Government and the privatization of governmental services

There is a belief held by many people, that private enterprise, because it is incentivized via the profit agenda, are a far more efficient way to take care of tasks that previously were the domain of governmental agencies.  So then, there are some governmental tasks as in prisons, schools, military support, and utilities that have subsequently been outsourced to private companies, with varying degrees of success and failure.

On the surface, it does indeed seem to make sense, that those that have "skin in the game", by virtue of the fact that their profit and the sustainability of their business depends upon providing their service in a cost-efficient and effective way seems logical and sound. However, this is belied by the very fact, that profits are the siphoning off of what could be the public's money, into the hands of private enterprise.  Further to the point, and of upmost importance, is that when governmental functions are transferred to profit making enterprises, we often find that the very first thing that these private companies take a real good look at, is their expenses, and how therefore they can reduce such so as to aid their bottom line.  If, this thus means, that in prisons, for example, that nutritional food is replaced with cheaper and unhealthy alternatives, that heating and the cooling of the facility is changed so as to reduce energy expenditure at the expense of those so incarcerated, or that prison personnel are reduced in order to cut down on labor costs, or that medical needs and medicines are regulated in a manner that hurts those that have a legitimate need of such, that therefore signifies that the service so being provided by private enterprise is not equivalent to that which it replaced. 

Additionally, when roadwork is done, in which inferior materials are utilized to make, replace, or fix roads, which will not stand the test of time, but in the short term will appear to be just fine, then those that have used inferior grade products have increased their profit at the expense of the safety of the general public.  In fact, again and again, when private companies are allowed to do what formerly was done by governmental services, often their lust for profit, will force their hand in so many ways, that even those companies with the best of intentions, will find that they cannot resist doing things that will boost their profit at the expense of good service.

While there isn't any doubt, that private enterprise can be very, very good at achieving notable success in many areas of business, even in those fields, that the government has historically run; it must be noted that any time a business, is placed into a position in which doing the right thing, is up against making that necessary profit, the greed for money, more times than not, wins out.  That is why, the only possible way to permit private enterprise to operate that which was previously governmental functions, is to regulate those private companies in a manner in which certain standards are maintained and achieved, and penalties so imposed for failure to adhere to such.

So too, it must be recognized that governmental services are created in order to act for the public good and for the social weal; whereas, for-profit private enterprise, operates in order to make money, above all; and hence seldom is fully aligned with the public good or the social weal, but rather private enterprise, is all about primarily satisfying their stockholders and executives, which often time means, private money over the social good.

The wages of labor in the aftermath of World War II

In a war, that demanded sacrifices from the American people in order for our troops and thereby the Allies to become victorious over the Axis forces, certain governmental laws were put into place to help effect such.  It would seem that the intent of those laws was for the greater good of America, but in reality, the result of some of these laws, was in many aspects, the cheating of a fair wage for those that labored, and thereby more profit for those industries employing such.

For instance, the Stabilization Act of 1942 was enacted in October 2, 1942, so as to fix wages and salaries in order to preclude inflation during the World War.  This meant in effect, that unions would no longer be able to negotiate for greater wages for their employees, nor would they be permitted to strike for such wage increases, but rather would have to settle for the pay that they were earning per the conditions of the Stabilization Act of 1942.

Not too surprisingly, in light of the fact that the Allies won the war, and that those that labored worked very hard and for long hours under stressful conditions and stagnant wages, all this good work was done in anticipation, that now that the world was safe for democracy -- that such a world would thereby require plenty of additional labor and work to rebuild what had been destroyed worldwide during that destructive war, and that America was well positioned to be the preeminent exporter of those goods and services, bar none.  So that those that had been denied the benefits of union power, turned back to that power in order to receive what was their just due.

Unfortunately, a significant swath of those corporations, that were plenty busy during the war years, preferred to take the stance, that rather than share the good profits and growth to come, that they would not give in to labor and their wage demands, and hence strikes were initiated by petroleum workers, automobile workers, electrical workers, meatpackers, steel workers, and coal miners, in order to get what they had been denied during those war years, so as to be able to provide for their family and their future.

The labor strikes were effective, so effective in fact that the government threatened to seize the railroads and to utilize the army as strikebreakers in order to get the railroad workers to come to heel, which they subsequently did.  So too, the congressional elections of 1946, changed the makeup of the Congress, so that they were able to thereby pass the Taft-Hartley Act which struck directly at the power of unions, in order for the government to have more power to control and to eviscerate the strength of unions, all essentially for the benefit of corporate power and corporate profits at the expense of the laboring class.

While labor unions, would continue to grow in numbers as well as in the percentage of the workforce so utilized, that was far more of a function of the aftermath of World War II, which was an era of strong economic growth and thereby vast economic benefits, but when that economic growth subsequently slowed down, it was the labor class that suffered the ill effects of such, for corporations recognized that offshore operations would allow them to utilize foreign labor at a much lower expense, thereby providing them with a far greater profit, and domestic unions had not the power to stop them.

Multinational corporations and economic domination

The United States is home to a significant portion of the largest multinational corporations in the world, that thus do considerable business in countries outside its home territory, of which, the most basic definition of a multinational corporation, is provided by Wikipedia.org, "…if it derives 25% or more of its revenue from out-of-home-country operations," as well as it also can be defined as "a firm that owns and controls 51% of a foreign subsidiary."  In the scheme of things, there are not that many multinational corporations headquartered in America, in the sense of quantity, rather, there are a very few multinational corporations based in America that are gargantuan behemoths in the global economy and are typically  the most dominant players in their industry.

The reason that this matters, is that America is essentially a land that is in the business of doing business, and in recognition that there is a lot more business to be made and to have, outside of its own domestic borders, multinational corporations were created to take advantage of those opportunities, which they most definitely have done to a very considerable extent.  That is why we see that the market capitalizations of all the biggest corporations in America consist entirely of multinationals, with market capitalizations of these public stock multinationals reaching upwards to $1 trillion or thereabouts, and even beyond.

