Tax audit all personal income above $1 million and all corporate sales above $100 million

There aren’t a lot of people or corporations that welcome a tax audit, but at the same time, there are plenty of people and corporations that are well prepared for such an audit, because those earning high-income, as well as those corporations that are pushing out a lot of product, recognize that they are going to have to be evaluated from a tax compliance standpoint, periodically.  If the point of having a tax code in America is for the purpose that individuals as well as corporations pay their appropriate share in taxes then the least that this nation owes its own taxpayer citizens, is the assurance that those that bring in high personal income as well as those corporations that sell an abundance of goods, have contributed what they should have contributed to the country that has provided them with the opportunity to make that money in the first place.

 When it comes to tax audits, it just makes more sense that there be a particular purpose behind such, and what that purpose should be is to see that the highest performers in this land are audited so as to better confirm whether they are or are not paying their fair share.  This signifies that rather than tax audits being an event which may or may not occur for certain people and corporations, that there needs to be a special category set aside for the big performers, which is why, those that have a personal income of $1 million or more should be automatically audited, and corporations that push out a lot of product, such as $100 million or more, should also be automatically audited.

 It isn’t like being audited is somehow a crime, it just should be common sense for the tax authorities of the state to want to examine the tax returns of the biggest players in this country, which will not only help assure compliance with tax laws, but could also mean the restructuring of some tax laws depending upon what is discovered in a careful examination of those tax returns.  All those who are high-income individuals should simply look upon an audit of their tax return as the price that needs to be paid for their success, as well as keeping in mind the important fact that these high earners can easily afford a tax accountant or attorney to deal directly with the IRS when it comes to their audit.

 So too, just the knowledge by the general public that the biggest players are being audited each and every year, should make them feel better about their own contribution in the paying of taxes, because there is a general consensus that the richest and most connected typically don’t pay their fair share, and one way to answer that question is to audit their returns, which should definitely provide some answers as well as to provide more revenue for the tax authorities, because when people and corporations know that their tax return will for a certainty, be audited, they are going to be more careful about what they put into it.

Pretrial Discovery Rule 16

There is a general belief, especially for people who don’t pay attention to things, to just believe that the way things are at present is the way that things have always been.  This isn’t true now, and never has been true, for changes are all about us, some quite visible, and others invisible.  When it comes to a criminal trial, there is the general belief that pretrial discovery has always existed, but that isn’t the case, it wasn’t until 1944 that pretrial discovery was codified, and by doing so, each side to a criminal case was thereby obligated to become transparent to the other, by providing access to pertinent documents, witness names, and just the general evidence applicable to the case at hand.  In other words, pretrial discovery makes the point that each side needs to have fair access to the other side’s materials, so that they can not only better understand the elements of the case, but also to help build their own case better.

 It might seem really weird that the prosecution, as well as the defense, is obligated to open up their books about the case at hand, as opposed to each side being able to keep their evidence and strategy close to their vest, but the very purpose of discovery is to allow each side a fair chance to prepare their case to the best of their ability, by a more thorough understanding of the perspective of what the other side has, which by this being the rule, precludes either side from “blindsiding” the other side.

 Further to the point, if the very point of a trial is for a fair and impartial outcome, as compared to one side having all the advantages so that they can achieve the result that they desire, then pretrial discovery is the very thing that definitely levels the field.  After all, whatever evidence that there is in a criminal trial shouldn’t be seen as a secret, but rather should be available for the other side to examine and to question thoroughly.  That is to say, the point of a trial is to get to the truth, and pretrial discovery is a huge aid in obtaining that truth, because what needs to be known is there to be known.

 Indeed, there isn’t any point to a public trial if the evidence pertinent to it can be hidden, distorted, or simply not available to the other side.  That isn’t a trial at all, but more an exercise to see that those who should be shamed are shamed, for it is difficult to come up with a sound defense, without having what is needed to properly prepare for it.  Look, a trial should be about the search for truth, and truth should not be something that needs to be concealed, and only then, at just the right time, will it present itself.  If what is true is true, then let it be known, loud and clear, and those then that aren’t able to refute that truth are the same who will have to accept that in the end, it’s always better for the truth to win out.

Utility bills and getting nickel-and-dimed

It used to be back in the day that people would write a physical check and then mail it to their respective utility company when paying their bill, or even go into the utility office itself, and pay it there.  Back then, a utility bill was a utility bill, so if a given customer owed $95, that’s what they paid, no more and no less.  Nowadays, while a customer can still pay most of the time via a physical check, this has been superseded by the paying of bills online, in which, truth be told, some utilities have no additional fee for those paying online, whereas others do.  It is those others, that create the issue about being nickel-and dimed, because quite frankly there is going to be a lot more human effort involved in opening up an envelope, taking out the check, making sure to post the check to the right account for the right amount of money, and then depositing that check.  For those who pay online, on the other hand, the payment structure is seamless because your login information contains the account number, and therefore, what is paid will automatically be aligned with your account.  This would seem to be not only more efficient, but far less prone to any errors.

 So then, it doesn’t make a whole lot of sense that fees have to be paid, to the utility company for paying online, when the efficiency of customers paying their bills online, should clearly be superior to the receipt of what use to be thousands upon thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of physical checks.  This then would presuppose that the reason these fees are being imposed really has nothing to do with being fair and considerate, but as a way and means to extract additional money from customers, in which, because utility companies are regulated, just seems wrong.

