Go to Walmart and see the real America

The thing about America is that everybody, no matter their status in life, is going to have to shop to pick up essential household goods, such as groceries, supplies, trinkets, and other items that are a necessary part of living here. While those with money can do a fair amount of shopping online or at prestigious stores, should that be their inclination, there are those basics that have to be purchased, and that can be done at Walmart. The one thing that we can say about Walmart, which is especially true of their superstores, is that they carry just about everything that a household would commonly need, along with the fact that their convenience and pricing are quite favorable to the consumer.

 This means, from high to low, Walmart serves a necessary function, and while Walmart isn’t necessarily located everywhere within a city, those that want to get a better understanding of what America represents, and to rub elbows with people that they might not commonly congregate with can find those same people at a Walmart, especially when they drive to a place in their greater community that is considered to be middle class, or even better, lower middle class.

 The really nice thing about a Walmart superstore is that because it is so big and it has just about everything that we could ever want, that this provides us with the ready excuse to walk in and around all the aisles of Walmart, and by doing so, to see families that are shopping, to hear their conversations, and to just see and look upon people, giving us an insight to the regular folk of America.  Further to the point, there is that opportunity to have a conversation with them to get a feel for who they are, because whether we are commenting on some item that we are considering purchasing, its price, the weather, a sports team, or whatever, there is that true opportunity to engage one another.

 So too, Walmart employs an awful lot of people who are out on the floor, taking care of stocking, tidying up, aiding us in checkout, and so forth, and because they work there, they are basically obligated to respond to our inquiries, which provides us with a chance to get a feel as to who and what they are, for these “associates” represent America as it is, in the sense of employment, and depending upon how a conversation goes, their dreams of the future.

 Indeed, the very purpose of visiting Walmart, is the opportunity especially for those that have it so good, to actually see America as it really is, with the sure knowledge that there are a multitude of Americans that struggle paycheck to paycheck, that don’t really make a living wage, or have health issues, or other issues within their family, and to understand that these people, are just as American as you are, but the difference is the fact that they are living in a different milieu, but are at their core, still part of the American fabric. So then, we ought to pay attention to them, because they deserve to be seen and to be heard, so that we better understand their struggles and to see more clearly that they represent, in many ways, the real America, which we ought to know and to see.

A needed perspective on King George III

All good Americans are quite familiar with our Declaration of Independence, and can remember that “these truths are self-evident” and that we have “...certain unalienable rights.”  What most people don’t remember or don’t bother reading is that more than half of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence addressed the “absolute tyranny” of King George III and then it proceeded to list quite a few offenses against the colonists as thus representing the why as to the justification for the colonists to rise up in righteous revolution against Great Britain and King George III.

 Indeed, when we look at today’s America, this seems to be a country that is moving away from justice and liberty for all, to something more akin to what we would see in a tyranny, and thus some of the very same complaints addressed to King George III are the same complaints that could be made today.  For instance, “he has made Judges dependent upon his will alone,” “He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people,” “He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power,” and “He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us.”  All of these are as true today as they were back in the 18th century, and are a reflection that this is not really a government of, for, and by the people, nor does this truly represent a government conducted under the consent of the governed, but rather our governance is trending in a non-democratic and tyrannical manner.

 Additionally, when it comes to how our governmental leadership has lost its way, consider the fact that a multitude of violent criminals who took the law into their own hands on January 6, 2021, have been pardoned.  Additionally, we find that many dedicated civil servants have been terminated from their positions or have been encouraged to quit or to prematurely retire because our current governance insists on personal loyalty to the current party as of most vital importance, rather than actually serving the people.  So too, there have been a multitude of federal agencies that have essentially been hollowed out, compromised, or eliminated, so that the protections so structured for the American people, for their benefit, no longer exist or are no longer effective in their mission of service to those people.

 When it comes to justice being fairly and equally applied, we find that the 1st and 14th Amendments are currently being violated by prevailing governmental policy, wrongly interpreted, and that due process is being ignored so that people that should have their day in court, are summarily being deported to places that they did not even originate from, in addition to people wrongly designated as illegal immigrants who are, in fact, legal citizens, being arrested for no offense.   Additionally, some of the largest corporations, some of our most prestigious higher educational facilities, and some of our most influential legal firms have had to compromise themselves and their principles so that they will be subsequently looked upon favorably by this current administration.

 Indeed, while King George III may have made many errors in judgment, at least that King at that time had a somewhat sensible purpose behind his actions, meant for the betterment of Great Britain and its empire that the sun did not set upon.  On the other hand, in America, it’s really all about personal aggrandizement of the highest office of this land, in which the only thing that appears to matter is loyalty, fidelity, and tribute to that Executive office, and the Declaration of Independence and our Constitution, be damned.

Literacy should be 100% in the United States

We read at worldmetrics.org that their 2026 report states that “More than 36 million U.S. adults are functionally illiterate.”  This statistic for this the richest nation in aggregate that the world has ever known is unacceptable, and therefore this government should make it to be their top priority to turn this around.  In fact, we find that literacy can be substantially increased, even within just a year’s time, if the effort is put forth to do exactly that. 

 For instance, in Cuba in 1961, they made a conscious decision that those that were the most illiterate, which were essentially a substantial portion of those that resided in rural areas, needed to become literate so that they could join in with those of the city in uniting into a more common people, that understood better the needs and skills of one another, thus making for a more unified Cuba with a common purpose for all.  This signified that the government impressed upon literate people their need to not just teach the illiterate how to read, but in order for this to occur, this necessitated that they have to live with these rural families, which also helped them to understand better the challenges that rural living presented, as well as to understand who and what these people were.

