More corporate profit at the expense of domestic employment

It is one thing to trade goods from one country to another, but it is an entirely different thing, when those that are biggest and most influential corporations, make it their point, as much as possible, to outsource employment that could be conducted domestically, to overseas’ facilities.  It almost goes without saying, that the labor cost, in America, is going to be appreciably higher than such labor cost so represents in virtually all developing nations, of which, because corporations are always interested in making a greater profit, as well as the fact that they compete, we find that such a savings in labor is going to be a pretty straightforward decision by a lot of these corporations, especially when there are no or little governmental or taxation restraints in doing this.

The fact that cheaper labor is used overseas by these corporations, is thereby completely unsurprising; what is surprising, though, is that to a very great extent, those in charge of the governance of this nation, apparently don’t care to do much of anything meaningful to protect and to ameliorate domestic jobs so lost to foreign labor.  There are, after all, many avenues that the government can avail itself of in order to be of assistance to domestic labor, both directly and indirectly; of which, for instance, foreign labor so utilized, should have as a matter of course, some sort of tariff or tax associated to that labor, of which the purpose of that tariff or tax would be to be of assistance to those now domestically unemployed or those so employed but now at a reduction in their wages or hours.  Further, the higher the percentage of foreign labor so utilized by corporations, the corresponding higher percentage their corporate tax rate should be.  The bottom line is that in one form or another, the government needs to appropriately taxed these corporations so as to reclaim a portion of profits so made upon the backs of cheap foreign laborers, at the expense of domestic labor.  If this is not done, then we see what is currently so occurring, which is, the ever more concentration of capital into ever fewer hands, thereby leaving good citizens of this country, with less and less.

While corporations can decry that they need cheap foreign labor in order to compete; these very same corporations have a responsibility to do right by their fellow countrymen.  Additionally, that government of, for, and by the people needs to do far more to subsidize or to reconfigure its tax system so as to support and to aid those companies that make it a point to hire domestically, and correspondingly to tax at a much higher rate those that behave in a manner, that outsources domestic employment, as their go-to preference.

In consideration, that the price of labor in developing nations is often appreciably cheaper than in the United States, corporations are obviously going to gravitate to that lower cost, so as to remain both competitive and more profitable.  Yet, when those corporations are not held accountable to their obligation to take care of their own, first; then they have a done a grand disservice to their fellow citizens.  In order to help level, the playing field, appropriate taxation as well as subsidies, as necessary, need to be implemented by the government, or else, this country will become one of ever greater disparity in its wealth.

Too many crimes and too many misdemeanors

When people think of crime, that is, real crime, things such as rape, murder, kidnapping, and arson come to mind; and when one thinks of misdemeanor crime, things such as shoplifting, trespassing, drug possession, resisting arrest, and public intoxication would all be common representatives of such.  As it is, it makes sense to have different categories of crime, but the problem with the way misdemeanor crimes currently are dealt with comes down to the sheer number of misdemeanors, of which in the book, Punishment Without Crime, we read that on a yearly basis, “13 million misdemeanors make up the vast majority, around 80 percent of the nation's criminal docket;” which is the prevailing reason why so many misdemeanor cases are actually resolved through the reduction of charges, the dismissal of such, or through plea bargaining, as compared to an actual trial, all because our justice system has not the capacity to handle that sort of massive volume.  This would presuppose that in fairness to those so accused of misdemeanor crimes, and of a justice system, which is supposed to provide a speedy and public trial, with an impartial jury, that the very nature of the misdemeanor classification of crimes needs to be seriously re-evaluated.

After all, it is estimated that less than 5% of all misdemeanor crimes ever go to trial; thereby, signifying that the vast majority of these misdemeanor crimes are dealt with in a manner in which the envisioned justice system as propagated by the 6th Amendment to the Constitution, is basically circumvented for the convenience of the state.  A far better solution to the dilemma of dealing with this massive quantity of misdemeanor crimes, is to reduce considerably those crimes currently classified as misdemeanors and replace such with infractions, instead; or in those cases of minor criminal activity or “victimless crimes” to take into fair consideration the actual removing of such as a crime or infraction, therewith.   In point of fact, more behaviors and actions that are currently defined by law as a crime or even an infraction, do not necessarily equate to having a fairer or a safer society, but really should be rightly seen as oppression by the state for the purposes of control, manipulation, and intimidation.

Serious crimes, such as murder and rape, should be dealt with in a serious manner; and that which is far less serious, should be dealt with in a manner of which, a monetary infraction is imposed, or counseling, or some other reasonable means that deal with the issue at hand by taking into consideration that the objective should be to correct or to ameliorate misbehavior, as compared to punishment without fair accounting of the circumstances so involved.  The United States spends an inordinate amount of time, arresting its citizens, and then doesn’t even provide a fair opportunity for most of those so arrested, to actually have their say in a court of law with a jury of their peers, but rather allows the prosecuting arm of the state to, often times, coerce a plea bargain from someone who is typically vulnerable and weak.  

There are all sorts of things that occur on a given day that the state has classified as a misdemeanor crime, of which that state is quick to arrest, but then fails to do its part in allowing those so arrested to be examined in an open forum by their peers, because the state doesn’t care about fair justice, but rather cares only to enforce its power upon those that are typically powerless.

Greed, inequality and the lure of socialism

As reported in inequality.org, in regards to income, the “richest 0.1% take in 196 times as much as bottom 90%,” which is an absolutely astonishing fact, and is reflective that the vast majority of Americans simply don’t have all that much of the income or wealth that America so ably represents.   Not too surprisingly, in any nation in which there is a monstrous amount of inequality, of which a very, very few are able to have the absolute best of everything and in spades; of which, a huge swath of the population have little or nothing, and with little opportunity to ever obtain anything of meaningful significance, there is going to be a desire to see by many citizens of that country that there be a more noteworthy balancing of the wealth of the nation, which is the reason why so many find that the lures of a more socialistic society, seems to make sense, and appears to be fairer to the people, in whole.

