“You shall not steal”

We read at Exodus 20: 15 that we shalt not steal.  This is one of God’s Ten Commandments, so brought to our needful attention by the prophet Moses.  No doubt, most everyone is aware of this particular Commandment, in addition to the fact that there are also quite a few people that believe that they have never violated such, because they have never stolen a good from someone’s house or shoplifted or anything else along those same lines.  Regrettably, though, for those that feel highly about their virtue, just forgoing the stealing of material goods is really a very narrow reading of this important scripture.

For instance, stealing, can encompass a very wide range of bad actions, including such as stealing another person’s virtue, or their reputation, or their labor, or their opportunity, and so on and so forth.  So then, with this more liberal reading of this Commandment, many more people, are guilty of having stolen something of worth from a fellow human being and therefore are in violation of this Commandment. 

The important thing to remember is that anytime that we use deception or some other dastardly tool to take advantage of someone, in which that person, would never have willingly provided their consent to such, if they knew what was in actuality, really going on, is always a form of theft.  There are, unfortunately, going to be plenty of other people that are cleverer than we are, more devious, and more diabolical, in which, those that deceive us in order to extract something of value, without providing something akin to a fair trade, are thieves.

So too, whenever we are to blame for something, but we make it a point, to deflect that blame by placing it upon someone else, thereby absolving ourselves of due punishment, we have stolen from that other person, by besmirching their identity to protect our own, which is also a form of theft.  Additionally, those that don’t put forth an honest day’s labor, by virtue of their attention wandering to activities that are not germane to the tasks at hand, have stolen a fair day’s work from that which has hired them.  Also, those that are students, that do everything within their power to cheat on the exams and assignments so placed in front of them, by having, for example, somebody else for a price or a favor, write their paper for them, or they, for instance, lean over so as to copy the answers to a test, from somebody else that has devoted themselves to the studying of such, are engaging in a form of thievery.

To steal, is to do anything that basically allows us to assume in the eyes of the public or those that we admire, that we are something, that we have not fairly earned by our own good efforts and labor, but have instead, “borrowed” or taken from another, in order to assume the guise of uprightness when we are anything but such.  Those then, that are tempted to steal, and give in to such, because in their mind the end justifies the means, have apparently not fully understood that those with true integrity and therefore those that desire to do honor to their God, do not steal.

“The New Freedom”

In 1913, President Wilson had published the more meaningful portions of his campaign speeches, into a book entitled, “The New Freedom A Call for the Emancipation of the Generous Energies of a People.” From this, we then recognized that the very things that Wilson most feared and thereby warned us of, consisted of things such as the concentration of industry, of an era of special privilege, as well as becoming the land of monopoly, “…where all the conditions of industry are determined by small groups of men,” which is exactly the epitome of what America so represents at the present time.

So then, that which Wilson most feared, has come upon us, in which in today’s America, the vast majority of people are mere cogs in the machine; that is to say, employees of enterprises of which they as workers have no say, no piece of the action, and thereby must adhere to the dictates of that enterprise, or else find themselves susceptible to being without employment, which thereby signifies that they aren’t really free.  These are indeed trying times, for when those that have a need and thereby a requirement to work for a living, have little choice but to work for a corporation that determines their pay, their hours, and the basic conditions of that employment, thereof, then these people aren’t really sovereign individuals, at all.

A huge swath of Americans, don’t have the capital to begin their own enterprise, nor do they often have the necessary connections that would help smooth the pathway for the initiation of such, and thereby the success of such a business enterprise.  In this modern world, that might well be just fine, if on the other hand, these people, individually or collectively had the power to receive not only a fair wage for the work so performed, but also received fair benefits, job security, as well as some sort of reasonable pathway provided to them that would allow for growth in that job, for those that fairly merited such.

The fact that so many Americans are nothing much more than employees, with often no guarantee of job security or loyalty by the company that so employs them, in which, their employment is considered to be at the will of that employer, subject thereby to the whims of that employer -- then it doesn’t seem possible for many a person, to feel safe and secure, that they will be able to consistently be a good provider for themselves as well as for their family, now and into the future.

None of this appears to be in keeping with the American dream, but seems instead to be in keeping with the desire of a small cabal of very powerful business interests as well as those that sympathize with such, that want to profit at the expense of their fellow human beings, by controlling and exploiting the labor component, all to the benefit of that particular business enterprise.  In short, humankind cannot be classified as free, when they are unable to be autonomous or act as such, when they thereby seek employment.  Those then, that have no seat at the table of business, aren’t free, but should be seen for what they really are, pretty much peons to the worst aspects of the capitalistic system, in which, their government, idly stands by, doing nothing much of merit, because that government, itself, dances to the tune of those that have thoroughly co-opted or corrupted them.

Forgiveness of debts and the 1099-C form

Millions of Americans get into debt each and every year, of which, some of that debt, be it a car loan, a student loan, a mortgage, a medical bill, a credit card charge, and so on, isn’t going to realistically ever be paid back.  At some point, for most of those lenders, they sell that debt to a bill collector; but even these bill collectors, will at some point, reach their breaking point, in which, they simply give up, though often with having been a considerable pain in the side of the debtor, throughout – still, bill collectors are realists, so when there is that situation in which someone declares bankruptcy, or dies, or has no visible means of income, or the provenance of that debt is questionable, or the debtor has successfully fought back, or by various other reasons, some of these debt collectors will call it a day and will duly close shop on that delinquent account.

One would think, that when a debt release form is signed, or a paper is received by the debtor in which the previous debt has been forgiven, that the debtor would see themselves thereupon as being free and clear, knowing that a debt forgiven, means that they won’t have to worry about such a debt anymore, in the sense of phone calls, letters, or the negative impact on their credit report.   Yet, in many a case, people that have had debts forgiven, will ultimately receive a 1099-C, typically reflecting the total amount of the debt so forgiven, and thereby by virtue of that form, that amount so of, will now be considered to be income to that individual on their tax return.

