It is a crime to be poor

The bottom line is that there are those laws that are primarily created by those that design them in a way in which they may appear to be of good intention, but in reality, are created in a manner in which it thereby becomes a pathway to exert social control over those elements of society, that they so deem to be in need of managing, molding, and perpetual oversight.  So then, rather than being transparent about those laws and the intended purpose of such, those in know deliberately create laws that give the illusion of fairness, but are definitely not fair in their application, so of.

This thus means that we find that, for instance, when all drivers are required to have car insurance, that while on the surface, this appears to be a fair, prudent, and a practical requirement, it really isn't.  For this requirement is far less fair and practical, for those that are already struggling to make and to meet their financial obligations, and thereby simply do not have the funds to pay also for car insurance, which seems to be one of those things, that is an expense, that is best left for another day.  Yet, to be in a car accident, without appropriate car insurance, can be more damaging for that unfortunate driver, than the actual damage of the accident itself; by virtue of that driver, being subject to possible criminal penalties, heavy monetary fines, along with the suspension of that person's driver's license.  So, in short, those that have made a decision based on the lack of ready funds, are thereby burden even more by the penalties for not paying the piper to begin with, without such taking into fair consideration that the funds were never really there to pay the piper for that insurance.

Additionally, it costs a ton of money for people to live in a residence of any sort; in fact, housing is typically the biggest monthly expense for most people, so that, quite obviously, for those that are down on their luck, for whatever reason, they are going to have to cut corners in order to make ends meet when they lack the funds or the stability to live at a particular place.  So then, as a consequence, some people are going to camp where they need to camp, or sleep in their vehicle, or on a park bench, or just about anywhere where they can get some sleep in, and the response by some authorities in certain jurisdictions is to address sleeping in a car or sleeping in a park or sleeping on a park bench, as an actual criminal act, which clearly does nothing about the root cause of such homelessness, but instead stigmatizes those that are struggling, by making criminals out of them. 

So too, as much as parents love their children, there are things and activities that have to be accomplished each and every day, so that, those that have to leave their children alone for some period of time, or in their car for a short duration, are prone to being susceptible to all sorts of well intentioned laws dealing with the good welfare of children, but applied almost exclusively against those lacking in the same accouterments and flexibility that parents with money, pale complexion, stability and position so have; in addition to that law being applied only against those that are pretty much defenseless to fight back.

Even though the mainstream narrative claims that it is no crime to be poor, we see, in fact, that the laws so written and applied, do indeed indicate the very opposite.

Not your grandparent's corporations

Today's corporations are not like they were back in the 1930s, for the mixture of such, and the size of such, and the economic impact of such of those corporations, is far, far different today, then it was back then.  For instance, as pointed out by author Kevin Phillips, "Of the twenty largest US corporations in 1937, eight were railroads and seven were utilities."  This signifies that back in 1937, that 75% of the largest US corporations, were essentially those that provided a needed service to the general public, such as electricity, water, sewage, and the like; as well as our interstate transportation system which was dependent upon railroads to transport needed goods from one area of the country to another in an efficient way, of which, this was accomplished before our present age of an interstate highway system, and thereby those ubiquitous semi-trucks.  So then, back in 1937, the largest companies were to a large extent those corporations that were essential to the everyday life of Americans, as a whole.

However, a look at today's largest corporations, tells us that none of these top twenty corporations are utilities and none of them are railroads, either.  To a certain degree, that isn't surprising, since utilities are typically publically regulated for the public good and hence their profits are controlled by that regulation; and railroads while still vital, have been for over a century regulated by governmental authorities for the fair benefit of that society; along with the fact that these railroads have seen their previous exclusive domain being subject to in subsequent years by the replacement of other means of transportation, such as semi-trucks, airplanes, and large container ships.  The thing is that previously the largest corporations in this country were for the most part, companies that were regulated by governmental authorities for the good of the country, so as to be fair to the public -- therefore because of this the public was not unfairly gouged by pricing and restrictions so imposed by those corporate entities utilizing monopoly type powers without being subject to containment by corresponding governmental restraint, rules and regulations.

This signifies that today's gargantuan corporations have never had it better in the sense of being able to extract as much profit as they so desire, with little or no pushback by governmental authorities or regulations, so of.  It then comes as no real surprise that in industries in which there are no real constraints so imposed, that those corporations are able to become bigger, more powerful, more profitable, and more influential in regards to essentially directing government policy, so that the mantra of said government seems to be what is good for those companies is good for this country; whereas, in truth, what is good for those companies, is primarily good for those that are at the highest echelons of those corporations, as well as the financiers and investors, so of. 

Regrettably, this government has ceded more and more control of the business of America, to that which is unelected, and woefully under-regulated, in some sort of laissez-faire mindset which benefits those corporations enormously at the expense of the general public, at large; for the more profit that these corporations so make, is more that they have successfully extracted from the pockets of everyday Americans, in which, this government has fallen asleep at the helm, without recognizing its fiduciary duty to level the playing field, in fairness to all.

"…avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments…"

The above quotation reads more fully as: "Hence, likewise, they will avoid the necessity of those overgrown military establishments which, under any form of government, are inauspicious to liberty, and which are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty."  This quote comes from an esteemed politician, and seemingly somewhat surprisingly, from a former President of the United States.  Many people might presuppose that it must have come from President Eisenhower's Farewell Address, so done on January 17, 1961, in which the President rails against the "military-industrial complex," but these words are not Eisenhower's words.  So then, one might logically think that this must therefore be words so spoken by a President that has no love for the military and during their Presidency, was considered to be a pacifist in principle, someone such as John Quincy Adams, or Jimmy Carter, but alas these are not their words, either.  In fact, these words were spoken on September 19, 1796, as the Farewell Address, by the Father of our nation, the inestimable, irreplaceable, courageous George Washington, our country's first President.

