The fall of Adam and Eve

We read in the beginning  of Holy Scripture, "The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,  for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3: 4-5).  Previously, Adam and Eve were specifically instructed by God, not to touch or eat of a certain tree, or else they would die.  In fact, Adam and Eve, did eat of it, and they did not die; at least they did not initially physically die, though the eating of this metaphorical tree, signified that Adam and Eve, and thereupon subsequently, all mankind on this earth, had decided that they did not need the super consciousness of God any longer, but believed that they could exist with just their own consciousness, severed from its direct link to God. 

This, thus meant that mankind, now really did indeed know good and evil, because without the wisdom and guidance of the Supreme Being, they were thereby subject to the vicissitudes of life in this world; because their limited consciousness no longer had the perspective to understand and to comprehend the illusion behind all that would appear to be all so real, and hence stuck within that construct in which ever action, created a reaction.  So too, they also lacked the ability to control all that existed within this domain, for they no longer were co-creators of such, but rather were subject to such.

The story of Adam and Eve, is best understood, as the story of spiritual beings that became so enchanted with physical form and physicality, that they ultimately found themselves to be enticed and overwhelmed by the pleasures of such; that they consciously ended up crossing over the metaphorically line drawn in the sand, to become so incarnated within this plane,  and to such a degree, that they lost in that garden their direct connection to God, for their human bodies now placed constraints and limitations, previously undreamt of, that redefined them.

So then, the fall of Adam and Eve, is always about those spiritual beings consciously leaving of that which is the Highest Form of consciousness, to take upon them that which is a lower form of consciousness -- known therewith as our current human form.  That said, mankind is not without hope, for God is immutable, and further even those that have lived in darkness for eons upon eons, need not worry that they can never escape that darkness, for when that Light is rediscovered, it will be as if that Light never left, for in actuality, it never has and never will.

This thus means that all of the troubles that mankind has, does not exist to torture or to punish mankind, but is there to prick the conscience of mankind -- for all this will continue to happen to mankind, ad nauseam, so as to vividly bring to the mind of mankind, that not all is right.  Therefore, when mankind finally wakes up to the reality that their consciousness and their way cannot possibly be the right way; such will begin the process of mankind becoming enlightened to the degree that mankind will understand that the only possible way to break out of this endless cycle of selfishness and physical death, is to look beyond their limitations to that which is not limited, at all.  This means, that mankind must collectively crucify their selfish ego and physical form, so as to resurrect what they always were, in the beginning.

A real apology

Life has its moments in which mistakes are made, or indiscretions caught, or tempers lost, that in clearer moments, necessitates an apology to those that have been hurt of affected negatively by such.  For some people, apologies are extremely easy, not so much because that person providing the apology, is so good at recognizing their errors and thereby admitting to such; but because their apologetic words easily roll off their tongue in a manner in which those words as spoken, don't amount to all that much.  That sort of apology, which is a real art form for some people, often is insincere; for it basically contains either equivocation, or excuses, or other such nonsense, signifying that an apology such as that is one that rings incredibly hollow.

Basically, when an apology so given, does not also contain the specifics of what that person is apologizing for, then clearly the person apologizing, has not examined thoroughly what it really is that they did wrong.  In point of fact, an appropriate apology, addresses what it is that the individual did wrong, and does not make excuses for their action; but leaves such considerations in the hands of the person so offended.  Further to the point, those that apologize and own up to and thereby take responsibility for what they have done wrong, are entitled to ask for forgiveness.  Whether such forgiveness sought, will be granted, is up to the other party, and in fairness to that party, that forgiveness need not be instant, for not all wounds, can be healed within a short amount of time, apology or not.

Far too many people are poor at apologizing because far too many people do not want to face up to the consequences of their actions, and will not willingly take personal responsibility for their actions.  If a given person, won't own up to their faults and mistakes upon another, when such is clearly evident and they further believe that they should not suffer for having made such a mistake; then it is also fair to

expect, given such, that all that they do which is good and right for that other, may not allow that other to fully ever appreciate such.  That is to say, life should consist of a two-way street, and more people need to more fully recognize that their actions and words, have consequences, both good as well as bad, and a just person, takes full responsibility for all that which has their name written upon it.

There should not be any shortcuts in apologies, and in actuality, there really is not.  Those that have done wrong and are able to recognize such, surely have a better perspective than those that recognize not.  This thus means, that the very first step in a good apology, is in the recognition that a wrong has occurred, and thereby the next appropriate step is to own up to the specifics of that wrong; followed by the act of rectifying that wrong, if such can be done, and finally by the requesting of forgiveness to the party damaged by that wrong.  That then, is a real apology.

"The few own the many because they possess the means of livelihood of all"

The above quotation, comes from the inestimable, Helen Keller.  Most people are familiar, with Helen Keller, only as a strong and indomitable personality that overcame being both blind and deaf, who was able to in the early 20th century, earn a Bachelor of Arts degree, in an era in which females, were often not able to pursue their higher educational aspirations, and when those with handicaps, were often hidden away from the public view.  Helen Keller wrote both important books and made insightful speeches throughout America, of which, lost somewhat in the annals of time, is who and what she really was; which was a strong voice for the oppressed, and specifically for those that labored diligently, and a voice that still needs to be heard and recognized, today.

In today's America, the governmental employment rate, looks to be quite good, but hidden behind those numbers, remains the fact that millions upon millions of Americans, need to work more than one job, to even have a hope of staying current on their bills; in addition to the fact, that millions of jobs that good, hard working Americans are employed at, do not on any level, pay a living wage.  In point of fact, the vast majority of Americans, even those with advanced degrees, are often in a very poor negotiating position, in regards to their wages and working conditions, and subsequently have to accept pretty much whatever their prospective employer so dictates.

That is to say, because most private employers fully control the means of production, while also having the monetary resources which creates those businesses to begin with, this thus means that prospective employees typically are able to only bring to the negotiating table, their skill-set, but nothing much more, and therefore are a captive audience in regards to wages.  So that, in effect, the wages so paid are the prevailing wages that the employer of such, will pay, though, in certain industries and communities, there are some exceptions to this general rule, and employees of such, are able to thereby have some say in regards to their working conditions and wages.

