Property tax lump sum payment

Part of the American dream is owning one’s own home or one’s business, of which, regrettably, for those that own a home or the building of their business, and actually own it free and clear of a mortgage, there is still that annoying annual payment so needed to be made for property taxes.  For a lot of people, they just accept such as being the norm of how property taxes so work and their incumbent responsibility to it, and don’t really think anything further about it.  However, in consideration that property taxes are extremely important to counties in order to properly attend to school budgets, sanitation, parks, streets, and fire and police personnel; it might just make sense for certain counties to at least consider providing the option for homeowners and business building owners to prepay their property taxes for an extended period of time, such as for ten years or even longer, especially, in those types of situations in which necessary monies are needed to upgrade services deemed essential for the community or there are expected shortfalls in making budget – and of which property taxes so set, are restricted in the amount such can be increased upon homeowners or building business owners in a given fiscal year.

The first thought that might come to mind, about the prepayment or a lump sum payment for property taxes for an extended period of time, is that, considering the amount of money that the homeowner or business owner would have to come up with, that not a lot of them would actually be interested in doing that.  No doubt, this is true, but there are those homeowners and business building owners that recognize that provided with the opportunity to prepay something that will cost them a lesser amount of money, now, has advantages over having to pay more of such, at a later time.  Another question that would need to be answered, is what if that homeowner or business owner was to sell the property; of which, the basic answer to that would be that property taxes so having been paid, would logically be attached to the home or building, so that, the prospective buyer would therefore factor in the savings of not having to pay property taxes for a set period of time, against the asking price of the house or building so being sold.  Additionally, many a person, that would desire to prepay their property taxes, are the very same people, that probably are in it for the long term, and therefore have no real intent on moving or selling.

The thing about lump sum payments, is that both parties to an agreement, can see such, as being a win-win, so it is at least something that should be considered by counties as an option that might well make good sense.  While, there are plenty of people that prefer to finance this and to finance that; there are also a sizeable amount of people, that prefer to pay cash in full on this and on that.  Those people that have the cash, and disdain having to pay a large property tax bill each and every year, are typically the very same people, that counties should wish to engage with, especially when those counties see the value of money so being collected today, as advantageous for what they desire to do with it, over a steady stream of money, that takes years upon years to collect, in kind.

The slow implementation of our Bill of Rights

Most everyone, knows that the first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, which were ratified in 1791, are collectively known as the Bill of Rights.  Those rights are of immense importance to the people, for from those Bill of Rights, we are provided with our freedom of religion, of speech, of press, of petition, and of assembly, as well as each of us is accorded due process of law as well as equality under the law; in addition to many other rights so enumerated by those Amendments, or as reserved to the people, as per the Tenth Amendment.

Yet, as in many things, there is the law so written, and then there is the law so enforced; of which, these two things are not the same, whatsoever.  For the most part, the Bill of Rights, were pretty much not part of judicial court cases for the first one hundred years of its existence, and so, it was not then until the 20th century that actual court cases, addressing one’s freedom of religion, of press, of petition, of due process, began to really be adjudicated by the judicial branch.

The prevailing reason why the Bill of Rights was pretty much ignored for so long, has an awful lot to do with the fact that those that were in power throughout the government of the United States, didn’t expressly identify typically with those that were denied some part of their Bill of rights, because these other people, often represented a milieu or a class of people, that the governing class did not come from or pretty much cared not to address, and hence they were for all intents and purposes, without a voice to champion their cause.

However, progressive voices began to come to the forefront of the United States, and they knew that denying the whole people, and especially those that were disenfranchised, was anathema to what the Constitution and the Bill of Rights was supposed to really represent.   This thus meant that concentrated actions by those with a legal background began to be made in order to put to the courts, seminal cases that would adjudicate the meaning of those Bill of Rights.

So then, a lot of the rights that the general public has obtained in recent history, really goes back to this nation finally leaving up to its creed of its Constitution along with the Amendments to it.  After all, governments, even good governments, have a strong tendency to just want the general public to be obedient to its dictates; whereas, those that have read and have truly comprehended the Bill of Rights, have a strong desire to see that those rights are lived and are breathed in through everyday interactions so done for the betterment, benefit, and the good welfare of the people.

Those then, that have been part of that battle to secure those rights so provided to the whole of the people, deserve our appreciation, for rights without corresponding action, are nearly the same as rights that have never been implemented; and for any government to believe that it is of, for, and by the people, they then need to treat those people as their co-equals as opposed to treating them as if they are subjects.

Pharmaceuticals: All profit and no liability

This government, of, for, and by the people, has a rather bad tendency to not take into proper consideration that they have an incumbent duty to be good stewards to the population that it serves – of which, instead this government has often demonstrated that it has a strong inclination in some of the most important areas of life, to adhere and to agree to the desires of, for instance, pharmaceutical companies at the direct expense of the public and society.  That is to say, when pharmaceutical companies are allowed to charge the government, or the general public, for that matter, for a given vaccine, in which the agreement so granted by that government is that the pharmaceutical companies will have no liability to such, this thus creates a “sick” construct, in which private profits are made, without the pharmaceutical company risking any accountability to that product so being sold; which signifies in other words, that there is no discernible downside, and a great deal of upside for profits, for that respective company, that can easily run into the billions upon billions of dollars.

That type of concept in which pharmaceutical companies are permitted to mint private profit, but risk no liability, does not serve this country well, and therefore this is a grand disserve to the people that make up this great nation.  If, this government believes that a given pharmaceutical product is of vital importance that it so desires or agrees that such should have no liability and hence no recourse for people to get redress for injuries so incurred, then for an absolutely certainty, those pharmaceutical products should have all of the profit erased from such, and essentially this should be provided at cost, for the expressed benefit of the public. 