 Incredibly, within a year, Cuba was able to improve the literacy rate of its people up to a reported 96%.  This was accomplished not just through the volunteers that did their part, but also through the government doing its necessary part to address food insecurity, as well as healthcare and childcare to improve the structure to more readily obtain these vital things for those that were the poorest of Cubans, and because the Cuban government in conjunction with literate volunteers made it a high priority to accomplish these goals, the literacy rate was substantially improved.

 Indeed, what far too many people in America seem somehow to not realize is that any substantial area that needs improvement can be successfully addressed, whenever there is a concentration to do that very thing, which strongly suggests that those in the poorest school districts with the worse education facilities need not just a serious helping hand for that education to take hold, but also on a fundamental level, are going to need support for their family structure so that things that many Americans take for granted, such as childcare, healthcare, safety, food, infrastructure, and opportunity are attended to with the express purpose to do something constructive in the here and now.

 So too, as much as we might admire those who are our educators for the stellar work that they do, we can lean on underemployed and available literate volunteers who could serve to improve our literacy rate by creating a department that would be akin to a domestic education Peace Corps, with the additional support of volunteers that come from the world of childcare and healthcare.  This would not only keep our younger adults busy, as well as senior citizens who joined the cause, all thereby doing a necessary task, which would also let these volunteers know and to see the reality of how America currently is, and what it could and should become.

When workers have no choice

There seems to be a perpetual battle between those who control capital, as contrasted to those who need some form of capital, such as wages, in order to have a fair opportunity to live a decent life.  So then, because workers always far outnumber those who are or represent the employer, it signifies that each party has a form of power over the other.  To wit, for those who are laborers, their main strength comes from the sheer numbers of those who seek work but have minimal agency to demand much of anything on their own, which is why they recognize that their surest way to having influence and a form of power is through a labor union, and to the degree so possible, the government backing their rights to organize into unions.  On the other side, is those that are the decision makers as to who does or does not get employed, which puts employers in a rather enviable position, especially when there is either an overabundance of those that are seeking employment or when owners have the ready option to employ either those that are undocumented domestically or can take their job needs overseas, and thus save money by the usage of a workforce that typically has less rights, and are almost always far cheaper in overall cost.

 Indeed, whenever the workers have essentially no voice, because they are powerless in the sense that they have no union, in addition to the fact that they have no government structure to backstop them, so that they have no rights to set work hours, that they have little or no say in influencing their pay, that there is a dearth of options when it comes to their places for employment, and they have no security that their job will be there in the long run for them, then they are pretty much exploitable by their employer.  So then, their only real way thereby to fight back is going to be through doing those types of things that express their dissatisfaction in their working conditions and their pay by not putting forth the effort to perform at the level that they could perform because they have little or no incentive or reason to do so.

 Indeed, employers that complain that those that they employ are often listless, mistake prone, not reliable, cheat, steal, and seemingly don’t care about the quality of the work that they are doing, and thus they must resort to stronger methods to keep their employees in line, often don’t seem to realize that when the lion’s share of the profits and benefits are going to upper management and the Executive office, and those that they employ are pretty much in a position in which they recognize that they are being exploited is going to lead to an inefficiency in operations, because those that have no security in their employment, and do not truly make a living wage are definitely going to be resentful and will not often give their best effort.

 The answer then for those situations in which workers have limited or no choices, is for this government, of, for, and by the people to be the honest broker between these two parties, by seeing that a living wage is the law of the age, that there is more security in the jobs obtained, and that domestic workers should always come first as a nation’s priority particularly in regards to jobs being exported, and in absence of a formal union, that this government always plays fair.

The way to one-party rule

One might be excused for thinking that in a democracy, it just isn’t going to be possible to have one-party rule and essentially shut out or shut down any other parties.  To wit, for this to happen is not because there aren’t differences of opinions, or of preferences, but it can occur if the powers that be, have a stranglehold upon the policing arm of the state, the justice department and thus the interpretation of laws, and are able to not just issue but enforce executive orders throughout this land which serves to aggrandize onto the President, legislative powers, as well, thereby signifying until such as time as the current legislature is firmly in the control to act at the President’s behest, that the legislative branch simply won’t be relevant.

 We need first to recognize that the federal government and its budget dwarfs every single person’s assets, as well as dwarfs even the largest of the largest corporate enterprises, and should that Executive office somehow make bread with the biggest and most influential corporations so that they essentially work hand in glove with one another, that thereby signifies that the most valuable corporations in America will be in the pole position to take care at their volition, what they feel needs to be done to increase their revenues, to increase their profits, and to exploit where they most desire to exploit.  As for those that are employed directly or indirectly by the government, the way to exert the power of that one-party rule is simply to fire, to layoff, or to decimate all those that are not attune with that party’s desires, which means that departments that are not on board, will simply be gutted, and/or replaced with a director who answers or responds only to that Executive office, and will follow “to the Tee” the directives as given by that Executive office.

 As for all those in the judicial field, it pretty much comes down ultimately to who does and does not control the interests and the rulings of the highest law of the land, which is the Supreme Court, of which when the majority of those judges in those prime positions believe that the party in power, should not have their power assailed by any other sector, then the judicial decisions that will be rendered will be in accordance with the dictates of that Executive office and favored political party.

 So too, when it comes to the military, since those that serve are the very same who serve at the pleasure of the Commander in Chief, the easiest thing to do is lop off the heads of those that are not obedient to that Commander in Chief.  Additionally, while there are officers of the law all over the United States, pretty much these are the last to question the law and order dictates of the age, and will dutifully fulfill whatever is required of them.