Not too surprisingly, money has a way of influencing public policy, so that what is good for those multinationals, is something that politicians throughout America, as well as the laws so passed, are going to, far more times than not, be demonstrated by strong support for those multinationals, even though many of these multinationals are exceedingly gifted in avoiding the payment of their fair share of corporate income taxes, as well as corporate property taxes, and basically are quite successful in avoiding carrying upon their bottom line, their fair amount of societal responsibility, all under the guise that since they employ so many people, that this, in and of itself, proves their worth.

Further to the point, sovereign countries throughout the world, have their own internal difficulties, whether that be their rule of law, civil war, poverty, mineral extraction, and so on and so forth, of which, multinationals, are wont to call on the military might of their own country, to protect and to augment their interests in those other countries, rightly or wrongly, so as to increase their revenues and corresponding profit.  That is to say, wars, or proxies to war, or interference, whether overt or covert, is part and parcel of what the United States does on behalf of its multinationals, for these multinationals are in their own right, powerful economic forces, that are able to exert such force onto principalities through the "big stick" that America so represents, and/or through the corruption of these other countries' political policies, by subverting such through economic deals, that benefit a very, very few, at the expense of the people of those respective nations.

All of the above, signifies, that to a very great extent, that America is primarily run not by its own people, through its democratic institutions, but rather it is actually governed to benefit, in particular, those multinational corporations, under the guise that profit for those multinationals, above all, is good for America, when, in fact, it's actually really only good for specifically those that are the elite of those multinationals.

Stop whining and start doing

It's fairly easy to complain about this or to complain about that, of which some of these complaints, most definitely have justification.  But what of it; for if simply complaining about something would resolve those very issues, than complaining would appear to be a very valid thing to do for just about anything that bothers us.  However, for the most part, complaining doesn't resolve much of anything, though, in fairness, bringing issues to light has its place, and has its time.  That said, unless such complaining is brought to the fore, in order to deal with the root of the issue in some sort of comprehensive and mature method, the mere act of complaining just isn’t going to typically resolve what is bothering or ailing a particular person.

So then, for those that perhaps complain too much, without ever seeming to get a resolution to what bothers them, perhaps it is time to look at another conceivable way to resolve the issue, which doesn't depend upon others, listening to us, and then obeying us, but rather is completely in our own control.  For instance, there is an awful lot to say about setting a good example for others to emulate, so that, the very act of doing the things that you wish were being done for you, by doing them for another, may by your actions, actually, sooner or later, get what you really want, in return.

That is to say, people learn from the actions and deeds from those that they most respect; in which, their hope is that by following suit in their own life, they too might have the type of respect and success of those that they emulate.  This thus means that we lead by example, and by that example, people that respect us or look up to us, are going to, more times than not, want to do something along the same lines, because they too want that same sort of respect. 

It thus follows, that the things that we want most to be done for us, are easier to achieve, if we first do those very things for other people, for if it is good enough for us to do for them, then it surely must be something worth them doing for us, as well.  Of course, no doubt, some people believe strongly that there are always going to be those that prefer to just receive the benefits of our good deeds and good actions, without any reciprocal action on their own part.  While that may well be true, it is also true to say that if we aren't willing to do the very things that we are expecting others to do for us, than perhaps what we desire and wish for is not nearly as reasonable and sound as we first surmised.

The bottom line is that unless whining and complaining is somehow producing the desired results from such an action; that it therefore behooves each one of us, to simply let that go, and prove by our own good actions and by our own good deeds, that behaving and doing things for others in the way that we think that they should be done, without our own complaining or whining about such, is going to ultimately produce a better and more productive result.

Money and wealth is created through hard work and diligence

As much as some of us might wish for us to be handed money, position, and power, without having to lift our own hand to do much of anything, this is never going to be sustainable, and certainly is not going to be healthy for societies and nations.  This thus signifies that while each of us may have legitimate needs, to thereby believe that somehow the state, or society, has an infinite supply of all that we may need is short-sighted and fundamentally flawed, for all of value that ever was, and ever will be, requires effort and work, and simply cannot be created out of mere wish fulfillment.

So then, societies are created with the members that make up that society, for the greater good of that society, of which, each of those good members are obligated to do their part to improve and to benefit that society, in which, this is successfully accomplished through education, the instilling of good values, hard work, teamwork, and throughput, by those very members.  So too, it must be said, that the fruits of that labor so being produced by a collection of individuals, are not often equally distributed throughout societies, but rather are unequal, for those through individual efforts that create more or earn more or do more, typically collect more than those that do not. 

Yet, this inequality is okay, for the more that is produced, the wealthier that society will ultimately be, and in fairness to all those that labor hard and increase that wealth, they should thus be rewarded with that which they have fairly earned.  However, to the degree in which enclaves are constructed in which some take advantage of their position, favoritism, connections and the like, to exploit others so as to benefit themselves at the expense of those others, as well as society at large, this necessitates, governmental protection and affirmative action for all those that have been denied a fair opportunity to better themselves.

Still, the answer to such, is seldom to simply take from one party and then to hand such to the other party, but rather, a far better and sustainable response is to see that those that have been previously denied opportunity, as well as the conditions that help to create good opportunity, must fairly be provided with the means and foundation to be more productive in the utilization and the development of their own minds and their subsequent skill sets. 

After all, countries and societies, become richer and wealthier, based on the diligence of their population, and not only just their hard work, but specifically, labor that is both focused and dedicated to the creation of that which has lasting and real value for the benefit of those that are members of that society.  So then, the purpose of any good governance, is to aid in the development of the conditions that will best aid in the creation of that wealth, engaging as much of the population as possible, and seeing that as many as possible are provided with the fair means to be not only truly self-sufficient and thereby to earn a living wage, but recognizes that it is the good cooperation between those peoples that helps to produce a greater prosperity for all of them.