This thus signifies that when someone that has been at the pinnacle of military power as well as military honor and therefore knows the intimacies of such, thereby recognizes the inherent danger of a military establishment grown too large, then surely these are the very words that any sensible American should subsequently take to heart.  The fact that these words were spoken back when the military of these United States, was modest in size, and equally modest in scope, signifies the prescient of those words so spoken.  The understanding of such therefore should not be prudently ignored, for as a sovereign nation of republican virtue, so governed and thereby divided into three separate powers, we find that none of those powers are specifically designated as a separate branch, exclusively for the military.  Rather, this is supposed to be a nation that adheres to the highest law of its land, which is its Constitution, and of which, those three separate branches are known as the judicial, executive, and legislative. 

Washington was correct in his sagacious concern, that none of those other branches have any real relevancy, if in fact, this country for all intents and purposes, is run by those unelected officials of the military establishment; for because they have the power of the mighty gun, are thereby in a position, should they not be effectively controlled or corralled, of essentially being that "shadow government" that thereby rules the roost, directly or indirectly, through that awesome military might or its threat, thereof.   This is the probable reason in an age in which the United States has no country or series of countries that would even contemplate war upon our nation, that this nation maintains and even augments its insanely high military budget that thereby takes from its citizens, that which is of value, such as social services, healthcare, employment, infrastructure, education, and the like to feed the endless trough of military lust and desires, under the guise that our national security demands that very thing.

The very freedoms that this nation was founded upon, the unalienable rights that are ours, so gifted to us by our Creator, have in recent decades, taken the back seat to what that military-industrial-technology complex so desires, which has meant that never have so many domestic citizens been under the surveillance of its own nation's invasive security apparatus, and never have so many guns, been at the ready, so as to keep, if it must be, those citizens in their place, leaving our domestic tranquility, in a constant sea of tempestuous trouble, and our liberty at the mercy of that military establishment.

"We the people"

The preamble of our Constitution begins with these immortal words, "We the people of the United States," signifying that the creation of this country, was based upon the sovereignty of those people, and therefore that the people would not therefore have to pay obeisance to monarchies or dictators, or things of that ilk, but that the people were instead the masters and thereby the co-creators of their own government, and the Constitution so created, was to be their effective ruler, and therefore the highest law of this land.

This signifies, that those that are the least patriotic are all those people and institutions that do not adhere to this Constitutional principle, that this is a government of, for, and by the people; of which the greatest traitors to that principle are all those that aid and abet and/or participate in a "shadow government" that bypasses the people and instead sets itself up under the guise of a Constitutional republic; but is in form, fit and function, a governance that is of, for, and by those of privilege, connections, power, money, and military might.

This means that in order for the people to be masters of their own fate, that they need to diligently hold accountable all areas of that governance which effectively bypasses or ignores the people, by those usurpers, for example, aggrandizing into their own hands, powers not so vested to them by that Constitution.  The fact is that in today's world it seems as if the people have seemingly ceded control of the sovereignty of their own lives, along with apparently giving up their unalienable rights of life, freedom, and self-determination, either wittingly or unwittingly to those that have become their illegitimate replacement masters.   

Regrettably, this is no great surprise, for humankind and its corresponding governance often starts from great principles of egalitarianism and fairness but sadly is prone to becoming devolved into such being controlled by those that have a lust for power and greed; of which the people because they are so engaged in their day-to-day activities of conducting their livelihood, find themselves to a certain degree, quite susceptible to being hoodwinked or propagandized in such a way that what they once had, becomes no more.

Still, the highest law of this land is that Constitution, and as long as we have a Constitutional government, than the people still have a foundation to call and to lean upon; and of which, it is important that they do that very thing, because nothing in life is stagnant, and that which is not utilized and taken to heart as being of the utmost importance, has a strong tendency, especially when there are those corrupt others that are intent upon wresting such away, to weaken almost to irrelevancy.

In this country, we are meant to govern ourselves, and to govern ourselves in a manner in which we benefit one another, not just for this generation, but for generations to come.  The loyalty that we owe one another, is that loyalty that recognizes that we all are equally entitled to the liberty and the freedom that this country represents in principle; of which, those that try to take our sovereignty away from us, overtly or covertly, under the guise of war, or safety, or false improvement, or because they claim to know better, are not our friends, but rather are enemies of the state.

The government of plutocracy

While, we like to believe that the United States government is a government, of, for, and by the people; the fact of the matter is that representation for those of modest means is few in number, and therefore average Americans are underrepresented and therefore lack the power and the necessary influence to effect change.  For instance, a significant amount of Americans are people that make a middle class income, and/or constantly struggle to make ends meet, but through their perseverance and pluck they are able to get by, day-by-day.  These salt-of-the-earth Americans typically suffer from a paucity of numbers at the highest levels of meaningful governance, despite their relevancy and the necessity for their voice to actually be heard for the good of the people, in whole.

Not too surprisingly, those that have money and power, gravitate to positions that will at a minimum allow them to keep those riches secure; if not to outright augment what they already have, so as to lockdown and to secure their dynastic power, even so for generations.  So then, in the arena of politics in which money plays an outsized role in the propositions, legislation, and the representatives, so put into play, those that have that money make sure that such is utilized quite effectively; and those that are in powerful positions, are quite skilled in consolidating and often increasing their power, all the more.

Yet, the sheer number of those that are rich -- pales in comparison to those that are not; so that the ever increasing amount of wealth being held in that small minority of hands, seems to indicate that despite the fact that each citizen is equally enfranchised for the vote; that somehow the laws, the legislation, the taxation, and the like are sickly skewed to favor those that already have everything that they could ever conceivably need in order to live a very good and superior life, leaving those without, with even less -- in this the land of egalitarianism, and the supposed enemy of nobility and titles or its equivalency.

This signifies that in America, that for all intents and purposes, this land and thereby its governance is run almost exclusively by those that have the power and the money, of which we see the aftereffects of this by the high degree of poverty of our own citizens in this the richest nation the world has ever known, as well as so shown by the multitude of additional Americans that are constantly vulnerable to financial catastrophe should they be laid off, or suffer ill health, or be hit with some other unexpected negative event.

