God’s Kingdom is within us and surrounds us

Human beings often struggle in recognizing that which is physical should not dominate our thoughts and deeds to the exclusion of that which is beyond physicality; for that which is eternal in its nature, quite logically, should be of more interest to us, because it is beyond both time and space.  That is to say, to understand eternity means to understand that eternity has no known beginning and has no known ending, of which our objective should be to ask the question as to whether we as human beings are or are not eternal in our being. This signifies that to believe that God’s Kingdom is somehow only within a dimension that is beyond this world, and thereby up in space or contained in some external dimension, is not truly to understand the meaning of God’s Kingdom.  In truth, God’s Kingdom is here with us now; it always will be, and it so follows that there is nowhere that God’s Kingdom is not.  The reason we often fail to comprehend this is that we aren’t paying attention to what we should be paying attention to.

 When we live in the physical we have a strong tendency to fixate upon not just the physical but also to permit our mind to deceive us, so as to come to the incorrect conclusion that that this world is all that there is; and for so many of those that believe in Heaven and Hell, they often believe that Heaven is only ours when we leave this earthly plane and that when we reach Heaven, we live within it, for eternity, which seemingly is based upon whether or not we have embraced a particular faith that thereby has permitted us to enter this Heavenly realm.

 In reality, Heaven is not just some sort of different dimension that currently seems intangible to us, but it is a state of awareness.  Those who are awake recognize not only what Heaven is, but they recognize that the Kingdom of God is all around us, and that it is our inability or non-desire to embrace this truth that precludes us from accepting this as the truth that it actually is.

In other words, there are none so blind as those who will not see.  This is why each of us needs to spend some time examining not only our own life, but also examining the purpose behind it, because when we know not the purpose of living this will probably mean that we will consequently meander from place to place and have no fixed destination in mind, which will thereby signify that we will not be able to live a truly full and satisfying life.

 All of the above is indicative that we need not wait, nor should we wait, to recognize that God’s Kingdom is not only within us but that it always surrounds us, of which, the sooner that we acknowledge this, the sooner we will become enlightened, and thereby behave and think in a manner consistent with the highest and best qualities of what we have abundantly been blessed with.

Union membership is unnaturally low in America

Though laborers have the right to unionize, we find that according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, that in 2024, just 5.9% of private sector workers were unionized, and that the overall total for laborers was a mere 9.9%.  This is especially troubling because the 2025 Gallup poll indicated that approximately 68% of Americans approve of labor unions.  Therefore, the disconnect between active union membership and the fact that 2/3rd of Americans approve of unions doesn’t seem to make sense and sure doesn’t seem right, especially considering that laborers are legally permitted to unionize but somehow aren’t very successful at accomplishing this.

 The bottom line is that private enterprise, with very few exceptions, does not have an interest in, and strongly prefers that its employees not be unionize, which quite obviously is because they appreciate the ability to dictate to their workers, the terms and conditions of their employment, in addition to in many a case, being able to terminate a given employee for no reason, other than their pursuit of profit, above all.  It so follows, therefore, that private employees aren’t going to embrace unions, because as it stands currently, they are truly having their cake and eating it too.

 This would surely indicate that in order for America to become more unionized, it’s going to need the help and aid of its governance, but regrettably the government of this nation, statewide and nationwide, seems to have been captured by private enterprise so that the government in many cases, doesn’t do anything of merit to help provide the path forward for more union membership, and basically thereby does nothing to encourage or to enable such.

 So too, the reason why we see that the superrich and elites of America are able to garner more and more of the wealth of America into their sticky hands has a whole lot to do with the fact that far too many employees are exploited and that they do not get the wage benefits that are not only more appropriate for the labor that they provide but also in many a case aren’t provided with even a living wage, in this the richest nation in the world.  This signifies that because of the lack of union membership, and the corresponding fact that so many Americans struggle from paycheck to paycheck, as well as often lacking the security of steady employment, that to make up this shortfall requires extensive welfare programs, which would not be so necessary if there were a higher percentage of jobs that were unionized.

 All of the above indicates that the powers that be appear to hold all of the cards, which doesn’t look to be something that will change anytime soon, so that the trendline that we see today, of unions in the private sector, essentially becoming an irrelevance, reflects that those who are in the highest echelons of power are satisfied that this is the way that things ought to be, or if not exactly that, have little or no interest in seeing that they change for the better – leaving those who honestly labor but aren’t compensated enough to never have the fair opportunity to obtain the American dream

Towards the building of good character

In the skeins of time, nothing is really more important than developing our character in a way and manner that we are able to demonstrate in real life that we are of good character, such that we see through the notable qualities of integrity, discipline, forgiveness, and our personal effort to do our fair part for the greater good.  This world is forever a proving ground, and though none of us will start at the same place, each of us is meant to arrive, though, at the same place, which thereby means that we are born to demonstrate that we are true to that which first created us, by taking on the qualities that represent the best of humankind.

 In life, we will be tempted, and we also will meet those others that will direct us away from what we are supposed to be doing, but in all of these cases, we have the free will to do the right thing, of which, it is our responsibility to do right or else suffer the consequences for our having done wrong, or ignoring that which we should have taken action upon.  Look, nobody is going to get it right all of the time, but the trendline represents where we are going, and when that trendline is heading in the wrong direction, it is up to us, to make good where we need and ought to make good, or else our good characteristics have taken a backseat to our bad characteristics, of deceit, laziness and bad habits.

