Better communities, better lives

While there are still a fair amount of people that live in very small towns, and thereby almost by definition, know their neighbor, by virtue of the fact that the smaller the town the more that there is a need to know one’s neighbor, because there are going to be those trying times when they need to draw upon their assistance in one form or another, along with the salient fact that those that know one another, typically do a better job in looking out for one another.

 Nowadays, most of us live in fairly large communities in which there is a tendency to be about one’s own personal business and also because we have commitments and obligations to attend to, we believe that we don’t therefore have any real extra time to know or to bother with our immediate community, which makes for the type of community in which there may well be a lot of people that if they knew one another would find their commonality, but since they don’t bother to be a part of the community, this means that no connection is ever made.

 Look, it has to be said, that the best communities are going to be those that have people that are engaged in activities that are positive for that community, by for instance, volunteering, collaborating with others, or taking the time to help those in the community, which is all based around the foundation that they want to live in a community where people know and value one another, because by doing so, it makes for a more cohesive community, which thereby is safer and more pleasant.

 This signifies that in order to have a better community, as many people as possible, need to take some time out of their busy personal lives, to engage with others through events, through support, through cookouts, and through their desire to be of aid one to another, because each of us brings something to the table of talents, and those that are good at particular things can bring that skillset to use, so that the community as a whole will benefit.

 So too, a community that is engaged with one another is the same type of community that will focus not just upon keeping things stable, but also making it their point to bring improvement where things can be improved upon, as well as encouraging suggestions or ideas that can be considered which will make things even better, for there are lots of programs, both community funded or governmental funded that are there for the asking.  Indeed, that which makes a given community better is also going to make our lives better, along with the fact that a community that believes in one another is going to be there for one another when troubling events occur, because not only are they better prepared, but also because they are going to be more coordinated in taking actions where action is needed.

 In sum, good communities don’t just occur through happenstance, but rather they occur because the members of that community have made a conscious choice to see that their community is a good community by doing their fair part to make it so.

Should all citizens be required to do six months of community service?

The United States has an all-voluntary military force, which thus signifies that the draft, which was previously mandated throughout the 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, and did not end until 1973, meant that those so conscripted were compelled by law to serve in the armed forces for two years, which, when the draft ended, meant it was therefore no longer the law of the land.  This signified that since that time, nobody has been conscripted into the armed forces of the United States, and since there is also no mandatory community service required in America, either -- means that a wide swath of Americans have never been mandated to serve their nation in any capacity. 

 It would seem as President Kennedy once said, “ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.,” are words that are ignored by many Americans, though it must be said, there are plenty of people that do volunteer to do community work as well as those that have volunteered to be part of our armed forces, but for a certainty, that amount of citizens isn’t close to all Americans.  This thus presses the question as to whether this nation should compel all citizens to serve their country either through the armed forces or through community service, of which, a reasonable amount of time to do such which would not overburden anyone, if it was legislated into law, could be set for just six months, and of which, those six months, would not even have to be done all at once, but could be divided into, for example, three periods of two months, or two periods of three months, with the starting age to begin such service as early as sixteen, and the finishing date to be no later than twenty-nine.

 The above seems not only reasonable but would provide the raison d'être of what it means to be American, and thereby that freedom really does cost, for the freedom that so many Americans enjoy, came at a blood cost, and therefore we owe it to those that founded this nation and those that have sustained this nation, to do our fair part to show respect as well as our fidelity to this the land of freedom.

 So too, it needs to be understood that whenever a government demands nothing from its citizens, then the buy-in from those same citizens is not going to be at the same level as those who have sacrificed something to that country.  In other words, there doesn’t seem to be any point in elementary students saluting the flag through the Pledge of Allegiance to America if being American, just simply means being born within America.  Indeed, it ought to be governmental policy that Americans should sacrifice something of value, to demonstrate that they value American ideals and dreams, or else they aren’t true patriots, but rather are resting on the laurels of those that have sacrificed blood, sweat and tears on behalf of all Americans, through their valor and bravery, which are the attributes that we too can demonstrate in our own way through our giving back to our nation, with our valued community service to this nation.

When the people no longer believe in their government

This is supposed to be a government of, for, and by the people, but in actuality, it doesn’t seem to be that way at all.  Rather, it seems like the government not only plays favorites, which thus signifies that it isn’t fair, but that the structure of government seems to be one in which those who are the most powerful and connected get their way, and therefore a significant portion of the population gets no more than the scraps off the government’s bountiful table.

 While it is probably true that most people do not desire to pay much in taxes, it has to be acknowledged that in order for a government to carry out its functions properly, that necessitates that the people will have to contribute something of their own though their labor, so that these functions can occur, typically done through taxing the people, though it can also be accomplished through voluntary acts such as through community service, of which, it needs to be admitted that without a buy-in from the general public than the government is not going to be doing all the good things that it could get done, because the people are not willingly committed to this mindset.

 Indeed, there are a lot of things that break the people’s confidence in their government, of which one of the most important ones is the hypocrisy of that government, which insists upon loyalty from its citizens, but doesn’t provide close to the amount of benefits that the people should have access to.  So too, whenever it is perceived that the government is basically corrupt, in which, the richest and the elites of society, get whatever that they want without having to make any fair sacrifice to get such, makes those that lack such power, to lose respect for that government, and therefore to consider how they can get what they want, without also doing their fair part to contribute to that government and to society, at large.

