Ultra-processed pet food can’t be good for your pet

Our dogs and cats have been around for thousands of years, while, on the other hand, dry pet food and wet canned pet food have only been around for a few generations.  Look, it has to be said, that there are few humans that eat exclusively their meals from cans and packaged foods, because most humans recognize that processed and ultra-processed foods aren’t healthy for them, though many of those still eating an abundance of processed foods continue to do so, because to them, it’s convenient, relatively inexpensive, and it tastes good. 

 When it comes to our pets, we are responsible for treating them right, and while it has to be admitted that dry and wet pet foods are a convenient option to the feeding of our pets, it should not be our only choice, because the natural state of how pets have been fed has been hunting small prey as well as essentially table scrapes or foods prepared and cooked specifically for our pets, and it is only in recent times that this has changed.

 To a large degree, our pets are what they eat, and when they eat overly processed meals as well as processed treats, they aren’t going to be able to get the good food and nutrition that their bodies need.  This signifies that more pet owners need to be cognizant that just because a label of a particular brand of pet food claims it is healthy, or insists that its main ingredients are good, that we as pet owners need to actually take the time to verify whether or not this is true, because the bottom line is the reason why pet foods are processed so much, is for profit, shelf life, and also for the ability to easily transport such food from one location to another, and not because the packaging of these foods takes into consideration, first and foremost the health of our pets.

 In this world, we are inundated with ads of all sorts, often consisting of a multitude of videos of pets seemingly enjoying their processed food, but in actuality, we are the ones responsible for feeding our pets a good diet, which signifies that the overreliance on processed or ultra-processed foods is not going to be a good choice to make and that we ought to consider alternatives that provide our pets with a nutritious diet which is better for their health and their longevity.

 Indeed, the amount of money that pet owners spend on their pets in America is a staggering high number, but that doesn’t mean that all that money is spent appropriately or wisely, because when we do not take the time to really research what is and what is not good for our pet, then we haven’t done our fair part to take care of our own, which they deserve from those that have the stewardship of their pets, which is why we need to do our part to contribute to our pets good health, by providing them with a nutritious diet, because they deserve no less.

Money, sex, and power

If any of the above three items are your main motivators in how you live your life, or if all three, Heaven help us, are your main motivators, then clearly your priorities in life need a reset, because the very reason why there are so many problems, disputes, and issues within societies, really comes down to the fact that misguided desires, such as for money, or sex or power, create the type of construct in which the society that we live in is not ever going to be one of harmony, integrity, justice, or of peace.

 The crux of the problem as to why we can’t all get along really comes down to the desires that we have in life, and when those desires are really based on selfish or self-serving motives in which the primary aim is to satisfy our own self, then this is quite obviously going to create all sorts of conflicts and problems, because whenever that type of mindset becomes the default of a significant percentage of the population then we are going to live within a society in which we aren’t cooperating with one another for the betterment of that society, but rather we are competing against one another, so that we can get ours, and we don’t really care if they get theirs or consider that to be a concern that we should worry about.

 Look, either we are all in this world, together, meant to join together to pursue goals of merit, which includes conducting our affairs in the way and manner in which consideration, justice, sharing, and respect are preeminent or we can take the opposite approach which is to basically just be selfish and to take care of our own self first, along with those that we consider to be our blood brothers, and thereby call it a day.

 The bottom line is that when we look at the world and see that so many people and the societies that make up this world have a multitude of unhappy and suffering people, we should consider that the reason this is true must be because we aren’t collectively pursuing what we should be pursuing, which signifies that in order to change this world for the better, we first need to change our thinking, because when we aren’t thinking the right thoughts and aren’t motivated by the right reasons, then the end result is going to be what we so see, today.

 This signifies that the call to arms is first and foremost a call for us to bring out the better angels of our nature, and to recognize that we need to uplift our thoughts to recognize that when we take the time to really examine our own lives and what brings us lasting and meaningful satisfaction, we’re going to find that it is when we made the effort to help and to aid someone else without any real expectation of compensation or reward, because we saw in the other, that they needed that helping hand and it is through those acts of kindness and consideration that we thus do our fair part to help make society a better place for our good and valued participation in it.

Equality under the law does not seem to apply to the elites

The thing about money and power is that those who have such often want to use their privileges in ways and manners that the laws and rules that should equally apply to all are applied differently, or not at all, to those who are the elites of the world.  In other words, those that are the elites, may well see the value of laws and rules being applied against others, but mainly see it from the perspective that the masses need to be under some sort of social control, so that chaos and revolution do not occur or come close to occurring, because the very first thing that the elites of society do not wish to ever forfeit, is their special status and social position which typically permits them to be treated with kid gloves when it comes to violations of the law, as opposed to the general public who do not have that favoritism available to lean upon.

 The real reason why there are so many rules, regulations, and laws on the books of society in which this appears to be not only a confusing and meandering labyrinth of laws as written and interpreted, is that these laws will be selectively applied depending upon the whims of the day and the purposes of the time, so that at any point, for any reason, when order needs to be restored, that such order as those in power desire to see restored, is done through the policing arm of the state through the aegis of the elites, and it does not matter to those that are in the prime positions of how governance is done how that social order is accomplished as long as it is accomplished.