Corporations are strong institutions, for a lot of reasons, of which one of those reasons, is that they are often able to become enterprises which receive outside investment, whether through family members, consortiums of investors, or the general public, in which by that money, they are able to become a viable business, with enough capital and strength of personnel to handle the vicissitudes of the business world, competitors, and to grow.  On the other hand, an individual person looking for employment is just one person, and in a contest in which one party has the power of money, prestige, infrastructure, and holds the reins upon those that desire employment, whereas the other party only has the desire to be employed, the party with the power, is in the far superior position, in every conceivable way.

This thus means that in the absence of, or the long continuation of the decline of strong and viable labor unions, that the few truly own the means of the livelihood for a significant swath of Americans; and if this government will not stand behind and support the people that need such, but rather in so many cases, aids and augments the privileged and well placed at the expense of the people, than those people are effectively not free, but owned by those that control their livelihood.

America's new Benedict Arnold is….

General Benedict Arnold is considered to be America's greatest traitor, for this general, who was arguably the most successful American general before his treachery, which involved a secretive deal with the British to turn over the vital fort West Point to those enemy British forces; of which, if that plot had not been serendipitously discovered, such would have been devastating, and perhaps even catastrophic to the American cause.  Not too surprisingly, Benedict Arnold is the epitome of a dastardly villain and a byword for he who is a traitor.

The American revolution was fought under the auspices of the sentiments of our Declaration of Independence, of which this seminal document, tells us that each us has unalienable rights and it is the duty of that government of the people to uphold those unalienable rights; and further that this government, and thereby those institutions permitted under that government, must conduct their business and their actions under the informed consent of the governed, and that any form of that government as well as all those institutions that are destructive of the people's unalienable rights, are inimical to that Declaration, and the people thereby have a duty to throw off such an illegitimate government and/or institutions.

In this modern era, never have specific non-governmental institutions been able to so easily aggregate and to aggrandize unto their own business enterprises, powers that previously even the most repressive governments did not have within their arsenal.  For instance, there is a specific company that claims that its mission is to make the world a more open and connected one, which in actuality, could even be seen as noble, but when such a company, claims one thing, but clearly intends the very opposite thing, then that company within its structure is fundamentally evil and quite clearly un-American in its actions.  That is to say, a company that purports to be a social media website --  but, is in actuality nothing short of being a sophisticated social surveillance site, that monetizes and insidiously tracks what should be private so as to sell such to any and all enterprises of its choosing, of which because of its lack of transparency, and the general misinformation provided to its consumers, those that utilize this site as if it is a social media website, know not that they are fundamentally being seen as, at best, a resource to be extracted and exploited, and at worse, a resource to be harmed, compromised, or controlled, is frightening.

Facebook is the epitome of a website that is thoroughly and unapologetically anti-liberty, and is instead, the most illiberal and insidiously evil website of them all -- primarily because of its great and invasive power, along with its unassailable monopoly position and ubiquity; that continually lures in the innocent and gullible, so as to take these human beings, and sell them lock, stock and barrel to commercial enterprises, and wayward government agencies, while also permitting individuals of bad intent, to track and exploit those users that are in their sight, in a manner that places those users in real, imminent danger.

Facebook is Big Brother, writ large; made worse by the fact that this Big Brother essentially answers only to their god of money, and is above any and all regulations, that would hope to rein in such.  Facebook is in every facet of its being, opposed to freedom, opposed to justice, and opposed to human rights.  They mask themselves as a traitor by taking on the cloak of being on the side of social openness and communication, but their intent is to utilize that as their Trojan Horse; and to thereby undermine the fortress of all that America represents, for Facebook is in every aspect, the most traitorous and dangerous villain ever to this American republic.

The gargantuan profits of American banks, should not be so

Any country, that allows its business model, to have the coin of the realm, be controlled essentially by private enterprise, and such is regulated in a manner in which those banks, are sovereign over how and where they invest, loan, and manage money is going to be extremely beneficial not for the consumers of such, though, some may benefit; but primarily to the hand that controls that money, which is those banks.  Further, if that lax governmental regulation permits these banks to pretty much do whatever that they want, no matter how risky or extractive, in which, should they fail or become insolvent, the government, through the use of the taxpayer's money, stored or borrowed, props those banks up, because these are considered to be too big to fail, as opposed to nationalizing those banks that have lost in the capitalistic game; then those banks, are in fit, form, and function, superior to the government that is supposed to be their regulator, and that government has failed to carry out its fiduciary duty to their citizens of its republic.

For instance, JPMorgan Chase made a profit of $9.65 billion in the second quarter of 2019, which represents the biggest, profit ever, by any bank in the history of the United States.  The most troubling aspect of this profit, is the rather obvious point, that banks make their money from the loan of money so lent, through their management of the assets of individuals and corporations, as well as through their investments of their monies, so that in sum, this is primarily a zero-sum game, of which, the greater the profits of a bank such as JPMorgan Chase, the greater the extraction of money has been from the people that are clients of JPMorgan Chase.  That is to say, JPMorgan Chase, makes money from money, for their business is money in all of its myriad forms.  

Additionally, money is a quite obvious source of power, so that banks which are privileged to begin with, by being authorized to lend out money to consumers -- all at a level and leverage that they are in a commanding position to make a profit from, are able to do such, unlike individuals, because the cost of money to a commercial bank, is at a reduced and favored federal funds rate that consumers will never be privy to.  In other words, the cost of money to banks is appreciably lower than consumers will ever be able to borrow money at; in addition to banks being permitted to loan out and leverage the money that they have had deposited within their institution, through a concept known as fractional reserve banking.

Today's banks are permitted to mint as much money as they so desire when times are good; yet on the flip side of the coin when times are bad through their ill investments, mismanagement, and imprudent leverage, in which, these banks thereby suffer losses of billions upon billions of dollars; they appear to be immune to suffering the just wages of those that have made mistakes.  Because, recent history has demonstrated that this government is only too willing to prop up and to subsidize these failing banks, at the expense of every other company or individual which does not have this privileged governmental safety net; for the public is damned -- as when times are good, the banks make boatloads of money off of the American public, and when times are bad, they are subsequently bailed out by that exact same American public.