While one could argue that without profits, pharmaceutical companies would not therefore develop a given vaccine, that argument can easily be countered by saying that those companies that will not make a sacrifice for their nation, which actuated their existence in the first place, in order to provide a necessary service to the people, should either be sanctioned and therefore effectively at risk of losing their license to do business, or they should be subject to being nationalized for the greater good of this nation.

The current status of providing carte blanche for these pharmaceutical companies to make money without subject liability is good only and exclusively for those pharmaceutical companies; and as for those pharmaceutical companies arguing that it wouldn’t be fair to be compelled by law to provide products at cost -- one could make the strong counterargument that if these pharmaceutical companies are convinced that they must so make a profit, then, in fairness, they should therefore be permitted to be liable for those products so sold and utilized that end up being detrimental to the people, as determined through a court of law.

The thing about businesses in a capitalistic society is that any business that has no risk to their business model is either essentially a monopoly and therefore has monopolistic powers, or it is a company that has been deliberately favored or protected by the government so that it need not worry about liability, which is demonstrative proof that companies that have no real risk, deserve no real profit.

Corporate profit at the public’s expense

The business of public corporations is pretty much concentrated upon the making of profits, and the continual growth of that company’s business.  When it comes to the making of money, bonuses, stock appreciation, and earnings, there is always going to be a temptation for many a corporation, to do only what is necessary to keep the “dogs at bay.”  This so signifies that those that visit upper management with ideas that will increase the bottom line are going to be listened to; whereas, those that come to management in order to remind them of the important responsibilities that the corporation has to the environment, and to society, are typically going to be unwelcomed, if not actively ignored.

There are all sorts of businesses that create some degree of pollution; of which the responsibility of those that are polluting is to mitigate the extent of such per the applicable governing laws; of which, these businesses should then never make it their point to shirk responsibility to such, or to utilize subterfuge, distortion, or outright lying, to evade their corporate responsibility of being a good steward to society.  In point of fact, many a corporation, does everything possible that they can conceive to do to obfuscate, delay, negotiate, buy, or manipulate their owning up to their responsibility to the pollutants so caused by them, especially when such will both negatively impact their bottom line and would necessitate that the company comply with the intent and purpose of the law at their expense.

People that live within a capitalistic society, should intuitively know that those that are in the business of making profit and have immense pressure placed upon them to do so, along with also having immense incentives to make that profit; must surely recognize that the greed of making that money for those corporate personages is going to often tempt those of weak character to do what they believe they can essentially get away with, in regards to pollutants so caused by their corporation, and thereby they are prone to doing exactly that.

We live in an advanced age of wonderful creature comforts that have come forth from the inventions and corresponding innovations so made, of which, a great deal of what we interact with on a daily material basis we see as being necessary for the obtainment of a good life.  That, in of itself, does not mean that society has therefore the attitude, of “whatever it takes;” but rather the typical attitude of society is one of desiring to see that the processes so involved for that good life, are always responsible and that they do not then advertently or inadvertently have ill effects upon that same society and its people.

This thus indicates, that though there is little that can be done about environmental pollutants of the past, that ail us and therefore has been left to the government and hence the general public to cleanup; that it is vital that government enforcement of environmental laws of today be properly enforced, and further that specifically those corporation entities that are in industries that are known for or are prone to pollutants, must be aggressively monitored and dealt with responsibly, so that we do so not have corporate profits being continually funneled into private hands, while the aftereffects of their pollution is left at the public’s expense and hurt.

The Constitution and the right to dissent

There are a lot of people that believe that we live within a Constitutional republic, or basically a democracy to such.  On paper, that may well be true, but the test of any Constitution so written and the test of any government so created of, for, and by the people is how that government behaves in times of a real crisis; for if that government at the those trying times when it needs most to provide a fair forum to the people to voice their concerns, of which, that government is sworn to protect and to serve, such; instead, does everything possible to quell reasonable dissent that the government has perceived as being a hindrance to what those that run the government so desire, than the people have been effectively betrayed, by a counterfeit government, that cares only for its agenda, above all else.

The whole point of having the right of free speech, along with the right to peacefully assemble is to have a public forum to express grievances as well as suggestions to that government, of which, that government is supposed to be a good steward to the people, and not its master.  If, in point of fact, the government for the most part is accommodating and considerate to the people, that indeed merits respect; but, however, when that government is put to the test of a real Constitutional predicament, in which in response, that government proceeds to put the hammer down upon the people, along with  its heavy boot upon the people’s necks; then, in whole, the people are subservient to that government, and apparently will only be accorded respect and some degree of liberty, when they are in conformance with the orthodox dictates of that government, and that alone.

There should be a true rule of law in this great nation, of which, the value of the judicial branch of this government, is to properly enforce that rule of law.  Yet, tragically, the Supreme Court of this country, has proven repeatedly during its history, that time and again, when push comes to shove, of which, that court has had the vital opportunity to take a stand on behalf of the people’s right to free speech and dissent, that the court, has consistently, folded its hand, and thereby negated the very Constitution that it has sworn to uphold and to protect.

Those that effectively run this nation, are not fools, and they will therefore seldom broker any meaningful dissent for any appreciable period of time.  In fact, they will, if their perception so warrants, do everything possible, to control the narrative, to stamp out what they determine needs to be stamped out, and will be absolutely relentless about doing so, and therefore they care not a whit what the Constitution stands for, or stands against.  So too, those entities and people that are dependent upon the government, either directly or indirectly, in some way, form, or manner, are therefore easily susceptible to having to toe the line of what that government so demands of them, for those that have essentially sold their souls for profit, or for security, will themselves obey, such, and care little for what so needs to be imposed, as long as at the end of the day, they are made whole or better, by that government.