 In any business enterprise there are multiple avenues to add to revenue, and one of those pathways is to nickel-and-dime the customer, which in theory, doesn’t hurt them much, because the amount of money, they are being charged for the convenience of paying online is minimal, of which, because utility companies can easily have hundreds of thousands of customers, those small fees add up for those utility companies to quite a bit of money.

 It just seems like bad optics to add on a convenience fee, especially when that fee amount is fixed, which signifies for those that don’t have a high utility bill that they are paying a much higher percentage of the total bill that is thus represented by that fee, as compared to someone else whose bill is considerably higher.  Yet, this is the way that it is, because the one thing about America is that it’s considered to be OK to nickel-and-dime a customer, because that demonstrates ingenuity in extracting more from a customer than they really should legitimately get, but it sure doesn’t seem fair, and it sure doesn’t seem right.

The right for everyone to vote should change things, but has it?

We read at theamericanleader.org that at the founding of this nation, “only about 6% of the population could vote,”  because only property-holding males could vote.  Over time, this began to change, and eventually the United States got to the point at which every citizen age eighteen and above had the right to vote, with the exception of the vote being taken away from convicted felons.  In consideration that the demographics of this nation have changed considerably since its inception and the fact that those who get elected as well as propositions passed, are democratically voted upon, it would seem to make sense that the voters would more times than not, get what they wanted, through the power of the ballot.

 Perhaps, the vote has changed things, because some of the most important legislation that this country has passed has come forth from the efforts of legislators. Yet, when we look around and see the reality of America, it would appear that never have so few had so much, and that the law, which shouldn’t be a respecter of persons, clearly favors those with connections and money.  In other words, the rich, well-positioned, and powerful in this nation seem to never have had it better, which signifies that the many who are struggling paycheck to paycheck have not only been completely outplayed, but are leagues away from obtaining the American dream.

 Indeed, we find that corporations and high-income taxpayers do not come close to paying their fair share in taxation, which means less money is being collected by the government to be redistributed for the general welfare of that nation. So too, when the policing arm of the state seems fixated on enforcing law and order, as opposed to upholding justice and fairness, then those who are considered to be on the outside are the very same who are going to be hurt the most.

 So then, all the changes that so many people clamor for don’t ever seem to occur, making a reasonable person to believe that “dark money” or its equivalency has far more power than the general public does, which is borne out by the fact that the general public keeps getting the short end of the stick, again and again.

 In this, the richest nation in the world, it would be helpful and correct if there were a more equal distribution of that money, but this isn’t happening, because taxation favors the well connected, and big corporations are permitted to essentially become sole-source or monopolies in many a respect, without any pushback from this government, of, for, and by the people.  So too, the educational system which is the key for so many people to have a good opportunity for success, has a clear separation between those school districts that have everything that a student needs to achieve and to learn, as compared to a poorer school district, which doesn’t provide even close to what is needed for a student to actually get educated.  All of this basically means, is that simply having the vote doesn’t appear to hold a candle to those who have power, connections, and influence.

Southern Enticement and Contract-Enforcement Law

One might believe that we live in a capitalist society in which competitors in a particular business don’t ever collude with one another, but when it comes to the necessity of turning a profit, businesses and entrepreneurs are going to tend to do what they believe that they need to do to give their business enterprise the best chance of success.  Back in the late 19th century and early 20th century, the vast majority of blacks lived in the Southern States, which should not come as any real surprise to anyone, since slavery was pretty much part and parcel of how the Southern economy functioned back then, and thereby those that despite being freed, were typically stuck in a construct in which they didn’t have a lot of good options to vacate their locale, of which, the general belief of blacks being employed as farm labor and similar, was that since they had a need of employment and of income, to strike the best deal that they could make, and if something better came their way to migrate to that.

 Not too surprisingly, when it comes to white people who controlled the means of production, a lot of them didn’t want to get into a bidding war with one another when it came to black labor, so that, a law was duly passed, known as the Enticement and Contract-Enforcement Law which stipulated that to lure a worker away from one job to obtain better working conditions and more pay at another job, would not be permitted.  In other words, whatever employment that a black laborer obtained under this contract law meant that they could not leave that employment to take on employment with someone else for better pay.  To say that this was a real raw deal for the black laborer would be an understatement, because in a true capitalistic system, workers are entitled to find employment at their discretion and will, and to be not only precluded from doing so, but to work within a domain, in which wages are essentially frozen, and of a contract which is unfair to them, is morally corrupt -- yet, this was the law as exercised back then.

 Quite frankly, there is then not only no room for advancement when a contract stipulates that the laborer has no right to take on a better deal, but it also removes any incentive from a laborer to do more than necessary, since there isn’t anything for them to aim for, in the achieving of such, which is why, the force of the law, welded by the white man, make a mockery of what supposedly freed people could or could not do, because when employment opportunities are restricted and thereby do not conform to an open market, it is the black laborer that suffers, and thereby is exploited. 

 So then, whenever people wonder why there are so many black people nowadays living up in the North, or the Midwest, it really comes down to perceived opportunity that leaving the Southern states represented back in the early 20th century, because those that see no future in one locale, are going to take on the risk of another locale, because this thus represents their only fair hope for success, in this the supposed leader of the free world.

Law enforcement and your cell phone

We live in a day and age in which our cell phones have a wealth of information about us, which is not only extremely personal but also is extremely detailed and accurate.  Indeed, that information in the hands of someone that we have no desire for them to be able to access that information is something that most people not only deeply desire to avoid but definitely don’t want to have happen to them.