That is to say, if a debt, for example, of $5000 is forgiven, the taxpayer might well receive a 1099-C, for that $5000, which is considered to be taxable income for that person, and most definitely, does so make a difference in their subsequent tax obligation or tax refund.  The main problem with this construct, is the fact that a forgiven debt, hardly seems as if it should be most appropriately classified as income in the first place; in addition to the fact that as of 2022, each citizen is entitled to receive up to $16,000 from any one entity, so classified as a gift, that has no tax consequences for the recipient, thereof.  This would seem to reflect that foisting a 1099-C, upon someone that probably isn’t in all that good of financial shape to begin with, seems like something akin to “sour grapes,” and that the least the IRS should do in these types of circumstances, is to classify debts forgiven of up to $16,000, as a “gift” to the individual, and never as income, because in reality a forgiveness of debt, seems a lot more in keeping with a gift, as opposed to somehow being fairly classified as income.

The probable reason of why debt forgiveness, necessitates a 1099-C, is the fact that those that issue out loans of all sorts to people, don’t like it when they are unable to collect their money, and therefore feel a need to “punish” those that don’t play by their rules; which seems petty on their part, and certainly not in keeping with the fact that loss provisions are prudently made in any professional business enterprise, as simply being the cost of doing business to begin with.

The Atlantic Charter of 1941

The United States does have a good history of putting together treaties and charters, which have had the most noble of goals and aspirations, of which, the Atlantic Charter so signed between Great Britain and the United States in August of 1941, is an exemplar of that very thing.  In regards to Great Britain, they desperately needed United States aid in their battle against the Germans, thereby desiring at a minimum, the receipt of necessary armaments as well as monetary loans, along with their specific desire to see the United States ally themselves with Great Britain in order to defeat that Nazi regime.  So then, to a large extent, the terms of that Atlantic Charter were naturally going to be in accordance with what the United States preferred to see implemented, and pretty much Great Britain was in no real good position to push back, and therefore that Charter was duly executed between those two nations.

In regards to that Atlantic Charter, which had eight principle points, the very first was that neither America or Great Britain by virtue of that war, would seek to aggrandize onto themselves, additional territory to add to empire or to create the same; and further that those peoples currently under colonial rule, would be accorded the opportunity to choose their own form of sovereign government, instead.  Lastly, these two powerful and influential nations agreed that they must be the leaders in achieving world peace and therefore “…must come to the abandonment of the use of force,” and “…that the disarmament of such nations is essential.”

This Charter while not as effective in action as desired, did substantially become the basis for the lifting of, and thereby the removal of colonial rule by Great Britain as well as other European nations, in the continent of Africa, as well as in other nations around the world.  Regrettably, when it comes to armaments and the use of force, this critical principle, died on the vine, and of which, the United States has by its own actions, demonstrated time and time again, that diplomacy is not its strong suit, but rather, the use of military force most definitely is its primary calling card, instead.

In point of fact, the Atlantic Charter would not currently be approved by today’s America, for America believes it has the right to interfere in the sovereignty in many a vulnerable nation, directly or indirectly; as well as imposing itself and the conditions of its loans so issued to such – in addition to bossing its way on exports, imports, rights of mineral exploration and extraction, and the usage of that foreign territory, per the dictates of America.  In other words, while the sun has truly set on the British empire; that empire in many respects, has morphed instead into the sphere of America, for whatever America so desires and wants.

There was that time, when America saw itself as a nation which felt it had a principled obligation to see that they proselytized to countries throughout the world, by its example and by its strength, the value of the democratic vote, as well as equality, meritocracy, opportunity, and justice.  That world, would be a terrific place to live in, of which, the rule of law, peace, and fair trade would be in harmony with the very best principles of what America is supposed to stand strong for.

Federal minimum wage and cost-of-living increase

The federal minimum wage has not risen since 2009, and is set at the insanely low rate of just $7.25/hour.  As bad as that is, there are exceptions to even receiving that low sum as a minimum wage, of which, the most notable exception for such is for those that are in professions that are classified as “tipped employees,” such as restaurant servers.  While, the first order of business in regards to the federal minimum wage is to see that wage be pushed up to something resembling a living wage, the second order of business is to have that Federal minimum wage, indexed to a yearly cost-of-living increase, akin to what those that receive Social Security benefits have been beneficiaries of since 1975.

What a Federal minimum wage represents to politicians and to legislators that somehow have failed to increase such since 2009 is absolutely baffling, because that minimum wage should represent on some level, a baseline for those that are employed that would enable these people to receive a fair day’s wage for a fair day’s work, and thereby to have what would represent for them, a living wage.  Instead, the Federal minimum wage is set so low, that there can’t be any respectable person in governance, that could state with a straight face, that $7.25/hour represents a living wage, because for a certainty, it doesn’t.  While, one could argue that at least $7.25/hour represents a floor to how low salaries could conceivably go, that isn’t all that reassuring.  Additionally, inflation is a fact of life in the modern world, and all those that work in which their wage is not indexed to inflation, or their wages do not keep pace or exceed the inflation rate, are effectively in a situation, in which, they are falling ever further behind.

The main reason why Social Security wages are indexed to the cost-of-living index, has an awful lot to do with the power of Senior citizens and their lobbying arms.  Yet, no doubt, those receiving Social Security payments deserve to have those payments indexed to inflation, in fairness to them.  So then, the fact that the Federal minimum wage seems to be effectively ignored in legislative offices, is highly disappointing, for it most definitely needs to be increased to something that reasonably resembles a living wage, in conjunction with the need to have that Federal minimum wage thereupon coupled with the cost-of-living index, of which, then, legislators really wouldn’t have a compelling need to address it any further.

Obviously, those that are making on or about the Federal minimum wage, are the very people that need the most help by their government, in order to have the necessary things so needed to live a decent life in this the richest nation that the world has ever known.  The fact that those who so represent in body the weakest and most vulnerable amongst us, are effectively ignored and bypassed by their government, represents in action, that America prefers to exploit the poor for the benefit of the rich and connected, thereby signifying that in America, the awesome power of those that control the purse, always rules supreme.

