The forgotten 9th and 10th Amendments

The Bill of Rights, includes 10 Amendments, but somehow through the course of history, the 9th and 10th Amendments to that Constitution, have not been as materially effective as they were meant to be.  The 9th Amendment makes it clear that the people are the ultimate sovereigns of their Constitutional government, and therefore the enumeration of certain rights in regards to the people so listed in that Constitution, is never meant to be limited to just those specific rights.  The 10th Amendment echoes that point by stating that those powers not specifically delegated to the United States government, are reserved to the States or to the people, which basically signifies that the Federal government is prohibited from aggrandizing onto itself, more and more undelegated power. and therefore, more and more control of the population at the expense of the people; but rather good government is that government which provides for the common welfare of those people, above all else, for the primary purpose of government is for the beneficence of those people.

The nature of governments, well intentioned or not, is to inexorably increase its influence into all areas of its citizens’ lives, typically done under the guise of being a necessary or appropriate thing on behalf of the people, or perhaps so done under exigent circumstances; but once the population has ceded control of certain aspects of their lives for safety, convenience, or whatnot, that government, seldom relinquishes its newfound powers, once that crisis is done and dusted, or continues on instead for iteration after iteration.  Further to the point, governments and the people that are their representatives, have a strong tendency to want to be seen as being helpful, and often have the self-serving belief that in order to be most helpful, they need to know just about everything about their constituency, and therefore with this newfound knowledge they will then be able to be of more assistance to that populace, which seems like a good thing, but in reality, almost always is not.

When the government has the power to tax, the power to arrest, and the power to rule on that which is ruled upon, then that government is clearly superior in its powers, explicit and implicit, then a given individual is; yet, that government is supposed to serve the people, not rule in a manner in which the people do not seem to have a voice, especially, when that individual voice is theirs by right.  The point of the 9th and 10th Amendments is to keep the government, well intentioned or not, subservient to the peoples’ rights, and not therefore for the people, to have to keep giving ground, year after year, decade after decade, only to therefore find themselves ultimately in a position in which they are seen as a resource to be exploited by that government, for the benefit of those that are the actuators of that government.

There isn’t any doubt, that since the Constitution was ratified in the 18th century, that the Federal government, let alone any State government, is far more powerful than it was back at its inception, of which, the only pushback that the people really have in their arsenal is the 9th and 10th Amendments, and if, in effect, the 9th and 10th Amendments are basically treated as if they don’t exist, then the people are no more than subjects of that government which day-by-day, is becoming more and more authoritarian, in which that government’s way is clearly one of ever limited choices for the people and their only desire of those that are its subjects, is obedience.

The betrayal of the middle class

One wouldn’t necessarily know it, by virtue of the stock market hitting ever new highs, seemingly on a weekly basis, and by the fact that America is still the richest nation that the world has ever known; but there are serious cracks in what has occurred in the pocketbooks for the core of Americans; that is, those that aren’t superrich or just plain rich, as well as those that are not poor, or just plain dirt poor.  While there are lots of ways to measure the greatness of a country, certainly one of those is how the hard-working middle class is faring vis-à-vis historical records, as well as how they are doing in the present day.   Regrettably, the middle class in America is regressing, not because they aren’t working as hard as they ever have, and not because America isn’t producing buckets of profits for many of its biggest and most influential corporations, but rather because the allocation of that income and monetary pay is heavily skewed progressively ever more to those at the top of the pyramid; with those that are middle class as well as the poor, progressively falling ever further behind, and of which the progressive income tax code, is effectively, not even close to being robust in the re-distribution of that income and wealth.

We read at epi.org, that the productivity growth and typical hourly worker compensation in the years of 1948-1973, were pretty much in lockstep; demonstrated by productivity growing at 96.7% during that period of time, and with hourly worker compensation, growing at 91.3%.  We then discover that from the period of 1973-2013, while productivity continued its growth at 74.4% during that period; that on the other hand, there was a huge disconnect with hourly worker compensation which only grew at an anemic 9.2% pace during that same period.  This so signifies what is fairly obvious to those that look at the growing wealth gap between the pinnacle of the top in America, as compared to those of the middle class, which is that the wealthiest, the elite of Americans, have taken almost full control of the lion’s share of profits and income, and left the scraps for the middle class to fight over, thereby leaving that middle class, in a far worse position and of much more vulnerability, financially, then they were back in 1973.

For those that somehow believe, that this is okay, or is some sort of normal process or outcome of the capitalistic system, they are wrong.  What this reflects, more than anything, is that those in the highest echelons of power and governance within this nation, are either outright corrupt or compromised in such a way that their decisions are consistently those decisions that favor a small subsection of Americans at the expense of the middle class and the people in whole.  Further to the point, it isn’t healthy for any country for just a small elite to have such a significant amount of its wealth; in fact, this is something that is expected more from a corrupt and backward nation, not from that country which prides itself as being the emblem of a Constitutional republic, with a vibrant democracy.

The fact that so few have so much at the direct expense of the majority of Americans, is indicative that our governance has failed us, and until such is corrected by those that have the vision and the courage to do right by the people of this land, things will only get progressively worse.

Problems, challenges, and solutions

Each one of us is going to invariably have to deal with difficult problems as well as unwelcomed challenges in our lives.   Those problems and challenges are never meant to overwhelm us, but rather they are far better viewed as stumbling blocks meant for us to overcome, through our good efforts, diligence, and concentrated actions.  For all those that do not wish for any problems or challenges, at all, recognize that a life without obstacles to overcome, is perhaps a life that the person so leading it, has not challenged themselves, enough – therefore lacking in the important opportunity to prove their true worth and value beyond mere theory, and therefore never really knowing where they truly stand.

It is important to visualize this world as the ultimate proving ground, of which each one of us, has been tasked with a particular journey, unique to us, that we need to not only take but ultimately to succeed in.  This so signifies, that the problems and challenges that we face in our life, are part and parcel of that necessary experience, providing us thereof with the opportunity to prove our mettle in the field of battle.

