Travel Insurance is a con

There are some types of insurance that are pretty much mandated as well as often being prudent, such as home insurance, health insurance, and automobile insurance, of which each of these entities are both regulated and are also well established.  Then there are all sorts of other insurance, or warranty extensions, that appear to be suspect on the surface, and may or may not have any real value.  For instance, the first hint that travel insurance is for most people, going to be a mistake to purchase, is the fact that the decision process as presented, isn’t typically being done by the consumer as in the sense of the customer actually searching on their own for various travel insurance companies and thereby finding the right fit; but rather it typically is a pop-up or option that shows up on their screen as an add-on to their purchase.  This thus signifies, that those that are selling the airfare, the cruise, or this or that, have designed their websites so that these pop-ups are part of the process, which leads to the quite obvious question, as to whether this option for travel insurance, is the equivalency of a non-profitable service item for the consideration of the customer, or whether it is, what it has to be, an add-on option at a high profit margin.

After all, travel insurance, is not a charitable organization, it’s a for-profit enterprise, and when that travel insurance is presented to the consumer as something as easy as clicking “yes”, then for a certainty those that are making that offer at the price so being offered, have done their homework; whereas, the consumer, typically, has not.  Further to the point, travel insurance is a con, because it seldom, if ever, is telling the full story; of which, if it was, it would in the interest of full disclosure, indicate to the consumer that there are some credit cards, for instance, that provide travel insurance as part of having that credit card.  Additionally, having travel insurance does not mandate that the purchase so being made must be on the same website in which the booking has been initiated, because when travel insurance is pursued through a true third-party site, the deal is almost always going to be of more potential value for the consumer, because the “middleman”, that is, the website so used to book the travel, is no longer getting their cut.

The other thing about travel insurance is that as in most every insurance so bought, there are terms and conditions to them; of which, most people don’t have the interest or are willing to take the time to actually read those terms and conditions; so that, when there comes that time when the customer wants to avail themselves of that travel insurance, they may just find to their dismay, that it doesn’t actually work the way that they thought it was going to work.  The other thing, is that part of the travel insurance model is to play upon people’s fears and to therefore, for what appears to be a reasonable price, offer them some security; but the thing is that money spent where it doesn’t really need to be spent, is money wasted, which is, in so many words, a con.

Great Britain’s “Licensing of the Press Act 1662”

Freedom of the press is one of the seminal rights that those who are Americans are fortunate to have, and this right, is of absolute critical importance to the general public -- for when on the contrary the government strictly controls what can or cannot be written for public dissemination, because such writing must be authorized by that government, then this type of restriction and censorship of the press serves to control the narrative per that governmental preference under the threat of the power that the government so wields.

At the time of Britain’s “Licensing of the Press Act,” this Act stipulated that those presses that were unlicensed had no right to print anything, and therefore anything printed without having been appropriately licensed by the authorized governmental representatives of Great Britain, would therefore have to suffer the consequences, so of.  Unsurprisingly, those then, that were licensed to print, knew that in order to remain in the good graces of their government, that they would have to therefore “voluntary” print only that which was in conformance to what the government desired to see printed, which, quite obviously, is a de facto form of censorship.

While freedom of the press, has to a very large extent, been very robust in America, that in itself is not a guarantee, that this particular freedom, will not suffer some serious restrictions in the future.  In fact, certain significant parts of America are devolving into believing that some forms of speech, are just too divisive, too hateful, too fake, and too this and too that, so that this speech should not be allowed to be expressed; typically, so justified under the hallmark of this being for not only the greater good of society, but also to improve the civility, so of.  While, those sentiments do seem to make sense on one level, that isn’t at its core, what free speech and what a free press is all about; because freedom, in and of itself, means that each of us has the right, to say things that might well be uncomfortable, inappropriate, untrue or pretty much wrong.

Again, freedom of the press, is a right, and that right is not subject to being restricted, because of certain people or governmental representatives, that want to control the narrative per their particular preference, as if they, alone, should be the new licensing agents of the government.  Again, it can’t be emphasized enough, that when the press is subject to being licensed or its equivalency, that the people, therefore lose the vibrancy and cacophony of many different viewpoints as well as also experiencing limited diverse thinking and innovative ideas, all in the name of orthodoxy and conformity, as if “cookie cutter” citizens are somehow the ideal citizens, when they are not.

The whole point of having a free press, is to demonstrate our respect that each person should have the opportunity to think for themselves, and that it so follows that what we do not need at all, is to give in to those that desire to limit or repress such a press, under the guise of it being for our own benefit, when in reality, it’s for their benefit, at the expense of our own.

What about the children?

We read at americanprogress.org, that “In America, nearly 11 million children are poor.”  There are all sorts of people, coming from all walks of life, that believe that adults should duly have to suffer from having made their own poor choices, or by not applying themselves, or from this or from that – which, on some level, might even make some sense.  The thing is, though, what doesn’t make much sense is that children, that have been born into this country, of which, this is the richest nation that the world has ever known, should themselves have to suffer simply for being born into the wrong family, at the wrong time, and at the wrong place, as if they, the children, should therefore duly suffer for their parent’s faults, lacks, bad decisions and bad fate.