 Indeed, elections don’t matter if those who are voted in from the wrong party have no influence and no power, which is the prime objective of one-party rule.  Those who believe it can’t happen simply need to recognize that when the restraints upon the Executive office are pretty much null and void, democracy ends, and one-party rule begins.

“The law is the only sure protection of the weak and the only efficient restraint upon the strong”

These wise words, which are as true today as when they were first spoken in 1850 by President Millard Fillmore in his State of the Union Address, should be taken to heart by all Americans, and especially by those who either enforce or interpret the law.  Indeed, the strong don’t need any laws, and often have the ability to counteract laws that they do not agree with, which is a seminal problem in the United States, for this demonstrates that the law is not only not being equally applied, but that it isn’t robust enough to do the job it is intended for.  Further to the point, those who are weak, vulnerable, and un-championed are the very ones who need the protection and strength of the laws meant for their protection and benefit, and when this does not occur, they are left to be victimized, exploited, and further weakened.

 This nation is only as good as the laws that have been written with the best of intentions, which are subsequently fairly executed without prejudice, one way or another, throughout this land.  The law should be impartial; it should be no respecter of persons, and it needs to be applied in a way and manner that the perception of the people is that it is fair, reasonable, and sound.  Indeed, when the law is not doing its expressed purpose, it breeds not only discontent among those suffering from laws that are unjust or not properly enforced, but it leads to a division between those that have as contrasted to those that have not, which is not what this country is supposed to stand for.  In actuality, we should all be equal under the law, but as it stands, we are not, which is troubling to this republic and demonstrates that the poor are not being protected, and that the strong are not being restrained.

 Look, it has to be acknowledged that the animal kingdom is fully ruled by that which is the strongest, and all those that are weak are extremely vulnerable to the predations of the strong.  This signifies that because humankind has intellect, wisdom, and the ready capacity to improve itself and to learn from its mistakes so as to evolve into being better citizens of one to another, it is the law, fairly applied, that will help to negate the unfair advantages that the strong have, and to protect those that have little or nothing.  When this is accomplished, it makes for a far better construct for all, because the more people that are satisfied with the conditions that they contend with, the better behaved and more civilized that society becomes.

 All of us are on a journey, and that journey should be one that embraces fully justice and fairness for all, as opposed to the few lording it over the many.  Governments, therefore, are instituted amongst the consent of their citizens for the hallowed purpose of seeing that we as citizens have the fair opportunity to have and to hold onto our unalienable rights, which the law, properly applied, helps us to achieve.

Towards an informed electorate

One might think that in the United States, that it deeply cares about educating all of its people, and that first and foremost it understands well the vital importance of having an informed electorate, so proven by their knowledge of the issues of the day, their engagement to those issues, and their follow-up by voting for their preferences based upon a reasoned analysis of propositions, candidates, and current issues. 

 In fact, that may well be the way that it ought to be in the United States, but it isn’t the way that things are in reality.  To wit, it needs to be acknowledged that there are huge swaths of Americans that are ill-educated, and who are for all intents and purposes barely functionally literate, but still have enfranchisement to vote, which quite obviously makes it easier for those in the political field to take advantage of those that do not have the ready capacity to really understand or to examine the issues of the day, and thus are appealed to on an emotional level or whatever gets it done through surveys that indicate what particular propaganda will best resonate with those that don’t represent a truly informed electorate.

 To believe, somehow, that it’s good for American representative government, that so many don’t really know the current issues, and thus couldn’t elucidate a coherent answer to an interlocutor inquiring why they are voting one way, represents not America at its finest, but rather America at its most vulnerable.  In short, we should desire that each of us to have the ability to think and to discuss the issues of the day, where we actually are capable of coming up with a deduction or conclusion that makes sense, because we are able to properly discern the information so provided to us, and have reflected upon it.  In actuality, that seems to be something that a subset of the population is capable of doing, for it seems like the majority is not all that informed, and further are relatively easy to sway or manipulate, which doesn’t bode well for this nation whatsoever.

 So too, all this talk about misinformation, disinformation, and so on, is far easier to counteract from those that are well educated, informed, and motivated to ascertain the truth of the matter, as contrasted to those that simply are gifted at reading headlines or social media posts, and care not a whit to search into matters that should make a difference to them. 

 In actuality, an informed electorate is the very type of people that we want as many of our citizens to be, because those that are engaged in the issues of the day are the same that can make a real difference through their voting, and through their concerns of what should or should not be done to help make this nation to be not only truly under the consent of the governed, but to represent the people in a way and manner that provides opportunity, justice, equality, and fairness to all, and when that is not the case, the disappointing result is what we see today.

Equal rights and privileges

We are fortunate to live under a Constitution in which this is a nation of, for, and by the people, with equal rights for all, and in theory, none are afforded special privileges, for all are equal in the eyes of justice.  The reality, though, is significantly different, for this country has always had a favored race, a favored religion, and those that are far more equal and hence entitled to privileges not bestowed upon the unfavored, which is not what this government is supposed to represent, and seems to conflict with the legitimacy of the government, for it could be argued, that the way things are, is not in conformance with the consent of all those so governed, for it favors the few to the harm of the many.

 The question that really needs to be asked is why it is that some are favored, some have more rights and hence more benefits, and some have more privileges.  Why is this the way that it is?  The answer seems to be that government, in conjunction with the justice department and the policing arm of the state, seems to consistently suffer from a dynamic in which the few are able to benefit at the expense of the many, by capturing those that could do something about it, through money, through power, or through other enticements that will get the job done for them.  That is to say, no matter how well a given law is written or the intention behind such a law, it’s relatively easy to get around the law, as well as other rules and regulations when the powers that be are themselves part of the few that are benefiting, or find it to be that they not only can’t resist personal aggrandizement but rather, desire to do all that they can to get or even to augment such.