It would be one thing, if the superrich simply just enjoyed their wealth; but perhaps there is something more sinister that is happening, for there seems to be a correlation between those that are massively wealthy and the corresponding poverty and underclass which subsists and exists in America, of which, the only fair conclusion to reach is that far too many of those that are rich and powerful, get what they claim is theirs, by their outright exploitation of their fellow countrymen.  So, the rich oppress the poor, for the benefit of the rich; and the only conceivable institution that can stand up to the superrich, is this government, of, by and for the people, which does next to nothing to fundamentally change what needs to be changed so as to ameliorate the poverty and the lack of fair opportunity for its people, because that government is clearly under the aegis of the rich and powerful.

Property tax unfairness

While there are probably few people that are actually happy to pay taxes, in point of fact, most people will admit that the payment of taxes are a necessary and a needed function for those that are part and parcel of their communities; in order to demonstrate in principle that they are good contributors to their community, if by nothing else, at least by their tax paying contribution. This thus signifies that what is really most meaningful for taxpayers is that the system as constructed is both uniform and fair.  When it comes to property taxes this is surely not the case, and in fact, hasn't been the case, and probably won't be the case anytime soon.

For instance, certain properties are exempt from property taxes, such as universities, churches, governmental facilities, public school facilities, non-profit hospitals, and many general non-profits, as well as various exemptions are typically made available for senior citizens, veterans, and even corporate businesses that have negotiated a special deal with the appropriate governance of a particular city, county, or local authority.  So that, as reported by lohud.com, it is estimated that "The state of New York is home to 5.7 million parcels of property worth an estimated $2.8 trillion But when property-tax bills go out each year, nearly a third of that value — about $866 billion — never gets billed."  Obviously, those properties that are thereby totally exempt, or have their taxes reduced for whatever reason, necessitates that those that are not exempt, must therefore carry significantly more of the tax load, in order to provide necessary monies for the infrastructure of their government to successfully perform and to provide their community services.

When it comes to those property taxes, the payment of such has nothing to do with discretionary spending, such as what a sales tax so represents, for goods so purchased; but reflects instead the ownership of real estate property that one either conducts their business from, and/or resides within, and since everyone needs a place of residence, and those of working age, typically require a separate place where they work, the taxes so assessed are relevant.  Because, whether or not, a given person owns the business, or owns their dwelling, property taxes will be paid either directly, because of that ownership, or indirectly -- for instance, when they are just an employee or just a renter; but paid they are going to be, in one form or another, by, for example, higher rents to reflect those taxes, or lower wages or lower job opportunities, or some sort of combination, thereof.

One way for the common property taxpayer to begin to fight back against this unfairness, is for a public list of all exempt businesses, schools, churches, non-profits, and the like, thereby becoming available in an easily accessible public database, and further to the point, leading to some sort of pushback by the general taxpayer against the fact that total property tax exemptions, should really be few and infrequent, of which, the reasoning of those exemptions being provided in the first place, should be foundationally re-examined.  This is not to say that universities, for instance, don't provide a public benefit; but why should that benefit, include a total exemption of property taxes, as if every square inch of that university is all for the benefit of the public, when, in fact, only a small percentage of the residents of a community typically ever set foot even upon the campus.

The bottom line is that property taxes are not cheap, and for those that are compelled to pay, annually, they never actually go away.  So it would be fairer, if all the members of the community in whole did their fair share in their contribution to the payment of such, rather than their outright avoidance.

Inflation is in the stock market

The United States has gone through periods of time of double-digit inflation, but this has not occurred since 1980, and apparently despite everything that the Federal Reserve has tried in recent years, to get inflation up to their desired target rate of 2%, inflation has remained quiescent, and apparently typically under that target.  Yet, this seems rather strange in consideration that the Federal Reserve has been increasing the M1 money supply (which is essentially money in circulation plus checkable deposits in banks) at an unprecedented rate, ostensibly because of COVID-19 and to preclude a recession. 

The classic definition of inflation, is too much money chasing too few goods; so if we take the government at its word, that inflation is not really occurring within the economy, despite the money supply having increased at a very explosive rate, then a good detective would want to investigate other areas of the economy and those industries in which ready money plays an integral part.  One of those areas that would fit the bill would have to be the stock market, in which, the United States, a country that hasn't produced an impressive growth rate in regards to its GDP in years, has seen, nevertheless, most of its stock indexes hit new records.

Quite clearly, when institutions and people that already have more money than they know what to do with, get even more capital in their hands, they very well might have a strong inclination not to risk their money in that which doesn't really need their investment, especially when such also requires time, concentration and monitoring, but might well prefer to speculate instead in something passive, such as equities, in which, the commitment of funds to equities, is one of those activities, that requires little personal involvement of time or energy, while also being quite liquid, and to its credit has historically provided good returns; so that with the cost of money so being invested being at historic lows, provides to those having that money and thereby looking for a safe home, a place that appears to be conducive to making that easy money.

So then, the reality is that the printing of massive amounts of money that goes into the hands of those that have more than enough of it, is quite logically simply going to be funneled into stock markets, thereby signifying that the inflation that this government can't seem to find, is because they aren't looking in the right places; and the proof of this theory will occur, when that accelerated money supply growth terminates, thereby ending the euphoria of that stock market, for when it comes time to pay the piper, those that have speculated in the same sphere, will all strongly desire to cash out at the very same time.

While there are all sorts of theories about how much a given stock is worth, the real worth of any stock, comes down to the give and take of those that speculate within that market; and when the easy money is flowing, stocks are going to inevitably rise; whereas when the tide does turn, and the spigot has been turned off, then stocks are subsequently going to run very, very dry.

The right to strike

The National Labor Relations Act permits employees to strike, subject to certain conditions, as well as subject to certain employment situations, such as those that are employed as police officers, or, in many cases, those that teach at public schools.  The fact that employees can strike, subject to certain conditions, such as an unlawful purpose, or in violation of the terms of a labor contract, as well as similar restrictions, gives those that are employees the potential wherewithal to have some semblance of power when it comes to the negotiation with those that are their employer of record.