American exports

In the modern era, from 1961 through 2012, of all the nations in the entire world, America was the leading exporter of goods.  Those exports were part and parcel of what allowed America to sustain its economic growth as well as providing good paying domestic employment, of which, beginning in 2013, America ceded its top spot of exporting to China, of which it would appear, that America will never gain such ever again.  It is trade, that is the engine of growth within any nation, and when nations run deficits of huge amounts between what they import from other nations in comparison to the value of goods so exported, those nations will invariably weaken and become susceptible to losing their economic power and influence on a global scale.

For all those that believe that America is getting the best of other nations but virtue of the fact that America is trading paper money as in their dollars for real physical goods -- it must be recognized that at some point, nations that import far more than then export, will have to pay the piper, in a value that is of merit to those that are exporting to them; signifying that the United States dollar at some point, will lose its status as the global currency of choice, which will weaken the United States, financially as well as economically, for America has for far too long, rested on its laurels, not seeming to recognize that a terrible reckoning will come, sooner or later.

The truth of the matter is that nations that do a lot of exporting, and in particular, export more than they import, are nations that are becoming economically stronger and more vibrant, for they are creating goods of worth, that other countries have a desire to buy, which enriches the country that manufactures those goods.  So that, economies and societies get stronger by virtue of creating goods that are in demand by the buyers of those goods; irrespective of whether those buying those goods are doing so from their savings, or from the borrowing of money to do so.

While, one can point out the obvious that China, is a country of far greater population than America, and therefore because of having a sizeable amount of more people that labor that they should correspondingly export more goods; this misses the salient point that America is a country of great intellectual, industrial, and technological wealth, that really should not be ceding its export crown, especially in regards to exports of real substance and value, to any nation; but, in fact, just as Japan proved decades ago, China exports and manufactures goods that are the equal of, what America is able to accomplished, which signifies that  whatever advantages America once had over China, are for the most part, gone, and gone for good.

This world has become a very competitive place and this world has also become much smaller, so that those countries that are not able to adjust to this new paradigm, are those countries that will fall further behind, in which, America seems to be asleep at the wheel, and failing to understand the significance that any country that has had nothing since the inception of the 21st century but massive trade deficit imbalances in regards to its trade, is a country clearly in decline, and therefore susceptible to a  catastrophic economic collapse of epic proportion.

Towards a new sales tax

Sales taxes are added to all sorts of products, of which, this tax is usually applied only to the end user, which is the buyer of the product so being sold.  The purpose of sales taxes in general, is to help the local as well as the State government to take in monies that will thereby be allocated for services on behalf of the community such as police and fire fighters, roads, parks, and other public services.  The percentage amount of a particular sales tax so applied is legislated by that particular county and/or locality, as well as by the State the purchase is made in, which combined encompasses the entire sales tax so applied on a given sale. The amount of money collected via sales tax has a meaningful effect upon the budget of local communities and States, so sales taxes are probably not going to go away anytime soon.

However, while there are exceptions on how sales tax is applied; the general rule is if a business is physically located within a particular State and community, the prevailing rate of that State and relevant community, is the sales tax so charged; whereas businesses that do not have a physical presence within that State and community, are exempt from having to collect or to charge sales tax, under the ostensible reason that because they are not physically part of the community, that they need not pay to support such.

Yet, from a logical basis, a strong argument could be made that those businesses that are local to that community and State, should be allowed to charge a lower sales tax as opposed to those businesses that are out-of-State that thereby charge no sales tax; for the rather obvious reason, that monies that circulate within the community and State, are beneficial to the residents of that State, whereas sales that are made to out-of-State businesses, are an example of monies that are leaving the State.  That is to say, to give out-of-State businesses an advantage over local businesses seems to be rewarding the wrong business, for where the monies that consumers spend goes to, most definitely matters, and those businesses that must collect a sales tax, are at a distinct competitive disadvantage to all those other businesses that do not.

This so signifies, that local businesses rather than having to collect sales taxes at their current rate, should have those rates curtailed, and any and all businesses that are non-local in status, should be mandated to have to collect sales taxes within that community and State, for the privileged of being able to sell within those communities, in which they have no physical presence and are providing no employment to those that live within those communities.

Basically, out-of-State enterprises should not be able to get a free ride upon States that they are not an integral part of, because they are in essence, extracting money from those residents, but not actually contributing to the good welfare and infrastructure of those residents.  This signifies that local businesses should be accorded a price advantage by virtue of having to charge less in sales tax, than non-local businesses, because those that are not part of the community should not have a sales tax price advantage which allows them to more readily and to unfairly compete against those that are local to it.

Foreign waters

Upon the inception of the United States of America -- America had no real navy of any import, and therefore was at the mercy of maritime powers such as the United Kingdom when it came to international waters.  In fact, the resolution of the American Revolution would probably been markedly different, had it not been for the power and timing of the French fleet that aided the American cause.  In any event, in any era in which flight by air was unknown and inconceivable; meant that trade between nations that were separated by vast bodies of water was conducted through ships of the sea.  This thus meant that a priority of America was to develop not only ships of trade but also ships of war to therefore protect their interests. 

Additionally, ships of yesteryear were quite obviously not powered by anything other than wind, which meant that ships were susceptible to being attacked or taken over by other ships that were faster or well placed to do so. Further, within a very short distance off of the coast of Florida, lies the Caribbean islands, of which, those islands were claimed by various European powers and further to the point, the sea lying off of these islands was considered to be the territory of those islands and hence controlled by those foreign powers;  in which, any ships sailing too closely to the shore of those islands or within the bounds of the territory so claimed by those islands, was considered to have ventured into foreign waters.

