The need to understand the true purpose of legitimate government

When people are asked the question as to what the purpose of government actually is, there are going to be various answers -- such as, for example, the general defense of the nation, the general welfare of the people, or the law and order necessary to have equal justice for all, and so on.  One answer, which is not heard nearly enough, is that the true purpose of legitimate government ought to be to protect our individual liberty, above all.  In other words, the purpose of government ought to first and foremost be about securing our liberty to be about our business and therefore thus providing us with the best opportunity to have a good life, with liberty, and to freely pursue that which brings satisfaction to us.

 Regrettably when we look at governments the world over and in particular our own government, it has to be admitted that the governance of this nation does not appear to be about protecting our rights, but rather seems to be about taking our natural rights as well as our Constitutional rights, and circumscribing them to something less than what they are supposed to be.  While there are myriad excuses why governments have a strong tendency to do this sort of thing, the bottom line is that power in the hands of the wrong or misguided people in addition to fallible institutions leads often to the result that the people that should be sovereign, are reduced to being something more akin to subjects, which are supposed to therefore obey their government, for their own supposed protection and safety.

 The fact that we don’t hear often enough from our politicians or from those that are in the catbird seats of power, that their objective is to defend and to assure the people, that our individual liberty comes first, is proof positive that this isn’t on their agenda, and clearly isn’t part of their thinking.  Instead, we are sold a bogus bill of goods from our government, that insists that the people need to forget about all this liberty stuff, and concentrate more on understanding that this world is dangerous and that rights so granted, even of an unalienable nature are subject to being modified as the government best sees fit to do per its inclination and that as a people we ought to just go along with this.

 So then, to live under a government in which the reality is that our liberty and our unalienable rights are subject to the dictates of that government, is to live under conditions in which we are not truly free.  In the best of those cases, though, we sacrifice some of our liberties, for the protection that the state provides us, though even that protection involves the citizens  themselves having to defend the nation from enemies within as well as enemies without, as defined by that government.

 All of the above reflects that when we examine our own government, that to believe that its top priority is to backstop our liberty and our freedom of expression and thought, is clearly something that not only isn’t a priority but seems to be something that this government does not desire to have in effect, because it wants to be in control, which conflicts with our natural rights to liberty.

The need to modify congressional representation based on registered voters only

In politics, compromise is often necessary in order to make some degree of progress or else the alternative is a likely dysfunctional society -- so then politics do indeed make strange bedfellows of which such proved necessary to have a constitution which became the prevailing law of the land.  We find that in the United States, a compromise was reached with the Southern States during the convention, which established that those that were enslaved and thereby legally considered to be property were entitled from a congressional apportionment perspective to be counted as three-fifths of a person, which thereby meant that the Southern States got more representation than they ought to have had because that which is designated as property has no rights and therefore should not have been counted, in which, the ensuing result of this governance of, for, and by the people if this compromise had not been agreed upon would surely have been different.  Yet, that is essentially what had to be done to get the thirteen States to agree to this Constitution.

 We find that at the conclusion of the Civil War, as well as the ratification of the 15th Amendment, that this changed the enfranchisement dynamic.  Yet, history tells us that this change which should have meant the fair enfranchisement of black male voters, soon became bastardized to the extent that the black people residing in the Southern States, now being counted as a full person, because they legally were persons, meant that these same Southern States, would essentially have more representation, of which, after a brief amount of time in which black candidates were duly elected to congress, that this subsequently ended, which thereby meant that the white man was not only able to re-impose their will against those formerly enslaved, but had also obtained more representative power because blacks were now counted the same in the apportionment of the representatives so earmarked for each State.

 As it stands right now, the only way to change what we currently have, which amounts to counting up the number of people in a given State through a census, which  does not take into account citizenship status or lack thereof, is for a Constitutional Amendment to change things to something more sensible.  It would seem fairer to the general public, that representation in Congress should really be apportioned not strictly on population, but rather should be specifically done through the number of registered voters in a given State.  That is to say, those that are of age to be a registered voter but do not register should not be counted for congressional apportionment.  This would signify that States that aren’t doing their best to register all eligible voters or are being biased against certain potential voters, should suffer the fate of less representation, because quite frankly, those individuals that have not registered to vote or are ineligible to vote, aren’t engaged with their country, which seems to stipulate that they believe that their nation is of minimal value to them.

 Furthermore, apportioning how many representatives each State receives is done every ten years, but should be changed to be in harmony with the fact that all Congressional representatives are up for election every two years.  All of the above would therefore make for a better representative government because those exercising their suffrage rights are the very same that deserve that representation.