The universe, cosmos, and consciousness

Not too surprisingly, in a construct, in which many people are so self-centered, that they can’t readily see beyond their own needs and desires, and of which, even those of passable intelligence, are content to confine their belief to their existence as something in accord, only with human beings as being a special creation, or a truly exceptional evolution, or as the unique creation of God, and therefore they consider everything else in the universe, to be for all practical means for them, of no real concern or purpose.

The thing to know about the universe is that it is estimated that the size of the universe is around 93 billion light-years.  To believe, then, that in that entire universe that there is no other intelligent life, should boggle the rational mind, as being both irrational and stupefyingly dumb.   This then, is the type of belief that comes forth only from those that are not deep thinkers, or the simple-minded, or the narrow minded, because to believe that the cosmos has no real purpose or design behind it, doesn’t make any real good sense to any active thinker.

So too, those that express their dismay, that humankind has, in theory and to date, not been able to definitely discover alien life forms, should be of no real concern; for in truth, many a society and civilization has been built around a certain core belief that is unassailable; of which, when evidence is presented that successfully challenges that belief such is typically suppressed, often, for as long as possible, for the supposed good as well as the stability of that society.

The thing about the cosmos and other life forms, is that it is far more logical to believe in the existence of such, and therefore to then recognize that each of us, in turn, correspondingly needs to probably express more humility; for humankind is in all likelihood, not the highest or the greatest intelligent life form in existence.  We intuitively know that this is true, just based upon the fact that in the thousands upon thousands of years of humankind’s existence, the tale that has been written has often been one of deceit, war, pain, suffering, selfishness, injustice, intolerance, and hate. 

This would seem to indicate that until humankind is able to rectify and to resolve its ways in a manner in which it can peacefully coexist with its own kind, that its exploration and direct contact with alternative life forms, and them to us, will be necessarily minimal; for until that time when the belief that “might is right” is replaced by the sensible knowledge that we are all created equally and are therefore all equally entitled to the fruits of this sphere, then humankind’s advancement forward will continue to be stymied.

The true purpose of this great cosmos, is never going to be one of conquest and enmity, but rather it is the universal bonds that we have together in the sense of our core being, of which, those that self-identify only with the physical have clearly lost their way; for what we really are, is that consciousness that actuates us, and which seeks always to connect with that which represents the universal and eternal harmony.

Bombing and the real serial killers

When most people think of serial killers, the names of Jack the Ripper, Jeffrey Dahmer, and Ted Bundy come to mind.  No doubt, these were serial killers, but in point of fact the number of individuals that they so killed in comparison to the United States military and their indiscriminate bombing of civilians, which has been going on for decades upon decades, absolutely pales in comparison.

For instance, the two nuclear bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, killed well over 150,000 civilians, combined.  So too, the indiscriminate bombing of North Vietnam, killed well over 100,000 civilians; and finally, as estimated by Airwars, America’s war against terrorism, to date, has killed upwards of 48,000 civilians since 9/11/2001. 

Whether one desires to classify the bombing of civilians, in some nonsensical way, as in “collateral damage,” or “inadvertent casualties,” or something along these lines, the truth of the matter is that the nature of American bombing, by definition, is typically going to have some civilian casualties, and in many a case, depending upon the target so selected, it is for a certainty going to have civilian casualties.  This thus signifies, that by virtue of America continuing to bomb what it has defined as being their enemies, as well as conveniently providing itself the exclusive right to define who, what, and where those enemies are, that the American military through its bombing operations, is by all reasonable accounts, a serial killer of civilians.

By definition, a serial killer is somebody or some entity, that deliberately targets and murders an individual or a group of such, and then after some lapse of time, goes ahead and does it again and again and again.  This, in a nutshell, is the traditional bombing strategy of the United States of America, which should by all accounts be held accountable for crimes against humanity for having been a serial killer, for decades.  Yet, no world government or tribunal will ever put America on trial, because America not only is the sole superpower in the world, but also because America has not been defeated in a manner in which they would be susceptible to an actual war crimes trial.

Those that are serial killers, are egocentric psychopaths, that lack guilt, empathy, or concern for others, for what they have so done in their cold-blooded killing of civilians.  Not too surprisingly, America will use just about any word that it can come up with or invent so as to obfuscate that it has actually killed real non-combatants, as in civilians, by their bombs; for they prefer to believe that on some degree or level, that those so killed, were not really human, but at best, subhuman, and further to the point, deserving of their fate.

While America weeps crocodile tears for their own civilians killed, such as by the 9/11 terrorist attacks; somehow, they are able to completely compartmentalize what they have so done in response, and believe that they are in a sense, blessed by God, in their indiscriminate bombing and killing of civilians in return.  The fact that nothing ever changes in the thinking of the military minds of America, about bombing and its appropriateness, is indicative that serial killers and the American military are one and the same. 

Owning up to personal responsibility

There are all sorts of excuses put out by both adolescents as well as adults to explain away their various failings and faults, of which, within those excuses, there may indeed be some justification, and in some cases, a lot of justification for such errors in judgment; but, at the end of the day, those that do wrong, that makes mistakes, that fall in with the wrong type of people, have primarily only themselves to blame, and none other, despite their excuses so used.

For instance, it is somewhat amusing, though in reality, pretty disappointing, when people indicate that the problems that they have has a lot to do with them meekly following the wrong crowd, or the wrong advice, or the wrong this or the wrong that.  Yet, somehow, within those that fall into this following of the wrong leader and things of that ilk, there doesn’t come to mind, that somehow these same people weren’t able to follow the dictates of good parental advice, or good mentoring, or good wisdom from the good book, itself.  In other words, those that claim that they are prone to being so easily led, and find such thereby leading them into trouble; somehow, weren’t able to be so easily led, by those that exemplified the doing of good works, the value of following good rules, and of doing right.