The amount of childhood poverty, in America, which does fluctuate year to year, depending upon the economy, politics, and other factors, has never been successfully eradicated or reduced to a respectable level, ever; and yet other countries with less aggregate wealth than America have substantially lower poverty rates than the United States of America, which is to America’s great shame.  No doubt, there are plenty of reasons why America’s poverty rate is so persistent, of which, it would seem that the best advice to begin to seriously ameliorate such, would be to make it public policy that every child in this country be fairly entitled to a good education, a safe neighborhood, good healthcare, fair opportunity, and a clean environment. 

The true hope for America, now and into the future, rests with the youth of America, and when that youth is properly permitted to develop themselves so as to become responsible, diligent, hard-working, and well-educated citizens of this land, then the end result is going to be beneficial for America, especially when those that make up the consort of that youth, is as inclusive as possible.  The biggest mistake that America makes, time and time again, is to essentially create a nation in which being poor and disadvantaged, is the equivalency for a sizeable amount of our youth, to being denied having a real possibility or hope to become something of merit.

This thus means, that America, needs to, on a community basis, on a house-by-house basis, on an apartment-by-apartment basis, on a family-by-family basis, fairly provide to everyone in need, the accouterments that will help assure that the youth of today will be provided with the fair opportunity to get a sound education, as well as to have good social skills, and thereupon have real hope.

Those that truly want to see the cycle of poverty broken in America, must know for a certainty, that the best opportunity to do so, begins with the children, who at a young age, want to learn, as well as to explore, and are thereupon eager to take on life.  What hurts children more than anything, is the negativity of being in an unsafe neighborhood without good mentors, a bad educational environment, poor healthcare, food insecurity, poverty, and an infrastructure which is sorely lacking in just about everything that is of value.  In truth, when we do not provide our children with a fair shake to begin with, and insist that they pull themselves up by their own bootstraps, we need to honestly admit that it isn’t possible to do so, when that child has no boots to begin with, and is also barefoot.

Government as a covenant between it and its people

Far too many people aren't able to properly conceptualize what good governance should really look like, let alone how it should properly function; but rather they have a strong tendency instead to believe that government is something that is separate and apart from the people, of which this government is also often unanswerable to them, and therefore a world onto its own.  The point of good governance is the conscious recognition that government at its best, is competently represented by the people, through its duly elected representatives, which by open debate and lively discussion, creates appropriate legislation, that makes for good law, that in its effect promotes the general welfare of the people.  So too, governments are necessary for the common defense of the people as well as often being the most appropriate source for the funding and subsequent building of necessary infrastructure for the benefit of those people.

When it comes to civil governance, perception does matter; of which, it would behoove the United States to put forth a more concentrated effort to impress upon its own people, that they need to be active, informed, and engaged participants with their government, along with its citizens having the clarity to know that governments are instituted among the people under their consent; thereby, essentially setting up what would be considered to be a covenant between the people and its government.

Those then, that are able to see their government as being a partner with them, in which, therefore  each citizen has not only a say, but also has their unalienable rights, that are  thereby protected, secured, and promoted by that government, makes for a construct in which the citizens feel more of an obligation to then do their fair part to be of assistance to their government, with the reassurance that in return, their government will be of aid and of value to them, for what they are so trying to achieve for the betterment of their lives.

In reality, good governance necessitates a two-way street, in which, meaningful civic duties and sacrifices are made by the people, in return for the advantages that come from the uniting of many people into that which makes for a good and stable society.  So too, the point of taxation, is for those monies that are collected by the government, to be subsequently used for the necessary things, so needed, for the good functioning of society, as well as to also redistribute funds to those that are its most vulnerable.  Additionally, laws are created, not as a means to oppress the people, but rather as a tool to encourage that which should be encouraged, and to discourage that which should be discouraged.

It would be far healthier for civil society, if it would readily come to the belief, that their government, really represents a covenant in which each party to that covenant has a necessary and vital role to play in it; for governments are meant to be of service to the people, and thereby answerable to those same people, on behalf of those people, so as to create a good union of, for, and by the people.

England's Religious Act of Uniformity of 1558

Religion plays a vital and important role in many people's lives, and of which, many a country has historically had a favored or expressed authorized religion that they exclusively support, in which, those that kowtow to such, are the beneficiaries so of, and those that do not, are prone to suffer the consequences of having an unorthodox belief.  In the case of England, that country purposefully broke away from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century, to establish their own religion, thereafter known as the Church of England, of which, the “Defender of the Faith” of that religion was the same personage as the Monarch of England, thereby signifying that the population answered to that Monarch, in their faith as well as in their everyday life.

A significant number of countries do not desire to have a population that would be susceptible to having a divided loyalty, especially when that loyalty is divided between this world and the afterworld, of which, the workaround for precluding this, is typically to have a governmental sponsored orthodox religion that all must pay obeisance to.  In England at the time of their Religious Act of Uniformity, all those that failed to adhere to the terms of that uniformity, by, for instance, not faithfully worshiping at the authorized church each and every week, were subject to monetary fines; and if caught in the reading of unauthorized religious devotionals or through their physical attendance at a state banned religious institution could thereby have initiated against them criminal sanctions.