 This signifies that the freedoms and liberties that we so often take for granted, and that we believe are unalienable isn’t in actuality, true, because when push comes to shove, those that are the elites are the only ones that have truly unalienable rights, and everyone else has their rights, unalienable or not, under the thumb of the state which decides who will or will not be given sanctuary from the oppression of the law, as applied and exercised.

 Indeed, we would have a lot fewer rules, regulations, and laws if the elites were truly subject to having to adhere to those same laws, as presently written, because they would not ever tolerate being placed in the unenviable position of suffering from the injustices and unfairness imposed upon the common man, which occurs again and again.  Yet, they need not worry, because as much as we might wish to believe that this is a nation of, for, and by the people, so governed under the consent of those same people, it isn’t that at all.  Rather, this is a nation under the control of the elites, who may admire noble concepts and insightful ideals, but are very practical people who simply want what they want, and to have what they have, and in order for that to continue unabated, they need the general public to be acquiescent and obedient to the order so dictated to them.

Deliberate censorship so as to control the war narrative

We live in a day and age in which there have never been so many “citizen journalists”, which can be especially problematic in a war zone, because anyone with a cellphone and a social media account who are able to create or obtain images and videos of what is really going on can thus disseminate such to the general public.  Of course, nation-states are in the business when it comes to war of strongly desiring to control the war narrative, which is why they have explicit as well as implicit agreements with mainstream media to stay within a given range when it comes to the narrative, typically reasoned as being necessary for the greater good, safety, and security of the population, at large.  After all, the basic contention that those who make war have is that because war is hell, it’s not good for the people to see that hell, because they won’t be able to properly wrap their heads around how warfare is necessary and even righteous, even when it appears through their eyes not to be the case at all.

 The bottom line is that because warfare is so brutal, violent, destructive, and inhumane, that to actually show the reality of warfare and how ugly it really is, in which there are few heroes and there are many villains, would be too overwhelming for the general public to accept. Further to the point, there are plenty of those in the highest positions of power and influence, who have no compunction whatsoever in telling bald-faced lies, to protect the guilty, because they believe it is necessary to first “win” the war, before such can be more fairly examined. It therefore becomes necessary to see all those who simply provide a narrative that exposes that war for what it really is, as a problem that needs to be silenced, and therefore to censor them.

 The very first thing to die in any war is the truth of the war, because from the very beginning, those who are most intimately involved in the war are not interested in any pushback from anybody, and in particular, understand the value of having the narrative be molded and thereby controlled by those pro-warfare powers so that the general public will at a minimum, not be at odds with that war, which thus makes the pathway to continuing such warfare a heck of a lot more smoother, then when having to deal with a public up in arms about it.

 Those then that are tasked with controlling the war narrative have their work cut out for them, because while at one time there were mainstream media outlets that might well question a war that by all appearances had gone off track, or seemed to have veered in the wrong direction, this isn’t so much an issue anymore, because those mainstream outlets are typically nowadays in lockstep with the war effort.  Rather, it is those who are outside the mainstream that have made it their point to be a thorn in the side of those who conduct war, with their primary purpose to show the reality of what is going on, so that those with eyes to see can adjudge for themselves the humanity or inhumanity of what that war is or is not.

God has you in the palm of His hands

When it comes to God, it must be recognized that God is not human, for God is far beyond and transcends the human form, and, further to the point, there was never a time when God did not exist, nor will there be a time when God ceases to exist.  So then, when we speak of God having us in the palm of His hands, it is incumbent upon us to recognize that God’s hands are so encompassing that there never is a time nor will there ever be a time when God doesn’t fully have us in the palm of His hands, which should give each of us great comfort, because as God’s creation, we are never out of His domain and are never abandoned.

 As much as we might feel from time to time that we are far away from God, or that God doesn’t even exist, or that we are not worthy of God, none of this is actually true, for God is omnipresent.  To the degree that we do not pay attention to God, or believe not in  God, this does not change the fact that all of us are now and forevermore in God’s hands.  Additionally, God knows us through and through and sees us for what we really are, and therefore does not value us any less than what we should be valued at.

 So too, in those times of trouble, God is our bulwark and our defender, ever there for us to lean upon, and those that have faith are the same that recognize that in their worse moments, that God assures us that this too will pass, which is one of the reasons why in our incarnation here on earth, we are aware of time, because as it has been written, time heals all wounds, and time also provides us with the perspective to better understand that what we feel to be so daunting at the moment, or so overwhelming, is that which will soon enough, be overcome by that light which always dispels darkness.

 Ideally, each of us values our parents because they have our best interests in mind and at heart, which is why we need to value our Creator, as well, for those very same attributes. Additionally, through our Creator, we have been gifted with the free will and the agency to think and to do whatever comes to mind, for better or for worse, of which, it could be said that a lot of the trouble that we get into is that trouble of our own making, because we have not listened to that still small voice, or have cared or considered enough to think through the consequences of questionable actions.

 Each of us needs to know that in life, there is a purpose, and the highest purpose for all of us is to find our pathway back to that which is our eternal sanctuary, and along that long walk, to prove our merit by making those decisions that do honor to that which first created us, and by doing so we will recognize for a certainty, that there never was a time when we ever truly left the palm of His hands.