Presidents Wilson’s Fourteen Points of 1918, and the dustbin of history

The United States of America has not always been a bellicose nation, but alas that is a fair perception of it at the present time; in which America insists it has the right of empire throughout the entire world, so as to wield its power, in a manner that benefits to a very large extent, specifically, American corporate power, as well as for territorial aggrandizement, and for intimidation, so that America can get its way under the terms that it so desires; and further America does not ever consider backing down to any other nation, or consortium of nations, for America is the sole superpower in the world; even though it likes to sell the illusion that Russia or China is somehow on some sort of equal footing with it or might someday get there.

Those that wish to be overly generous, could look upon the American empire, as while being inimical to what the Constitution so stands for, as well as being clearly out of step with President Washington’s  warning that we should not “….entangle our peace and prosperity in the toils of European ambition, rivalship, interest, humor or caprice” --  that to America’s credit, it doesn’t always used its power, might, and influence to simply treat all other countries, akin to how a king treats its subjects, though, to a large extent, it certainly appears that it prefers to do so.

There was a time, when America was far humbler, and was far more understanding, that great leaders are made by great leadership; of which President Wilson, at the conclusion of World War I, wrote a paper listing the Fourteen Points needed for world peace.  To say that such was ambitious, was an understatement; to say that it was noble in its construct, was absolutely true.  Yet, at the present time, there doesn’t seem to be any mainstream politician in today’s America that would buy into all the doctrinal points of that particular document.  For instance, Wilson made it clear that secret negotiations and lack of transparency between what was being negotiated country to country, in regards to treaties and the like, was bad diplomacy, and therefore served no good purpose.  Further, Wilson urged that “national armaments …be reduced to the lowest point consistent with domestic safety;” which clearly has been domestically completely ignored; for it is the oversupply of those very dangerous killing armaments which are being utilized as the necessary means for wars and engagement throughout the world, and of which, the United States exports well over $100 billion of those armaments, each year.  Wilson also stated that “the day of conquest and aggrandizement is gone…”; yet, in fact, that day is still very much alive, and is in principle, the guiding light of the American capitalistic system as currently practiced, so enforced by America throughout the world, and of which, this is the very reason why America continues to get its nose into just about everything all over the world, because American multinational enterprises are compulsively driven by their lust for more growth and more profit, thereby typically insisting that sovereign foreign nations consent to the rules that America so dictates, or suffer the consequences, so of, for their disobedience.

The peace that Wilson wanted, came from the knowledge that warfare was not becoming of advanced civilizations, but rather reflected its incivility, greed, lack of foresight, and injustice, instead.  So then, until there comes a time when swords are truly turned into plowshares, we can expect a continuation of more hatred, disrespect, violence, vitriol, and vengeance, worldwide.

“If voting made any difference, it would be illegal”

The above quotation doesn’t seem to make any logical sense, for in countries with a democratic vote, those votes are thereby typically made for legislative propositions, city council members, school board members, mayors, sheriffs, senators, judicial positions, congressional representatives, and presidents.  So then, it most certainly appears that voting does matter; but the thing is, when we look around at how our country deals with vital things such as our wealth disparity, poverty, ill-education, incarceration, political acts, the policing arm of the state, and justice so being served, it has to be recognized that there is often a significant disconnect with what has so been voted upon, and the actual effect of that vote upon the people, in whole.

In other words, voting does not seem to make a difference, because if it really did, we would have, for instance, more equality in the income and wealth of our people, as opposed to the massive disparity between those that have it all, and those that have nothing.  If voting actually matter, then the justice so being meted out would treat white-collar crime, more in accordance to how street-level crime is treated.  If voting really had any significance, then the politicians so being elected, and the legislation so being passed, would actually have a meaningful impact upon the people’s lives, as opposed to such, pretty much often being just words on a paper, and therefore an irrelevancy, for the most part, in the everyday lives of the people.

The fact of the matter is that voting, appears to be nothing much more than an elaborate charade, of which the people are sold the illusion that this government is, of, for, and by the people; but the results of this construct are right in front of our eyes, in which, quite obviously the people, don’t seem to have any meaningful voice, whatsoever.  This might seem puzzling to many people, because they have voted, and they believe that the legislation so passed, and the politicians so elected, must so and do make a difference; but in actuality, that doesn’t often occur, especially in regards for all those that aren’t connected, or aren’t high up in the scale of those people that actually have a say.

So then, we live under a governance, of which, in actuality, there are two governments, in which, one of those governments proports to provide us with a voice, so demonstrated through elections and propositions of all types, and many a person believes in this as being not only the government as it really is, but the reality of what they live in.  Then there is the real government, which is a shadow government, and of which, that shadow government effectively runs the show, or if not completely running the show, is definitely at the helm of a rather large and somewhat unwieldy ship; and it is this shadow government, that makes sure that what so occurs in actuality, is that which benefits those that are its actuators, and cares not a whit, for those that are its subjects, for they are basically seen by them as a resource to exploit, to use, and are thereby kept satiated by the bread that feeds their belly, and the circuses so created to keep them perpetually amused.

Human research and ethics

There are all types of research so done upon human beings, in regards to, for instance, pharmaceutical drugs being developed, as well as psychology studies so needed to learn more about the human psyche, so performed upon humans, of which some of these things so done, will be necessarily intense in its effect upon those subjects.  Regrettably, the United States has some rather troubling history in regards to using human beings, for such tests as this; in which, for example, incarcerated people, or those that have historically been treated as less than human, have been utilized as unwitting test subjects for drugs that were known to be harmful or problematic, or have been actually injected with substances known to be damaging to one’s health, or have been provided surreptitiously with drugs that addle the mind, of which, these subjects, were never not only not fully informed of such, but typically weren’t ever informed, at all.