Those that decry against socialism, are mainly made up of those that are the “haves” in society, as well as all those that truly believe in the opportunity and egalitarianism that America so represents at its best; whereas those that find socialism to be of merit, are pretty much, the forgotten, the oppressed, the indebted, the vulnerable. and the “have nots”.  The bottom line is that because of America’s gross inequality in wealth and income which is progressively getting ever worse in the United States, so exacerbated by the injustice displayed in so many different aspects in everyday life which especially hurts the most vulnerable, and of which the game so being played is if not fixed, heavily tilted to those of privilege and favored circumstances, people are ultimately going to logically gravitate to that which they perceive to be as fairer, equal, of opportunity, as well as providing some sort of reasonable baseline to live a decent life of some significance.  Whether or not, socialism is the answer, is of less importance, than the fact, that it is that greed and inequality of the elite, which sensibly pushes a significant portion of the people into the direction of desiring something that represents a meaningful and positive impact for their own lives, as well as their progeny.

The majority of good people of America, want a fair deal, and if provided with the accouterments, that will permit them to have that fair deal, those that press for socialism will find that its siren song, resonates less and less with the people, because those that can get a seat at the table of prosperity, hope, and opportunity in this land of such enormous wealth, will have received their appropriate share.  Basically, the appeal of socialism really comes down to the fact, that when the lion’s share of the wealth of a nation, is ever more concentrated, then the people, in whole, will become uneasy at the perceived unfairness of it all.  This signifies, that the point of good governance is to impress upon those that have so much, their reasonable obligation to return some of those monies through appropriate taxation to those that have not been given a fair deal or fair chance, and it so follows that it is thereby the obligation of that government that none should ever labor that are not paid a fair and living wage.  If that be so done, all will be well.

Accept the challenge

There are an awful lot of people that don’t want to face a real challenge, of which, in some situations this is justified, and in many cases, it is not.   Some of the prudent reasons of why not to accept a given challenge, is that we are not ready for it, or prepared for it, or capable of optimistically resolving such in a successful manner.  Some of the rather poor reasons to not accept a given challenge is that we are simply too lazy, too comfortable, too passive, too complacent, or simply don’t care to because we feel that we don’t have to. 

The thing about challenges, is that more times than not, we do need to accept at least of some of them -- for instance, in order to grow, or so as to gain experience, or to advance to the next level in our own development.  Further to the point, the evolution of humankind, could not conceivably have occurred, if those that made up humankind, were the type of people that avoided challenges at all costs because they simply didn’t have an interest, or were too scared, or didn’t care to learn, or preferred not to bother with such.  After all, it is wise to acknowledge, that the vast majority of benefits that we are able to avail ourselves of in modern times, comes forth primarily from people, that would not accept or tolerate the way things are, and thereby went out to secure something better, even at times, at great personal risk or cost.

The real reason why so many people are not up for a given challenge that they really do need to accept, comes down to the salient fact, that they are either scared to do so, or they are overly risk averse, or both.  Now, no doubt, there are times to be rightly scared or to be risk averse, of which, some challenges are going to consist of such; however, there are many a challenge in which people imagine all sorts of negative outcomes, which simply are not realistic, and typically reflect a certain cowardice, or lack of initiative, or both. 

The point of life is really not to only do those things which are “sure things” or to seek to find a comfortable and cozy place to just relax upon; but rather life should represent a place in which we find something of interest to champion so as to bring forth positive change, and therefore for each one of us to do our fair part in making the world better for our having been a part of it.  It should be acknowledged, that none of us are going to have the exact same challenges in life, but all of us, in some aspect or another, are going to be challenged to do something of merit, and those that rise up and at least give it their best, time and time again, even if they so nobly fail more times than not, are leagues ahead of those, that will not even lift a finger to do much of anything.

History is written by the those that do, as compared to those that do not.  All of us are born for a reason, and for a purpose, of which, those that find that reason and find that purpose, and subsequently do something constructive about such, have accepted the challenge; and all those that do not, have not.

What it means to be created equally

The fact that each and every human being has been created equally by the very hand of God, should tell each one of us, the very same thing, which is that none, is superior to another, for we are all equal in our creation.  This does not mean that each one of us has equal skills, or equal intelligence, or equal this or equal that, but that our intrinsic worth, is equal, one to another.  Further, this presupposes that governments, whether national, or regional, should see themselves as being representatives of that equality, rather than far too often aggrandizing onto themselves powers that serves to make themselves and their favored peoples and organizations superior, and thereby all others, inferior.

What seems to occur, more often than it should, is that people forget that they by being created equally, are in essence, no better or no worse than any other person.  This thus signifies, that all those that use their power and influence to denigrate others for being of a certain unfavored race, or creed, or social class, so as to be considered therefore less than another, are serving the interests of those that are not only divisive, but are functionally in their distorted outlook, wrong.  Every person of any sensibility, should recognize that we are all united via the fact that we are all created equally; of which, the diversity that we see, for example, from one person to another, is all part and parcel of the experience of life on this earthly plane, of which that variety helps to make our experiences, more interesting, less dull, as well as being, also, at times, challenging.

So too, because we have been created equally, it so follows that those that are in leadership positions, have a sacred responsibility, to recognize that as a given leader, they need to be responsible and to thereby do right by all those that they govern; as opposed to placing themselves into a position in which they abuse, use, take advantage of, or insist upon being served, by those that are actually their equals, and of which that governance, is supposed to dutifully serve the beneficence of the people.

Each one of us, as declared in our Declaration of Independence, have the exact same unalienable rights, and that which is legitimate, is only that which affirms by its actions and by its laws, that very principle.  So too, it is the responsibility of everyone, to conduct their lives in a way and manner that reflects our inherent created equality, and to thereby stand firmly against all those that would take away or negate our unalienable rights or equality, especially by propagating that which is a bastardization of who and what each one of us, actually is, by birth.