 Indeed, our government is only as good as those who impose and interpret the government and its duties on behalf of the people, and when the wrong people are in control, or have, in essence, been compromised or bought, then there are going to be those few that will have the rights and privileges that they savor held in their exclusive hands.  Obviously, this isn’t fair, because no one person, or one entity, or a consortium of such, should be treated in a way and manner that they get certain advantages that others who are not in the same position cannot avail themselves of.

 So then, this is the real issue of the day, as to whether or not this nation is moving in the direction of equal treatment for all, and no special privileges for any, or whether it is moving in the very opposite direction, so that the few can essentially lord it over the many, thus exploiting labor to their advantage, and twisting the laws so that those that are a nuisance or worse, suffer, whereas those that are connected, have a perpetual get out of jail card or are deemed untouchable.

 In sum, a great nation should be judged by how they treat the lowest and most vulnerable of its people as contrasted to those in high positions, and from there it can be determined as to whether that nation has been or is in harmony with equal rights and privileges for all.

Christian fundamentalists are yesterday’s Pharisees

There are all sorts of people who claim the moniker of being a Christian.  Some of these people are Sunday Christians, some are really just Christian in name, some have taken on the good aura of Christianity, and some are absolutely convinced that they know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, and make it their point to be true to those beliefs as they understand them to be, and woe to those others that don’t adhere to that strict fundamentalism.

 The thing about Jesus the Christ is that Christ did more than enough in deeds and in words, so we can get a very good sense of the essence of Christ. This would indicate that it needs to be recognized that the truth that the Bible represents needs to be taken under careful advisement and contemplation, for humans are prone to error and misinterpretation. Those, therefore, that are absolutely convinced that they are right, when in actuality, they are wrong, are the very type that can create all sorts of havoc when they believe that they are being true to Christ, when in fact, they are being true to the worst characteristics of the Pharisees.

 Indeed, there are plenty of people who express the desire for Christ to return on earth, in the expectation that they will be judged righteous in their behavior and thus obtain eternal salvation, whereas others who don’t have the same sort of belief will suffer a rather dire fate.  That is to say, we find that Christian fundamentalists are absolutely convinced that they are always in the right, and everyone else, of uncertain or unorthodox beliefs, is going to pay the full price for their inability to accept what Christian fundamentalists accept.  This then is the arrogance of Christian fundamentalists, writ large. So too, this signifies that fundamentalists have taken upon themselves to judge where they are not in a position to be the judge. 

 In truth, Christ made it very clear that those that are narrow minded and observe the letter of the law, but not the spirit of such, and further to the point, aren’t willing to actually think or to contemplate upon the most important issues of life and the purpose so of, are those that are way too caught up in legalism and hence in their subsequent actions and attitude, they are hypocrites, and a hypocrite is not in a very good place when it comes to judgment, especially those that taken the haughty position that they know Christ when in actuality, they don’t.

 While it may seem unfair that those that spend so much time believing that they are in attune with Christ, should in the scheme of things, fall far short of what is expected of them, the fault lies in their inability to step back and to really understand who and what Christ actually represented, because Christ came to save the fallen and sinful; whereas Christian fundamentalists have a very strong tendency to believe that they are pure thinking and saved, without fault or sin, or if such ever existed, it has been forgiven, when in actuality they know not what they do or have done.

Indigenous people of the Americas have suffered greatly

When it comes to indigenous people of what became the United States of America, there is a general acknowledgment that European peoples were devastating to the indigenous people, which meant that the indigenous people living in the United States, suffered a huge amount of population lost, through European diseases that they did not have immunity to, warfare, as well as also suffering the destruction and the losing of their lands that these indigenous people depended upon for their general welfare.  While indigenous people did not suffer a total genocide, they essentially became a complete non-factor in the United States, which continues to be the case, and have historically had treaty after treaty violated, through the volition of the United States.

 While it is true that the United States has pretty much admitted to the fact that they did the indigenous people wrong, and have sort of tried to make amends, the bottom line is that indigenous people that are often located on reservations in this nation continue to suffer from this country’s neglect of their welfare.  That said, it has to be recognized that all over the Americas, indigenous people existed. That is to say, in North America, which includes Canada and Mexico, along with Central and South America, indigenous people existed in all of the Americas. While it might be convenient to state that other parts of the Americas treated the indigenous people better, the fact of the matter is that this isn’t true.  In other words, indigenous people, not just in the United States, but all over the Americas, were basically devastated; so then, it needs to be recognized that the colonization of the Americas by Europeans led those indigenous people to pretty much lose their land, lose their people, and lose just about everything of value and worth to them.

 It is important, therefore, to recognize that it wasn’t just the United States that did the indigenous people wrong, but it was all over the Americas.  It was therefore essentially the white man who made it their point that they would conquer the indigenous people and exploit them, which made the Americas become colonized for the supposed greater good of the white man, which is the legacy that we are left with today.

 All of the above would seem to signify that the United States, as well as other sovereign nations within the Americas, must not only own up to the bad deeds perpetuated upon the indigenous people, but they ought to try to make good where they can make good in the present day.  That is to say, more money and more energy should be put forth from governments today, to do their fair part to lend a helping hand to the indigenous people that still exist, so that they can not only begin to rise up and be true to their tenets of old, but also have the opportunity to better themselves, best done through more government investment in their welfare, with the sure recognition that wrongs can only be righted by creating the foundation for future success, and removing as much as possible roadblocks and discrimination that are inherently unfair and unbecoming of any great nation, which prides itself upon justice and liberty for all.