So then, when we come across a particular difficult challenge, rather than tucking in our tail, and running away, we need instead to face squarely that challenge and try to figure out a way to overcome it.  This so necessitates that we have a real need to call upon our mental and spiritual strength, as well as to utilize our experience in order to best figure out a way to resolve that which troubles us, and thereby precludes us from getting to where we need to be.  This clearly signifies, that not every problem is going to be successfully resolved in one day, nor does it indicate that we should not take the time to thoroughly study what we are dealing with, so as to come up with the necessary armament and strategy to subsequently conquer such.

So too, it is not reasonable to expect, that even the best laid plans, are never prone to fail; for rather, those of true character are the ones that are able to dust themselves off where they have failed, and will therefore try and try again and again, adjusting as need be to what the situation so warrants.  In truth, that which creates a problem for us, may appear intractable and even immovable, but given enough time, effort, and concentration, may indeed be broken down, bit by bit, and piece by piece.

Our greatest days are never those days, in which we faced nothing that challenged us, and had no problems; though those may indeed have been good days – but rather, our greatest days, and our greatest moments are those times when we took on that which first appeared to be a bridge too far; yet, we were eventually able to successfully cross it, despite dangers, fears, and setbacks, of which we never gave up in trying to capture that prize which laid across that river of trouble, and for that seminal accomplishment, this has made all the difference in our getting to where we need to be, so determined from the beginning of our journey.

The injustice of “Time served”

People are arrested all of the time in America, of which, some of those so arrested, are able to relatively easily be released, soon thereafter, on their own recognizance or through some monetary bail amount, reasonable or unreasonable that they thereby have found the means to secure; and then there are all those others, who typically are already disadvantaged, ill-educated, poor, defenseless, and without good reliable resources to turn to in their time of difficulty – for these people, even what appears to be a reasonable bail amount is not reasonable, and in absence of some sort of progressive acting judge or legislation, they are basically left in an incarcerated state, pending the outcome of their trial, plea bargain, or other adjudication procedures, which can take days, weeks, months, or even longer.

The first thing to recognize for anyone that is incarcerated pending judicial procedures, irrespective of their culpability or alleged crime, is that anytime a person is placed into a position in which they no longer are free, but are bound instead to the criminal justice system, basically just about everything in that person’s life begins to erode, decay, and to come apart, in very short order.  For example, those that are employed, and are unable to show up for work by virtue of their incarceration, are prone to being dismissed; and some are dismissed simply for having been arrested, so seen as a violation of their employment terms.  Additionally, all those that have family obligations, pet obligations, utility bills, car notes, credit card bills, and just about anything that so requires being addressed in a timely manner, of which, this subsequently is not successfully addressed, is going to wreak havoc on that person’s credit, that person’s livelihood, and that person’s life.  All this, for those so being incarcerated, without the ready means to bail out, and having been convicted of nothing.

So too, those that are incarcerated, are never in the catbird’s seat when it comes to any sort of negotiation with the prosecuting arm of the state, and are quite obviously vulnerable as well as being susceptible to getting no more than the short end of the stick from such.  This thus essentially signifies, that an individual that is in a state of incarceration, and unable to bail out, doesn’t have any good options, nor does that person have any leverage with anybody in the justice system, for they are locked up, and therefore time is not their friend, whatsoever. 

Not too surprisingly, in a justice system, which is all about volume, and never about quality or fairness, thereof, prosecutors see those so unable to bail out, as the easiest of targets to pressure or to coerce into making a plea bargain deal, and so when that prosecutor offers the seemingly most sensible of deals, of the punishment being no more than “time served” this sure does seem like a tempting offer for that person currently locked up.  Yet, while it does provide some sort of “freedom” that freedom is paid through a fairly hefty price, which reflects firstly that there wasn’t any trial, and implicit within this offer from the prosecutor is often an inkling that their case was weak or of little merit; in addition to the fact that those so pleading guilty to that “time served” are now convicted of a crime, with probation usually attached, a possible monetary fine, as well as possible community service.

It is rather amazing how so many are convicted to “time served” as if somehow the justice system gets it just right, not too harsh, and not too lenient; but this is the illusion, and never the truth.

The Homestead Act of 1862, updated

The Homestead Act of 1862, was some of the most important legislation so passed by Congress, which thereby permitted, United States citizens, freed slaves, and even new immigrants so intending to become naturalized, to own 160 acres of western land, then owned by that government, of, for, and by the people; upon the salient condition that such land, be improved by those so paying the filing fee to own it. No doubt, the lure of all that free land was a tremendous incentive for those that went after that offer --who not only saw the opportunity to have that land but thereupon seized such with the necessary commitment and the drive to make that land viable in one way or another, or else to die trying.

Today’s government, still owns about 640 million acres of land, of which, the vast majority of that land is held in the western States.  It is important to acknowledge that land, even undeveloped land, most definitely has value, and of which, there are millions of Americans that do not own any land, whatsoever; and of which, given the right circumstances would be interested in the opportunity to own some.  In consideration, that even the best legislative acts, such as the Homestead Act of 1862, were in their time, “gamed” by America’s favored race, this thereby signifies that plenty of worthy Americans have still never been provided with the same sort of fair opportunity; and in addition, a significant amount of Americans have a background in which they were brought to this nation, against their will, and in a position that they were not their own person, but were considered to be property of another, as in, chattel slaves.

So then, in consideration that native Americans, as well as other people of color, have historically been denied or cheated of their Constitutional rights, and in the sure knowledge that this government has plenty of land that could, in fact, be provided, free of charge or at a nominal charge, to its own people, there should then be legislation so drafted to do exactly that, which could be of great material benefit to those previously left behind.  After all, this good earth has proved again and again, to have natural resources which so developed has produced a great deal of wealth; and in addition, that which is developed and built upon this available governmental land is quite capable of providing good jobs and income for those that have the imagination, drive, and diligence to create businesses that provide needed goods and services for the people.

The Homestead Act of 1862, jumpstarted the development of what was considered to be the “west” at that time, of which its subsequent success was based upon the logic that those that have little or nothing, almost always want something; especially if the deal is as good as it actually appears to be, while requiring in return, no real capital other than blood, sweat, and tears.  There isn’t at the present day, any good reason why this United States government can’t demonstrate that same sort of foresight, as was done more than one hundred and fifty years ago, and thereby to do right by the very people that need to feel that this really is the land of opportunity, freedom, and hope.