 In life, we are ultimately accountable for all that we do and say, and pointing the finger here or there is not going to resolve what needs to be resolved.  So too, those that risk nothing are going to obtain little or nothing, because it is up to us to prove that we will do good for others through our application of the right stuff, and further that we will not waver from doing right. Additionally, each of us won’t be tested just once, and won’t be tempted just once, but rather we are going to be tested again and again, of which, it is by our correct decisions that this builds the foundation of not only our good character, but the type of character that will stand strong throughout the vicissitudes of life.

 It is vital that we have a meaningful destination in life, so that it follows that we need to expend the time to examine who and what we are, and where we are found to be wanting, to develop ourselves in a manner that will overcome those defects that must be amended and improved.  It isn’t good enough to just try, for we are tasked with overcoming that which stands in our way, and are thereby provided with the toolset to get that done, which may well require the help and aid of good others to assist us in getting to where we ought to be, which is why we have families, communities and societies, because the very point of those relationships is to understand well that none of us is here alone, but we are all of the same stuff, meant to do our fair part with one another so that together we will arrive at the only place that matters.

America as a caste society

Many people are familiar with the fact that India has historically been a caste society, which segregates certain people from others, and thereby categorizes people into a certain hierarchy that is difficult to break out of.  So too, we find that in America, there most definitely is a historical hierarchy, which still stands today, though it has been modified to accommodate the changing demographics of this nation, and is in a lot of respects more accommodating to other creeds and races than it was back then.  Still, at the end of the day, America remains a caste society, something of which it does not desire to speak of; yet it exists, persists, and continues to be a bane upon what this nation is supposed to be about, which is opportunity, fairness, justice, liberty, and the freedom to be about one’s business.

 The default race of preference in America is quite obviously the white race, so in the absence of characteristics that are unbecoming of what it means to be white, such as their inability to acknowledge that they are entitled to more than their fair share, we find that the privileges of being white are favored in just about any situation of worth. In fact, by virtue of being white, this opens up doors and opportunities that are not so welcoming to others.  This also signifies that hereditary traits, such as being born white, provide those with whiteness an inherent advantage over all other races, and thereby the default view is that whiteness is always preferred, because it has distinct advantages which are theirs to own, unless undercut by their own stupidity, crassness, or careless inability to behave like a white person is meant to be seen and known by.

 Indeed, to be any other race other than white, as well as to have the wrong creed, or to have the wrong type of name, places that individual at an inherent disadvantage in the American caste society, which doesn’t necessarily mean though that these others are forever seen as no more than a second class citizen, but it does mean that they are situated in American society as being lesser than the favored race, which signifies that to rise above their designated slot in life, is going to take a whole lot of effort, and even with that effort, may not permit them to ever rise into the upper echelons of American society unless essentially permitted to get there, by those who are the well-positioned whites.

 To believe that this nation judges its citizens upon the content of their character is belied by the fact that white people are always favored, unless they don’t act the part, because the bottom line is that white people in aggregate have the most wealth, the most positions of power, and in addition the historical precedents that favor them, above all others, for they are the highest possible caste that exists within this society.  To believe, somehow, that America is a true melting pot, just isn’t demonstrated by the reality of what is actually occurring, and until such a time as America somehow lives up to its creed of liberty and justice for all, this caste system will continue to distort and to harm the American dream.

The bullies of big business

It is important to realize that bigger is not necessarily better.  That is to say, just because a given business gets bigger by doing ever more business does not necessarily mean that they are more efficient, better run, and overall better for consumers.  Rather, while bigness and dominance may well bring efficiencies of scale, we do so find presently, that big business has a habit of making it to be its point, that they are most interested, above all, in maintaining or enhancing their power and influence, by putting their thumb upon the scale, and thereby through economic power as well as through their connections in the political world, will thereby maintain their status in addition to enhancing their profit and strength as well.  So too, big business seldom welcomes competition, but rather prefers, through their pricing power in conjunction with their market share, to put competitors out of business or, in the absence of that tactic, to buy out the competition to thereby make themselves even more powerful than they were before.  In all this, it has to be said that big business has a lot in common with bullying its way to their continued success, by dominating all aspects of their business world, as well as having more than their say when it comes to regulation and rules so that they can thereby increase their profit and their footprint, because they have no true competition and no unfavorable legislation to get in their way.

 While it must be said that consumers do appreciate the availably and usefulness of the products and services that they purchase, what isn’t so beneficial to those same consumers is the fact that when competition does not exist or is quiescent, that the price of those goods and services is going to be higher in price than what it would be, if robust competition existed, but also that those businesses that have obtained a lot of power and market share, are probably not going to cede much of that business to other entities in the future, so that the bottom line is that there really isn’t much hope that their inherent business advantages for big dominant businesses are going to somehow, ever turn unfavorable for them.  This is why some of the most well-known companies in the world not only exist year after year, but are quite adept at growing their business, as well, because there are no potential upstarts that could ever take a meaningful stake of their business from them.

 To believe, somehow, that what is good for big business is always good for America, is not to understand well that the best way to keep those big companies honest and on their toes, is the need for a level playing field, in which innovators aren’t just absorbed by big business, or unduly pressured through unfair pricing or legislation to submit; but rather that innovators and trailblazers have a fair opportunity to have their say and to demonstrate their vision, which should be something that this government encourages, for the good of the people.

The press has a duty to provide unbiased information to the public

We live in an age in which the “free” press, doesn’t seem to be all the free from ownership prejudices as well as having their desire to propagandize to the people a certain perspective, which deliberately avoids fairness and truth, so that the stories so being written are basically told from the perspective that the only news that is fit to be printed, is that news that is in accordance to the narrative that the press has determined that it desires to disseminate.