Corporations need governmental guardrails

We need to recognize that unlike human beings who have a finite amount of life here on earth, that corporations, that are artificial constructs of the state, are perpetual in nature, which is why some corporations, have already been in existence in America for well over one hundred years, which signifies that the biggest corporations of today, that earn billions upon billions of dollars each year, are not going to be going away into that good quiet night, anytime soon.  This means that the power and influence of corporations need to have governmental guardrails imposed upon them, for without such, their influence, often effected through the purse, will get the rules to unfairly favor their interests, which may easily be in conflict with the greater good.

 When it comes to public companies, they are on notice with their shareholders that each and every quarter, they need to boost revenue and increase profits, or else there may not only be replacement changes to those in the highest corporate positions, but also what many a shareholder will not tolerate is seeing that the stock price suffers a decline.  So then, because corporations are driven by profit above all, they are going to pursue all the legitimate ways to maintain and enhance that profit, and will be sorely tempted when feeling constant pressure to thereby “game” the system to increase those profits, if not to outright violate the law in their pursuit of profits.

 All of this indicates that guardrails are absolutely necessary or else unelected corporate power will essentially run this country under the misguided belief that what is good for these corporations is good for America; whereas the reality is that corporations that run roughshod over the people, are primarily benefiting those that are its corporate executives, their employees, as well as their stockholders, and care not too much about the general public, because they are driven primarily by profit.

 When it comes to environmental damage, employee exploitation, collusion, and market power, which permits these corporations to charge a higher price or fee because competition doesn’t exist or has been compromised,  this signifies that the general population is being exploited so that the few can get over on the many, which isn’t fair or right.  Further to the point, corporations have a strong tendency not to want to pay their fair share in taxes, which means that those of the general population will either have to pay more, or the federal debt of this nation will continue to increase, so that unborn generations will be burdened with that debt that they never personally incurred. 

 The bottom line is that corporations have an inherent obligation to this county which permits their existence, and to assure that they are attune with that obligation, appropriate guardrails need to be in place, that makes these profit-driven enterprises to do their fair part to contribute their fair share to the general welfare of the people, which is where the government comes in, for it is our governmental representatives that not only should be on top of that watchtower to observe but also they need to enforce appropriate rules and regulations to see that these corporations are beneficial to the people, in whole, as well.

This is how the game is supposed to be played

In life, there are going to be challenges, for if there were no challenges, if there were no tests, there wouldn’t be much of a point in being here in the first place.  This signifies that those in the know understand that the point of our existence is to overcome the obstacles we encounter, and, typically, to do so they need to act in ways conducive to that serious accomplishment, above all.

 It’s highly disappointing that the leaders of our communities and our nations are far too often people that do not have the proper perspective or vision, so that their response to trouble, be it domestic or foreign, is to answer in kind, so that when their toes are stepped on, they want to step right back on the other’s toes, and can justify the doing so based on what seems to be reasonable terms of retaliation.  The problem with this knee-jerk response, though, is that when we respond in kind, by, for example, using violence to overcome violence, or deception to overcome the other’s tricks upon us, we haven’t gained much of anything, and arguably have regressed.  Look, it’s pretty darn straightforward: when someone does something that is evil or unkind to us, the best response is going to be that response that reflects that we are a thinking and a conscientious people, who recognize that in order to play the game correctly, we need to circumvent our opponent’s rules and strategies by responding with the right mindset and consideration, thereby signifying that we are playing the long game, and the long game is all about not losing our ethical and moral compass, or putting such aside, because we think the short term necessitates such.

 That is to say, for all those that clamor for change, the positive change is only going to happen if we make it to be our priority that we will not give in to evil deeds by responding in kind, but instead we are going to respond in a way and manner that is consistent with our moral beliefs, that necessitate a response that is becoming of an ethical and good thinking individual.  We are not going to have good change until we change our response; to comprehend that we best overcome evil by doing good, that we overcome injustice by being just, and so on.  This signifies that we never give in to evil, and that we never play by their rules, but that we respond to that Higher natural law, which requires us to honor that law by doing the right thing, no matter the apparent dangers or feared consequences, so of.  We cannot ever overcome evil by initiating righteous evil in response, but rather we must keep our wits about us, so that our response is consistent with that which is right and good.  This doesn’t mean that we become a doormat, but rather it signifies that we will not dishonor our Creator by taking on those characteristics that are harmful and unbecoming to the goodness that we were first bestowed with.

Do the right thing

There are all sorts of mantras that people can have as their calling card in this world, and one of the very best has got to be “do the right thing.”   That is to say, to do the right thing in everything that we think and subsequently do, no matter the pressure and no matter the circumstances; thus, demonstrating the courage to always do the right thing is the mark of a person of true integrity.  For some people, probably most people, we know intuitively what constitutes doing the right thing, for all of us have been gifted with a conscience which lets us know the difference between right and wrong.  However, some people come from troubling and trying circumstances so that their internal clock is off balance, or are out of sync through their abuse of drugs or drink, or perhaps they have suffered a debilitating injury; thus, they have difficulty in discerning right from wrong, at least some of the time.  The workaround for everyone really comes down to getting the perspective that, were the shoe on the other foot, would we still do what we are contemplating doing.  That is to say, if we are prone to believing it’s okay to lie and steal when circumstances seem to warrant such, would we in all honesty feel it was just as right for somebody else to do that same sort of thing to ourselves?  That is the question that needs to be asked, so that there is consistency in what we do, and the fair consequences reaped in return.