Perfection does not change and does not know time or space

The very first problem that humanity has is it seemingly measures everything in relation to something else, which thus forms the basis of the reality that it so perceives. Further to the point, virtually every human being believes for a certainty that in this world, there is both time and space; without taking into consideration that what is viewed as time and space, comes from the standpoint of human measurements, human conceptions, and human limitations.  Further, this also means that everything that appears to be subject to time as well as space, is by definition, imperfect; for that which is by its nature subject to change, makes it imperfect, which therefore means that such cannot be the actual essence of God, for God is immutable.  So then, it appears that we are imperfect and living in an imperfect world, though permitted to have within that world the use of our own free will, and of which everything that we do and interact with, seems very real.  That said, we also are able to acknowledge that God is forever complete, and therefore because God is complete, it doesn’t seem to make sense that we could ever even be a creation of God, if we are, in fact, forever changing through time and space, along with the salient fact that actual creation, by definition, is a form of change, with a beginning which therefore necessitates an end.

All of the above is a puzzle, perhaps unsolvable, perhaps not; but it leads to the very next point which is that there must be a dimension, beyond both time and space, in which everything is in the ever present, never changing, and therefore never subject to time or space.  That dimension is God, and we are at our core, each one of us, Spirit of that God, which makes us therefore begotten of God but with the important caveat that we have always been in existence with God, and always will be.  Because we are at our core, never the physical, but always the spirit, this means, that this world and everything in it, is and must be an elaborate illusion, that we have bought into, but it is not who we actually are, for we are complete, and that which is complete, knows not time or space.

Again, it is important to recognize that God is perfect and immutable, in the ever presence, so then, it is not therefore conceivable that this world and everything in it, is somehow actually the master reality, when it cannot be.  It so follows that the perfection that so many of us seek for, is God’s way of getting our attention focused on that which is the sanctuary of sanctuaries, as compared to those poor substitutes that entice us but that will never satisfy us -- as well as keeping us trapped in seemingly endless cycle of birth, death, and re-birth.

This drama, that we voluntarily participate in, is created in such a way, that we perceive that there is good and evil, light and darkness, right and wrong, so meant to beguile us ever deeper into the play that we are actors in, but never is it meant for us to forget the essence of who we are; for those that will not search for the answer to their reason for being, are in a state of confusion – too caught up in that which is meant really as the impetus for them to find the necessary curiosity to peak behind the curtain so as to then recognize Perfection. 

Those that are anti-immigrant are unpatriotic

There are those that are just plain against any immigration, legal or illegal; then there are those that support some immigration as long as the people so immigrating, look a lot like they do; there are also those that believe that there should be some sort of limit on legal immigration with all sorts of rules and regulations to adhere to, and absolutely no illegal immigrants, at all; and then there are those that would like to see more immigration, with less restrictions, and more consideration taken of worldwide trouble spots in regards to people suffering from abject poverty, environmental disasters, conflict zones, and the like, of which these potential immigrants often see America as truly being the land of opportunity.

Those that are most vociferously anti-immigrant are typically those that also wish to wrap the American flag around their body, and declaim that they are the true Americans, who are patriotically defending our nation, from foreign invaders.  That is the story that they like to tell, and perhaps that is the story that they personally believe; but within that story is absolute hypocrisy, for those that most fervently wish to slam the door on future immigrants, are, almost without exception, descendants of immigrants themselves, legal or otherwise.  This thus signifies that all those that perceive that being anti-immigrant is patriotic, are wrong, for it is, in fact, unpatriotic; for this is a nation of immigrants, so built around those immigrants, embracing the American ideal and dream. 

America would not be the nation that it is today if it wasn’t for all the immigration that has occurred over the decades, both legal and illegal.  So too, those that decry the loudest about illegal immigrants don’t seem to comprehend that the millions of illegal immigrants that are presently in this country, could not conceivably be here, if it wasn’t for the inconvenient fact that certain powerful people as well as well-placed corporations, have benefited immensely from that illicit labor, which they often exploit to the absolute maximum.

Further to the point, America strongly believes that its Constitutional institutions and aspirations so implied, are the greatest edifice so founded upon in the entire history of all humankind; of which, one way to impress upon all the other nations that this is indeed true, is to truly open up America’s gates to let all those that desire to immigrate here to immigrate here.  After all, the greatest component of gross domestic product growth, comes down to consumer spending, of which, quite obviously, the more consumers that there are, domestically, the greater that growth rate. So too, all those that hate America, can no longer hate America, when they come here, and end up falling in love with this land of opportunity and meritocracy, and therefore become themselves part and parcel of the great fabric of this unique nation.

Those that hate immigrants the most, are typically those that match the color and privilege of America’s historically favored race.  They hate immigrants, because apparently, they aren’t themselves good enough, smart enough, or dedicated enough, to be able to fairly compete against them; but alas, it really is not a competition, for the bigger the American pie so gets, the more that there is for everyone.  All those that support fair immigration to this fair land, are those that are the true patriots; and those that do not, are the counterfeit patriots who represent a blight upon this shining light of freedom and liberty.

Public servants and their lies

To begin with, the very nature of service, signifies that the person so serving, is actually serving the person or the public in a manner in which they are truthful, diligent, and competent; for anything less than that, is a form of service but not really good service.  Those that are our public servants are meant to serve the public in a manner in which their actions are always aboveboard and for the greater good; for if not that, then their service is at best conflicted, and at worse, corrupt.

When a given individual lies, or is deceitful, such can be subject to civil or criminal penalties, depending upon the circumstances and what has occurred.  For instance, being deceitful in order to procure governmental aid is considered to be a crime, and lying such as in committing perjury, is also a crime.  People are put in jail all of the time for essentially lying or being deceitful; in addition, lying or being deceitful can often mean the loss of one’s employment.  So, for an absolute certainty those in the general public that lie duly suffer the penalties, thereof.

