The same words in a sentence, can often mean different things to different people

There are those times when we are talking with someone in which, they either don’t seem to be hearing what we are saying, because their reaction is diametrically different than what we have so expected, or by their response, it seems like they haven’t comprehended clearly what we have so said, even though our words were pretty darn clear to us   Those types of communication situations are frustrating and can easily become more than frustrating, when things escalate to a place which we never really wanted to go to.  But why is this even possible to have occurred in the first place?

The answer to that above question has a lot to do with the fact that each one of us, comes from different circumstances, with different backgrounds, and different thought patterns.  Especially so this is true, when people come from different social backgrounds, different creeds, and different colors, in which, perhaps, their interaction one with the other, has been minimal to date, of which, they then get together and try to communicate.  In those types of situations, it probably isn’t reasonable to expect that the same words are going to mean the same thing, to each one of them, because these people are often coming from different life experiences, and because of that, their interpretations have a tendency to be different, than what we so expected.

So then, in reality, the same words can easily be interpreted in different ways by different people, and further to the point, those words can also be interpreted differently by the very same person, depending upon how their day has gone, good or bad.  This signifies that when we communicate, we need to make a better effort to actually determine as to whether the words that we have so spoken have been interpreted in the way that we so expected them to be, and in order to know this, we probably need to ask more questions of the other person, to get their honest feedback of what has been communicated.  After all, relationships, even relationships of long standing, can suffer a lot of damage, even permanent damage, from the misconstruing and misinterpretations of what has so been communicated to them in good faith.

It's fantastic that we are able to communicate one to another, relatively easily, through words so spoken and written, but those words and sentences, aren’t necessarily going to be understood the same way by dissimilar people and there isn’t any reasonable expectation that this should actually be the case, because having not lived in another person’s shoes for even a small part of their life, makes it problematic that we really could conceivably comprehend how they are interpreting and processing what has so been said or written.  Especially, we so find, that this becomes much more difficult when people are emotionally upset or stressed, in which, they typically aren’t able to readily process what is being communicated, without their own prejudicial and self-serving spin upon it, thereby creating the construct in which things can go from sort of bad, to something far worse.

In short, we communicate through our words, of which what we are so communicating may indeed be clear and obvious to us, but in reality, if it isn’t perceived that way by the person so receiving that communication, then we need to recognize that we need to do more to make for a better and a more successful communication.

What are we fighting for?

Of course, when wars are fought, all sorts of noble sentiments come to mind and are thereby provided to the people as the justification as well as the compelling reason for such a war, which typically goes along the lines of defending freedom, protecting one’s nation and its values, duty, and because it is the right thing to do.  Those that fight, make it their point, that the reasons for that fighting, which invariably results in the death of soldiers as well as the death of non-combatants, along also with the destruction and damage to infrastructure that comes with any war, is typically justified as not only being necessary, but also as part of the required process of what has to be done, in difficult times, for the greater good.  All of this, might indeed sound good on paper, but the fact is that most wars are seldom really fought for noble or worthwhile objectives, and the death, dying and destruction that war consists of, are typically horrific; and of which, it has to be said, that to actually believe that the only way to reasonably solve conflict is through war, is absolutely unreasonable, and clearly demonstrates in action that humanity has not really learned that it is not might that makes right, but in fact, the only thing that makes for right, is maintaining in principle everything that consists of the attributes of what is right, of which war is seldom in that equation.

To believe that when two countries, vociferously disagree about things, that to therefore to bring about a lasting peace, there has to be a destructive war, of killing, maiming, and destruction is a very sick viewpoint.  Peace does not come from war, and never will peace come from war.  Those that want peace, can only achieve peace, by being just, fair, forgiving, and considerate in all that they do and achieve, and therefore need not and should not have to give up any of those things in order to achieve a lasting peace, for to do so, will substitute real peace, with a false one.

That of which is worthy to make an honorable stand for, which in of itself does not necessarily mean war or fighting, is that which is fair, just, and right.  To stand for principle, and to defend that principle against those that would unjustifiably take such away, is noble.  Regrettably, in this world, those that are the best exemplars of justice and vision, are often targeted themselves to being killed and eliminated, for few that have obtained power are willing to sacrifice any of it, to that which threatens their domain, even when that threat is simply truth, itself.

So then, for all those that fight or are involved in the fight, including peripherally or indirectly, in order to confirm that they are indeed a worthy part of humanity, they ought and need to ask themselves the question as to why they are fighting and therefore what they are fighting for or against.  If in an honest answer to that question, it would seem that the answer is that they don’t really know, or simply because the enemy deserves to be fought because the enemy is wrong, and that they then are by default on the side of right, they need to take into serious consideration as to whether or not they are really right, for to gain something temporal, at the expense of that which is eternal, is a very bad bargain.

The whole truth

There is a very good reason of why we are admonished to testify to the whole truth, and nothing but the truth – because those that live to anything that is less than the whole truth, have therefore tarnished their character to their own lasting harm, of which each of us should of our own volition want to and each of us really needs to represent instead, the liberating power of the whole truth, which frees us from the delusion of untruth and error.

The reason that so many willingly walk away from the whole truth is because they not only do not wish to face such on an individual basis, but that they also do not desire to face others with the exposure of their individual whole truth, because they feel, in many a case, that by doing so, that they will lose face to other people, especially those that they wish to have their respect and approval of; therefore, for a time, such a position serves to avoid bringing inconvenient shame to their own self; yet, this also signifies that because they have no real integrity in owning up to their own errors, that they have replaced the importance of the whole truth with that which is a very poor and unsatisfactory substitute.

So too, all those that will not live to the whole truth, and that will not seek and search diligently for the whole truth, have placed themselves in the unenviable position of being imprisoned by that which is untruth, or not the full truth, which they then pay homage to, as if this is okay, when it surely is not.  Those that purposely know that their life or part of their life is a lie, and refused to correct such, have turned their face from that which enlightens them to that which darkens and besmirches their being.