The United States of America is not just a country; it is also a mindset

If the United States of America were truly desirous of a better world for everyone, it would behoove those at the highest and most influential levels of power to impress upon other nations the founding principles of this nation, and, further to the point, to prove that value by living by those ideals itself, throughout its land.  That is to say, to conquer other countries, to war with other countries, to exploit other countries, perhaps has its place, but a lot of this is exercised under the rubric to essentially augment its capitalistic system, which has little or nothing to do with what this nation was founded upon.

 It is wise to comprehend that the only principle that would ever make America truly universally great is not going to be its Gross National Product, and it's not going to be its financial system, or anything of that general sort, but rather it is the principles upon which it stands, and for which it was created.  This signifies that America, in order to remain in harmony with what those who so valiantly fought for and made the case for, is that the battle was all about obtaining the unalienable rights that each of us as American citizens are entitled to, and that this is therefore a government of, for, and by the people, structured for the benefit of those same people.

 This essentially means that for those that desire to see more liberty as well as the pursuit of happiness being engaged by more nations, that just as there are religious proselytizers all over the world, encouraging the adaption of their beliefs, for the betterment of those people, it thus follows that our greatest export should actually be the value of freedom, of having a free will, as well as equality and opportunity for all.  So then, one of the prime purposes of good government is to keep the playing field level, and thereby favoring none over the other, but rather making sure that each is accorded the opportunity to be the best that they can be, through applying themselves through their labor of both body and mind.

 Indeed, there isn’t any real good reason for any other country to desire to adopt the American way, if, as a nation, America doesn’t do a good job of expressing, through not just its ideals, but through its actions, the characteristics that best make for a nation that is worth emulating, which has more to do with a proper mindset, fully exercised and executed, as compared to just our living standard.  A happy and satisfied populace is that populace which has the freedom to be about its business, with the clear understanding that they are entitled to freedom of thought and of action, circumscribed only by not infringing upon other people’s basic rights and thereby the respect and consideration that we owe as our obligation as good citizens and neighbors to one another.  

"The truths of the Declaration of Independence are not limited by time or place"

The above quotation came forth from the brilliant mind of our Sixth President, John Quincy Adams. Indeed, this Declaration should be taken to heart by not just all Americans, but by every citizen throughout the entire world, because when that Declaration was written, back in 1776, it sent a message to tyrants of all sorts that governments were meant to be instituted amongst the consent of the governed. Thereby, this signified that the government, of, for, and by the people received their just powers to govern, from the people, of which, the purpose therefore of governance is not just for the beneficence of those people, but also as a surety to protect as well as to enhance the people’s unalienable rights.

 To understand the Declaration is to understand that our rights are not provided to us by the government, which if this was true, would signify that the government would thereby have the right to add to or to subtract from those rights, but rather our unalienable rights are gifted to us by our Creator, and therefore no legitimate government has the right to take away or to diminish our unalienable rights, for instead the purpose of good governance is to be in alignment with those unalienable rights and therefore as our government, to do its fair part to see that our unalienable rights are not infringed upon and thereby to be a bulwark for us in the protection of those rights, which is why we as a people, have joined together in a sacred compact, to begin with.

 The greatest nation to live under is that nation which is truest to that Declaration, which signifies that such a nation as that is not going to be limited to just the United States of America, but rather the enlightenment of that Declaration is available to all nation-states, which is thus best demonstrated by those that are true to the principles of that Declaration.  After all, it is well to remember that words alone are never going to be enough to secure our rights, for we find that it is in the everyday actions and the interactions that we contend with, along with the construct that we live under, that determine whether or not our government is in accordance with that Declaration or has abandoned or modified such, to thus take away that which is fundamentally ours to begin with.

 We, as a people, and we as individuals, have fundamental human rights, contained not just within the unalienable rights so gifted to us, but also as seen implemented by the rules of the road as legislated and enforced by our governance which need to adhere to those principles which take into full account that we are all created equally, which signifies that our government should not be a respecter of any citizen, but rather that each citizen should be accorded the same rights, without favoritism displayed to one sect over another, and further to the point, without discrimination against the other, because each of us is equally entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

The Declaration of Independence is America’s seminal founding document

While it is true that the Constitution of the United States is the highest law of the land, it should be recognized that the Constitution was not ratified until 1788, whereas the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Second Continental Congress on July 4, 1776.  This signifies that the call to arms was never the Constitution, for it was written and ratified after America’s independence from Great Britain had been established, but rather the seminal founding document of the United States was and still is, its Declaration of Independence.

 This thus duly signifies that each and every citizen of this nation needs to know the Declaration of Independence, for within this document are the principles which this country, at its best, duly stands for.  That is to say, this is a nation founded upon the proposition that all men are created equal, and that their Creator has gifted all of them, without exception, with certain unalienable rights.  The significance of knowing this means that those who put one race above all others, or one religious faith as superior to all others, have failed to recognize that all of us have been created equally, and therefore, prejudices of this kind that purport that certain people and certain religious beliefs are superior to all others have no standing within America.  So too, those in our legislatures, and of our present-day government, need to always recognize that infringing upon our unalienable rights is anathema to that Declaration of Independence, and hence those of our representatives who infringe upon those rights are not being true to that Declaration of Independence.

 Indeed, it needs to be recognized forthrightly that we are a nation that is governed upon the prevailing principle that the just powers of that government come forth from the consent of the governed, and therefore for this government or its representatives to lord it over the people, is not just a bastardization of what our Declaration so declares, but is at odds to what this country was so founded upon, and fought so valiantly for, which is why those in the highest echelons of government need to be fully cognizant that they are the people’s representatives, and therefore should not and must not be beholden to favor elites and special interests against the people.

