Stock analysts and stock price targets

When it comes to investing, the future is uncertain, and those so making investment decisions, would, all things being equal, strongly desire to have certainty in the outcome of a particular stock investment.  The thing is though, that just isn’t going to happen, for as they say, the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry.   Still, when it comes to money, and the risk thereof of any investment, many people are going to want to find something tangible that purports to be of a well-reasoned and expert analysis that will provide them with some meaningful insight as to how their investments will work out.

So then, the brokerage, banking, equities, and investing business world has constructed something that is, in theory, supposed to be of benefit to investors by shedding some theoretical insight about the future price point of a given stock.  These experts, are known as stock analysts, who are typically quite good at putting together detailed and nuanced reports about stocks, and then weighing in as to whether a particular stock is a buy, a hold, or a sell, and further to the point they top this off with a predicted stock price of that stock, in the next 12 to 18 months.

The thing is, though, that even if each of these stock analysts were true independent agents, which they typically are not, there are a multitude of macro factors that influence the price of a given stock, which has little or nothing to do with the underlying value of a given stock; so that even when a corporation is hitting all of their targets, those macro factors as well as the irrational behavior of those that invest in stocks, can easily wreak havoc on a stock price target, that perhaps was actually pretty sensible.

However, there is another factor, that those that put out stock price targets, like to keep under wraps, which is the very access that stock analysts need in order to hear and to have a privileged audience with important executives within a corporation, typically signifies that previously written stock price targets have likely been favorable to that corporation, and, of which, newly written price targets, are in all likelihood also are going to have to be favorable, as well.  That is to say, even though stock price targets, can be up, down, or neutral, the overwhelming amount of them so published are of the positive flavor, because that is the feedback loop that works out best for those parties, involved.

Additionally, one can never underestimate the greed of the general investor, who, with a calculator, can calculate their anticipated profits on a given stock, by looking at the price that they would be buying it at, and then comparing that to the stock price target that some stock analyst is predicting that it will go to over the next 12 to 18 months.  Obviously, if investing was as simple as that, then everyone would make out like a bandit, but, in fact, that isn’t the way it works.  In truth, stock analysts with their stock price targets, basically offer nothing of real substance or value, irrespective of how well worded and professional their document so looks, for not all that glitters is investment gold.

We are here to learn and to learn well, and then to apply those lessons so learned to others

There isn’t any real good point in overcomplicating life, for life at its core, is really about being a better neighbor, one to another.  Those that are a good neighbor, look out for one another, they do right by one another, they are forgiving, non-judgmental, generous, and helpful.  All those that spend an inordinate amount of time, being argumentative, jealous-hearted, hateful, and vengeful, in addition to other various negative emotions, clearly are not on the right trajectory.  We should want to treat people they way that we prefer to be treated, which typically means that those that are unforgiving, violent, and petty, are not what we want to portray as our own qualities.

We are provided with a good mind, so that we can think before we act; which is especially of value when that good thinking precludes us from striking out in a negative manner at those that we perceive to have done us wrong.  As they say, two wrongs still don’t make a right, and vengeance or revenge is a dish best served cold.  All those that are quick to react without thinking through the consequences, so of, are probably not going to be ultimately happy with the outcome of that decision making.  Those things that are in our control, or subject to our will, are ours to own the responsibility, so of.  Therefore, we should see the interactions that we have, good or bad, with others, as a way that we are tested on the lessons that we have so learned, and those then, that are true to those lessons, by having maintained their integrity and good judgment are going to be in a much better place, then those that have lost those, if even just for a short period of time, because what so subsequently occurs, always matters.

Those that take the time to keep a fair perspective in life, and do so in a time and place of which they are calm, are seldom going to admire any of their previous actions that were vindictive, small-minded, and mean; but rather, at best, they will be embarrassed by them, or possibly regretful and remorseful.  In reality, the best of times for any one of us, are when we have done something noble, that meant something of substance to someone else, because to get to where we need to be, requires that we be of meaningful assistance to others, that need our voluntary help.

The prism that more people need to view this world, is to see it as the ultimate proving ground of who and what we are as reflected by our thoughts and actions.  Those that claim that this world and society to be without purpose are wrong, for everything that we do, matters -- and has relevance for us and for those that we have impacted, for better or for worse.    While it is true that some tests that we so face are easy, to get to where we ultimately need to go, we are going to have to successfully pass those tough tests, that many a person has flailed and failed at.  Therefore, know this, that there are no shortcuts in life, for what we so achieve, we fairly earn, by our consistent good application of doing the right thing.

Timeless truths

While in this modern-age there are plenty of people and organizations, that appreciate the value and therefore the importance of scientific discoveries and breakthroughs, this in and in itself, is not actually the highest conceivable mission for humankind.  As much as a given individual wishes to believe that certain discoveries are so profound that everything thereafter is going to be amazingly good, they don’t seem to consciously comprehend that humankind has a remarkable way of adapting to new technologies and devices, in a manner, in which the amazing, becomes to a certain degree, somewhat banal or if not that, taken for granted over a long enough period of time.  So then, this or that discovery, is in actuality not going to change the fundamental nature of humankind, though it may indeed change the conditions for the better that we live within; but unless the actual character of humankind thereby changes for the better, it’s pretty much all for naught.

The most important type of discovery and breakthrough that humankind needs in order to achieve its upmost, is the unveiling of timeless truths.  Each of us when we incarnate into human form have to a very large extent, been veiled from knowing who and what we really are.  Yet, within our psyche, there is always that inkling that life is something much more that what we perceive strictly through our five senses.  Indeed, true life and therefore the meaning of life is beyond those senses; for the physical is not meant to be the master of one’s being, but rather should be seen as that which encases our spirit within its physicality, of which, far too many of us, misidentify our physical presence as the be-all and the end-all of who we are.