In reality, each of us, has a personal responsibility that we are responsible to own up to, and while we might well try to put the blame, or at least a significant portion of it, on others, the bottom line, is that in many a case, we are solely responsible for the actions that we have taken.  After all, the ability to say “yes” or to say “no”, is typically at our volition, of which, no doubt, that answer, may indeed come with consequences, but nevertheless, a choice has been made. Those others then, that claim that they have made no choice, or had no choice, have by simply going along with what they were in direction of so doing, have by their actions or by the following so of, also have made their choice.

In point of fact, what leads more than anything to people getting into trouble, is not necessarily that they fall in with the wrong crowd, though, that has its significance; but rather that they have a bad habit of simply going along with the flow, without taking into proper consideration, exactly where that flow is leading them, and whether or not that is a good place to go to.  The main danger in going with the flow is that far too many people, just put their mind into that somnolent state of auto-control, which seems typically like a really bad idea, especially, in consideration that our mind was made for thinking.

So then, to stand against the crowd, takes some degree of courage as well as pluck; so too, to walk away from those that are one’s peers because the ideas that they are proposing seem imprudent, does take resolve and determination.  Still, these very actions, must from time-to-time be seriously considered and then if appropriate, so enacted upon, for each of us has an innate responsibility that only we can personally answer to, for better or for worse.

Anonymity within cities and communities

To a very large extent, America has become an urban nation, of which, that relentless urbanization, continues to grow, year-by-year.  This exists, despite the fact, that America is an immensely large country and could in consideration of the sheer amount of its land space, have instead, much smaller, manageable and vibrant communities, as compared to these dense, often impersonal, highly populated cities. 

There are, of course, some immense advantages in the having of large cities, especially, in the sense of economies of scale, activities, infrastructure, and the like, but the thing is that bigger is not always better; along with the salient fact that the bigger the size, the more intractable corresponding problems and the solution to such, will often become.  So too, part of what attracts people to big cities, is the fact that people, for better or for worse, can reinvent themselves, and further to the point, they can engage with the general public, or disengage, as per their inclination, in which those that are neighbors, have often no real justifiable reason to infringe upon the given privacy of a family or a particular person.

When it comes to a smaller community and especially of a community that has had generations of people that have lived within it, there is the knowledge that those people have of one another, which seldom is possible or even conceivable of ever existing within a large city.  This thus signifies for those that live in those smaller communities, that oftentimes within those communities that there is a certain comfort in the knowing of their neighbors, and the fact that their neighbors also know them, which can serve as a meaningful balm so as to not feel corresponding anxiety and alienation, one to another, especially when each person’s relative success, and ownership of material things, seems to be about the same. 

That is to say, where everybody knows your name, there is a corresponding greater sense of familial relations or its equivalency, of which, of course, it must be added, that some of the very worse arguments and discord can also come from such; but in general, the good of being known, and thereby being accorded due consideration by community members, way outweighs the bad, along with those that truly know one another, typically end up being more forgiving, as well.

It is a common trait, to desire to be respected, as well as to want to be liked and loved, and of which, in bustling cities in which everyone seemingly has something that they need to attend to, always, and oftentimes don’t feel as if they have the right in invade another person’s privacy; many a person, can feel some degree of alienation, for suffering from that lack of communication and intimacy, which may so lead these people to being more inclined to drown their sorrows and concerns in drink or drugs. 

There is a huge difference in being able to easily walk down the street so as to drop in on a friend or a neighbor, that a given person has known for years, has grown up with, and has connections to, as compared to that same basic construct simply not existing.  Those then, that lack community ties, and are surrounded instead by a lot of hustle and bustle, may indeed find themselves, with their anxiety levels rising, for we are social creatures, that need meaningful relationships in order to get the best out of life.

Real love has no falsity to it

The Holy Bible, has lots of words in it, of which, it could be said, that nothing is of more importance and therefore of more significance than what is so written in Luke 10: 27, “So he answered and said, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”  Yet, how many millions of people have read this very same passage, heard it preached upon, but have paid in essence, not a whit of attention to it.  Those then, that speak of love, that claim that they love, but aren’t true to that love by their thoughts, actions, and deeds, have nothing more than a counterfeit love, of which, its value is minuscule, at best.

Everything that we deal with on this planet, and our interactions, thereof, in which we question as to what we should or should not do in a given situation, has a known sensible response within our being -- as to what our appropriate response to such should actually be, though many of us pretend that we do not know.  There is no greater attribute than love, of which, not all that profess such love, or consider such, actually are true to that love.  That which is real love, has no falsity within it, no hidden agendas to deal with, and does not put the self before another; for to do so, presupposes that one person has more value than another; whereas, all, without exception, are equally loved by that which created us in the first place, and therefore have the same value, the same worth, and the same entitlement.

For those that claim love, as in for this person, this country, this entity, or this or that; they all, therefore, must be held accountable to the rules of that love.  Those that love, and truly love, cannot on the one hand say that they love someone unconditionally; yet, somehow, when things break disappointedly differently than expected, they then, on the other hand, revoke such love.  Further to the point, the individual behavior of that which we profess love for, whether good or bad, right or wrong, cannot change our love for that of which we so love, or else we have been false to that love.

Those then that make their love, conditional, as if God, or anyone else, for that matter, can be dealt with on a quid pro quo basis, and yet still call this love, are truly lost.  To actually love, is to rise above the limitations of one’s self-centered ego, to understand as well as to comprehend, that each soul, so created by our God, is part of the whole of God, of which, together, we are meant to be one with God, and that therefore each soul has an equal and inviolable right to that oneness with God. 

To have true love, is not the easiest of things to accomplish, especially, within the domain and constraints of this planet, but that is indeed, what each of us must aspire to achieve.  All the song and dance, the bread and circuses, the ups and downs, the war and peace, that surround us, serve to distract us from the only thing that we need to rise up to, which is to love; of which, those then that are able to do that have truly broken free from the illusions that appear so real, so as to embrace that which is the unending reality and the highest truth of our continual essence.