On the other hand, there are our public servants, of which, by virtue of the public lacking full transparency and disclosure of the deals, communications, and negotiations so done, perhaps unwittingly permits the opening of deliberate misdirection and deceit by those public servants; in which when that general public is lacking in the ability or the means for robust investigation by independent sources as to what is really going on, thereby places those in the general public in a position in which they have to trust that their public servants are actually performing their duties in a conscientious and fair manner, but not actually knowing whether or not this is true.  Further to the point, when public servants are seemingly permitted to deceive the public through their lack of full disclosure, including personal conflicts, or by their distortion of real events, to conform, for instance, with the narrative that those in high positions impress upon them to follow, this all serves to obfuscate what is actually occurring -- creating thereof that pathway of lies and deceits by those public servants which are subsequently sold as being true, when they actually are not.

Additionally, there should never be a construct in which those on the outside, such as the general public, have to duly suffer for their crimes, lies, and deceits; whereas, more times than not, those that are public servants, are typically never held accountable for the same, and almost never personally held to suffer for their crimes, which often are far more damaging to the public and the country that they are supposed to serve, than the acts of just one individual person. 

When public servants are seemingly permitted carte blanche to do whatever that they feel is necessary or advantageous for the agenda that actuates them, of which by doing so they do not disclose their conflicts of interest, or their deceptions, and of which these public servants also have an implied immunity from those that would have the ability to prosecute them, then the general public has been betrayed by those that been placed in that responsible position to represent them.

The argument could be made and should be made, that those public servants that betray the public interests for their own selfish or self-serving interests, or in obedience to that unelected power that unduly influences them, that they should be held accountable for their damage to their country and their fellow countrymen -- which is a far more insidious bad act, by virtue of their misapplication of vested authority.

The more laws the more crimes so accused of

The United States of America is a nation of laws, which on the surface, would appear to be a very good thing.  After all, living in a nation, in which there is “rule of law” typically means that the citizens of such a nation, are protected from arbitrary law so enforced as well as cruel and unusual punishment, inflicted.  Yet, in just about everyway the United States is, especially for those that are its poorest and its most vulnerable, a nation that exerts an incredible amount of power against the defenseless and un-championed, which basically eviscerates the concept of “innocent until proven guilty” as well as ignoring completely one’s right to a “speedy trial”, by replacing these with onerous bail amounts, which thereby places those that are without monetary resources and connections, in a state of incarceration, pending a “trial,” which more often than not is superseded by a coerced plea bargain.

Those that are the prosecutors as well as the District Attorneys throughout America, are supposed to represent the people’s interest, and perhaps in some ways, they do.  What they far too often fail to do is actually to be fair, to seek the whole truth, and to see that justice is served; preferring instead to assert their power and proclivities in a manner in which they are able to achieve the result that they so desire, which simply put, is convictions, while caring not a whit about anything else.

Far too often prosecutors and their enablers “cheat the system,” by first of all, taking what are pretty much cut and dry cases and adding charge upon charge, so an assault upon one’s girlfriend, for instance, becomes not just one assault charge, but then there also is added a separate charge such as “assault by strangulation,” along with child endangerment, kidnapping, disturbance of the peace, and so on and so forth.  Another strategy so used, is to take something in which the circumstances distinctly point to a manslaughter case, such as in a vehicle accident, in which the accused has not been reckless; yet, the accused is subsequently charged with vehicle homicide.  In short, when many charges are “tacked on” to a particular crime, this is known as horizontal overcharging, and when a charge is taken to a higher and more onerous level, this is known as vertical overcharging; of which many prosecutors are prone to one or the other or both.

The main problem with all of these charges being added on or of the charges being upgraded to a higher and more severe penalty, is that in a nation in which negotiation, is part and parcel of the justice system, this basically gives the prosecution, which is already an expert in the law as well as being an insider of the justice system, far more ammunition than the defendant will ever have, and when such a defendant is also impoverished, ill-educated and lacking the means to bail out, then the prosecutor clearly has an awesome amount of power to get the result that the prosecution so desires, which thus occurs time and time again.

Regrettably, because the justice system in America would grind to a halt if there was no plea bargaining involved, the logic behind the adding of and the vertical increasing of charges, is so that the prosecution can more easily come to a resolution with the defendant and thereby move on to the next case and then the next.  This so signifies, that those prosecution agents that do not pad charges, are more often going to be faced with the unenviable task of somehow taking more of their cases to court, for without the bargaining chip of reducing charges or eliminating most of the charges, then the options so of, are few, and more actual trials subsequently will occur.

The Commander in Chief is pretty much a paper tiger

The President of the United States, who is statutorily limited to no more than two terms, or eight years, is per Constitutional law, the Commander in Chief of the armed forces; of that there is no issue, but recognize this, that unlike a given monarch or a dictator, the President of the United States, because of term limits, is functionally only going to be in charge of those armed forces for a relatively short period of time; as opposed to generals, who though seemingly under the President’s command, can literally serve for decades.  Further to the point, the United States is a global empire, with a defense budget, which is absolutely gargantuan, so to believe that somehow, the President, is in effect, the Commander in Chief, in any real meaningful sense, is disingenuous.

In point of fact, it would be truer to state, that Presidents, whether a Democrat or a Republican, come and go, but those that run the military-industrial-technology complex, seemingly keep on serving, continuously, irrespective of whether a Democrat or a Republican is elected as President.  One would think, that upon election, that a given President, might want to change who and who not were the generals that the President would like to see serve under that Presidency; something more in line with the fact that the President seldom keeps any former cabinet members from the previous party’s administration, but typically appoints their own; yet with a few exceptions, here and there, pretty much generals keep on keeping on, regardless of who the Commander in Chief is.

All this basically signifies that despite the title of Commander in Chief, the military-industrial-technology complex, bows to no President, but rather trains that President in the way that things actually are, as compared to perhaps how things were meant to be.  So then, when pliant mass media outlets talk about this President’s war or that President’s war, they are not being forthright, for they know that such wars, engagements, battles, and strikes against foreign enemies and targets are actually determined by that military-industrial-complex without any meaningful input or much debate from the Commander in Chief.