The timeless truths that we need to search for and to find, are those truths, that have always been the same since the beginning of time, and these truths will not ever change at any point for any reason, ever, for they are immutable.  These then are the truths that each of us are compelled to not only just find but once so found, to live out in all that we subsequently say and do, for it is those truths and only these truths that will last and have significance throughout the eons of time.  So then, what are these timeless truths? 

The first truth is that there is order in God’s universe, of which, because of this order, none ever will be lost, and none ever will be left behind.Further, God is not our puppet master, for to control others is only for those that wish to be tyrants or are insecure, and never for those that believe that free choice is the only true way to measure the character of that which was created with its own volition, so as to express itself and to explore.This thus signifies that there is no higher tribute that any of us can provide to God, then to use our free will as a means to bring enlightenment to those that are in darkness, for these avatars, are the true light bearers, and therefore eternal pillars in the immaculate mansion of our God

Who is watching the prosecutors?

To a very large extent, this is a country in which its governance is primarily run by lawyers, of which, to wit, there is a distinct oversupply of lawyers that become politicians and therefore are part and parcel of the legislative process, as well as the fact that it is the prosecutors, virtually without any meaningful oversight by an independent consortium of the people, that decide how the law will or will not be applied in a given incidence.  This thus signifies, that prosecutors, who are supposed to seek justice and have so equally applied, and to do such without favoritism, are pretty much free to do whatever that they so desire to do, and to therefore respond only to those that they deem worth responding to.

In America, justice is seldom equally and fairly applied and it is virtually never impartial, of which, in truth, the main reason for this, lies at the feet of all the prosecutors that are not transparent, that are not consistent, that are not true to the law, and that do not feel the obligation that they need to justify what they so do or don’t do, while performing their job on behalf of the people.  It really isn’t conceivable for the people to have respect for the law, when the entity that is supposed to demonstrate the most respect for the law, doesn’t actually do so.

Prosecutors should have some serious degree of public accountability, which certainly is not possible when so much of what they say and do, is secreted away from the public purview, for whatever reason given, legit or not.  The prosecutorial office should never be in practice, a fiefdom.  When it is, that provides way too much power residing in the hands of a small number of prosecutors, who even with the best of intentions, are going to be more than tempted, to address their own personal agendas, as well as to often make “nice” to particular power structures of their choosing that they favor or perhaps that they answer to, all at the expense of those that are on the outside and without fair view of what is really going on, inside.

Whenever laws are unequally applied, then what so happens, has essentially been left at the discretion of the prosecutor, with no one else having a meaningful say, of which, all of this is accomplished without the general public having enough visibility to know what is really going on, as well as the people not having any recourse to the decisions so made; of which, such justice being rendered, is seldom going to be just, but rather that which purports to be justice will be in reality, far too often, arbitrary, discriminatory, and irresponsible.

The only possible answer to curtail all of this arbitrary power that currently resides in the hands of the prosecutor, is for far more openness and far less opaqueness to be the norm within that domain, along with their being a much higher degree of oversight of what prosecutors are doing, by an independent consortium of those that are familiar with the intricacies of the justice system, and therefore far less easy to be fooled or to be misdirected.  For a certainty, anytime, someone important in power is being carefully watched, society will find, at a minimum, that at least their excesses, if nothing else, will remain in check.

Breaking strikes by using “scabs” is unfair to labor

There are many things that corporations do not desire for their employees to do, of which, pretty much at the top of the list, is that they don’t want their employees to organize themselves and then later to subsequently go out on strike, so as to get better pay or better benefits or better job security or a combination of these, so of.  As much as a given corporation believes that they always have the best of it, when it comes to labor and therefore the terms and payrate for their employees, the fact of the matter is that they don’t, unless that labor force literally has no options, which is seldom the case.  After all, without employees, the well-oiled machine of a given corporation that makes products and therefore earns money, comes very quickly to a grinding halt.

So then, corporations do not like labor strikes, and corporations will never like strikes, because when the workforce walks out, everything good soon falls apart, unless some sort of reasonable resolution comes to fruition in a relatively short period of time.  That said, when it comes to greed, one should never underestimate those that are the elites within a corporation, of which, a notable selection of them, aren’t necessarily put off by a strike, especially when they feel that they can round-up a suitable amount of people that can come in and get the work that needs to get done, at some sort of acceptable payrate and passable quality.

The thing is though, that strikebreakers, or scabs, aren’t normally respected by the community, at large, and typically are look at with an infinite amount of disdain by those that are themselves out on strike.  This thus signifies, that hiring scabs to get work done, of which, these are actual members of the same community of those that are currently out on strike, probably isn’t going to be successful, because communities have a way of exacting justice upon those that are messing with their pay, their job, and basically their life.  This is why, strikebreakers are often found in those that are already outcasts to a given community, as in those that have been segregated from the community because of something such as their race, their immigration status, or faith; or they can also be found well outside the community, in some far-off forsaken town, that itself lacks good opportunity and jobs.

All of this combined does make for a rather sad brew, for those that are on strike, have done so, because they are trying to achieve greater mastery of their own lives and are even willing to risk their livelihood to get something materially better.  Those then that are the strikebreakers are quite obviously themselves in a rather poor position, as well as typically poor circumstances, in which their desperation or lack of choice, or lack of opportunity, places themselves in the situation, in which a job, any job, is better than nothing, and so they do what they feel they have to do, not because they necessarily want to, but because it represents to them, an improvement of their lot.  Yet, none of this should ever be happening in the first place, if the government would only make it their policy, that companies of a certain employment size, were thereby compelled by law, to fairly negotiate with their labor force in regards to strike issues, as contrasted to being permitted to replace such with strikebreakers.  That is to say, if the government won’t help to defend labor, then, for sure, this is not going to be fair fight, and those that don’t fight fair, know this.