 The Fourth Amendment to our Constitution stipulates that the general public is protected against unreasonable searches and seizures, subject to various exceptions, such as voluntarily granting law enforcement the right to look at our phone as well as exigent circumstances. When it comes to exigent circumstances, this typically seems to be something that is subject to interpretation, and regrettably, such interpretation has a strong tendency to favor law enforcement’s perspective.

 For those who are subject to an arrest, there is a strong tendency for people to desire to conform to what law enforcement desires from them, because they believe that not doing so will probably make the situation worse. This, quite obviously is not a good position to be in, and in consideration that law enforcement is capable of saying just about anything in order to access what they desire to access, or to know what they want to know, granting such access to one’s cell phone is more times than not, isn’t going to be enough to get back one’s freedom, though it does depend upon the circumstances, while also depending upon the overall projection of what law enforcement believes about you, in which, the more that law enforcement sees you as an upstanding citizen or somebody of value or worth, the better the chances are that things will work out favorably or tolerably well for you.

 While there are all sorts of laws meant to protect individuals from the law being arbitrarily enforced upon them, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the law as exercised is going to be faithful to the protections that people are supposed to have.  Further to the point, once a person is arrested, and their cell phone is no longer in their control, it’s problematic as to whether a warrant will be issued to search that phone or whether that phone might just be searched without that warrant, because law enforcement has a lot of robust tools that can perform that very thing, without the subject ever really knowing about it.

 In short, for all those that have cell phones one needs to take into fair consideration as to whether or not, what is on that phone, might be problematic, from a law obedience perspective, and if it is questionable, then it would probably behoove that person to clean up their cell phone, because today’s cell phones with their wealth of detailed information, are the pathway to figuring out who and what we are, and for those that have something in which, prudence itself, states that they would be better off if this was not contained on their cell phone, should remove such, posthaste.

Cellphones and the decline of productivity

Back in the day, cellphones weren’t in existence, so that people that were working at various tasks, didn’t have the constant distraction and disruption that cellphones represent, because they simply weren’t present, and while it is true that our cellphone is our own minicomputer, the problem with these ubiquitous devices is that they far too often serve to distract us from taking care of our necessary tasks, at hand, which thereby means that people’s productivity thus declines.

 The most amazing thing about cellphones is that whenever that you see somebody out in the public with their eyes glued to their phone, or their fingers moving rapidly upon such, is there is that remembrance and reflection that there was a time and age, when cellphones didn’t exist, which thus indicates that people quite obviously had to do something else other than to bury their nose in their phone, which might be activities such as concentrating on one’s work or homework, being social with other people, taking in the beauty of one’s surroundings, daydreaming, or just a general appreciation of all that surrounds us.  Regrettably, this seems to represent for a lot of people, the past, and apparently a past that will not ever be repeated, because a significant amount of people, seemed to be tied to their cellphones, as if their life would somehow be much the worse, if they didn’t have their device always on them.

 Look, it has to be admitted that every time that our phone makes some sort of noise or flashes, in regards to a text message or email or social media update, even if we don’t take a peek at our phone, it’s going to serve to distract us from what we should and ought to be doing, of which, because of that distraction, we simply aren’t going to be as effective or productive at what we should be doing, then we are.  This is, in a nutshell, the problem with cellphones -- that while they can provide us with a wealth of actionable information, they have a strong tendency to actually pull us away from what should be our focus to something that really doesn’t need to be addressed at that time and place.

 Yet, there doesn’t seem to be a clarion call to do anything about this, so that whatever issues that we presently have in the form of distraction and lost productivity seem to be the price that society is willing to pay, so as to have their phone continuously with them.  This would appear to be a mistake, because when we fail to put reasonable boundaries in place to protect us from overeating, or drinking too much, or failing to get our work done on time, we are the worse for it, because we know that in order to achieve what we need to achieve, we are going to have to put forth concentrated effort which must be prioritized over all those other things that we could do, but ought not to do.  This is why we need to develop the discipline to not permit our cellphones to dictate to us, and to thereby distract us from getting done first things, first.

Like for Like

The changes that we desire in our civil society start with ourselves. That is to say, we can’t expect the change that we are in favor of to occur without ourselves behaving in a manner that reflects the change that we want to see actualized and doing our good part to help bring this to fruition. In other words, if we want a more civil society, we need to be more civil to one another, and if we can't do that ourselves, then we aren’t contributing in a positive way to the change that we want.

 Look, it’s true that we cannot change others simply through the force of our mind, but we can though lead by example, so that the type of behavior that we desire to see in the other, we first exhibit ourselves.  Further to the point, we should want to encourage good behavior, by appreciating behavior that is conducive to a good civil society, which means that those that can maintain their cool, even while everyone else seems to be losing their head, are the very type of people, that we should not only admire, but should desire to emulate, because in the scheme of things, people tend to overreact upon certain events, and it is desirable to be around people that while acknowledging injustice, don’t end up taking on the cloak of injustice and incivility, themselves.

 Indeed, whatever our pet peeves are about the other, the important thing is to do our good part in doing the right thing, and behaving thereby in the right way, which may serve as a good example for those who need direction.  After all, hypocrisy is insisting upon people behaving a certain way, but not conforming to that way ourselves, which is why we not only need consistency, but also why we need to monitor our own behavior, so that we exemplify the very characteristics that we desire to see exhibited by more people.