So then, the fact that within a very short distance from America, were islands that were under European control, meant that the United States was in danger of possibly being attacked from those ships massing upon those islands in order to contemplate doing so.  In addition to the fact that ships so stationed there could easily be supplied and retrofitted; America also had to contend with the fact that their own ships, rightly or wrong, could be considered to have violated foreign waters, which may in and of itself, initiate some sort of retribution or even war. 

This so signified to America, that at some point, it would be important to that country's sovereignty, to thereby take control of by the purchase of, or the winning of in war, at least one of the main islands in the Caribbean; of which that island would need to be large enough to handle ship traffic, as well as having a good and safe port.  Ultimately, that indeed did happen, with Puerto Rico becoming an American territory, along with the United States Virgin Islands.  This meant that within the Caribbean, that not only did the United States now have the ability to have its own naval base, but also that within the Caribbean, the United States would no longer be at the mercy of those other nations, claiming that their territorial waters had been violated; for the United States would now be able to claim such waters as their own, and because of America's proximity to the Caribbean, be in a far stronger position to enforce such.

The seas of this world are still absolutely vital, for maritime traffic is still the way that a significant amount of international trade is conducted, of which, it is of vital importance to any nation, that the waters that they travel upon, be open and international in scope, or under their control, so that they subsequently need not ever travel wittingly within foreign waters.

Income inequality stems from unequal beginnings

America purports to be an egalitarian society, but in fit, form, and function it clearly is not.  For, when some privileged people begin their lives with a silver spoon in their mouth, by virtue of the assets and positions that their family has already obtained; whereas others are born into dysfunctional families, unsafe environments, and unqualified schools, then the end result of what will become of these people, born upon the same land, has for the most part, already been written.

While there is truth in the statement, that those that rightfully earn what they have labored for, are entitled to those fruits; there is also truth in the statement that those that have never had an opportunity or fair chance to receive and experience a good and healthy family life, a good education, or sound role models to emulate, then the fruits that they thereupon earn are surely, more times than not, a rather poor harvest. 

The solution to such income disparity is not necessarily to handicap the rich and privileged, and to thereby to hand willy-nilly to others, what they have not fairly achieved and may not be prepared to utilized in a sound and prudent matter; but rather it is for the government to duly recognize the great disparities within America, and for that government of the people to thereby do its part in truly creating a society, that lifts and aids, in particular, those boats that are in a rather perilous condition. 

This, thus means in order to achieve such, that our tax laws need to be in their implementation, effective in what they are meant to be, so that, progressive taxation, must be structured in a manner in which those that earn and have more, pay more; not only on their labor, but also in regards to passive income so earned through dividends, capital gains, and capital appreciation. Further, this government, needs to make it their principle point to address with real vigor those areas of low-income, low-opportunity, and lack of the general good necessities of life, with economic programs of sound basis to alleviate such; so that, the life-force of the impoverished and disadvantaged, is no longer sucked out of their bodies, before they have had a fair chance to make something of their lives.

A country in which the rich have everything, and are able to easily avail themselves of all that they so desire and then some; whereas the poor have nothing but debt, broken promises and broken dreams; and in which the middle class is constantly feeling the stress of just trying to maintain their status, is a formula that breeds and breathes injustice, civil unrest, and anxiousness.

The mere birth of a given individual into a given family, should not in and of itself, be the prevailing factor as to the predictable economic success or lack thereof of that individual.  Rather, each citizen birthed into this country should be entitled to a fair opportunity to develop themselves in a manner in which they have a fair shot of living up to the potential that they have within them, as opposed to the race already having been effectively run, beforehand.

America needs to do a far better job of seeing that all of its citizens are afforded a true chance to actually have a good life, with liberty and justice, as well as having the wherewithal to be able to fairly pursue their happiness.

The Preamble to our Constitution

The Preamble reads as follows:  "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."  Our Constitution is this country's highest law, and that preamble sets forth the very attributes of what that Constitution entails. That is to say, the preamble, sets the stage as to what the purpose of this government is, of which, the very first part, is that this is a government of, by, and for the people, and to the degree that laws and legislation are passed or enforced that reflect this, then such is in accordance with the Constitution; and to the degree that this is not so, than these laws are inimical in form to that Constitution.  This thus means, that a government of, for, and by the people, in which that government, or portions of that government insists upon the necessity to perform all sorts of acts of significance, both domestically as well as internationally, which are opaque, non-transparent, and secretive to the general public as a whole, are operating in an area of governance that is rife for abuse and misuse of those powers, so delegated to it.

Additionally, this government has an inherent obligation to establish fair and equally applied justice for all, without favoritism to any; for justice by its very definition, cannot ever be justice, if it is arbitrarily applied, unfairly applied, or applied in a manner in which some are categorized differently than others.  After all, if anyone within this nation is accorded beyond the common respect of the laws so promulgated, which do not apply to them in the same way as they should to all, than this country operates under a justice program that is discriminatory and is not just to the people as a whole.

Further, it must be stated that the best government is always going to be that government that operates in a manner in which the people live within a construct in which their environment to the extent that such is reasonably attainable -- is one of peacefulness, calmness, and tranquility, for a country that is not at peace, is obviously a country that is illiberal, unequal and unjust.  So too, the government, as representatives of the people, must make its best efforts to promote the general welfare of those people, for a people that are lacking the basic necessities and accouterments of life, and further are precluded from a fair opportunity to attain or to earn such, is a government that is not promoting the general welfare, but rather is a government that is typically promoting some that are privileged and well positioned, at the expense of the people as a whole.

Lastly, even in a country in which there is a general peacefulness, a general justice, and a general prosperity, if all these attributes come forth, only from the general public having to sacrifice to a very significant extent, their liberty to voice their own opinions, or their ability to worship in a manner that is their personal choice, or are further constrained in what they are allowed to read and thereupon to think upon, or are unfairly limited to how and where they can peacefully assembly, or are not permitted to petition their government for a fair redress of their grievances; then within that construct, their blessings of liberty have been ripped asunder from their very hands, replaced instead with the machinations of a government that is not Constitutional in its fit, form, or function.