 Additionally, it needs to be understood that whenever the government no longer has the general public to believe that it has their best interests in mind, will therefore necessitate a stronger policing force of the state to control the people, because those that don’t believe, aren’t going to be forthcoming in what they are supposed to do, because they don’t see why they should comply when those in high positions get far more than their fair share, while contributing far less than what they should and ought to when it comes to their fair obligation to society.

 Finally, there cannot be good cohesion with the citizenship from one person to another, or from the government to the people, when just about everybody perceives that the object of the exercise is not to work together in cooperation for the greater good for all, but seems more to be about getting what they can get, deserved or not, which therefore means, this isn’t a society that cares about one another, but rather prefers to compete against one another, no matter how unfair the game is played, with a government, that quite frankly, doesn’t give a damn.

The whole truth is hard to find

We want to believe that what others tell us, or what we read or hear, is the whole truth, unbiased, and completely transparent.  That is the ideal, but in reality, that seldom is true, which is unfortunate, but we live in a world in which we deal with fallible and vulnerable human beings and one of those things about people is that they seldom have a real desire to make a case that will make them look bad or guilty or damage their image, while also typically not having an interest in divulging information to people that would be harmful to their overall agenda, which is why we find is that in so many times, what we hear, or learn, is not consistent or aligned to the whole truth.

 To speak the truth at all times and in all situations is probably not something the vast majority of people will ever do, especially when doing so puts them in a rather uncomfortable situation.  This would thus indicate that when we read something or listen to something, we ought to want to know who the person or institution is, and what they represent, to get a better idea as to why they might be biased in a direction that distorts what the actual situation is.  In other words, we must, in all situations, consider the source, and while we may not know their motivations fully, we oftentimes have a pretty good idea.

 Indeed, the whole truth is so seldom disseminated that when we actually hear the whole truth, it is, in its own way, shocking, because it is devoid of any misdirection or tempered with excuses or other things of that sort.  That is to say, the whole truth, can be seen as viewing the world and our society as it really is, and because of that, it can serve as a wakeup call for those that have not been paying attention, that there is plenty of work to be done by people that have the capacity to do good deeds, but have been content to ignore some of the most pressing issues of the day, under the wrong belief, that things aren’t really that bad, when in actuality, they are even worse than what they preferred to believe.

 The test of anyone who considers themselves to be authentic really comes down to the fact as to how honest and transparent that they really are, because those who spend an inordinate amount of time merely wearing the cloak of openness but are not engaged enough to do those things that are consistent with what they profess to believe, have not lived the type of life that reflects that they are a person of true integrity.  The bottom line is that those who hide behind deceit, when it is convenient for them, but consider themselves to be paragons of virtue, have done so to their own detriment, because those who lack integrity when it truly matters the most have been tried and have been found wanting, for in the end, the whole truth will be told.

"The pen is mightier than the sword."

There seem to be far too many governments and principalities that truly believe that might makes right, which, for those who have that might, makes them feel like they are doing the right thing, even though in many instances, they definitely are not.  The thing about the progression of humankind is that it needs to thoroughly comprehend that humankind needs to advance from the misguided notion that military armaments and draconian social restrictions are somehow the way that societies should govern themselves which thereupon lends itself to an endless cycle of sword against sword, and if that is the way that things are going to continue to be, surely then, we truly do have our collective heads in the sand, because first and foremost, we have been gifted with a mind, as well as plenty of historical wisdom to lean upon that we apparently are not giving enough mind to, though we really ought to.

 While there might well be a multitude of ways to win a given civilization over, the superior way is always one that shows respect for one another and clearly elucidates why a given pathway is the best to follow.  This signifies that we need to make our case to people in a way that appeals to their sensibilities, rather than forcing them to adhere to certain things or else something bad will happen to them.

 After all, any country that considers itself to be a democracy, or behaves in a manner in which the people supposedly have a voice, needs, therefore, to listen to that voice, in which arguments can be made for and against a certain proposition, so that the people have their fair say.  This thus shows not only respect for one another, but also gives people a reason to buy into their democratic participation in selecting their representatives under the expectation that their voice and concerns do matter, which makes for a society that has a vested interest in how things are conducted.

 We should want ideas to matter, and further to the point, we should want the population to be educated enough to understand these ideas, because an educated population is one that is not only going to be a lot harder to fool or to control, for that matter, but will be able to respond to the issues of the day with substance, which will make for a better resolution, as compared to a few lording it over the many, without the people having any true input on what actually goes down.

 That which is the best society is that which has fair laws equally applied to all, that values the people’s input, and is just and transparent in all that it says and does. This is what a good society should aspire to, and whenever a society resorts again and again primarily to the sword, domestically and/or through its foreign adventures, this clearly is a society that has run off course and needs to ground itself instead in sensible dialogue and to draw upon that wisdom which leads humankind to truly understand that to evolve it needs to honor the pen and discard the sword.

Not in my neighborhood

Nowadays, through personal transportation such as automobiles, or through public transportation such as planes, trains, and buses, people can easily travel from one place to another, but in actuality, those who are the elites in society don’t actually care for the wrong people being in their neighborhood or the places that they congregate in, when outside their neighborhood.  For instance, there are neighborhoods that are not just gated but also have a human guard to verify that only those with the right credentials are permitted within that neighborhood, and that those visiting are thoroughly vetted.  This means that those who simply want to look around won’t be permitted to enter at all.  So too, we find that in airline travel, what has been instituted via TSA precheck, and CLEAR, is to separate the sheep from the goats, so that those that lack additional funds or seem suspect, are subject to a much more invasive search, to thus weed out those that the powers that be don’t like to see traveling from one spot to another, by making them to feel inferior to the other.