 In actuality, life is not really that complicated; when we make it our point that we will do the right thing, and those who conform to that belief are the same who will not detour off the straight and narrow, and thus progress to the only destination that really matters.  On the other hand, those who know the right thing to do, but compromise themselves, often in the knowledge that they won’t be caught, have definitely veered off the straight and narrow and, when they awaken to what they really ought to do and be, will have to battle with forces that they had not previously anticipated to get back to where they need to go.

 Indeed, our decisions have consequences, and those who do not fully comprehend this are the same who will learn their lessons the hard way.  We are gifted here on earth with free will, and thereby the decisions that we make are ours to own, even when we prefer not to own particular decisions.  This signifies that for every wrong step, for every wrong action, there is going to be a consequence.  Perhaps the consequence will be no more than a gentle reminder that we need to get back to doing the right thing, or perhaps it will be much more, and those that don’t pay attention to their conscience, which forever does them right, are the same that will have a much more troubling path to getting to where they ought to be.  This then is the challenge of life: we can be, in many respects, our worst enemy because we are given agency of what we will do, or how we will react, which thus defines who we are.

 Those who make excuses, or count upon mitigating circumstances to absolve them, are the same who have permitted themselves to try to find shortcuts in life.  Perhaps there are shortcuts, perhaps not, but the reality is that the shortest distance to that ultimate sanctuary that is forever ours is to do the right thing.

There was a time when American governance stood firmly against civilian bombing

Let us begin with this quote: “ I am therefore addressing this urgent appeal to every Government which may be engaged in hostilities publicly to affirm its determination that its armed forces shall in no event, and under no circumstances, undertake the bombardment from the air of civilian populations or of unfortified cities…”  It would probably come as a surprise to most people that this sentiment did not come forth from some anti-war zealot, or some un-American personage, but rather this was stated by none other than President Franklin D. Roosevelt on September 1, 1939.  This then should be required knowledge for all those who are American: that there was a time when the United States of America was fully cognizant that the bombardment of civilians and undefended cities was unbecoming of any nation that would consider itself to be humane, civilized, and in adherence to doing the right thing, above all.

 Regrettably, not only were these wise words of FDR totally ignored in what became World War II, but apparently American governance doesn’t even question the morality or rightness of bombing civilian targets and unfortified cities, whatsoever, because it has, pretty much as its preference, done that very thing, in war after war after war, since and even during World War II, of which, a primary reason why it does so, is in the misguided belief, that the bombardment of civilians and unfortified cities will get those that are under such a relentless and vicious attack to surrender to America, unconditionally.  The reality is that this seldom happens because citizens the world over have an innate resilience that they will continue to do what they need to do to at least maintain what they have till the very end, because doing less will, from their perspective, be even worse for them.

 To make it governmental policy that aerial bombardment of civilians is a legitimate means to conduct warfare is to have lost one’s common sense, and is a reflection that morality has taken a back seat to unrestrained violence.  Those than that are part and parcel of such bombardment, from the buying and making of such materials all the way to their actual destructive usage, have not only blood on their hands, but in many a case, have done so, because they have determined that some peoples are not fully human for whatever wrongful reason, or they simply must be eradicated because they are a nuisance to that which drives the cause to such bombardment.

 To kill and to destroy infrastructure and civilians which represents no true threat to the military purpose is a definite crime against humanity, and while those that perpetuate these very acts may not be held to account during their life here on earth, there most definitely will be an accounting, so made, because no matter how much those in the highest echelons of power, as well as those that are obedient to this construct believe that they are in the right, or that this is necessary, or somehow is justified, we find that they have failed to take into full account, that there will be justice, for true justice will not be mocked and cannot be ignored, so that at some future time and place, there will be a reckoning, and those then that were so callous or uncaring to bomb without fair consideration of what they have done and enacted, will answer, and answer fully via their own personalized cosmic bombardment accomplished in the skeins of time.

Come privilege, come responsibilities

Those who are fortunate enough to be born into the right country, with the right parents, and the right opportunities, that are pretty much handed to them as their birthright, have got to realize that those who are gifted with great gifts have an inherent duty to do something of substance to help those who were not granted those same wonderful privileges.  In other words, those who are born into the most favorable circumstances should have the consciousness and self-awareness to recognize that the vast majority of people in this world come from trying or unpleasant circumstances, and therefore those who are privileged need to do their fair part to see that they lend a helping hand where a helping hand is warranted.

 That said, there should never be any guilt about being privileged; rather, those privileged individuals need to recognize that they have an obligation to do what they can to ensure that those who are not so fortunate are provided with the means to become something of merit.  Indeed, the point of any good civilization is not for it to be permanently divided between the privileged and unprivileged, but rather it is to see that over time there are fewer and fewer people who are born into dire circumstances and that lack, therefore, fair opportunity to get to a much better or satisfactory place.  In other words, we should make it our point to see that as many as possible are provided with the fair opportunity to become what they are capable of becoming, and each of us, no matter our status in society, should do our part to make this happen, because in doing so, we help to create a more fulfilling society, move civic, and a better environment for all.

 While there are myriad ways to do our part to help one another, of which we should try to fit in where it best suits our personality and preference, we need, though, to recognize that those who are most vulnerable should have a prominent place in our hearts, because these are the same people who are most needful and therefore will be most appreciative of our help, freely given. 