 The fact that so much of our media is prejudiced to one side or another, and therefore has clearly made up its mind as to what it believes should be told and thereby sold to the public, reflects that our media has its own agenda which it is true to, which thereby means in virtually all cases that the media is untrue to truth, itself.  This is not only a crying shame but reflects the fact that so many of those who work with and for the media apparently do not believe that their highest duty is to inform the general public in an unbiased manner of information that would be of import to them so that the people can make up their mind of how to deal with or respond to the news of the day, but rather the preference of media is to push for their narrative as being the story that the public should swallow, regardless of the fairness, truth, or other important considerations that have been pushed to the side or removed fully.

 Whenever the press is beholden to the state or to corporate interests or to advertisers, then it so follows that the news so being written and told is going to reflect their prevailing prejudices and perspective, and have little or nothing to do with expressing the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, because the agenda at hand is to mold the readership in a direction which favors the tale so being told.  This is unfortunate, because not only does this fail to take into the account that the general public cannot be fooled all of the time, but it also disrespects that general public by assuming that they are going to be forever compliant to the desires of the press, when in actuality, they are going to not only be ultimately resentful, but are also going not to trust or be leery of the words so being printed or distributed to them, signifying that because of that erosion of trust, there is less cohesion amongst the people than there really ought to be.

 Nobody really likes being lied to, and it isn’t healthy for only one side of a given story to be written, so that the end result we get is a general public, which basically believes that honesty cannot be the best policy, because the press does not itself follow that policy, and therefore in absence of truth and fairness, many of that public, have a tendency to feel that they ought to tune out, and just to doubt everything, which doesn’t make for a vibrant and healthy society.

Leveling the field between labor and capital

It seems to be in the nature of many a person or institution to desire to feather one’s own nest before considering that the other deserves a fair shake.  Indeed, in many a case we find that in far too many powerful corporations that they are not willing to share the wealth, with those that labor for them, and in absence of good faith negotiations between the workforce and those that are its employers, we find that the employers essentially hold all the cards in regards to worker’s pay, worker’s benefits, and worker’s hours.  Perhaps this is way that it should be in a free enterprise system, but it has to be recognized that the more concentrated that wealth becomes, the less that this nation actually represents in any way, form, or manner a democratic or representative government, but rather it becomes one in which there is only the semblance of such, because money equates to power, and those with the power who are also transfixed by greed, will not willingly or fairly share the wealth.

 One worker does not typically have a lot of power, and to the degree that they withhold their labor from their employer, they will simply end up getting terminated from that employment.  So too, one worker who tries to bargain with their employer may or may not have success, depending upon the needs and consideration of that employer.  So too, one worker who is not permitted to at least organize with other workers essentially means that one worker stands alone.  When it comes to employees, they are almost always at an extreme disadvantage to those who control their employment and thereby have the capital to pay them a fair wage or not.  Furthermore, in the absence of the worker having pertinent and actionable information about the corporation, it is thereby difficult for laborers to ascertain how much they are contributing to the company.  In all of these things, the power that a given worker has to negotiate a fair pay package has a whole lot to do with other workers also joining together in the same cause, as well as to whether or not this government of, for, and by the people, will do its part to see that workers are provided with the backstop so that they can collectively bargain for a better and thereby a fair deal without fear of unjust termination.

 The one thing that all workers have in common, whether or not their working conditions are fair or not, is that they can withhold their labor, and when done collectively in which “replacement workers” are mandated by law, to only be temporary, then there is a fair chance that the negotiations between those workers on strike and upper management will be fair for all involved.   This so signifies that in absence of fair wages to begin with, that workers in this nation should be fairly entitled to unionize and thereby to collectively bargain with upper management, and whenever the terms so being discussed are not accommodating to those workers, they have the right to withhold their labor by striking, of which, upper management should not be permitted by law to replace those workers on strike with permanent replacements – and in addition this government, if so required, should be the fair arbiter of the dispute in question.

 In sum, those who have money, power, and influence when it comes to employment should be held to account to treat their employees with fairness, for in the absence of such, we will typically have systemic exploitation, which isn’t good for the country or its principles.

The defeat of the American Indians

Those explorers from Europe who “discovered” what became America ended up becoming the conquerors of American Indians, so accomplished by those European settlers for a lot of reasons.  To wit, the European numbers that began small with a few settlers made it their point to also bring with them their corresponding firepower, which served their purpose well.  So too, those immigrating to America came here in wave after relentless wave, so that the sheer numbers coming to these shores became, at a certain point to be overwhelming and thus superior in number to the American Indians.  So too, in any conflict, the side that has the best armaments, along with knowledge as well as strategic planning, is going to be in the driver’s seat to get the desired result that they want, by any means so necessary, and the settlers, along with the militia that came to America, had superior firepower, which they used accordingly.  Additionally, in battles and warlike disputes, many a person is felled not necessarily by enemy fire, but rather from diseases of all sorts, in which American Indians did not have immunity to smallpox, measles, typhus, and other diseases, which became absolutely devastating to American Indians.  Finally, in the tools of the trade when it comes to disputes and thereby achieving power over the other, there is the very familiar tactic which has worked again and again throughout history, which is to divide and thereby to conquer.  Indeed, while the settlers may have had their differences with one another, they were to a large extent on the same page; whereas American Indians had developed some noted animosity from one particular tribe to another, which was cleverly exploited by Europeans to the overall decline, destruction, and final defeat of the American Indians.