We are, one, because we are all made of the exact same substance; and thereby our collective goal should be to do our fair part in bringing harmony to that which is disharmony, and to therefore do all that is reasonably possible to bring to realization that those that are so equally created are thereby equally entitled to their seat at that eternal table of unification.

Corporate savings supersede household savings

America is a very wealthy nation, but that wealth is not evenly distributed, and in fact in recent decades the disparity between those that have that wealth, has increased substantially over those that do not; which is something that one would expect from corrupt, developing nations, as opposed to a nation that ostensibly is a country of, for, and by the people.  Further, a significant portion of that wealth so generated is not even held in the hands of individuals, but represents, instead the enormous amount of wealth so saved by the biggest and most influential American corporations.

We read at nber.org that “As a share of global GDP, household saving dropped by nearly 6 percent between 1980 and 2013, when corporate saving increased by slightly less.”  Further, corporate savings is generally considered to be defined as “profits less dividend payments to shareholders.”       So, while these corporations have gotten ever more profitable, what they have not done, is re-distribute those profits through greater compensation for those that are employed by these corporations, or distribute such through dividends to their stockholders, or pay a more appropriate share to the government in taxation.  In short, corporations have been getting ever richer, while people, in whole, have been drawing down upon their savings.  That, would seem to imply, that this government isn’t really run by the people at all, but seems instead to have become co-opted by corporate power, of which because corporations, exist in perpetuity, creates a real conundrum for the good of our society.

So too, it must be recognized that those that do the saving are the very same entities that perform the loaning of their savings to borrowers and the like, therefore making those entities the ones that call the shots.  Additionally, those that are savers, are also those that determine where best to invest their money, providing those entities with even more influence as to what things and businesses are or are not developed and invested upon, within a nation.  The fact that so much money, is retained within the hands of corporations that are aptly skilled at both minimizing their tax liability as well as circumventing or amending community obligations, makes them extremely powerful and persuasive.

Quite frankly, when it comes to corporations and people, it isn’t a fair fight, because corporations can draw upon a seemingly endless amount of money to influence taxation policies, legislative laws, the interpretation of such, along with being able to delay justice, seemingly forever, when it is perceived to be to their benefit, along with the fact that the largest corporations can outspend a given individual or groups of individuals by incredible ratios, because of the massive wealth that they have already retained.  This signifies, that to a very large extent, what corporations believe to be of benefit to their businesses, is what America legislators, far too often, oblige them with, without taking into fair consideration, often enough, their obligations to the people, in whole.

The fact that corporations are getting ever more gifted at increasing their savings rate, is also indicative that labor unions in America are moribund.  The bottom line is that those that control the employment opportunities are able to far too often successfully negotiate the pay rate and benefits of those so employed in a manner in which they end up compensating their employees less than what fairness would so dictate, demonstrated in recent years by these corporations increasing their savings rate, while those so employed are having theirs depleted.

Tax the rich, subsidize the poor

There are those that truly believe that the state that we should live in should be a dog-eat-dog world, of which those that are the most successful and/or ruthless, rule the roost.  Then there are those that dial it down a bit, and simply believe that those companies and people that fairly earn their money, should be able to keep virtually all of it, as the fair fruits of that labor.  Additionally, there are those that believe, that there should be some sort of reasonable, measured, and effective taxation policy put in place of which, those that make more, pay more in taxes, so as to thereby help those in need, and especially in consideration that we have a community obligation to do something of merit for others, in particular, so as to address those of unfavorable circumstances as well as to do our part in maintaining and building a sound infrastructure that benefits the population in whole.

As much money as a given individual might earn, or make, or have, the wealth of this nation, is to a very large extent held in the hands of corporations.  To get a better perspective of how large some of these corporations really are, recognize that as reported by macrumors.com, “Apple posted revenue of $89.6 billion and net quarterly profit of $23.6 billion,” in their quarter ending April 28, 2021.   It is difficult for the average person to fathom, how much even a billion dollars really represents, and the fact that in just one quarter, Apple was able to have a profit of $23.6 billion is simply astonishing.  Further, we read via csimonitor.com, that Apple’s effective tax rate was just 14.34%, therefore signifying that the vast majority of those profits so made, still rests in the hands of Apple, and of which, in contrast, the highest effective Federal tax rate for individual taxpayers is 37% and that kicks in for single taxpayers at an income of $518,401.  This thus signifies, that individual taxpayers pay a higher percentage of their money so earned in taxes, then many corporations do; of which, those said corporations are in the present day, perpetual in status, which is indicative that they will apparently never have to face an estate tax.

The most obvious reason why companies such as Apple, pay so little in taxes, has to do primarily with the fact that money is a quite clearly a form of power; signifying that when a given company can buy the best legal minds, the best accounting minds, and the most effective lobbyists, that those that legislate the laws are often going to be amendable to what that money so requests of them and the result is that fair taxation of the richest and the wealthiest corporations does not occur. 

The end result of our current inability to tax fairly the wealthiest and the most powerful of corporations, is seen in the massive wealth disparity that is ever increasing, between those that have the lion’s share of riches in this nation, as compared to those that have virtually nothing.  This signifies that the tax policies of a given nation, makes a material difference in regards to the living conditions of the people of that nation; and the result is that this nation unduly suffers from far too many of its people that are ill-educated, poorly housed, lacking good healthcare, and devoid of both opportunity and hope, because those that have everything, have made a conscious choice to maximize their net profit -- so as to therefore give as little as legally possible, back.

There will be justice and the law of karma

All the things that happen on this earth, even with those that are the most pleasant of people, does not always consist of beauty, justice, and love.  Instead, there are disagreements, misunderstandings, and confusion, as well as those unsolicited and undesired situations that end up being far, far worse.  Regrettably, all the good that we wish would happen each and every day, doesn’t typically happen the way that we might have so expected or desired, of which, in fairness the blame for such may not even originate within our own self.  Further to the point, life is complicated, providing each one of us with challenges, of which these challenges are meant to define us as to who and what we really are.  While, no doubt, there is always a place for a personal apology, sorrow, and even regret, the fact of the matter is that which is wrong, needs to be replaced and rectified with that which is right, and hence the law of karma, is necessary, in order for justice to prevail, of which that justice can never be eternally denied.