You are responsible for yourself

Each of us is born with a need to be nurtured and loved by those that are our parents, of which we are dependent upon them for our sustenance.  There does come a time, though, when we are old enough, to take responsibility for our own self, of which some people, are quite adept at doing just that, whereas there are numerous others, that are slow to take the reins of what is essentially their own life.  In any event, while one can credit or blame their parents, or their circumstances, for this or that, the bottom line, is that the thoughts that we have and the corresponding decisions that we make which comes forth from the actions that we generate, are our responsibility, and something that each one us must own up to.

Further to the point, those that take on the responsibility for who and what they really are, and therefore take control of the trajectory of their life, in which they do so willingly with the foreknowledge that such demonstrates their social and personal responsibility, are often going to be far more effective in the achievement of those things that mean something to them.  On the other hand, those that hide from their inherent responsibility to stand up on their own two feet and thereby insist upon taking refuge behind their parents, or societal circumstances, or this or that, are merely putting off what cannot be put off, as if they actually aren't responsible for what they think, do, and say, though they are.

It is absolutely imperative, that children be taught, at a very young age, that they are responsible for their thoughts and corresponding actions, and it is the parental responsibility to do what they can in aiding their children in making good decisions that are well thought out and sensible.  So that, good habits begun at a young age are obviously going to be beneficial and fruitful for those that make these their attributes to live by; whereas bad habits and sorry excuses are going to be a barrier to those that wish to successfully become someone of merit and accomplishment.

All of the things that we think and do are our responsibility, and while there may indeed be relevant and pertinent circumstances that help explain why we thought this as opposed to that, and while we did this as opposed to that, it must always be recognized that the deeds so done, are done with our signature put upon it, and none other.  This thus signifies that the sooner that we recognize that we are what we think and accomplish, thereby signifying that we are indeed responsible for our own self, the sooner that we will realize that the harm and erroneous actions that we do, are harming our own self in particular and are detrimental to us as well as to others.

We are responsible for our own self, and while there are others, that may indeed strongly influence us, for better or for worse, as to what we say and do, those words that we speak are our words, and those actions that we take, are our actions.   This thus means that the only one that can fairly answer for our own self is us, and we ought to want to have the right answer, and have performed in a noble manner, for we stand or fall depending upon those very things.

Civilization requires commitment

Most everyone lives in some semblance of what is known as civilization, in which the very principle point of that civilization is for its people to voluntary gather together into one body politic, in order to create the rules, regulations, and commitments that are required by those people so as to effect prosperity, safety, and liberty, for those people.  What we then find is that some of those people will be wonderful and productive members of that civilization, doing far more than asked or required of them, whereas many will do about what is expected of them, and then there are those that don't carry their own weight, for whatever reason, justified or not, and even worse, there are those few that actively work against the good of that civilization.

It is incumbent upon each member of that civilization, to understand their duty to that civilization, in the recognition that liberty, freedom, and choice, require a construct in which each member of that civilization, has an innate responsibility to be an integral part of that civilization and therefore has an obligation to do their part for their civilization; for without a stable and fair civilization, the freedom to pursue what one desires, falls apart.  Further to the point, civilizations are required therefore to have the power to assert its governance upon the people, so as to require them to each do their part to be members in good standing of that civilization, of which fines, penalties, restrictions, obligations, and taxation are part and parcel of what civilizations mandate from their people.

So that, to be born American, for example, does not, in and of itself actually make that person, truly American, though, far too many people, believe that this is so. Rather, a good American, is one that not only lives to the principles of what that country so represents, but fulfills their duty and commitment to that country by doing their part, to fulfill their fair obligations to that country, which may include, civil service duties, taxation, and a basic understanding of its Constitution.

This does not indicate that citizens should blindly follow the dictates of those that are their governmental representatives, without ever questioning that authority and its right to be obeyed; but rather it must be recognized that in a society in which the people have democratically elected representatives and the law is fairly and equally applied, that such represents a civil society that deserves their respect.  After all, a government, of, for, and by the people is thereby a government built upon a firm and true foundation, which necessitates that its citizens have real commitments to that governance in order to form a more perfect union, and to promote the general welfare of those people.

All of the above, indicates that each of us has a commitment to our civilization, and to believe that somehow some of us do not, or are unwilling to do our part, or cheat in that which we are obligated to do, are in effect, uncivilized; for either we are all equally in this civilization together, with obligations one to another, under the proper aegis of our government, or we are false to ourselves, and to our fellow countrymen.

True justice requires great wisdom

Any laws propagated upon the people, in which, that law as practiced, does not take into account that each and every case brought before the justice of the law, is unique and therefore has not only a story that must be told, but also entails circumstances that must be suitably divulged, will find it exceedingly problematic to come to a good and just decision, for that which does not take into account what fully needs to be taken into account, in order to render proper justice, is despite even good intentions, often unjust.

It is never easy to govern well, and certainly it is no easy task to render good justice, especially when those that are doing the judging, are dealing with, sometimes exclusively, a milieu of the people that they are not familiar with in the sense of having any true social commonality, in regards to the family structure, the education, the income, the habits, and other relevant conditions that influence how society perceives us, such as race, creed, and family reputation.

That is to say, when justice is being determined by any entity, that never has walked a mile in that other person's shoes, in which there are unequivocal fundamental differences between the one who is being judged as compared to the one who is doing the judging, then the justice so being determined, is going to have a very strong tendency to be wrong fully, or in some important aspect of it, unless the personage doing the judging is gifted in grasping the true and full comprehension of that which the judge has not ever experienced; for when the prism that views right and wrong, is incapable or handicapped greatly in the seeing of the world from the perspective of the person so being judged, it becomes quite difficult to be fair in that application of justice, even despite such an intent to do so.