The United States, though, was founded upon a different and a highly noble principle, which they made part and parcel of their national creed, which is that freedom of worship, deserved to be a Constitutional right, freely given to all, and that therefore it so followed that the national government could not ever have an established religion of their own, which that government continues to faithfully honor to the present day.  So then, whether a given person is religious in the traditional sense or not, freedom of worship always matters because this essentially represents whether or not the common citizen is susceptible to having their freedom of conscience, violated, by the power and intrusion of the state.

Any government that has stolen a given person's sovereignty of their conscience, has taken away the most critical element of what it so means to be at liberty, for when that government tries to control, to monitor, or to manipulate the minds of its population, it has forsaken being a government so created for the general welfare of the people, to instead representing outright oppression by its entering into the very minds of its people, for often its own nefarious purposes.

When it comes to our religious faith, our beliefs, our thoughts, and our dreams, these are ours to own, and it is not the business of any legitimate government to interfere in such, but rather it is their business to see that these are properly protected and remain inviolable.  All those that would attempt to control us, don't seem to rightly comprehend that free will, and free beliefs, are what define us as human beings, for we are not meant to be automatons.

The government needs to tax appropriately the superrich and megacorporations

The United States is the richest nation that the world has ever known, along with it also correspondingly having the largest Federal budget of any nation in the world.  Yet, within a construct in which individuals are responsible for paying their bills and taxes, and therefore of being individually fiscally responsible or thereby duly suffering the consequences, so of –- the very government that they are a part of, has consistently in the 21st century, been fiscally irresponsible, by persistently running massive fiscal deficits, year-after-year.

There does come a time when the piper must be paid, for all of that federal debt so accumulated; yet, America seems to believe that they alone, out of any nation in the history of this world, need not be subject to that very law.  However, those then, that comprehend that the stability of the nation's currency is vital to its future success, know that America does need to get its house in order, and that further, it has the capability to do so even at the present time.

There are two basic ways to balance a budget and/or to create a surplus, of which one of those ways is to reduce governmental expenditures and the other is to increase tax revenues, or to do both, simultaneously.  When it comes to tax revenues, by far, the biggest flaw of America's current tax policies is their inability to collect a meaningful amount of  taxation from those that have the lion's share of the nation's wealth.  For instance, we  read at cnbc.com that, ''The wealthiest 1% of Americans controlled about $41.52 trillion.“  Also, as noted by Bernie Sanders,“In 1952, the corporate income tax accounted for 33 percent of all federal tax revenue. Today, despite record-breaking profits, corporate taxes bring in less than 9 percent.“

One of those things, that most Americans, can't seem to readily comprehend is just how much profit, American corporations are capable of, in which, a prime example would be the absolute gargantuan amount of profit that Apple generated in 2021, which was $94.7 billion in net income; and that was just in one fiscal year!  So then, because this government  has not appropriately taxed the wealth of the superrich, including not deliberately targeting and subsequently taxing at a meaningful level the megaprofits of these superrich megacorporations that have consistently generated billions upon billions in profit, on a yearly basis, then there just isn't any real way that the Federal budget will be balanced or will display a surplus anytime soon, because when the entities that have all the money are lightly taxed, that shortfall, is not going to be made up, elsewhere.

Of course, there are few people or corporations, for that matter, that really like to pay taxes, which is the probable reason why superrich people and corporations, have quite obviously “gamed“ the system so that they pay the minimal amount of taxation that they can pay, thereby allowing them to have even more power and influence then they already have.  Clearly, our present day government is either heavily influenced by these superrich players or it has been effectively co-opted by them.

This thus signifies that the prevailing winds will not change for governmental fiscal responsibility, until there comes that time, if ever, when those with all the money are deliberately targeted and subsequently aptly taxed by that government of, for, and by the people.

“What each individual wills is obstructed by everyone else, and what emerges is something that no one willed.”

The above quote comes from the hand of Frederick Engels, and within this sentiment is a profound truth.  That truth is that each of us has desires, and because each of us is different, then not too surprisingly, our desires are not going to be the same desire for each of us, or even in sync, or in harmony, one with another, and when a multitude of desires are all fighting for the same space, the end result is going to inevitably be the conflict of those different desires.

Now, this doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t have our own desires or hopes, but rather it must be recognized that when everybody is about exclusively their own agenda, and therefore they believe that asserting their will, is the only thing that matters, then the end result cannot possibly be anything other than chaos and disharmony. 

Those then, that are able to accept the fact that every person is entitled to the same rights as well as their own individual viewpoint along with everyone else, should therefore understand that the best way for individuals to have a better and more positive experience is to find commonality with one another as well as to have a better understanding, that we all are in this present environment, together.   So too, it's important that what we typically desire for ourselves, preferably be something of merit, as compared to something exclusively of self-interest, because, unsurprisingly those things that we selfishly desire, are going to typically be self-serving, and therefore not of real interest to most others, and when a significant amount of people have that same type of mindset, then the end result is going to be that nobody really gets their way, and just about everybody in society, loses.