The rise of America since 1945

In 1945, World War II came to its conclusion, of which, if it wasn’t already accepted as being true, America was perceived by those in the know, as being the most successful and the most powerful nation in the world.  Yet, as we read at www.digitalhistory.uh.edu, in America, “…. A third of the country's homes had no running water, two-fifths lacked flushing toilets, and three-fifths lacked central heating.”  This was the status of that nation back then, which had been successful in fighting and conquering the Pacific theatre as well as the European theatre on behalf of the Allied powers.

Since 1945, running water, flushing toilets, and central heating, are not only common to have in virtually every dwelling in America, but they are also considered mandatory, and further they are part of those things that are nowadays pretty much taken for granted in America.  All of this is indicative that America has come an awful long way from where it was in regards to the nation’s wealth along with personal wealth, since 1945, and so much of what we now have in this modern era, are basically treated today as common place items and accouterments, without often really the acknowledgment that such that we have, is really of relatively recent vintage.

Those then that long for the days of the middle of the 20th century with touching nostalgia thought, are often looking at such through rose-colored glasses, for the comforts that are readily available, today, even for those of the lower class, are so much more, than what was available back then.  That doesn’t mean that all is good in the 21st century, but what it does signify is that the coziness of our living conditions, along with the immense increase of entertainment options, ease of travel, the knowledge at our literal fingertips,  and so on and so forth, is far superior to what it was back then and much of the credit of what we so have in this great nation, must be accorded thereby to all those people, institutions, as well as good governance that have helped bring such luxury to this fine land.

That said, it must be recognized, that no nation of real worth, should ever settle for resting upon its laurels, for when a nation does that, they thereby lose the urgency and the drive to become even better than what it so currently represents.  This signifies that in a competitive world that has gotten ever smaller, that for America to maintain its preeminence as the greatest nation in the world, it must continue to lead the way and do more therefore to demonstrate to its people and to the world, that the foundation of what so matters for a good civilization, such as housing, employment, wealth, safety, opportunity, income, education, health, and the like – still must all signify that America is at the top of its game.

So then, there isn’t any way that America can remain the greatest nation in the world, if it doesn’t do a more comprehensive job of seeing that a higher percentage of its citizens are knowledgeable, engaged, and dedicated to the importance of not only personal success, but also in contributing their good part to help maintain America’s status and domain, here and abroad.   As good as it is in America, there is always room for improvement, and those then that together strive for that improvement, are those that will continue their rise; whereas, those that do not, will begin their fall, and those that fall from very great heights, don’t fare well.

Keep it simple and live to the Truth

There are plenty of people that go to Church, pray, and listen to sermons; yet, how many of those same people actually live to the truth of the message of the Christ to begin with?  There are a lot of good reasons to go to Church, as well as to pray; and in addition, the listening to sermons most definitely has its place, but at some point, each and every person, must make up their mind as to whether they will consciously live to the truth of the message that has been spoken to them, again and again, loud and clear, or whether to keep on doing that which stymies them from getting to where they really need to be.

The gospels are not all that complicated to understand, though within those gospels, there are also hidden truths, that come to those that search sincerest for God, so as to further enlighten them.  Still, at its foundation, the truth of what Christ has to say, is said clearly in Matthew 22: 37-39, “’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”  That scripture passage sums up the message of Christ, succinctly, as well as it being the eternal sermon that all should aspire to live to, for this thus represents the pathway to liberation from the delusion and illusions that far too many people suffer from.

The problem that way too many people suffer from, is that they, in reality, do not want to live to the truth, because they are in their own way, content to keep on sinning, and therefore though they declaim that they seek to be saved, they aren’t actually interested in being saved in a manner in which they have to change who and what they really are, in the present.  In other words, the allure of what they are presently thinking and doing, keeps them from living to the truth of those two gospel commandments; of which, on some level, they somehow believe that they are being so clever and therefore are, in essence, “getting over” on God, without understanding that the longer that they continue in their defiance of such, the more muck and mire attaches to their very being.

The modern world has all sorts of lures, of which, each of these has the potential to take us away from being the good people that we are quite capable of being.  Yet, the great shame, of those that believe in God, have heard of God, or have a pretty good understanding of their obligations to God, is how these same people are able to so easily compartmentalize their life and therefore what they so think, say, and do in a manner that on a given day, they think all so done is basically just fine, when it surely is not.

That God is a forgiving God, almost goes without saying.  What is important to say, though, is that for all those that know better, no matter their age, no matter their station in life, no matter the respect they do or don’t have from others, is that to know what is right, and then to keep on doing what is wrong, clearly signifies that such a person as that, has failed their God, has failed their neighbor, and has failed their own soul, to their own lasting detriment.

Self-absorption and suicide

For all those that believe that material things always bring happiness, or that living in a day and age, in which literacy, good medical facilities, liberty, and democracy, would seem to be all extremely beneficial for people, in whole; what we so find, is that sadly this in and of itself is clearly, not always enough; for there is many a person that has suicidal thoughts, or attempts suicide, or succeeds at such.  Most people, that kill themselves, are not actually in a hopeless position, though, in their mind, at that time, and in their self-absorption, they may so interpret such, as if they are; and those that lose hope or are so lost in their own dark thoughts, are prone to making bad decisions, such as suicide.

To be self-absorbed is to be concerned only about one’s own interests and desires, to the exclusion of everything else.  So then, for those that are self-absorbed, for them, when everything is going well, life is very, very good; and when most everything is going okay, life is okay; but when everything appears to be on a relentless downward slope of nothing but hurt, lost and defeat, of which, it doesn’t appear that this sad tale will ever change for the better, then life becomes well-nigh hopeless; and those then that have lost hope are predisposed to either striking out against society or a given individual in some way, form, or manner in a destructive way, or instead turning such anger inward, and attacking their own self.