All things considered; the abortion rate should be far less then what it is

The subject of abortion, is something that is fraught with rather high emotional responses from many a person.  There are plenty of people, that are concerned that the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade will soon be effectively overturned; in addition to the salient fact, that many States are relentlessly making it much more difficult for patients to get a legal abortion.  This would seem to reflect a cause of some real concern, for those of a more progressive outlook, or for those of the belief that a person should have the right to choose, seemingly as if the United States is not just attempting, but actually succeeding in turning back the clock of time. 

The thing is, though, is that never has there been more options and more viable avenues for those that do not desire to get pregnant to avail themselves of, then we are so seeing today.  For instance, we have birth control implants, birth control shots, IUDs, birth control pills, birth control patches, condoms, and so many other effective means to preclude pregnancy.  So too, there are options for those that have had unprotected sex in which they can take the morning after pill, or have an IUD inserted, so as to still prevent getting pregnant.  In other words, for those that know that they are going to have sex, there are prudent steps that can be taken to prevent an unplanned pregnancy, if only those participating in such, are willing to take the responsibility to do such. 

We do find though that the abortion rate has been trending down in recent years, but still, it has yet to demonstrate a precipitous decline, which basically reflects that as many of the viable choices that people can avail themselves of, far too many people, just basically prefer to gamble or to not take personal responsibility, thereby placing themselves in the unenviable position of having to deal with something that they truly do not need to deal with to begin with, and to thereby suffer the consequences, so of.

The truth of the matter is, that very few people, that have gone through the travails of an abortion, wish to have gone down that route to begin with.  That is to say, the very debate about abortion, would be far less relevant or poignant, if the number of abortions so being performed, was reduced to a rate that was effectively small enough, that those that declaim the loudest about the right to life, would therefore have very little to actually shout about.

The reality is that there isn’t a whole lot of people that want to be in a position in which they have to have an abortion; yet, abortions are still occurring in America at a rate that reflects the very opposite.  This would seemingly indicate that something as important and life changing as getting impregnated, seems to be a topic that has not been successfully managed or addressed in a meaningful way by governmental institutions or really by any other institution of significance in this nation, which is a contributing reason why so many undesired pregnancies, and the dramatics, so of, occur, each and every hour of every day.

The point of government

In the animal kingdom, it is the law of the jungle, in which essentially the strong devour the weak.  In that type of scenario, right or wrong, doesn’t really have any play, for might pretty much makes what is taken as right.  Of course, that is the animal kingdom, which is relevant for that domain, and not so relevant to the world of human beings.  When it comes to human beings, we are born with an innate sense of what is right and what is wrong, so that when things are occurring that aren’t just, or that aren’t right, we know them as essentially being unjust and wrong.  So too, humankind ideally prefers to live within a construct in which we are judged by the content of our character and the acts that we so perform, which trumps in justice all those that lack the character to do the right thing as well as those that have performed bad acts, without suffering the just consequence for such.

The very form of government that makes the most sense for a given society, is that form of government that supports the unalienable rights that each of us is fairly entitled to.  This thus signifies that the point of government is to protect as well as to secure the very rights that each person is equally entitled to. That is to say, government is constituted in order to benefit those that make up that governing society, by joining together into one body politic for that expressed purpose, and to the degree that government with its incumbent powers properly conducts its business of behalf of the people, it has done so for the greater good.

Again, the point of any well-founded government, is for the defense of the people, as well as for the correct application of the rule of law, so as to assure the domestic tranquility and the fair opportunity for the people.  What no government should be, though, is the oppressor of the people and therefore the impediment to the people’s unalienable rights; but regrettably, many governments in ways big and small, are exactly that.  So then, rather than the people, receiving the good benefits of a government that has been constructed for their behalf and for their general welfare, we often find that many governments are corrupt in such a manner, that the very few received the lion’s share of the benefits at the expense of the many, which clearly is a bastardization of what good governance should so represent and be.

In fact, most people, don’t seem to really understand that government, is supposed to really be of, for, and by the people; and instead, they view the government as an entity to avoid, or as simply intractable, unless they are one of the few, receiving some real benefits from that government.  In today’s modern society, government in many ways, seems to have lost its most basic and important mission, which is really the defense of the people’s unalienable rights, above all.  That is to say, government is meant to be the people’s good servant, and not its unsatiated master.

Job security and job insecurity

The United States is a mature and established nation, but for those in the work force, especially those of middling to poor educational achievements, as well as those that though educated, have degrees in areas of expertise that don’t readily match up well with good employment opportunities -- thereby presents the issue that there is a significant number of employees in America that clearly do not have any real semblance of long-term job security at a decent and living wage.  One might believe that this is the very nature of capitalism, and if it is, then this so represents capitalism at its worse; for the more people that don’t have job security, and therefore do not have appropriate wages and a livelihood that they can build a solid foundation upon, therefore represents people that are subject to having the little that they have established, surely and inexorably eroded from them.

Further to the point, a significant problem with the capitalistic system, writ large, is the strong tendency for so many of those institutions to desire to privatize and/or to localize their earnings and profit, to being specifically earmarked to the cream of the crop of the elite as well as of their investors, thereby creating an ever increasing amount of inequality between those that have it made, compared to those that have little or nothing; in which, the end result of this reflects that corporate profits are essentially privatized, whereas, the cost for those that end up being unemployed, underemployed, underpaid, or dismissed, is basically socialized to the people, at large.

The way that employment should work, once a given company reaches some size of substance in regards to employed workers, or sales, so of, is that the corporation should first and foremost be held accountable to the human element of those that work for them, as contrasted to concentrating strictly on profit or gross margin, above all.  This thus helps to emphasize that in the reality of the business world that there are going to be those times of plenty, as well as invariably those times of scarcity, in which, it is those tough times, that companies prove their mettle to those that have been loyal workers to that corporation. 