This surely signifies that in every aspect of governance, including the laws and the application of law in the halls of justice, that the people that have been selected to be an integral part of that governance, must come from all walks of life, for all those others that are summarily precluded from being part of that governance, are effectively having their voices silenced, and a voice so silenced is indicative that the application of fair justice for all, is not part of that governance.

So then, as much as those at the top and are our leaders, might dismiss those that seem irrelevant and are often considered to be part of the problem; the truth of the matter is, that any fair and equal government, must see and relate to the people as they are, rather than pretend that they are something that they are not, and therefore must do its best to understand and to comprehend that all those that have nothing, and are denied fair and equal opportunity to be something, are not going to behave in a manner that is consistent with those that come from privilege, and have been privileged with everything.  This thus truly means, that true justice must always take into account, who and what really stands before them, for it they do not, that justice is more times than not, going to be flawed.

"Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable"

Surprisingly, this quotation, does not come from some second rate want-to-be revolutionary of a third-world country, but rather comes instead, almost incredibly, from President John F. Kennedy, in 1962.   Further, the thought so expressed by Kennedy, seems to be indicative that countries that will not allow its citizens to peacefully assemble, so as to reasonably petition their government for a redress of grievances should expect that the inevitable violent revolution will be the natural outcome from having oppressed the people's voice and having oppressed the people; often methodically done, so as to allow the ruling class to enjoy their very good life at the expense of those people.

So then, a vibrant and strong democracy, will as a matter of course, permit public dissent as part and parcel of its Constitution and of its values; for to not allow such, or to determine to silence or compromise such, and to do so in a manner, in which those that have reasonable viewpoints are not permitted a forum to express those viewpoints, but are instead, dealt with in a manner in which peaceful dissent is silenced or terminated, breeds the very seeds of what once was peaceful into something of disruption and violence.

For instance, America's own revolution was not peaceful, though it could have been; but Great Britain wanted to bring its America colonies to heel, and the colonists, reluctantly at first, but vigorously in time, would not submit to that imperial power, and by and by, the revolution was fought not just with words, but with bullets, blood, and bedlam.  So that, this violent American revolution, beget then, the republic that America so represents, culminating with the creation and ratification of its Constitution which represents the highest law of this land.

For any good society to survive as well as it to be of benefit for those people of that society, the voices and actions within that society must not be solely controlled by an elite and select group of people, that thereby set themselves up in a construct in which they are not subject to the very laws that apply to the balance of people.  So that, artificial control of any society, will inevitably fail, for what which is built upon injustice, unfairness, inequality and deceit, is an edifice that has been built upon a foundation of sand, and this will not ever stand the test of time.

So, despite the belief of those that appear to be so powerful, that none could ever take their power from them; they continually worry about that very thing, feeling an unease as to whether such an attack or assault will come from the inside or from the outside, in which therefore in order to ease their mind, they insist upon the control, monitoring, and infiltration of everything within that society.  This invariably means that in this artificial and double-dealing structure, that a peaceful and fair resolution with the people is not ever going to be conceivable or even possible, and hence those that have been denied everything, while being promised everything, will be absolutely determined that they will not be denied that which is their birthright, by that which never had the legitimate right to take such from them.

Towards a living wage

America's capitalistic society has proven that in so many aspects, to be a construct, in which the labor component of that industry is seen far too often as just an expense to the company, and in light of the fact, that reducing expenses, appears to be a fundamental objective of many of these companies, this thus signifies that many of America's finest and most powerful corporations are fixated on that mindset to reduce such expenditures.  Unfortunately, these corporations have been mightily successful in doing exactly that, so that the progress of the labor class, often led through collective action, as in unions, has been essentially eviscerated in recent times, and therefore it is left up to governmental agencies to step in and to help its own citizens, that are unable to find gainful employment at a wage high enough, to actually sustain their livelihood, without such material aid.

It seems a real shame that far too many America corporations have regressed so much, that they have forgotten that it was more than one hundred years ago, when the Ford Motor Company, in 1914, decided that it was worth more to that company to see that their employees were paid a living wage. Such a wage helped to maintain a motivated workforce, as well as helped the community, in addition to creating such a loyal workforce that even those assembly workers at Ford, would with the wages so earned, be able to afford and thereby buy a Ford Motor vehicle.  This signified that Ford Motor Company, without being compelled by governmental fiat, made the conscious decision that a living wage was fundamentally a principle that would be beneficial for that corporation as well being beneficial for those employees, and proved that this was indeed true, by becoming more productive in its output.

All corporations and employers of people should have within their business mindset, that the deliberate exploitation of human labor, so as to make more profit and thereby to pay more money and bonuses to those that are in the executive office, at the expense of the working man, because they have the power and force to do exactly that, should be sanctioned.  In point of fact, corporations should make it a principle within their business plan, that a sustainable and ethical business plan must be a policy that includes a living wage being so paid to all of their employees, and hence by doing so, can establish a abiding principle, that all that are integrally involved with that particular business, are entitled to earn enough income so as to become viable members of their society.

While there might well be a legitimate reason for establishing a minimum wage beneath that of a living wage, perhaps for those that are in training, or those that have skill sets that have not been developed enough, or are youthful or inexperienced; this does not so indicate that wages that are so low and hours that are so few, that thereby compels responsible people to juggle multiple jobs, and hence does not ever allow them to make a living, should be part and parcel of what this country represents.  Rather, it should be the objective of all corporations and employers, to gladly pay a living wage, because that should be seen not only as a duty that these corporations and employers have to their society, at large, but also should be seen as the apogee of true patriotism to that country of, by, and for the people.

Who should rightly pay when speculative bubbles burst?