All those that are self-absorbed don’t have to actually be that way, for each of us has our own volition, so gifted to us by virtue of being a human being  Those then that are always and almost exclusively concerned only about their own self, can, if they so desire, find other interests and activities to keep them occupied; of which, perhaps, part of the problem for certain members of society as lived especially in first world nations, is the fact that because first world nations are seldom in any real danger, for instance, of being militarily attacked by some other warring nation, and because life as structured in many ways, allows people to be independent and on their own, without those same people being obligated to perform any duties to that society, in return; we do so find, that many people, without apparently having any good and viable outlets to occupy themselves, have a tendency to boredom, and those so bored, often increasingly become ever more self-absorbed.

So too, the biggest downfall of self-absorption and thereby essentially ignoring the opportunity to be of good service to other people and institutions, is that such behavior as that has a lot in common with narcissism, in which those that are narcissistic, typically, look at the world in a manner in which they believe that other people should serve their needs and when that does not happen, it irks them; and irks them in such a strong sense that they begin to doubt their own self-worth, and when they devalue their own self, the road to something destructive becomes all that much easier, for those that value themselves as essentially valueless, have seemingly no good ground to stand upon.

Abusing redaction rules

The art of redaction is the elimination of, or the obscuring of, written information that should not be publicly disclosed, such as certain personal identifying markers, state secrets, confidential sources, and the like.  On the other hand, those things that should not be redacted, are the deliberate redaction of pertinent evidence to the case at hand, so deliberately redacted in a manner so as to purposely obfuscate what would be fairly obvious, if such was not redacted.  That is to say, to redact something that should not be redacted, for the very purpose to keep the party so requesting that pertinent information, from seeing the whole truth of the matter, is a form of misdirection, deception, and categorically wrong.

Far too many people as well as organizations, are overly concerned only about documents not being properly redacted in the sense, that certain personal information, for instance, has not been fully obscured.  While this indeed can pose a problem, one could argue quite forcefully, that all things being equal, that it is almost always better to disclose more information and therefore to be more transparent, than to obscure such, because obscuration is typically the mindset of somebody or some organization having something that they wish to have hidden, because the disclosure of that information apparently cannot handle the disinfection of the light of day.

That is to say, while we might believe that those that are doing the redactions are always above board, neutral, and competent, the fact of the matter is that powerful people as well as powerful organizations and powerful government entities, will go to some incredible extremes, to protect what they feel needs their protection and if they are unable to stall or to preclude the admission of certain compromising documents, then the next best thing to do is to see that those documents are redacted in a manner, to the extent so possible, that this will protect their interests, of which, critical passages and words obscured, can easily change a losing hand to one that at least breaks even.

It is a travesty of justice, when information that the public has the right to know, or when specific parties to a given suit have requested such in discovery, in which, that information is, for whatever reason, endlessly delayed, unnecessarily obscured, is incomplete, or basically the disclosure of that information has not followed the intent of the law and the purpose, of it.  In the lack of full disclosure, those then that are trying to render a fair decision, or the people that are attempting to formulate a reasonable opinion, have been cheated, and cheated especially when redactions in certain places of a given document, have for all intents and purposes, served as a tool of deception, as opposed to such redaction edits having always toed the line of being fair and prudent.  

One should never underestimate the extent to which people and organizations will go to, in order to protect what they feel has to be protected, and therefore the art of redaction, is that art, which must be monitored by neutral parties that are beholden to nobody, or else, in many an important case, that which has been redacted, has been done so in service to that which has far too much power, to begin with.

Legacy preferences and college

There are specific elite colleges that many well qualified applicants desire to get admission to, of which, the main problem for gaining admission for those potential students, is the fact that the overall number of applicants, typically, far exceeds the availability of student slots.  This thus indicates, that a significant amount of those potential students will be denied entry to their college of choice, which would probably be acceptable, if the process in the selection of which students who were admitted, was transparent, based on objective merit, and always consistent in the scoring and evaluation of who gets in and who does not.

Not too surprisingly, despite all the talk about fairness, objectivity, meritocracy, having the right stuff, specific standards, as well as other criteria, the selection of those students so admitted to a given elite college has a lot more to do with the preferences of those so making those decisions, as well as also the constraints and objectives that they are subject to by the powers-to-be, then impartiality and openness.   Further to the point, one of the things that elite colleges do not desire to openly discuss is the fact that there is often a backdoor to admission to their college, which is done through specific legacy preferences.

A legacy preference is basically providing to those potential applicants that have had relatives, as in usually their mother and/or father, that have gone to that college, receiving a corresponding boost to their perceived qualification so as to better accommodate their admission to that college, as opposed to this not being a factor, that is even looked at.  No doubt, there are families, that want their progeny to go to the same higher educational institution that they went to, not only because it continues a given legacy, but also because they perceive that college’s value, trust in the value of that institution, and finally because on some level, they believe that their progeny is entitled to it.

As for why any given elite college, would care about a given legacy, it almost goes without saying, that those families that believe in that institution, are probably going to be more generous in their donations to such, as well as typically being more engaged with that college; and finally those colleges recognize the value of legacy students going to their institution as being more conducive for those students in making the right connections, which thereby serves to setup a positive feedback loop for everyone.

After all, elite colleges are hardly stupid, for they know that part of what gets a particular person ahead, or a particular institution for that matter, is having the right networking, which allows such to meet and to know the right people from the right institutions, leading to the implicit understanding of the valued interplay between education and the subsequent successful entry of that student into a meaningful career.  So, what we do find, is that legacy preferences are the workaround for colleges from being limited to evaluations so graded by strict meritocracy or fairness, to thereby permit those students that already have a significant leg up to sustain from one generation to the next, all the inherent advantages of being in the right place at the right time.