 When it comes to battles between foes, it has to be acknowledged that where there are areas of weakness in a given foe, that the opposing side has an obligation to exploit that weakness or else they aren’t doing all that they can to achieve battle success, and therefore the biggest flaw with American Indians was the fact that certain tribes hated one another, and were willing to do battle with one another, and thereby it could be said, that American Indians from within, defeated themselves.  This type of tragedy is as applicable today as it was back then, because those in power know that dividing those that should or could unite in opposition to that power, can often be manipulated so that rather than warring with the powers that be, they war amongst themselves, thereby essentially serving well the driving purpose of the power elite and their desires, and thus losing the battle, despite the fact that the numbers they had were overwhelmingly in their favor.

 Indeed, life is full of lessons, and in order to learn those lessons, the people that make up societies need to not only think, but also to strategize, because the opposing side in any battle does not want to cede anything of worth, which means only in unity of purpose and cause can those that deserve better effect meaningful change.  

The American empire is built upon might, not through diplomacy

The United States is the sole global superpower in the world, seconded by the fact that its currency is the premier currency being utilized for global trade, in addition to the fact that America has military bases upon many other so-called sovereign nations, all over the world, excepting those that are considered to be its enemies or foes, of which it could be said that the sun never sets on the American empire.  That said, though, as much as we might wish to believe that American influence and power comes through its export of democratic ideals, freedom, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all, the fact of the matter is, that America’s influence is only infrequently done through diplomacy, but for the most part, it is done through its might, demonstrated, for instance, through its economic power to impose unwelcomed terms upon recalcitrant nations, as well as the intimidation factor demonstrated by its unparalleled military might, which America will utilize as it best sees fit, justified or not.

 One would think that the most important thing for American governance would simply be to take care of its own, and let the world run itself, but that isn’t the way that it is, for after Great Britain’s empire ceased to exist, soon after World War II, America took upon itself to carry that mantle, and has not relinquished it.  It would be one thing if, in taking upon itself that responsibility, America made it to be its point to use diplomatic means to resolve differences between nations and principalities and to thereby treat other nations with the respect and consideration that they deserve; but that isn’t the American way, for America has proven that it isn’t so much interested in simply carrying a big stick, but rather prefers to use it, in which those who feel the pain of that stick must submit or be annihilated.  Yet, by doing so, America has made the same cardinal error that every other empire has made, which is to build resentment and to breed discontent throughout its empire, which will mean that there will come that inconvenient time when the chickens will surely come home to roost.

 So too, as much as America desires to believe that those that are its allies, will always have their back, and appreciate everything that America represents and does; America though has failed to acknowledge that those that are in subservient positions are going to say and act in a manner that will appease the powers that be, which does not mean that when push comes to shove that they will be so loyal or acquiescent.  As it stands today, America is an empire, but that empire is fraying around the edges, not only because America runs massive federal deficits, but also because it runs roughshod over too many other nations, friend or foe, which is surely going to exact a heavy price to pay, for there are plenty of nations and peoples that are only too willing to push back, when the time is right, and their corresponding chance of success is good.

The Declaration of Independence is a radical and a liberating document

It is a crying shame that today’s students simply don’t know their history and apparently have little interest in amending such a lack of knowledge.  The reason that this is such a shame is because those that do not pay attention to history as well as to our founding documents aren’t going to understand that with citizenship there comes responsibility, and part of that responsibility of those so governed, is to hold to account our representatives and governance so that they are behaving in a manner that is consistent with our unalienable rights – in addition to the salient fact that in America, how we are governed must be in conformance with the consent of those so governed.  In other words, when our government and its representatives are lording it over the people to such an extent that those being governed, are essentially denied their unalienable rights, so done without their consent or approval or from ignorance, than as per that Declaration of Independence “… it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it…” which is what happened to effect our independence from Great Britain to begin with and is applicable as much today as it was back then, because this is supposed to be a nation of, for, and by the people, above all.

 The thing about governments and those that are in authority, in addition to the hidden unelected power behind many a government and its representatives, is that to a very large extent Constitutions so ratified, and the founding documents of a given country, are often written with the best of intentions and for the betterment of the people, but as time goes on, and also in consideration that power corrupts many a representative and thereby its governance, we find that the people are basically inexorably ceding their rights, or finding such rights under assault or erosion, in which, the government thereby becomes ever more powerful, which weakens the sovereignty of the people, and making the people to be seen as subjects that should obey, as compared to being people that have their say.

 No doubt, most of us are quite busy taking care of necessary things, and further to the point, believe that on some level that the government has our best interests in mind, but in actuality, when we take a serious look at what is going on, it would appear that our freedom, liberty, and happiness, are being constricted by that government, often done by their signature move, which is that the people need to sacrifice some of their rights, for the safety of the homeland and the security of their community; but by doing so, the people have failed to recognize that they are the last line of defense to despotism, and if they will not make a stand, where a stand is required, then those unalienable rights, will no long be in effect, and will have been replaced by a governance that determines what rights the people are permitted to have, and the people will have therefore lost that which their initial revolution was all about and replaced such with chains

The appropriate criteria for corporate tax abatements

While it is true, that communities often desire to bring in major corporations so as to provide employment for those that are its residents, what we do find at the present time, is that the tax abatements so structured, seem to be far too often poorly negotiated on behalf of the community, and therefore the savings that these corporations get from not having to pay, for example, their appropriate amount in regards to property taxes, or from the reduction of their sales tax, or their contribution to infrastructure improvements specifically accomplished on behalf of these corporations, are unfair to the taxpayers that have to thereby carry more of the tax burden upon their shoulders, and in return, see minimal or no true benefit to the community.