The most important thing when it comes to human beings so being utilized for these types of tests, is that they be fully informed about the nature and the intent of the program, and even the sponsors of such, to begin with.  To the extent that such cannot be fully disclosed because it would compromise the purpose, for instance, of a particular psychological test, then those subjects need to be informed of such, after their involvement.  After all, when the very point of such research is for the benefit of humankind, then it doesn’t make any real sense, that humans should suffer for having been a research subject, but rather they need to be fully knowledgeable of the perils of such, and must additionally give their voluntary consent without coercion to participate -- along with the need of having an independent party, confirming that all this has been accomplished in an ethical manner.

There isn’t any real debate, that in order to determine the actual efficacy of potential pharmaceutical drugs, that independent tests utilizing humans will need to be made, but in regards to those tests, there has to be some strict protocols in place, to protect those taking such drugs, from any lasting harm, as soon as it becomes pretty obvious that the drug in question, creates more harm, then benefit.  So too, the human mind and psyche, can easily be damaged through experimental research good awry, in which in fairness to the subjects, there has to be robust regulations in place to address, these very important and meaningful issues.

Finally, research labs, universities, and all those that look the part of professional researchers have an ethical obligation to disclose to all those that volunteer to be a subject of a particular research project, where their actual monetary funding originates from.  That is to say, funding so provided to research labs, can come from a multitude of different sources, and when that source, in particular, has a profit motive behind it, there may well be some additional risk involved to those volunteering, in the sense, that those conducting the experiment, have pretty much a vested interest to see that the results, thereof, favor those that provided the funding for it, and therefore those researchers may well be inclined to push things further as well as to make adjustments on the fly, that endangers those that are its volunteers, all in service to the hand that feeds well those researchers.

Police officers and under compensation

The policing arm of the state is necessary in order to put boots on the ground, so as to enforce the law upon miscreants in a competent and fair manner.  The thing about policing, is that at least some of the time, it is a thankless job, with incumbent dangers, and of which, police have to deal with the type of people, that most of us, would make it a point, to avoid at all costs.  So then, because police officers have to do the type of a job, that most would never be up for, there should be correspondingly, a decent wage for such a valuable service.

To the degree that police officers are well respected, appreciated, and compensated fairly, one would therefore logically think, that then the amount of corruption of those officers would be minimal.  On the other hand, when officers are not well compensated, we do so find, such as in Mexico, that a huge swath of those officers thereby become corrupt, for they have to make up for their lack of a good and fair salary, somewhere; and that somewhere, is typically through the aegis of those that are outside of the law, who therefore take care of compensating those officers so that they themselves can continue to do the unlawful things that they need to get done, and further by that corruption are often able to co-opt those crooked officers to actually aid them in such.

When it comes to police officers in America, those that perceive themselves as being undercompensated, and/or are in need of extra funds, have a strong tendency to desire to work the system so that they can make up for their lack of adequate base pay, by working overtime, and of which, many a police department does indeed issue a lot of overtime hours, which thereby addresses that problem in a manner which seems to satisfy such for those that are its participants.  That is relevant, for police work, is invariably going to involve both a lot of discretion as well as temptation for these officers, in which, those entities that are outside of the law, or on the very edge of it, are going to want to work whatever angles that they feel will be beneficial for their enterprise, so that they can reap that which they desire to have, and having officers that either look the other way, or directly or indirectly aid them, is something which is, for those enterprises, both good business, as well as being sensible.

This thus signifies, that because of these temptations that officers will have to deal with, and because officers have so much discretion as to who or who they don’t arrest, the charges, thereof, and so on and so forth, that good police departments, make it their point to first of all, see that their budget, adequately compensates their officers, and further that they also have a robust internal affairs department, ideally aided and abetted by agencies outside of that actual police department, to nip in the bud, that which needs to be addressed in a meaningful and comprehensive manner, for if not, then what so occurs, is that justice is not served, fairness is not upheld, and in short, the law is unequally applied.

What have you done for others?

One of the problems with living in modern societies is that a lot of us are susceptible to losing our meaningful attachment to community, to family, and to others, by getting so self-absorbed in other matters -- that actually represent in the scheme of things, that which really aren’t of any lasting material importance, and basically these other things serve for the most part to distract us from the more meaningful things in life, that we should be addressing and doing, instead.

For all those that somehow believe that the most important thing in life, is to make themselves feel good or to look good, they have it all wrong.  Those that are narcissistic in their outlook, and in their behavior, of which everything that they therefore come across is dealt with in a manner, that primarily is about how this will or will not personally benefit them, aren’t thinking correctly. That is to say, a world of exclusively selfish people, is not ever going to be a world of peace, harmony, and justice, but rather such is always going to be quite obviously the very opposite of this, because people that are not joined together in a common purpose for the greater benefit of society at whole, are going to be at odds with those that are.

This thus signifies, that each of us needs to understand that none of is an island onto our own self, and as much as we might have a tendency to want to give ourselves all or most of the credit for our success in life, the truth of the matter is far more nuanced and complicated then that; for really none of us gets into a really good place without having first stood upon the shoulders of previous giants, and each of us, thereby needs to be not only conscious of that material fact, but also that we each have an inherent obligation to make it our point to see that in our life, we have done our fair part to have done something of benefit for others, so that they too, can reap the rewards of a life lived wisely and well.

None us truly progresses in this life, without taking into fair account, our obligation to those that have helped us to blaze forward in this world, of which, the greatest tribute that we can thereby provide to those that have aided and abetted us, is to live a life in words and in action, that demonstrates our respect and our obligation to perform good deeds with our fellow sojourners.  The way that we best do this, is by our efforts to help others in making their way in this world, by being a positive influence upon others, by having concern as well as taking the time to lend a helping hand to those that need such, and by forgetting ourselves and our needs for a time, to concentrate instead on being the type of person, that is that good Samaritan, because there truly isn’t anything more important than those little but necessary things that allows us to assist as well as to uplift others, so that they too, can be better off, for our having done something of value for them.