 The least that we should do is to make it our point to see that we don’t make worse a situation that is already degenerating, by giving in to negative emotions, and by doing negative actions, that we often are going to regret later.  That is why we need to think before we act, and not only that, we should already know how we should act, and to thereby conform to that ideal, to the best of our ability, because not only will that make for better relationships, but it also serves to remind us how difficult it is to maintain our good demeanor and balance, when things are going wrong.

 It is our obligation to the society that we are a part of, to do our fair part to help make that society a better place for our participation in it, which is why we should judge less, and simply be about our business to help get done what needs to get done, and also to relate to people on a level that takes into consideration that their inherent value is no less than our own.

Make it your principle not to look back

The problem with moving forward but turning one’s head to look back, is that the direction of a person’s momentum is still moving forward, but no longer has visual guidance as to what is ahead, for that is being concentrated instead on what is behind, which means that any obstacles that come our way, will trip us up.  Further to the point, while there may well be things that we regret having done, these represent our past, and to constantly dwell on such is a mistake, because it will not change what has already occurred.  Additionally, to constantly focus on the past means that we are not forward-thinking enough, and thereby are short-changing our ability to make positive progress, which should be our main objective in life.

 We need to remind ourselves that we live in the ever-present, and if there is something that we need to meaningfully address, the best way to do that is to concentrate on that very thing, which is why looking back is typically not going to be helpful for us for it often serves as a distraction.  Still, there are plenty of people who do not desire to leave the familiar because that provides them with comfort, but at the same time, they need to, at a minimum, at least occasionally push themselves out of their comfort zone, or else they will stagnate, and stagnation is anathema to growth and progress.

 So too, by looking back, we discount the future, so as to emphasize the past, which isn’t going to be beneficial for us in accomplishing what we need to accomplish, because we aren’t focusing on what needs to be done to get to the destination that we were meant to get to.  Indeed, some of those who live in the past are fearful of the future, because the future is uncertain, but that is always the case, and those that will not prudently risk something to gain even more, have essentially buried their talents to live on their past accomplishments, as if that is all that they need do.

 Look, it has to be said, the race is not necessarily to the swift, but it certainly is never to those who aren’t even moving, for stagnation just doesn’t accomplish all that much.  The important thing is to have a worthwhile goal and to thereby do what needs to be done to accomplish that goal, which necessitates not only acquiring necessary knowledge, but also developing and obtaining the accouterments that will bring that success, without ever wavering from that goal, by always staying focused upon such, which thus means that in that objective, the past remains the past, and the drive to get to that goal, is the actuator of what we do and say.

 Each of us is meant to leave behind that which will hinder us in progressing to where we are meant to be, for that extra baggage will slow us down, while also serving as a distraction, of which the new is meant to push out the old, and to thereby replace that old wineskin with the maturity and accomplishments that newly earned wine richly deserves.

Your cellphone knows everything about you

The fact of the matter is that our smart phones are so robust nowadays that they have the capability through apps to open up our house door, to start our automobile, and to save our credit and debit cards, for pretty much this device contains and thereby represents who and what we are, for all of our text communications, pictures, videos, as well as our location as we moved about our day is duly noted, stored, and recorded.  This signifies that while there are massive conveniences to having a device that we can call upon to surf the web, to call a friend, to conduct business, to take pictures, to make social media posts, and so on – we also have a device that remembers everything that we do and in the hands of some other entity with access to our passcode, would provide them therefore with a very detailed biography of who and what we are, for our phones surveil our own self, exceedingly well.

 It isn’t too much of a stretch to believe, that governments the world over, are absolutely delighted that cellphones know so much about us, for therefore everything that we have essentially done either on our phone, or in our movements in the community that we are a part of, has been recorded, and whenever the government or some other entity has access to that information, this can be utilized to manipulate us, to control us, and to compromise us, for there is always going to be some information meant exclusively for just one party or one person, that in the hands of a different party or a different person would serve to alienate us or to hurt us.

 We thus live in a day and age in which, if we do not have ironclad guardrails put into place as to who and what controls our information dissemination on our cellphone, then we have essentially ceded our private information to private enterprise and to the governance that regulates the same.  This is not, therefore the brave new world that we believe that we have entered, but rather this is a world in which “Big Brother” in any of its myriad forms is watching us and in that watching, putting itself in pole position to “groom” us in whatever direction serves its purposes.

 It is somewhat ironic, that all of the domestic spy agencies that spy on its own, are presently salivating that never has there been a time such as this, in which social surveillance is done voluntarily by the user which is not only incredibly accurate but also incredibly detailed, of which, many of those that are being surveilled, are blithely unconcerned, unaware, or clueless, as if they believe that living a life as an open book, in which everything is known about them, will somehow never be used to influence or to harm them.  As it is been said, information is power, and the type of information on our cellphones is so detailed and so complete that in the absence of an individual having personal sovereignty over that information contained on their cellphone, they are at the mercy of those who do.

Don’t make the mistake of being so quick to accuse

In life, there aren’t that many people who don’t have an issue with being unjustly accused of something wrong or bad, such as stealing or cheating or of gossiping, because not only does it reflect poorly upon the character of the person so being accused, but also because there is many a time, when someone is accused of some bad act, in which, truth be told, they are innocent of it, and so then not only is the accusation false, but since it impugns upon one’s character it is the type of thing, that can seriously damage friendships.