Each of us needs to respect the whole truth, for ultimately it is truth, and truth unbounded, that is eternal; for that which is wrong, of error, is deceptive, or an untruth, will for a certainty, eventually be fully exposed, and further that which is of error, cannot long survive through the annals of time.  That is to say, God is, by definition, eternally inerrant, of which then, that which is of error, cannot be an eternal part of God; therefore, signifying that all those that are in error, are going to, at some point or another, have to drop the scales from their eyes to see that which must be seen, known, and thereby lived to.

Additionally, it is difficult for many a person to recognize always that which is untruth and deception, if this is not counter-balanced by the knowledge of that which is the truth, and nothing but the truth.  So then, our lack of clarity of what represents the whole truth, precludes us from ever being fully liberated from deception and untruth, which is the very thing that gets us into so much trouble.  This so signifies, then, that it is our sacred duty therefore to do all that we can to know and to recognize the whole truth, and then honor that whole truth, by living it, in all that we say, think, and do.

United States Senate Representation essentially creates minority control

The United States has a bicameral legislature, of which the House of Representatives, is reflective of the population of each State, in which, the more populated States, get more representatives, and of which, each State is entitled to at least one representative, no matter how paltry their resident count may be.  In regards to the other legislature branch, as part of all the compromises so having to be made in order to get a Constitution, passed and ratified, the Senate representation, was created so that each State, big, small, or medium-size would be entitled to two representatives each and therefore exactly two Senators per State.  In theory, this was so done, so that the smaller States would therefore be signatories to the Constitution, with the knowledge, that they would therefore have a meaningful voice in legislative law.

The problem with the way the Senate is currently constructed, is that the biggest States of the Union, which are, California, Texas, Florida and New York, have about 33% of the United States population in their respective States, but just eight Senators in total.  On the other hand, the 35 smallest States represent about 33% of the population, as well, but they have a total of seventy Senators, in total.  This basically signifies that the smallest States of the Union, have at a minimum, the power to stifle just about any legislation that they don’t “cotton to,” and therefore this means on a substantive level, that the smaller States have the power to get what they so desire or to stop such, pretty much at not just the expense of the larger States, but also at the expense of the population, in whole.  This in so many words, indicates that the Senate as currently reflected, demonstrates in action, that fair and equal democratic representation is not really part of its makeup.

The fact that we have exactly fifty States, does make for a nice symmetry and a fine design on our flag, but isn’t in itself a good or a meaningful reason to preclude the larger States from taking the proactive steps so needed in order to break themselves into smaller States, which not only would provide those States as they currently stand with more representation, but would do a greater service to their constituents; in addition to mitigating the advantages that the smaller States currently wield over the larger.  The fact that this has not happened in recent times, is rather surprising, since the thirteen colonies, and their borders, were for the most part, not stagnant, until they became States, of which, even so, Virginia, itself, broke off into a separate State, known as West Virginia, in 1863.

While the smaller States, do deserve their proper representation, they have, at the present time, far more power than their numbers so warrant, and because their demographics in a lot of instances are significantly different from the United States as a whole, this essentially allows for the historic favored race and those that are its most conservative members of such to have an outsized influence upon national legislation.  What so happens locally within a given State, is the business of that State, but what so happens to America, is the business of all Americans, not just those that are playing the angles in order to benefit a favored subset of Americans, for that isn’t in keeping with the American spirit of fair play for all.

Debt peonage

There all types of debt so incurred by people, such as mortgage debt, student loan debt, credit card debt, vehicle debt, and personal loan debt.  Never has it been easier for people to get into debt -- and for a lot of those people, they actually get into debt, at a very young age, such as eighteen or nineteen, through credit cards, vehicle loans, or student loans.  The thing about debt is that a significant amount of Americans just aren’t competent at basic mathematics, and further to the point, they have difficulty truly understanding the perniciousness of high interest rates as well as comprehending their personal responsibility in regards to the personal cost so of, for failing to properly adhere to the terms of the debt so initiated to them.

While just about everyone likes to get something for nothing, the problem for many of those same people, is that debt so taken on in which it might well appear that a given individual is getting something for nearly nothing, really isn’t that case at all.  In fact, once someone has signed up for a debt, just about everything in regards to the terms and conditions of that loan, are pretty much out of their hands, and of which, this also typically heavily favors the lender and not the loanee.  Further to the point, a significant amount of people getting a loan, really have not taken the time to comprehend how nefarious such a loan might well be for them and their quality of life, especially when their income is relatively light and such has no reasonable means of being invigorated in the future.

All of the above, basically covers what are legal loans, and therefore, these pretty much are representative of the norm in the United States.  There is, though, even in these modern times, the type of loan, not authorized by the government, and therefore not in conformance with appropriate rules and regulations; yet, people in some degree of desperation will turn to these.  A case in point, would be any sort of cash loan, so provided by someone that operates outside the law, of which, these street loans, have their own interest rates, which can even be by the day, of incredibly high vigorish rates, and of which the enforcement of the payment of those loans are typically done through fear, intimidation, and violence, if so warranted. 

Then too, there are those non-citizens that see America as the proverbial land of opportunity, of which, because border security has become far tighter and far more proactive, than in previous decades, this has correspondingly raised the price for those so desiring to get trafficked into America.  Since many of these migrants have little ready cash, they often have to just accept the terms of the deal, of which those terms are typically not fully disclosed in any meaningful way.  Once these migrants reach America, they not only have to pay back the “coyote” they got them across to America, but they also have to deal with the fact that often for the work that they are doing in America, a significant amount of those so employing them, know that they are undocumented, which means that the cost of their room and board, if applicable, along with the wages to be paid, are going to favor heavily the employer, and of which, there often isn’t any good recourse for those so doing the work, if dissatisfied. The upshot of all this is that a lot of these migrants, are having to pay a whole lot of catch-up in regards to the debts that they so owe, of which, progress so being made, or the lack, thereof, keeps them in perpetual debt peonage.

