Why is there no low-cost leader in retail gasoline stations

While there is a big difference in the price of gasoline in a State such as Mississippi as compared to California, we do find that within States themselves, that gasoline prices are pretty much in accordance with one another, unless a particular county has a much lower taxation rate as compared to an adjoining county on the gasoline that it sells.  In other words, gas prices are pretty much the same throughout the locale that a driver lives at, with apparently the only true exceptions being at grocery stores, that provide reward points for customers that spend a certain amount of money on groceries, or wholesale stores that have a membership fee and thereby lower their gas price as not only a courtesy to their members but also as a way to keep members satisfied that their membership is of value.

 The question that needs to be asked is the fact that oil is extracted by numerous oil companies within the United States, and while it is true that there are mega oil companies that pretty much dominate the oil industry, it doesn’t seem to make much sense that the costs of extracting and refining that oil, no matter whether it is Chevron or Exxon/Mobil does not make much of a difference, for as represented at the end of the day the price of that gasoline is essentially the same, give or take a few pennies per gallon.

 This would presuppose for this to be the case that the costs to get gasoline are exactly the same for each oil company, which is doubtful – and what isn’t been admitted is this probably reflects that oil companies, the refiners, and ultimately the way that gasoline is priced to consumer suffers from some degree of collusion from the big players, or else we would definitely have a low-cost leader, because the extracting and refining of oil, cannot always be essentially the same, from one oil company to another.  In other words, big oil appears to have too much sway in how gasoline is priced to the consumer, and thereby it is the consumer who ends up having to pay more money for gasoline, which means more profit for those in the oil business.

 Indeed, when we take a look at products which consumers have to have and in which there is true competition, there is much more price discrepancy between the products so being purchased in most of those cases, but we don’t find that to be true with gasoline, and while a few pennies here and there does make a small difference, it doesn’t reflect that the cost of providing gasoline to the consumer should have a low-cost leader, just like there are stores that are considered to be discount stores.  The fact that this doesn’t exist should be an area of concern to the governance of this nation, and the fact that it is not would seem to reflect that the governance of this nation has been essentially captured by Big Oil, thereby hurting the pocketbooks of everyday Americans.

The fear factor

We live in a day and age in which many European nations, as well as the United States of America, appear to have taken a turn to the right wing and thus a turning away from their previous liberal attitudes of inclusion and of thereby judging the other based upon the content of their character.  Instead, there is a drive to return to the days of old, in which the favored race and creed were clearly superior to all others, and thereby the prevailing surface traits of its favored inhabitants were of more importance than the content of anyone else’s character.

 Anytime that a given nation turns its back upon fairness, inclusion, and the consideration of the other, there is a reason – in which the reason why we see this at the present time really comes down to fear.  The fear of loss, and specifically the fear of the loss of status, so that those who are not at the premier level of success, wealth, and attainment are fearful.  These then primarily represent the people that have been historically the favored race, of which, they therefore cannot countenance that this status is inappropriately and somehow under assault, by what they perceive to be, mainly immigrants, both licit and illicit, who are not only too many in number, but have too many of their kind who are successful despite the handicaps so imposed upon them, thereby leaving far too many of the favored race believing that their once unassailable status will be no more.

 Those then that fear that they will lose their favoritism and thereby will have to compete on a field that is ever coming more level, have a couple of basic choices, which is to either improve their own character and to thereby put forth the incumbent effort to develop the accouterments of personal success, or to turn to a certain special and favored personage as well as the organizations behind that despotic leader which will let them to know that things could be back to where they once were, if they only were to support wholeheartedly all those that displayed an authoritarian fist and further are willing to back that up by using such.

 The bottom line is that way too many people who have historically been favored do not desire to compete, nor do they desire to play fair, but rather they just want things to be the way that they were before, in which they were the masters, and all others, with a few notable exceptions, were born to essentially serve them.  Indeed, this type of siren song appeals to many a person of the favored race, especially when they know for a certainty that their situation is not going to improve, unless they continue to get favorable treatment, undeserved or not.

 Indeed, the fear factor of losing face, of losing status, of losing one’s position in life, of losing the respect of one’s peers, forces the hand of many a person, and makes them to believe that everything can be great again, if those that have historically been oppressed and exploited, would only return to their place, and then all will be well.