 Look, no doubt, there are those times when there appears to be money missing or an item has been broken and in our haste to finger the guilty party, we go right ahead and assume things, without really carefully thinking them through, which is poor policy, because before we accuse someone of some crime against us, the least that we owe ourselves and the person so being charged, is a thorough examination of what we believed happened, so that we don’t make any stupid mistakes, before we make our accusation.

 For a certainty, we don’t always get things right, and when we are already upset about something bad having happened, we have a tendency not to think as clearly as we would normally, which doesn’t help us in maintaining our sensibility, which is why, whenever there appears to be something missing or damaged, it is best to try to piece together what might have occurred and to consider all possibilities, before we accuse someone of doing something to us.

 Indeed, for those who reflect upon those times when they have accused someone of doing something wrong to them, an honest analysis would tell us, that we don’t always get it right, and while there is something to be said for those times for having gotten it right – it does not even come close to how much damage we do when we get it horribly wrong, for not only do we have serious egg on our face, and thereby have to suffer the embarrassment of being wrong, we also have to put forth a suitable retraction of what we said, for it doesn’t feel good to have accused an innocent party of a crime that they didn’t commit, when we subsequently find out that we had it all wrong.

 In truth, nobody gets it right 100% of the time, which is why the better part of valor, is to give the benefit of the doubt to the other, before we accuse them of something, for if we want to maintain our moral high ground, this means that we need to get our facts right, and not only that, but we need to make sure that we have taken into account as many possible contingencies that would justify or would serve to nullify what we consider to have been a crime against us.

 In sum, whenever it appears that we have been wronged, there shouldn’t be a rush to judgment of the other, but rather we should want to be thorough in our investigation, and only when we have come to what appears to be a reasonable conclusion, should we accuse anyone, and when doing so, we should do so in a way and manner in which we are considerate to the other, just in case, we have it wrong.

Not everything that glitters is gold

One might think that the highest ambition of schooling is the search for truth, which would certainly make sense, but in actuality, it seems that when it comes to schooling, there is less emphasis on questioning authority, or of examining history, and more emphasis placed upon students that they should just conform to whatever narrative has been structured for them to memorize and to accept.  To live thereby in a society in which nothing of substance is ever questioned or examined is to live in a society in which obedience supersedes the search for truth, and in a construct such as that, society is the lesser for it.

 Each of us has been gifted with a mind, that should be utilized to its fullest extent, of which, one of the purposes of thinking is to examine what we have been taught or are being taught to see why this is being accepted as true, which thereupon permits us to know through such examination whether that information propagated is or is not factual.  After all, while we cannot examine or question everything, we have a duty to ourselves and the society that we are a member of, to get beyond simply obedience, to question that which should be questioned, because not everything taught is the whole truth and nothing but the truth, for it could be something inimical to truth, itself.

 Look, it has to be said, that those who pursue a false agenda under the misimpression that it is true, are on a pathway that will not permit them to know the truth, for that pathway has already been averted.  This is why, we must do our homework, so that we can not only keep other people in check, but also because it is necessary in order for us, to know for a certainty that what we are doing, actually serves a good and higher purpose, as opposed to believing that it does, though it does not, of which, because having failed to properly examined such, thoroughly, truth has escaped us.

 The greatest crimes which are committed by humankind are done by those who, for whatever reason, believe in what they believe, because they have been told to believe so, but have not themselves bothered to question what should be questioned.  Indeed, this is what many a corporation or government desires from those that they consider to be their minions, which is to obey their dictates, which permits the machine to operate at a much higher efficiency, since there isn’t any pushback, even though, if truth be known, there would for a certainty be pushback.

 In life, we are responsible for our actions, and if we don’t trouble ourselves as to whether our actions are right or wrong, that puts us into a rather vulnerable position, in which, we are doing what we do, because we have been told to do it or believe in it, without having done our due diligence, which is the least that we owe our fellow society members, and the least that we owe our soul, which is our responsibility to answer for, come what may.

The brilliance of publicly traded corporations

In any given society, there are going to be members of that society that have extra money, that is to say, money that they don’t need to pay immediate expenses with and therefore they have a desire to do something with that money, beyond just saving it, which in many a case, means that they have a distinct desire to invest that money for profit.  Nowadays, one of those things that people can invest in, is publicly traded corporations in which the investor, whether at the Initial Public Offering (IPO) or later when the stock is publicly traded on a national stock exchange, the person so investing can buy into the desired corporation, for the expressed purpose of receiving a benefit from that corporation, which would include stock appreciation and/or dividends.

The reason why investing in publicly traded corporations is so brilliant is that a significant portion of the money raised to invest in a specific publicly traded corporation comes forth from people who are passive investors.  That is to say, these investors pretty much have no say in how the business will or will not be conducted, but have full faith and confidence in the business enterprise that it will be successful or will continue to be successful and therefore the monies invested, by these passive investors, will work out well for them.  So too, the reason why there are publicly funded corporations in the first place has everything to do with the fact that for corporations to exist, to grow, and to maintain or augment their position, they need capital, and companies that do not have enough capital are typically restricted in what they can or cannot accomplish, which is why finding passive investors is ideal for many a corporation, for in exchange for receiving this necessary capital, they sacrifice little in return, for the reins of the business enterprise remains in the hands of the Board of Directors, who have little or no interest in being supervised or controlled by those that put up the money for their business, which means that for both parties the stage is duly set for each to benefit from the other.