That is to say, corporate profits do not need to be always generously distributed at the very time that they so occur to the elites and to their investors, but rather it would serve the general public better if more profits would be permitted to accumulate on corporate balance sheets, so as to be there, when so needed to be called upon, for those tough times, instead.   After all, job security is going to only be possible within a given corporate structure, if that is an actual priority of that company; so that, those companies that answer only to profit, or earnings, or the short-term, are going to have a strong tendency to care not a whit about job security for those that they employ, because they have prioritized their greed above their obligation to be fair and just to those that have done their good part on behalf of that corporation, in their expectation that the company will do them right and not wrong.

Rip Van Winkle and inflation

Those that are in charge of the Federal Reserve, constantly talk up the benefits of a little bit of inflation, but they don’t seem to want to readily admit that inflation, whether it be a little or a whole lot more than little, is ultimately a very bad brew for those that are classified as “widows and orphans,” of which these people are typically risk averse, with a strong desire to hold onto their capital, first and foremost, in which inflation inexorably serves to erode such. So then, those of the Rip Van Winkle ilk, who prefer to bury their treasure or to put such under their mattress, or invest in conservative treasury bonds, are clearly going to lose in any economic environment in which inflation has turned decidedly in an upward trajectory.  That is to say, in an era of inflation, clearly a dollar of the present day, is not going to have the same value, one year later, but in fact, that money will, because of inflation, have become devalued.

There are a lot of advantages to stability in any business and most importantly when it comes to the coin of the realm.  Those that know that a dollar today, will have the exact same value years later, will find therefore that the planning that they need to make for their business enterprise, for bills, for investment, and for savings, is going to be a lot more straightforward with the foreknowledge that the dollar is stable and therefore not subject to either deflation or inflation.  On the other hand, when the dollar is suffering from being devalued through inflation, there are going to be particular people and businesses that are going to be hurt by such, and of course, there are going to be some others that will make out quite handsomely.

The type of people and businesses that do poorly because of inflation are manifold.  For instance, all those that are risk adverse, and therefore savers of capital as compared to investors of that same capital, as well as all those that have income, of which, that income is not tied to inflation, are in most cases going to do rather poorly vis-à-vis inflation, for what they so have is being systematically eroded in its real value by inflation.  On the other hand, those that are in debt, of which the interest rate for that debt has been fixed at a reasonably low rate, will typically find inflation to be their friend, for they are now paying back their debt with dollars that are materially cheaper than the dollars that they originally borrowed, in the first place.

Another significant problem with inflation, is that people and businesses, because of inflation, and because of their desire to make up the ground that they are losing to inflation, are often going to have to take a higher degree of risk to try to recover or to come out ahead of the inflation rate that they are facing.  That doesn’t make for a more stable construct, but rather adds to the instability of the monetary system, endangering far more people and businesses, simply because the monetary unit is not stable.  Further to the point, inflation is always a reflection that not all is well with the coin of the realm, and those nations that are unable to stabilize their currency run the real risk of not only devaluation in comparison to other nations’ currency, but also the incumbent problems and drama of national insolvency.

Those that hate, often do so, to try to silence the call of their pain

It would seem that there are plenty of people that hate, and the degree of hatred and vitriol expressed in person or through social media, at the present time, would appear to be getting ever progressively worse.  This type of incivility isn’t good for societies, and clearly is a fair reflection that not all is well within America.  The thing about hatred, hateful actions, hateful words, and just plain hate, is that this type of emotion doesn’t just come out of nowhere; but rather it has to typically come from deep within a given person’s psyche, and subsequently this is expressed in negative ways through various toxic frustrations that these people apparently aren’t able to deal with, in any good or constructive way.

Yet, none of us are born in hate, or are born to hate.  This thus signifies that hatred is a trait that is often developed over some extended period of time, of which, one of the primary driving forces of the hate and vitriol that consumes certain people, is their own pain that they feel deep inside, that thereby cries out for satisfaction, and seemingly does not care how it is quieted, just as long as it is silenced, at least, for some period of time.  This is why, therefore, so many people that are themselves hurting and suffering, strike out in such a negative manner towards other people, because they do not know how to effectively treat what is ailing them, so they deliberately find an avenue that will allow them to express themselves in a manner in which they feel powerful for their ability to hurt another and are able therefore to forget their own troubles, at least, for the moment.

This signifies that the people that hate the most, despite whatever façade that they often put on to make themselves appear to be of the norm, are suffering, themselves; signifying that to respond with hate to those that are hateful, isn’t going to do anything of substance to heal the wounds that each party needs to have healed.  Most of those that are quite hateful, have a specific frustration, disappointment, ailment, addiction, tragedy, or some combination of these, that they find to be quite overwhelming and intractable, and because they cannot see a way out, or a way to make progress upon these troubles, decide that the most appropriate response to their pain, is to strike out against others, with the hopeful and sick expectation that by doing so, this will create havoc and hurt upon someone else, which they believe will help to alleviate the emptiness and pain that they feel inside.

Those that are hurting are going to turn to whatever that they believe will bring some sort of satisfaction or solace to the hurt that they so have; of which, some of those people will turn to drugs or drink, whereas others, will express themselves in ways that are destructive and hateful.  None of these things will deal with the crux of the problem, but instead this will simply postpone for a time, the reckoning that so needs to occur, sooner or later, for those that are in pain, are those that desperately need to find a sensible cure.