 All of the above has massive significance for all of us, because those who are not in tune and therefore unfaithful to our Declaration of Independence deserve to be seen as those who have betrayed their duty to that Declaration and hence should not be accorded the people’s respect or the people’s approval.  It is imperative for not only our citizenry but also for those who govern us that they recognize that our valorous revolution for our independence was done under the firm belief that such independence, courageously fought with blood, sweat, and tears, was meant for the betterment of the people, their society, and for the liberty of all, now and forevermore.

First, they make laws on what you can do, then they make laws on what you can think, to control what you can do

In this world, we are either gifted by our Creator with inalienable rights or we don’t have any unalienable rights at all, according to how we are governed, for in those oppressive governmental states, what rights we have, or the lack thereof, is determined by the governance that we are under and are therefore subject to the whims of the day  This thus signifies that each and every time that our government, our legislature, our judicial system, and so on infringes upon our inalienable rights, we need to understand that if we sincerely believe that these rights are inalienable, that those then that steal those rights, or attempt to, are the very same which are illegitimate for what they are doing and thus signifies that we should not willingly give up those inalienable rights, because these are forever our own.

 To understand whether or not our governance is on the right track is as simple as observing whether our rights are on a pathway in which they are being more and more circumscribed, which is typically done under the guise that this is necessary for our own protection and safety.  So too, there are those times when we are told that we need to make personal sacrifices, because of war or rumors of war, which necessitates, therefore, a “temporary” reduction of our rights, of which, once taken away, it seems like those rights never fully come back to us.

 A great country is a country in which those that are its denizens are free to think, and are free to be about their business, without unnecessary and unneeded meddling by its governance, thereby providing each of us with the opportunity to do what we desire with the opportunities and determination that we have, thus presenting us with the fair ability to make decisions, of which, those decisions are contained within our agency, therefore signifying, whether we are right or wrong, that we are fully responsible for what we subsequently say and do.

 Those who desire to live within a “nanny” state are the very same who have no desire to be free and somehow believe that if they are obedient to that state, they are being good citizens and therefore feel entitled to all the accouterments that they should receive for that obedience.  This, though, is the feeble way of those who have forsaken their sovereignty to be in the control of those that they do not ever question, that they do not ever examine, and that they do not care to ever stand up against.

 In the society that we are members of, we will be free, or we will not be free, depending upon how much consideration that we give to the fact that we have been gifted with free will, and those that permit their free will to atrophy because they will not use it, or prefer that others should control them, are the very same that have run the wrong race to arrive at the wrong destination and thus will pay the price for their stupidity.

A fresh way to look at taxation

It is widely assumed that the vast majority of people and corporations do not want to pay their fair share of taxes, and, to the extent they can reduce them, that is what they often do. While that does make sense to a certain degree, it needs to be acknowledged that taxation most definitely has its place, and without taxation, there simply would not be a government, of, for, and by the people.  This thus signifies that taxation has not only its place but also that it is here to stay, and further to the point, that a government without some form of taxation has nothing to stand upon.

 When it comes to taxation, more people need to recognize that governments are formed not only to help create the basis for the improvement and proper advancement of society, through such institutions as formal education, healthcare and the corresponding necessary infrastructure which benefits everyone, but also the fact that it is the government and its departments which has the overall responsibility to protect us from domestic as well as foreign enemies.  Indeed, that protection comes at a price, of which it needs to be recognized that each of us needs the assurance that our governmental entities will protect our property as well as our person, should there be trouble, which is why we have a military, the police, and a justice department, so that things can best be sorted out and such are duly funded directly or indirectly through appropriate taxation.

 All of the above would be indicative that it makes logical sense that those who own more property, such as in their personal homes and all other material items besides those homes, along with those corporations that own all sorts of buildings, equipment, and the like, should responsibly pay their fair share for what they have.  In other words, the more property that a given person or corporation has, which is considered to be theirs, the more they should correspondingly pay in taxes to have the government aid them in the protection of such.  So too, when it comes to us as people, each of us values our own self as of worth, so then a fair taxation system would take into account that we should each pay sufficient taxes to protect our person, because, after all, that is extremely valuable.

 To believe, somehow, that our government works within a vacuum is to understand governance wrong.  Rather, the government is formed for the betterment of the people, and therefore the people, through their labor and also in consideration of their assets earned and accumulated, should patriotically contribute something of substance to that government which has created the structure and the foundation for their opportunity and towards their success. So then, taxation is the price we pay to do our fair part to give back to that government which, when structured correctly and working efficiently, serves to protect and defend our property and our person, of which the more that we have and the more that we value ourselves, the more we should willingly pay.

Voting should be democratic, but gerrymandering means it won’t be

It has been a long and circuitous route to give the people, collectively, the democratic vote, but this is what eventually occurred in America. Yet, we do find that, regrettably, those in the most powerful positions of governance and politics have determined that redistricting their congressional and legislative districts should be deliberately undertaken in ways that are unfair, undemocratic, and effectively invalidate the democratic vote in a significant number of districts, thus putting their thumb upon the scale so as to get the result that those in power want to see occur.