 In life, each of us is given a platform, of which some of us have far more influence than others, which is why it is imperative upon those with big platforms to well consider that what they prioritize and emphasize will make a big difference, and when provided with the opportunity to do right for others, should seize that opportunity.  As for those whose lives are on a more modest scale, they must surely recognize that the very best help in life is personalized, typically one-to-one, and therefore should make it to be their point to connect well with the few that they interact and have influence with, and do so in a concerted and consistent manner, so as to be the rock that they can count on, thereby allowing them to reach their potential through the gift of that helping and caring hand.

The American empire is already in steep decline

Back in 1960, the United States GDP was 40% of the global economy, which was a true reflection that the United States knew its business, but it has been overall on decline since then, so that by 2025, the United States GDP was just a little above 26% of the global economy.  While it could be said that this number is quite impressive, it could also be said that this number and the trendline reflects that the United States, by itself, is no longer the force that it once was, and because its growth rate is consistently slow, signifies that the Asian nations, in particular, are going to take market share from America and that they appear on the pathway to continue to grow at a higher rate than the United States, and there appears to be nothing on the agenda that will stop this trend, which signifies that the American empire is not only no longer what it once was, but that it will never be again the force that it once was. 

 This then signifies that America might find that alliances with countries within the Western hemisphere in which those nations are on the same page with America, or America is on the same page with them, might be beneficial, in the sense of Western powers remaining the dominant powers in the world, but America’s recent attitude seems not to be interested in strengthening those alliances or even necessarily having them, which seems to put America on the road to eating some humble pie, and cede that the Asian nations which are more populous and are on a relentless rise in the sense of power and influence will simply take the baton away from America, slowly, but surely.

 Regrettably, America has determined through its current policies that it actually doesn’t want to share power with anyone else, which not only breeds contempt from those that have been its allies for many years, and even decades, but it also doesn’t bode well for the future, either.  Rather, America has determined that it believes that it can maintain its status as an empire, not through sales, not through innovation, not through trade, but primarily through its military might and thus its exploitation of other countries that are compelled to do America’s will, or suffer the dire consequences, so of. 

 This though reflects a nation that has truly lost its way, because it has turned its back on the raison d'être for its own existence in the first place, and thereby has no interest in promoting freedom, democracy, and liberty throughout the world, but instead believes that by wielding a big stick it can maintain its wealth, done so primarily for the benefit of those that are at the highest levels of influence and power.   This then, in a nutshell, signifies that the American empire not only is in steep decline, but it has not the courage to be true to its founding, and thereby deserves the fate it will surely sow from its willful forgetfulness of what it once was, and still could be

Make time for God

There are those who do make time for God in the sure realization that by doing so, this will lead to a better and more fulfilled life.  So too, some claim to be religious God believers, but their belief is so restricted, bigoted, misinterpreted, and narrow-minded that it misses what God really is by a considerable distance, and because they consider themselves to be true believers, they actually are in their faithful fulfilling of that misguided belief, typically doing more harm than good.  Finally, some don’t believe in God, or if they kind of do, make sure God takes a back seat, unless there is a real emergency, which demonstrates that their priorities are upside down.  In sum, to believe that the vast majority of people believe in God and thus the good tenets of God, and live to that very thing, is belied by the fact that this world has so much trouble and tribulation, which bespeaks that not all is right, mainly because too many of us within society think our time should properly be spent elsewhere or simply don’t care.

 Each of us needs to understand that we were created by God, and, since this is true, we have an inherent obligation to be true to God's character, who is the same today, yesterday, and tomorrow.  This would seem to clearly indicate that our search for God, should be a primary concern of ours, not in the sense that we forget our obligations to family and to society, but as the foundation of how we conduct our lives, because those that are right thinking are the same that are best able to make the right decisions, and not only that, to make the right decisions in the most trying of circumstances.

 God has gifted each of us with free will, and because it is a gift from God to each one of us, it will never be taken away from us, no matter our behavior, our ungratefulness, or our poor decisions with that will.  The test, then, is what we are going to do, because we are free-thinking agents, thereby signifying that we have agency to think and to do whatever that we feel capable of, for better or for worse, for good or for bad.  That choice is ever ours, and those that have done their homework are going to realize that the very best thing to do is to find their purpose to God, and then to make it to be their highest principle to do something constructive with that knowledge that is thus becoming of one who was created by God, and to live their life in a way and manner that therefore is not only consistent with that belief, but in their actions, beneficial to the society that they are an integral part of.

 Remember this well: God loves us unconditionally, and the best way that we can demonstrate to God that we are true servants to God and dutiful children of God is to love one another, proven by our thoughts, deeds, and actions, done with the best of intentions, and by our free choice.

Nobody is born an adult; we are born helpless and dependent upon adults to nurture us

There are far too many people who are big-headed, somehow believing that everything that they are has come forth from their own self, and none other.  This type of arrogance puts those who believe such things on a slippery slope that can lead to egotistical errors that are harmful to society and not beneficial to their own growth.  Indeed, the reason we are born helpless and dependent upon the good graces and care of others, is to remind us when we get of age, that there was that time when we were not capable of thriving, let alone surviving on our own, which is why we should keep foremost in our mind, that we have an inherent obligation to do something of substance for those that we can aid and help in society, as our dutiful obligation to those that are hurting, be they children or adults.

 Far too many people have a habit of wanting to forget who and what they were at the beginning, and just believe that they are what they are, through their own free will, decisions, and efforts, thereby absolving them of having an obligation to do much of anything for those that sit outside their domain or thought processes, under the wrong belief, that those that could use their help and assistance, should simply just help themselves, and to thereby leave them alone.