 Additionally, there are those neighborhoods which though they have no gate, because there are through roads that travel throughout their neighborhood, have a clear understanding with the policing arm that undesirable people and unknown vehicles will be subject to being stopped to make those people to know that they don’t belong there or to keep it moving, helped greatly by hi-technology security cameras and drones, that can easily monitor not only the vehicle traffic through the identification of license plates, but also those that are walking in that neighborhood, as well.

 One might believe that all are equally entitled to freedom of movement, but in actuality, those that are the elites of society have a very strong aversion to having to see or deal with people that they don’t find to be of value to them, and hence desire strongly that these people not be permitted to travel within certain confines, which is accommodated more often than not, because those that are the lawful enforcers of a given society, answer to those that have empowered them to do their duty, as directed by those with that power.

 It has to be understood that the reason why there are those catch-all laws on the books, such as disorderly conduct or breach of the peace, is mainly to get rid of those who are considered to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and therefore are removed from that area, so that those who expect all things to go their way get their way.  That is to say, important personages and those other qualified people that have moved into certain neighborhoods and thereby get together with other like-minded people at the right spots, don’t like anything that will interfere with the way that they see things, which signifies that those that make up the lower classes should not be, and are not permitted to be in their field of sight, for it makes it therefore much easier for these privilege folks to keep them also out of mind.

The need for money as a stable medium of exchange

We live in a day and age in which the coin of the realm is our medium of exchange, and for the most part, though not always, it seems to do a respectable job of permitting people and businesses to conduct transactions that are seamless and secure.  The problem though is that we also live in a day and age in which inflation, but never deflation, continues to wreak havoc on the value of that coin of the realm, and because of that, it makes it more difficult for transactions that utilize the coin of the realm as credit, to properly know how much to charge for that credit, especially when dealing with long-term durations such as thirty years, which is common for mortgages.  In other words, what is an appropriate interest rate to charge when inflation is not only persistent but could conceivably go significantly higher?  This thus signifies that one of the primary duties of good governance is to protect, defend, and to maintain the value of the coin of the realm, or else everything financial becomes much more problematic, especially in consideration that most people, let alone businesses, have other things to attend to, without trying to accurately forecast what the value of money is going to be in the future; yet, this is also something that they need to have a good idea about so as to properly protect their assets and wealth.

 The thing about today’s money is that it is supposed to be a reliable medium of exchange, so that, each party to a transaction does not need to try to come up with some alternate barter type of exchange which not only would complicates matters, but would necessitate more time and energy devoted to figuring out how best to work with bartering, when their preference would be to just labor or sell things and get paid in a currency which has not just intrinsic value, but lasting value, as well.

 All of the above is indicative that nations need to keep or get their fiscal house in order, because when important personages and huge corporations lose confidence in the coin of the realm, which nowadays represents a fiat currency, the whole edifice could come tumbling down.  So too, inflation is a real problem, which could be countered somewhat if the inflation rate were never to exceed a relatively low number, such as 2%, and the confidence that the government could indeed accomplish this very thing was high.  Instead, we seem to have a government that cannot keep our money stable, can’t keep the inflation rate at no higher than 2%, can’t keep its fiscal house in order, and doesn’t seem to have a reasonable plan to actually do these very things.  The only thing that this government appears to care about is putting together inflation reports that seem to reflect their desire to have the public believe that inflation is not too bad, by manipulating numbers in a way that purports to demonstrate this, which seems to be in contradiction to what is actually the reality of the situation.

 Remember this well, history tells us that fiat currencies are subject to not just devaluation, but also to a partial or full replacement, and those on the wrong side of that bet, through ignorance or lack of interest, might just find that the assets that they thought were sufficient for their needs have instead gone up in smoke.

“You have all the clocks, but we have all the time.”

The above quote is generally attributed to those on the front lines who have had to deal with all the recent conflicts in Afghanistan by foreign powers insistent upon taking over their country. At the same time, it is also appropriate for all those who value patience, a strong belief in what they stand for, and a determination to continue standing where they stand, come what may.

 In actuality, those that are the aggressors typically have a plan which is time based, and therein lies the rub, because when that time gets ever extended, because of unanticipated pushback, plans that gone awry, or a people that will not submit, then those that have a schedule to adhere to, are going to have to reevaluate what they are doing, and may after a certain amount of time, pack up their bags and go, for there comes that time when its best to cut one’s losses rather than to stay involved in what appears to be an endless quagmire.  This signifies that guerrilla warfare of all types is going to be the best avenue for those who just want to extend the battle and outlast the opposition, especially when they are seriously outgunned.  After all, to win a battle or to win a war, the other side has to submit, and if they do not do so, the amount of personnel and armaments that will thus need to be expended with an uncertain outcome is going to increase, and so too will the time devoted to such.