The main reason why so many plans so developed for the betterment of society, don't ever seem to work out as well as expected, is because those that are on the same team often aren't actually fully unified in purpose or intent.  Instead, far too often, in far too many situations, we find that there are actually hidden agendas, misdirection, cliques, and just about everything conceivable that serves to undermine the noble purpose of what is supposed to be accomplished for the greater good.

A world in which everybody just cares about their own self, or their own circle, is never going to be a world that is going to be anything other than what we so see today, which is a world that is often filled with conflict, hatred, and injustice.  So then, in order to evolve to the next level, we need to think less about our own self, and take into our collective psyche, instead, that those that are joined together in a common cause, to thereby develop into a well-oiled machine are going to progress a lot further, as a cohesive package, because they have less flaws, and more corresponding virtues. 

In truth, those that will the best of the other, and do their good part to help achieve that goal on behalf of society, are going to find the end result to be a lot more pleasing, then those that just want what they want, and don't seem to comprehend that selfishness seldom works out the way that we thought it would.

Those that desire Constitutional rights must honor their civic duties

While each of us has been gifted by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, in order to protect, add, and to enhance those rights, governments are constituted amongst the governed, to protect and to secure those rights, receiving their just powers from the consent of those so governed, and of which each of those people of that nation, has a responsible role to play to do their fair part to uphold those rights, now and into the future.

In any society, there are always going to be those that are more engaged and more involved than others, but everybody, without exception, has a part that they should play, or in fairness to that society, one could make a fair argument, that all those that refuse to engage in their civic duties, are parasitic to that society.  This thus signifies that the good governance of this nation, needs to do a better job of teaching its own people that all rights come with attendant responsibilities, and part of those responsibilities are our civic duties, so done on behalf of the people.

It seems as if there are plenty of people, that know their rights, such as their freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and freedom of assembly.  Yet, for some of these same people, when they are questioned about what civic duties that they are responsible to, and therefore to list some examples of those duties, so done, or at least contemplated upon, they seem to draw a complete blank, except perhaps to mention something about paying their taxes or obeying the law.  While, no doubt, taxes so paid and law-abiding citizens have their place -- civic duties, typically consist of constructive actions that involve people getting together, in a common cause, to help make their community a better place, such as in cleaning up the environment, building a structure, gardening in a common area, tutoring, and so on and so forth.

Part of the reason why it seems as if Americans have lost touch with their responsibilities to their civic society that they are a part of, is probably because this isn’t taught as well as it could be taught within the public-school systems.  To live in a world in which so many people seem to be just about their own self, and it’s only about their desires and nothing much more beyond that, isn’t going to be a construct that is going to work well for the long term for any society, because without a nation which has cohesion from working and playing together, then that nation has a strong tendency to eventually devolve into warring factions.

It's important for people to comprehend that our rights provided to us by our Constitution, is actually a two-way street, and if we are not willing to devote the time and energy to sustain those rights, then, quite frankly, there isn’t any good reason why we should continue to have them, because those not willing to do their fair share to fight for those rights, by doing their civic duty, have vacated their fair right to them.

“You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free”

The above scripture comes from John 8: 32, and for those that would take the time and the consideration to truly ponder and to thereby contemplate upon this beautiful wisdom, they will discover, sooner or later, that it is truth, and truth, alone, that frees us from the binding and restricting cords of illusion, delusion, and deceit.

While there are those people, that like to play mind games, in the illogical belief, for instance, that their truth is not the same as another person’s truth, but believing somehow that these both are still truths, nevertheless; have failed to properly comprehend that these are quite obviously, deceits of the mind, that serve no good purpose, whatsoever.  There is only one truth, and that truth, never changes, for it is immutable, which signifies that a truth that changes with the day, time, subjectivity, and desires of the time, isn’t a truth at all.  Further to the point, to believe that our human perceptions or our human mind, is the highest possible intelligence that could ever be achievable or fathomable is not correct.  Rather, each of us would be wiser, if we were each a bit humbler, so that we would be more cognizant that beyond the perception of our common senses, that there must be an obvious unseen order in this universe, and that it is our duty, as well as our calling, to find that order and thereby to conform with it, so as to thereby know the truth of our existence.

The reason that the truth sets us free, is that anytime that we live within a construct that denies us the ability to see, to know, and to live to that truth, then we are living within a dimension which has entrapped us and taken us away from liberty.  Additionally, each one of us should want to know the truth, because to base our lives and our desires upon that which is either incorrect in substance, or that which is a deception in form, is going to inevitably lead to the very frustrations and miseries that so many of us suffer unduly from. 

It must also be stated, that knowing the truth, while making us free from delusion, still does not mean for a certainty, that we will avail ourselves correctly of that powerful knowledge; for there is many a person, that takes illicit substances that thereupon addles their mind or makes poor decisions that they knowingly are conscious of as being stupid, ill-advised, or wrong, but they go ahead and do so, anyway, of which, that is indeed the downfall and error of so many.

The very foundation of knowledge, is truth, for that which is not true, is not knowledge.  Therefore, it behooves those that are seeking for that which is worthy of their true being, to seek for that which will be the end of all further searches, which is the truth of our existence; and from that truth, so lived, this will be the corresponding end of our many sorrows, for that which is truth, is timeless, unchanging, liberating, and joyful.