Coin of the realm and inflation

In point of fact, inflation is not necessarily a given in societies, but we do find that in virtually all modern societies, each of those societies suffers from inflation, some of which can be exceedingly high and can thereby lead to the inconvenient demise of that currency.  The problem with inflation when it comes to, for instance, dollars, is that those that simply are holding onto their dollars or are trying to spend them, find that their dollar purchases ever less products or services over time, which thereby means that the value of their dollars have depreciated.  This can be a real burden for people because it indicates that in order to maintain their purchasing power they are going to need to earn more money or else find investments that will provide them with a meaningful positive return or obtain that combination, because without such, the worth of their dollar assets becomes ever less.

 So too, another way of looking at dollars that are depreciating is the fact that this is essentially a tax upon money.  That is to say, just like we have to pay a sales tax or an income tax, we are, in essence, paying a dollar tax, because the dollars that we have are ever becoming less valuable.  Furthermore, it’s disappointing that this government which states that our dollars are backed up by the full faith and credit of this nation, apparently can’t keep its house in order because inflation is both persistent and consistent, in which, some of the time, that inflation rate reaches even double digits, which definitely is a high tax for citizens to pay, of which, those very same citizens, seemingly have no recourse to stop inflation because it is essentially out of their hands.

 One would think that this government rather than mouthing words about how they are concerned about inflation and thereby desiring to do something of substance to contain inflation, still can’t apparently come up with any policies that do that very thing, which is why, the value of a dollar has declined precipitously since this nation went off the gold standard and replaced backing dollars with specie, with backing dollars instead with just words.

 Governments, the world over, are always looking for creative ways to tax their constituents and when one of those ways is the depreciation of the currency, this thus will always favor those in the know over those that don’t really know.  Furthermore, that dollar taxation really isn’t fair to the general public because it eats into their wealth, their income, and their purchasing power, without providing them with any corresponding benefit.  Additionally, most people are busy taking care of their necessary things, which means that their plate is already full and having to deal with the depreciation of the dollars in their hands, which they have labored hard to obtain, is just one more problem that serves to make their life more challenging, and one more tax to pay, without seeming to have much representation about it.

The African continent COVID-19 paradox

We have been told by orthodox sources that only because of the COVID-19 vaccination did the pandemic that occurred worldwide not become considerably worse than it was, and because of this vaccine that millions of lives were subsequently saved.  But is this true?  The case of the African continent would seem to indicate that this statement is clearly not true, and therefore, the truth of the COVID-19 pandemic is still not being propagated by mainstream media or governmental sources.

 To wit, the continent of Africa contains about 1.55 billion people, and the United States has approximately 340 million people, in which it has been estimated that the continent of Africa had 257,000 deaths from COVID-19, as contrasted to America having 1,228,289 deaths from COVID-19.  This indicates that the death rate for America, the richest country in the world, and of which it is considered to have far superior doctors, better medical staff, and stronger infrastructure, signifying that its medical facilities, as compared to the African continent, were far more robust and superior, somehow had a death rate of twenty-two times higher than the African continent.  This signifies that if the African continent were to have the same death rate from COVID-19 as America, then 5,654,000 of its people would have died from COVID-19, but only a small fraction of that actually occurred.  Additionally, there isn’t anybody on this planet who believes that the healthcare system in the African continent holds a candle to America.  Finally, it has to be said that wealthier nations are healthier nations with more medical options, signifying that even though far more Americans got vaccinated for COVID-19 and got that vaccination sooner, that somehow the African continent had far fewer people to ever get COVID-19, and a small fraction, as compared to the USA, actually died from it.

 All of the above is indicative that the story so propagated to the world at large is fundamentally flawed.  So too, the basic misunderstanding of COVID-19 has not been properly explained, in which the deadly devastation that COVID-19 wreaked havoc upon was clearly specific to certain people of a certain age, and was not a problem necessitating schools and businesses being closed.  That is to say, when we examine who actually died, the greatest percentage was people who were old, feeble, and/or had compromised immune systems.  That then is the lesson to be learned from this pandemic, which thereby means that this nation with all of its wealth, was somehow not able to figure out that the most vulnerable of its population were essentially the aged, and instead focused upon taking those in their prime working or schooling years and making them to believe that if they didn’t have a mask on or were not standing six feet away from another human being, that the result for that other person, would be death. 

 One more thing needs to be said: that there was the wrong belief that the mere act of getting vaccinated would bring immunity, which is belied by the fact that plenty of people who were vaccinated ended up getting COVID-19, and a meaningful portion of those ended up dead.  The lesson to be learnt then is that those who believe everything that they are told to believe and thereby to obey need to consider that they ought to examine things more thoroughly and be more skeptical.

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