Welfare for the rich

There are plenty of people, that have their criticisms when it comes to welfare for the poor and the disadvantaged, such as governmental expenditures for food stamps, housing vouchers, disability payments, earned income tax credit, and just about anything in which impoverished people, seemingly receive something without having to give up much of anything of corresponding value, in return.  Yet, despite the railings of those that claim that by such payments we are encouraging or validating or enabling those that are perceived as being lazy, slothful, wastrel, and the like, the bottom line is that the vast majority of those so receiving governmental assistance are by receiving that helping hand, typically not doing much more than just surviving, and certainly are not living “high on the hog.”

On the other hand, there is that other sort of individual and corporate welfare, which typically isn’t called out as such, but is really welfare all the same.  For instance, in regards to some of the biggest mega-corporations that the world has ever known, some of these behemoths, despite profits in the billions upon billions of dollars, do not pay any income taxes, whatsoever; or for those corporations that do pay such taxes, they have so many shell games that they play, in which monies are parked in low-taxed or untaxed foreign domiciles, that their overall tax rate is far below what would be anticipated that they would normally pay.  Additionally, mega-corporations are known for often driving a hard bargain with communities in regards to special favoritism in which property taxes are reduced considerably for some considerable period of time – so reasoned, because of the employment that will come into that community, along with often having favorably decisions also so being made in regards to the infrastructure that they so desire.  Then there are those mega-corporations that do an extensive amount of business with the government, in which, the structure of the contracts so being made, are for all practical purposes, essentially sole source, allowing that corporation to not only “win” the contract, but also to make a nice profit, especially so when it comes time for the invariable changes to that contract, spare parts, and the like.

In regards to superrich individuals, their pattern follows in conformance with the mega-corporations, in which, the goal, so of, is to reduce their taxable income as much as possible, and to correspondingly increase their passive income, which typically is not taxed, until a sale has been made, thereby postponing any necessary payment to the tax authorities, for considerable amounts of time.  So too, they are experts at setting up foundations, that allow them to funnel money that would be taxed at a much higher rate into a foundation, which pretty much is in harmony with the entity who created it. Additionally, estate taxes are at historic lows, thereby signifying that the government, even at the time of death, gets a minimal amount; hurt further, by some unfathomable reasoning, that the entity so inheriting, inherits at the “step-up” basis, effectively erasing any capital gains, that have accrued over a long period of time.

One of the pet peeves of many of those that have lots of money and influence, of which, perhaps they have worked hard to get to where they are at, is that welfare for the poor, not only subsidizes those that will not apply themselves, but encourages them in their indolence.  What they never seem to address, though, is that virtually all those that inherit money, and specifically those that inherit lots and lots of money, haven’t earned it, and therefore this easily encourages those rich heirs in their indolence, with the difference between the rich and the poor, being that the rich can easily afford to be indolent and still live a wonderful life, whereas, the poor, really can’t.

The lower and middle class miscast votes

The United States is a Constitutional Republic.  However, ballot propositions in regards to new laws and appeals of old laws, amendments, sales taxes, user taxes, and many other things of interest to the general public are typically voted upon, in which in many cases, a simple democratic majority, effects such into law.  So too, most of our representatives, whether they be local, county, State, or Federal, are democratically elected by the constituents of that germane area.  In addition, even some judges, and some law enforcement officials, such as sheriffs, are democratically elected.  In short, the ballot box, provides a means for all citizens that are eligible to vote, and have thereby exercised that enfranchisement, to make it so known, by their vote, what they do or do not support.

The strange thing is, that many things, that clearly are supportive, almost exclusively, of the very rich, or the well positioned, somehow are able to consistently get passed, even though the majority of American citizens consist of the lower and of the middle class, of which, those propositions so passed or representatives so being elected, would appear to be on a fairness and economical level, inimical to the lower and middle classes of America.  One could argue, that it is the amount of money so being spent, the advertisements and propaganda so being created, that induces the lower and middle classes to consistently vote for what would appear to be against their own interest, time and time again, but it appears to be more than just that. 

In truth, a significant amount of the lower and of the middle class do consistently vote their own interests; however, there is also a fairly meaningful percentage of those that seem not to, primarily because they buy into some segment of a proposition or of a representative that serves to take precedence over pure economic interests, quality of life, and fairness.  For instance, some citizens have a very strong view upon the sanctity of human life, of which, their belief is that this begins at conception, so that because this is so important to them, they put that first, in regards to a particular candidate or proposition, and pretty much dismiss everything else.  This same type of thinking is similar, in regards to candidates or propositions that involve God, usually consisting of an incumbent strong belief in Christianity and Christian values, including traditional marriage.  Additionally, there are many people that hear the siren call that no expense should be spared for the defense of this nation, domestically or abroad, and whichever proposition or candidate fits that bill the best, gets their vote.

There are then many that vote in a manner in which they don’t consider their vote to be miscast, even though in many cases their economic interests and overall quality of life will be damaged; of which, this occurs primarily because these particular people are unable to readily comprehend the full picture of what is being evaluated, or they are somewhat deluded in their reasoning.   What the lower and middle classes need to spend more time contemplating and considering, thereof, no matter which way they vote, is whether or not, the result of their voting is providing them with a better life, and if not, they should probably consider changing their voting pattern, because those votes are certainty helping somebody and something.  

“We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”

The above quotation comes from the incomparable, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, and each of us would do well to remember this wise sentiment so succinctly expressed.  But instead, what we so often find and especially so in these western nations, that frequently have the audacity to believe that they are so civilized, so smart, and so above it all, is that humankind seems to feel in so many ways and in so many respects, not to have a need of acknowledging its spiritual identity, and therefore it has little or no interest in what they consider to be the mythology of God.

Whether or not a given person or civilization, does or does not believe in God, or whether they believe that they are spiritual beings or not, does not change the fundamental fact that each one of us is a spiritual being; so then, those that will not consciously admit to such, or even try to suppress such, for their own reason, good or bad, are the ones thereby to suffer for dismissing that which is true for that which is false.