The rise of capital and the fall of wage growth

For all those that are perplexed about the tremendous wealth disparity, between those that are the superrich as compared to those that are not, the answer to such a tremendous wealth gap, really comes down to the fact that most people that get superrich don’t actually accomplish that through their actual wages, as in working a given job, or through the salary so paid at that job, but rather they are able to make mountain loads of money most typically through actualized stock options, equities in general, equity investments, or by basically having or having been gifted a lot of capital, which nowadays when invested grows a heck of a lot faster than income from wages, with also that capital being taxed at a very reasonable rate, when it is so taxed, along with capital gains not being subject to either social security or Medicare taxes.

For instance, from the years 1979 to 2016, the Standard and Poor stock index, had a compound annual growth rate of a very impressive 11.75%; whereas we read that from that same period, as reported by epi.org, the average growth in wages was an anemic 0.9% yearly.  It doesn’t take a genius, to recognize that a growth rate of 11.75% absolutely dominates a growth rate of 0.9%, of which, even if two people were to start at the exact same wealth in 1979, the person making 11.75% in wealth growth would over the ensuring years to 2016, absolutely leave the other person, in the proverbial dust.

Of course, there are plenty of people, that don’t really understand what the fuss is all about, as in the sense, that in a capitalistic society, if some people are able to increase their wealth, at a greater rate, then others, so be it.  The problem, though, is that oftentimes those people that have capital, have a strong tendency to passively invest it as compared to investing it actively in a business or as part of a community service -- rather they prefer to buy equities, or real estate, or annuities, in which, their participation in that investment, really comes down to monitoring it, and nothing much more.  On the other hand, all those that labor for their money, by working, in one form or another, and are compensated with a wage for their labor, are for a certainty, expending both personal time as well as energy in order to make that wage, of which the growth rate of that wage is often disappointingly small.   

The only conceivable way to reduce therefore the huge wealth disparity in America, which increases year by year, is for this government, of, for, and by the people, to make it their point, to do more to increase the growth of labor wages, and if appropriate to reduce the taxation so of for those wages so made; and to correspondingly do more to tax passive capital income at a higher progressive rate as well as also taxing large accumulations of wealth on a yearly basis, so as to thereby redistribute into the hands of those that need a helping hand, the aid that they so need. 

It is important to recognize, that to a very large extent, oversized returns on capital invested, has come at the direct expense of wage growth for laborers, and until such a time as this gets reapportioned, the superrich will get ever more at the expense of the general population.

“Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?”

The above scripture comes from Matthew 6: 27, and this scripture should say something to each one of us – which is that to worry about those things that cannot change, is quite obviously a waste of time.  Each of us has a responsibility to do the best that we can do with our given abilities, of which, it therefore behooves us to not only have the correct mindset so as to accomplish those important things, but it also necessitates our active involvement in doing those activities that will help us to get accomplished what we so desire to get accomplished.  The worrying aspect of anything, is often not going to be conducive to the task at hand, but typically serves to unnecessarily distract us from concentrating our mind upon our tasks, and therefore worry in any of its myriad forms, is almost always a hindrance, and hence something to be avoided.

The first thing to recognize about worry is oftentimes those things that we worry about the most, thankfully, don’t ever come to fruition, which on one hand, can be considered to be a very good thing; but it also must be recognized that such worrying has also been a very bad thing, for all that worry, has taken us away from what we would have found to have been more profitable to engage ourselves in, and therefore has reduced our efficiency and effectiveness.  So then, there are many people that fear all sorts of hobgoblins and menaces, that they perceive as a real threat to them, when in reality, their concern about such things, serves mainly to make them nervous and at unease, for no good reason.

While there are those things that we each should be concerned about, or even to worry about – it has to be recognized that in the worrying, nothing of substance is going to be accomplished.  Instead, a given individual should try to break down the problem that is troubling them in a manner in which it can be mitigated, resolved, or overcome; and if after aforethought, no viable solution comes forth, then the only thing of substance to do, is to determine how best to handle the problem, so that the result is less damaging, overall.

Each one of us has challenges so presented to us, that it is our duty to overcome, of which, there isn’t any extra pay involved, for those that expend a great deal of energy, worrying about it; as opposed to all those that recognize the value in dealing with it, in a responsible and forthright way.  So then, those that worry the most, are seemingly those that have lost touch with the fact that they are the very same ones that actually have the most control and say of what they do or don’t do in a given day, of what they do or don’t think about, and finally what they do or don’t do about what needs to be done.

All those that worry, and worry too much, aren’t good at comprehending that they have failed to recognize that for every closed door that there is another one that so opens; thereby they need to take the opportunity to not only find that open door, but to also enter into it.

What do you think you mean when you say what you say?

The art of verbal communication is very important, in which, it isn’t just the words so being spoken that matter, but it’s also the context, the tone, the body language, as well as who the participants are in that conversation.  So that, we find, that the very same words, with different inflections, or with a different audience, or with different body language, can most definitely have a very different meaning to different people and at different times.  This so signifies that all the nuances so involved in a given conversation, actually matter and are therefore important, while also indicating to all those third parties that are not privy to a given conversation, that they may or may not subsequently interpret such, correctly.

Further to the point, not everything verbally expressed is always actually expressed with the correct verbiage, or timbre, all things considered, when trying to communicate well with another.  That is to say, for instance, when people are emotionally upset or distraught, words can then be readily spoken, that are more dramatic, and often more hurtful, and thereby less caring, then they would be if that person was calmer and in better control of their emotions.  This signifies that what a person says, especially when they are distressed about something, may mean entirely something else -- that actually hasn’t been verbally expressed well at that moment.  So then, it can help to clarify a conversation, to actually ask the person so speaking, what is that they think they meant by what they said, instead of taking their remarks at face value or trying to interpret them, internally.