 Indeed, money makes money, and those who have fair access to capital have the very thing that will enable them to stay not only current but to excel over all other companies that lack the same access to capital, or are, as a company, too slow to avail themselves of that option.  For a certainty, there are plenty of corporations that have great ideas, but a great idea, that lacks capital isn’t going to have the same success rate, as a great idea that is backed by a substantial amount of capital, because those that are capital poor, not only have fewer options, but they aren’t able to handle as well the vicissitudes of everyday business that a well-capitalized company can.

 All of the above signifies that passive investors who invest in well-managed publicly traded corporations that have a need for a lot of capital to best achieve their goals, has a strong chance to result thereby in that desirable win-win outcome, which is not only good for those that participate in such, but also good for America, as well.

The mislabeled flavored sparkling waters

The amount of money spent on sparkling water in America is billions upon billions of dollars, of which it is believed that the main reason why so much money is spent on sparkling water is that water is good for you.  In fact, water is very good for the body, though, regrettably, not everything that is labeled as water is truly water.  That is to say, a significant portion of flavored sparkling waters use artificial sweeteners such as stevia, aspartame, and sucralose that thereby makes these waters to have a very sweet taste, and though these artificial sweeteners have barely any calories at all, they are not good for the body, and are especially problematic for those that believe that what they are drinking is pure water when it is not.

 It doesn’t seem right that artificially sweetened water is on the same shelf as regular water, along with water that is “naturally” flavored, because these “waters” are not all the same thing.  In reality, artificially sweetened water shouldn’t be considered to be water, but should be seen as water that has been artificially sweetened to give those who crave a sweet taste, that very taste, though in doing so, they have taken the goodness of water and corrupted it.

 For a certainty, many people want to drink what is good for their body, and they know that water is one of those things that is good, so that when they mistakenly believe that artificially sweetened water is the same as pure water, they have been fooled, which is quite unfortunate, and is the reason why artificially sweetened water should be clearly labeled as something other than water, or should simply be placed on shelves that contain soda, which it has a lot in common with. To do anything less than that does a disservice to the consumer, because many a consumer is easily fooled, or allows themselves to be fooled, or simply do not have the knowledge to know when they are being fooled.

 It isn’t so much that artificially sweetened water should be banned, it just needs to be clearly identified so that people that buy and consume it, recognize that its sweet taste comes from that water being artificially sweetened, which is not something that is going to be healthy for the body over the long term.  That is to say, to believe that artificial sweeteners can give a person who craves a sweet taste, that very taste, without some price being extracted for the tricks so done to keep that sweetness without the calories, misunderstands the bargain that they have made.

 It is one thing for a manufacturer to desire to give the consumer a sweet or flavored taste, but it should be done, when the product is water, in a way and manner that the value and goodness of water is not compromised, because when that occurs, many a consumer of the product believes that they are consuming a product that is good for their body, when in reality, they really are not.

The American empire defends its corporate interests globally

Whether or not America wants to own up to it or not, it is a global empire, for no other country in the world has as many military bases as America, in which it is estimated that America has a staggering 750 military bases, large and small, situated all over the world.  While some might think that our bases are there in order to protect and defend our homeland, the reality is different, for one of the main purposes of having so many bases, spread all over the world, along with the necessary military personnel situated strategically, is not only to make sure that the trade routes are secure and safe but that they consistently remain open, so that international business can be fairly conducted without undue fear that something tragic will happen, as well as also representing a prominent warning sign to foreign nations, and especially those nations that lack any meaningful military might, that America is prepared to do whatever that it feels is appropriate to do to protect its interests, which definitely includes not just its intellectual property and trade, but also to make sure that whatever that the businesses of America needs to get done overseas, is done in a way and manner that American enterprise is secure and able to fully conduct their business enterprises.  After all, when America invests time, materials, and labor into a foreign country they aren’t interested in seeing what has been structured for the benefit of American enterprise, being messed with, and one way to assure that this will not happen, is to make it their point, to let the host nation know that America takes care of its own, one way or another.

 Indeed, it is always easier to conduct business overseas when that business enterprise knows that there is zero possibility that the billions of dollars invested into overseas enterprises are somehow ever going to be nationalized by the subject country, which is very bad for business, and makes those that suffer such a fate, business shy, in regards to their future endeavors.  So then, American enterprises make it their principle to tell their government that they need to know for a certainty that what they have invested their time and materials in, no matter what changes within the political atmosphere of that foreign nation, won’t change the agreement already agreed to, so that knowing that their investment is secure, they can ramp it up, without undue concern that things might go sour, especially in those nations that are somewhat unstable.  This is also why America takes a real interest in who the leader of a foreign nation is, and will interfere directly or indirectly in elections or coups to make sure that the result is always favorable for American enterprise.

 So too, there are rare earth minerals and semiconductors that are vital to American enterprise, in which the absence or delay of these very things could wreak havoc on the economy of America, which is why. America makes sure that subject nations know that crucial items to America will necessitate, if so necessary, an appropriate response by that nation, which is the greatest military power in the world, bar none.

The European exploitation and genocide of the Congolese

There was that time when most of Africa was under the control of various European powers, divided up by those European nations into various colonial sections, thereby structured so that those European powers could profit from the abundant mineral wealth and other natural resources of those African countries, through the intense exploitation of those who were native to those countries.  This meant that the people of Africa were subject to not only having their labor being fully exploited, but also being under the control of a European administration, of which failure to adhere to the conditions so set upon those Africans could easily lead to harsh punishment, death, or dismemberment.