Touching is soothing and necessary for the human experience

We live in a modern age in which there are those who believe that virtual reality, robots, and artificial intelligence will somehow not only make the world a better place but will also serve as a worthy substitute for alternative human interaction when traditional human interaction is unavailable or unobtainable for certain people under certain specific circumstances.  It is, though, hard to actually believe that human beings as social creatures can ever find true satisfaction in artificial constructs, as thereby serving them well regarding their happiness and self-esteem, because this would seem to fundamentally misunderstand what humans really are, and what they actually require to live a good and wholesome life.

The truth of the matter is that those that are not ever touched by a caring hand and thereby are essentially ignored, are the very same that are not in a good place and are thereby going to suffer from the feelings of neglect, and the feeling that nobody cares about them because that very lack of the human touch, distances them from the society that they should be an integral part of.  While not everybody wants to be hugged or touched all of the time, most people, not only appreciate a good hug but definitely desire to have those hugs, especially when they are most in need of the human touch and care.

 We as humans are social beings, which thereby necessitates us to communicate and to be in harmony with one another, and while conversations with other humans most definitely have their place, it has to be recognized, also, that most human beings also yearn to touch and to be touched by the other, because it typically brings them contentment and joy.  Those then that dismiss this as not being necessary for blissfulness are either not in a good place to begin with, which thereby means that they definitely need to feel some human caring, or are too caught up in worldly things or their own intellectuality to comprehend that their physical and emotional self needs care, as well.

 So too, those that are most violent or filled with hatred are not going to be those that have experienced an abundance of love and care in their lives, but rather are typically going to be those that are upset about perceived wrongs done against them as well as the perception that nobody cares about them, thereby making it easier for them to strike back at someone or something because they lack the feeling that they are appreciated by their fellow humankind.

 We are no more and no less than what we perceive ourselves to be, and when that perception tells us that we need more of the human touch, but we are unable to experience such, our overall life experience is not going to put us in a desirable place.  To be cared for necessitates not only a helping hand but also an unjudgmental ear, in addition to receiving the touching by the other that is freely given to us, and those who experience those very things are going to not only feel better and more appreciated, but will typically reciprocate in kind.

The Christians who are not really Christian

We find that, especially in America that the general population seems to have an innate desire to take shortcuts in life, as if by doing so, they will reach their destination of choice faster.  Perhaps some people are successful with their shortcuts, but this is undoubtedly outnumbered by those who try the shortcut but end up finding out, much to their disappointment, that their so-called shortcut wasn’t a shortcut at all, but rather was more of a detour or a wrong turn.

 Indeed, although the number of professing Christians of whatever sect that they most identify with in America is actually quite high, we find that in the scheme of things such surface characteristics don’t amount to much, for what seems to be missing from those that are professed Christians, is the fact that far too often those that take on the moniker of Christianity don’t seem to readily understand the commitment and accountability that are now theirs to bear, and because of that, they aren’t true to what Christianity really means in the real world.

 The very first thing to know about Christianity is that to be a Christian means actually to be willing to and then to follow through by taking up one’s cross, for those who then will not actually stand for Christ, when it really matters, aren’t Christian.  To be Christian necessitates risking something of real value and to thereby do right by those Christian values, and those who don’t aren’t Christian at all.  Indeed, the sunshine Christian is only there when things are going well, and therefore it’s easy under those favorable circumstances to be a Christian; whereas a true Christian will not turn their back when the going gets tough, but will actually do what they know to do, as per their Christian calling in life.

 So too, there are plenty of Christians who understand the need for exhibiting forgiveness, fairness, love, consideration, and doing the right thing, all of which should never take a backseat to revenge, injustice, hatred, inconsideration, and doing what is wrong.  To be a Christian is to take on the positive aspects of that Christianity, so that those therefore who will not tolerate others because they don’t like them or don’t like their beliefs, are not Christian in their behavior, because we are meant to accept others as they are and to do right to them, because that is our obligation as a Christian.  This signifies that to be a Christian is to acknowledge the value and worth of all human beings, and not just to favor those that align with our beliefs, and thereby to consider all others to be beneath us and unworthy of our care and concern.