It would behoove each of us, to understand that first of all, we are eternal, and we are eternal because we are spiritual, and that which is spiritual, cannot be destroyed or eradicated, ever.  Our experience in this worldly realm should best be seen as the ultimate proving ground -- of being challenged to prove that when provided with the liberty and the freedom to make a given choice, without any limitations imposed against us, other than the limitations that being in a human body with a mind restricts us to, that what we so do, is in keeping with that which is consistent with justice, fairness, and agape love.

The most important number in life is one.  There is just one God, one truth, one whole spirit, and therefore we are all ultimately one.  This so signifies that our objective should always be in this human experience to see our commonality one with another, as opposed to contributing to that which serves to divide us.  This does not signify or necessitate that somehow that each of us must or should be a cookie cutter cutout of the other; but rather that we are each in our own way, different from one another, but in our substance and in our creation, we are exactly the same.

Another way at looking at our human experience, is seeing this experience as something akin to somebody that has to deal with the world, while lacking the necessary eyesight so needed to actually visualize all of that which is going on around them.  This thereby means that they have to somehow overcome that particular limitation, yet, many a person without eyesight, have subsequently been able to do such, with aplomb.  So too, our physical raiment for many a person can seemingly “blind” us from seeing that we aren’t at our core, physical at all, but spiritual.  Those that are therefore able to take off their self-imposed blinder to visualize that they are in actuality, spiritual, are the very ones that are best suited to help guide those that are lost, to that which will open their eyes.

“…. deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

Our Declaration of Independence carries a lot of importance as well as gravity, as this was the seminal document, that fifty-six delegates not only so signed, but pledged their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor to.  So too, this was the raison d’être for those colonists to go to war against the premier power in the world, at that time.   This thus signifies that these above words aren’t just words written on a piece of parchment, but that they have an absolute and perpetual significance, and therefore they are part and parcel of what that government, of, for, and by the people, so owes and needs to honor in perpetuity for its citizens.

The basic principle of good governance, is for the people to congregate together, understanding that in order to secure those rights necessary for their continual freedom, good life, and the pursuit of one’s happiness, necessitates in return not only the sacrifice of some of their individual liberty so such is thereby responsibly subsumed into their government, but also that each citizen in order to secure those rights, have incumbent duties that need to be performed on behalf of those rights, collectively and individually. 

Regrettably, over an extended period of time, it seems quite clear that government has not only relentlessly whittled away at individual rights, often in the name of security or for the defense of the state, but that the government has more and more become opaque and basically inaccessible and well-nigh unassailable to the average citizen.  So that, today’s government, in many respects, is not interested in being as transparent as possible, or even being welcoming to a thorough examination of its day-to-day operations, but wishes instead for the public to just accept that the government has their best interests in mind, and that therefore all that this government does on behalf of its citizenry, is just, fair and equitable.

So then, it is up to the general public, or it could be said its representatives, that the government in its actions and reactions, is always held accountable to being in conformance with the Constitution, but also that what is so being done under the name of the people, is done with that people’s consent.  Yet, how many citizens, truly believe that the government, cares for what they have to say or what they think, and further how many of those citizens believe that what the government is so doing is actually really by their consent, directly or indirectly?

It would seem that today’s government, is a force unto itself, and therefore that government sees itself as something separate from the people, with its own peculiar power structure, its own institutions, its own rules, and its own designs; and of which, all that government really asks or wants of its people, is acceptance that this is the way that it ought and should be.  If this be true, then what we so have is not the consent of the governed, but rather a construct in which the people are seen as a utility to be exploited, manipulated, and controlled by that government, for the expressed benefit of those that are its actuators.

The upside of gentrification

Many people are use to a certain routine and when there is change, especially when that change is unexpected along with it also making them feel that they are helpless or voiceless or both to that change, this thus can easily create stress and unease for them.   The thing about gentrification in those neighborhoods that have lacked for an extended period of time new or even sustainable investments of capital, is that, without having that upkeep and improvement, there is often the perception of that neighborhood that its best days are well behind it; so then, within such a construct as that, this typically demands some sort of new infusion of blood to help revivify that neighborhood. 

The upside of gentrification in a given neighborhood is the investment capital that so comes into that neighborhood, along with the corresponding belief that the neighborhood is worthy and of more value, then has been recently perceived by its denizens.  In other words, by virtue of that money being invested, properties being bought, and improvements being made, this signifies that the “new blood” believes in the neighborhood.  Further to the point, the infrastructure of that neighborhood is almost for a certainty going to improve, so that areas of the neighborhood that have been neglected, will typically see a marked improvement, involving not only clean up, but also new businesses coming to the general area, as well as public schools markedly doing a better job of educating.

One of the things that hurts communities more than anything, is losing the tax base of businesses, along with the fact that when property values are stagnant or even trending down, that there then just isn’t enough monies being collected to sustain even the semblance of a good and nice neighborhood.  On the other hand, when property values are going up, businesses are being added, and those that are becoming new residents of that neighborhood bring with them, vital connections to city councils and the like, then governmental services that been neglected or ignored, will become rejuvenated.

Another valid attribute of gentrification, is that improvement to neighborhoods, typically also improves the outlook of the residents that are in that neighborhood, thereby bringing back belief, when there was formerly a lack of belief.  After all, even if the motivation of those so buying into a neighborhood has a lot in common with greed so disguised as opportunity, these new buyers and their vote of confidence, makes those that are its residents, believe that where they so live must be of value.

Of course, not everything that changes because of gentrification is going to be good, of which, for those so buying in, somebody else must be selling and then moving out.  Additionally, when property values go up, and when a neighborhood thereby becomes more valuable, then correspondingly rents are also invariably going to go up.  But then again, people pay what something is worth, and that which has become worth more, demands more in payment.  So too, having a mix of residents of different backgrounds, of different income, of different colors, and so on and so forth, makes for a more integrated and vibrant society, and thereupon provides the opportunity for those that are part of that neighborhood to see the commonality that we have one to another.