The above question seems to be fairly easy to answer, for in fairness, those that create speculative bubbles and profit during the good times, should by all rights, be the same ones that should directly suffer when the bubble invariably bursts; but more times than not, that isn't the case, in reality.  For instance, all those questionable subprime mortgage loans primarily created in the 2006-2008 time-span, were put together into nice and neat packages to be sold as safe investments and were rated as such, to non-suspecting clients; but were, at the end of day, actually highly speculative, and destined to fail on a massive and catastrophic scale, in which those doing the biggest suffering were to a large extent, those that unwittingly bought them.

So too, anytime any industry, such as banks, are allowed to scale up in size so that they are thereby classified as "too big to fail" , in which then the government puts together a comprehensive program upon the backs of the taxpayers to salvage these banks from their egregious and greedy speculative bets gone horribly wrong, and to thereby make them whole, without proper punishment, or by holding them accountable for the damage that has been wrought upon society, and upon those that have fairly paid into the system, as its taxpayers, then surely that is a blatant injustice.

In truth, speculation good amok, is going to hurt somebody or some institution, and the people and institutions that should be most punished, are those that are the enablers and implementers of such.  Further to the point, checks and balances are the necessary force that needs to be utilized by the government and its appropriate agencies in order to keep those that allow their greed to get ahead of their common sense, to be put into their place, before the speculative frenzy ever takes place.  After all, in a capitalistic society, there is always going to be people and companies, that when allowed access to unduly speculate, are going to do exactly that, and more so, when they believe, that they will not subsequently have their feet held to the fire.

Again and again, those creating financial chaos, in which the taxpayers end up being the suckers in having to suffer for such, indicates that something is clearly fundamentally wrong.  What is especially galling is all those companies that pay inordinate amounts of bonuses or salaries when times are good, and then when the speculative crash comes, are not held accountable for those excess monies that were wrongly given out for overly risky plays, gone all so wrong, in which those monies were never appropriately returned or compensated to those unduly hurt by such, especially in consideration that they were improperly "earned", in the first place, by those that unsoundly speculated.

The reason that there is so much speculation in America has an awful lot to do with the fact that America is the largest economy in the world, while also having very liquid markets, as well as its monetary unit, being the de facto default currency for the world.  All this, encourages rogues to ply their trade, and when those creating speculative bubbles end up hurting the common man, they and not the common man, should have to pay dearly for having done so.

Debt peonage is enslavement

Much of the foundation of America was built upon the backs of slaves, as well as many others that were exploited so that some would become immensely wealthy and powerful at the expense of the people as a whole.  While slavery has been outlawed for a considerable amount of time in America, and while laws have in theory, banned imprisonment for monetary debt; in point of fact, America day-by-day, is regressing to a country of the few that own and rule everything, whereas the many, are either incarcerated, or left hopeless, or seemingly permanently in debt.

There are a lot of ways to control the masses, of which, the combination of the law as dictated by those elites that run the show, in conjunction with the boots on the ground that enforce such, is part and parcel of what is done in many developing countries around the world.  Because, America is in theory, a vibrant democracy, as well as the exemplar to the world, they must mask what is actually happening to the people by successfully selling the illusion that this is a country of freedom, opportunity, and liberty, of which those propagating such do a somewhat admirable job in that achievement, for many believe exactly that, even when their personal situation, belies such.

So then, the tricks of the trade as practiced in America, really comes down to using access to wages, income, and assets as a cudgel to keep the people in their place.  For instance, as unions for private enterprise in America have become eviscerated, those jobs are replaced with far inferior wages and weakened benefits that don't come close to providing the income and security needed for a middle class family to vibrantly exist, in which the carrot is always just in front of those employees, telling them that given enough time, and enough corresponding profit and market share, that their wages will improve, as long as they are sufficiently patient.  So too, the government insists that the good paying jobs, necessitate an education that is beyond free public schooling, and hence requires that individuals pay for their own higher education, out of their own pocket, of which, the monetary credit so extended to these credulous students is ever and ever higher, and the debt so created for that education, which may not even result in a graduate degree or a degree of any value, results in a staggering amount of debt to thus be carried, at a very young age.

So too, whereas it use to be, in order to get a loan, one had to prove that they had a steady job, and solid roots within their community; nowadays credit cards are issued to just about anyone, in which proof of income, seems to be an afterthought, of which those issuing the credit cards, have sophisticated models, in which, they are able to make an exceedingly handsome profit off of those high interest rates charged to their customers, when the cost of money for those providing that credit has never been lower; along with penalties, and fees so charged for those that violate their terms, in which the end result is that those receiving that credit, suffer greatly from that debt load, which never lightens.

The end result is that millions upon millions of Americans are greatly indebted, and hence are in debt peonage to those that own and control that debt, never to get ahead, never to actually own much of anything, and caught within a construct in which they are perpetually chained to those that are their masters, who essentially own them and their labor, which enriches and continues to empower them at the debtors' expense.

That which is not yours, is not yours to control

Life, for most people, contains a significant amount of frustration and disappointment; in particular, to those important things that will not conform to our desires and needs at that time and place. For instance, we are nonplussed when we are nice and considerate to someone that is our friend, in which we do not receive the same sort of reciprocal response in return.  Further, our patience often wears thin, when other people do not appear to react in a way that is either logical or consistent to our viewpoint, and hence we have to change our direction in order to accommodate their needless and apparent mistake.    Again and again, people that we know, as well as our interplay with various elements of society seems to constantly entail interactions that do not go to plan, and certainly do not conform to what we believe should be happening in the here and now.

Not too surprisingly, in a construct in which we are constantly disappointed in our fellow compatriots, and in which that society seems, in general, to be in error, or clueless, we develop a habit of feeling disappointment and the frustration that thereby comes upon us by virtue of our desires and needs being thwarted again and again.  Yet, this should really not be all that unexpected, because in a world in which each of us is created with free will, and in which each of us has different needs and different desires, and where many of us come from backgrounds that can be quite fundamentally different, than the outcome of all of this when each of us meets in our social interactions, is going to be something far less than harmonious, especially when each individual believes that they should be the master controller of all that is happening around and to them.