In this world, all sorts of games are played, some fair, some not, but while each one of us is capable of fooling someone else, in the end, the one that has been fooled, is all those that did the fooling.  There are, after all, absolutely no shortcuts to heaven, as well as their being no shortcuts to justice, and all that is in error, needs to be corrected, for that which is wrong, is not right.  The reason that we feel pain, when we, for example, touch a stove that is burning hot, is to protect our body, from further damage that ignoring that pain signal would present.  So too, the reason that our conscience bothers us when we do something wrong, is meant for us to correct that behavior, by forthrightly correcting that wrong.

God is ever patient, and loves us unconditionally, but when we ourselves have failed to uphold our end of the bargain by adherence to those commandments so made for our enlightenment, then we subsequently will find ourselves unable to successfully cross over the line to become re-united with God, because we know that we haven’t done enough on our part to have been patient, loving, forgiving, as well as being good to others.  What we do sow, we do so reap, and therefore the harvest so made, is our harvest to own, for that harvest fairly represents all that we have done and been.

The karma that we must meet, is meant only for our betterment; and the sooner that we awaken to the fact, that dedicated, disciplined, and concentrated effort is required to rise up to get to where we need to go, the sooner that we will arrive at the place that has always been ours for the taking; if only we would demonstrate the strength of character and the ceaseless desire to be that which we were always meant to be by being obedient to that which is forever true, just, and loving.

The grand illusion

One must admit, that upon our physical death, if we were to find out, that all that we so believed about our material existence, was in fact an elaborate illusion, essentially representing a testing or proving ground for us, then we would then so comprehend, far too late, the tragic error of our ways, and of that we so stumbled badly upon.    Yet, God does not try to fool us, for it is our own ignorance, or our own turning away from that which would enlighten us, or our obedience to our own ego that has blinded us to that which is the only truth that eternally stands bright thru the eons of time.

All the material lusts that humankind insists that they must have, which are well beyond that so needed for a sensible life, are a complete waste; and while it may well make sense to desire to leave a material legacy to one’s progeny, or to good friends, or to those institutions of lasting value; the greatest gift to beget to our society and those closest to us, is actually practical sound advice, wisdom, and the good example that we have so led in our own life.

The cycle of life that we so observe on this good earth is indicative that nothing so born onto this planet, will materially last forever, but will invariably, itself, go through that cycle of life and death, that none can ever hope to extricate themselves from.  This should therefore properly be seen as the sign that material life, is an elaborate mirage -- made for our schooling and for lessons to be so learned, as well as to pricked our conscience so as to ultimately have us contemplate upon that which is everlasting and eternal, above all.

After all, to spend an inordinate amount of time upon those material things and escapades that are temporal in nature, is truly a fool’s errand; yet, so many people do exactly that, and then wonder why their life has so often appeared to be without purpose or meaning.  On the other hand, those that rightly see that they are not the physical, but are instead, eternal beings, co-creators with God of all that is so manifested or contemplated upon, are able to thereby have the appropriate perspective to take in the beauty of that which they interact with, as well as to see the drama and tragedy that entraps so many, as all part of an adventure that is worth the price of admission, but not much more than that.

It must be taken to heart, that all that we see that has a known beginning as well as a known end, should not now and never should be seen as anything other than a grand illusion; of which, though such has rules within that illusion, does not ever result in the destruction or the removal of that which is eternal, but only of that which is temporal.  This should indicate that all those that get caught up in that grand illusion, have become entrapped in that which was meant for their edification, their enlightenment, their improvement, as well as their expression of free will, but never was it meant to be viewed as something superseding that which is eternal, true, and just.

The unrestrained maximization of profit

The capitalistic system as practiced in the United States, as well as other countries, certainly has its place; of which one of the signal features for many of these corporations that practice such, is that constant lust for ever more money, ever more growth, and ever more market share; of which, those that run these corporations, recognize that the more powerful and the more dominant that they so become, the more that they are able to exert and to monetize that power in ways that are very positive for their bottom line.

No doubt, money is a great motivator for the people that make up these corporations, and this will continue to be so, because money and the access to money brings material benefits, that few once they get a taste of it, voluntarily wish to relinquish, except, perhaps on the most favorable of terms.  Fortunately, governments have been created, that while being the legal actuators of these corporate behemoths, also have within their hands the power to restrain those corporations from the worse that unrestrained capitalism can represent, and to do such for the benefit of the people, as a whole.  The problem, for the people that the government so represents, is when that government of, for, and by the people, will not act in a responsible and forthright manner on behalf of those people; for when governments will not restrain what needs to be so restrained, then corporations will do what they feel that they have to do, which often consists of finding the cheapest non-union and pliable labor source wherever it may be found throughout the globe; as well as exploiting the land, where such land matches the needs of that corporation,  in which the sustainability, environmental concerns, and common sense usage of the resources of that land all typically take the backseat to profit.

Those that  believe, somehow, that corporations will behave in a conscientious and caring manner, in which, those corporations will subdue their lust for profit; thereby ignoring the pressure for ever more profit from their stockholders, their investors, their Board of Directors, and their own upper management, probably aren’t correct in this assessment, for the only real constraint that can reliably hold back the maximization of profit, above all else, is the government; for only the government has the power and the resources to effectively do so.

All those that want to make money, should be permitted to make that money, but often need to be constrained in doing so, by reasonable governmental rules and regulations, so enacted for the betterment of the people, as a whole.  To ignore the wisdom and the appropriateness of such governance, means what our eyes plainly see, that the rich will get ever richer, the poor will get ever poorer, and the middle class will excessively suffer from the pressure of being squeezed between those that have and those that have not.

By all means, profit has its place, for profit is a great motivator; but to fail to comprehend or to recognize that checks and balances are necessary to restrain that profit, or to redistribute such, will result in the decay of the general welfare for the people, justice silenced, and liberty, betrayed.