 Concerning what is now known as the Democratic Republic of Congo, this territory was, in the late 19th century, under the aegis of the Belgian nation, and specifically, this territory was subsequently under the administration of King Leopold II of Belgium.  The purpose of the exploitation of the Congolese was for the abundant rubber resources that it was known for, so needed for automobile products such as tires, as well as being used in the production of latex.  To extract these resources necessitated a lot of labor, and the native Congolese were ruthlessly exploited to produce the products so needed, and failure to adhere to the rules of the Belgians led them to suffer great punishment, even unto death.

 As might be imagined, it is always easier to treat others harshly when they are viewed as something less than human, of which the Congolese were considered to be uneducated subhumans, not deserving of anything but contempt, who were thereby tortured and killed as the Belgians saw fit.  The reading of history tells us that it is believed that 10 million people in the Congo suffered death during the peak period of this relentless exploitation, which represented the years 1891 through 1911, so perpetuated by the Belgians, all in the pursuit of rubber products and profit.  The Congolese were continually at the mercy of the Belgians, of which, in the business to extract that rubber, they backed up this enterprise with ruthless violence against the native population, and in absence of the Congolese having modern weapons or even an armed force, the Congolese had little or nothing to fight back with, though they could resist through noncompliance and duly did so.

 History is replete with many examples of humankind’s inhumanity to its own, often led by the dominant faction believing that it has the right to exploit the weaker, and done so typically in a way and manner, that cares not a whit about the other, because the exploiters do not equate the other as being on the same high level that they are.  This is the reason why great crimes are committed by humanity and sanctioned by the nation-state, because it is believed that some are meant to be exploited, even unto death, and where there is profit to be made, so much the easier to justify, because for those fixated on profit, power, and exploitation of the other, there is work to be done, because their good life is dependent upon the other being fully exploited and then discarded, as if the other has no value, except what can be extracted by violence perpetrated or threatened upon them.

The East India Company and the American Revolution

Most everyone in America is familiar with the “Boston Tea Party,” which is the name given to the event in which the disguised colonists threw into the water 342 chests of tea, that belonged to the East India Company, and thereby by that revolutionary action placed those American colonists on the distinct pathway to revolution with the British Empire, for they no longer believed that there could be an accommodation between themselves and Great Britain that would fairly resolve their differences.

 It is important to note that the East India Company was a powerful force, backed by the military might of the British Empire, that if not put into check by American colonists, could easily change the dynamics of the export and import trade of those colonists to the detriment of the colonists, by the East India Company becoming the favorite vehicle for trade to be conducted within America.  In other words, the East India Company could legitimately be seen as being deliberately favored by the British Empire at the expense of the colonists, who would lose out through taxation on goods as well as losing out via trade overseas to this favored foreign entity that they had no sovereign control over.

 Indeed, the East India Company had already proved through its trade in the East Indies that they would exert themselves in the East Indies in a way and manner, that the Indian subcontinent would be subservient to the British Empire and in particular, would permit the East India Company to profit through the conditions of trade so conducted within that subcontinent.  That is to say, the East India Company was basically given free license to do whatever that they needed to do to make profit, which was beneficial for the investors in that Company, but also beneficial for the British Empire through their exploitation of those that were the denizens of the India subcontinent, in which, the population of the India subcontinent was substantially higher than Great Britain, but because the India subcontinent did not have the military might or political power to fight back, they thereby became subservient to the East India Company as well as the British Empire.

 The colonists were no fools, and what they did not desire to see happen to them was to be controlled or impacted negatively by the East India Company, through unfair taxation and high tariffs, which would greatly impact their own interests and subvert whatever autonomy the colonists had earned.  This is why the colonists made it their point to take a stand, because they feared that if they did not, that they would thereby cede control of their trade and their interests to Great Britain, in which, because they had no voice in Parliament, this would signify that they were at the mercy of the British Empire, and thereby subject to whatever decisions made by that Parliament and its kingdom, favorable or not.  So then, the colonists fought back, in the sure knowledge that failure meant their ruin, but success meant they would have freedom and liberty throughout the land.

"Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive!"

The above quote comes from the gifted hand of Sir Walter Scott, and those who successfully take in these sage words should know for a certainty that lying and deceit take us away from the straight and narrow, thereby leading us down unfavorable pathways which serve to damage our good character. No doubt, there are times when it can be rather convenient to be deceptive or to lie, because, for instance, we do not desire to face the consequences of where the truth would place us – but to believe that deceit has not its own consequences is to misunderstand that every wrong action taken, in which that action taken lacks integrity and is structured to deceive, has its very own consequences, that will be paid, sooner or later, and often to our lasting regret.

 The thing about the truth is that the truth has but one story, and therefore it is relatively easy to speak to the truth because it is not only what we believe, but to the best of our ability, consists of the truth of the matter.  On the other hand, when we lie or deceive, we thereby have to construct a story, and the offshoots of that story can continue for quite a distance, because once we begin our travel down the pathway of deceit, that deceit, has a habit of taking on a life of its own, which not only makes it difficult for us to keep our story straight, but also makes it difficult to remember that lie completely, because what we said happened, didn’t happen that way, thereby presenting a conflict in our mind, and making it difficult to remember that for this story, we need to keep lying the exact same way or else that inconsistency could itself betray us.