Those that desire Constitutional rights must honor their civic duties

While each of us has been gifted by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, in order to protect, add, and to enhance those rights, governments are constituted amongst the governed, to protect and to secure those rights, receiving their just powers from the consent of those so governed, and of which each of those people of that nation, has a responsible role to play to do their fair part to uphold those rights, now and into the future.

In any society, there are always going to be those that are more engaged and more involved than others, but everybody, without exception, has a part that they should play, or in fairness to that society, one could make a fair argument, that all those that refuse to engage in their civic duties, are parasitic to that society. This thus signifies that the good governance of this nation, needs to do a better job of teaching its own people that all rights come with attendant responsibilities, and part of those responsibilities are our civic duties, so done on behalf of the people.

It seems as if there are plenty of people, that know their rights, such as their freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and freedom of assembly. Yet, for some of these same people, when they are questioned about what civic duties that they are responsible to, and therefore to list some examples of those duties, so done, or at least contemplated upon, they seem to draw a complete blank, except perhaps to mention something about paying their taxes or obeying the law. While, no doubt, taxes so paid and law-abiding citizens have their place -- civic duties, typically consist of constructive actions that involve people getting together, in a common cause, to help make their community a better place, such as in cleaning up the environment, building a structure, gardening in a common area, tutoring, and so on and so forth.

Part of the reason why it seems as if Americans have lost touch with their responsibilities to their civic society that they are a part of, is probably because this isn’t taught as well as it could be taught within the public-school systems. To live in a world in which so many people seem to be just about their own self, and it’s only about their desires and nothing much more beyond that, isn’t going to be a construct that is going to work well for the long term for any society, because without a nation which has cohesion from working and playing together, then that nation has a strong tendency to eventually devolve into warring factions.

It's important for people to comprehend that our rights provided to us by our Constitution, is actually a two-way street, and if we are not willing to devote the time and energy to sustain those rights, then, quite frankly, there isn’t any good reason why we should continue to have them, because those not willing to do their fair share to fight for those rights, by doing their civic duty, have vacated their fair right to them.

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’”

The above scriptural passage comes from 1 Corinthians 15: 33, and it is as true as it was spoken back then, as it is so today. Those that believe, that their good character, will always triumph over evil, sin, and the like, don’t seem to comprehend how insidious and corrupting bad company can actually be. For instance, the greatest evil in this world, doesn’t typically come forth from people that look and behave like evil, or even necessarily from those that speak with a lot of vitriol and hatred; but rather, evil has a way of finding a path into people by often giving the illusion of one thing, but representing at its core, something far more sinister and wrong.

While confidence has its place, it is difficult for even the best of us, to remain and to be forever diligent at all times and at all seasons, day-by-day -- for many of us, in order to get done what needs to be done, have a strong tendency to let down our guard, if not so immediately, at least after some period of time with others. That is to say, as good as the defense that we might have as part of our natural good character, what we often find is that when nothing untoward appears to have occurred to us or has been perceived by us, there is thereby a common tendency to be far less leery of that which deserves to be held at a respectful distance.

Quite clearly, we don’t always know bad company, by simply the looks of it, for sometimes such bad company doesn’t begin to rear its ugly head, until they have us in a somewhat compromising position, and then for a certainty, we know that we aren’t where we need or should be. Of course, there are also those cases of bad company that are pretty cut and dry from the get-go, but we, for instance, let our natural curiosity get the better of us, or believe that a little of this or a little of that, doesn’t fundamentally change who we are -- never seeming to comprehend that the first step in the wrong direction, is often followed by yet another step in that same wrong direction. All that said, it is also true, that not everything that appears to be of bad company is actually bad company, for sometimes our prejudgment is seriously wrong, so that we have, in effect, an obligation to be just, fair, and kind to the degree that we are so capable, to all people that we come across, but we need also to be cognizant that we must remain always steadfast and true to our good character and thereby prudent, so of.

There are a multitude of ways to be deceived, of which, sometimes such deceiving is done by the other party; whereas, other times we deceive ourselves, by wanting to believe something is fine and harmless, while knowing in our heart, that this isn’t really true. We are, by nature, social creatures, which can lend itself to congregating with those that don’t have our best interests in mind, of which, God has provided us with the free will as well as the discernment, so that in those uncomfortable situations, we can by our own volition, walk away.

Offshore banking, cryptocurrency, and found money

Never have so many institutions and people availed themselves of cryptocurrency investments and offshore banking firms as is so happening today.  Typically, those that are up to no good, and therefore need not only plausible deniability, but desperately do not want tax authorities or any other authority for that matter, to know their financial business or the amount of their offshore financial assets, find that the lure of offshore banking with its deliberate labyrinth structure to be ideal to hide their assets and therefore to permit these people and institutions to thereby make all sorts of secretive investments as well as to take other actions, without the conscious concern that they will be found out.