Treat people the way that you would really like to be treated

Life is unnecessarily filled with far more trouble, disharmony, ill feelings, lack of respect, and mistreatment than is really necessary or appropriate.  While there are many reasons for why this is so, the reality is that if more people treated others in a manner in which they honestly so wished to be treated, and thereby took the time to try to see the other persons’ viewpoint, there would be a whole lot less disharmony and trouble in our communities and in our world.

The very first thing to acknowledge, is that the world does not and never will revolve exclusively around our own personal desires and wants; but rather, we must learn to successfully share the world with others; so then, it follows that we need to recognize that each person, is entitled to the same unalienable rights that all of us are entitled to, no more and no less.  While this might be a difficult concept for some people to wrap their head around, it is fundamentally a concept that must be accepted as being the truth.  That is to say, most of the problems so created by humankind, can easily be considered to lay at the feet, of those that believe, wrongly, that they are exclusively entitled to certain rights, privileges and immunities for whatever reason, and that those others have merely a subset of such. 

Once we begin to see that each and every person has the same validity that we are entitled to, then it becomes a far easier path to recognize that because we are all equally valid, that it so follows that we should treat people in a manner that is consistent with that belief; thereby signifying that we should treat people the same way that we desire to be treated, which therefore makes us consistent, and not hypocritical.  None of the foregoing, signifies that we are all mere cookie-cutter replicas with the same this or same that, but rather reflects that though we may differ in a lot of aspects and backgrounds, we are similar in our constitution and that is what really matters.

In this world there is far too much hatred and divisiveness of which those who wish to add to such, are misguided at best, as well as also being clearly wrong in their destructive behavior.  The world does not need more people that know how to destroy, hurt, or to be vengeful, but rather it needs more people that desire to repair, fix, and to be accommodating.  No doubt, it isn’t easy at times to hold our tongue, or to not strike back against someone that has badly hurt us, but to retaliate against another, especially without thinking it through, seldom resolves the real issues at hand; whereas those that are in command of knowing who and what they really are, are best able to utilize the appropriate discretion and wisdom so needed in trying situations, especially when they consider that to err and to be mistaken, are part and parcel of the human experience.

It is important for each one of us, to find a way with others to be more forgiving, more understanding, and less judgmental, in conscious recognition that the same laws, just or unjust, that we wish to have utilized against another, are fairly to be the same laws that will be applicable to our own selves in our own life.

Dirty, dangerous, demeaning, and exploited to the max

Every human being has needs, physical, mental, as well as spiritual; of which, some of those human beings have been placed into or find themselves in, or have through hard work earned their place thereof -- in which they are in meaningful control of their own fate, through for instance, familial connections, networking, hard work, educational achievements or through various other means.  Then there are those unfortunate others, that number in the hundreds of millions upon millions, that are born into unfavorable situations, with little or no opportunity, but yet, have the same basic needs of those that are living life in a stable and satisfying manner, of which their human needs consist of, but aren’t necessarily limited to, shelter, healthcare, clean water, food, companionship, freedom, education, and the right to worship.

Because we now live in a world in which everything is seemingly interconnected, this thus indicates that those that reside in the most advanced civilizations, which typically are often far wealthier than other lands, as well as more times than not, these wealthier nations being also the most powerful, or well placed, we clearly see then that there is before us a distinct pecking order of those that are the effective masters of the world, that is the rich and powerful nations, and all  those others, thereof, who are the servants to those masters.  Those then, that have little or no power, yet have an abiding desire to live, will, given their limited number of choices, do what they have to do in order to survive or suffer instead the consequences of having nothing to possess and no real escape from their doomed fate.

So then, in the lust for ever greater profits as well as market share for those that are the largest and most influential corporations in the world, they well recognize that because people all over the world, need employment, that foreign labor markets have become, in effect, wholly subservient to those that have the capital and the employment opportunities, thereof; of which those so contracted to those corporations must work under the conditions so dictated by that corporation.  The upshot, then, is those jobs which are the dirtiest for employees in the sense of pollution and the like, as well as those jobs that are dangerous in regards to the safety of those so working at, along with those jobs that are most demeaning in the sense that the jobs involve work that no self-respecting person would ever consider so doing, unless compelled to do so by a whip upon their back, then these jobs end up being filled primarily by those that have no real alternative other than to do that dirty, dangerous, and demeaning work.

In summary, what has occurred in the present day is that the domestic parent corporations, to the degree that they can do so, outsources as much as possible all the work that they can which is dirty, dangerous, and demeaning to those countries, that are not in any negotiating position to do much of anything but to accept the terms so demanded, in return for employment of their people; of which, the main beneficiary becomes  those corporations, who are able to increase their profitability and their market share, through their ruthless exploitation of those that are non-domestic, all under the guise of free markets and free labor, as if somehow this is morally right, when it clearly is not.

Poverty in America

As reported by census.gov, “In 2019, the poverty rate for the United States was 10.5%,” and further we are told that the black poverty rate reached a historic low of 18.8% in 2019.  The fact that 10.5% of the peoples that live in the United States as measured by the poverty definition so defined by the government, are classified as being impoverished, in this the richest nation, the world has ever known, should be seen as the great shame that it really is.  The additional fact that the black poverty rate, reached a historic low of 18.8% indicates that our eyes do not deceive us, to wit, that blacks clearly are impoverished at unacceptably high numbers and that this is the way it has been in America, seemingly forever. 

Perhaps, this war on poverty so initiated by that government in 1964, could be seen as a whole lot better than simply doing nothing; then again, perhaps it should be seen for what it is, an abysmal failure, that has not eradicated poverty, that has not defeated poverty, and that sure the heck hasn’t done what so needs to be done to create and to sustain the infrastructure so needed to effectively eliminate poverty.  Clearly, with as many words and promises so made in regards to addressing the systemic issues in regards to that poverty it would seem that nobody at the top echelons of government actually knows how to fight a war to win; because poverty is still alive and very much relevant to those millions upon millions of Americans that suffer the ill effects of lives that are often hopeless, and frequently lacking in fair opportunity.