The main purpose of any strike is to change the current conditions, in regards to wages, work environment, safety, hours and the like to take into fair account the needs of those that are employed, and typically those that resort to a strike, are doing so, because their voices have effectively been ignored or silenced, and therefore for those that will not listen, an actual strike is initiated to get their attention.

Not too surprisingly, management is often times, though not always, aware that there may indeed be a strike in the works, and therefore because of that awareness, they are better setup in their response to such and will have taken into careful consideration what their countermoves will consist of.  This signifies, that those so preparing to strike typically want to catch the management off guard, so that the management will not have had the time or the necessary resources, to build up an inventory, to engage with "scabs" to break the strike, or any of a multitude of management responses that will mitigate the damages to their bottom line and to their business, at large.

Further, some managements actually try to provoke their employees into striking, especially when their business outlook looks rather bleak, in the hopes of reducing their labor costs, by functionally shutting down their business for a period of time, with the master plan being to thereby come to the negotiating table of which by taking into account the now current business conditions, and in consideration of those that had been currently employed, but are now on strike, that those striking employees will actually have to give back hours, or benefits, or some percentage of jobs, or even wages, in order for that business to promise to continue as a going concern.  Additionally, some companies have no interest in negotiating much of anything, but hope that employees will strike, of which, they will therefore subsequently change their infrastructure in a manner in which more machines and more automation, will thereby come into play; or they may even make a conscious decision to move to an entirely different location in a different city, which will functionally close that division down at that locale.

So though employees have a right to strike, employers often have a multitude of responses to this, and because of their power, wealth, and foresight are typically meaningfully prepared for a strike.  In other words, strikes by employees are contemplated and enacted in the hopes that the issues in play are fairly resolved; whereas, management in many a case, rather than directly dealing with such, and ameliorating such through a fair negotiation, are all too often going to play exclusive homage to their bottom line, to thereby send the message that those that exercise their right to strike, have in effect, opened up Pandora's box.

Favorable zoning for those who are privileged

The very first thing that must be acknowledged is that cities, city planning commissions, governmental representatives, local politicians, justice departments, police policies, and influential corporations, are all interconnected together, and thereby how areas of a city are subsequently zone for this, and not zone for that, fundamentally comes down to the fact that all those on the inside and who thus are connected, primarily get what they want, and those who are not, clearly don't even have a seat of influence at the table of where those decisions are made, and thereby are effectively dismissed and ignored. 

This is why, to no real surprise, that the best areas of town, are the parts of the community, that have good schools, good parks, libraries, playgrounds, financial institutions, and all the accouterments that come with desirable communities, of which those communities are often times, majority white; and if not, majority white, then a fair reflection of the power structure within that particular city.  On the other hand, those communities that have an oversupply of strip clubs, liquor stores, and questionable businesses, such as low-end department stores, cash loan stores, along with disreputable motels, bad schools, and the lack of good accouterments are typically in that part of town, which is known as being the low-income, minority part of town.  Further to the point, zoning laws, really "game" the system, in which the good parts of communities, preclude disreputable businesses such as strip clubs and pool halls, or industrial businesses and the like from being in their area.  On the other hand, the minority part of town, as bad as it already has it, is subject to being rather conveniently zoned for non-desirable commercial and industrial businesses, of which those businesses are prone to pollute the surrounding environment, which clearly is not healthy for those denizens that live within those areas.

While it is true that people are freely entitled to move to wherever it is that they so desire, that freedom to move really comes down to those that have the assets and the means to actually make that move; so that, truth be told, the reason that so many minorities live in non-desirable, and unhealthy neighborhoods is that typically that is about the only kind of place that they can reasonably afford.   This thus signifies that the structure of communities are not fair in their conception or in their implementation, and that the divide that one sees between those enclaves that have everything, as compared to those others, that have so little, has an awful lot to do with it being by design, and not happenstance.

Clearly, this is unfair, and what makes it even more unfair, is that those that are privileged, can if they so desire, go enter the seedier parts of towns, to transact whatever business that they so desire to do, and then return to their safety of their good neighborhood; whereas, those on the wrong side of town, find that they are often harassed, unwanted, and unappreciated in the finer parts of town; and must at the end of the day, return to that which they would, all things being equal, prefer to leave, if they could.

So then, while there is indeed plenty of wealth in America, it is fair to say, it's that type of wealth that is very concentrated and thereby all so good for those that have it; in contrast to those that lack, who are essentially trapped and zoned into decrepit and unsafe areas of absolute abject poverty.

To believe is not the same as to be what it is that you should be

The preaching in far too many mainstream religions is far too frequently an easy on the ears type of sermon, of words so spoken which imply that there are indeed shortcuts to Heaven, or if not those exact words, forgiveness and acceptance, thereof, for those that believe; and therefore the receipt of, so it would seem, that eternal "get out of jail" card.  No matter the exact words so said, or the beliefs so held, even those that are true and sincere to that so spoken, the truth of the matter always rises above the conveniences of a soft religious faith, especially that creed which asks little or nothing from its parishioners, and apparently demands nothing of substance from them in their actions, except to believe, as well as often a corresponding deposit of some coinage, for assurance, of such.

But it must be asked, though, to believe in what?  To believe that our savior Christ took our sins, upon Himself, and that therefore it so follows that it matters not what we do on a given day, or what we have done in the past, as long as we believe in His redemption of us, that we therefore are thus assured of a place in Heaven with God.  It would seem, though, that with this type of belief, that this would reflect that every day and every hour of every day in some corner of this world, or even within our own hearts, Christ is being crucified, again and again and again, into perpetuity; and that it so signifies that by us doing little or nothing of real merit or worth, and thereby not correcting our own behavior, that we have not done our sacred duty to make this world a better place by our actions and by our deeds, which we should be doing in the here and now for the betterment of our community and our people, so that we are, in essence, good for something.