Germany and its lost African colonies

In the 20th century, all the African colonies that were once under the control of European powers, eventually became free and therefore sovereign from such outside oppression.  The strange thing is that when people think of the colonizers of Africa, Germany is typically not really considered; as opposed to other European nations such as France, Great Britain, Belgium, and to a lesser extent those of, Italy, Spain, and Portugal.  Yet, Germany was a major power in Europe at the beginning of the 20th century, and truth be told, Germany was also a major African colonizer, but having lost World War I to the Allied powers, the Treaty of Versailles, sealed their fate, and Germany’s colonies, were thereby subsequently taken over primarily by Great Britain, France, and Belgium per that treaty.

To a certain extent, because Germany no longer had those colonies, they should be credited for being far less of an oppressor of those that were citizens of Africa, regardless of whether such was voluntarily done or because it was agreed to by treaty; for a deal is a deal, and from 1919, on, Germany had no African colonies; whereas all those other European nations when given the opportunity to liberate such, chose instead to keep them colonized instead.  This thus indicates that Africa, to Europe, at that time, was seen as a place to be exploited for the expressed benefit of those Europeans.  Further to the point, the victors write the history, as well as also being given the chance to change the direction of that history, but when provided with that opportunity, those European powers did not desire to change, and failed to do so for the betterment and fairness of humanity.

Those then that believe the Allies were all good, have clearly got it wrong; for by their actions, in regards to those African colonies, they clearly were not good.  After all, for an African nation that was colonized by Germany, and then subsequently became, for example, colonized by Great Britain, one would be hard pressed to say that this was an improvement, but rather this would seem to follow suit with the idiom, of “out of the frying pan and into the fire; ” in which for those subject African colonies there may well have been advantages in dealing with the devil that they already knew, as compared to the devil that they did not know, but still a devil all the same.

The real important thing to know about these African colonies is that such existed as a form of revenue and as a means of mineral expropriation for those that were its colonizers.  Therefore then, defeating Germany, provided for those that were the victors, an opportunity to extract an even higher share of that wealth from Africa, which therefore meant such booty was essentially redirected from German hands into the hands of other European powers, signifying to a very large extent, that wars between nations as compared to all those other countries, that have “no dog in the fight”, often doesn’t change a thing of substance, other than where the tribute of those that are colonized will be made.

Court fines, fees, interest, penalties and such, imposed upon convicts

One of the first things that a person that is contemplating a lawsuit that involves monetary compensation as being enforced for restitution, needs to think about, is that there usually isn’t any good point in suing someone that doesn’t have the ready funds to make that payment.  Yet, for some reason, the target that the justice system seems to take inordinate pleasure in charging court fines, fees, interest, penalties, collection costs, and surcharges, are typically people that have a net worth that is zero or thereabouts, and are already in rather dire straits; but since they have been convicted of some sort of offense, this is therefore seen as the price that so needs to be paid for their subsequent “freedom.”

It would seem that it isn’t so much “don’t do the crime if you’re not willing to do the time,” but rather this is more akin, to the justice system trying to make a profit from impoverished convicts, or to get some sort of payback from those that are already disadvantaged and poor.  It would seem far better to admit that those that cry the loudest for “law and order” are the very people that should actually pay the fines and surcharges so being currently assessed against the forsaken and destitute convicts; representing, in truth, the fair price of that justice having been enforced in the first place, on their behalf.

The justice system as meted out in America, seems to favor overwhelmingly those that have money in their pocket as compared to all those that don’t.  After all, those that have money typically have the room to maneuver and to negotiate terms; whereas, those that do not, are at the mercy of the court, that seems not to take into fair consideration the reality of this salient fact, that many of those convicted of crimes, are effectively broke, and also without promising prospects.

No great nation, builds their foundation and their greatness upon the backs of those that are the most vulnerable; but rather they take into reasonable consideration, the circumstances that has brought those with little or nothing to their name, to that unfortunate place that they never wanted to be at.  Those that insist that a significant portion of those convicted of crimes should be financially punished until the end of time, aren’t just and they sure aren’t right.  To kick someone when they are down, over and over again, is not only abuse but it is bullying; and it also is not becoming of a nation that purports to represent progress, as well as equal justice under the law.

No doubt, the justice system and the carceral state is a beast that needs to be fed; but why must it feed exclusively upon those that have no real meat?  Rather, America needs to reform itself, and get back to the very basics, of understanding that institutions which are supposed to represent justice, but somehow are never satiated, are destructive to the core of American values, and it is those misguided and misbegotten institutions, that need themselves, to be reformed.

You want to be good, then practice being good

On any given day, we make all sorts of decisions, some good, and some not so good.  For all those, that want to make more good decisions so as to therefore be a better person, and thus, in principle, be good for something and therefore good for others, this is going to necessitate a whole lot of practice.  In other words, as much as we might want to believe that we are born good, and that everything that we deal with subsequently is always going to be good, that isn’t going to be the reality of the situation; but rather, we are going to have to diligently practice being good, as preparation for whatever so comes, expected or unexpected, in order to maintain that goodness for ourselves and for those we interact with.

To a very large extent, we should welcome problems, difficulties, and setbacks; because when everything is going our way, we might not really be learning all that much, and for a certainty, we probably aren’t doing all that we could be doing in order to make this world a better place for our being a part of it.  Therefore, a more productive way of looking at inconvenient problems and such, is one in which this creates for us, our opportunity to make something good out of it; and to the degree that we succeed, so much to the better; whereas, to the degree that we fail, this should therefore be a wake-up call for us to keep on trying to be good and to do right, so that in the future, we will do better.

As they say, a “baptism by fire” is a surefire way to either grow or to regress.  Nevertheless, as much as we might desire to avoid such, recognize that if our own house was on fire, we would strongly prefer that the fire fighters coming to save our home, would be those that have had good experience and previous success in dealing with such, as opposed to those which may well be schooled, but have, to date, been untested.  That is why we need to not only step up, where it is appropriate to step up; but occasionally we need to push ourselves outside of our normal boundaries in order to grow further, because the more experience that we get of which we end up being successful with, the more useful and complete we are, as good human beings.