While there isn’t anything inherently wrong with a capitalistic society, of money making and the lusting for profits; there is something seriously wrong when that government behaves in a manner in which it will not take responsibility in recognizing that the more unequal a society is in regards to its wealth, to its opportunity, to its infrastructure, and to its justice, that this will only result in a nation in which poverty cannot and will not be eliminated, because inequality of all stripes, begets poverty.

The money needed to eliminate poverty clearly exists in America, and the structure to thereby eliminate that poverty, could be created in America, but has not been.  Those that declaim that progress has been made are typically also those that are not suffering from the ill effects of that poverty; so that those that promise that poverty will be eliminated, given enough time, and given enough resources, don’t seem to understand that commitments not truly fulfilled, are commitments that are hollow   The bottom line is that the United States should be the industry leader in the lack of poverty, so of; and the truth of the matter is that America has failed its people, and most importantly, has failed their most vulnerable of its people. 

The time for talk has long passed and the time for action is right now, so that we are currently at that point of which America is at the crossroads, of which, it has the easiest of decisions to make -- as to whether to provide for those that have everything, even more; or to provide something of material substance to those that have nothing but empty hopes.

The competitive advantage of outsourcing

Not every company is good at everything, and the smartest and savviest of those companies, recognize the inherent advantages of doing only those tasks in-house of which they have a competitive edge or perform at a high expertise, and thereby as much as possible or conceivable, they subsequently outsource that which another company is more skilled, competent, or knowledgeable at.  All of this makes eminent sense, especially if such outsourcing has no or little community or domestic downside such as a monetary penalty, tariff, or other adverse actions so associated with it.

So too, plenty of pundits spend an inordinate amount of time trying to convince people, that it is right and well-nigh dutiful to outsource that which can be outsourced for a better price, because that reflects a more efficient usage of capital, while also freeing up domestic labor for tasks and jobs more becoming for a country in the ascendancy.  Clearly, if profitability and competitiveness is above all, the only real measure of the worth of a company, then outsourcing is the competitive advantage, that companies need to adhere to, without fail. The problem with this thinking, though, lies in the fact that when those profits for those companies that have outsourced a significant number of jobs that could have been performed domestically, is not subsequently proportionally re-distributed in some form such as through taxation, or inherent community obligations, then the concentration of capital becomes far more acute, because it now primarily rests in the hands of those that run those companies and their actuators.

Well-run companies have a very strong tendency to investigate ways of increasing both market share as well as profitability; so then, as a matter of good diligence, those corporations are going to look at virtually every aspect of what that company so does, from the simplest tasks to the most complicated and try to break those processes and duties down in a manner in which decisions can be reached as to whether or not, such should be performed in-house or outsourced so as to both save money as well as to increase efficiency.  Quite logically, not only does that make eminent sense, but in consideration of the stockholders and board of directors of said company, it probably is their duty to do exactly that.

That said, from a countrywide perspective, the question should be asked, as to whether those corporations that are exceedingly successful in such outsourcing have an inherent obligation to their country of residency, to plow back some of those profits, into their home country so that it does not devolve into becoming a country with a few that have everything, and a significant swath of the population which has next to nothing. 

We live in a world that has become ever smaller, in which many a developing country and its people have a very strong need for their constituents to work, often at a very favorable price for those engaging them in such.  This outsourcing while clearly having benefits for those companies that contract such, also has its domestic downside, which needs to take into better consideration that domestic people of working age, need both good opportunity as well as fair employment at a fair wage.

Private ownership and taxpayer funded public stadiums

The fact that sports are a big business does not necessarily translate into any real benefit for individual communities, and often can be seen as a construct in which the general public, is more or less, subsidizing billionaire sports owners for the stadium or arena facilities so being constructed.  The very first hint that things are out of skew is the fact that the billionaires or the mega rich that own these sports franchises aren’t really interested in owning their own stadium or arena, but distinctly prefer to have these stadiums and arenas built by taxpayer monies, all under the guise that somehow these stadiums and arenas are a net good to the community, which makes no sense, since if they were actually a net good, financially, then these very savvy owners would own them privately.

It was not all that long ago, that as reported in the book, Field of Schemes, we find that it was common that “…until the late 1940s and '50s, most professional sports teams played in privately owned facilities built by the teams' owners with their own revenue;” but those days are long over for it is now pretty much typical for stadiums and arenas to be built by taxpayer money nowadays on behalf of the mega rich owners.  While sports owners can cite all sorts of surveys about how beneficial such a stadium will be for the community at large, and the employment thereof; the reality is that this isn’t true, because common sense indicates that, for example, a professional football stadium so used for football games ten times in a calendar year, is almost for a certainty going to be a money loser, because of the expense so necessitated to create that stadium, in the first place, and the fact that the stadium is so underutilized as compared to alternate uses of that area for business enterprises, or educational facilities, or anything of actual purpose.

Further to the point, when public monies are misallocated to essentially help feather the bed of those that are mega rich, then those that are members of that community, are going to suffer the ill effects of the lost of infrastructure and real businesses that could have actually helped the community in improving itself, by the collection of fair payroll, property and sales taxes and the like.  While, it is true, that communities often do take pride in their sports teams, that doesn’t mean that they should be stuck footing the bill for the stadium, in which they never benefit from the profit and the increased worth of the sports franchise.  In other words, at the present time this is the worse of all worlds, in which, the mega rich, are permitted to reduce their financial exposure by laying off onto the public the significant expense of the stadium, while aggrandizing into their own hands, the profits and the ever-increasing value of said franchise.  So that, in essence, the public subsidizes and ends up holding the bag for those that are already exceedingly wealthy and powerful, with no real upside, while suffering from the considerable risk of financial downside.