“Just as I have loved you, you also love one another”

The above scripture comes from John 13: 34; yet, how many people having read those words, actually bother to live such in thought, in action, and in deed?  There are plenty of people that talk about how they love this or love that, or claim that they love someone or love something, therefore signifying that they are loving, but in actuality often their love doesn’t really hold a candle to what this scripture so represents about love.

People really aren’t interested in those that exhibit only that which would be best described as a “fair weather” love, in which, when things are going just fine -- kindness, compassion, and concern abound; but when things go awry, somehow that love, turns thereby to hate, or jealousy, or becomes vengeful.  Obviously, a love such as that, doesn’t deserve the designation of love, because that which is real love, always wishes the best for the other, and further to the point, real love, is unconditional, and therefore is never dependent upon the behavior or the actions of the beloved, for to do so, would make that kind of expressed love, conditional.

Each of us should want to be treated the way that ideally, we so desire to be treated, which often consists of attributes such as consideration, patience, forgiveness, concern, empathy, and love; as contrasted to that very long and lengthy list of negative attributes, which we would wish to have minimized as much as possible in being imposed upon us.  So then, this signifies, that those that learn their lessons well, must aspire to live those valued lessons in their subsequent actions that they so take with others, and their interactions, so of.

When we think about the people that we admire and respect the most, it isn’t so much that we need to match them in their accomplishments, for often, this isn’t realistic; but rather we have a revered obligation to at a minimum, take on the aura of their noble aspects and to make that part and parcel of our dealings with others, and further to the point, to make this part of how we so see this world, which thereby becomes the ultimate form of respect and tribute to those that we so admire. Further to the point, the good acts that we so commit today, have a lasting effect upon all those that receive such, so that, by doing good, by being loving, we in our own way, help to make society better for our being a part of it.

To have love and to exhibit love in all that we say and do, takes discipline, wisdom, and thoughtfulness; for it is the easiest of things to slip away from love into pettiness and stupidity, which benefits nobody.  Those that so easily throw around words such as love, are in their own way, disrespecting what love truly is, for love is patient, kind, and selfless; for all those that truthfully love, are those that have no hidden agendas, and honestly desire that each of us rise up to what we are capable of being, so as to thereby become that which we were always born to be. 

Scams: the roof for free

There isn’t anybody that ever really wants to replace their roof, for they know that this is not only a major expense, but it’s also one of those expenses that doesn’t have any “bragging” value to take pride in; in the sense, that just about nobody that we respect would ever express their admiration of our new roof, as compared to a new deck, or new addition to the interior of our home, instead.  The thing about roofs, is that, depending upon where a given person lives, the finite life of that roof can vary considerably, based upon the weather conditions, and thereby susceptibility to damage from such.  No doubt, some people do have bad luck with their roof, in the sense that perhaps the work so done was poorly performed, or the roofers utilized inferior materials, or that their roof suffered an undue amount of damage from a hail storm, or similar.  So then, roofs do need from time-to-time to be repaired, fixed, or ultimately replaced, and of which, the replacing of a roof, is a rather large expense, in which, insurance coverage for such, is going to take into account, the actual damage, the normal wear and tear of that roof, the date of the initial install of that roof, the deductible involved, and any other information of pertinence by that insurance company. 

All of the above, indicates that anybody coming up to our door, that has the audacity to state that they from a street level can first of all, ascertain that the roof has severe damage, necessitating the replacement of such, and further indicates that their “company” can provide us with a free roof through our home insurance, is at best, problematic, and is in probability, a straight-up scam.  After all, the person so making this proposal, doesn’t know the insurance so utilized on a given home, doesn’t know the deductible, doesn’t know the background of the person so having that insurance as to whether or not they have had previous claims, nor do they know how long the current roof has been in place.  In short, those that state that they can replace a roof for free, through one’s insurance company, are running a scam, and are not worthy to have a conversation with.

Of course, some people feel, that a free inspection of their roof, has its place, but that free inspection can be and should be performed by the actual authorized representative of their insurance company, rather than some random person from the street, who is basically trying to get over on a given person.  The come-on that those running such a scam, which they obviously believe is effective, is that they claim that they can get us a free roof, of which, it is that word “free”, and the knowledge that people know that roofs don’t last forever, that serves its purpose in potentially getting a real conversation going.  Further, these scams, usually involve these solicitors, claiming that they just fixed a roof for some other neighbor, down the street, without ever identifying the neighbor, or having any proof of the work so done, or the price, thereof, actually being free.

In summary, there are many a thing that are free in life, but to ever believe that some random stranger can provide a roof for free, is not one of them.

Poor diet leads to poor health

The physical body needs nourishment in order to sustain itself; of which the food and drink that we so partake of on an everyday basis, absolutely matters.  That is to say, not all calories are the same, nor are those calories that make up the food that we eat, treated the same within the body.  So then, those that consistently eat foods that have been fairly labeled as “junk food,” because of their lack of good nutritional content or that eat foods that have been manipulated in a way in which the best nutritional parts have been substituted with something that is inferior, are going to, over some period of time, reap what they have sown, which is damage to the physical body, so demonstrated by diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart ailments, and stroke.

The thing about eating is that both the mind and the body can easily be tricked by not only the compelling and enticing advertisements that we see via television and social media, but also by the taste of such, in which, there are lot of food items that have been sweetened or configured in a manner in which the taste is pleasing to us, thereby leading many a person to believe that if it thereby tastes good, it must therefore be good for the body.  Additionally, what we so grow up eating, has a strong tendency to stay with us, so that when we are brought up eating certain foods that aren’t healthy for us, and of which these foods are comfortable to us, it’s going to be a lot harder to break those eating habits at some future point, in order to embrace some other foods, that would be better for us.  Finally, there is the fact that budgets for families in regards to food, varies considerably, in which, some families have a tight budget, that thereby has them gravitate to what they can so afford, which in a lot of circumstances, in regards to those food items, leads to that which is poor in nutritional value, though for the most part, those so buying these items, aren’t really aware of or can do much about, that needful fact.