 That is to say, because of gerrymandering which is essentially redistricting areas of a particular State so that it will clearly favor one party over the other, is done at a level that skewers the results in a way and manner that those who have the vote, often don’t have a say when it comes to elections, because their district has been structured in a way in which their vote is, in essence, an irrelevancy because the result has been foretold by the gerrymandering so created.

 This means that voters are, in these deliberately structured, gerrymandered districts, precluded from having their vote to represent anything of value, because their vote has already been calculated and predicted so as to get the result desired, which signifies that voters aren’t really electing anybody -- for rather what has occurred is that those that structured these gerrymanders have determined themselves which party will or will not prevail, and the fact that this exists and persists in America invalidates what a democracy should be all about, which is that each vote should count the same as any other vote, but in reality, gerrymandering makes it so that some voters have no say at all, and it is thereby only in those districts that have been structured fairly, that a voter’s vote actually counts for something.

 The fact that gerrymandering favors one party at the expense of the other party reflects that gerrymandering should not be permitted, but rather should be superseded with an independent, non-aligned organization that should be empowered to create appropriate districts which would take into account all pertinent details of the citizenry so that this would provide those citizens with the best chance for their voice and thereby their vote to actually matter.

 The fact that gerrymandering is permitted to clearly favor one party at the expense of the other, which is being implemented in far too many States, reflects that those at the highest echelons of political and legislative power aren’t interested in thus doing their part to assure that we have a fair democratic vote but deliberately are undercutting such, mainly because they do want the people to have their fair say, but insist upon the people taking a backseat to those unelected power brokers who seemingly have been provided with the right to empower legislatives per their preferences and to thus vacate the people from having their say, which is undemocratic and a clear disservice to the people, in whole.

Good neighbor vehicle observation reporting

For all those that live in big cities and are required to drive to work, it is inevitable that when driving we will see vehicles that seem to have an issue with their headlight, or taillight, or brake light or something else that seems suspicious but because we are traveling at a high rate of speed and there often doesn’t appear to be a good place to try to have a conversation with the driver of the other vehicle, we thus notice things but aren’t able to comment to the driver about them.

 One of the most dangerous things we will notice is those who have a headlight or both headlights out, in which, though we would figure they have to know about it, surprisingly, some people are ignorant of such. Indeed, a one-headlight vehicle is dangerous to other drivers, especially when their vehicle color is dark, as well. Still, the only way that we can inform someone that their headlight is out is to toggle quickly with our bright high beam, which may or may not get them to understand that they have a headlight problem.

 On the other hand, when we are trailing another car, we can see things such as a non-functioning taillight or brake light which is quite obvious to us, and probably not obvious to them, because virtually no one periodically checks their taillight or brake light, so it would behoove us to inform them of that problem, but in this age of society in which we don’t know whether someone else is armed, in a bad mood, or just not up to what appears to them to be nonsense, it probably is ill-advised to beep our horn, or toggle our bright high beam, so the better part of valor is to get a snapshot on their license plate number or just to remember it. 

 For all those who obtain that license plate number of a vehicle that appears to have a problem that is going to be dangerous not only to that car but also to other vehicles on the road, it would be sensible to have a database that people can go to, so as to report an issue observed about another car.  The problem, though, with having that database is that it needs to be well-known, which is best done by having periodic public announcements that this is the database to utilize to report overly polluting vehicles, malfunctioning brake lights, and so on.  The second thing that needs to be emphasized is that the ticketing department of police departments should not have access to that database because what should not be happening is for the police to see that database as being one that they could therefore utilize to issue a ticket to the offender, which doesn’t resolve the issue but simply makes it to be more of a burden on the offender who probably in a lot of cases doesn’t know that their brake lights aren’t working property.

 In sum, anything that we can do that will help to inform another driver of a malfunction or an area of their vehicle that appears not to be working correctly is something that we ought to bring to their attention, demonstrating thus how a good neighbor treats another.

The decline of human customer service

The first thing businesses need to fundamentally understand is that they conduct business with human beings, rather than with bots or similar entities.  In other words, business is conducted day after day with humans, which signifies that when there is an issue with a delivery, a product, or just a general complaint, humans typically desire to speak or to communicate with in some acceptable way, form, or manner with a fellow human being.  Yet, far too many businesses of today don’t seem to understand or to comprehend this, because they seem to have developed a structure in which they do not desire to relate to those who are their customers, person-to-person, but rather desire to deal with complaints or general issues through that which isn’t human, at all.  For instance, there are a significant number of companies that have no customer service phone line to call, and exacerbate that problem by not having even a chat window to at least initiate a chat, and for those that do have an automated chatbot, it tries to be helpful but often just serves to frustrate and to delay the customer from getting satisfaction.  Indeed, it is becoming increasingly difficult to interact seamlessly with a human in customer service, and it must be acknowledged that this is the case because businesses wrongly believe this is the most cost-efficient way to address such interactions.

 Look, no doubt, automation has its place, but so does “hand holding,” and those customers that have a legitimate need but aren’t able to get it satisfied are the very same customers that will seriously consider taking their business elsewhere and/or will be inclined to express their dissatisfaction with a particular company when they aren’t satisfied, through a scathing review which often comes down to the fact that they don’t feel that they have received the respect and service that they believe they had the right to expect.