Capitalism should be about creating things of value and not financial deception

To a very large extent, most people do not have an issue with a company selling a product which is sold at a price point, that allows that company to make a reasonable profit upon it; and to the extent that competition as well as what the market will bear exerts influence upon such things, this is all well and good, in the overall process and workings of capitalism.

That is to say, capitalism at its finest, is the creation of goods and services that the public, at large, has a desire to utilize or own, in which, the pricing and availability of such, takes into account, that ultimately capitalism is a basically about trading those goods, aided by or through the use of the currency of the realm, of which the purchaser  of such has a need or desire for, and believes further to have been fairly bargained for, because, ideally, the capitalistic system, is free, open, and competitive.

Unfortunately, capitalism can be perverted in a manner and way, in which, it really isn't always about creating products and services that consumers have a desire or need for, but rather is created in a manner, in which the sole purpose of a given business is really about just making profit and profit alone; and further is about making that money, specifically, without actually creating anything other than financial chicanery, that allows such entities to basically make money out of nothing.

For instance, a case in point is the structure of the banking system within America.  The way that a given bank should be structured is that, customers, deposit money into those banks, and a specific and prudent portion of those deposits, are thereupon lent out to worthy customers at a loan rate that takes into account, safety, the return of capital, and a fair profit for the bank.  In actuality, though, a significant amount of bank loans, are done by those banks, which somehow have seen written into their rules and regulations, that they need to hold just a fractional portion of those deposits made, perhaps as low as 10 percent or even 5 or 3 percent, in ready deposits at the bank, in which the balance of that money so deposited, can then be loaned out.  Further, once that money is loaned out to a given business or individual, that business or individual can deposit that loaned money into another banking institution, in which once again, only a small portion of that money so deposited must be kept within the bank reserves, and the balance of that money, is available thereby to be loaned out, and this can continue on for many iterations. 

Essentially, the fractional reserve banking system, as implemented, creates money out of nothing, and then charges an interest rate and fees for that money so being loaned out, in which, in essence, the banking institutions make profit out of absolutely nothing, by simply being the authorized representative of the state that permits them to make this money, and thereby takes away through interest and fees, money from those that have earned it, fairly.  This thus means, what it appears to mean, that our largest banks, make billions upon billions of dollars upon the back of the working man when times are good, and when things go horribly wrong, they are considered to be too big to fail, and therefore the taxpayers bail them out, thereby suffering the ill effects of systemic financial deception.

Cheap salvation is never going to be real salvation

America seems to specialize in the selling of shortcuts, of which, there probably isn't a more meaningful shortcut in life, to be bought, if it could be bought, than one's own salvation.  And while indulgences are no longer sold to the faithful -- far too many preachers and religious doctrines make it appear far too easy to escape from one's damnable sins and actions in this life, by simply professing some lukewarm belief that by our acceptance of Christ, that we have miraculously therefore been absolved of our sins, and that subsequently we will not have to worry about some sort of eternal damnation.  For those that believe such, the just desserts they will surely get, for nothing of significance in this life, comes forth, without the true sacrifice of blood, sweat, and tears; of which, our very own salvation is one of those things that insists upon not only a sincere and concerted effort to accomplish such, but a fierce struggle or wrestling with those demons in our conscience and psyche which have precluded us from previously doing the right thing and from being strong in our personal character.  Further to the point, all those that have sinned greatly, must not only give up their former ways, wholly; but have an inherent obligation to make up for what they have done, wrongly; for every step and action taken in the wrong direction, logically necessitates a corresponding step or action in the right direction.

The bottom line is that the salvation that we desire is the salvation that we must achieve; and that achievement is primarily going to come forth from our own efforts, as opposed to being blessed forthwith by some other entity, that supernaturally brings such salvation to us.  Remember well, that in this world, we are responsible for running our own race, and thereby no other can run our race for us.  This thus means, that we too are responsible for our own salvation, and while others may help to lead us there, and also be of real material aid in pointing us in the right direction to get there, or help us in building the foundation that will be necessary to get there and to remain there, the sustaining effort required is surely our own.

Far too many people claim far too readily that they are saved, or have salvation, but even as they speak those words, they intuitively know such is hollow and void of real meaning.  That which costs us little or nothing, in time, in effort, and in diligence, is often not worth much more than nothing.  To find that which truly saves, requires personal sacrifice, as well as an acknowledgment that we have been wrong, and thereby a determination that we will keep our concentration in order to do what is right, for those that have been tested and failed, time and time again, are surely not those that have found salvation.

To fall on one's knees and thereby sincerely plead for salvation, is not even getting the job half done, for true salvation necessitates true works of good, and those that have not those works, are never going to be the saved, for they are nothing much more than pathetic imitations of those that talk and mean well, but never get around to performing all the good, that they were surely capable of, and that which still needs to be performed.

Corporations have an obligation to take into account the public interest

All sorts of pundits believe that the primary duty and the primary obligation for public for-profit corporations are to, above all, make money on behalf of its employees, Board of Directors, and shareholders. If, this premise indeed be true, than essentially for-profit corporations, which are artificial entities, are thereby created in order to maximize their profits, and hence have no material inherent obligation to the general public, at all. That sort of mindset is the very reason, why corporations need to be regulated, monitored, and reined in, because when the making of money and profit is the main impetus behind any corporation, then that making of that money, colors all decision making by that corporation, frequently to the ill effect of the public and society, at large.

That is to say, when money is the god for corporations, then those that believe such will go to extraordinary lengths to serve that god, faithfully. This thus means, that many corporations will cheat, collude, pollute, exploit, lie, deceive, use, corrupt, and do just about anything in order to make that money, for that is the driving force behind the engine of their desires. This doesn't necessarily mean that all corporations are inimical to the public, but rather it definitely means that a significant portion of those corporations, care little for the public interest, and care a whole heck of a lot, about making their profit, and will thereby do what needs to be done, to assure themselves of that profit, come what may.