 Time is the enemy of those who are on a strict schedule, whereas those who simply have to endure, and are willing to endure, no matter how long, are the same ones who utilize time to their advantage.  Indeed, there are far too many generals that wrongly believe that more and more bombardment, as well as the annihilation of necessary infrastructure will lead to the other side submitting to their dictates, but clearly they don’t understand that there are those people that while under a relentless attack of their homeland, have a strong tendency to join together, no matter their previous domestic differences, to endure what they have to endure because this is all that they have, and they will sooner die than to submit, and an opponent, that will not surrender, come what may, makes for a fight that will eventually run up against the aggressor’s clock, because generals have to answer to those that have empowered them and when timely results are not there, alternative decisions will be made.

 For certain, wars are hell, and the type of hell that too many aggressors do not take into proper account is a people’s love for their own homeland, despite its many troubling issues, problems, and things of that general ilk, because those people recognize that submission to the aggressor doesn’t really end or resolve anything, but typically opens up a new type of hell, whereas they would prefer to make things continuously difficult for the aggressor, and to let them to know that they will not go quietly into that good night.

The necessary incarnation of the great avatars

When we look at humankind, it must be recognized that whenever there is a distinct lack of good and principled people as our leaders and influencers, we as a people regress and have a strong tendency to revert to an unenlightened people who hurt one another, thereby replacing good with evil. 

 While it is true that our God has provided us with free will, for better or for worse, this does not mean that God does not care about God’s creation, but rather God wants us, of our own volition, to progress to taking on the attributes that represent the very best of humanity, such as fairness, justice, compassion, generosity, patience, and forgiveness.  This thus signifies that whenever humankind is regressing, God, in God’s wisdom, knows the importance of seeing that great avatars incarnate into this earthly sphere, so as to awaken those that slumber or are not paying attention, to thus challenge those that are up to no good, to face the music of who and what they really are. The point of these great avatars coming here is to help make this world to become what it is meant to be, which is demonstrated in action, that we will, when provided the choice, do the right thing, and not the wrong thing, instead.

 Each of us is provided with a conscience, but that good conscience can be deadened or corrupted through drugs, drink, and bad influencers, which is why to counteract such, we need to have virtuous and wise avatars that will present to us a better way, so as to encourage us to do right, whereas before we did wrong.  We should therefore always pay homage to those who have historically provided us with enlightenment and continue to bring us light where there was previously darkness and ignorance.

 As much as some people believe that this world is an eternal battle between good and evil, light and darkness, it really isn’t.  There need not be a battle, but the wrong mindset and the wrong decisions are that which brings us darkness, and to counteract such, we need to bring goodness and light to the forefront, or else we will devolve into a society that is at odds with one another, and of which there is no peace, no justice, and no harmony.

 So too, for those that desire to remain neutral, they need to comprehend that there is no neutrality because those that do not do what they could do to benefit society, thus directly or indirectly contribute to the harm of such.  We are meant not only to know what the right thing is to do, but to actually do it, as well.  Indeed, we are required to actively participate in society, of which our avatars are there to lead by example, for it is by their principled acts that we know whether they are false or true, of which it isn’t good enough for us just to follow unquestioning, but rather we must discern their character correctly, for those that are our beneficial avatars, are the same that emulate our immaculate Creator.

Old habits die hard

There are two basic types of old habits: those that are good, and therefore we desire to keep, as contrasted to those bad old habits, which sensible people would like to get rid of.  However, the thing about old habits is that the longer a habit has been ingrained into one’s psyche, the harder it is to break that habit, though breakable they are.

 The first thing that people need to do is to take an inventory of their habits, and those habits that they know aren’t good, they should seriously consider getting rid of. Of course, as it has been said, that is easier said than done, but the first step is to acknowledge an old habit that is bad and thus needs to be overcome.

 So too, it needs to be kept in mind that the best way to overcome a bad habit is to find a new good habit to replace such, or else there will be an emptiness where the old habit use to reside, which most people will therefore feel an urgency to have filled and if they haven’t figure out what to replace that old bad habit with, they might replace it with something else that is equally bad.  In other words, it has to be acknowledged that habits take up time, space, and occupy our minds, and those recovered areas need to have something of merit for replacement.

 Additionally, before an old habit becomes old, it was at some point a new habit, which we didn’t have to even make a habit, but we did.  This would indicate that we need to be more mindful of where we direct our thoughts and our actions, because the wrong thinking leads to the wrong actions, some of which are going to become habitual, and that we will later therefore regret.  After all, if we don’t let a potential bad habit get hold of us in the first place, then it won’t become a habit, which is why we must remain eternally vigilant so that we don’t lose focus on the good deeds and vital goals that we desire to achieve, by forgoing bad habits and only taking on good habits.

 Remember this well, as much as we want to believe that we are creatures of habit, we have been given the willpower to change what needs to be changed, because habits are in our volition, no matter how much we might wrongly believe that we are forever prisoners to them.  This signifies that when our willpower is weak, that we ought to find those who are our mentors or those who deeply care about us to help prop us up, so that we are able to overcome that which is debilitating to us, for there is no shame in asking for a helping hand, because that is what friendship and good family are all about.

 Indeed, old habits die hard, but we need to take into account that what is of the most importance to us to achieve necessitates concentrated and relentless effort, and in order to overcome a bad habit, we will need to demonstrate in action the courage to do what we have to do to get it done.

Monopolies are bad for America

There is a general belief held by many people that capitalism is the best form of business enterprise, which is good not only for those that are capitalist business companies but also for the consumers, with the general belief that capitalism, because it incentivizes companies to be competitive and to improve themselves, makes for a win-win type of scenario.  The thing is, though, when it comes to competition, we duly find that some of the biggest corporations in America don’t actually care for competition, but rather prefer to buy out, align with, or eviscerate such if a deal can’t be made with their competition, mainly because less competition will thereby bring them more power and thereby more profit.