Health insurance has not always existed

While in many respects, health insurance is considered to be almost mandatory for everybody in today’s world, the concept of health insurance for all has not always existed, and therefore is a relatively recent concept, that did not begin to come into fruition until 1929, or thereabouts, through the inception of Blue Cross, as envisioned by Dr. Justin Ford Kimball.  At that time, the concept was pretty straightforward, which was to offer to teachers access to health insurance for a small monthly fee, which thereupon effectively became the first successful health co-opt. 

The genius of initial health care as done through Blue Cross, was to make it dependent, upon a fairly large group of people, such as teachers, each therefore paying a monthly fee, so that through the sheer size of those numbers, the invariable ups and downs of sickness and hospital care, was mitigated by the collective amount of money received through each of those members, healthy or not, contributing their monthly financial share.  This plan, worked quite well, and was far more stable, than health insurance so provided on just an individual basis, of which, bad luck for the insurance company, in providing health insurance to someone that suffered poor health, made such insurance such as that, prone to corporate insolvency.

The advantage of health insurance for many members, benefited each side, of which, for the individual the advantage was a known monthly payment that covered their hospital stay, should such be necessary, and the treatment of their illness; whereas, for the hospital such health insurance provided a known steady stream of income and because the health insurance was subject to being periodically renewed, that premium could subsequently be adjusted upwards, if so warranted.

The impetus for that health insurance, as originally constructed, was to provide for a low cost, the security for those that fell ill, that they would not have to suffer lasting financial harm, in addition to the debilitating effect of the illness or injury that they were suffering from.  In today’s world, health insurance, in many respects, is something that is often covered through employment or through school or even through individual coverage in which, somewhere along the line, what has been sorely neglected, is that such insurance besides often being complicated, confusing, filled with red tape and bureaucracy, is that it is in many a case, also quite expensive, as well as not always meeting fairly every needful contingency.  That is to say, health insurance has its place, but rather than such being set always at a reasonable cost, that most families can meet, one way or another, it has, for a significant swath of Americans, become so expensive, or covers so little, that the availability of health insurance, is of no real assistance to those that are in the most vulnerable of positions. 

This is why it is imperative that this government come up with some sort of viable universal health insurance plan that truly is able to address the health needs of those that have effectively been left behind to suffer the indignity of health insurance that is inadequate, of little or no use, or places too much of a financial burden upon a family that cannot afford to pay the freight for good healthcare.

Prison: like father, like son

If each of us was born in America, with equal opportunity, good education facilities, safe neighborhoods, good jobs, and no systemic racism, then one would think that the chances of a given person going to prison, would truly rest on the content of a given person’s character.  No doubt, part of who ends up going to prison, is based upon the content of that person’s character, but far too much though, has an awful lot to do with the environment that children are born into and grow up in.  in other words, children of alcoholics or substance-abuse people, are going to have a strong propensity to have the same sort of issues; and children of those that have been or are currently incarcerated have a strong propensity to fall themselves, the same way, that their parent(s) did.

If America, desires to see the same sort of incarceration numbers, and in short, the same sorts of people, including fathers and then their sons and then the sons of those sons, being incarcerated, America need not change a thing; for that is exactly what we have at the present time.  So then, this would presuppose that the incarceration make up will not meaningfully change in America when it comes specifically to intergenerational incarceration until there comes a time when the poor conditions that are part and parcel of this construct, are themselves fundamentally and foundationally changed for the better.

Many of those that make up our prisons, are typically those that come from dysfunctional and failing families, who are poor, disadvantaged, ill-educated, forgotten, forsaken, and often targeted by law enforcement to be arrested because these people have no one to champion their cause or to protect them, while also making it fairly easy for the police to meet their unofficial arrest quotas, which thereby serves to prove to those that want law and order, that law enforcement is consistently serving that up, very well. 

In order to break free from this rather sad tale of son following their father into a life of crime, punishment, and incarceration, two basic things need to occur.  The first is that those that are incarcerated, especially for that which would be considered to be victimless in the sense that nobody else or any institution has been harmed, such as in substance-abuse or vagrancy, should be provided with the appropriate tools that they need instead, to turn their lives around.  Additionally, those that are incarcerated, have obvious time on their hands, of which it would behoove governance to utilize that time in order to educate or to train in a trade these prisoners in a manner in which upon their release they would thereby have skills that would aid them in finding meaningful employment.  Secondly, those children that have one parent or both that are incarcerated, are absolutely vulnerable to themselves falling into the same sad pattern, of which, therefore they should be provided with robust social services to improve their welfare as well as their outlook on life.

This pattern of intergenerational incarceration, need not continue to occur, if America would put forth a more concentrated effort to ameliorate the conditions that help create crime in the first place, as well as to take the time to do more for those that are its most vulnerable and disadvantaged.

The trouble with foster care

The governance of America likes to sell the story that they care about the children of America, by virtue of all the programs, vouchers, aid, and money so available for the care of those children, directly or indirectly.  The thing is though, that America has a foster care system, that expends billions upon billions upon that foster care and the logistics, so of; but doesn’t seem often enough to get the positive result, that is truly beneficial for those children that have become part of that foster care program.

If, in fact, the purpose of foster care, is to do what is right and therefore best for children, because their biological parents are somehow incapable of  doing it themselves, then the corresponding burden to prove that this is actually being competently accomplished, remains exclusively upon all those that make up the foster care system and the standard that those that are part and parcel of the foster care system, should be in keeping with the fact that the United States is the richest nation that the world has ever known.

That is to say, when this nation believes that for the good of a given child, that they need to remove that child from its biological parents as well as to possibly separate them from their siblings, then that nation needs to clearly demonstrate that this is far superior to any other conceivable solution; of which, that proof therefore rests in the actual results of how these children have truly fared within the foster care system, without any corresponding equivocation, excuses, or reasons for why such has fallen short of where it should justly be.  No doubt, there are some foster care children that do quite well with their foster parents, but that is always going to be case within just about any program.  In truth, the only fair evaluation of America’s foster care system, is how in aggregate, these foster care children have done.