Corporations are incredibly powerful, because the biggest and strongest corporations, have gargantuan sums of capital to operate with, that dwarfs not just individuals of modest net worth, but even dwarfs those that have immense personal worth, because corporations have market capitalizations of even $1 trillion and above, which is a truly staggering amount of money in the hands of a specific company; which essentially means that the only possible entity that can hope to rein in corporations with immense capital, is the national government, itself.

Because corporations, are subject to rules and regulations, in regards to, for instance, to the environment, to labor, and to finance, then those corporations are absolutely obligated to conform wholly to those rules and regulations. Further to the point, as artificial entities created by the state, the state therefore has the power to enact and to thereby enforce upon corporations, the general rule of law, that each corporation, in its behavior and in its operation, has an inherent obligation, to, above all else, conduct itself in the public interest. In other words, when corporations are not subject to the oversight of the public interest, as enforced by the national government, then, in a way, those corporations have morphed into being something so created, which may effectively ignore the public good.

The pursuit of profit by corporations, above all else, is never going to be a good thing, because the lust for money must be tempered by the obligation that corporations have to the very people that created the foundation of their being. This signifies that a more robust national government must regulate to a far greater extent, corporations, and in particular, those corporations that have undue influence upon the economy, in which the people's voice has effectively been silenced.

The new American Aristocracy -- inherited wealth, corporations, and dynastic foundations

America is the richest nation in the world, of which, those that are the founders of having created some of that immense wealth, inevitably will die.  One might think that upon the death of anyone of a very large estate, that since they cannot take such wealth onto the world beyond, that therefore a very significant percentage of that wealth would as a matter of course, be distributed fairly to the peoples of America, by virtue of a meaningful estate tax; but alas, that in effect, is hardly ever the case.  This thus means, that fortunes, that were initiated as long ago as 1802, in the case of the Du Ponts, or 1858, in the case of the Rockefellers, still exist, and not only do they exist, but have in many cases, increased considerably in the wealth of these family dynasties.  Further to the point, corporations are artificial creations of the state, that are in the present state of laws, perpetual; so that corporations, will thereby continue to operate and to make money for its stockholders, as long as their business model is successful, in which then, some of these corporations therefore get so gargantuan, that the market capitalization of, for instance, Microsoft, now exceeds $1 trillion, which is in itself, greater than the annual GDP of all but fifteen nations.  Additionally, in order to escape estate taxes, foundations are created by rich people, of which these foundations are often deliberately set up as perpetual; so that, as long as the money so drawn from those foundations, does not exceed the money being made or added into the foundation, such foundations, exist in perpetuity, such as the Rockefeller Foundation which was created, way back in 1913.

To state the very obvious, money matters, and those that have money are able to unduly influence all sorts of policies, especially when countries such as America, permit revolving doors, in which the regulators and enforcers of businesses and markets, often come from the highest offices of those companies, so being regulated.  Not too surprisingly, when the fox is guarding the henhouse, then these corporations are going to be the beneficiaries of such, usually at the expense of the people as a whole.  Further, legislative acts are always going to be influenced by the money that is brought to the table by lobbyists, as well as by sophisticated lawyers that are aiders and abettors of writing laws that are so convoluted and obtuse, that to the unenlightened, it really isn’t clear what the law is actually set to achieve, but those that have written it, have written it specifically to benefit the rich parties that they answer to.

America was supposed to never become an aristocracy, but rather to be an escape from European aristocracy, in which America was created to be a new country, demonstrating a new way, which would represent egalitarian principles in fit, form, and function.  However, when immense amounts of monies are held in the hands of those that need not answer and will not effectively ever answer to the people, in which those monies are essentially above the law; then this country is no longer a country of, by, and for the people; but rather has devolved into being a country that serves almost exclusively those that have the power that money and good placement provides, for what they own, they therefore effectively run.

The lust for wealth, above all else, is wrong

America is a capitalistic society , of which, for many of those that are on the winning side of the equation, there is a certain pride and belief, that what one has made or earned or taken, is rightfully theirs, and that they owe therefore little or nothing to anyone else for having achieved that success.  This means, that the biggest economic winners in society, often look upon taxation, environmental issues, long term consequences, and their incumbent obligations to community and government, not as something that should be fairly and gladly addressed, but rather as a bill to be postponed, or to pass off onto someone else or to leave such with society at large, or something that must be fought tooth and nail against, for they having obtained that money, do not countenance any of it, being taken away.

When any society, is setup in which the biggest winners do not feel any or little obligation to help the common people of that society, at large; and further, make it their point that despite progressive laws to the effect that take some of the wealth of the rich, which needs to be redistributed to the poor through grants, monies, benefits, or opportunities, in which they resolutely resist doing such, by availing themselves upon their considerable power to circumvent this, than that society is not functioning in a healthy and sustainable way.

If, within American society, the belief is that those that earn the money, no matter how that money is "earned", are fairly entitled to all of it, of which, every attempt by governmental agencies to obtain a portion of that money in the form of taxation or other means, is seen as something for those rich entities to thereupon use their power and money so as to buy influence, or lawyers, or legislature acts, so as to delay through strategies that put off what is due, to a tomorrow, which never comes due, than society, as a whole, suffers for it.

Further, when those that earn that money, do so in a manner in which the long-term consequences of what has occurred to earn such, does not take into fair account, environmental damages, collusion, unfair competition, favorable taxation, favorable treatment of governmental lands or natural resources, exploitation of fellow citizens, and the perversion of laws to favor certain individuals and companies at the expense of the people, then that society suffers for it.

If, at the end of the day, winners and losers, are solely decided upon the amount of monies that are held in their respective bank accounts, without taking into account, the ethics, the morality, the fairness, and their inherent obligations to do right by that society, by being of benefit to that society, than society suffers for it. 

While there is a lot to be said for any person or organization, that makes society better by creating and building things of value; it must also be said that when the beneficiaries of that creation, have done so in a manner of which, if all the actions so taken by them were completely transparent, one would thereby discover a copious amount of corruption, unfairness, and dishonesty of all types, then such a person or organization as that, should be seen for what they really are, a menace to society, as well as an anathema to society, and everything that is wrong when people and organizations put their lust for money, above integrity and their duty to do right by the people, that are their fellow members in that very same society.