It must therefore be recognized, that the only real things that we can control are those things which are entirely of our own making, as well as recognizing the correlating thought that it is only our reactions and thoughts to what is occurring in and around us that are actually in our control.  This thus means that rather than being upset that what is happening, is not happening per our desires and preferences, we must let go of our frustration and anger, to resolve instead to find the common ground, that allows us to function in a manner in which our connection to others is beneficial for all that are intertwined.

That is to say, the belief that things should be our way, only because we want things to be our way, is a mindset that is neither positive nor successfully resolves a thing.  Rather, it must be acknowledged that first the change that we wish to have in this world, must start with our own self, and thereupon to the degree that we can engage others in a conversation that involves a true meeting of the minds, change is initiated.  Thereby, by understanding the other better, this becomes more conducive towards building a coalition of both commonality and purpose, for when two or more are joined together, especially for a cause or purpose that is worthwhile, then we are on the right road of human progress, and no longer stymied by the blindness of our selfish ego.

Sensory happiness never fully lasts

Most everyone likes to be happy, and most of us, are able to find parts of our day, or areas of our life, which will make us happy, most of the time.  The thing is that in order to be happier, far more often, and feel far better about having that happiness, people need to gravitate more to those activities that are more fulfilling and of more lasting meaning, as compared to something or other that just deals almost exclusively with sense pleasures, such as eating, or sexuality.

That is to say, while many of us get great joy from eating delicious food, or from the pleasure of good sexuality, each of these activities, are subject to having a peak period of that happiness, invariably followed by an eventual return to our basic baseline.  In other words, the sensory experience that we are receiving in the present might well make us feel fantastic, but it does not last; and our remembrance of it, won't be able to bring us back to the peak feelings that we had in and of that moment in time.

So then, as much as we might delight in the wonderful sensory experiences of various activities, each of those things ultimately are transitory in nature and basically requires us to repeat such, in order to retrieve again those happy feelings; and even when repeated, the happiness that we are desiring to get, may not be at the level of the past, or even really hitting the level that we were hoping for.

On the other hand, there is a different sort of happiness that lies beyond mere sensory gratification, in which, that happiness requires a more giving attitude and the relating of ourselves to other people, of which, by risking something of value, such as our reputation or our personality with another, we put ourselves in the open position to gain something in return from them, because having valued them as a whole person, we thereby recognize that by connecting deeply with one another, that each of us can thereby help the other to benefit in tangible as well as intangible ways.

That is why we want to be with other people, because with those other people, they can help us to expand our limited horizons as well as to aid and augment us in learning those things that have lasting attributes, so that we are better able to adapt and to grow in this world.  So too, the interplay with one trusting person to another, allows us to play and to experiment with them in a manner in which stifling judgment has been accorded a backseat, so that the trying out of new things and new avenues, can be attempted.

Additionally, lasting happiness, unlike sensory happiness, is only possible, by finding things of merit and worth, that lie outside of our control, and which necessitates our interaction with other people, perhaps in the pursuit of a noble objective, that benefits society in a manner that could not have happened without our necessary contribution, of which, the joy and satisfaction that we helped to create, mirrors back to our own self. So that, happiness isn't really about what happens to you, rather, it is more about what you do, that helps to create happiness for another, and that thereby makes us feel happy for our voluntary involvement and contribution to accomplishing exactly that.

Your country needs you

It is absolutely remarkable that the United States had not had a draft or conscription since 1973.  While the uninitiated and unenlightened might believe that this is so, because Americans are natural born patriots, the truth of the matter is far more illuminating.  For instance, while there will always be myriad reasons as to why individuals sign up to serve their country, it should first be noted, that because America is the preeminent military power in the world, and hence is the country that has no peer in regards to the violence and destruction it dishes out, and thereby suffers few causalities and damages, itself, means that America is a winner, no matter the result of any one war or engagement.  This means, that soldiers in America's armed forces, while being respectful that they could well suffer harm and even death in their duty, recognize that it is always the other guy that will do most of the suffering and most of the dying, because America's military might and muscle is shockingly frightening in its power and its awesome impact.

So that, quite obviously, being on the winning team helps a great deal in the enlistment and recruitment of inductees.  So too, does the fact that America is a country which has a very high income disparity, so that therefore there is an abundance of young individuals that come from nothing, have nothing, and desire to have something of value.  This thus means, that the armed forces have a real attraction to all those that intuitively recognize that in order to get out of their current predicament, this is going to necessitate an institution that can provide them a real opportunity.  Fortunately, for these potential recruits, the armed forces, through the generosity of its government, does indeed put together a very competitive package for those that are in need of good health benefits, subsidized housing, valuable pension benefits, steady and reliable income, along with those educational discounts. 

So too, because in general, those that are in the armed forces are accorded a very decent respect from the general public, this signifies that those that come from humble, disadvantaged, troubling, or areas of the country that seem to be anachronistic in nature, are able to now find something that may well provide them with the desirable accouterments of esteem, and therefore in its own way, a real piece of the American dream.

Of course, for all this to work in a way in which these soldiers are actually competent and skilled in their performance of their duties, this necessitates strict and exacting discipline, teamwork, molding, propaganda, repetition, peer pressure, and relentless demands by those that are in charge and have responsibility that these volunteers become formed into one cohesive unit that will perform their duties without equivocation or hesitation.  After all, there must be instilled a belief in these soldiers that they are now an integral part of their country, and thereby they need to believe that what their country needs from them, that they must therefore do, which will be dutifully done in faithful service to that country, signifying that those that serve such have now bought into the belief, that this is their country, right or wrong.