When it comes to sports, it should never be about privatized profits, with socialized losses, but this is in fact, the situation as it really is.  Those, then, that are the stewards of the public purse, need to better understand that if the mega rich won’t personally fairly pay for that which they claim that they need, then it must not be a good financial deal for the general public.

This world of deceit, and the world to come of no deceit

As much as we might want to believe that those closest to us are trustworthy, honest, upfront, empathetic, open, and always having our best interests in mind, this sadly is seldom the case, and we pretty much know it.  It isn’t so much that the people that we know and love, don’t really care about us, or are deliberately deceptive to us; for rather their shortcomings has a lot more to do with the fact that each one of us has their own peculiarities as well as priorities, along with the fact that we are limited by own imperfections, thereby, not too surprisingly, we fall short of being that perfect companion; yet, despite all this, those that we are closest to are most definitely of immense value and therefore overall are beneficial for us. 

Then there is the world that we interact with, of which, we believe that in order to best deal with that world, we are going to as a habit, have to take on various masks of civility and concern, typically, not so much because we are trying to be deceptive, but more as a process to effectively get along with others in a manner in which we are not offensive or troublesome, especially when it doesn’t serve any good purpose to be so.  However, there are those words so spoken and mannerisms so displayed, that while adhering to good social standards, are not in reality, the actual way that we are presently feeling or believing, but rather are in disagreement with such.  The fact that we do have those conflicts, are part and parcel of why we are grateful that nobody can read our mind, or know our innermost thoughts; though in truth, because that which we really are is hidden, we end up essentially being untrue to our real self.

So then, because we know for a certainty that we can get away with lying or deceiving people through misdirection and the like, we often find ourselves in that quandary of knowing that who and what we so represent to others, is in fact, not who we really are, and because of that character trait, we have only served to place ourselves in the unenviable position of postponing that which must be faced -- because for a certainty those tricks so used in this world, are definitely those tricks that are untenable in the world to come.

The essence of the matter is that truth and justice can be rather easily circumvented in this world, but those tricks of the trade cannot be utilized when we face that which knows us, and that which cannot be deceived even a whit, so of.  This so signifies that it is in our best interests to the degree so possible, to drop the pretense and the masks that we are so prone to wear, and to deal with others in a manner in which we respect them as people that are deserving to know us as we really are; so that together, those characteristics that need to be worked upon and improved upon can so be done.  It is not, though, that we need to search necessarily for some party to confess our faults to, but rather it is that we need to own who we are, foibles and all, and make it our point to do what we can to be a better person to others, as well as to our own true self.

Amazon and Walmart are non-union

It probably isn’t any real news that Amazon and Walmart are non-unionized, for most people are pretty much aware of that, especially those that work there; but what many people might not know, though, is that these two powerful and gargantuan corporations, are also the largest non-governmental employees in the United States.   So then, it seems well-nigh unfathomable that those that do the grunt work for Amazon and Walmart, somehow would not be very interested in the value of collective bargaining, best done by establishing a union for the vested interests of those employees.  After all, employees, are permitted by governmental law, to circulate petitions, to organize, to distribute and to discuss the value of such a union, so that through the collective power of those many employees, united for a common cause they then are best able to get their fair due from those corporations that have sales in the billions upon billions of dollars, annually.

Somehow, though, unions have not been able to achieve much traction at all within Amazon and Walmart.  That would imply that the government, of, by, and for the people, is probably not doing its part to see that those that are employed at these corporations are provided with the fair opportunity to be organized, without having to suffer the undue fear of retaliation or unemployment.  That is to say, employees understand the value and the need to work, and thereby often are fearful to do much of anything that would be interpreted as “rocking the boat,” and union activity is most definitely one of those things, that Amazon and Walmart take very, very seriously as being inimical to their respective business.  Further to the point, seeing that information is indeed a form of power, then it probably is a certainty that both Amazon and Walmart are well aware in detail of what is really going on in regards to incipient employee union activities, and deal with it forthrightly in a manner in which they are at a minimum able to control the narrative.

If all the employees of Amazon and Walmart were well paid, with consistent hours, great benefits, and were also eligible to avail themselves of some sort of profit sharing, then, quite frankly, union activity would not serve any great purpose.  That though, is certainly not the truth, and in consideration, that those that work at these companies, are almost wholly powerless on an individual basis, this thus means that the only real hope to make substantive progress in the labor payrate and conditions so of, is through the strength of many people, so united, into one union, so as to have some semblance of a real voice and thereby for that union to negotiate for those employees, something of real substance from the executive offices of Amazon and Walmart who are well able to pay a fair salary, but clearly prefer not to.

The fact that Amazon and Walmart are non-union, should undeniably tell every American one thing, which is that the game of capitalism as practiced in America in the present day, is corrupt, unfair, and clearly skewed to make the elite ever richer, and to do so upon the backs of those that they exploit, mercilessly, and that this government quietly sits idly by, because it apparently does not care to help the common people.

More profits through the reduction of direct employees

If one wants to give credit to the most profitable and biggest American corporations, then probably their most notable calling card is frankly that they are immensely skilled at the making of money, above all.  For instance, a given company, might initially believe that a directly employed workforce, with a fair benefit package and a living wage, would logically thereby create workforce stability along with labor satisfaction, and hence would be the best way to assure profitably and consistency; in addition to demonstrating that this corporation has make it a point of being of material usefulness and of benefit to that community that it is an integral part of.  That, though, is not what most large corporations actually do in the present day, as instead they prefer to see every aspect of their business as something that needs to be carefully investigated and analyzed, for the sole benefit for that corporation, in order to primarily increase profitability. 