Medical prescriptions as a public utility

In America, we are use to the fact that such fundamental needs such as water, electricity, natural gas, postal services, public roadways, public lights, and so on are regulated by some form of governmental agency, whether local, regional, State, or National.  It certainly makes sense that, for instance, our electricity is regulated as a public utility because life in this modern era would be totally different and even problematic without reliable as well as fairly priced electricity, because it is part and parcel of our everyday lives. 

When it comes to healthcare, and especially to medical prescriptions and pharmaceuticals of all types, America is an outlier in regards to how other western nations address such, of which, America takes the rather strange position, of believing that the best way to regulate this market, is simply to approve or not approve certain drugs after being federally reviewed, and thereafter essentially allow the marketplace, or the seller of such pharmaceuticals to charge what the market will bear for their prescription drugs.  That ostensible reason why this is so, is for the recovery of research and development monies by those companies, as well as to help augment innovative drug discoveries, by allowing these companies the opportunity to develop what will perhaps be a blockbuster drug that is of utility to the consumers of such, as well as a boost to the bottom line of these companies.

The fundamental flaw within the current structure of prescription drugs within America, is that the pursuit of profit at the expense of a given person's health, is of questionable ethics, for the construct in which America operates, seems to be that prescription drugs are just one more commodity that the rich or the well insured should be able to procure, whereas the poor and the non- or weakly insured, just have to deal with it, and suffer therefore the ill consequences of their weak position.  Further, it is rather unseemly for drugs to be priced at what the market will bear, which stipulates in that perverse mindset, that profits are more important, than the health of the people.

A far better way to deal with medical prescriptions is for such to be regulated, much akin to a public utility, in which fairness to the public in whole, as well as accessibility to all members of the public, are necessary to be mandated for something as vital as the good health of the people.  The fact that today's medical drugs are not regulated as a public utility -- signifies that America has taken a very large step back, from the pathway it previously took for national immunizations that are required for infants, which is for the health of not just those infants, but for the protection of the good health of society, at large.

Those large medical corporations that claim that they are working on behalf of the public, and that their prescription drug prices are fairly priced -- are remiss in not acknowledging that they are required to answer to their Board of Directors, as well as to the stockholders of their company, who are always demanding bigger profits, and higher gross margins; so to believe that they are therefore operating in the public interest is a chimera.  The health of Americans is something too important to be left to for-profit companies that currently operate outside the domain, of being regulated as a public utility, which essentially makes their business model, one that puts their lust of profit above good, fair, and affordable drug prescription prices.

We the people

The preamble to our Constitution states, "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union…" and further we read in the 9th Amendment, the following words, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."  These words are of immense relevancy to all of the people of these United States, for it demonstrates in form as well as in principle that the people are their own sovereign rulers.  Further to the point, it was considered at the Constitutional Convention to originally have the preamble state words to the effect, "We the people of the states of New Hampshire, Massachusetts, …",  but this was rightly replaced with just we the people, indicating that those that buy into the false belief that State rights triumph over the people, or that State rights triumph over the national state of this union of States, are false to the Constitution, false to the people, and false to those individual States, that propagate such false propaganda.

This is indeed a country created by the people, for the people, and of the people; of which, the people of the individual States united into one body politic in order to as our Constitution preamble states to "…. establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity…"  To the extent, that the people are in charge of their destiny, then the people are in harmony with that Constitution; and to the extent that the people are not in charge of their destiny, and are, for instance, subservient to the technology-military-industrial complex, then those people are not only not in charge of their destiny, but the country is in fit, form, and function operating in a non-Constitutional manner.

We now live in a construct, that although the people appear to have representative government, and are able to thereby vote in democratic elections; that the reality of the situation is that those that are in power, primarily have that power not from the people, but often are beholden instead to those that are the ones that provided the necessary monetary finances in order for those candidates to successfully run their campaigns and to win election.  In other words, the most meaningful contributions to candidates significantly often comes from corporations or wealthy elites, directly, indirectly, or through false fronts; and once elected, representatives are obligated to first take care of, not the people, but those that were essentially the means of their successful election. In addition, many representatives are often successfully persuaded by the ubiquitous lobbyists to get legislation passed or decisions reached, that favor their interests, often at the expense of the people.

In so many ways, the people have lost their sovereignty, because in general, they are typically completely out of touch with what is really going on in governmental offices of all stripes, and further are not privy to vital inside information; and in absence of a government that does not provide transparency in all that it says and does on behalf of the people, then the people, as a whole, are left with nothing much more than smoke and mirrors, and the illusion that they have a meaningful voice with their representative government.  This thus means that this government is really a government, favoring the few and the elite, which is the primary reason why all is not well, and why we the people, are not really free.

Make all police officers and district attorneys of color and there will be change

Progressive people of all types want America to transform itself, and to become what it was founded to be -- a nation of liberty, freedom, opportunity, fairness, and opportunity for all.    While each politician of vision and each generation of hope believes that change will come, such change within America, is at best, one step forward, and then invariably another step backwards or to the side; but hardly it seems, is there comprehensive, lasting, and meaningful change.  The main reason why change is so slow in America is that powerful interests do not desire for any change that will threaten that power, and thereby do all in their power to preclude such or to mold such, so that they maintain their status.

The justice and policing arms of the state have always been on the side of those that hold those purse strings, which is indicative as to why the face of the police and the face of justice, is invariably closely connected to those that want to assure that the masses are under their thumb, and thereby not inclined to enacting truly revolutionary actions.  This thus means, that the prevailing direction of police actions and justice support those of the status quo, to the dismay of those that simply want justice, equally applied, to be impartially enforced.

Those that truly want progressive change will continue to be thwarted, despite whatever laws are passed, because the problem with America isn't so much that the laws on the books are unfair, but rather that good law, and especially the spirit of good law, is routinely dismissed in American jurisprudence and through its policing policies.  So then, the only real alternative that would, in and of itself, fundamentally change America for the better, would be for all police officers, except for those that represent office support staff, and for all District Attorneys, to, in a stroke of a new Affirmative Action, be replaced forthwith, and without exception, with only police officers and District Attorneys of color, and specifically, replaced with all those that are non-white.