Again, logic tells us that any outsider, such as a President, has absolutely no hope of impressing their demands upon any institution, let alone the biggest and mightiest institution, if that outsider, does not control all the underlings of significance that are necessitated in order to therefore have their specific demands and desires so met.  The President is essentially working with career military officers, who know for a certainty that the President simply does not have the working knowledge, let alone the insider secret knowledge, to impact or even to influence much of anything that these generals are involved with.  This basically means that the wars and engagements that this nation involves itself in, come almost exclusively from the military-industrial-technology complex, for Congress ceded its power to “declare war” decades ago to that same complex, and hence the President for all intents and purposes, is reduced to the simple role of being the Chief Cheerleader.

Those that wonder why America insists upon being a global empire and thereby putting its nose into everybody else’s business time and time again, are barking up the wrong tree when they blame the President for such; as opposed to blaming the military-industrial-technology complex, though that is an unelected power that answers not to the people.

Imagine your life suddenly without credit cards

Credit cards are so ubiquitous in today’s society, enough so, that most people don’t really comprehend that credit cards and therefore credit card debt is still a relatively new phenomena, which has become normalized in the present era.  Americans’ “love” or need their credit cards so much, that as reported by valuepenguin.com, “…the average balance for consumers is $5,315,” and that “Americans owe $807 billion” in total, on that debt.  Additionally, for a significant amount of consumers, they would find it difficult to manage their day-to-day finances without their credit cards, because they are so needed in order to make common purchases such as for groceries, restaurants, gasoline, as well as general shopping needs, in which they essentially borrow money now, in order to pay it back later.

So then, for many Americans, the sudden removal of all credit cards from their repertoire of credit card balances, would functionally create a situation in which they would have to therefore find some other source of getting money, reliably, in order to hold them over paycheck to paycheck, such as through “payday loans”, pawn shops, and the like.  This thus signifies that credit cards for a significant swath of Americans are pretty much a requirement, and to therefore have no usage of them, would create serious havoc and financial distress for them; despite the fact, that many credit cards issuers charge a princely sum in regards to the interest on that credit card debt, as well as fairly hefty penalties and late fees for failure to adhere properly to the terms of that credit card issuer. Basically, it could be said, that many Americans don’t have a problem with the paying of these fees and interest charges, as long as they are able to buy what they need “now”, which supersedes their concern about the cost for doing so, at some later point in time.

Then, there are those others that have credit card debt, but they steadily pay off that debt in full each and every month, so rather than credit cards being seen for them as an expense in regards to fees and interest charges, they don’t need to worry about that, since they pay such off in full each month, thereby actually benefiting by the “float” between the time that they bought their goods as compared to when they have to actually pay, along with the salient fact, that a lot of those consumers are in addition receiving financial benefits from their credit card issuer, such as “cashback” and the like.  For these consumers, pretty much, all the advantages that they receive, of which, there are some real good benefits, come essentially from those other consumers that don’t pay off their accounts in full while also suffering from penalties and fees.  The bottom line is that when credit cards were first issued those cards only went to the most credit worthy consumers, but consumers such as that, who are diligent and timely in their payments, aren’t the type of customer those financial institutions can make any real money from; rather, those that issue credit cards prefer instead to have a strong mix of consumers that they can shear like a sheep, over and over again.  This then, is the salient reason, that credit card companies and the credit card business are pretty much here to stay; and the only real reason why any credit card company would suddenly take away one’s credit has everything to do with their confidence in their ability to keep on shearing.

“To amass military power without regard to our economic capacity would be to defend ourselves against one kind of disaster by inviting another.”

In President Eisenhower’s 1953 State of the Union address, he stated, the quotation seen above.  Recognize, as well, that Eisenhower was both the former Supreme Allied Commander during World War II, in addition to being an esteemed five-star general; so then, for an absolute certainty he understood the military at its deepest possible level, which signified that his words absolutely were germane as well as being absolutely relevant.  Yet, here we stand, decades upon decades later, and the military-industrial-technology complex has never had more monies allocated to it, despite the fact that America has not had a Congressional declared war since World War II.  It would be one thing, if America had subsequently become a country in which every single citizen lived above the poverty level, in safe neighborhoods, with good public educational systems, and adequate healthcare, but that isn’t the case, at all.  Indeed, America runs incredibly high national government deficits, of which, the military-industrial-technology complex has clearly been allocated billions upon billions of dollars, that have essentially been siphoned away from the necessary infrastructure and the needs of its own citizenry in order to feather the beds of those of that complex, at the expense of the poorest and most vulnerable of Americans.

The disaster that Eisenhower warned us of, is upon us, of which this is the salient reason why America trails so many of its contemporaries in regards to a fair and more equitable distribution of income and wealth; along with America consistently ranking no better than mediocre in testing scores of its high school students, which is further compounded by the rather inconvenient fact, that America’s functional illiteracy rate is embarrassingly high.  So too, the good health and life expectancy of the citizens in America -- which is the exact same nation that represents the breadbasket of the world, is extremely disappointing in comparison to other western nations.  Further, America in comparison to those other western nations, suffers from significantly higher rates of violent crime as well as incarceration. 

America seems to live by the motto of “might is right,” which while being good business for the military-industrial-technology complex, does nothing of substance to help to ameliorate, let alone eliminate poverty from this nation.  While there is absolutely no doubt that America’s military power and prowess is second to none; what has not occurred is what should have occurred, which is America should lead the world in being the greatest nation that the world has ever seen in regards to the standard of living of all of its citizens, which it clearly does not successfully represent.

Every armament so made and subsequently utilized is an armament that is in essence, used for a destructive and not a constructive purpose.   No civilization of merit could conceivably be built up by exclusively destructive acts, for clearly what is needed instead is well planned out constructive acts to be performed, in order for that civilization to thereupon have a fair opportunity to grow and to improve itself.    In America, it seems to be that those that run it, prefer for America to be a feared nation, as opposed to it being a fair and just nation.  Those, though, that reject justice and fairness, for might, as if such is right, are doomed to ultimately reap the bitter fruits of such a short-sighted and misguided philosophy.

The continual betrayal of the 14th and 15th Amendments

Upon the conclusion of the War Between the States, the 13th-15th Amendments were ratified; of which the 13th Amendment abolished slavery, the 14th Amendment defined citizenship, therefore permitting those that were previously enslaved to become citizens, and the 15th Amendment codified the enfranchisement of blacks, previously denied the power and privilege of voting.  This subsequent change was profound, for those blacks so living in the Southern States, were many in numbers, and those franchised numbers meant for the first time that blacks actually got local, county, State, and Federal representation, and of which the first black so elected to the House of Representatives was Hiram Rhodes Revels in 1870; yet, only 32 years later, George H. White became the last black congressman in that body; until Oscar DePriest in 1928, was elected, but not to a Southern congressional district, but instead to a district, dominated by blacks in Chicago. 