 So too, along life’s journeys, whether we admit to it or not, there have been many a person or agency that has lent us a helping hand, and has been there for us, when we most needed such, which signifies that as we have been able to lean on others, that we at a certain stage need to be the type of person that permits those that are in need, to lean upon us, for that is our inherent obligation one to another; that none of us gets to where we need to go, without having acquired assistance along the way, and therefore to make things right, we need to do the same for those that require such assistance from us.

 To be successful has its rightful place, but we mustn't forget all those that have done their part to help us to accomplish that success, which thereby signifies that we need to take the time to reflect on how we got to where we got, that at least asks that question, of which, we are obligated to try to get the answer, and when we do, provides us with the fair opportunity to give credit where credit is due, and those that do that very thing are those that understand well that humility has its necessary place, to remind us that as independent and free will as we might believe that we are, that in actuality, there was that time, which probably still exists, in which we needed the love, affection, attention, wisdom, care, and concern, expressed by those that asked nothing from us, except that we pay it forward, when called upon, as our way of expressing our gratitude.

The German business power behind Hitler and lessons of today

There are always lessons to be learned, and some of those lessons are the type of lessons that have not previously been taken fully to heart from history, and because of this, they thus repeat themselves.  We find in America that it is the military-industrial-technology complex that essentially runs this country, so that our democratic vote really represents an illusion, for the reality is that a nation that insists upon the need for a $1.5 trillion budget for the defense of this country, which is an amount that exceeds the amount spent on defense for the next nine largest military expenditures, combined, is fiscal irresponsibility, writ large.  This reflects that the general welfare of the people in this nation is not the top priority of this nation and is not going to be a top priority of this nation, because the powers that be desire that those monies be allocated elsewhere, to the harm of the well-being of the people of this nation, and especially to those that are its most vulnerable.

 When we look at Hitler, we need to recognize, that no matter how gifted he may have been as a speaker, who adeptly tapped into the frustrations of the German people, who had paid a great price in the losing of World War I, that this would never have been enough to put him in power, if not for those at the highest echelons of business power within Germany themselves, who saw the rise of Hitler as an opportunity for these businesses in conjunction with the government to be, having the opening to grow their revenue and thereby their profits at a very enviable rate.  In other words, powerful entities, both corporate as well as individual, deliberately threw in their lot with Hitler, which consolidated his power and permitted Hitler to become the Führer.

 This signifies that whenever corporate power consolidates with executive power, there is the making of such a powerful force of governmental power that the people will effectively lose their agency and thus their freedom, which for some people they are okay with, as long as they are gainfully employed and feel that their country is on the ascendancy.  The problem though, is that when there are no effective guardrails to preclude that government from taking care of what it selfishly and wantonly desires to do, such as we see in warfare, is that the outcome, is not known, and could be in its effect, devastating to that nation, because other nations are going to respond in a way and manner that may very well have quite tragic consequences for just about everyone.

 In short, whenever businesses lack a moral compass and recognize that a strong leader, or Führer seems to serve their purpose quite well, then they are going to do their best to work hand in glove with that Führer, such as we saw in Germany, and care not a whit what happens to certain other peoples, domestic as well as foreign, as long as they can continue to profit.  This then is the lesson to learn, because the consolidation of business and government makes for a combination which is all about doing what is necessary to maintain and enhance that power, which subverts the people’s voice and may well lead to endless war, which ultimately won’t end well for that shortsighted nation.

For decades upon decades, the United States had a yearly trade surplus

It may seem incredible, but from 1889 to 1970, the United States of America had an aggregate trade surplus each year through its trade in goods with the world.  That is to say, the United States exported more in goods than it imported from foreign nations for just over eighty years on a yearly basis.  It needs to be acknowledged that while America in 1889 was a nation on the rise, it was not the preeminent nation in the world, but because of its trade surpluses throughout the decades from the late 19th century all the way into 1970, it was on its way to being the preeminent nation in the world, which it became.  Yet, today’s America consistently runs a trade deficit in aggregate with foreign nations, and last had a trade surplus in 1975.  This signifies that America has clearly lost its way, and may well be the reason why America has been so bellicose to other nations by using its military might to get its way, because it no longer can do so through trade.

 While America has proven that it can still be a power to be reckoned with, despite its massive yearly trade imbalance, year in and year out, it needs to recognize, sooner rather than later, that it is using up its good name and is putting intense pressure upon the value of its dollar, by virtue of the fact, that it can’t keep its own house in order, because constant trade deficits are the mark of a nation in decline, and not in ascendency.  A nation that is resting on its laurels, as contrasted to a nation that is innovative and a leader, reflects that not all is right within America.  Indeed, the fact that America cannot seem to come close to running a trade surplus reflects that whatever America is concentrating upon selling to other nations represents the wrong mix, and the United States seemingly can’t figure out a way to correct such.

 To believe, somehow, that the world will keep accepting dollars from America, for the products and services that they sell to America, is to not properly comprehend that nations that run huge trade deficits are going to have to eventually pay a penalty for their fiscal irresponsibility and while dollars are the orthodox medium of exchange worldwide, presently, that will not always be the case, because there comes a time, when other nations, will insist upon something of value, that maintains its worth, in exchange for the goods that they are selling, or the implementation of fiscal responsibility that must be adhered to.

 The bottom line is that America is not the most populous nation in the word, and that the worldwide population is many times bigger than America, which signifies that to believe that America can increase its GNP at an enviable or even a reasonable rate is not possible, unless it sells outsides its borders, and because it can’t seem to sell nearly enough in return to what it imports, it is hollowing this nation out, so that those that own dollars, will surely rue the day when those dollars are significantly debased.