How bad do you want to be good?

Nobody is going to be perfect, even if they are trying to be perfect, and really want to be perfect, they just aren't going to be perfect; for it isn't possible, not even for one day, to attain that perfection.    Still, we can accomplish pretty much the same goal by simply being good one to another, by demonstrating patience, concern, generosity, caring, fairness, justice, and compassion in our interactions with those that we collaborate with day-by-day.  The thing is though, knowing what is the right thing to do, and thereupon executing upon it, consistently, is something that most of us need to improve upon, for we often fall short of that noblest of goals.

Most of the trouble that we get ourselves into, really involves our not being able to have the strength of character to hold the line in being good, but rather we give into weakness by letting our pride or our ego or our bad behavior to just get the better of us and therefore to subsequently do bad, rather than good.  Further to the point, it isn't good enough to be good, twenty-three hours out of the day, if that other hour, is one in which we are absolutely horrible in our behavior, for those bad deeds so done, can wipe absolutely clean the slate of the good cheer that we previously so spread.

So then, in consideration that since we aren't going to be perfect, the next best thing to aim to accomplish is to make those decisions that are beneficial for us as well as for those that we interact with, which therefore collectively serves to fairly define us as human beings.  So too, since it is inevitable that each one of us is going to fall somewhat short of what we really need to so attain, the important thing is to not only keep dusting ourselves off when we fall down, but to make it our point, to do better, day-by-day, so that therefore when we get to that fork in the road, we definitively take the right turn, and vow therefore to never look back, again.

Further, it is fair to state, just knowing what is right and knowing what is wrong, does not make a person's character good; for it is in the actual practice of the discipline to consistently do the right thing, that defines whether someone is in reality, good.  In truth, those that are good, are the type of people that have the self-respect and wisdom to not negatively react to situations, that a lesser person, by their poor judgment, would typically fall victim to.  Those of good character are willing to make a personal sacrifice, if need be, in order to maintain their focus on doing the right thing, by therefore keeping their ego and poor judgment under their control.

Ultimately, we are only as good as what we actually do, for the choice of being good is ours to make; for as free will beings, the only real question is actually how bad do we want to be good. The answer to that question, will be result of our life, fairly weighed through the impartial scales of wise justice, and of which ultimately those scales will favor one side or the other.

Employment: Separate and so unequal

When it comes to the labor force in America, their collective power in absence of strong and robust unions, that do the right thing by all of their constituents, grows ever weaker by the day.  The most insidious of things that some employers do is essentially to create separate classes of workers, in which the favored class of laborers are full-time workers, with designated benefits, and some sort of secured employment.  For them, life appears to be really good.  However, for certain newly hired employees, or employees who are classified in jobs in which the skill level so needed is less, those same employers do not provide the same sort of benefits to these lesser employees, and additionally the job security so desired by them is nearly entirely absent.  What has effectively happened is that the employer has deliberately created two classes of employees, those that are privileged and those that are not; of which, the privileged employees when it comes to their salary and the like, are often aligned and beholden to their employer, and pretty much as long as they are kept satisfied, they don't really concern themselves about that other separate and unequal class of employees.

So then, while there are all sorts of tricks of the trade of eliminating, breaking and eviscerating unions, certainly one of the more effective ones, is to divide and to conquer; in which thereby the employees that are considered to be of more material value, are treated differently, than those that are perceived to be more readily replaceable and therefore those privileged employees don't see the upside of being unionized.  That is why it is so important for unions, when they represent workers, to represent well all of the workers, as opposed to only some of them, because once certain employees decide that they don't need or don't desire union representation because they find that cooperation with the boss is the apparent better deal for them, the balance of the workforce is pretty much left high and dry -- without power and without representation.

The bottom line is that employers are very savvy about doing what is best for them and their pocketbook, and if that means treating some employees in a manner in which they are disposable, underpaid, and replaceable, they are going to have a strong tendency to do exactly that; especially when there is no pushback from their core employees.  The problem though for those that think they have it so good as an employee in the privileged class, is that employment needs as well as the changes in today's high-paced world are very fluid, and when it comes to the greed of employers, such is never satiated over the long term, but only in the short term, which means that all those employees that considered themselves to be "irreplaceable" today, may yet wake up to face a very rude day.

In short, when the employer has all of the power, and the labor force, has none, except for those that believe that they are essential; recognize this truth, that the most aggressive of employers see those that they employ as always being an expense, and therefore they are always looking for a way to lower those expenses, and they won't ever stop their relentless search to do that, because, for them, making more money always trumps a mere employee, every day of every week.