While it almost goes without saying, that such opaqueness and the hiding of assets in order to avoid taxation or civil forfeiture and the like, is beneficial exclusively for the party so engaging in such; this though is not the entire truth, for in reality, those offshore banking institutions, count on one very important fact, which is that some of these people, such as, for instance, highly placed individuals in unstable governments, as well as high-level drug traffickers, aren’t necessarily going to be alive for the long run.  This thus signifies, that when the impenetrability to those assets is incredibly secure, that when a given person dies or essentially becomes disappeared, that even those that had a pretty good inkling that these former people or institutions held cryptocurrency or had offshore banking assets, that they themselves are often going to find it very problematic to secure those assets as next of kin, or fellow business partner, and so on and so forth.  In other words, offshore banking institutions, delight in structuring assets in such a way, that the provability of the ownership of such, along with the appropriate beneficiary, so of, is a difficult task to prove, signifying that those assets that remain dormant for a suitable period of time, essentially become “found capital” for those offshore banking enterprises.

That said, at least for those with offshore banking accounts, there is a reasonable chance, that money so lost, might be re-discovered; as compared to cryptocurrency which prides itself on having no central authority and no paper trail, signifying that those that were so fortunate as to have a significant amount of assets in cryptocurrency, don’t have any good recourse against someone else extracting such through coercion and force, or should they subsequently simply become a non-person, so to speak, the asset in essence, is no longer theirs.

Those then, that are using all the tricks of the trade to hide their valuable assets, might seem to be always having the best of it, but when unexpected and unanticipated events happen, the end result may be, that the money that was earmarked for themselves, family, or their associates, might just end up in the hands of that offshore banking institution, that basically has the found money, and are not too surprisingly, somewhat reluctant to let go of it; and even if they do give it up, they typically have very good control of the narrative, and hence not all that is returned to somebody that has proven their legitimate provenance, is all that was actually there.

Towards a more robust Affirmative Action

Affirmative Action is the law of the land, of which the intended purpose of this law was meant to increase the representation of those that have historically been denied a fair and equal opportunity in regards to their education and employment, because of discrimination, both overt and covert, so done, in respect to their specific characteristics, such as their race or creed, which thereby has served to impede these people from educational achievements and good employability because of such discrimination so sustained against them over an extended period of time – of which, it was determined that this nation would thereby make it their policy to correct such, by taking affirmative action, so of. 

While Affirmative Action may indeed be the law of the land, we find, though, when it comes to laws and legislation, that the proof, as they say, is in the eating of the pudding; and of that proof, this nation has not done what it has so committed to do for those that have been cheated out of a fair chance to have a good life in this, the richest nation that the world has ever known.   So then, for all those that believe that Affirmative Action should be far more robust than it currently is, there is still hope.  That hope rests, though, in the arms of the Federal Government, which quite obviously has the power to wield a pretty mighty stick, if it be inclined to do so.

There are all sorts of statistics and documentation that are maintained as part and parcel of governance.  A detailed look at this documentation clearly shows that certain historically discriminated parties, are still underrepresented as part of the student body in public non-profit higher educational facilities, along with these same people also being underrepresented in management positions and above in a significant amount of the largest and most powerful corporations that are headquartered within the United States. 

When it comes to public non-profit universities, it would be well to remember that these institutions do not typically pay any property tax, nor any Federal or State income taxes.  The fact that these universities do not pay certain taxes, is something that needs to be forcefully addressed, for all of those institutions that are not in good compliance with the Affirmative Action program, and thereby, all those non-profit universities in non-compliance to proper student apportionment should have their protected tax status revoked, until they become in compliance.  As for all these large multinational corporations, of which, there are a significant amount of them that are not currently in compliance with the Affirmative Action program, they should have all their governmental contracts suspended or canceled, until they become in compliance, and if necessary, the trading of their stock on the public stock exchange should be suspended until such is ameliorated.

There are always going to be plenty of people and institutions, that say “yes” and agree to do something, without really having the intention of actually doing anything constructive or meaningful on their end.  The principal point of Affirmative Action is to correct for previous wrong actions and incorrect inaction, and at a minimum, to make it governmental policy, that that which we know to be wrongly discriminatory, will not be tolerated anymore.

Governmental regulation and the force of law

There are all sorts of people and companies that complain about governmental regulations, but not all those that cry “wolf” are being sincere in what they so complain about.  The fact of the matter is, that some of the biggest and most influential corporations that the world has ever known, absolutely thrive upon aggressive and restrictive governmental regulation, because through their lobbying efforts and influence, such legislation is written in a manner in which effectively the door is closed on those that would dare to compete, thereby allowing these hugely influential mega-corporations to essentially become the sole provider of a vital service or good which provides them with not only a reliable and steady stream of revenue, but also the very nice profit that comes with being the only game in town.

None of the above, means that there shouldn’t be governmental regulation or that somehow, we would be better served if we reverted to some sort of exclusively laissez-faire free enterprise system, with thereby little or no rules or regulations; but rather this reflects that when you allow the fox to guard the henhouse, then this is not going to produce the end result that is going to be most beneficial for the people at large.  The most important point of good governmental regulation, is that the regulation so created is done in a manner in which the greater welfare and beneficence of the people takes precedence over unneeded favoritism so being provided exclusively to one corporation or consortium, so of.

The main potential problem with the force of law, so done through governmental regulation, is that when that regulation is structured in a way that clearly favors one designated party, then that party, so favored, now has the force of law, through governmental auspices to get their way as well as having such enforced by that government, which quite obviously makes it quite a formidable foe for anyone or any entity even contemplating, trying to storm the Bastille.