The seminal problem with foster care is the fact that in the vast majority of cases, those that are the biological parents of those children, are the very ones that have the highest vested interest in seeing the success of their children, as well as also being those that love and are loved by their children, more than anyone else.  In regards to foster parents, these people have no biological connection to those children, whatsoever; and further to the point, a significant portion of those that desire to be a foster parent revolves around the compensation so provided to those foster parents on behalf of those foster children.  Again, there isn’t any doubt that many foster parents desire to do right by their foster children, and probably put forth a real good effort in doing so, but at the end of the day, these are not actually their biological children, and therein lies the rub.

Not every parent is a good parent, but most parents care about their children, of which it would behoove that government to put forth a more concentrated effort to lend a helping hand in regards to employment training, education, actual employment, as well as meaningful financial support to assure that each family has a fair chance at decent housing, a living wage, a decent educational foundation, and the accouterments so needed for their children to receive what they need to better themselves.  In other words, better governance, would make it a priority to fix foundational issues that stress families out and divides them, rather than separating what should be seen as a priority to preserve.

Corporate fraud

When we think of corporate fraud, companies such as Enron, WorldCom, and Wells Fargo, come easily to mind, for their respective cases involved considerable sums of corporate malfeasance and outright fraud, which led to the demise of both Enron and WorldCom because the extent of the corporate impropriety was so deep that these corporate behemoths were unable to remain solvent, thereby costing the American taxpayers, employees of each, and common stockholders, billions of dollars, collectively. 

One might well think that corporate fraud would not be possible for publicly owned corporations in the sense that they are vetted by ostensibly outside accounting agencies so as to assure the general public that all is on the up and up.  Additionally, these same corporations have the important obligation to publicly post their quarterly results, of which these quarterly reports with the corresponding notes of these major corporations are typically carefully looked at by stock analysts at reputable brokerage firms.  Yet, in short, when those at the very pinnacle of the corporate executive office, have in mind that they want to “cook the books” because corporate results are not where they need to be, and then those that serve these corporate executives, are compliant in doing their part to manipulate numbers in a way that all appears to be right, when it surely is not, but still apparently good enough to fool even the most discriminating, this thus begins the process of corporate accounting lies being built upon corporate accounting lies, with the end result often being massive corporate fraud which hurts nearly everyone involved with the corporation, directly or indirectly

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To pull off the highest degree of corporate fraud, necessitates almost for a certainty, the intimate involvement of those that are in control of the very processes so involved in the accounting numbers generated by a given corporation.  In other words, corporate fraud, is by definition, always an “inside job” in which those on the inside are really the only ones that have the power and the gumption to commit that fraud, and are able to typically do so in a manner in which such can be done over an extended period of time, because having been the ones that created the controls to preclude such from happening, this thus signifies that they are also the only ones that best know how to circumvent these same controls so made, in a manner in which the uninitiated simply aren’t able to readily discern that this has actually occurred.

Further to the point, those of which their continual employment, salary, and bonuses are absolutely dependent upon the approval of the corporate offices, are going to have a strong inclination to do what they are thereupon instructed to do by them, because the alternative, would appear to mean, the termination of their employment, either voluntarily or involuntarily.  After all, nobody really wants to be the bearer of bad corporate news, especially when that can easily be interpreted as disloyalty, and thereby virtual automatic dismissal.

The corporate fraud that occurs within America, has an awful lot to do with the combination of executive corporate malfeasance along with outright greed, combined with outside accounting firms, not being diligent enough to maintain their integrity, to always be objective, to be thorough and to do their work competently.

“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it.”

The above quotation comes from the incomparable Nelson Mandela, of which, this is a very important sentiment, that more people need to pay attention to, for the easy road is that road in which nothing is demanded of us, and no obstacles stand in our way; yet, that easy road does not permit the opportunity to prove our mettle in any meaningful way.  Each of us is obligated, whether we admit to it or not, to face that of which we most desire but are also most fearful of, which varies from person-to-person, but face it, we must so do -- for if we will not exhibit the courage or the wherewithal to fight for that which has the most meaning to us, then we have failed our own integrity to our lasting shame.

It is important to recognize, that though there are those things that we should be rightfully fearful of, and therefore to conquer such, may indeed be a daunting task for just about anyone, that isn’t always the reality of every case. In fact, far too many times, there are those things that we are scared to do or even to attempt to accomplish, which, in the scheme of things, aren’t really a big deal, after all.  In short, if we aren’t willing to address those tasks that may just have a limited amount of downside, because we are too fearful to even attempt to do so, then it is problematic that we can subsequently ever have the strength of character to tackle those tasks which are truly daunting.

To a very large extent, most people have a fear of the unknown, or if not fearful, a certain cautionary attitude to such; in addition, most people are truly fearful of those things, which are known to be formidable. That said, a reasonably motivated person, should at least take the time to break down what they are so facing with such fearful trepidation, into smaller bits and pieces, to see if that over a period of time, with skill, experience, and knowledge, whether such can be successfully overcome; rather than simply to give up, without even attempting the exercise of the mind, or fairly calling to question one’s full capabilities.

The best day for anyone, is never going to be that day in which all that person did, was simply to sit in quietude; though, that may well have its rightful place.  In truth, the best day for anyone, is that day, in which that which was thought to be highly improbable or impossible, is through an extended amount of concentrated effort and steadfastness, conquered, once and for all.  That then, is a day to be rightly celebrated, for those that crush fear by triumphing over it, have accomplished something of real merit and meaning, thereby deserving of the accolades received, so of.

We are meant to respect fear, as that which slows us down so as to consider it more carefully, for as they say, “fools rush in, where angels fear to tread;” and those then that are wise, see that which is fearful, as often a challenge to be met, recognizing that to overcome any challenge of real worth, is the substance that great souls earn and are therefore made out of.