FDR's Economic Bill of Rights

In January of 1944, President Roosevelt's message to Congress on the state of the union, was a speech that many citizens in today's America are completely unaware of; and of which, the rights for the  economic improvement,  especially for the most vulnerable of American people, so expressed in this speech, have not even come close to ever coming to fruition  What the President so desired to see was that in recognition that America was the premier economic nation in the world, that therefore it was time to recognize and to validate that every American has the equal right to a good education, a decent home, adequate protection from economic fears, adequate medical care, freedom from unfair competition, freedom from domination by monopolies, and the right to earn enough income so as to obtain adequate food, clothing, and recreation for one's own household.

All of items in the above list should still be carefully looked at and studied, for the truth of the matter is, that not one of these economic rights, as propagated by the President, all the way back in 1944, not a single one of them has been fulfilled as of today; this over a period of time of over seventy-five years, and in fact, not a single one of these rights is even close to actually becoming part and parcel of the American experience, in this the richest nation that the world has ever known. 

The most important question to therefore ask, is why?  Why is it that America, with all of its riches, is still unable to fulfill these most sensible of economic rights, in this period of time, in which, America has been at the absolute top of its game, and yet has economically devolved into becoming a country of the haves that have it all, and the have nots, that have not a thing.  This is not the way that it should be, especially in consideration that the very purpose of having a national income tax in the first place -- which is progressive in nature -- is for the fair re-distribution to the people of the wealth so created. So too, the very point of estate taxes is to see that those that have had it all when so alive, are at the time of their physical death, compelled by governmental fiat to pass on a fair percentage of their wealth to those that are of the living, so that these seemingly forgotten citizens therefore have then their fair chance of opportunity.  Finally, the corporate titans that seem to run this country, should as a matter of course, be paying a much higher tax rate than the common man so does, rather than so often avoiding their responsible duties to that government which permits their perpetual artificial existence, in the first place.

The bottom line is that America really ought to stand for something of real merit, and what that should really be is an America which provides for each one of its citizens, a fair opportunity to be a home owner, to have a stable job, and basically to have all the accouterments that demonstrate that this nation really is the greatest nation that the world has ever known, by virtue of the fact, that even the least amongst us, has a place to call their own, good healthcare, money in their pocket, and the luxury of having the extra time to actually enjoy the best of America.

The age of majority

In the United States, the age of majority back in the 19th century was 21 years of age, and of which, those that were under the age of 21, were therefore effectively in the care of their parents, who thereby controlled their earnings, their income, and essentially their freedom.  It was not until the 21st century, that the age of majority for both male and female, was lowered to the age of 18, yet since that time, the United States for certain activities, such as in the buying of cigarettes, or in the drinking of alcohol, has raised the age back to 21, therefore providing what appears to be a situation, in which people at the age of 18, while being franchised to vote, as well as being subject to signing up for the military and therefore dying for their country in the service to it, somehow aren't considered worthy to legally smoke or drink, despite their majority age.

The age of majority is of critical importance for all those that desire the fruits of their labor, of which, not every parent so made, is a good parent for a given child, and hence some children are denied that which they fairly labored for by their parents who have the legal right to that labor, simply on the basis of their child's age, and not upon the content of that child's character or any fair consideration of the effort put forth to earn that money, by the person so making it.

The fact that the age of majority was lowered to the age of 18, should be something that is absolutely consistent throughout every avenue of those that have therefore become the age of majority; this is so needed so that there are not, in effect, two classes of adults -- which is a bastardization of what being an adult actually is, and makes for extremely poor law, along with it being absolutely inconsistent; for either the age of majority is 18 or it is 21, or some other age, but it should not be one age for this and another age for that.

Those that are adults often enjoy being in the catbird seat, and so, some of these are selfishly not all that interested in sharing power, or in ceding power; but rather they seem to prefer to spend inordinate amounts of time, writing about and talking about, how they need to protect our youth, or see to it that our youth are not subject to that which is inimical to them, which perhaps demonstrates the best of intentions, but such intentions often seem to serve a much more underhanded purpose, which is the turning back of the clock to those days when patriarchy was the iron law of the land.

People are defined by the decisions that they make, good or bad, and right or wrong, of which to believe that somehow, mere age, brings wisdom, is insulting to all those that have intelligence, sensibility, maturity, and discernment, but aren't old.  To believe, that somehow, father knows best, is belied by all the fathers that don't know best; and further to believe that the government of supposed do-gooders knows what is best is fundamentally flawed for their governmental actions seem to indicate the very opposite. Those that that have reached the age of majority are entitled to all of their rights, not some sort of subset to such, for true liberty deserves no less than 100% of it, or it isn't liberty.