If America was to literally change overnight to a country in which the policing arm of the state, as well as the legal charging arm of the state, represented by the District Attorney, were all non-white -- then, without a doubt, the operation of those police officers, the arrests by those police officers, the justice so rendered in courts of law as to crimes prosecuted, diverted, or simply ignored, would change, significantly.  In point of fact, police officers, spend an inordinate amount of time arresting good citizens for ticky-tack crimes, of no real substance, such as drug possession, victimless crimes, and low-level offenses of no merit, merely to intimidate, inconvenience, harass, and to bully the people.  A police force of all non-white officers, would minimize such, and concentrate instead on real crimes, such as theft, robbery, rape, murder, and so on.

Further to the point, a world in which the police and justice arm of the state was non-white, would mean for all those citizens that were non-white, that there would be a distinct relaxing and a wholesale change in both their outlook and their overall freedom.  As for those, that are white, knowing that the police and justice arm, no longer looked the same as them, and did not enforce the laws in a manner that invariably favored them, they then, would begin to look far more frequently over their shoulder, and would, as a matter of course, become much more nervous, and perhaps eventually in attitude and outlook, more progressive in understanding that the world is really not all white, and that would be the change to thereby really believe in.

Modern-day cannibalism

Obviously, in America there is no cannibalism.  In a literal sense this is true, but in a figurative sense it very well may not be.  For instance, any person, that is exploited or has their fair liberty curtailed, has in a general sense, lost their sovereignty to another, whether that be an institution, a government, or other people.  Further, once a given person is no longer the captain of their own ship, and are therefore unable to take full advantage of their unalienable liberties so written into the Declaration of Independence, as well as implied or specified as such in the Constitution, then that person, is no longer free, and those that are not free are therefore in a compromised form of servitude.  This thus means that those who are created equally, but are subservient to a construct which has effectively negated such, are in a sense servants to that class of people, or government, or institutions that are effectively their masters.  Thus, in any situation in which one class of people is in perpetual servitude to another class of people, it can fairly be stated, that their vulnerable condition places them into a position into which every chain so forged upon their body transforms what once was a full human being into something more akin to becoming in substance, less than human.

The cannibalism so practiced today in America, is part and parcel of the American psyche, which too often sees its fellow human beings, not as those that have been created equally, and therefore are entitled to their Constitutional rights as well as to fair opportunity of the wealth that America offers; but rather they are predominantly perceived as non-people and therefore looked upon as objects to be mined, exploited, used, and ultimately discarded to the degree that these perceived non-humans are able to provide value to those that extract what resources that they are able to extract from them, until ultimately their life force has been completely drained from their body, for they have been fully consumed by those that have made what use they could make of them, as product.

The cannibalism in America, is mankind's inhumanity to mankind, exacerbated by the lust and desire of so many that are in power, or have the thirst for that power, to do whatever that it takes to get what they want, in which, often the path so taken involves the deliberate taking from others, of their birthright, so as to benefit the selfish interlopers of such.  When the success of a given country, or a given individual, is built upon the unjustified taking of that which is not fairly theirs, under false pretences of any sort, then the foundation so built is built upon having fed upon the bodies of those that are treated as de facto beasts of burden.

Those that are cannibals are all those that take from others, what is not rightfully theirs to take, and having depleted such from other people; have, in effect, nourished and gnawed upon those others, in order to fill their own greedy hunger, and to weaken and to consume, unto death, those others

National murder clearance rate is tragically low

When it comes to murder, the term "clearance rate" refers to those murder cases that have had a murder charge filed against a given individual, as compared to the total number of murders recorded in that jurisdiction in a given year.  What muddies the water about clearance rates though, is that some jurisdictions, manipulate their clearance rate, by counting in the current year, people that are arrested for a murder that occurred in some previous year, as well as by "exceptional clearances" in which the prime suspect for the murder is no longer alive, or when necessary witnesses for successful prosecution of murder, aren't apparently available; then these are considered by those jurisdictions using such, as exceptional clearances, and hence count as murders that have been cleared.  In any event, the national murder clearance rate as reported by the FBI in 1965, was just over 90%, whereas in 2015, that national rate as reported by the FBI had plummeted to just 61.5%.  Further to the point, just because a given individual has been charged with the crime of murder, does not necessarily mean that they will ever be convicted of that murder, let alone tried for murder, so that, clearance rates are not the same thing as conviction rates, therefore signifying that the national clearance rate of 61.5% for murder, indicates that in all probability, perhaps 50% of those crimes classified as murder, have somebody actually convicted, ever, of that murder.

While there are all sorts of crimes that are odious, disturbing, and upsetting, it must be stated, that murder is probably the most heinous of all crimes, because a life has been wrongly taken from another person, without justification or lawful excuse.  This would signify, that police departments, specifically have homicide departments for the salient reason that murder is a crime so abhorrent, that for the public safety and for its protection, that the policing arm of the state, must do all that they can do, to see that the perpetrator of any murder is caught, tried, and duly convicted.  Further, every day that a given murderer is at large, is in and of itself, a menace to society, and a disgrace to justice.

One might think that with all the modern tools of this age, in regards to DNA, forensics, and the wealth of databases that can be drawn upon, that all of this would be of great aid, in increasing the murder clearance rate over time; but, in fact, the United States has regressed tremendously from the 1960s.  Why is this?  While there are probably a multitude of answers of various relevancy as to why this is so, the primary reason why Americas' murder clearance rate has declined precipitously, is a reflection that there are numerous enclaves within cities and communities, in which the police do not have any credibility within that area of the community, whatsoever; in which the police simply do not have either effective boots on the ground, or reliable intelligence, that allows the police to have a basic understanding of the ins and outs of that community.  This reflects, in part, that the police, are seen in those communities more as agents of oppression and injustice; in addition to the rather sad fact, that police aren't terribly motivated in due diligence for murders that involve people that they don't really respect, relate to, or care about.