 Indeed, a frustrated customer places businesses in the unenviable position of somehow finding a way to satisfy that customer, which probably would be easier to achieve if that customer had first been dealt with in a way in which they believed that they were considered to be valued by that business, which is best done through human contact.  No doubt, customers understand that human interaction costs businesses money, but so does obtaining and keeping a customer, satisfied, and further to the point, businesses ought to stand behind their product and should therefore be willing to take “heat” from an unsatisfied customer, as opposed to hiding behind automated bots which simply don’t do a good job of making a customer feel valued.

 Those that are skilled in customer service are the same that know how to empathize and to calm a customer down, and additionally are typically able to come up with a solution that is fair to that customer, of which, it has to be said, that the best time to tackle a problem is before it escalates into something quite uncivil, which signifies that it should be dealt with at the beginning, as opposed to it being seen as something to be dealt with, only when a customer is relentlessly persistent and upset.

Crime has its reasons

We are told to “obey the law,” which for those that are well established and therefore are in a very good position to obey the law, find that this shouldn’t be an issue for them because this basically makes eminent sense, for those that have it all or have access to it all, really ought to obey the laws, because they are already the beneficiaries of what comes to those that are successful in society.  On the other hand, there are plenty of people who do not come from a world of opportunity, or of fairness, and quite frankly are often discriminated against because they are the wrong skin color, or have the wrong accent, or have the wrong religion, or come from the wrong side of the tracks.  In all of these things, we have a contingent of people that are on the outside and therefore are looking in, and for these people, it has to be acknowledged that obedience to the laws essentially means acquiescence to that which isn’t fair or right, but serves more to oppress them and therefore to keep them in their place.

 When it comes to crime, the first thing to recognize is that any society that insists that certain people do not deserve to make a living wage is going to present a real problem to that same society, because those that aren’t accorded the basic respect that the richest nation in the world should provide fair access to, by cheating them out of a living wage and leaving them without a reasonable way to ever achieve something of substance are going to have to understand that robbery is a two-way street.  That is to say, those who rob the sweat, blood, and bread from those who are laborers, by, in essence, cheating them out of a fair wage as well as providing them no more than a dead-end job, have robbed them, just the same as if they have lifted money from their wallet.  Yet, the difference between the two is that one entity is protected by the law because it is legal to pay whatever the minimum wage is, and it’s okay to leave those who are employed without any job security or a means to promotion within the organization, because that is the way our capitalistic system is structured.  On the other hand, those who do not have enough money to live on and have no real future to look forward to are going to be prone to finding a way to get their due, through licit or illicit means, and it’s hard to blame them for doing so.

 To expect those who are being cheated by the system to be obedient to the system signifies that this nation isn’t interested in thinking people, but rather just wants them to permit themselves to be exploited, again and again, for the betterment of those who have the capital and are in a position to take advantage of them.  Indeed, crime has its reasons, and for those that desire to see less crime, they might want to seriously consider that a well-educated populace, with opportunity and fairness for all, along with equality under the law, and with a fair wage paid for a fair job done, would do more to reduce crime than anything else, which is that inconvenient truth that needs to be dealt with sooner as compared to later.

Private security and the general public’s police

According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of May 2021, there were 1.1 million security guards employed, compared with 665,380 police and sheriff’s officers.  This signifies that there are far more private security officers than there are policing officers, which might very well surprise most people.  Further to the point, there aren’t more private security guards than police officers, because somehow private security guards make a better salary and have more benefits than police officers, but rather it has just about everything to do with the fact that private security guards essentially answer to those that employ them, whereas those that are police officers, who are sworn to protect and serve us, don’t seem to directly or even indirectly answer to the people, but basically respond to their department’s priorities and agendas, which includes the issuance of traffic tickets, and dealing with the everyday urgencies of the day.

 The reason why corporations and the elites of American society employ security guards has everything to do with the desire to protect their person and their property, and to the degree that they could get this done through police officers, they would be more than happy to embrace that, but the bottom line is that corporations and the elites don’t have the right to directly employ police officers or to get them to directly answer to them, though in some cases, off-duty police officers have a side job in which they are employed as security guards who essentially do that very thing.

 In society, we find that those that have a lot of material goods, property, and desire personal protection are going to seriously consider engaging security guards to perform that duty for them, because they do not wish to risk losing what they have and additionally understand that by having that presence in their control, they are going to be protected sufficiently from various types of adverse events. While that does make sense and seems to be a good thing, it does seem though sort of unfortunate, because the very purpose of the policing arm of the state is to protect those with material goods, property, and their persons from being messed with by the criminal element, but we find that the police simply don’t have enough personnel to effectively or efficiently do that, for police officers have a strong tendency to react to crime as compared to forestalling such.

 So too, it needs to be understood that one way that corporations and the superrich deal with the society that they are a part of, is to a great extent, separate themselves from the troubling areas of that society by, for instance, living within gated communities and working within structures and institutions which are not only designed well for their protection, but also have the latest technology to observe and to react well to that which might upset their privileged status, augmented by a security force that will take care of business, should it be necessary.  This then is the nature of the society that we live in, of which some basically know that the barbarians will never reach their gate, whereas others are left to deal with it.