Make me happy

Most people deeply desire to be happy, and while they may well recognize that to be happy 100% of the time, isn't ever going to happen, they still desire to be happy, as much as can be conceivable in their lives.  Somewhat regrettably, the world does not revolve around each one of us, and neither has it been created by any one of us, so that, as much as we might desire to be happy, and to have happy things happen for us and around us, it doesn't actually work out that way, because we don't have the ability to control everything or to bend everything to our desires.  Further, it would seem that there are people and circumstances that conspire against us having all the happiness that we want, or believe that we deserve, making us therefore, unhappy.

So then, in order to become happy, some people believe that a prudent way to do so, is to find someone that will aid and abet them in being and becoming happy, more times than not.  For some people, they do find that special someone that does help them greatly in their happiness and that is indeed a very good thing.  For other people, though things might well start off quite favorably, they often find to their dismay that the someone that they have selected to increase their happiness, ends up, instead, not only not increasing their happiness, but actually making them far less happy and far less satisfied then they were previously.

Perhaps an audacious solution to all of this is that rather than trying to find someone that will make you happy, it might actually make more sense to find someone or perhaps some activity that you desire to do; in which by devoting yourself to that person or activity, you end up feeling the delight of bringing happiness to another, and hence have the inner satisfaction in accomplishing, something of real value and merit.

So then, it could be stated, that the pursuit of happiness, need not necessarily mean that you need to find someone to make you happy, but rather you can be happy and satisfied when finding someone that by helping to make them happy, brings happiness also to your inner being.  This signifies that those times when you have devoted yourself to another, in which, while it might well have appeared to have been a personal sacrifice of both time and effort that this, somehow, has brought immense joy to your being, for in that giving, you feel both honored and valued.

The pathway to happiness is going to be different for each one of us, and such can change depending upon where we are in our life at that stage.  However, those that take the time to really reflect as to when they are the most happiest and satisfied, will often find, that it is in those times, when they have voluntarily given to another, without a real expectation of receiving any gain in return, that they feel an inner peace, and a happiness, that makes them know that they are highly regarded and truly appreciated.  

Seeking pleasure, above all

While there is something to be said about desiring pleasure in the sense that those things that make us feel good have their place; so too, there is that false lure of believing that pleasure, above all, should be the motivating force in our lives.  That is to say, those that purposely avoid all those important things, inconvenient things, and responsibilities that would distract oneself or would stymie oneself in the pursuit of a certain pleasure, because to recognize such, would mean the rightful acknowledgement that we each have obligations and responsibilities to others, have taken this particular view, because they desire not to willingly give up that particular pleasure.

So that, pleasure seeking for some, becomes something that supersedes their appropriate responsibilities and obligations that they have to others.  As misguided to pursue as that may be, what is even more troubling, is those that in order to get their pleasure, compromise their own ethics, and even worse, compromise other people's values, in order to get that pleasure, no matter the real cost.  Therefore, the pleasure principle overrides considerations of good conscience, of doing the right thing, and of keeping things in perspective; because that pleasure, for that moment, rules their mind, and therefore those others that they need in order to have their pleasure, become thereby objectified for that pleasure.

Again, it isn't that desiring pleasure is so wrong, it is only when the pursuit of pleasure, overrides our good conscience that such is wrong; and this is especially deplorable when such is done in an underhanded way against others, all for our selfish benefit, and without fully taking into account, that other people, have not been created, to personally satisfy what our particular cravings may be.  This would indicate that pleasure seeking, without reasonable constraints and without the necessary consent by the other, is clearly selfish; whereas pleasure seeking, in which both parties are voluntarily on the same page, has its dutiful place.

The fact that we often feel good when doing certain pleasurable things provides the apparent reinforcement that such must be okay.  To the extent, that we still feel the same way in hindsight, afterwards, would again seem to indicate that such is okay.  On the other hand, if in order to obtain that general good feeling, we are at first obligated to addle our mind through drugs, drink, or something similar, then this would strongly imply that our good conscience is troubled by what we are doing and the very contemplation of such, which is why we therefore turn to those substances to basically suppress our good mind.

When we discount our good conscience, in order to have that pleasure, such may typically become classified as a "guilty pleasure," because ultimately we are not completely comfortable with that activity that occurred.  To then, ignore those pricks to our good conscience, or to drown such out by drugs or drink, is indicative that our pursuit of that particular pleasure is fundamentally not right.  This would clearly indicate, that our pursuit of pleasure should be constrained within a window that takes into account, that responsibilities and obligations left behind to pursue such pleasures, are going to eventually exact a price from us, that we probably will not ultimately desire to have to pay.

The pursuit of profit, above all

We live in a capitalistic society, of which, businesses are created in order to sell product so that the manufacturer or the distributor of such, can make a profit.  In the scheme of things, most people and most consumers do not ever begrudge a company that plays fairly by the rules of making a fair profit. On the other hand, most people and most consumers do have an issue with companies that price gouge their consumers or that cheat consumers by selling products that purport to be one thing but are really not, or purport to be of a certain quality and are not, and further that cheat the employees out of fair wages in the creation of those products so being sold.

Again and again, to the degree that executives are taught, that the pursuit of profit, is the only thing that matters, no matter what; then the slippery slope so created for a significant amount of companies is inevitably going to be the exploitation of labor, the doctoring of products to some degree, and deliberate deceit of the consumer base so buying.  No doubt, there are laws upon laws, to deal with these very things, but when the corporations have the money to buy the best legal minds available, as well as to lobby and to unfairly influence legislators to see things the corporate way, then those laws will not ever be robust in their actual application, and thereby will be successfully subverted in such a way, so that all appears well, though in actuality, all is not.