 This so signifies that no tax abatement should be agreed upon, unless that community is getting something tangible in return, which would typically consist of unionized jobs, or a collective bargaining agreement which would essentially accomplish the same goal.  So too, depending upon the corporate footprint that is being considered, there could also be conditions that would mandate a certain percentage of local residents having to be employed, as well as affordable housing being constructed or other infrastructure of merit created in the community as part of the deal.  The bottom line is that communities that provide tax abatements without any guarantee that they will receive something of significance in return, have got it wrong, and considering that corporations typically have enough in their favor to begin with, demonstrates therefore community inability to hold the line to thereby get something of significance that would truly benefit that community.

 As it stands, corporations are quite adept at creating a dynamic in which one community is competing against another community, in order to win that approval to locate that corporation within that particular community, which is why, the government should step in to help to level the playing field so that communities do not end up throwing in the kitchen sink without in return, getting a solid benefit from the corporation that is moving in.

 Indeed, the fact of the matter is that whenever any major corporation is considering moving to a given community, presupposes that this is a location that the corporation favors and therefore desires to be at, which would signify that the community should be able to wrangle a fair deal, and to the degree that the government can impose itself so that the conditions of those laboring for that corporation, provides them with a fair wage, the better it will be for that community.

 After all, to believe, somehow, that some of the biggest corporations that have ever existed, actually need a tax abatement is to fundamentally misunderstand how the business world actually operates, for in a lot of ways, big business has an incredible amount of power and influence, and thereby is use to having its way; whereas, a conscientious community with good representation and a government that is of the people, needs to therefore stand strong for the betterment of that community and its people.

Incarceration costs as compared to systemic homelessness

We read at visualcapitalist.com that we spend “…just under $23,000 per prisoner in Arkansas to $307,468 in Massachusetts.”  The fact that so much is spent to incarcerate those who have been convicted of crimes, as compared to our failure to proactively take care of our homelessness issue, is troubling.  While it could be said that incarceration has its place when it comes to criminals, it just doesn’t seem right that those who have committed no crime, except to suffer from lack and/or mental issues, are without safe shelter.  While we might decry that some parts of some cities are inundated with homeless people, it doesn‘t have to be that way if only this nation would make it a priority to enact programs to address this issue specifically and keep at it until successfully resolved.

 It is disappointing, that there seems to be plenty of space to lock up prisoners and that this nation will spend whatever amount of money to keep them locked up in a facility in which prisoners are entitled to food, shelter, and medical needs; whereas those that are homeless have seemingly less robust programs to deal with their issues, that should and ought to be dealt with comprehensively, in this the richest nation in the world.

 No doubt, homelessness in its own way, appears to be intractable, but that doesn’t mean that this government couldn’t do more to help to resolve this issue as compared to doing just enough that takes care of part of the problem but doesn’t take care of the whole problem. Indeed, to spend less on homelessness as compared to what we spend to incarcerate criminals doesn’t seem to make a whole lot of sense, because those that are most in need but aren’t criminals, should be properly served first, and at a minimum shouldn’t be ignored in the sense, that there is an unrealistic hope that homelessness will just disappear over time, which just isn’t going to happen without forthright action from government and charitable agencies.

 As in anything, it probably behooves this government to try to ascertain as to what creates homelessness to begin with, and to the degree that this can be ameliorated with programs and attention, it should be done.  In any event, those who are homeless should be able to readily avail themselves of governmental help, and in consideration that a lot of the homelessness is part and parcel within our biggest cities, it would be best to address that need from that perspective.  So too, homelessness in America reflects that our institutions and our priorities seem to be out of sync, because if we do not see our fellow citizens as being worthy of our attention and care, then we have forgotten that we are our brother’s keeper.

 When it comes to homelessness, there is no point in not making a solemn commitment that this nation will do everything that it can do to take care of the problem, because the intent behind governmental programs of merit should always be to attend to what needs to be attended to, so as to get the job done, and not to relent from those efforts until it is done.

Labor, capital, and freedom

In this modern era, so many of us live under the condition of employment, in which we represent the employee, thus working for the employer.  For some employees they have been able to secure some degree of power by being extremely skilled at their job through their knowledge and experience, which is not only valuable to their employer but also not easily replaceable.  Then others have power, because they are part of a union or similar, of which, any time employees join together collectively, they become stronger and thus represent a countervailing force against their employer.  That said, the vast majority of employees don’t have any real power, which means that they are under the thumb of their employer, which might be okay if the vast majority of employers really cared about doing right by their employees, as contrasted to lording over them, and putting profit above employees.

 Each of us has responsibilities not only to ourselves but also to the family that we are a part of, which typically requires that we have access to some amount of capital, either saved from our previous labors or possibly in our hands from monetary gifts or inheritances.  This signifies that in order for us to take care of our responsibilities we need to have steady income or access to a suitable amount of savings to take care of paying those bills, and when we aren’t able to take care of our responsibilities, our life changes from secure to insecure, which is a place that we do not desire to go, or ever to be a part of.

 The above signifies that who employs us, and the conditions of that employment, including our pay, our benefits, and our security definitely matters to us, and because we find that employers have an incredible amount of say as to whether or not we will even stay employed, as well as the compensation that we receive, means therefore that millions of Americans are in proximate danger of finding themselves at some point, lacking what they need, because they have been laid off, or fired from their employment, without any guarantee that they will be able to find another job promptly that will bring them back to equilibrium.