When for all intents and purposes those that write the rules and regulations supposedly on behalf of the government, are actually doing so in cahoots with those that need to be properly regulated then the end result will be satisfactory only to those parties.  This thus signifies, that the implementation of meaningful rules and regulations by the government should not only be transparent, but such should be debated and discussed, at much as it is reasonably conceivable, within an open public forum. 

After all, if the government with all of its attended power and force of law, vacates its purpose, which is to help keep the playing field fair and level, so that the competitive atmosphere in the business world remains relevant and viable -- by that government essentially forfeiting the value of that force of law, so properly written and applied, then those that appear to functionally run this country, aren’t actually the elected officials at all, but rather these legislative officials are nothing much more than puppets, dancing to the tune of their corporate puppet masters.

Those that cover their true identity, have something to hide

There are all sorts of people that wear masks in life, some figurative, and some literal.  The thing about figurative masks, is that it’s difficult for the other person to really know that a mask is being worn, at least, in the short run; whereas, on the other hand, those that wear literal masks make it rather obvious, from the get-go.  So then, while there are two basic types of masks that many people are prone to wear, it is important to understand, that mask wearing, whether figurative or literal, primarily occurs because people, for whatever reason or reasons, are consciously desiring to hide their true identity.

For instance, when it comes to social media in which those that are posting, as well as those that are commenting, have obscured their real identity in some manner, the interplay within that media has a much stronger tendency to degenerate into vitriol and other negative expressions; as compared to social media in which each party has clearly identified themselves, which has a stronger tendency to be more civil, though, not always. 

Then there are cultural events, that permit people to wear masks or costumes, such as with Mardi Gras, or Halloween, or a costume party, or even those venues in which the ambience lighting is so low that visibility is limited, in which, for those that partake in these sorts of things, the fact that their true identity is obscured or somewhat obscured, typically brings out a different part of a given person’s personality, because they not only have somewhat plausible deniability, they also have the excuse, should they choose to draw upon it, that they were just going with the flow, so to speak.

That which happens at entertainment or artistic affairs, is usually pretty harmless -- what isn’t harmless, though, is when someone is arrested, or forcefully taken somewhere, in which either the person so being held has their identity obscured by a hood being place over their head, or there are people that are observing and perhaps directing all that is happening which are behind a hidden mirror, or one of the interrogators has obscured their identity as well as their authority.  Those then, that are going through an interrogation in which either their personal identity has been obscured, or those that are doing the interrogation have obscured their identity, are going to be in a lot tougher place than those that are dealing with what has to be dealt with, on the up and up.

So then, it is truism, to state that when one’s identity is in the control of someone else in which that particular person so being held against their will, has been dehumanized, for example, by their clothes that they are now wearing or the lack thereof, or masking, or hooding, or the physical position that they are placed in, that they are indeed, in a very bad predicament.  Further to the point, those that do the interrogation in which their voice, or their physicality has been obscured in one way or another, the end result for the person suffering through that interrogation is almost for a certainty not going to be good.

We so find, that when excluding for costume parties and things of that ilk, that those that deliberately obscure their identity, or hide in the shadows, are doing so, because what they are about to do, they don’t want to really own up to, and by covering their identity, they feel far less constrained in behaving in a civilized fashion, and that which is evil, typically thrives in not being held personally accountable.

A country of the elite or a country of the people?

In the scheme of things, America should not have reverted to what it was back in the gilded age, with an incredible amount of disparity between those that had it all, compared to the masses which had little or nothing; but in fact, as Bloomberg.com reports, “…America’s middle class now holds a smaller share of U.S. wealth than the top 1%.”  While there may well be absolutely legitimate reasons of why the elite has gotten all so much richer at the expense of the middle class, perhaps based upon the elite’s drive, motivations, and knowhow; yet, to a very large extent the two biggest reasons why wealth has become more and more concentrated into the hands of the 1%, is basically because the governance of this country will not appropriately and fairly tax at a progressive rate, the very institutions and people that have all the money; in addition, to the salient fact, that present day America does not feel the need to tax appropriately the actual gargantuan amount of wealth and capital held in the hands of the 1%, thereby allowing those with capital to simply passively invest such to add even more to the wealth that they already have.

The thing is, a house divided cannot stand, it will by necessity, fall; and further to the point, to believe that those that are Americans are actually living in something akin to a vibrant and strong democracy, in which somehow the 1%, have in their hands more in wealth than the 60% that represent the middle class, is absolute insanity.  The only possible way that this income and wealth disparity will continue to go along its merry way, is for America to become in its functionality a police state, of which, it can be said, to a very large extent, it seems as if that is the clearly the direction that America is in, today.  Remember this well, that those that have the money, the wealth, the power, and the law on their side, can easily hold off the masses for a considerable amount of time, for this is done all of the time in autocracies, dictatorships, totalitarian regimes, and the like; and further to the point, those that have it all, seldom will give up anything that they value strongly, without a real fight.