This so indicates that corporations are first and foremost, cognizant that a direct employee, so subject to benefits such as vacation time, sick leave, personal time, maternity leave, healthcare, holidays, bonuses, and the employment payment matching of social security and Medicare taxes means that the wage so being paid to a given employee, is far higher than their payrate.  So then, corporations have a very strong tendency to look upon who is so employed, and therefore make a conscious determination as to whether or not, certain current direct employees, could conceivably be replaced by temporary employees, or their work subcontracted out to agencies, or simply outsourced to somewhere else, such as a foreign country, of that work so being presently performed in-house.  In other words, a conscientious company that cares about little more than their bottom line, is going to have a very strong inclination to look at every aspect of their company and thereby determine as to whether or not, that company needs to directly employ those so currently working in their employment, or whether that work could be successfully done by a temp, an agency, or outsourced, at a lower cost point, with subsequently less financial exposure and liability to the company.

In other words, when corporations, care primarily about profitability above people, and clearly care about the making of that money, over and above responsible obligations that they should have to their community as well as to their country, then they are going to have a strong tendency to make decisions that benefit their bottom line, above all else.  In an era, in which unions have become marginalized in virtually every aspect of the private sector, and of which the government has apparently ceded its influence and power to those corporations to do what they so may, then this so signifies that the private sector knows for a certainty that when it comes to negotiating with employees, temps, agencies, or the outsourcing of work, that those corporations have not only a lot of viable options, but that such negotiations are going to overwhelmingly favor the employer over any other entity.   

So then, it really comes down to the salient fact, that many corporations, take absolutely zero pride, in the sheer number of direct employees that they so have engaged, but actually prefer to be measured by the total number of sales or profits that they have per employee, and therefore make it their principle point to increase such at the expense of being fair to their society and especially to the good people that make up that society.

The only law that matters

Humankind creates all sorts of things, including laws, of which, civilizations have a strong tendency, no matter the governance, to provide the illusion that such laws are fair, equable, and impartial to all, when they certainly are not.  In many countries, what a given Constitution does or does not say, what a given law does or does not say, doesn’t matter all that much, but rather what matters is how those that enforce and interpret those laws, do so, and therefore how such is applied to the people, in whole.  Unfortunately, human laws, no matter how high sounding, noble, or dignified, often fail in the largest sense to be fair, equable and impartial; signifying that human law and how such is enforced against individuals should not be much of a basis, whatsoever, in judging whether a given person and their actions has been on the right side or not.  In truth, what matters, and well-nigh the only thing that matters are for us to get right with the only law that is immutable, and that is God’s eternal law.

No doubt, to the degree that humankind’s laws as applied are consistent with God’s law, then so much the better. Of course, it can be said, that it is not easy to know God’s law, and further to the point, different people and different cultures, can easily have different interpretations of what God’s law is, in addition to the salient point, that a whole lot of harm can occur by those that believe that they are defenders of God’s law, but are wrong in their interpretation and their application of such, and sometimes they are horribly wrong.  Be that as it may, it certainly is never God’s fault, when God’s name is used in a manner that does not reflect God’s attributes; nor does this retract from the necessary point, that God’s unchangeable law is in fact, from alpha to omega, the only law that is going to matter. This thus signifies that all those that make an honest search to take in and to understand as well as to comprehend God’s law are on the right track, because this will help to bring clarity to those searching for that which answers all questions, and is fairly discoverable by all.

Life isn’t ever really about “obeying the law,” as so propagated by humankind, but rather it is about finding that only law that matters, the only law that is always right, fair and just, and thereby it is our highest duty to adhere to that unchanging law.  All of the injustice, all of the wrongs, all of the problems that humankind has placed itself into, comes from disobedience to God’s true law, sometimes done deliberately, sometimes through ignorance, sometimes through ego, but always as a free will decision so made by humankind, whether they subsequently own up to it in a timely manner or not.  Those that honestly search for that which is worth searching for, will so find it; and those that do not, will continue to suffer from the darkness of deceit and lies.  In truth, there is only that one law, created for our benefit so that we need not suffer soulful ill consequences if we are true to that law. All those then that deviate from that law, especially by their pollution of such, of which, they bend, stretch, buy, and manipulate true law or simply ignore such, have lost their way, and will not find their way again until they meet that which has to be met.

Why we need adversity

When we look though the skeins of time, we are provided with the fair opportunity to get perspective, and through that perspective to truly understand that as much as we might want to rail against the system, for unfairness, discrimination, meanness and injustice, which surely has its place; we need to also on the other hand, acknowledge that through such adversity successfully dealt with we can personally rise up and grow.  That is to say, adversity can be rightly seen as providing an opportunity for people to develop within their repertoire, positive attributes such as resiliency, patience, and perseverance, as well as a better understanding that part of life does indeed consist of those battles that give each one of us the opportunity to rise up to that occasion and to embody that which we were always meant to be.

While it might seem to make sense that the best days of our lives, are those days when seemingly everything goes our way, and thereby it is as if we are living in the lap of luxury – that isn’t really so; for that fantasy is belied by the fact, that actually our best days are those days when so faced with something seemingly impossible to deal with, that we were eventually successful in overcoming and vanquishing such; for those indeed are the very best and the most satisfying of days.

When we look around and see the world as it really is, or our community for that matter, or our own personal life, then we must be honest enough to reflect correctly that we need to do our part to help make things better, because that is our highest and most noble calling.   So then, all those that have faced adversity and have overcome, have the necessary strength of character to help others to do the very same thing.  Additionally, overcomers are the type of people that do not easily give up, but rather often see obstacles as something to be faced with the courage of those who know that what needs to be accomplished, should be accomplished.

After all, those that live lives that face no adversity, are probably not going to be prepared to deal with what needs to be dealt with, when all hell brings loose.  Those, though that have done their part, will be prepared to do battle not only because they are battle prepared, but also because they know that given enough time, good preparation, the righteousness of their actions, as well as unity, that those that are firmly on the right side, will so overcome.

Sure, it doesn’t seem right when we get knocked down, or suffer one indignity after another, but all of this will not last forever, though it might seem that it will; yet, for a certainty it will surely pass.  To believe otherwise, is to believe that there isn’t any justice, but in fact, justice never sleeps, and never will rest, until each one of us awakens to the reality that through adversity, we do grow, and mature, along with developing wisdom, and thereby becoming what we were always meant to be.