 Perhaps it is right, per the capitalistic way, that employers should have essentially all of the power, and that whatever that employer dictates to us, in regards to pay, the conditions, as well as the security of the employment, should be theirs alone to decide.   This though doesn’t seem fair, it also doesn’t seem right, because those that are absolutely dependent upon their paycheck and the security of their employment, so that they can take care of those needful things, should be provided with not necessarily a guarantee of a job, forever, but should at least be reasonably secure in their employment, as long as they are doing their good part as an employee.

 It would seem therefore that we need a government that does more to protect those that are employed in private enterprise, not so much to provide them with unemployment insurance, or food stamps, or other welfare type things, but rather to help those employees to have a voice, which is in a lot of ways, best done either through being part of a union, or in absence of such, a government that provides to employees more robust rights, so that they can’t just be replaced by a whim or exploited or removed, without having their fair say, first.

America claims to be the greatest nation, but the test scores of its student body do not reflect this

It’s easy to proclaim this or that about how great a given person is, or how great a given country is, but rather, the proof is in the eating of the pudding. When we look at America, especially in consideration of how much money has been allocated to our various school facilities, it has to be admitted that our test scores do not reflect that we are the preeminent educationally accomplished country in the world, with very talented students who have learned well. Indeed, America is no better than middling and clearly does not lead the world in the educational proficiency of its students.

 We read at proxlearn.com that “In 2022, the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) assessed education systems in over eighty OECD countries and non-OECD countries.” was administered, and the result was that “…the United States ranks in ninth place globally.”  This would fairly indicate that even though America believes it has the best of the best within its shores, it clearly does not, which thereby does not bode well for the future of this nation as being or maintaining its dominance over all other nations.

 Further to the point, we are told that “…The gap between scores in the ninetieth and tenth percentiles is nearly 300 points,” which signifies that on the one hand America does have some incredibly talented and bright students, but also reflects on the other hand that America has a core of students that simply aren’t educated very well, and are far from proficient in core educational studies such as mathematics, science, and literacy.  This would seem to indicate that not only do we have a clear educational bifurcation in America, which thus fairly reflects that not all of our schools are equal one to another; but also, in all probability, this nation apparently does not care to do anything constructive to ameliorate this, which is especially disappointing in regards to the fact that those students that are most vulnerable because of having been born in an area in which there is little opportunity that surrounds them, somehow do not have appropriate access to an educational facility that will provide them with the necessary accouterments to become something of educational merit.

 So too, it has to be admitted that the more “dead weight” that this nation’s peoples has to carry, because a significant portion of its population is functionally illiterate, the less productivity will thereby be accomplished, along with the salient fact that those productive members of society are thereby burdened with carrying those who are unable to carry their own weight, forever.

 Indeed, one of the fundamental priorities of any good governance is to see that each and every citizen of this nation has a good education, which thereby provides those citizens with the fair opportunity to be of value to this nation, along with providing them with the tools that will bring them personal success. This would then permit America to demonstrate to the world, at large, that America really is the greatest nation, proven by the fact that they are not only highly educated but that they use their skills for the benefit of the society that they are an active member of.

Why does America have so many people living in poverty?

We read at census.gov that in 2023, the official poverty rate in America was 11.1 percent, which “…represents 36.8 million people in poverty in 2023.”  One would think that most people, and especially those in poverty, would be outraged that this the premier world power permits such. Look, it has to be said that America is considered to be the leader of the merits of capitalism, so representing the best economic system possible, of which, that capitalistic system believes wholeheartedly in the merit and value of trickle-down economics, thus being beneficial for the country as a whole.  Yet, trickle-down economics seems to be a scam because lowering taxes provides even more benefits to the superrich and mega corporations, at the expense of the impoverished, who continue to suffer from a lack of all sorts, including the lack of opportunity.

 Indeed, the more power that this nation places into corporate monopolistic hands or in the hands of certain corporate powers that basically collude with one another when it comes to the pricing and availability of products so being marketed and sold – adds insult to injury by the fact that these same corporate powers in conjunction with the government that works hand in glove with them, has effectively eviscerated labor unions, as well as not lifting a finger to increase the minimum wage to something even close to resembling a living wage, which means that those that are the most vulnerable, are going to continue to live in poverty, in this the richest nation in the world.

 The question that needs to be raised is whether or not corporations and the government that regulates and taxes those corporations have an implicit obligation to see that the power in the hands of monopolistic corporations and those corporations that collude with one another is or is not in conformance with the public good.  That is to say, to believe somehow that the only duty corporations have is to make as much profit as they can, for the benefit of upper management as well as those that are its stockholders, doesn’t seem to recognize the inconvenient truth that corporations are artificial constructs of the state, which thereby means that they also have an inherent obligation to benefit the state, or else they should be regulated more vigorously in a way and manner that the general public gets their fair share of the pie, as their due for such economic power being in the hands of those that prefer not to answer to the people, because their objective seems to be to exploit those same people, thereby contributing directly or indirectly to a higher poverty rate in America, then there needs to be.

 Perhaps, though, nothing needs to be changed in America, for the poor will always be with us.  Nevertheless, it has to be recognized that if America does indeed represent the best of the best concerning freedom, liberty, and opportunity, why is there such a persistent problem in regards to poverty and need in this nation?  The answer seems to be pretty straightforward, which is that this nation isn’t really about being of, for, and by the people at all, but rather represents that its primary purpose is greed above all, which it embraces unreservedly and thereby lets the devil take the hindmost.