Those that consistently eat a poot diet, often are able to keep the dogs at bay, for a long period of time, for the eating of that which is unhealthy, typically takes a considerable period of time, to work its damages upon the body, but damages they will so come.  Those then, that wonder why diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and strokes seem to be so prominent, in a nation that is known as the “breadbasket” of the world, seem not to comprehend that those that suffer from poor health, often have the contributing factor that their diet has correspondingly also been poor.

We live in a day and age, in which never has so many food items, been so prevalent, though not all that is currently labeled as food, deserves such a label, for that which lacks nutritional value, shouldn’t really be called food, but rather should be properly identified as being the health danger that it actually represents.  The fact that so much junk food is produced and consumed, reflects that those that are in that business, care mainly about the profits so being made, and apparently are blithely unconcern about the long-term negative ramifications that hurt those that consistently indulge in such.

Status and implicit superiority

As much as America desires to sell the narrative that the United States is a “classless” society, as well as being a country of meritocracy, equality, and the land of opportunity; we do so find that while these words and sentiments do indeed sound noble, the reality of what is really going on in this nation, is pretty much something entirely different.   While it is true that America has never had a formal class system, with titles signifying nobility and stuff of that sort; what it does so have is definitely an implicit class system, in which those that are at the very top of it, lived entirely different lives from those at the very bottom, in every single aspect of their lives, signifying that all those at the pinnacle of the upper class do not see America through the same prism, as those others that are the most impoverished and disadvantaged of the lower class.

Further to the point, those that have high-status, have, by definition, the accouterments that come with that status, such as owning the best homes, living in the best neighborhoods, attending the best schools, eating at the best restaurants, buying the best things, while also having the best networking connections, then everyone else.  On the other hand, those that have the lowest status, don’t have any of those things, but rather are sorely lacking in each of them, and additionally, because they have no status, aren’t in the place or position in which they can by even their own best efforts, reasonably expect to generate the escape velocity to improve their lot, one iota.  

This thus signifies and puts the lie to the belief, that in America, one’s status is not set at birth; for in more cases than America would care to admit to, those that are born with the proverbial “silver spoon” in their mouth, are always in a very good place, and of which, it would necessitate a whole lot of ill behavior by those born into that environment, to ever fall from that grace, though it does occasionally happen.  On the other hand, those that are born into the direst of circumstances, live in the type of America, in which everything seemingly conspires against them, so as to keep them in their poor place, and thereby they are stuck in a construct, in which there is no future, for there is no hope; though occasionally through extraordinary efforts there are a few that are able to break free from that which has previously unjustifiably constrained and bound them.

The thing about status, is the fact that far too many people, associate that those that have material success, have somehow earned it, legitimately; whereas, the truth of the matter not only has far more nuance to it, but often hasn’t taken into fair consideration that those that are privileged and favored to every possible extent, have been provided with an inherent advantage that makes their subsequent accomplishments, far less impressive.  Yet, it is these high-status people, that regrettably hold the power reins of this nation, of which these people, see themselves as the natural leaders of this nation, thereby doing primarily in action that which benefits their class and their status, at the expense of not only the general public, but especially those that have no voice, and no dreams to believe in.

Vaccines and the success of failure

While there isn’t any doubt that vaccines can be extremely beneficial for humankind, even necessary, the fact of the matter is that the structure of how vaccines are paid for, and which institutions that the money thereby goes to, has a fundamental flaw within it.  We read at reuters.com, that “Total global spending on COVID-19 vaccines is projected to reach $157 billion by 2025…”, which is an absolutely staggering amount of money, for just one vaccine.  This would, perhaps, be absolutely fine, if the vaccine so being mandated was nearly 100% effective, or was only necessary to apply just one-time, or if those so producing the vaccine, along with the administration thereof, were done almost exclusively on a non-profit basis.  Regrettably, in the United States of America, vaccines, are for the most part in the hands of big business, and because there is a profit motive incumbent within those vaccines, it doesn’t therefore take any real stretch of the imagination to understand that big pharmaceutical and bioengineering companies, along with their research and development arms, have a perverse incentive that their vaccine be effective in a general sense, but never to be at 100 percent or nearly 100 percent effective, or else repeat business of billions upon billions of dollars will be lost.

That is to say, the intent of any legitimate pharmaceutical or bioengineering company with scruples should be to provide a vaccine that is as effective as it could conceivably be, with an absolute minimization of side effects, along with it having long lasting efficacy, so done on a basis, as a service to humankind, and if there be a profit motive, that profit should be structured in a manner in which the profit is reasonable, and no more.  That may be indeed be the way that it should be, but it certainly isn’t the way that things are.  Firstly, the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, are all public entities, with their stock therefore being traded, and of which, therefore, they must answer to Wall Street, their internal Board of Directors, and the stockholders, thereof, of which, these entities all pretty much agree, that growth and corresponding profits, are absolutely mandatory, and are therefore, above all else, the be-all and end-all of the existence of that pharmaceutical company.  Secondly, vaccines, in their structure, should ideally be something that is both highly effective as well as being long lasting, as opposed to the COVID-19 or flu vaccines, which necessitate yearly re-visits to get re-vaccinated or to have booster shots, which quite obviously, is a reflection that the vaccine is not nearly as effective as it should be, and quite clearly makes those vaccines and booster shots to become, in essence, a steady and thereby reliable revenue stream for the pharmaceutical or bioengineering industry.

Imagine this, that within a particular pharmaceutical or bioengineering company, a group of genius scientists discover a vaccine for COVID-19 or something of that ilk, which is nearly 100% effective, and requires no additional booster shots, ever; of which, this is so presented to the Board of Directors, as being that miracle vaccine that will materially reduce the harm to humans, as well as basically saving the lives of millions; but will also mean that though there would be a very substantial one-time boost to the profit line, that subsequently there would then be a massive drop-off in revenues and profits of such, soon thereafter.  No doubt, as things so currently stand, those genius scientists and that vaccine would be seen as a material threat to the profits and revenues of that company, and thereby this revolutionary discovery would be suppressed, once and for all-time, never to see the light of day.