To our children’s children

There are plenty of people who express their affection, consideration, and love for their children, which they best exemplify by doing right by their children, through their right speech and right actions, which thus serves as an exemplar of how best to conduct our lives.  In other words, if we desire that our children be morally upright citizens who are good for something of merit, the best way to ensure this occurs is to be that very thing ourselves.  After all, it’s hard to impress upon children what they ought to do when we don’t appear to be those things ourselves, such as being trustworthy, fair, and generous of spirit.

 When we look at our society, it could be said that our greatest moral obligation is to set the tone and to thus do our good part to help make society better by doing those vital acts that will help to accomplish those necessary things.  This is why we need to be mindful of our behavior and our actions at all times and in all circumstances, because what we do, big as well as small, makes a material difference; and those then that consistently make good decisions are going to be in a lot better place and thus be providing a better legacy for their offspring than those that can’t seem to consistently make good decisions, for it has to be said, that children do have a strong tendency to imprint what we as parents provide to them, good or bad, right or wrong.

 So too, it’s important that our society does its good part to prove its virtue by the acts that it thereby commits, and when it does the wrong thing, to not hide behind sorry excuses and deliberate deceptions, but to face the music, and thereby to do the right thing to correct what needs to be corrected, in addition to structuring itself so that it will do better in the future.  Indeed, all of us make mistakes, some that are excusable, and some that really are not, so that the issue really becomes what are we going to do about those mistakes, and those that decide that they essentially won’t do a constructive thing are the same that have chosen wrong, and are lacking therefore in the integrity to make good on what they ought to make good on.

 It has to be said that almost everyone wants their children to have a good life, which thereby necessitates that we do our good part by abetting the foundation that will best give opportunity to achieve that good life. So then, we ought to do what needs to be done to see that humankind progresses from one generation to the next, because when we do not, we endanger our children, and put them in harm’s way in which the least that we owe them is to first do no harm, and further to the point, to do what we can to provide them with the knowledge, morality, and knowhow to afford them with a fair chance to progress further down that straight and narrow pathway, that we first started to tread upon so long ago.

Be more mindful of water usage

There are a multitude of things that people in this modern age need to be thankful for, and one of those things that ought to be at the top of the list is good, clean, and abundant water.  We use that water to clean ourselves, to refresh ourselves, to drink, to water our landscape, for indoor plumbing, as well as all the other uses, such as in dishwashing, laundry, and the like.  To have an abundant amount of good, clean water literally at our fingertips for virtually everyone to take advantage of is something that has only really existed in modern times, in which the lack of such leads to not just a general uncleanliness, but also, when that water is bad, civilizations will typically suffer the ill effects of cholera and dysentery.

 So too, water is an invaluable source of keeping our body healthy, by appropriately hydrating us, and in the absence of such, or the reliability of such, can thereby lead to serious health complications, including death.  All of the above signifies that water is incredibly valuable, and the fact that those who live in the United States can, in almost every community, have ready access to good, clean water makes for a better and a healthier society.  Still, it needs to be recognized that it is a mistake to take water for granted, which is why we should be more mindful of all the water that we utilize and whether or not we could be more efficient in the usage of that water, without unduly impacting the quality of our lives.

 Another very important fact that we need to recognize is that we read in the AI Overview that “An average U.S. household uses over 300 gallons of water per day,” which is a simply astonishing amount of water to utilize daily.  After all, whenever we buy a gallon of water at the grocery store, it comes in a fairly large jug, and therefore, when we contemplate how much water 300 gallons represents, this seems to be an excessively large amount.  Nevertheless, we have our reasons for using water, and when those reasons are valid, it’s fine to do so.  Additionally, it needs to be acknowledged that our local utility company charges us for our water usage, and often that usage is structured in a tiered way, so that those who use more water pay at a higher rate for water usage that exceeds a certain community norm.

 All in all, it would seem that this government should desire to see that we waste less water and that we are more efficient in the usage of such, by the use of, for instance, low-flush toilets, reduced-flow showerheads, as well as appropriately watering our lawn and landscape with the type of equipment that makes it more efficient and more effective.  Indeed, while we typically are grateful to have such ready access to good water, we should not take it for granted, and therefore, we should do our fair part to see that the sustainability, as well as the robustness of this clean water, remains the case.

Should America issue a celibacy tax?

As much as this might well surprise most people, there were times in other cultures such as during the Roman empire, as well as England, Italy, and the Soviet union where the government made it a point to enforce a celibacy tax, primarily for the reason that the government believed it was for the betterment of the nation, that more children be procreated, and those that were not doing their fair part to accomplish this, were duly taxed for their failure to do their duty to make babies and to have families.

 Presently, the United States has been able to yearly increase its population, but that has not been because of Americans having a fertility rate that is high enough to readily compensate for those who are dying, but rather has everything to do with immigrants coming to America, both licit and illicit.  This thus poses a real issue for America because those that represent the powers that be have determined that immigration, and especially illegal immigration, should be stymied, and they have made serious inroads not only in precluding immigrants from arriving to America, but also in preventing them from even considering such.  Further to the point, those illegal immigrants that are already here, find themselves to be far too often, under assault, and in consideration that illegal immigrants are the very same who are typically young, signifies that the very people that are being compelled to leave are primarily those that are either young adult workers or are of school age who are being educated, and will at some point be laborers, themselves.