Not all confessions come from the same place

For a whole lot of people, it’s difficult to confess to a bad act or to admit fault for something that was really hurtful, because it reflects poorly on them.  Nevertheless, people do confess, but what we find when we look under the hood is that not every confession is actually equal, for some confessions have their self-serving purpose that makes the person so confessing appear to be a person of repentance and reformation, when in actuality, it has more to do with the fact that once burned, twice shy.

 Indeed, people make mistakes that they not only do regret, but because they have been caught or will be caught in their mistake, they own up to it, which seems to reflect that they are sincere and repentant people.  While that may well be true for some people in some circumstances, what we find is that those people that have committed a grave error and have taken account that what they did was ultimately of no benefit to them, and made them to feel guilty, or put them at risk at something they did not desire to face, is that they have thus made up their mind not to repeat such an action, because that action had negative consequences that significantly outweighed whatever benefit or joy that they may have anticipated receiving.  That is to say, those confessing to those faults, are doing so, because they have no intention on repeating what they did, so while their confession is true, and their regret is also true, the true reason why they are confessing though is that they aren’t ever going to do it again, and by confessing, it makes them to appear to be of better character than they really are.

 On the other hand, there are those confessions that are truly remorseful, not only because the action was wrong, but also because the person confessing feels that they have let down not only others but also themselves, and feels shame and embarrassment for having done so.  These types of confessions are difficult because they expose us to the fair judgment of others, while also making us appear to be people of a bad and troubling character, which makes us feel less than those we respect and care about.  Nevertheless, the very first step in any sort of healing or recompense is to honestly admit to the error, and the next step is to make amends to it, which can be better aided whenever the other calls us to account on our behavior, so as to keep us in conformance to that which we promised to reform ourselves upon.

 In sum, those so confessing to us, do not always come from the same place, and while we can appreciate anyone that honestly admits to their bad act, and thereby makes a solemn promise to not commit such in the future, as well as to also to make good on what they did wrong, that isn’t necessarily the full story, because some confessions have a hidden agenda, that has not been owned up to, and thereby those confessions aren’t made of the same or right stuff.

Our government should be truthful to us

There are a lot of people who believe that the government should be the sole arbiter of what is considered to be disinformation, malinformation, and misinformation.  While, this does make sense on a certain level, it has to be recognized that when that government is not transparent to us, and has its own agenda which is often hidden, along with being motivated to see that its desires and thereby its narrative is considered to be the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, even when it quite clearly is not, then this represents a real problem for the people, for they are being propagandize to, and when the people essentially have not the full right to free expression, or free thinking, but are obligated are encouraged to toe the governmental line, then the people are not only not free, but they have become part and parcel of the lies that the government sells as the truth.

 While we would like to think that our government has our best interests in mind, we only need to look at the current makeup of our government to recognize that this cannot conceivably be true, because those that are at the highest echelons of elected officials, as well as the power behind those officials, are made up of individuals that represent not only the upper echelons of financial power, but typically have connections with very powerful institutions and personages, as well, that combined make for a government that doesn’t seem to fairly represent the people, from top to bottom.

 So then, whenever any government has its own agenda that is not consistent with fairness, equality under the law, or structured for the benefit of the people, then that government isn’t true to its good purpose for it is a basic requirement that the people have the right to express themselves as free thinking people, in addition to the responsible need to have independent people and institutions that will hold the government accountable to the people, so that at the end of the day, the determination of what is or is not true, is held not in the hands of the government, but rather is in the hands of free thinking people to fairly decide for themselves.

 While we may well be disappointed anytime that we see certain people fall hook, line, and sinker for that which we know is false or a deception, our responsibility to those who are too credulous for their own good is to point them in the right direction, and the choice of whether they subsequently decide to walk in that direction is their own.  We live in societies in which we are going to be susceptible to being lied to, cheated, and deceived, of which this is especially effective when it comes from authority figures or representatives, such as the government, that we want to believe has our best interests in mind and that would never lie to us.  Yet, governments do lie to us, they do cheat us, and they do deceive us – thereby signifying it is our responsibility as a people to keep those that are in positions of power, accountable to us as a people, which is best done in an atmosphere in which we are permitted to search for the truth, and to testify to that truth, for the overall betterment of the people.

We need more employee-owned companies

For the uninitiated and unsophisticated, employee-owned companies almost sound like they are possibly socialist and therefore, in their own way, un-American, but this isn’t true at all.  We find that for a whole lot of employed people, they are nothing much more than an employee, who in many States, are an “at-will” employee which basically means that no matter their length of time at a given company or their need for steady and livable income, that they can thus be terminated by their employer at any time, for any reason that the employer finds suitable.   This type of employment condition is obviously not ideal for the employee, and is arguably the biggest complaint of why capitalism, as currently structured, needs to be modified so that all employees have more of a voice, such as we find in union shops.

 When it comes to employee-owned companies, because everybody that is employed there has a voice, and the right to some percentage of ownership in the company, that the cohesion and teamwork so displayed are often going to reflect a more motivated workforce, because they know that what they really do and therefore their productivity, does matter, and because it matters to their continual employment, profit sharing, and value of the stock that they own, it incentivizes employees to push themselves harder to maintain that success.  In other words, whenever equity is provided to employees, they feel that their personal value is higher, and because of that, they are motivated to do their best, which is not always the case, in those companies, in which, the employee is paid by the hour, and seems to be, in many a case, of marginal value or replaceable to the ownership.