The United States, a nation under invasive domestic surveillance

In regards to, for instance, the Soviet Union’s KGB, East Germany’s Stasi, and Iran’s SAVAK, there isn’t any doubt that each of these domestic spying operations were invasive, unjust, intimidating, and quite destructive to those individuals that suffered unduly from these operations, leading to actions such as their banishment, imprisonment, violence, joblessness, compromise of such, or even death.  Each of these domestic spying operations were quite good at gathering up information and then using that information as a form of control upon dissident elements of the population, as well as a way to keep those that were prone to unorthodox views, to effectively silence them and thereby better control or manipulate such.  Further to the point, these agencies effectively were a law unto themselves, and pretty much were provided by the government that actuated them with carte blanche to take care of business in any way that they saw as being most effective.

Within the United States, there are several domestic agencies, that perform functions, so explained to the American public, as being necessary for their nation as well as for the people’s safety and security, of which, the biggest and the most prominent names of these departments, are the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Security Agency.  We currently live in an era in which so much of what we say and do, is recorded through digital media, of our cell phone communications, our internet activity, and basically everything that is initiated by us and thereby subsequently recorded through the digital world that we are an integral part of. 

It would be one thing if all this activity so being recorded, logged, and associated with a given individual, was prudently monitored in a way that always the individual rights that are ours by the law of this land, was kept foremost in mind.  Rather, in actuality, this government, through subterfuge, through its witting actions, and through its outright lies, feels that it has the prevailing right to collect whatever that it so desires to collect for whatever purposes that it so desires to use such information for, and does so in a manner in which this is never voluntarily publicly disclosed to the public, but is done and kept secret, instead.

There are plenty of people that are fine with all this, for they are the type of people that are quite willing to give up some degree of freedom and privacy for their own personal safety.  Further, there are those that believe we live in the most dangerous of times, and therefore they have the faith that what their government so does on their behalf, is going to always be essentially those actions that will protect them successfully from enemies, be they foreign or domestic. 

While the surveillance by this government of its own people, at this stage, appears to be one primarily, but not exclusively, of collecting, collating, and of studying such information; recognize this well, that always it is the party that has all of the information, that holds over that party that has little or none of it; for everyone has an Achilles’ heel, and those then that know where that weakness lies, most definitely know how to exploit it, and sooner or later, should it serve their purposes, that respective agency so actuated by this government most definitely will.

Auto insurance and personal choice

One of the most fascinating things about the United States of America, is the fact that it is made up of fifty distinct States, and of which, each of those States has its own peculiarities, rules, and laws.  When it comes to auto insurance, most States as a mandated law, necessitate that car insurance be purchased and thereby attached to the vehicle so owned; and this therefore does not give the option for people that, for instance, own their vehicle free and clear, to opt out of car insurance.  This would seem to be overly restricting, and perhaps reflects, in action, the governmental nanny state that rules us; as the most appropriate way to look upon insurance, any insurance, is to see such as a financial safety shield, to reduce or to eliminate personal financial liability, but such insurance, all things being equal, should be left to the discretion of the individual, where so appropriate.  So then, for those that are confident in their driving abilities, have weighed the risks, thereof, and therefore are of the belief that they will never be “at fault”, the lure or even the practicality of auto insurance, may be the sort of expense, that could be forsaken.  So too, there are plenty of people, that have expenses that they barely are able to meet on a consistent basis, of which, auto insurance is most certainty an expense, and while New Hampshire has specific rules in place for “proof of financial responsibility,”  applicable to those that want to opt out of auto insurance, it would seem that such a statue as that, is subject to not only interpretation, but also, importantly, of no real import, for those that are not ever involved in a traffic accident.

The insurance business can best be seen as a racket, of which, it should be considered to be such, because the business is run on a for-profit basis, and for all those that have ever called in to find out why their insurance has risen, the most typical of answers from these car insurance businesses, is that accidents within that community or State, have gone up; which while unfortunate for those so involved in those accidents, would seem to represent little relevancy to those that haven’t been in an accident, in which, it seems that they have been subsequently financially punished, though they have done nothing wrong, themselves.  In fact, it could be said, that those that go years upon years without an insurance claim, should by all rights, get some sort of rebate or refund for never having a claim, but this isn’t the nature of the car insurance basis, at all; of which, about the only “bone” thrown the customer’s way is that their rate of increase, or so-called “discount” has been adjusted to reflect their loyalty and good driving record.

The amount of money spent on car insurance yearly, is over $300 billion, of which, the biggest losers are really those that are not provided with the fair option, to opt-in or to opt-out, for a strong argument could be made that those without auto insurance, have the highest of incentives, to not place themselves in the position to either get into an auto accident, or to ever be at fault should such an accident, occur.

The invisible and the visible, only one is the master

For many a person, they seemingly believe that we only live in a visible world, and therefore they think nothing of that which is not tangible to them, not measurable, and in theory, not knowable.  Then there are plenty of others, that correctly perceive that the visible only exists as a manifestation duly performed by the invisible, and of which it therefore so follows that the invisible is the master of the visible – of which, all those others then that get so caught up in materiality, are in danger thereby of losing sight of who and what they really are in essence.

The most significant issue that humankind needs to comprehend, is that those that insist upon walking upon the wrong path, and thereby basing their lives, their ideas, and their goals, upon what they so see on that path, are in the end, only fooling themselves as well as all those that so adhere to such a mindset.  Further, those that insist that truth is subjective, or that there are multiple truths, aren’t thinking clearly, and thereby suffer for that delusion in having such a false belief.

It is disappointing that there are so many that believe in what they see as being the only reality worth exploring and believing in; whereas, in truth, even for those that deny spirituality in totality, they recognize or are cognizant that there are invisible forces, such as wind, heat, magnetism, and gravity which for a certainty, exist, yet aren’t visible to the naked eye.  This thereby proves that within the materiality of our physical experience on earth, there are invisible forces, which are undeniable to us, and affect us, and while the scientists of today, can measure such, they aren’t able to properly formulate the first cause of such. 