There wouldn’t be any drama in life, if everybody was a goody two-shoes, but we need not worry about that, because there is always plenty of drama, if not in our immediate vicinity, then for a certainty, outside of it.  While some people, might find such drama to be purposeless, or some might find such unbecoming, the fact of the matter is, most people are at a minimum intrigued by it, if not outright involved in it, willingly or not.  It is that drama, that we need to engage ourselves in, not so to entrap ourselves by it, but rather to prove our mettle in a field in which such proving will provide a real material benefit for others, which is the real-time type of practice, that defines us as good, or as good for nothing.

There should not be any plainclothes police officers

There are plenty of urban areas around America, that quite frankly, are dangerous, especially for those that are members of that community; of which some of the main reasons why this is so would be the guns, the poverty, the lack of opportunity, the violence, as well as often the lack of a good moral compass.  These types of areas, often consist of people that aren’t all that relaxed, that aren’t at ease, and to the large extent, they are agitated and nervous.  In that type of cauldron, to add plainclothes police officers to that mix, is going to be a highly volatile situation, which will invariably lead to regrettable and violent outcomes.  Consider this well, not everything that glitters is actually gold, and not everyone who is in plainclothes and thereupon claims to be a police officer is actually a police officer; to wit, people that have turf to protect, are going to have a strong inclination to protect their turf and to damn the consequences, so of.

When police officers are permitted to try to blend into a community by wearing plainclothes, and to act the part of being someone or something that they actually are not; this is going to lead to some rather bad outcomes, that really do not need to happen.  It is important to acknowledge, that in today’s world, there are all sorts of ways to monitor a given urban area, that does not necessitate plainclothes police officers; such as through snitches, drones, surveillance of all types, wiretaps, and so on and so forth.  Those that really want “boots on the ground” should really make it their policy, that those boots be part of the clear identification of a police officer, rather than some sort of undercover and deceitful policy, which pretty much asks for trouble from the get-go, and almost always ends up getting trouble in the end.

Those that are sworn to protect and to serve, should do so by wearing the colors of their profession, rather then pretending to be something that they are not.  Anytime, that a police officer is in plainclothes for some law enforcement assignment, they are pretending to be something that they are not; in order, apparently to combat crime, by essentially being deceitful, which is never going to be an appropriate way to build trust or acceptance within a given community.

Those that are officers of the law, should lead by example; of which, that example should be that they are forthright, honest, fair, and just.  After all, to entrap or to entice somebody by deception, misdirection, and lying, are not the attributes of a good person, but rather are the refuge of those that are scoundrels and are up to no good.  Those that are paid to uphold the law, should themselves be answerable to that same law, by themselves being obedient to it.  All the words in the world, can’t change the fact, that actions do speak louder than words; and that those then that do not walk the walk of their talk, are not good exemplars for the community and aren’t therefore of benefit to it.

Defund the police, is that the right target?

Lots of people can’t seem to even conceive that there ever was a time without police presence, and police enforcement of the law; but in reality, that simply isn’t historically true, for what we today perceive as the police is a fairly recent iteration of what is essentially a tool so created for the good security of a given community.  Further to the point, more people, need to take to heart that what a police force should represent, which at its best, isn’t some sort of mad intimidating force, but rather should be seen as an aid to the community so as to maintain domestic tranquility.

Today’s police force, is highly militarized, and seems to a very large extent, not to answer a whit to the people, but rather answers to the prosecutorial arm of the state, as well as to those that are the actuators and power players of that given community.  So then, to consider defunding the police, because of the problems that some communities have had with egregiously bad police actions, really necessitates a fundamental change with the prosecutorial arm of the state and its adjuncts; unless, one truly believes that the police pretty much do whatever that they want to do, to whomever that they want to do, and are therefore effectively above the law.  As true as that might seem, the police are better seen as having to answer to those that are above them, which in practicality is the prosecutorial arm of the state and its actuators, of which, those district attorneys, their underlings, community councils, and the like, are the very ones that can make change, if only they would have the courage as well as the follow through to do so.

The problem with bad police actions fundamentally rests with that prosecuting arm of the state, in conjunction with the governance of that community; and all those that think that when police officers join together to protect their turf and therefore when perceived to be necessary, go out on an informal strike, such as the “blue flu” or when they refuse to ticket or arrest people as their form of pushback— must understand that the way real power works, is that the prosecuting arm, needs to, in those types of situations, to put their foot down, so as to give the firm order that such illicit actions will be punished, including termination.  For all those, then, that believe that a police force, gutted out by terminations, and illegal strikes would be devastating to a given community, they should understand that the state in a time of crisis, always has viable options, which includes calling upon the National Guard or similar.

So then, as bad as a police force can be, that police force must actually answer to that prosecutorial arm and its respective governance; and therefore, that prosecutorial arm of the state along with its governance, should, in fact, often be the target of the public’s anger and animus, because it is that prosecutorial arm that has failed to do their good part in controlling that part of law enforcement which is detrimental to the people, prejudicial, or out-of-control.  Those that are the police are not the bosses in any community of any size or importance; rather they are the order takers, and therefore it is those that make the orders, that need to be held accountable, above all.

Reciprocity, trust, and anonymity

We live in a world, in which all sorts of business so conducted as well as social interactions engaged in are increasingly becoming more anonymous, as well as far opaquer; in which, far less frequently are these transactions, open and above table, especially compared to what it was back in the day.  There are obvious problems with that, because those that wear literal masks or figurative ones, are not the same sort of entity as those that are transparent and open.  For an absolute certainty, anonymity is often the refuge of scoundrels, and while that doesn’t mean that all those that have taken on a hidden identity are up to no good, it does mean that the trust level so generated from one fake persona to another, is going to be rather low.  In point of fact, it’s difficult to trust anyone or any organization, if the true identity or objective of such, is obscure or hidden.    Further to the point, when one party is open and forthcoming, whereas the other party does not reciprocate, in kind, this does not bode well for that becoming a trusting type of relationship.