So, in effect, though the Civil War ostensibly freed blacks, and gave blacks both citizenship as well as voting rights; the Southern white infrastructure, though defeated, ultimately were able to snatch back everything that they had lost in the Civil War and basically returned the black man to a condition of abject peonage, in those re-constituted Southern States, and it was not until 1971, when the District of Columbia was allowed Congressional representation, that any black man from the South was part, once again, of the House of Representatives, through the special election of Walter Fauntroy, of which Representative Fauntroy was a non-voting delegate to that body.

This thus signifies that the blood, sweat, and tears so devoted in good measure so as to defeat those that seceded from this Union of States, with these rebels also drawing first blood in that Civil War, that cost the lives of so many, were, in essence, never put out of business, but only temporarily did they have to cede some of their power, which they ultimately claimed with a vengeance, right back.  So what of those of color, that were clearly not represented in this national government, as well as local, State, and county governments for decades upon decades, and of which, the racial gerrymandering within States, as now in effect in the present day, still diminishes their fair representation?

This country is supposed to be a country of meritocracy, justice, fairness, and opportunity, yet it has historically closed the door upon all those that do not match the color of those that are the power brokers of it, and even when those of color are able to get some sort of representation, it appears that that representation is always to be a subset of their actual franchised or should-be franchised numbers.  This is indicative of a systemic problem which has not been robustly resolved through Constitutional Amendments or even through strong Civil Rights laws, but remains until this day, an ever-present thorn in the side of those that are still on the receiving end of suffering through this perpetual raw deal.

All that said, at least American governance deserves some credit for attempting to be a "melting pot" of different creeds, nationalities and opinions; but alas attempting is not the same thing as accomplishing, and any governance that fails to live by the spirit of the law, is that governance which has betrayed its liberty and justice for all.

“The soul that is within me no man can degrade”

The above quotation comes from the inestimable Frederick Douglass and is as apropos now as it was back when it was first stated.  The dilemma that we have is that so many of us living in this material world, are unable to disassociate ourselves from our five senses, alongside of our ego that pretty much acts as if it is captain of the ship; but that mindset isn't correct, as that which is physical is not eternal, and that which we so often treat as being permanent actually is not.  In reality, we are our soul, and that soul, is eternal, unchanging, and perfect.  All the human errors that we make, as well as the good that we do, are part and parcel of the adventure that incarnating into human form onto this earth, so provides; but that which limits and hinders us in this world, does not exist in our soul, it never has and it never will.

We are born into this world to take on the identity that we agreed to incarnate in, and once brought into this dimension, we while being masters of our own thoughts, our decisions, as well as the deeds so done, are not though able to ever make this world bend to our desires, for we have not the power, and never will.  Once here, we have to play by the rules that this planet represents, fair or foul, and within this dimension, all sorts of things are going to happen, of which we are merely the players within a grand play.  This does not indicate that what we do or say, here, does not matter, for it most certainly does; but rather that what so happens here, affects not our soul, but rather the aura of what we believe that we so represent and of which we are ultimately the ones solely responsible in the re-aligning of ourselves to the universal law of Godliness, or if we insist, to exist instead in a void, outside of pure blissfulness.

While we should shed tears for injustices so done, of which humanity spends and exerts far too much energy in such negativity; it is wise to also recognize, what Frederick Douglass know for a certainty, that no other human being or institution of this world, can take away or degrade our soul, for our soul is God, and God is immutable, unchangeable, and perfection.   Those that believe, that Christ crucified, was indicative of a game in which Christ was the loser; know not what they are talking about.  That which is eternal, cannot ever be vanquished; Christ's visible resurrection was proof of that; and those that get so caught up in worldly affairs so as to believe that there is no other existence beyond what they can see in the mirror, are delusional, for the physical is never the master of the eternal.

This world is a proving ground, so provided for each one of us, to demonstrate in action, as to whether our existence here, helped to make society better for our efforts, or not.  Those that have failed in that task, have not degraded their soul, but they have stepped away from that which is the necessary part for their needed advancement, and that, thereof, is the challenge that all must eventually successfully pass.

The Commander in Chief is pretty much a paper tiger

The President of the United States, who is statutorily limited to no more than two terms, or eight years, is per Constitutional law, the Commander in Chief of the armed forces; of that there is no issue, but recognize this, that unlike a given monarch or a dictator, the President of the United States, because of term limits, is functionally only going to be in charge of those armed forces for a relatively short period of time; as opposed to generals, who though seemingly under the President’s command, can literally serve for decades.  Further to the point, the United States is a global empire, with a defense budget, which is absolutely gargantuan, so to believe that somehow, the President, is in effect, the Commander in Chief, in any real meaningful sense, is disingenuous.

In point of fact, it would be truer to state, that Presidents, whether a Democrat or a Republican, come and go, but those that run the military-industrial-technology complex, seemingly keep on serving, continuously, irrespective of whether a Democrat or a Republican is elected as President.  One would think, that upon election, that a given President, might want to change who and who not were the generals that the President would like to see serve under that Presidency; something more in line with the fact that the President seldom keeps any former cabinet members from the previous party’s administration, but typically appoints their own; yet with a few exceptions, here and there, pretty much generals keep on keeping on, regardless of who the Commander in Chief is.

All this basically signifies that despite the title of Commander in Chief, the military-industrial-technology complex, bows to no President, but rather trains that President in the way that things actually are, as compared to perhaps how things were meant to be.  So then, when pliant mass media outlets talk about this President’s war or that President’s war, they are not being forthright, for they know that such wars, engagements, battles, and strikes against foreign enemies and targets are actually determined by that military-industrial-complex without any meaningful input or much debate from the Commander in Chief.