 So too, there are those storytellers, who tell the story one way to one person and a different way to a different person, in which neither story is true, which thereby makes it nearly impossible for them to not only remember it that way, but also places the storyteller in the unenviable position in which if notes by these two different persons are compared then the storyteller will be seen as being deceitful, and the object of the exercise when a given person lies, is for that lie to not be exposed, for when they are found out, their integrity and credibility take a most serious hit. 

 Indeed, when our credibility is damaged, it makes even telling the truth and having it believed by others, much more problematic, because once a person is known as a liar, this signifies that what they have to say or recount is going to be properly discounted, because they have already proven that their word really isn’t worth all that much, which means, those that have bad reputations are going to have to work a heck of a lot harder, to recover their loss integrity, of which, none of this would be in play, if they hadn’t decided to weave their web of deceit in the first place.

Judgment day for corporations

In America, we are so used to corporations that there is a general belief that corporations have been around forever, and further to the point, are beneficial for Americans.  Perhaps corporations are beneficial, but they certainly haven’t been around forever, for corporations are artificial constructs of the state, subject to the laws of the state, and created through the expressed permission of the state, signifying that what the state has so created, they also have the right to uncreate or modify, should a corporation behave in a way and manner that is inimical to society.  Yet, how few corporations, if any, are ever legislated out of existence, as opposed to the capitalist market itself putting some of them into receivership, or the filing of bankruptcy by a given corporation, because it cannot pay what it owes for damages done to the environment or society or for bad business practices.

 Presently, there are a multitude of corporations that have existed for well past the average lifespan of a human being, and each year, there are a significant number of corporations that earn profits that well exceed the earnings of any individual taxpayer, no matter how rich.  So too, while human beings are subject to eventually departing this world, when their body no longer can function, and therefore their estate, is passed on per their wishes to a foundation, or heirs, or charity – we do not find the same criteria affecting a corporation, which continues to ply its trade, year after year, and decade after decade.  Perhaps this is a good thing, but it has to be recognized that for humans, there will inevitably be that day of reckoning, but apparently for many a corporation, this day of judgment can be postponed, seemingly indefinitely, and therein lies the rub.

 To believe that it is good for society, that certain corporations continue to grow and to accumulate massive amounts of wealth, without there ever being an end time, when that corporation will have to face the music, is misguided, for the greater the accumulation of capital into the hands of corporations, the greater is the incentive for that corporation to do what it considers it has to do, to continue to profit, ad nauseam.  In other words, corporations are in the business of making money and of returning thereby to their stockholders and directors as much profit as they can extract through the business enterprise that they are in.  This signifies that what motivates a given corporation isn’t going to necessarily be what’s good for society, but rather it’s going to be what is good for that corporation.

 In a construct in which lots and lots of money is going to equate to power, it has to be admitted that corporations have the most money, and therefore can utilize that money and their position to exert their power, so that what is good for their business, becomes the clarion call of seemingly what a significant percentage of American governance believes is good for the country, even when it is not.  So too, in the sure knowledge that there doesn’t appear to ever be a judgment day for corporations, signifies that, unlike humans, corporations do not have a conscience, which is why they need to be regulated in a far more robust way, or else they will essentially run riot over our democratic institutions.

Frustration harms relationships

Relationships are prone to getting into all sorts of trouble, of which the object of the exercise for both parties, if they are willing to address this, is to deal forthrightly with that which is harmful to their relationship.  In fact, one of the main reasons why relationships go sour, has an awful lot to do with frustration, and often that frustration is built around one party believing that they are not being appreciated enough, and because they feel that they are being effectively ignored when they need to be paid attention to, this will often lead to the types of bad acts that frustration creates, which consists of resentment, and a desire for some sort of emotional payback as a form of punishment to the other.

 Look, it has to be said, that people who are frustrated in their relationship, are going to want to relieve that frustration, and in absence of a mature discussion between the parties, they are probably going to resort to an action which will harm the relationship further by taking away something from the other in the sense of affection, concern, loyalty, or caring.  In other words, frustration really does breed disdain, and those who have contempt don’t care so much about doing something proactive and positive in order to help repair what appears to be in dire need of repair, but rather, they give in to simply being emotionally destructive, in subtle and not-so-subtle ways.

 So too, the best way to take care of a potential problem is to address it before it begins to wreak its havoc, which is why couples need to make it their point to set aside time to talk to one another, without interruption, and in a way and manner in which important and meaningful things are discussed, because miscommunication as well as a lack of communication are not ever going to make for a wholesome and sound relationship. Indeed, good communication is necessary for a healthy relationship, because to believe that we are mind readers or that we know what’s really on our partner’s mind, just isn’t possible, and because we can communicate, we ought to make it a priority to communicate, because the best time to address an issue is well before it turns into something toxic, such as frustration or something much worse.

 That said, some people just aren’t reasonable, especially when they fail to consider that as much as they might desire this or that, it isn’t really something that is practical or achievable, and unrealistic goals or objectives should be tempered with maturity and wisdom. After all, to believe somehow that what we want should always be granted to us, by whomever, isn’t possible and it probably isn’t prudent, because not everything that we desire from the other is fair to the other, which is why we need to understand better that troubled relationships can be somewhat complicated, and not helped by those who aren’t reasonable.  To keep a relationship in a good place necessitates sensibility as well as good communication, which helps in reducing misunderstandings and frustration.