Corporate share buybacks should be illegal

We read at hbr.org, that “…the 449 companies in the S&P 500 index that were publicly listed from 2003 through 2012…  …those companies used 54% of their earnings—a total of $2.4 trillion—to buy back their own stock.”  The fact, that over 50% of the earnings so made by these S&P corporations, was thereupon spent to buy their own corporate public stock, as compared to utilizing a more significant amount of those earnings for other things such as dividends, research and development, investments, corporate debt relief, or for compensation for staff outside of the executive office, is a real tragedy to the American people, in whole.

The bottom line is that corporate buybacks primarily benefit directly those that own or have options for that public stock, because quite frankly, it is a form of stock manipulation, so done, as a real aid and distinct help to boost the stock price.  After all, the more buyers’ money that a given stock attracts, the more that it has a tendency to rise. In truth, stock buybacks, have little or nothing to do with management believing that the investment of money so earned and subsequently used to buy the public stock is the best usage of that money, but rather it has everything to do with trying to “goose up” their own compensation packages.

Before 1982, stock buybacks were illegal, and were considered to be a form of stock manipulation, which was why they were illegal.  We now have nearly forty years of stock buyback’s history, which demonstrates that stock buybacks are beneficial specifically for the richest of the rich, and therefore of little or no merit for the general public of America; of which, probably the biggest dividing line between why the superrich are currently accumulating more and more wealth at the expense of the general public is because of all the stock wealth being specifically funneled into their hands, at the expense especially, of the middle class.

When a corporation decides to go public by issuing stock to the general public, it thereupon has a responsibility to not only their shareholders, but also to the governance which permits their corporate existence -- by not just existing to make a profit, but rather to conduct their business which is becoming of what it means to be legally sanctioned by the United States of America to do so.  Instead, too many of these corporations, are driven to a very large extent by greed as well as by gaming the system, so that those that are at the top can maximize their own income and wealth, under the illusion so sold, that all is fair and right; when in reality, a significant portion of the profits so being made is not being distributed fairly but is tilted heavily into the hands of those that are its corporate executives and biggest shareholders.

When such a high percentage of profits are being redirected into the hands of the executive officers, as opposed to more of that money being utilized for research and development, general improvement, or providing more equality and fairness in compensation for all of its employees; we have in front of us a system which is corrupt, and of which, the government has become its enabler, when rather that government should be looking out for those that deserve a fair deal, instead. 

The need to learn in order to know

When it comes to learning, different people are going to have different motivations, in which some people just naturally enjoy learning about all sorts of different things, because by that knowledge, they feel more valued, of worth, and also fulfilled as an individual.  Then there are plenty of others that enjoy learning about subjects that they find engaging on a personal or professional level, and desire to devote themselves to that knowledge; in which though, often they also consciously push to the side, other subject matter that isn’t of any real interest to them.  Finally, there are those, perhaps because they have fallen behind fundamentally on the basics of their language and mathematical skills, that disengage themselves from learning, of just about anything, because they simply have just given up and have lost heart.

It is important for any society that has agreed to educate its whole citizenry, that the effort to do so, is as successful as it is so possible to be.   It then so follows that probably the best way to get people to learn is to provide the structure and the accouterments that encourages them to want to actually learn.  After all, those that are disengaged, uninterested, disruptive, sleep deprived, stressed out, or hopelessly behind, aren’t going to learn all that much, because they aren’t in a good place to be receptive or capable enough to learn.  That is why, early intervention, in order to properly educate children is so important, not just on a student level, but also on a familial level, because the environment so needed to learn, should not be exclusively just the school system, because students typically need to have some sort of additional assistance and support from the home front, as well.

The best kind of learning environment for students is an environment that encourages them to seek out subjects that they have a natural interest in, which they then are able to learn about, by virtue of having mastered fundamental language and mathematical skills.  In other words, a good school system is one that teaches the necessary fundamentals to those students, so that they can therefore use that knowledge in order to think for themselves, so as to subsequently find subjects that are of interest for them, that they want to learn about, which helps to keep them engaged, interested, and knowledgeable.

Again, it has to be noted, it is difficult for anyone to learn if they do not have a good command of the necessary tools that are required to learn.  Further to the point, societies advance based upon a significant portion of its citizenry that are able to think and reason for themselves, so needed, in order to preclude such citizenry from being treated by its governance, as subjects that are meant to be obedient, as compared to citizens that are meant to be independent thinking, while also being cognizant that within the rights so provided to them by their government along with their unalienable rights, that they have incumbent duties so needed to be performed by them, so as to uphold and to maintain those rights for the people. 

Those then, that learn well are not only a benefit to themselves but also to their society, because having that knowledge provides them with the bedrock of what is known as liberty.

“Tear gas” is chemical warfare against civilians

Police officers continue to use “tear gas” as a form of riot control, of which, just the very name “tear gas” is a great disservice to those that have been subjected to such; for the reality of the situation is that “tear gas” is far more invasive, dangerous, debilitating, and cruel, than the belief that somehow all “tear gas” does is produce a few unwelcomed tears. In truth, those suffering from these chemical attacks, find that the chemical agent mist can create skin burns, all sorts of respiratory and gastrointestinal discomfort and pain, along with the aforementioned tearing of the eyes, itching of eyes, aching, and blurry vision; making this chemical agent far more insidious than what its street name so suggests.

The fact that chemical warfare has been banned in the field of war for a century, makes it especially cruel and somewhat ironic that somehow, it’s okay to use this substance against civilians, that in virtually all cases, have no good protection, whatsoever, such as a gas mask, against this debilitating agent.  While, no doubt, there are conditions in which, the police are far outnumbered by an upset population and of which, it is imperative that some sort of control be imposed, the go-to solution of basically indiscriminately spraying tear gas in which those within the closest proximity as well as those trapped in enclosed spaces, do especially suffer and are susceptible to real harm from this agent, is morally suspect.