 One would think that this nation would make it its point that it would not encourage monopolies except in those areas in which it makes eminent sense, such as we see in the utility sector. Still, even then, if there is just one operator, they are regulated by the government to make sure that they are fair to the constituents of such.  This then would presuppose that corporations that already have the lion’s share of a particular business should not be permitted to buy out upstarts or competitors, because allowing this to happen will make them even more formidable, of which it will eventually reach the point in which their position is unassailable.

 What needs to be taken into full account is that most companies are driven by both growth and by profit, signifying that they are going to do their level best to improve both, and if they can acquire a rival company that brings something of value to the table, that will instantly increase their growth, while also bringing a very good chance that profits will ultimately improve, it will be done.  So then, aggressive and motivated companies are always going to be looking for strategic alliances because it will make them stronger, more powerful, and will increase profit.

 All of the above, are reasons why even in the most competitive of fields, we find that over time that unless the government steps in, that companies that are in the same type of field are going to be reduced in number, leaving fewer companies that are now much larger, and those companies in order to maintain and also to enhance their position, are going to have a continuing interest in buying out rivals, because it will help them to dominate with the ultimate goal to be the sole prime player.

 Additionally, we find that for those companies that prefer to remain independent, that all of this consolidation not only puts pressure on them to make some sort of deal, but also might well lend itself to their being vulnerable to being put under intense pressure by a much larger competitor that can afford to operate with extremely low margins or even at a loss, if they believe that by doing so will make the other company vulnerable to insolvency which if this occurs, will ultimately make their position in the long term to be even better.

 Indeed, it needs to be continually acknowledged that corporations that are permitted to buy out their competitors lead to monopolies, duopolies, and the like, which is great for those companies, but is not in keeping with what is good for America, because it isn’t competitive which means ordinary Americans have to pay more for what they get because of that lack of competition and the fact that their government appears to be asleep at the wheel.

Try not to make the same mistake twice

We are not infallible human beings, which signifies that we will make mistakes, and the worst type of mistakes are those made of our own volition, especially when we ought to know better.  That said, to make a mistake, unless it’s a particularly tragic one, is part of the learning process, and ideally, from those mistakes, we learn what we need to learn, so that we do not continue to make those same types of mistakes, again and again.  Yet, many of us repeat the same mistakes, ad nauseam, which, when we take the time to reflect upon what we have done, brings not only regret but also shame.

 The main reason why we should try our best not to make the same mistake twice, is that the best way to look upon our mistakes is to see them as an object lesson for us to learn from and to therefore remedy in one positive way or another, which may or may not require the assistance of somebody close to us, to keep us on track so that we do not do it again.  The thing is that what we ultimately become has just about everything to do with the choices we have made, and those who are unable to correct their mistakes are the same who are going to end up living a life full of mistakes with the corresponding bad consequences, so of.

 So too, it is important to own up to our mistakes, and while it might be okay to excuse our behavior or error to another, while admitting the truth to ourselves, there are far too many people, that come up with the excuses or justified reasons why a mistake was made, but don’t really own up to that mistake, which thereby typically signifies that they are probably gong to make the same type of mistake in the future which is the very thing that they need to avoid or to take action to amend.

 In this world, we will be tested, and one of the most important points in living this life is to demonstrate that through our experience and our wisdom, we have learnt our lessons well, and the way that we prove that is by making the right choices when we are put to the test, so that when we are graded, we get a passing grade.  Indeed, those who bother to examine their life along with their choices and don’t seem to be overly bothered about mistakes that they make and continue to make aren’t going to pass the test, and those so failing such a test will place themselves into the unenviable position of having to answer for that failure, which won’t be pleasant for them at all.

 To err is human, but to continually err is a serious character fault, which mindful people will make amends on, because we are meant to be something of substance, which begins with not just taking agency of the decisions that we make, but also in making the right decisions at the right time, thus proving that we have successfully applied ourselves for our betterment and for the benefit of those that we congregate with.

Government-sponsored hacking operations and the defense of such

When Westerners think of the biggest and most sophisticated hacking operations in the world, what typically comes to mind are China, Russia, and North Korea.  No doubt, these countries do have robust hacking operations, but when we think of resources, budgets, and sure tenacity, we have got to believe that the biggest of them all is our own National Security Agency (NSA).

 So then, whenever we hear politicians decrying any of these other countries as interfering in our governmental and private enterprises, we should probably keep in mind, that the NSA is doing the very same thing to them that they are doing to us, of which, because so much of what is occurring is secretive and hidden from the general public, we can only assume that the NSA is more than holding its own.

 The thing about hacking and the knowledge of such is quite obviously there are two distinct areas to concentrate upon, one of which is offense, where we try to get into other countries’ systems and steal vital information or wreak some general havoc upon such; whereas the other is to run a much better and tighter defense so that we aren’t so susceptible to hacking.  In other words, defense most definitely has its place, and to the degree that we are knowledgeable about certain weaknesses and vulnerabilities within our own, it would behoove this nation and the NSA to tighten those areas up, because that which is vital and of national importance deserves no less.