The best way for any relationship to be reciprocal and trusting is for both parties to have a sincere interest in the other.  Certainly, one of the ways that trust is generated, is primarily because the people or the organization so conducting business are already familiar one with another, having previously established a relationship, with a good understanding of what each party values, in turn. A relationship of value does necessitate a true meeting of minds, in which, both parties have a fair understanding of each other’s needs and desires, and try to accommodate one another for mutual benefit.

Regrettably, today’s world seems to be sliding ever faster into far more incivility, made so much easier, because of the anonymity of the multitude of forums available for people to express themselves, and the salient fact that apparently those that are anonymous, need not overly worried about ever being exposed upon it.  That type of interaction, is often not going to be healthy, because the type of person or organization that gravitates to such, typically doesn’t have the other’s best interest in mind, but rather cares more about being irresponsible and propagating their own agenda.

Trust is built upon each party knowing the other; that doesn’t mean though, that they have to be perfectly honest or even upstanding all of time; but rather this reflects that they represent at a minimum to each other, a known quantity with known foibles and known merits.  Additionally, trust is built on not only reciprocity, but on the implied understanding that each party has a desire to keep that relationship, intact, because they value it.  Those that are in it only for the short term, or by their inclinations are mercurial, so that they essentially cannot ever be successfully pinned down – aren’t going to be trustworthy, they aren’t going to be true, and thus they represent something that is not really deserving of our time and effort, because they have not done their good part to be a responsible person to us, preferring instead to be irresponsible, and therefore unworthy of our trust.

Asserting your will without acquiescence over another is almost always wrong

Lots of people like to have their way, and many of those same people, are not averse to doing just about whatever it takes to have their way over another.  Those then, that cross the line to outright manipulation, exploitation, deceit, trickery, and violence in order to have what they believe that they have a right to have, are the very people that have allowed their selfish desires to override their common decency, as well as their good common sense.  While it’s absolutely fine to desire and to want things, one’s will should work in conjunction and cooperation with others, as opposed to demanding this or that from another, through one’s sheer force of will or worse.  Further to the point, those that are enamored of their power and their will, so as to have their way, don’t seem to properly comprehend that each person is sovereign to their own self, with their respective right to their own desires and their own will, as well.

To believe that the highest nature of humankind, is essentially that might makes right, or one’s social position, or status, or money, or this or that makes for what is practicality defined as right, therefore means that the superior within this context, should be served by the inferior, which hardly seems fair or just.  Different people have different things, and different people want different things; and none of these people in the scheme of things is exactly equal in regards to their intelligence, accomplishments, means, and background; but what they are equal in, is that they are all entitled to their own free-will, their own viewpoint, and their own beliefs.

To assert one’s will over another in a way and means in which there is never a fair meeting of those respective minds just isn’t right, for the forcing of one’s way over another, is not therefore a collaboration, but rather represents, instead, dominance of one over the other.  Those that are unable to come to a successful resolution about what is so being discussed, often need to table that for another day, rather than having one party taking advantage of another, while there is still a legitimate disagreement in the air.

It isn’t that one should never assert their will, because there are, however, those times when the other party is incapacitated in some respect or that they are not of age, and therefore, they are better served by a sensible person acting on behalf of them, for their ultimate betterment.  That said, more people need to keep foremost in their mind, that we need to constantly monitor, and if necessary, sensor our mind; for those that let their desires to have free rein, so as to thereby overrule and to override the respect that we owe one another, will find that bad things and unnecessary conflicts are going to invariably happen.   

We, as adults, need to remember that we are no longer little children, of which, some of those as little children have had a previous tendency to claim everything as if it was their own, even when this clearly wasn’t always the case, and would thereby protect or claim what they considered to be theirs, through whatever means was necessary for them to do that.  At least, what little children do is somewhat excusable, for they are just little children; whereas, adults should and ought to know better that to assert one’s will as if that is all that matters, and damn the consequences, so of, is all so very wrong.

Pre-conviction incarceration

The International Centre for Prison Studies, tells us that “…roughly 480,000 people sit in America's local jails awaiting their day in court;” signifying that for these unfree individuals, that the fact that the foundation of American jurisprudence which is the presumed innocence of everyone until proven guilty in a court of law, is essentially a falsehood for all those that are incapable of coming up with the bail amount so stipulated in court.  It would perhaps be seen as a minor but acceptable inconvenience if the amount of time that those that cannot meet bail, was found to be simply a mere number of hours, or perhaps a couple of days; but, in fact, The International Centre for Prison Studies, tells us that, detainees “…waited a median of 68 days in jail,” which is an absolute outrage and a clear injustice for these incarcerated, but non-convicted people.  Think about it, those that are in jail for 68 days, convicted of nothing, have in all likelihood, lost their place of residence, along with their car having been towed for non-payment, their credit destroyed, and their livelihood filled by someone else.  Those that are in jail, lose everything of value, because they do not have the ways, the means, or the wherewithal to hold onto the little that they do have.

None of the above is fair, and further to the point, none of this appears to be in conformance with the 6th Amendment to the Constitution, which provides the defendant with the right to a speedy trial, which they certainly aren’t getting, because the trial part hasn’t even begun for them; rather they are incarcerated, pending a trial or some other fair resolution to the charges so made against them.  To justify the taking away of a given person’s freedom, the government, should be held to the highest standard possible, and when it is estimated that nearly ½ million Americans are incarcerated for a meaningful amount of time at any given time during a calendar year, without having been convicted of a thing, there is something seriously flawed within American jurisprudence.