There is no doubt, other ways to effectively address crowds that by their behavior are either out-of-control or veering to becoming out-of-control, and it so behooves this country, that insists upon being known, as the premier defender of freedom throughout the world, to live that creed in principle.  This thus signifies that with the billions upon billions of taxpayer dollars being spent on the nation’s military as well as the militarization of the police, that, it shouldn’t be all that difficult to come up, for instance, with a concentrated energy source, such as sound, wind, heat, or cold, that when forcefully directed at social human disturbances that need to be quelled for the safety of the public, or to prudently protect infrastructure, that in its implementation, it would be effective in that purpose, with a corresponding minimal amount of damage being inflicted upon those on the receiving end of such.

When it comes to chemical agents so being utilized today, it must be acknowledged that on the one hand, the evidence seems to point to such convincedly accomplishing its goal of crowd dispersal; but on the other hand, such crowd dispersal comes at a real cost to civilians, who typically are completely unarmed and typically merely expressing their viewpoint through the means of a group protest.  This, in a sense, means for those suffering from that chemical agent, that they are being punished in an unusually cruel way, without having been convicted of a crime, or even having been formally accused of such.  The apparatus of the state, consists of many different things, of which one of those attributes is force; and when that state uses that force indiscriminately and with nary a real concern other than silencing those that are inconvenient to it, then the state has lost is moral compass, and is in danger of losing its legitimacy, as well.

The forgotten ancient and advanced civilizations on earth

Those that control and dictate the orthodox narrative, want people to believe that humankind has slowly evolved over the eons and that today’s human race, along with the technological progress, so with, is absolutely unique amongst the annals of time, and clearly shows that humankind, slowly but inexorably advances and therefore evolves over time.  Then, there are also those that believe that humankind was a special creation by God, of which, those of the most orthodox sort, typically believe that humankind has only existed upon earth for mere thousands of years, which means that these people of faith are essentially in sync, with human evolution in the narrow sense, that today’s humankind is the apogee of such of our existence.

Nice and neat theories make for an easier way to write history, for great civilizations such as demonstrated in Atlantis, or seen by the impressive and incomparable building of the pyramids in Egypt, amongst all the other buildings so created which currently lie in various degrees of disrepair, all over the world, whether above sea or below sea, are typically manipulated in a way in which this serves not to knock down the edifice that humankind today, is the absolute peak of civilization. Yet, the evidence is all around us, that some ancient civilizations had knowledge and knowhow which have yet to be re-discovered by today’s modern humankind.

The fundamental problem with a theory such as evolution, is the belief, that humankind, as well as other things, evolve over time, to therefore become better, stronger, smarter, and more skilled.  Yet, all around us, we see that the world consists almost always of cycles, and of which the same sort of cyclical actions, occur and re-occur again and again.  That is to say, a better way to visualize life on earth, is to recognize that it is indeed, cyclical.  This thus lends itself to the theory that humankind is most likely subject to the same cyclical actions as the life that so surrounds us; represented in word by Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages of Man,” as well as by the fact that ancient civilizations that are well documented, have themselves gone through their rise and their subsequent ultimate fall.

Those that believe that humankind always advances and never regresses, don’t really know their history, and obviously don’t care to know such, for there are those “dark ages,” – in which, humankind’s hubris, takes that which has been discovered for the betterment of humankind but then instead utilizes this knowledge wrongly for the destruction of such, thereby ultimately destroying that civilization.  To ignore that lesson, again and again, entraps humankind into making the same bad decisions and the same bad mistakes, which is why the great and mysterious historical artifacts that seem so mystifying to so many, leaves them unable to grasp or to conceptualize how these supposedly primitive civilizations were somehow able to demonstrate impressive and noticeable skill-sets, that in truth, would be the envy of the world today.  The only appropriate answer to all of this is to take to heart that this world is truly a proving ground, of which, the real point of life is to learn well the lessons that it so imparts and to take that knowledge so as to teach this to those that know not.

School buses are the largest mass transportation fleet in America

One might think, that the subway, or regular buses, might in their own way, hold their own against school buses in the sense of how many people utilize them each day; but the reality is that school buses as reported by newgeography.com, “…is 2.5 times the size of all other forms of mass transportation combined,” of which it is estimated that there are nearly ½ million school buses in usage, that transport well over 25 million students to school and back, each and every school day.

The sheer size of those numbers, would seem to indicate that this form of transportation, is something that should be carefully studied and look at from not only an expense, reliability, accessories, and efficiency standpoint, but also in regards to a safety standpoint.  After all, the safety of our children is of paramount importance to parents, in addition to the salient fact that the more efficient and reliable that transportation is for those students, the better experience that it is going to be, overall.

Certainly, one of the things that transportation of any type needs to take into proper account, is the overall traffic density at different times of the day; of which, it so follows that certain time windows may be more efficient or less efficient than others.  Another factor to take into account, is the seating capacity of a given bus, of which, it is assumed that having a certain seating capacity, such as around 70 students, is the most appropriate number; but in reality, that number might need to be lower or higher, depending upon the density of the residences, and whether a given area is urban or rural, amongst other assorted factors.  So too, the amount of stops that a bus makes to pick up students, and the overall route that the bus takes to do so, is obviously of relevancy.

Also, the cost of the school buses, including maintenance, fuel type, and pay of the bus driver, are all relevant to making a sound decision as to how best to utilize the money allocated for that form of transportation.  In addition, just because school buses have traditionally come in fairly standard models, does not equate to that necessarily being the best model to utilize; after all, for example, elementary school children are not the same size and weight as high school students.  Also, for a capacity and efficiency standpoint, consideration should be given as to whether or not a double-decker school bus might be appropriate, or basically, for those that think outside the box, what configurations besides the standard issue buses that we see today, might be better than what we currently have.

Despite the fact that school buses are so prevalent, and do not cost parents directly a dime, there are still many a parent that insist upon dropping off their child and/or picking them up at the end of the school day, which seems grossly inefficient, along with the fact that long vehicle traffic lines for parents that have the same mindset adds to both fuel wastage and air pollution.  There isn’t any doubt, that school bus transportation for children is a more efficient way to get students to and back from school, of which, because of the sheer size of that school bus fleet, consideration should be taken as to ways to improve upon what we so have already.