This means that to simply believe in Christ, and what Christ so represents is never going to be good enough; for those that have the right kind of belief, must take it upon their shoulders to recognize that they have an inherent moral obligation, to demonstrate their faithfulness to that belief, by living their life in such a manner that Christ is known, by who and what we really are, and through the thoughts and thereby the decisions, so of, we do so make.  What each one of us accomplishes, matters; and what we need to accomplish foremost is to successfully throw off all that which cripples us from becoming what we were always meant to be, which consists of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and the demonstration of self-control, all done on behalf of those that we congregate with, day-by-day.

Those that profess that they are Christian, but fail to live the good attributes of being a Christian,  are not Christian, despite whatever words or belief that they so espouse.  Of course, none of us are perfect, but the difference between someone that knows Christ as compared to someone who just has that soft belief in Christ, is that the former is willing to die, if need be, or to sacrifice their selfishness as required, to thereby do what needs to be done and will risk themselves for the betterment of the good cause; whereas the later, when instructed to rise up and to do their duty for their faith, will just pretend that they haven't heard that small still voice, believing that they won't be held accountable for such, when, in fact, that was the true test of their belief.

The continuing racism of American immigration policies

As reported by usatoday.com, there is a significant amount of illegal immigration that has occurred within America of which it is estimated that as of 2017, 4.9 million of these immigrants originated from Mexico, another 1.9 million from Central America, 1.45 million from Asia, 775,000 million from South America, 475,000 from the Caribbean, and just 400,000 from Europe; of which these Europeans could be rightly considered to be the first "illegal immigrants" to America, and thereafter the many thousands upon thousands that came soon after them, were almost exclusively European, in origin. 

So that, for better or for worse, when the Founding Fathers are pictured, they are pictured as exclusively being white Europeans, of which, this is mainly true.  That said, in recent years, the perception of an all-white America has progressed to taking into fair consideration, a multitude of other cultural backgrounds, religions, and environments; yet, to a very large extent, the power, the politics, the corporations, and the fallback perception of America is still, even today, primarily a white vision.

When it comes to illegal immigration, unauthorized aliens, and the like, this is one of those topics which commonly invokes an awful rise out of a considerable percentage of people; some of it with some justification, some of it not, but really what it comes down to, more than anything else, is racism, pure and simple, under the bogus guise of the necessity to protect and to secure our borders.  In other words, all this talk about illegal immigration and the all the complaints thereof, is at its core, a prejudice against the people so crossing those borders, of whom the majority are of color, and that typically do not speak English as their first language, as well as not favoring the look of our Founding Fathers.

The bottom line is that if those so crossing our borders from Mexico, Central America, Asia, South American and the Caribbean, were primarily white, blue-eyed, blond hair fine looking males and females, the golden door of America, so of, would be absolutely wide open, and the inscription upon the Statue of Liberty would be saying something akin to "Give me your strong, good looking, blonde, blue-eye people, so deserving to breathe free, of which we warmly welcome all of them with open arms upon our vibrant shores of promise and prosperity." 

As much as the narrative about illegal immigration from those that claim to be strongly opposed to such, alleges as their reason things such as national security, job security, fairness and the like, the reality of the situation has far more to do with the color of the skin and the perception thereof of those crossing our borders, who are wrongly portrayed as being almost exclusively "rapists, criminals, drug mules, and animals," as having been so described as such by the highest level of government of these United States.

The fact of the matter is that the prevailing attitude of far too many of the representatives of this government, is racist against those that they feel do not belong within this country, of which the illegality of their immigration is just the cover that they so use to manifest their blatant racial discrimination; for if those so crossing our borders were primarily white, blue-eye, healthy, good looking blonds, those very same representatives would not be able to contain their joy or hold back their appreciation of those immigrants so coming to America.

Automatic machines are the economic equivalency to uncompensated labor

Those that control the means of production are always interested in increasing their profits, and if they can do so by decreasing their risk that dealing with human beings can definitely be for them, they are going to gravitate to those machines over people, and thereby it so follows that employers need not have to continue down that road of exploiting real human beings.  To the degree that machines replicate what use to be in fit and function, pretty much uncompensated labor -- that labor is thereby freed from having been placed into a situation in which they have essentially been working without getting fair compensation, or compelled by necessity to do what they have been doing, in order to survive.  After all, those that have few options will take what they can take in order to just live.

In regards to those that still remain in historical positions of weakness and lack the real ability to make a substantial change in their life, the fact that automatic machines are able to do the work that might indeed had been their personal burden to bear; perhaps then sets up a situation in which those that are the power brokers of that governance will actually see the usefulness of taking those people that previously were left behind, forsaken, forgotten, and exploited, so as to thereby give them a chance to get something of substance, out of life.  After all, if a given enterprise does not need to use what is essentially slavery by another name, than the opportunity for growth for those that have been considered to be something less than equal or of lesser value, should thereby commence.

We find that in a world in which there is a certain percentage of people that are all about making money by any means that they can do so, who thereby discover that with the advance of modern machinery that they don't have to create their empire by ruthlessly exploiting other people, then it therefore provides an opportunity for civilizations to become more livable for far more people; for those that are constantly oppressed are going to be people that are going to strike back, directly or indirectly in a multitude of ways, forever; and of which, the overall effect of that construct is dysfunctional and counter-productive for the very purpose of why civilizations were created in the first place, which is for the betterment of all of mankind.

This signifies, that the best way to look upon this hi-technology age, in which never have so many automated machines been able to do those jobs that previously had necessitated endless repetition and mindless tasks being so done day-by-day by humans is to recognize that this type of task work is definitely in decline.  So that, it so follows that this modern machinery has formed the real basis for the replacement of the historical usage of mankind as beasts of burden, which, thereby provides the symbolic lifting of those chains that have held back far too many people, from being able to fully develop and to utilize their minds so as to thereby improve themselves as well as their society.

This means that machines are truly meant to do what they do, and those so previously treated as machines are clearly meant to be treated instead as cognitive humans, worthy of our respect and deserving of our dignity.

