored people, suffer thereby the ill  or unfair consequences.

As it has been said, a house divided cannot stand, and further a house divided will ultimately be either all of one thing, or all of the other.  Clearly, an impartial and honest look into the character of America, indicates that America is most definitely not a country of egalitarian principles, though it preaches such; nor is it a country of equal opportunity, though it claims such; nor is it a country in which justice is impartial, consistent, and fair though it pretends such; but rather it is a country, that has permitted itself to devolve into something in which one's life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness are often under assault by the very government that is supposed to uphold those very principles.

When any country becomes destructive to those truths that are self-evident, then that country has lost not only its moral compass, but has foregone its right to be considered the true representatives of the people, for by its actions it has effectively lost the people's voluntary consent.  This does not mean that all is lost, but rather, it does mean that a nation that has lost its rightful purpose and its rightful direction must need to go back to its founding principles and thereby to live up to them, or else its foundation will surely give way, for it will not stand.

A God who is alive has relevancy, a dead God does not

Whether or not someone believes or professes to believe in God, is superseded by whether or not God is actually alive, immortal, just, immutable, as well as being beyond time and space; for a God that is not in existence has no real value to humankind, and a God that is finite, has limited value if any; whereas a God that is dead, pretty much is useless.  This thus means that in our sincere search for God, that our search can only be considered to be successful, if we find that God who is eternal, who therefore has no beginning and has no end.  Such a God as that is thereby a God that has relevancy to all of us, believers or non-believers alike, because a God that is immortal is most certainly a God that can be of real value to each one of us, and in a world in which all of us, will suffer some degree of trials, tears, and tribulations, knowing that there is a Supreme Creator and Administrator of it all, should be of real comfort to us.

In any life, in order for such to be lived well, as well as to be fully developed, it is incumbent upon each individual to use well all of their good skills, insights, and efforts, so that they are able to thereby successfully become a positive force to benefit themselves as well as others.  This means, that each one of us should want to take the time to actually search for God, and thereby the meaning of that one Supreme God in their respective lives, for those that do not make such a search, are surely losing something of real import; whereas those that do make that search, and further are successful in that search, have been diligent in that which is of most importance, for those that have successfully found God, are those that are true heirs to that kingdom of God.

Remember well that any good student, in order to know their subject matter thoroughly, must rise to the highest level of that subject matter, by taking the time to first build a solid foundation of the rules of the road, and then to follow that road to its ultimate destination, of which, the walking upon that path to a specific and correct endpoint, will increase dramatically their knowledge upon that subject matter, day by day, and step by step.  So too, within each of us and available to every one of us, is an arsenal of vital tools, that we have the right as well as the obligation to avail ourselves of.  One of those tools is our innate desire to examine our own lives so as to find the meaning of our life, for it is this search that creates the impetus to find or to re-connect ourselves with God.  That God, therefore, is going to be of more value and of more worth to those that honestly and sincerely seek for God, because those that seek such earnestly enough, and will not stop in their goal to achieve such, will eventually find that eternal treasure that will enlighten them, and thereby free them from those self-imposed limits which had previously blinded them.

Those that will not stand up when they really need to

People like to divide other people into various groups, with fairly simplistic titles, such as those that are good and those that are evil.  Not too surprisingly, not too many people admit to being evil or even really sinful for that matter; so that, for the most part, people categorize themselves as being basically good.  To a certain degree, this is fine, because most of the time, most people are actually fairly good, or at least if not that, aren't being directly evil.  However, there are those times, more frequently than people typically recognize, in which those that are ostensibly good, need to step up and to actually be good in action, as well as being good for something, and  thereby to stand up for that good, when being called to do that very thing.

Unfortunately, far too many people when put to the test in real life, to demonstrate how they are actually good, often slink away from that responsibility, especially when they believe that to make a stand at that point, and at that place, would cost them something that they do not wish to put at risk.  For instance, there are many people that are busy bodies in which they like to involve themselves in all sorts of trivialities, but when something of significance comes up, in which it is thereby appropriate for them to actually say something or to be active in doing something, they often zip their lips, when they believe that by speaking up this might mean risking real retribution from one of those parties.  So too, in social situations, many people in order to get along or to maintain their status within their clique, or for various other reasons, will allow something or condone something that fundamentally violates their sense of goodness, just to conform to their social peers, and thereby to not stir trouble, or to bring inconvenient notice to their own true beliefs.

In so many ways, evil things are able to be accomplished and done, because too many good people, are afraid to confront that evil, and often justify themselves from having to do so, by various dubious reasons.  This thus means that when good people do nothing, or do far less then what they should and ought to do, then evil and criminal deeds are going to be far more prevalent, because those good people, have turned their back from actively applying the good that they know that they ought to do, because they are weak, or indecisive, or excuse makers, and just won't make the stand that they really need to make.

The real reason that there is so much evil and wrong in this world is not because we are overwhelmed by very bad people, but rather because those that profess that they are good, too often won't do their part in confronting that evil where it exists, or by helping to ameliorate those conditions that are conducive to the making of evil.  This world that we live in, and the community that we are a part of, fairly reflects, the people as they really are; so that, those that won't stand up and do the right thing, even though their heart is basically right, are wrong for not having done so.