Again, logic tells us that any outsider, such as a President, has absolutely no hope of impressing their demands upon any institution, let alone the biggest and mightiest institution, if that outsider, does not control all the underlings of significance that are necessitated in order to therefore have their specific demands and desires so met.  The President is essentially working with career military officers, who know for a certainty that the President simply does not have the working knowledge, let alone the insider secret knowledge, to impact or even to influence much of anything that these generals are involved with.  This basically means that the wars and engagements that this nation involves itself in, come almost exclusively from the military-industrial-technology complex, for Congress ceded its power to “declare war” decades ago to that same complex, and hence the President for all intents and purposes, is reduced to the simple role of being the Chief Cheerleader.

Those that wonder why America insists upon being a global empire and thereby putting its nose into everybody else’s business time and time again, are barking up the wrong tree when they blame the President for such; as opposed to blaming the military-industrial-technology complex, though that is an unelected power that answers not to the people.

Your best necessitates harmony with the attributes of God

We are instructed throughout our life from all sorts of people and institutions, to do our best; but seldom discussed is the foundation that needs to be so created, so that each one of us, can actually perform at our absolute best.  After all, if the foundation is wrong, of which, it is, for instance, ever shifting, as if built upon sand, then our performances are going to not only be uneven and unbalanced, but they are ultimately not going to be our best, even when we are “so-called” giving it our best.  All those that truly want to achieve great accomplishments, must know for a certainty, that first we must not only master the basics so of, but we also need to have good core principles, that we stand securely upon, of which, these principles are not only correct, but strong and sturdy enough, that such can steadily withstand the strong and violent winds of adversity, jealousy, and hate.

In society, there are plenty of clever people, but mere cleverness is not often actually of any real benefit for humankind; so too, there are plenty of studious and smart people, but those that have learned well, do not by definition, necessarily know how to properly apply that knowledge for the overall good of society.  The very first thing to understand is that we are all in this together, and therefore any mindset that requires for its success some degree of exploitation of the other, is not going to be correct, for if in our getting ahead, we have to take advantage of the other, this is ethically wrong.  Further to the point, all those that put their ambitions ahead of morality and ethics, through their actions, directly or indirectly, are absolutely blind to being their best, for that pathway that they are on is clearly crooked, and is thereby not straight.

When we look for guidance through our intuition, prayer, worship, study, or reflection, it is important to comprehend fully that those that truly wish to be at their best, must be in harmony with the attributes of God; which are known by characteristics, such as selflessness, giving, patience, determination, forgiveness, fairness, temperance, prudence, and faith.  Ideally, we want to take on the aura of all those attributes that are most admirable as well as being necessary in order to help thereby to build and to create valued friendships, good neighborhoods, and to bring out the best in ourselves, as well as to contribute to doing so in others.

Most people wish for good things, but wishing is never the same thing as doing.  Additionally, those that wish for this or that, but have not taken the necessary and fundamental steps so needed to develop the core good characteristics to consistently be their best, are not going to find the lasting success that they so are wishing for.  First things come first, and this thus means that each one of us, needs to firstly recognize that all that which is not in harmony with God’s attributes is harmful not only for our own development, but for others, as well.  So then, make it your point to be that which you were always meant to be, by having the discipline and determination to be a true child of God, by being in harmony with that which knows right from wrong, and then, do your best to do right, always.

“…the slums that damn them, the economic conditions that strangle them, and the social conditions that cripple them…”

Back in 1959, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. expressed his viewpoint that any religion, let alone its government, that permits or does nothing to ameliorate or to correct the conditions that damns, cripples, and strangles the common man, is a religion which is moribund, and by implication, a government that has lost its justification, its integrity and its purpose.  Yet, decades later, while on the one hand, we can see that some meaningful progress has indeed been made, it must also be noted, that the same slums, and the same poor economic and social conditions are still eviscerating the opportunity and advancement of far too many Americans to the degree that their situation is well-nigh hopeless; and that is not the way that it should be, especially in consideration that America has all of the resources so needed to do the right thing, but not the will power or the follow through to actually accomplish such.

Every American deserves a fair chance to become something of merit, and the best way for that to occur is to see to it, that each American is provided with a good education, proper healthcare, safe housing, and nutritional food.   That is the minimum structure so needed to help out those that lack those very accouterments at the present time.  Further to the point, in order to have good citizens, each citizen needs to feel that they are an integral part and parcel of the great fabric that makes up this country, of which, part of achieving that goal comes down to the salient fact that all people that labor need to be properly compensated with a living wage; for all those that don’t make a living wage are thereby placed in the unenviable position of being both vulnerable as well as unstable in regards to their livelihood and their adequate existence.

There are far too many Americans that are impoverished, and none of this will improve, if the conditions that create this impoverishment are not fundamentally corrected to deal with what is all so visible, for anyone that cares enough to see it.  America has proven again and again that it can achieve incredible goals with remarkable speed, when it puts its head to the grindstone, is funded properly, and works with purpose to achieve those goals.  The fact that poverty and poor infrastructure is so systemic in America, is a true reflection that those that are the decision makers in this country, do not care to address what should be addressed in a meaningful manner.

One can measure and value a nation in any number of different ways, of which, one fair way, is how that country treats its poorest and most vulnerable of its citizens, for that, then, reflects fairly the soul of that nation.  In that regard, America should properly receive a failing grade, made all the more telling by the inconvenient fact that despite all of its resources and all of its strengths, it still has the same slums, and the poor economic and social conditions, that existed decades upon decades ago, with absolutely no prospect that any of this will change for the better, ever.

The hypocrisy of this a nation of immigrants

There are times, depending to a significant degree, on who is or who is not controlling the narrative, that some American are most vociferous in their belief, that this nation, the United States of America, is not now and never has been a nation of immigrants.  This is a lie, because those that founded what became the United States of America, were primarily Europeans that immigrated to this land, of which, this land, was not their own. Additionally, those people brought here against their will, as in enslavement, are themselves, immigrants, as well.  

Somewhat disappointingly, a lot of the desire to protect our borders from illegal immigration and the like, has more than a hint of hypocrisy to it; for there seems to be a belief, that it was fine for certain people to immigrate here, but that was back then, but this is now, and therefore there should be steps that must be adhered to for those now desiring to immigrate here, and illegal immigration is therefore both wrong and inimical to the integrity of the United States.