The thing about conversations, is that some conversations, can have a lasting impact upon one party or the other, or possibly both.  So then, it behooves each participant to that conversation, to want to desire to comprehend what has or has not been really meant by the words so spoken, especially when something so said, has had an immediate negative impact upon another.  Further to the point, this provides the participants to that conversation, a good opportunity to correct that which should be corrected, at the beginning of such, as contrasted to doing nothing, and thereby allowing that wound to remain unattended and to thereby fester.

Of course, there are plenty of good conversations, of real worth, and of real value to those so communicating; of which, it can be said, it’s vital to make sure that what a given person has heard and seems to thereby comprehend, is true to what has so been said, for sometimes people, in their eagerness to hear something good, hear only what they want to hear, while ignoring those parts that they don’t want to hear, and thereby to lose their good perspective on what has been actually said or meant by such.  So, perhaps with some trepidation, it’s worth inquiring of the other person what they so mean, in what they have so said, for it’s better to know the truth, then to be deceived by one’s own distortion of such.

In short, it’s of value to desire to know what a person means by what they have so said, because clarity is part and parcel of what a good conversation should actually represent.

The power to help and the power to harm

Every single person in this world has some degree of power, of which, how much power a given individual so has, ranges from one extreme to the other.  So that, even those that claim that they have no power, whatsoever, have power, if perhaps only in a negatory power, such as in their refusal to do something, or to give the illusion of doing something, when they are not actually doing so, and so on and so forth.  Then, of course, there is that type of seemingly absolute power, in which other people’s lives, livelihood, and freedom rests in the hands of some authority to do whatever that they so desire to do. 

So then, discretionary power is part and parcel of the human experience in this world.  Some people would have us to believe, that discretionary power, isn’t fair, or isn’t right, or shouldn’t really be allowed; or in other words, they wish for the considerable reduction of discretionary power, to be replaced quite obviously by cut and dry rules, that would be absolutely consistent, of which, these rules then would give no ground.  The problem with a lack of discretionary power is that the less discretionary power, that there is so available, for the person or entity to utilize or to forsake, the more that humankind devolves into nothing much more than automatons, and thereby the massive reduction of their free will.  Those then, that do not have free will, have no discretionary power, and to believe therefore that the ideal world is an environment in which there is no discretionary power, necessitates that there would be no free will, which pretty much makes this world, nothing much more than a playground for that who created it, and no doubt, something that could not conceivably maintain that creator’s interest for any sustainable period of time.

Rather, of far more interest and of far more drama, is a world in which those so created upon it, have free will and therefore they have discretionary power, and thereby they use such power, per their own volition, for better or for worse.  The beauty of this system, is that it permits those that are the players of it, to spread their wings, so to speak, and those that are most curious, the most engaged, and the most dedicated to the principle of the greater good will eventually figure out, that the best use of discretionary power is to consistently do the right thing, rather than to be self-serving, mean, or destructive.

Each of us, no matter our particular station in life, have the power to lend a helping hand, or to remove such a hand, or to use such a hand in a hurtful way.  That is the power so granted to us all, of which, those that are the wisest, see the value of doing good, because by doing so, it helps to enlighten those that are in the darkness, so that they too, can do good, and thereby, when like minds join together, it makes for that which was the intent in the first place – which is to grant free will to all so created, and for that who is the Creator to delight in seeing its children use such valuable gifts, well.

So many school teachers make for a strong union

Perhaps most people would be surprised to learn that public school teachers are part of the biggest union in America, which is the National Education Association (NEA).  The fact that those that are public school employees are overwhelmingly part of that union, makes for not only an impressive number of members at 3 million peoples, but also provides that union with the corresponding power of that numerical strength to often get favorable results for its members.

In an era in which union membership and union power is in steep decline, the teaching profession, is one area in which union strength has maintained its strength in recent years.  As in many things, there are both positives and negatives to having a strong union, of which, depending upon a given person’s viewpoint, this leads to different perspectives and different opinions.  For instance, because teachers are public employees, they usually are restricted in their option of going out on strike, for their duty to educate children, in theory, outweighs their right to strike; as well as the salient fact that many State governments and localities, have specific restrictions limiting such.  Still, those members of a union, understand well, that the threat of a walkout, or sick out, or a strike, are valuable tools in any negotiation, whether, strictly legal or not.  Additionally, teachers have often a strong incentive to try to increase their salary and their overall benefit package, in recognition not only of the ill effects of inflation to their income when such does not keep up with same, but also in response to the need for competitive salaries to be provided to teachers, in order to obtain and to retain good quality teachers.

While, in general, the taxpaying public, doesn’t begrudge a fair salary being paid to teachers, they at the same time, aren’t all that interested in having their taxes raised directly or indirectly to pay for such, and therefore they are prone to desiring to see that teachers and that schools, are held accountable to the results and the test scores of the students that make up that body, of which, poor and unsatisfactory results, often signify to parents, that the teachers are not doing their job appropriately or well.  Additionally, in an era in which private enterprise has basically vacated pensions for their workers, and therefore forces those employees to save for their own retirement through alternatives such as a 401k, there thus is for a significant swath of taxpayers, some resentment to not only the pensions so being paid to teachers, but also to the fact that teachers work, at least on paper, significantly fewer hours than the general taxpayer does.

The thing is though, that even though the teaching profession has a very strong union, and seems to provide its members with often not only a good salary, good benefits, as well as a robust pension, that the turnover rate of those so qualified and thereby educated to be teachers, are subsequently found to be leaving the profession, at a disturbing rate that is surprisingly high.  This would presuppose that within the teaching profession, itself, that the conditions so of, are often troubling, unsatisfactory, unrewarding, stressful, upsetting, and stifling; which is disconcerting not only for teachers, but also for the underachieving students in school as well as their disappointed parents.