The second oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere and America's late recognition of

The second oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere is Haiti.  A country that had to fight France over a bloody twelve year period in order to achieve its independence in 1804; and then after achieving that independence, Haiti so determined that it was in their best interests to pay reparations to France for that costly war, in order to get in return, diplomatic recognition as well as the opportunity to open up trade agreements with other nations that they previously were precluded from having those trade agreements with.

One might think that the United States, would have been, first in line to extend their aid as well as their diplomatic recognition to Haiti, as Haiti was not only a republic but also a sister country of the Western Hemisphere, but in reality, the diplomatic recognition of Haiti by America, was something that was never going to happen, because this country was so unseemly beholden to Southern interests and Southern affairs; and of which, those of that persuasion, would never willingly give their recognition to a country, that had violently overthrown European whites, so as to become a nation governed by Haitian blacks.

This thus signified that administration after administration, simply ignored Haiti, as an independent nation, and it was not until the Lincoln administration, that Haiti was recognized by the United States in 1862.  Unfortunately, that recognition though being a meaningful step in the right direction, did not bring the hope for value of having the United States as a trade partner, of which, therefore since those benefits were thus lacking, this thus led Haiti to eventually find more solace in having Germany as their premier trade partner; however, when World War I so commenced, the United States thereupon made it their point to effectively take over Haiti via military force so as to force German investment and interference out, and thus it remained that way for nearly twenty years, through United States military rule.

It would seem sensible that the United States would not only favor sister republics, but would given its own troubled history in regards to blacks, that it would do its level best to see that it provided thereby real material aid to Haiti, to help therefore in its development and to demonstrate to the world, that the United States believes in actually living up to its own credo, of freedom, justice, and political rights applicable to all.

Yet, the reality of the situation is that Haiti is a troubled country, of immense poverty, problems, and issues, of which, though the United States has made a continuous effort to be of assistance, this hasn't in effect done much of anything to help materially improve upon the sad fact that Haiti is still the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, even though that Western Hemisphere also happens to have the richest country in the world.  While, there isn't anything that can be done about America's late recognition of the sovereignty of Haiti, what still can be done, though, is to see that America does more of substance to help Haiti, if for nothing more than to make reparation for its own past racial sins.

Everything is bigger in America

Having a home to live in is pretty much a requirement in any modern civilization, and in America, those homes are bigger in size as well as in rooms thereof, than any other country.  For instance, as reported by oecd.org, in their table entitled, "Average number of rooms per household member by tenure, 2018 or latest year available" indicates that the United States is the true outlier of all other countries in comparison, with an incredible "3.8 rooms per household member."  It must be recognized, though, that when it comes to rooms, these represent all of the rooms in a given home, such as the "kitchen-room", the dining room, the living room, the laundry room, the "den-room", each bathroom, and of course, each bedroom.  So that, in an American home consisting of three bedrooms and two bathrooms, there are probably a total of nine rooms, altogether, for that home.

One might think that with all of those rooms, and with all of that space, that America would therefore be the paradise of places to live in.  No doubt, it is a paradise for those few that are at the very top of heap, that have so much abundance, that they often don't seem to even consciously recognize how good that they have it.  So too, those so representing the upper class as well as much of the middle class also typically have plenty of room to enjoy their lives.  However, once we drop down to the lower middle class, and the lower class, while they too may be in housing structures that contain a lot of rooms, in comparison to other countries of the same income demographic, the quality of those rooms, the quality of the housing stock, the quality of the area that they live in, and the overall quality itself of where they are at, is not even close to being at the same level for those that have the best of the best.  In other words, while it might indeed feel good to have space to stretch out one's legs, that in and of itself, is not necessarily a fair reflection that those that have more room in their housing structure, are necessarily in a good place, or that they are happier than people in other countries, such as Japan or South Korea, in which housing space is at a far higher premium.  This so indicates that though everything in America, seems to be bigger, it does not necessarily translate into that bigger is always indeed, better.

So that, America has plenty of housing space, but this doesn't tell the complete story, for based upon the amount of poverty that it so suffers from, and thereof the lack of good opportunity, the lack of good education, and the lack of safety so contained within certain enclaves of American cities; clearly indicates that the troubles that are contained within America, aren't really a reflection of the overcrowding within those enclaves, but reflects more accurately the hopelessness and the corresponding lack of investment within that given situation; which may well be exacerbated by the fact that often just a couple of miles away, it is quite clear to the naked eye, just how good everything else for fortunate others so appears to be.

So then, while having plenty of room to live has its place, that in and of itself is not the cure-all for what so troubles America, for what troubles America is its inability to clearly understand that what makes for a good life for all, is an infrastructure that lives to this credo, that all of mankind is created equal, and thereby good governance consists of providing a fair opportunity for all of those people, to therefore have an actual seat at the table of hope, equity, and fairness.

Gone too soon?

This world has been fortunate enough to have great avatars, great prophets, and great visionaries that have helped greatly to make this world and civilization better because of their actions, wisdom, and insight.  However, in many cases, a significant portion of these invaluable personages have left us, through foul means or not, way too soon, and it seems often times that those that thereby replace such, are hopelessly outclassed and not really properly prepared to take on what needs to be taken on; but yet, the world and civilization just keeps on keeping on and in many aspects, progressing, nevertheless.

While it makes sense to admire those that are clearly of immense personal value, it is a mistake to believe that our collective role should ever simply be just one of admiration, as opposed to our real collective role, which should be to boldly take the baton of those that have led us and to therefore not only continue the race, but to finish it, well.  So then, the real reason why those that are our heroes, leave us, seemingly before their time, is so that we will not forever be stuck in some sort of mode of "hero worship", but recognize that each one of us has inside of us, hero qualities that need to be developed and utilized.

While it is nice to ride the coattails of those that have coattails worth riding, the bottom line is that each one of us, without exception, will at some point, have to stand up upon our own two feet, whether united with others of like mind, or by our self, in order to do our part to help effect the change that will thereby assist in making our civilization better.  This signifies that the courage that we admire in others, as well as the wisdom that we so desire to have, are the very attributes that we need to make the effort to become, as well.