 In a world in which there are never unlimited resources, it certainly makes sense that we ought to devote more time to defense, and less time and money to offense, because in the end it is more important to protect what we have as contrasted to trying to figure out what the other side is doing and thereby counteracting that.  The bottom line is that if America needs to do a complete rethink as to how we deal with data, secrets, and the general protection of governmental as well as private enterprise vital information, then that is surely what must be done, because it is tiresome to hear about these data breaches again and again, with the sure knowledge that there probability is a lot worse stuff going on that we are not privy too, because of secrecy, confidentiality, and embarrassment.

 The amount of money that is devoted to our national defense is a sum so large that it towers over all other nations, and for that amount of money, the citizens of this nation ought to get something tangible in return, which should be that our secrets and most vital information are thoroughly protected from outside foreign agencies, and therefore, we are not susceptible to their untoward interference.  That said, it doesn’t appear that this is true, which signifies that more needs to be done to protect the homeland, and the incentives for those who work in the NSA should reflect that priority first and foremost.

The American empire is now doomed to failure

America was never meant to be an empire, for its objective from the very beginning was quite clear, which was to bring freedom, liberty, life, and the pursuit of happiness to all mankind, with the clear understanding that all humankind are created equally by God and thus are equally deserving of the same unalienable rights, and the primary purpose of good governance is to secure those rights, now and forevermore.

 This then is the promise, but the reality is that as time has gone on, America has transitioned from the necessity to defend itself as well as to unite the States together into one body politic, to building up its military-industrial-technology complex to such a degree that it represents the premier worldwide power that insists upon also being the world’s policeman.  As big as this nation is in terms of territory and population, it is, in the scheme of things, not so big when we look at the world and its population.  Further to the point, monies expended on the military are monies not spent on enhancing American citizens lives and livelihood, so that whatever the tribute that America insists upon collecting from being that empire is not sufficient to cover its expenses, and whenever a significant portion of that tribute essentially goes into private party’s hands, that presents itself to be a real problem, because an empire that does not have its own fiscal house in order and has no intention to correcting such, will inevitably decline and ultimately fall.

 In truth, if America really believes that it has to be an empire, it would behoove America to be far less bellicose with other nations, and instead to make liaisons that are good for trade on both sides.  Instead, America too often insists upon using force as a cudgel and believes somehow that its military force will get nation after nation to submit to its dictates and its exploitation of the same, but recent history shows that America gets that wrong, again and again.  So too, America has zero interest in seeing that democracy, self-determination, and good Constitutional government be spread throughout the world, but actually prefers to work almost exclusively with dictatorial nations, which America believes makes it easier to conduct business, while continually discounting that this also breeds a whole lot of foreign citizen dissatisfaction.

 It is well to remember that it isn’t so much that an American empire couldn’t be successful, because it could be if it was done right, but rather it's because America insists upon getting what it wants through military force, which typically violates international laws and is clearly inhumane via the punishment and death doled out to foreign civilians.  All of this sets the example that America is no paragon of virtue, and what it professes to believe in is an absolute lie, which signifies that America deserves little or no respect, because it does not respect others, and because America has extended itself so far, it is vulnerable to being hurt in so many different ways, so that it is inevitable that there will be an unraveling of America, first slowly, and then suddenly, till the empire is no more.

This is how to make America great again

America is the richest nation in aggregate in the entire world, but the distribution of that money is not fair and clearly, especially in recent times, reflects that the superrich are getting ever richer, the middle class is being squeezed, and the lower class is falling ever further behind with seemingly no real hope that their situation will successfully change. 

 When it comes to the wealth of this nation, those monies are divided between labor, which represents employees' pay for the work that they do, and the balance goes to those who control the capital, such as in the form of profits, interest, and capital retention.  This signifies that the higher the percentage of money that goes to labor, the more of that wealth will be disbursed to the people as a whole, as contrasted to the more wealth that goes into the hands of those who control capital, which will make for an ever-increasing inequality between those who primarily labor, as contrasted to those who own and control capital.

 When it comes to the United States, we find that the labor share of income and wealth is declining, which therefore means that the capital share of income and wealth is increasing.  It doesn’t need to be that way, for if this nation made it a higher priority to tax more heavily capital, including capital gains, and tax less those who labor, and especially reduced all forms of taxation on those that make less than the median wage, while increasing progressive taxation of all forms on those making more than the median wage, would help to therefore redistribute the income.  Further to the point, in recent decades, the labor union force has been decimated, and when labor is unable to collectively join together, it becomes much more problematic for labor to get its fair share.  Finally, this government, which is supposed to be of, for, and by the people, seems to have thrown in its hat entirely to those who control and hold capital, which signifies that rather than our government doing its fair part to help level the playing field, it is doing the very opposite of such.

 Look, it has to be said, the more wealth disparity that we see in America, the more pressure that is exerted against the middle class, and the less secure workers are in the workforce makes for a bad brew, which clearly represent why this nation is heading in the wrong direction, reflecting a nation that clearly divides itself between those that have everything as contrasted to those that are just holding their own, in addition to the underclass that has little or nothing.  This therefore is not the mark of a great country, but rather represents what we would see in nations of old, in which the superrich, elites, and those that serve them lord it over everybody else, and until such a time as the labor share of income and wealth, begins to increase, the terrible troubles that America has will continue, and if things do not improve, they will get even worse, which is extremely disappointing for that country which proclaimed more than 150 years ago that it was the last best hope of Earth.