 To believe, somehow, that the best companies are those in which the lion’s share of the ownership is held in the hands of upper management, along with those that have significant shares or options to those shares, reflects a belief that there should be a division between those that are well-positioned and well-compensated, as opposed to the general worker bee workforce.  A management attitude such as that is reflected in why we see so many jobs that could be and ought to be in America, being outsourced overseas, because whenever the objective for upper management is to do all in their power to increase profit, even at the direct expense of American workers, they are going to be well tempted to do that very thing.  It isn’t so much that outsourcing is always wrong, but rather it is the fact that when upper management has specific incentives that push profit as the be-all and end-all of everything that the corporation does, then regular employees are often going to be stuck with the short end of the stick.

 Indeed, when we look at companies of all sorts, it would be healthier for those companies if each employee of the company were vested in it, so that they would thereby not only really care about the success of the company, but would also directly benefit from the success of the company, as well, which is why employee-owned companies are in reality, most in harmony with what America represents, at its finest. 

The “money flipping” easy money nonsense

It could be argued that in this era of cryptocurrency and the prevalence of social media, it has never been easier to convince credulous others that somehow there are those gifted people who are so astute and tuned in that they can take the real money that you have obtained and, over a very short period of time, double it, or even more.  Indeed, those who work the money-flipping angle are quite adept at selling the illusion that they have the skill set to make that easy money for you, if only you would trust them to do that.  The thing, though, is that the most important question is never really asked or answered, which really comes down to the fact that if this person or the social media website which represents them was so skilled at making that easy money, why would they need to have your money to do such -- for those that can truly double money in 60 days or six months, should be able to simply self-finance themselves to millions upon millions, because consistent 100% returns can take a molehill and turn it into a mountain in short order.

 The problem that Americans especially have is that it is considered to be the mecca of financial assets, and therefore, those who desire to run scams or hustles, fixate upon Americans as their ideal target, because the smoothest path to make money, licit or illicitly, is going to be where the money is at.  So too, many people suffer the problem of comparing themselves to others, or believing wholeheartedly in certain social media personages that seem to have everything, and since they don’t really have much of anything, they can’t stand the fact that they lack monetary assets and since their life appears to be a real disappointment, they are therefore susceptible to the siren song of easy money, that will thus resolve what seems to be most troubling to them.

 Additionally, it doesn’t help that our government supports and enables things like lotteries, which sell the story that anybody at any time could all of a sudden have millions upon millions, if only they would participate and buy a lottery ticket that only costs them a few bucks.  The problem with the lottery or any other type of general gamble is that, quite frankly, not only are the odds strongly against the participant, but the very money that could be used or saved for a better purpose is being spent on what is an unrealistic dream that should be prudently avoided.

 We are instructed at an early age not to fall victim for that which sounds too good to be true, but when people have psychologically convinced themselves that they have to have something, which they have yet to fairly earn, and believe in that somebody who appears to be successful and has a convincing story – then far too many people that ought to know better, will put that money into that charlatan’s hands, and the end result is really known from the beginning, which is that money is now gone, with perhaps a lesson learned, or perhaps not, for those that insist upon shortcuts in life, are very vulnerable to getting fooled again and again.

“The People, not the Government, possess the absolute sovereignty.”

The above quotation might even seem radical to those of the present age, as if this came from some Marxist or by the hand of a revolutionary from some 3rd world nation. In fact, this sentiment was expressed by James Madison in 1800, who, as one of our Founding Fathers, would become the future two-term President of the United States.  Madison goes on to say: “The Legislature, no less than the Executive, is under limitations of power…Hence, in the United States the great and essential rights of the people are secured against legislative as well as against executive ambition.”

 Yet, when we look around at our governance, how few believe that the people possess absolute sovereignty.  Indeed, even if certain people somehow believe it, our very eyes tell us that in actuality the people do not possess absolute sovereignty, whatsoever, but seem to be, in many cases, subservient to our legislative, executive and judicial branches, as if our government, answers not to the people, in whole, but has separated itself from the people, to therefore go about its business in a superior way and manner that serves those that are the true power brokers of America, which appears to be the superrich, the well-placed, and in addition, corporate power.

 Indeed, it could be argued that the people of America are less free today, then they were one hundred years ago, and there does not appear to be anything on the horizon to retard or to stop this disturbing trend, for never have the people of this nation been more surveilled and more monitored then we have today, in which, it would be one thing if those of the criminal class were the ones being closely monitored, but rather we have virtually every citizen who isn’t ensconced in some sort of cave, that the government in conjunction with invasive hi-technology corporations, has in their control just about every piece of actionable information about us, and if so lacking, can retrieve such through a deliberate and comprehensive search of our person through the reams upon reams of information stored about us.

 The salient reason why governments are formed to begin with is not just for the protection of the people, but for the betterment of those people, because hands joined together, with a common purpose, can accomplish much more good than those that are not bound together under a united purpose.  Yet, what we are dealing with, more and more, is a governance that is about feathering its own nest and ignoring the population that it is supposed to serve.  Those in government are supposed to be servants to the people, but instead, the people find themselves to be far too often unnerved, surveilled, and disappointed that things overall aren’t getting better, but are getting worse, with the exception of those who are our elites, who get ever more powerful and richer, at our collective expense.

 It needs to be remembered that the people of this nation courageously fought for their independence, and did so through a great deal of risk, while exhibiting bravery to accomplish this worthy objective.  So too, the point of this fight was for the right of the people to control their destiny, through their sovereignty best represented, by representative government, of which, this has become bastardized over the decades, so that what we have in actuality is not a government of, for, and by the people, but rather a government that runs roughshod over the people, structured to control and to monitor us, so that we become nothing much more than pliant subjects to a ruling elite.