Those that bother to or care to look at America’s underbelly, will see for a certainty, that far too many of our fellow citizens have far too little, as well as these forsaken people often being devoid of hope, opportunity, as well as suffering from the lack of fair play by their government that fails to represent them, well.  Those, that are part of the middle class, are clearly better off than the underclass, but their security to a very significant extent, is held in the hands of their masters, which typically are the 1%, who often control their wages and their security, directly or indirectly. While one must give some begrudging credit to the 1%, for keeping the people fairly quiescent, through a quality lineup of “bread and circuses,” there will, though, come that time of reckoning, when those that are being essentially cheated out of the American dream, are going to have a call to arms, and those that nobly answer that call, will be the ones that are true to what this country was always meant to be and may yet, become.

“For these are all our children. We will all profit from, or pay for, what they become”

The above quote, comes from the inestimable, James Baldwin.  This sentiment is timeless, and if we would desire to improve our lot now as well as into the future, this is therefore that wisdom that we truly need to take to heart.  After all, all those that have come long before us, are no longer amongst the living, so then, in effect, the baton is indeed passed from one generation to the next, for better or for worse. It therefore certainly makes sense, that we should desire to see more children, become good citizens and therefore beneficial for society, as opposed to instead only having a small subsection being of merit.  This thus signifies, that at the very minimum, government auspices should make it a high priority to see that each and every child has the fair opportunity to attend an educational facility of substance, without being penalized because of race, creed, or class; in addition to the vital need that the families that these children are a member of, have at their foundation, the type of accouterments that are necessary for the good development of a child. 

Regrettably, the United States has clearly devolved into a system in which it has deliberately determined that some children, that are born or raised in unfortunate or trying circumstances, should, for all intents and purposes, be left behind.  As bad as that is, America, has furthered determined that it seemingly doesn’t matter how weak and non-performing so many of its children are in school, of which, test scores and general literacy rates seem to fairly reflect that despite lots of money so spent, that this, in and of itself, does not guarantee the good education of children, in aggregate.

Rather, it would appear that America, only likes to back a winner, so that the elite of the best students, are feted at levels that clearly reflect their high value; but that does little or nothing, for all those others that are lacking in the appropriate skill set to do their best on the world stage.  Those then, that somehow believe that having a minority of superior students, will permit America to remain the preeminent nation in the world, now and into the future, have clearly got it all wrong, for the race will not be won, by just having exclusively the best so running, as if the balance, so of, doesn’t matter, because, in fact, they do.

The children that we presently have are seemingly blessed with a very large prosperity pie, but the problem that America needs to face is that too much of that pie is in ever fewer mouths, and those that have been left behind, have been left with just the crumbs, if that.  So then, there will indeed be a price to pay, when all those that have been doing the profiting, face a disenfranchised domestic monster of their own making; though it need not necessarily be that way, if only America would live up to its creed, of fair opportunity and equal access to all, for it is in the hands of the living, as to what we will or will not become.

When the government consistently runs deficits, there are winners and losers

The United States Federal Government can’t come even reasonably close to a balance budget, but instead consistently runs huge deficits, year after year.  Perhaps there is some upcoming resolution to such, which will effectively address and take care of this fiscal crisis -- but probably not, for the United States politicians along with its corresponding legislative actions, speaks volumes about what they are and what they are not doing in order to balance the budget; which is, for whatever reason or reasons, essentially that these politicians do not feel the urgency or have the courage to tax the citizens at the amount that would be so necessary to balance the budget and/or reduce government expenditures, so of.

Nobody likes to pay taxes, but in fairness to the present generation as well as especially to future generations, this country has an obligation to get its fiscal house in order, which it has not done.  This signifies what is already glaringly obvious, that those that are the richest and most powerful in America, effectively run its tax policies, and when those that have all the money, are tax at a rate, which is significantly below what they should be progressively taxed at -- for income, for capital gains, for capital, and for inheritance taxes, then the wealth disparity not only gets ever greater, but the governmental deficit liabilities, also gets ever larger.

Those then, that are not being taxed at a fair and progressive rate, are therefore getting a free ride upon all those that these future tax burdens will rest upon.  These superrich people as well as these exceedingly wealthy corporations, quite obviously, are the winners; and the losers are all those stuck with the tax liability bill, that they of their generation did not directly generate, in the first place.   Another way to look at how unfair and ill serving our current tax policies actually are, is to reflect that those with the highest degree of assets, are not only being subsidized by this governments’ weak-knee tax policies, but they can also be direct beneficiaries of government finance in another way, because when the government puts out its hand for bonds to finance its massive deficits, it is those that have capital that can therefore most easily lend to the government, and therefore these parties then get paid interest for having had the funds to do so.

It is rather a sad state of affairs, that America somehow believes that it is right to socialize amongst all its people its governmental deficits, while privatizing and localizing the profits and wealth so being generated in the here and now, without bothering to appropriately tax those that have more than enough to pay the freight to do their necessary part to contribute to the balancing of the budget.  Further to the point, governmental budgets are more incline to be more prudent and sensible, when that payment so needed to achieve such, must be paid in full, each and every fiscal year.  On the other hand, when such deficits, are continually kicked like a can down the road, this thereby encourages more irresponsible governmental expenditures, because those making such decisions, know for a certainty that the class that they favor, will not have to ever pay for it.

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.