The country with the largest middle class is not America; it is China

A simple definition of those who represent the middle class is those people who have a steady enough income to be able to handle and to cover the necessities of life, while also having extra money that can be set aside as savings or spent on discretionary items.  We read at https://baike.baidu.com/ that “The National Bureau of Statistics uses an annual income standard of 100,000 to 500,000 yuan for a three-person household, corresponding to about 140 million households,” to be considered middle class in China, which thus indicates that China has a much larger middle class than the United States, which in fairness to the United States, we need to consider that China’s population is far larger.  Nevertheless, for all those who believe wholeheartedly that capitalism and the American way represent the pinnacle of what makes for a great society, they need to be mindful that perhaps this is not true.

 The argument could be made that how big a given country’s middle class is, represents how successful that country is in seeing that there is a fair distribution of income, which makes for a population that is going to be in aggregate, more comfortable in their circumstances, because those countries that have a very small portion of the population which is superrich, and a significant portion of their population that is poor and struggling, should be seen as a failure to the people, because the wealth is overly concentrated into too few hands, which thus typically makes for a government which is oppressive in all of its many forms, in order to keep the general public in its place, while also not taking care of the issue of such great wealth disparity.

 Indeed, the happy equilibrium that governments should try to achieve on behalf of those so governed is to see that as many of the population as possible make a living wage, which would, in and of itself, help to alleviate many of the common problems that trouble countries, such as poverty, crime, civil disobedience, and so on.  After all, people who complain often have an underlying reason for what bothers them, and the best governance is that government which makes it a priority to alleviate what troubles the population, and when successfully accomplished, makes for a happier and healthier society.

 The reality is that China has, in its own way, accomplished something of real significance, because China was a very poor country not so long ago, and yet, within the last few decades, it has achieved incredible gains that have been beneficial to millions of Chinese.    Whether the United States believes that there are any lessons to be learnt from China’s economic success is something that our government needs to consider, and it would behoove that government of, for, and by the people to do so, because to dismiss China as an irrelevancy because their form of government is different is to miss the point, because the point is, that without a strong and vibrant middle class, America has failed its own people, which this, of all countries, should never even be at play, or else it could be said that America is no longer great, and perhaps has already run its race.

“Only a free and unrestrained press can effectively expose deception in government.”

The above quotation comes from Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black regarding the New York Times Co. v. United States (the Pentagon Papers case).  These words should be taken to heart by all those who are citizens of these United States, for a free press, free assembly, and freedom of speech are absolutely mandatory and essential for anyone to consider themselves to actually be free.  The reason why the government desires so often to restrain our freedoms and why the citizens of this nation must always fight back is that the government far too often isn’t interested in performing its duties via the consent of the governed but rather prefers that those who are its citizens be obedient to its dictates, and thereby what is unknown to the public should remain unknown, because the government does not desire it to be exposed to the light, because they do not want the truth to be known.

 The very point of freedom is for people to be able to express themselves in a way and manner that permits them to have their say.  Additionally, the best and most informative press, social media, and television is never going to be from those that simply serve as a mouthpiece of the government, but rather from those entities that ask those inconvenient questions and thereby holds that government to account, because that government, of, for, and by the people needs to be responsive to the people, as opposed to desiring their silence in the hope that silence equates to approval.

 Indeed, the more open and transparent a government is, in all that it says and does on behalf of the governed, the better that government is going to be for the people, as opposed to that government behaving in a way in which the most important issues of the day are hidden from the public, or publicize in a way in which such is deceptive or even worse, represent outright lies to the people so as to trick the public as to what is really going on, which is a betrayal of what good governance is supposed to be.

 Any responsible government needs to be held accountable to the people, which therefore necessitates that the people need to have a press that is not beholden to that government or compromised by corporate interests, in which pleasing certain entities, especially for profit, trumps the vital news that is meant for the public to know, but instead is suppressed or distorted. 

 We, as citizens, have a responsibility to see that our government is responsive to our needs and concerns, of which, this necessitates our access to what our government is doing on our behalf, and therefore the more secrets that are held back from the public knowing which should be known, makes for a situation in which the whole truth is not known because it is hidden, which is not what good governance is supposed to be about and should be minimized as much as possible.

 In sum, a free people, in order to be truly free, need openness from their government, so that they can see what is really going on, and from there, have their input, typically enabled by a free press that lays all the cards on the table available for the citizens' conscientious perusal.

The wrong friends make for a disappointing and regretful life

As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together, which means we can learn a lot about someone simply by studying who they hang around with.  No doubt, some good people do spend significant time with some not-so-good people, for various reasons, sensible or not, who somehow are still able to maintain their good character traits, but we need to see this as the exception and not the rule, for truly, when we see somebody that we know well who is hanging around with people who legitimately have bad reputations, it’s difficult to believe that this hasn’t rubbed off onto them in a bad way, as well.

 That said, because we are free will individuals, and thus have agency as to who we will or will not spend our time with, it signifies that the friends that we make or the people that solicit us to be their friends, are really at our volition as to what occurs or doesn’t occur, of which, those that make the wrong friends, have taken a turn onto a road that is best avoided, because the wrong friends, are going to have a strong tendency to lead us to all sorts of bad events, so that when good potential meets up with the wrong friends, this is in all probability going to lead to a life in which that good potential has been vacated for something that is unbecoming of what that good potential could have become.