Further to the point of that first cause, something tangible, cannot ever be created out of nothing.  Those that believe that from absolutely nothing, something can so come, are delusional, and have failed to utilize their reasoning powers in a way in which they are able to get beyond the limitations of materiality, to the point that they acknowledge that there must be unseen forces that they have not taken properly into account.  Those unseen forces are by definition, invisible, and it is the invisible that manifests what we so perceive as being visible, of which once visible, those objects are thereby subject to the basic laws of this material plane.

To believe that those aspects that we seemingly can’t comprehend of the invisible, therefore does not matter, does not invalidate such; and to thereby believe that the only thing worth expending energy and time upon is that which we are able to measure or theorize about has its obvious limitations and flaws.  Those that get so unduly caught up in the show and its corresponding minutiae, never seeming to bother to want to discover the showman and thereby the actuator of such, have become entranced by the creation, to the exclusion of the Creator; or, have been mesmerized by the visible, at the expense of the invisible.

Pride and shame

The United States of America is the richest nation that the world has ever known, of which, television, social media, and our own encounters, demonstrates on a daily basis, just how rich certain people are, which thereby makes some of those that aspire for such, or desire such, feel, with some justification, the shame of knowing that they will never hold a candle to those that have it all.  Further to the point, there is one’s status within a given neighborhood, of which, for some of those people that live within that neighborhood, this represents for them, the be-all and end-all of their existence, for they seldom spend much time away from their neighborhood.  Therefore, one’s status in one’s neighborhood, is, for them, of absolute relevance, further compounded by the fact that those that believe that they have no avenue to escape from such, know for a certainty, how then they are perceived by those that they congregate with, is of some real import to them.

So then, not all that surprisingly, neighborhoods that are filled with people, that see no real prospect that they will ever extricate themselves from such, recognize that their status within their neighborhood, seemingly defines who and what they really are.  This thus indicates that those that have been shamed, disrespected, or dismissed, are going to carry a lot of internal hurt, for the very people that they desire to have respect them, don’t.  So then, in recognition that they have been shamed, rightly or wrongly, those then that hope to right that ship, often feel that the only way to obtain or to regain pride in themselves, is to strike back directly against that which has shamed them.

This thus signifies, that those that have been belittled, but are able to still call up some pride, are going to be tempted to take revenge in some way that will permit them to obtain that pride, which often amounts to some sort of violent reaction; of which, those that do not feel that they have the physical strength to fight hand-to-hand, or the verbal acuity to outwit their adversary, may so demonstrate a strong tendency to look for a weapon, such as a handgun, that in and of itself, not only demands respect, but in its use, is incredibly effective in wreaking destruction against a given target.

Whether or not, using a gun is appropriate, matters little to those that feel disrespected, for those that utilize guns in order to overcome humiliation and dishonor, do so to obtain, what they believe will be pride and thereby respect by those that they interact with, and care little for anything else that may so occur to them at some future point as a consequence.  All of this basically means, that those that have been publicly called out in a manner in which they have been disgraced and belittled, of which, they see no real good civil recourse so available to them to overcome such, will often turn to that which makes a very public statement, which is violence, and violence so done in a manner in which, a price will be so exacted, that thus, at least for a moment in time, replaces disrespect and shame, with pride and satisfaction.

A nation of criminals

We read at techjury.net, that “…over 77 million Americans hold a criminal record,” which certainly reflects that America is indeed, a nation of criminals.  Perhaps this is the way it should be, in the sense that those that commit crimes and are convicted of such, should therefore be forever labeled as criminals, fully deserving of their record and the consequences, so of. 

Of course, not all that glitters is gold, and in the case of criminal records, not all who have such, deserve such a label.  For instance, despite the fact that those accused of a given crime, should be afforded an attorney, in many a case, no attorney is really present, for the adjudication of their case; because such is seldom heard in front of a jury of one’s peers, but typically, instead, the accused has been essentially coerced or pressured into some sort of plea bargain deal, in which pretty much every card is held by the prosecutorial arm; whereas, absolutely no power is in the hands of the person so having been charged.  Additionally, there are misdemeanor offenses that because incarceration is either minimal or non-existence as a penalty for that misdemeanor crime, that therefore the accused has no right to an attorney, even though the conviction of such a misdemeanor crime would thereby become part and parcel of that person’s criminal record, forever.  Further to the point, there are numerous offenses which have been defined as being a crime, of which, these types of crimes which lack a true victim, would be better dealt with as some sort of ticketing offense, such as for those accused of recreational drug use, illicit gambling, public drunkenness, possession of contraband, homelessness, prostitution, and the like.

To the shame of America, it likes to paint a justice picture of black and white, of which, those that are without a criminal record, thereby are seen as being “good”, and then those that have a criminal record are thereby seen as being “bad,” with no shades of gray, between the two.  Yet, what has not been taken into account, is the actual setup of our criminal justice system, which is deliberately structured in a way, that those that are the least powerful, the least championed, and have been born and raised in the least of circumstances, have pretty much be corralled from their birth into a construct in which they have a high probability that they will, at some point, receive a criminal record, essentially for being poor and disadvantaged.

The reflection that so many of American citizens are criminals, is consistent with the fact that America has a huge underclass which suffers from having to bear the burden of the sins of a nation, that has an elite which rules the roost, and are themselves in many ways, the biggest of criminals, by virtue of their, for instance, financial manipulations, collusion, corruption, double-dealing, tax cheating, corporate fraud and corporate pollution, price manipulation, embezzlement, and so on; though seldom are they convicted of such, because this government seldom has an interest in holding them accountable, because that government itself is often complicit in their activities, directly or indirectly.

America is indeed a nation of criminals, but not all those that are labeled as a “criminal” are themselves deserving of such; and not all that are “lawful” are as clean as they like to portray themselves as being.