“…the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today…”

The above quotation comes from the incomparable Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on April 4, 1967, in his speech known as “Beyond Vietnam.” Quite regrettably, one year exactly from this date, he was assassinated. The answer as given to the question as to who is the greatest purveyor of violence in the world as of 1967, was as stated by Dr. King, the United States of America. Of course, during this time, the United States was in its escalation phase on its war to “liberate” Vietnam from communist insurgents, even though this war was more accurately, a civil war, and of which, Vietnam is in no close proximity to the United States. Sadly, over fifty years later, one could make the very same argument that the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today, is still the United States, for it likes to bring war onto country after country, and prefers to do so by bombing, mining, and pretty much doing all that can be done to make life miserable for those that are unfortunate enough to live within the borders of a country, that the United States, feels must be both “shocked and awed.” For all those, that don’t believe this statement is true, one must wonder, with America having the largest annual military budget by over $500 billion over any other nation, how it could possibly be conceivable that some other country brings even more violence.

Additionally, the violence within the domestic borders of this the land of the free, is absolutely staggering in the consideration that this is supposed to be the land of opportunity, egalitarianism, racial equality, and justice. But, in actuality the ever-growing disparity between the haves and have nots, alongside of a bifurcated America which while having the best of best in regards to education, healthcare, and income for the fortunate – is also the very same country that has ghettos of despair, in which hope, opportunity, and fairness, is virtually completely absent for the unfortunate. So too, the ill health of America is shown by its entertainment industry which too often glorifies gratuitous violence, loveless sex, and amoral stories, in order to provide a looking glass, for those that have nothing to really look forward to and no good driven purpose in life.

We learn from those that are around us, and through the behavior good and bad, of those that would lead us. When the richest nation that the world has ever known, insists that “…Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists…” this is indicative of a nation that has clearly lost its way and has abandoned its moral compass as apparently being too confining. It is extremely disappointing, that the military-industrial-technology complex of today is arguably far more dangerous than it was at the height of the misbegotten Vietnam war. The fact that this efficient military killing machine has mastered how to kill and to destroy without having to necessarily put many boots on the ground; so done by utilizing drones, robots, and sophisticated computer technology to track, target and to eradicate whatever it so desires, with a pliant press that hears and sees nothing amiss, and pretty much says nothing to rock the boat, is reflective that the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today, has only gotten appreciatively better at this the most disappointing of trades.

Good governance and the necessary restraint of the majority

While there is something to be said about majority rule; recognize that there are different degrees of majorities; of which clearly when a proposition or candidate wins, the plurality of that vote and the count so of, should be considered to be relevant, and especially so, when the vote is very close. After all, if 49.99% of the population, is on the losing side, their voice, should not be silenced, as if they had no validity, but rather, if anything, because the vote was so close, their voice deserves to be heard as having actual legitimacy, as that seems intuitively to be fair. But even in those cases in which one side wins by a landslide, the majority should not by virtue of that mandate, ever be in the position in which unalienable rights as well as Constitutional rights are revoked from that side which lost, for to do so, essentially affirms that governments should be permitted to be majority tyrannical, via some deviant sort of majority rule philosophy, so that the majority should therefore do all of the ruling, and the minority or the losing side, just has to accept it as being democratically valid.

For a certainty, those that are in the majority of this or that, are rightfully entitled to the fruits of their victory, but not so in a manner which revokes or takes away sovereign rights of the people, in whole. That is to say, that Constitutions are constructed so that nations are thereby ruled by a set of laws, adjudicated as necessary in a court of law, with the ability to add or modify laws as properly legislated, of which, the constraint so of is that the Constitution is the highest law of that land and that the people, majority or not, are the beneficiaries of that Constitution, so created for their good welfare.

In any system of governance, one of the purposes of such, is to see to it that the most vulnerable amongst that nation, that is, the people without an effective voice, the ill, the infirmed, the poor, the aged, and the disenfranchised, are provided with the robust protection of that government to preclude them from being thereby exploited, abused, or treated as something less than their full rights of being a citizen of the very same nation entitle them to. After all, in America, there are not different classes of citizens, and to thereby believe, that the majority are the de facto higher class, whereas, the minority is the implicit lower class, are the very seeds that create trouble, division, and dissent.

Those that are the representatives of the people, have a hallowed obligation to represent all of the people, and to be fair to those people -- as opposed to falling into the trap of just serving factions, and hence taking care of only those that they believe they have an obligation to, or feel beholden to, in order to continue to secure their favor or vote -- which while seeming just fine for the majority, this does a disservice to the minority, who in turn, should be dealt with, fairly.