The incarceration of anyone, should be something that is the proper punishment for a conviction of a given crime.  It should not be used as a way and means to keep those that the government cares not a whit about, so as to keep them essentially segregated from the general population; but the thing is that’s pretty much what the government does, time and time, again.  In America, it is a crime to be poor, it is a crime to be non-championed, it is a crime to be the underclass, and it is a crime to be the forsaken.  There isn’t any valid reason for America to do this to the disadvantaged, except as a means of punishment, intimidation, coercion, and crowd control.  In reality, this reflects what America is in actuality, which it is not a democracy, which it is not a republic, but rather it is a police state, intolerant of all those that they believe have no value and no good purpose to the state, and therefore fair game for that police state to put their boot upon their necks, knowing that by doing so, a clear message has been sent, that appropriate subservience and obedience to the state, trumps justice, fairness, and liberty, every single day.    

It doesn’t have to be a zero-sum game

There are lots of people and organizations that believe that competition is a good thing; and in certain situations, and aspects, they are right.  Then again, when competition is taken to the extreme, in which the “win at all costs” is the fixed mindset, many people and organizations will go to extreme lengths to do what they feel they need and should do to get what they believe they have a right to get. That type of competition isn’t healthy, because it often consists, at least in part, of lying, cheating, exploitation, and outright thievery which are not attributes that are healthy for any society of any merit.  Further to the point, any construct in which the game as played, is essentially a zero-sum game, in which one side therefore gains something, whereas, the other side must correspondingly lose something, isn’t going to bring out the best in people, but more than likely, it’s going to bring out the worst.

There is a lot to be said about the value of cooperation, as well as of collaboration, as quite obviously being a far healthier construct to build societies upon.  After all, when each party to a transaction believes that they are getting a fair benefit from that transaction and that structure, this encourages people and organizations to work harder, to stay focused, and to strive towards their collective goals, for the overall benefit of those so engaged.  To a very large extent the limitations of humankind, are self-imposed limitations, for there isn’t any compelling reason to believe that the correct viewpoint for the world at large, is that this is a zero-sum world, for if that be the case, the future holds no promise, expect perhaps for the very, very few, and even those very few, are not secure, forever.  On the other hand, in a collaborative world, in which we are all truly in this together, there is a sensible reason to keep on keeping on, for the promise of that world, is the promise of a united world, working together for the greater good.

Even in the capitalistic world, it doesn’t need to always be a cutthroat competition, as if somehow this fairly separates the deserving from the undeserving; when, in fact, in many instances it is more of a separation between those that are ruthless and will stop at nothing in order to get what they so desire, as compared to those that play by the rules and are a good neighbor within their community.  Those that believe, that somehow one always reaps more by using fear, intimidation, force, and misdirection; seem not to comprehend that a more inclusive society that works with people, that values those people, and provides those people with a fair shake and a fair say in a given enterprise is a far better and safer environment to be in.  Remember this well, while greed does indeed drive certain people to get this or that done, it seldom brings out the best attributes from those very capable people; whereas, those that cooperate and collaborate are the very people that are built to last, for what they so desire to achieve, requires teamwork, and from this alliance of many, they work together as one.     

The lie of the “lost cause”

All sorts of people want to write history in a manner in which such is distorted in a way, that it can become for these people, a call to a specific “lost cause” – though, in truth, such never really existed at that time and age.  For instance, some people in the South, even of today, want to desperately believe that the Southern rebellion against their National Government was honorable, justified, a principle of States’ rights, and therefore the right thing to do; though, truth be told, this is a lie, that deserves no quarter, whatsoever.  For instance, though Lincoln did not win a single Southern State, he won enough States that the election of 1860 was fairly won by Lincoln, and thereupon Lincoln became the 16th President of these United States.  Those of the South, would not countenance such an election result, though, and thereby decided to secede from that Union of States.  The thing is, that such discussion of secession, had been dealt with previously by President Andrew Jackson, who made it abundantly clear that secession was misguided, unconstitutional, and “…disunion, by armed force, is TREASON.”  Further to the point, Lincoln’s First Inaugural Address stated that “In your hands, my dissatisfied fellow-countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The Government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressors.”  The very reason why Lincoln stated what he stated, was his absolute belief that the highest law of the land was our Constitution, and of which, that Constitution, did not forbid slavery, nor did it permit the abolition of slavery, and therefore, despite Lincoln’s personal animus towards slavery, Lincoln would not interfere, without rebellious circumstances, with that peculiar institution.

One would think, that if there were any sensible people of importance in the South, that Lincoln’s Inaugural Address would have been music to their ears; for if the most important institution in the South, was that peculiar institution of slavery, then Lincoln, so made it clear, that he as the Executive of that nation, would not interfere in such.  Instead, the South, deliberately chose to secede, and further to the point, took up arms against the United States of America.  It was these combined treasonous acts, which thereupon led to the Emancipation Proclamation of January 1, 1863, and subsequently the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution, which together, meant the death kneel of slavery as an institution in the United States of America.

In other words, the South never had a “lost cause,” but rather took the law into its own hands while also negating the National ballot box, to do what they thought they had a right to do, thereby instituting that great civil war, which saw the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens so perish or to become injured in such; along with the massive amount of property so destroyed and damaged.  The fact that those that were defeated, felt a need to attempt to rewrite history in a manner in which there was some sort of justification for their actions, is a disgrace to these United States, and a smear upon all those that gave their last dying breath to this nation, founded upon freedom, opportunity, justice, and equality.    All those that brought trouble, where trouble need not have been brought, should be remembered for who they really were – unpatriotic, uncivil, traitorous, and the damned.