 To profess to being a Christian may have its place, but that said, the real place for those who consider themselves to be Christian is demonstrated day by day, by our interactions with one another, in which we exemplify all the good qualities of a life lived in conformance with God’s blessings and beneficence, which is confirmed best by our sacrifice, care, respect, and love that we provide to one another.

Towards understanding fascism

There are those people that have a habit of insulting somebody that they don’t like or the governance that they are under as being fascist, without really understanding what fascism actually is, for they basically just recognize that to be labeled as a fascist, is to be something that is considered to be quite undesirable and therefore to adjudge someone as fascist is to label someone as being something akin to being a dominating and unjust bigot or even worse.

 In actuality, fascism is basically when the democratic or republican form of government no longer effectively exists, because it has been either been co-opted or is controlled by those elements which are unelected and thereby dictates to the general public the conditions of their citizenship, of which, it is therefore the duty of those citizens to obey those dictates, or else to suffer the punishment or alienation of being seen as in opposition or dissension to those that are its leaders.

 To be fascist is to believe that the only thing that really matters is to recognize that one’s country is always right, no matter what that country actually does or permits, and it so follows therefore that it is the citizen’s duty to support and to defend those governmental commands and thereby to suppress, defeat, target, or imprison all those that do not toe the appropriate governmental line.

 So too, it thus follows that the government is not in any respect of, for, and by the people, but rather the government marches to the beat of those that have the power within and the power outside that government, which typically is a consortium of private enterprise and the money brokers; in addition to the face of the government often is somebody who has dictatorial power in just about all aspects of society, so as to manage and to control it for the betterment of those that are its actuators.

 A fascist government is going to therefore primarily benefit those that are the power brokers of it, along with those in the highest echelons of the government or private enterprise and of which, some of the population may well be satisfied with that government, especially when it serves to backstop their creed, or their race, or basically anything that allows those certain people to have a higher place in the hierarchy based upon hereditary or similar type characteristics, as well as their perceived utilitarian worth to the fascist government.

 So then, when the people do not effectively have a voice, and are not permitted to have their own opinions but must be in conformance with their fascist government, then the people are not free to be about their business.  So too, all those that are outside what are considered to be the orthodoxies of the fascist regime are those that live in fear that what they do have is at risk, at being taken, and further to the point, are subject to being not just perceived as disloyal outcasts, but also can be considered as no longer worthy of life itself.

The other side of the Declaration of Independence coin

In any war of Independence, there are going to be winners and there are going to be losers.  So then, for those that do not desire to risk much of anything, their only real choice is to make it abundantly clear that they are absolutely neutral, or better yet, to depart forthrightly with what they have because wars are often very messy protracted events with tragic circumstances, for those that are its civilians, as well as for those that are its soldiers in addition to those other important operatives.

 When it comes to those who signed their respective names to the Declaration of Independence, they really did feel that they risked “… our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”  Indeed, the price of treason against Great Britain, would in all probability have meant that those of the highest echelons of revolutionary power,  would have suffered for their audacity in taking on the British empire, with not just losing their fortunes, and their position in society, but could quite readily have meant for them to lose their lives, as well, to set therefore an example to all those others considering revolution in the future, as a way to make the point, that Great Britain did not countenance and never would countenance those that took up arms against it, whatsoever.

 Fortunately, for those colonists that stood firmly on the side of the revolution, they were successful in defeating the empire of Great Britain, which is not only to their credit, and ultimately to the credit of all those that became Americans, but also meant that those that were the loyalists to the British crown, who may or may not have been aware of this inconvenient fact, signified that by virtue of them being loyal to that crown, and thereby either taking up arms against the revolutionaries or by aiding and abetting Great Britain in their war effort indicated that they too risked their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor, and because they were defeated, they had to pay the full price for having backed the wrong horse.

 Indeed, although only a few loyalists ended up actually being hanged, some, though, did pay that price for being loyal to Great Britain, by being hanged.  Additionally, many of the most powerful and well-positioned loyalists suffered from the loss and confiscation of their property, as well as their social standing, and were essentially forced to evacuate from what became the United States of America, with none or minimal compensation for the property so lost. 

 All of the above, indicates that when one side to the war makes it to be its point that they will risk everything that matters, then this truly does signify that the other side, is essentially going to be risking the very same thing, which means that to the victors go the spoils and to the losers, they lose everything, including not just their property, their social standing, their honor, but also their very lives.

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.