Every good and loving parent wants their children to not only be good for something, but also to achieve meaningful things; so that it follows that those parents want their children to the extent so possible, to exceed their own achievements, whether such is done when they are still physically present upon this earth or not.  This so signifies that when we as a people suffer deeply from the great loss of those great men and women taken from us before their time, that we owe it to our heroes, that  when we subsequently too get knocked down, that we keep on getting back up so as to continue onward upon our chosen path.

Life is really about growth, and in particular, the positive growth of our character, of which, we demonstrate this growth best by courageously facing the obstacles that we come across, and through our successful overcoming of those obstacles, we prove our mettle.  While, we may not be successful the first time, or the second, or not even the third, we will, given enough time, and enough determination, overcome that which precludes us from the promised land so promised to everyone, who is faithful to that cause, which is to rise above all that is wrong, so as to successfully embrace all that is right.

Justice, the majority and mob rule

There are plenty of people that really do believe that what so the majority would have, is what so should be done.  However, in a Constitutional republic, the very purpose of that structure of that Constitution, is to make that government, of, by, and for the people subservient to the highest law of the land, which is its Constitution; and of which that Constitution makes it clear that each citizen of these United States is thereby entitled to avail themselves of the full and complete rights of that Constitution, and in particular, the Amendments to it.  This signifies that this then is not a government of simplistic majority rule, and certainly this is never to be a government of mob rule, but rather our government is structured as a government by Constitutional rule, of which, therefore it so follows, that even those in the most extreme minority positions, that is, of even just one, are protected by that Constitution from the ill effects of a majority rule run amok, or even worse, mob rule.

The very purpose of good governance is for the people to gather together into one body politic, so as to create a union of people that expressly have joined together as one, in order to protect, defend, and to propagate a form of government, so created to be of benefit for those people.  This thus signifies that when it comes to justice, that good governance requires that it thereby comes to the aid of those that are suffering from the ill effects of their Constitutional rights being unfairly wrested away from them, for whatever reasons that such has occurred, and that those that have had their Constitutional rights trampled upon, or upended, are entitled to have their fair day in court so as to rectify such through appropriate adjudication, thereof.

So then, it is quite clear that while there are times when the majority does properly rule, as in the election ballots of all types, and the votes so subsequently tabulated, of which each one of those votes is equally weighed; this does not signify that the majority is therefore the ultimate ruler of this nation.  Rather, the point of a written Constitution, and Constitutional law, is to preclude the majority from deciding on their own initiative, as to what that majority will or will not permit per their whim.  Instead, we have a justice system so created so as to interpret the laws that have been passed, and further, to adjudicate as to whether a particular law as written and interpreted is or is not constitutional.

In point of fact, as much as some people may find this disconcerting, the principle behind Constitutional law is never about doing all that can be done to assure that the majority gets its way, every single time; but rather it is to see that justice is accomplished in a manner, in which, whether popular or unpopular, that the justice so being rendered is consistent with the principles of that Constitution, and that further that this justice is fair, universal, and equally applied.

The law of the jungle and our government

The whole point of any good and legitimate government is for that government to remove forthwith any remnant of the law of the jungle, and therefore to represent in principle, instead, a government which applies its fair laws equally to all; and in particular is structured in a way in which the government therefore is the strong protector of the people's right to fair justice, equality, and opportunity.  In other words, good governance is that which is no respecter of persons, but rather is the respecter of the law, fairly and equally applied to all, so that there is no separate favoritism displayed for certain classes or races, nor is their prejudice so displayed against other classes or races, but rather each person stands upon their own merits; of which the law as applied to everyone, is done so in a manner in keeping with that governance, that thereby provides to all the people, the fundamental rights of that Constitution.

So, in form and structure, the very point of why people thereby bond together into one body politic, is so that the weakest and the most vulnerable of that collective people, are thereby provided with the exact same rights, immunities, and privileges that the richest and most powerful are able to avail themselves of.  That is to say, the achievements and the position of members of any society are invariably going to differ in ways, large and small, and of which those that are its most vulnerable, and are typically in the weakest of those positions, should therefore still be accorded the same rights that all of its citizens have, so that they are therefore protected from being exploited, abused, and denied that which is unalienable to them.

So then, the measure of good governance, is never exclusively about how the rich and the most powerful are doing with their given achievements, inheritances, and accomplishments; but rather that governance is measured by the efforts so being made in order to benefit and to be of assistance to those that have the least, and are the most exposed to the unanticipated vagaries of life.  After all, as one country united, it is important for that country to be able to represent itself as that beacon of liberty, freedom, opportunity, and equality, by demonstrating such in the livelihood and accomplishments of the whole of its population.

This thus signifies, that any country that professes and sentimentalizes its great virtues, but of which, the reality of the situation for its people in whole, demonstrates something diametrically different -- represents therefore a country that is not living up to its own founding documents, no matter how uplifting and inspiring those words are.  For how a people live, reflects the reality of the situation, and in those cases, in which, good governance has been seemingly replaced, by a scenario in which the high and mighty rule the roost, and therefore a significant swath of the population, are left with little or nothing, and of which those people are unable to avail themselves upon the very principles of that governance -- is demonstrative that in actuality the law of the jungle, effectively so rules.

Information fiduciaries

In this modern era of big tech, there are a few companies that pretty much dominant their respective market space, such as Facebook and Google, though there are other companies that also rule their own space, just as well.  A multitude of these technology companies make it part and parcel of their business model to collect and thereby to categorize and to analyze all sorts of data upon the individuals that utilize their services.  No doubt, as it currently stands there are Terms and Conditions so imposed upon the users of these tech sites, that seemingly permits these tech companies to do what they currently do, but that in and of itself, does not mean that this is a practice that should be left as it is.

In fact, businesses the world over often have a fiduciary duty, expressed or implied, to those that utilize their services, such as in banking and finance, in which the fiduciary duty of those institutions is to do right by their clients and not to abuse the privileges so granted to them, for their own selfish desires, abuse, or self-aggrandizement.  This thus signifies that in a world in which information about specific individuals has a monetary value for those so collecting and correlating that information, that to thereby sell such to third parties for a price, in one form or another, is typically going to be seen as being anathema to those individuals.  In other words, a fairer construct would impose upon these information collectors, a fiduciary duty to do right as well as to be transparent to their users in regards to the information so obtained, and consequently what these companies are or are not permitted to do with such.