While individuals can cheat other individuals in many ways, the degree that corporations can cheat individuals is at a much higher and invasive level, because when a given person is personally liable for what they do, say, and act, they are in the natural, going to be more circumspect.  As for those groups of individuals that merge into a corporate entity, in which by virtue of that corporate entity those individuals are thereby protected from ever being in danger of personal liability, this thus allows corporations to behave in a manner that is far more aggressive in that pursuit of profit, because those corporate individuals know that they are not ever going to personally suffer for their bad actions, but rather it will be the corporate entity, if it even comes to that which will have to face the music, instead.

All of the above essentially means that more laws will not ever correct those corporations that behave in a manner that is unethical, but rather that the mindset of those corporations has to be corrected, instead.  Which therefore means that while corporations are entitled to make what profit that they can fairly make; that they also have an incumbent societal responsibility to do so in a manner in which labor is paid a fair wage, and in which the work conditions within the corporate sphere are safe, along with adhering to the practice that corporations should be good corporate citizens in all that they enact, say and do.

Those that believe that corporations are entitled to make as much money as possible are basically saying that the pursuit of money trumps any and all social responsibility and duty that corporations have to their country of origin, and that people should therefore take the backseat to that corporate pursuit of money.

The wealthy that do not labor

One of the objectives of working is to obviously earn an income, which is necessary in order for each of us to purchase those things such as food, shelter, transportation, water, and so on and so forth that we need in order to properly function and to remain solvent.  So that, it is fair to say, that though we might well labor for a lot of reasons, one of the more practical reasons is so as to earn money, which thereby permits us to appreciate or to have the necessary things for ourselves as well as for those that we are connected to.  Additionally, ideally we labor in order to be of practical benefit to others in the work so created that thereupon helps our communities, and furthers the advancement of mankind.

There are, presently, a fair amount of people that have wealth, in which they did not labor for that wealth.  For instance, most parents, desire greatly to pass on an inheritance for their offspring, of which, besides their wealth of knowledge and advice, one of those things so being gifted to their progeny, is the material wealth so accumulated during their lifetimes.  To the degree, that this wealth helps to stabilize a given household, or augments the income of a household, or aids and abets in the education of, or the fair ability to advance in society, as a good member of it, such has its rightful place.  On the other hand, to the degree that inherited wealth makes it so the person or household receiving such, need not ever labor, or becomes a foolish spendthrift, such is questionable in its value, or even its rightfulness.

That is to say, there is a massive principled chasm between those that have wealth, and have rightfully earned it by their fair labor and by their dedication to their craft; as compared to those that have the same amount of wealth, but have nary lifted a finger to acquire such, for the psyche of those minds so involved, are almost always, fundamentally different.  So that, those that labor for their money, often think about and stress about what they need to do and to accomplish, both in the short-term and in the long-term, and they are most definitely in the arena of the world in which their decisions and throughput has real consequences for themselves as well as for others.  On the other hand, those that simply have wealth don't need to and often don't care to be concerned about everyday life for others that are not of the same non-laboring milieu, but rather spend their time, only in consideration as to how to make the money that they currently have, last even longer, or grow, and little else.

Those that labor for their wealth, concern themselves with the continuance of their career and the making of good decisions.  Those that do not labor, concern themselves primarily with protecting what they have, from being taken from their hands, for they greatly fear losing what gives them their power and meaning in life, knowing that without that wealth, they would be surely lost, for their idle hands know not what to do, if all that money was to slip through their fat and feeble fingers. 

Dodge v. Ford Motor Co

Henry Ford is famous for raising the wage of those assembling the automobiles for Ford Motor Company, to a minimum wage of $5/day in 1914, as long as other requirements were met, back when wages for Ford's newly hired assembly workers, were previously only about $2.30/day.  In which, seemingly this wage increase was done by Ford out of altruistic purposes.  In truth, Henry Ford, recognized the wisdom of providing his employees with a "living wage", which would reduce considerably employee turnover and thereby make for a significant reduction in the training of such; in addition to increasing the work quality and actual cost efficiency of the automobiles so being produced; while also providing the ready means to increase market share, by the good will and middle incomes generated, allowing that working class to purchase the vehicles so being manufactured.

Somewhat incredibly, the Ford Motor Company, was sued by two of its largest shareholders, the Dodge brothers, for Ford's seemingly overly generous pay to its employees, that the Dodge brothers believed was a fiduciary mistake in regards to compensation for those employees, which should rather have seen monies paid out instead, in dividends to those shareholders.  Further, the Dodge brothers did not believe that the Ford Motor Company was wise in reducing the price of the automobiles so being produced, when the market seemingly allowed Ford Motor Company to sell such at a higher price point, and thereby would have meant a higher profit per unit of those automobiles being sold.

Additionally, Henry Ford, had stated that one of his driving forces, in regards to his employees, was to "… to help them build up their lives and their homes."  The Dodge brothers believed that Ford's duty to its shareholders was simply to pursue profits to the best of his ability, and that anything beyond this specific goal, was inimical to those shareholders.  That is to say, the pursuit of money and profit was to be above everything else, and therefore those employers that were not compelled by law or other salient conditions to pay more than they needed to pay for the labor assembling those automobiles, were essentially cheating the shareholders of Ford Motor Company from the rightful monies so due to them in the form of higher dividends and/or a higher share price.

The result of this lawsuit was that though the court admitted that the duty of Ford Motor Company was to make money for its shareholders, it also stated, that it was not within the court's jurisdiction to question or to interfere in the business practices of Ford Motor Company in regards to either salaries so being paid or the price of the products so being sold, as well as the expansion of the business as best determined by the corporate officers of the Ford Motor Company.  This meant, that Henry Ford had the right to increase the wages of its employees, as well as the right to reduce the price of the automobiles so being produced, and would not be mandated by that court to do otherwise. 

So too, this indicated that hiding almost in plain sight, is the belief, by at least some of the representatives of this  capitalistic system,  that money and the pursuit of profit, should always be of primary importance, and therefore that pursuit should rightfully be above any requirement or desire that those being employed, are entitled to a "living wage".