As true as that might be, and in understanding that there are sensible reasons why any country, should and needs to have sensible immigration policies to adhere to, what seems to be missing from the discussion is that if America really believes that what it so represents is the best form of governance in the world, which is thereby second to none; then one would logically think that America would thereby highly desire to see more immigration to this land, in order to take in all those that want to be part of the American experience as well as this land of opportunity, so as to therefore strengthen the fabric of this country, as opposed to locking them out.

There are a lot of reasons why some people are so bent on being against immigration, of which, a lot of that resentment, really comes down to the fact that people mistakenly believe that the more people that immigrate here, that aren’t the “right” people, then the less goods and benefits that there will be available for those that are already here.  If that was true, that would make sense; in fact, if more immigration meant less jobs for those that were born here, that would also make sense; but the reality of the situation is that humankind’s limits are limited only by its imagination, work ethic, and ingenuity.

Further to the point, it takes a whole lot of gall, for those that have been fortunate enough to be born here and to thereby become citizens by the simple virtue of that birthplace to somehow forget that their ancestors immigrated from a foreign land, for this then, is hypocrisy.  America is a very large nation in the sense of landmass, and while its population is fairly large, it pales in comparison to both China and India, so there is definitely plenty of room to grow; and it should also be acknowledged that America still represents the breadbasket of the world, along with having the strongest university system in the world, as well. Finally, there would be less illegal immigration to this country, if the policies put in place by governmental officials was far more accommodating and well-nigh encouraging for those desiring legal immigration by therefore increasing substantially the amount as well as the complexion of those so being permitted to immigrate here.  That then, would be consistent with a nation of immigrants, and would do justice to those immigrants that put forth the noble effort to build this nation into what it is today.

America has way too many low-wage paying jobs

According to brookings.edu “….53 million Americans between the ages of 18 to 64—accounting for 44% of all workers—qualify as “low-wage.” Their median hourly wages are $10.22.”  The sheer number of Americans that have low-wage jobs, is the very reason why the government needs to do far more to provide material assistance to those low-wage workers, along with making it a top priority to see that the minimum wage for employed workers is raised substantially for them, and as soon as possible.  The fact that there are so many low-wage workers in America with incomes that clearly don’t represent a living wage, is indicative that labor unions are no longer a material factor in America, and in absence of vibrant and effective labor unions, the national government has itself a duty to step in and see to it, that those that work, should receive compensation which is commensurate with a living wage.

The fact of the matter is that a significant swath of Americans is lacking in the power to negotiate the wages that they are going to be paid, and in absence of any meaningful regulations that will provide such to those that need it, they thus find themselves falling ever further behind, by virtue of the fact that the minimum wage over the years has neither kept in step with inflation, or productivity growth. In this same time, it is quite obvious that the superrich have themselves gotten ever richer, which is the direct consequence of taxing policies which are ineffective, as well as the fact that the government favors the elite, over the regular people; which probably has a lot to do with those that have lots and lots of money having both power and influence to boss their way, so as to get what they want.

When FDR was President, a new deal was legislated into place, which was very influential in the creation of the vibrant American middle class and of providing the safety net so needed for those that were the least and most vulnerable.  Decades later, America is still the wealthiest nation that the world has ever known, which signifies that America should be embarrassed and ashamed that it has such a huge portion of its population that is ill educated, ill fed, with poor healthcare, and are living in environments that aren’t healthy or all that safe. Because of this massive American wealth disparity which increases by the day, those that have it all have never had it any better; as contrasted to all those that have nothing, and are provided with a deal so rotten, that their dilapidated infrastructure provides them with no reasonable chance to extricate themselves from a very poor situation.

If this really is a government, of, for, and by the people; then it is high time for that government to utilize effectively its power to help level the playing field, so that those that are at the short end of the stick, at least get a little something of value from the American dream -- rather than those that have more than enough wealth for generations upon generations to come, getting ever more, at the expense of all those that have never even been provided with a fair chance or a stable base to build their own foundation upon.

“For your own protection” and other lies

One could say that semantics absolutely matter, and they seem to really matter when we hear things that are being done to us or for us, “for our own protection.”  It would be one thing, if that statement was actually true, in which a good Samaritan, for instance, interjected their self into a situation in which they actually protected us from some harm, of which, that does occasionally occur.  However, for the most part, when we hear things that are being done to us “for our own protection,” that typically is code for our freedom being taken away or our being denied something that we really want.

That is to say, for example, people use credit cards every single day, of which, a lot of times, the process of using such is seamless but there are also those other times when our credit card has been put on hold or frozen by the issuer and therefore that credit card is precluded from being used for a given transaction, in which, we as consumers, actually really needed that particular credit card charge to go through, right then and there.  Those that are bold enough or angry enough, to call up their credit card company about such a charge being declined, invariably find after going through the seemingly endless process of verifying who they are, that their credit card charge was denied “for their own protection,” which absolutely makes no sense when the person so calling is holding the very credit card with their name on it.  In truth, when credit card companies tell us that they have declined our credit card for our own protection, they are typically being disingenuous, for they aren’t actually protecting us, they are, in fact, protecting themselves; of which, typically, that particular credit card transaction has been flagged by some algorithm as being suspicious or fraudulent and because these credit card companies don’t want to be caught “holding the bag” of those charges so being made, they therefore declined what has been flagged as fraudulent or suspicious, for their safety comes before our convenience.

So too, those that are authority figures, such as parents or law enforcement officers, have a habit of saying that whatever is happening in which our freedom is being taken away from us, that this is “for our own protection;” but in reality, oftentimes these words are just used as an excuse to control us for the authoritarian figures’ benefit, and seldom for our own. In reality, most people know for a certainty when they need protection and when they do not, and more times than not, the times that we most critically need protection, there is no protection to be found; whereas, those times when we really don’t need protection, we often find ourselves overwhelmed by people that say they want to protect us and then proceed to do so in a manner in which we don’t really have a choice, which typically is not protection, but rather is the equivalency to constraint through coercion. 

In life, the least that we deserve is for people to say what they mean, and mean what they say, and most of those that claim that they want to protect us, really want to take our freedom away, in one form of another, which isn’t protection, at all.