In order for there to be trust from one entity to another, there has to be in place, something that is structured fairly to ensure that trust; so that, for example, those seeking medical attention, who so disclose to their doctor their illicit drug usage while suffering from a medical problem should not therefore subsequently be arrested for substance abuse, as part and parcel of having received that necessary medical attention.  In other words, in those situations in which we fully disclose vital information, in order to receive, for instance, appropriate medical help, we typically would not desire that the responsible party obtaining that information, would thereupon sell such or embarrasses us by virtue of having and thereby divulging in one form or another, this actionable information, especially when such is done without our outright foreknowledge and explicit permission to do so.

To the degree that information about each one of us, helps to make products better or services that we use, of more value -- so much the better, but it does not necessarily follow that individuals would thereby desire that information so aggregated on them personally should subsequently be done so in a manner in which one's implicit right to privacy as well as discretion would essentially be violated against what one would wish to see disclosed in public; let alone marketed to unauthorized third parties.  This thus signifies that the information that is reaped by technology companies from our online activities should not be seen as essentially being available for others at a price, but rather such should be treated with the appropriate fiduciary care that a responsible company should justly adhere to.

Bread and wisdom

There are all sorts of things that people in today's modern world think that they have a real need of; but what we really need does not necessarily correlate to what we have pictured in our mind as things that we have to have; for in fact, the list of what we really need is far more reasonable and attainable, not only for ourselves, but in actuality, for the world, at large. 

In this world, each one of us has a physical body, of which that physical body absolutely has its necessary needs, of which, the most basic summary of such, consists of our need to have fair access to food, water, shelter, cleanliness, as well as the necessity of rest.  To take it a bit further, bodies should live under the conditions of which the air is clean, the environment is devoid of any dangerous pollutants, the neighborhood is safe, and the opportunity to work as well as the advancement thereof, so as to therefore provide and to sustain one's life and one's family is fairly abundant.  In conjunction with those physical and work needs so being met, each one of us has a responsibility to build upon the generations that have come before us, so that we are thereby able to learn from the errors so made, previously; and therefore as a civilization, to evolve ourselves ever higher, generation by generation, as compared to repeating the errors of the past, or even worse, devolving our societies through misapplication and selfish greed.

This so indicates that the foundation of any good civilization, begins first with the necessity that our physical needs be reasonably met, and further that we apply ourselves diligently to not only our work, but in the improving of our minds, so that through that wisdom, properly applied, each succeeding generation, can go further than the one so preceding it.  Additionally, beyond the physical and our education, each of us should devote some part of our day to contemplating the question as to why we are here in this world to begin with, so that through that search, we are able to find our reason for being, as well as subsequently in understanding better our commonality with our fellow sojourners here on earth.

All those then, that therefore have advanced themselves further than their compatriots, have an inherent and even sacred obligation to take their wisdom and see that such is applied in such a manner that it is not done exclusively for one's own self-aggrandizement, but rather that it has been applied in a manner in which other people, can be uplifted, for none of us is an island.

So then, anytime that we see someone that is hungry or hurting, and seemingly without hope, and we subsequently turn our back upon them, explicitly or implicitly, we have not done what we should and ought to have done for them.  Further, those that we come across, that are ill-educated, of which we do not thereby desire to see that we do our part to help enlighten them, then we have not done what we should and ought to have done for them.  Each of us is meant to do our part to help uplift one another, whenever that we can, for the race is not to the swift, but rather it is always for those that recognize that no race is complete until all so finish it.

The ultimate union

People search for love and meaning in all sorts of places, activities, and things, as well as in their relationship and their interaction with their fellow human beings.   Some of those people, for instance, do find that love and meaning through the uniting of their cause with something that matches their calling, or some find it with their love of spouse and family, or some through their love of country, and some through the meaning of the work that they so do.  Still, there are many people that don't really find any of those things to be completely satisfactory; or, find that within that union of love for job, or family, or activity, that though there is much good in such, they also find disappointment, loss, hurt, and even rejection.  Further there are those, that aren't able to find much of anything in this world that provides them with any lasting happiness or meaning.  In short, many people want to love and to be loved, and want to find meaning and real purpose in life, but are not fully successful in such.

It isn't so much that people are searching for that love and meaning in all of the wrong places, but rather it is that the characteristics of that of which we desire to unite with, is typically itself, imperfect; and in consideration that we too are imperfect, this often results thereby in the frustration of mankind's best laid plans, not coming to that desired fruition, thereof.  This signifies, that the fundamental flaw with one's desire to unite fully with someone else or to some cause, is the fact that our aim in such, is not as high as it really should and ought to be.  In other words, there is only one being that is perfect, inerrant, omniscient, and immutable, and that is God.

This indicates that those that are sincerely searching for truth, love, and meaning, need to direct their eyes upon the prize that is beyond all other prizes, and therefore through that unity with that one prize they will thereby end all of their sorrows.  Yet, so many people though professing their love or appreciation of God, are reluctant to wholeheartedly actually demonstrate in their thoughts and in their actions their adherence to what that so entails; perhaps because they are too enchanted in this present world with one thing or another, or devoted, or enthralled, or loyal, or addicted to such; and thereby have no desire to let go of that of which they already have in order to find that lasting union that will bring peace and wholeness. 

It isn't that our love for one another or our devotion to this or that is necessarily wrong or misguided, for in truth, that which is beneficial for one another, as well as those activities so done for the benefit of mankind are right, necessary, and good.  Rather, as good as this may be, it is incorrect to see such as the end of the story, but rather this should more properly be seen as the pathway that thereby provides the impetus for our enlightenment so that we will subsequently find our way to our unification with that which actuated us in the first place, and who has been patiently awaiting since then for our triumphant return.