 So then, when we take a close examination of the fertility rate in America, this indicates that we are not collectively childbearing enough,  which will signify that very soon, if not now, yearly deaths will outnumber yearly births, in addition to the fact that because our population will be decreasing in this nation, whose landmass is considerable, means that there will be less people to enhance and better it, which is a loss for all Americans and will weaken us.

 In all probability, a celibacy tax, if legislated, wouldn’t move the needle very much, or at all, but it would serve perhaps as a genuine wakeup call that for America to maintain its strength and vibrancy, it needs more children being birthed, for it isn’t possible for the American future to be bright, if each year there are less and less Americans.  Indeed, there is continuous strength in ever higher numbers, and it is that increase in the number of people that live here, which contributes meaningfully to our economic Gross National Product, of which an aging country, which does not sustain itself through an appropriate birthrate is the same that has basically sung its song, and will thus pass the baton onto those nations that are young, vibrant, and have the desire to be the leaders of the future, demonstrated by their higher birthrate and the vigorous vitality of their youth who will lead the way.

1031 exchange for stock equities

The 1031 exchange is a taxation law that applies only to real estate investors and thus permits them to exchange one property for another, within a specific time period as dictated by the applicable rules, which thereby precludes them from having to pay a capital gain on the purchase of a like-kind property, which quite obviously is beneficial because there are no immediate tax consequences, because those capital gains have been deferred, thus permitting that investor to keep all of their money in play, and not have any of such siphoned over to taxation.

 When it comes to stock equities, there is no such thing as a 1031 exchange, and the tax code specifically forbids such. Still, as in just about anything when it comes to taxes, these tax codes are subject to change, as well as being subject to review, which thereby means that if there was an effort to put forth to present a proposal for a 1031 type exchange for stock equities, that those who currently sell one stock to subsequently purchase another which means that they have to pay a capital gain on what they have sold would thereby have an avenue to defer their capital gain if a 1031 for stock equities was legislated into existence.

 Indeed, investors sell stocks for all sorts of reasons, one of which is that they prefer to put their investment into a different stock equity, of which a modified 1031 would permit them to do so without having to suffer the proximate hit from a capital gains tax.  On the other hand, some people sell their stocks because they need to scare up money to pay bills, or to purchase something else, and thus these folks would still be subject to an immediate capital gains tax.

 It just seems sensible for investors who are staying within the same domain to have the option to defer capital gains when they essentially migrate from one specific stock investment to another stock investment, and are therefore not desiring to actually cash out any capital gain profit that they have achieved.  No doubt, investors of all sorts would embrace this, being the case for stock equities, so being sold under a 1031 exchange program, which would seem to signify that our legislators should at least consider bringing this to the table for a debate and discussion.

 While it is true that with a stock equity 1031 exchange that there would be a reduction in capital gains taxes captured by the tax authorities, it needs to be recognized that those capital gains would still be available for the government to be taxed, once they are sold for cash, so that the argument could be made that these aren’t really capital gains that have been eliminated, because they haven’t been, but rather these are capital gains that have been deferred, and since this government seems to believe that investing in stock equities is good for America and thereby good for American businesses, then a 1031 exchange for stock equities would appear to be something of merit, to seriously consider.

The cost of living in America is way too high

We read at AI overview that a single person in America needs on average about $2500 monthly income to cover their cost of living expenses, as compared to around $1700 to $2200 in comparable Western European countries, which is a significant difference between the two – while also representing the basic reason why so many people in America struggle from paycheck to paycheck which also is very disappointing in consideration that America is blessed with abundant natural resources, plenty of land, and superior higher-educational facilities, but somehow is not competitive when it comes to its cost of living, which is further exacerbated by the fact that the disparity between the wealthy and the classes below these elites are getting ever steeper and with no real reason to believe that this trendline will change in the near future to favor the lower classes.

 While there are a lot of things that America could concentrate its energies upon, it should probably consider first to do something about the cost of living in this nation, so as to put itself on a pathway of being more competitive with like countries – of which, America needs to take a serious look at, for instance, what can be done to make housing more affordable, as well as to reduce its energy and insurance costs, along with addressing robustly both childcare costs as well as its strikingly high healthcare costs.

 As they say, the proof is in the eating of the pudding, and the proof that the cost of living in America is too high is reflected by the fact that so many Americans struggle just to keep their heads above water in this, the richest country in aggregate in the entire world.  This would seem to strongly suggest that the benefits that the people get from their government through their mandated tax contributions needs to be seriously re-evaluated, and our supposed progressive tax system, in addition to corporate taxes doesn’t seem to work the way that it should, because there are a multitude of superrich corporations as well as wealthy individuals that somehow don’t come close to paying their full freight when it comes to taxes, and a significant portion of these, actually don’t pay any taxes, at all.

 It would seem that this nation is run in a way that the powers that be don’t have any real problems with the way that things currently are, which would seem to strongly suggest that our representative government doesn’t really represent the people at all.  Indeed, the fact that our cost of living is so high, is a significant reason why there is an estimated six million Americans that have moved abroad to take advantage of a lower cost of living and an overall higher quality of life, which this government should see as a “slap in the face” and thereby a reflection that not all is right within its borders.

 Look, the bottom line is that what really matters is the affordability and thereby the cost of living for our people in comparison to the income that those people have, and because that cost of living is unnecessarily high, this signifies that this nation needs to see this as the proximate problem to resolve, or else the American dream will turn more and more into a nightmare.