 As a parent or as a mentor, we should make it our point to want to know who appears to be friends with those that we are vested in, and when those friends are lacking in good character traits, it’s important to step in as a protective agent.  No doubt, we don’t always read the situation right, which is why snap judgments are often not going to be the best judgments, indicating that we should observe, listen, learn, and interject as need be, so as to ascertain the character of those who would be friends with people that we have a responsibility to.

 Still, at the end of the day, in life, each of us makes choices, for better or for worse, and so we can take well-meaning advice and do something constructive with it, or we can ignore such, because we know better, or perhaps because we don’t care to hear what we do not desire to hear.  Nevertheless, it’s important to comprehend that we ultimately are the captains of our own fate, and those who pick wrong will surely regret that decision, sooner or later, because the wrong friends will take us down paths that we need not have ever entered, yet we did, and the price we pay will be our own to pay.

 All of the above signifies that we ought to be mindful of the friends that we make and that we have, because the right friends have our best interests in mind and prove that to us when it matters most, and the wrong friends won’t have our back, because when the chips are down, they won’t even be there for us.

The not-so-caring United States of America

One would be excused for thinking that families are of real importance in America, but the reality is that when ii comes to the multitude of single-family households America could do far better in contributing to their welfare and somehow doesn’t seem to understand that single-family households that are under constant pressure to meet expenses and to take care well of their children are probably not going to have the best or most desired good outcomes for their children which isn’t good for those children, and sure isn’t good for society at large.

 To believe, somehow, that America simply births more bad people which thereby creates more violent crime, of assault, murder, and rape is not to understand that those that come from dire circumstances in which their infrastructure is inferior to what it should and ought to be, when it comes to civil safety, schooling, opportunity, and valued mentors in their neighborhood are prone to seeing that more of those types of people aren’t going to be in a good place to become good and valued citizens, but rather are going to be susceptible to being troublesome and unhappy, which is one of the salient reasons why we have so much violence and dissatisfied people in America.

 In actuality, in the absence of reducing or somehow turning around the prevalence of single-family households, then America needs to do more to contribute to the well-being of those, especially in single-family households, who need a far more robust safety net, as opposed to taking the attitude that this is what they get for not making responsible decisions. In other words, a laissez-faire attitude to single-family households signifies that America is happy just the way that things currently are, which, if this is true, is incredibly short-sighted because it doesn’t take all that much effort or an incredible amount of money to come up with programs that would help to stabilize and to subsidize single-family households by providing better community amenities to alleviate some of the stress and biggest issues that single-family households have to contend with.

 The bottom line is that children are vulnerable to all sorts of bad things, especially when they don’t have a strong safety net that sees all children as a valuable resource to be nurtured and to be given a fair opportunity to get their hands on the best that America represents.  The least that this nation owes its own children is to create the infrastructure in which truly no child is left behind, because those that help to provide children with the necessary mentorship, ethics, character, and the importance of a good education, are investing into that which will help to make America a better nation, because the youth of this country are the future of this country, thereby signifying that we need to do more to be more inclusive of all of our children, and especially to concentrate our efforts upon those who are most vulnerable, because when we do not, society ultimately suffers from that short-sighted and ungenerous decision.

Defense spending: China vs. USA

No country in the world comes close to expending more money on its Defense spending than the United States of America. In fact, America’s military budget is approximately four times the amount that China spends on its military budget, though, because China’s labor rate is significantly lower, it signifies that China gets more bang for the buck. While it is true that America has the largest economy in the world, it has to be admitted that China’s economy has been relentlessly growing and is getting ever closer to matching America, though to actually get there will take several more years, but this event will surely happen, as China’s population is approximately four times that of the United States, and for a certainty, numbers matters.

 A significant reason why America’s Defense budget dwarfs not just China’s Defense budget, but in actuality measures nearly 40% of all global military expenditures has got to do with America’s intent to be seen as a true global empire, and because the world is so big, and has so many troubling areas and potentially troubling areas, it thus necessitates a huge military budget, year after year.  Yet, within all those monies spent, it doesn’t seem to permanently resolve anything, which has got to be seen as a huge disappointment, because despite America’s massive military power, it doesn’t equate to a world in which all is stable, and everything is quiescent.  In fact, it could be argued that America’s vast Defense expenditures seem to necessitate America getting involved in just about every area that piques its interest, which actually makes for a less stable world, and therefore less peace and quiet.

 When it comes to Defense spending, China prefers to keep it pretty basic, which is to focus on taking care of protecting and augmenting their regional power, and to not waste much time or energy trying to become a worldwide military powerhouse, which China believes does them no good.  Rather, China likes to make investments in other nations and to trade with other nations, while also making it its point to not be bellicose in its attitude or in its actions with other nations.  Perhaps, China, is trying to fool America, and in actuality is just biding its time before wreaking its own havoc, or perhaps it could be said, that’s the sensible way it desires to go about its business, because excessive military expenditures, not only takes away from where those monies could be better allocated, but also seems to encourage those that receive those military funds to look for trouble to thereby have to deal with such, to thus justify that military expenditure.

 The bottom line really comes down to the fact that nations need to make a conscious choice of where they are going to invest and to expend their money, for no nation can do everything, but rather choices need to be made, and for the United States the choice clearly has been, that being the biggest and baddest military power in the world, second to none, makes sense for America, but it needs to be taken into full account, that if those calculations have been wrong, it has in its own way, weakened America, not strengthened her, and therein lies the rub.