Our true value

There a lot of people that believe that their worth is in the possessions that they have and the accomplishments that they have achieved, and while those things may indeed have merit, while also seeming to matter quite a lot to other people, to believe somehow that this represents therefore our ultimate value is fundamentally flawed. Rather, a better perspective is to understand that to the degree that our possessions have utility, and to the degree that our accomplishments contribute value to the betterment of society, that is to the good; however, our true value should not be measured by just that, but should instead be measured by who we are, in essence.

A game in which our constant focus is to keep up with the Joneses, should be seen for the distraction and the misstep that it so represents. So too, those that are overly concerned about how they are perceived by others, as if our validity should come through those others, are clearly barking up the wrong tree. Additionally, while one must give credit where credit is due, for those that have put their nose to the grindstone and have achieved through their perseverance and drive, achievements of real worth; to do so, while losing track of family obligations, or of friends, or of our Creator, though, is to value more, what should rightly be valued less.

In order to understand our true value, we first need to understand who and what we really are; for in knowing that, we therefore comprehend what we need to aspire to. Unfortunately, what so many people do, is that they don’t raise their sight, high enough; often getting so caught up in this material world, that they lose sight of the fact that they would be far better served and far more satisfied by improving their character so as to demonstrate in action to others, their empathy, their patience, their good advice, and their caring, one person to another, as opposed to just plain working hard. Ultimately, so many things in this world, are simply transitory, as well as being endlessly repeatable, of which, we don’t need then to overly participate in that which doesn’t make us a better person or a better neighbor but rather serves to distract us from the big picture and thereby the path that we need to be on.

If this life was really all about how much that we have or how powerful that we are, it would clearly be a construct in which there would never be any lasting happiness, especially because of the fear that we have of losing such. So then, anytime we are intimately involved in a situation, in which at least part of our success depends upon our exploitation or our taking advantage of others that aren’t as sharp, or savvy, that is going to be a society which will clearly divide into those that have, against those that have not; thereby sustaining the belief that this world is an ever-going battle of oppositional forces and not ever one of mutual cooperation. That mindset is fundamentally wrong, for that which we really are, implicitly understands that there is no limit in that which is limitless, and there is no division in that which is indivisible; signifying that this world is meant for us to search inside to thereby become that which enlightens us and to subsequently pass that knowledge on to those that are in a self-imposed darkness.

Rent Control?

In an era in which inflation appears to be distinctly on the rise and of which housing prices along with rental prices are at all-time highs, the question has to be asked about whether rent control is something that would be beneficial for that significant swath of the population that rents. The main problem for those that pay rent is that when their rent so being paid increases year after year, without any corresponding increase in their income to match that, this thereupon necessitates an ever-higher percentage of their income being devoted to that rent. Further to the point, those that own their own residence, of which they have, for instance, a fixed mortgage rate so set for thirty years, know for a certainty how much they are going to have to pay for their home, monthly, by those set mortgage payments, which for them, are absolutely consistent month by month, and year by year. Additionally, mortgage interest so paid, is deductible when it comes time for taxes, along with its corresponding property taxes; whereas, for those that rent, the payment of such, on a federal basis is not deductible.

If the landlord business was absolutely concentrated, such as, for instance, in the days of the company town, there would be an absolute need for there to be rent control; but unlike a significant number of businesses and corporations in America, today, those that rent properties, whether it be apartments, condos, or homes, is a very fragmented business with a good amount of true competition for those that so rent such. This means, that to a very great extent, the rent so being charged, is in fair accordance to what the market will bear. Obviously, in those cities and towns in which the amount of rental property is limited, but the desire or need to rent is high, then rental prices are going to be higher. So, a fair argument could be made, that for those that desire rent control, the same general result that they are looking for, would be better achieved, by more affordable property rentals being built in communities, so lacking in the appropriate number of rental properties to be had. In absence of this being done, a better alternative to rent control, would be some sort of subsidy being provided by the federal government for those so renting, based upon the income of the person and the rent percentage so being paid to such.

Those that are the biggest proponents of rent control, prefer not to take into account, that businesses and people that own rental property are not stupid; so to the degree that they can circumvent rent control, by simply not building in communities with rent control, they will have a strong tendency to do that; additionally, if an apartment unit can be converted to condos, they may well be tempted to do that; and in absence of good options, and thereby when facing a diminishing return on their investment, one would expect logically that rental maintenance and upkeep will be reduced significantly in its efficiency, because of rent control.

Finally, rent control from a renters’ perspective always favor those are currently inside the rental property as a given renter; at the expense of all those that will eventually need a rental place of their own, but now won’t be able to get an affordable one because those that know that they have a below market deal, aren’t readily going to give that up. As for rental investment, those with money, have something that is fungible, by definition, so that, if a particular community has rent control, they will simply find another area to invest in, that does not.

The land of immigrants apparently doesn’t want any more immigrants

Virtually everyone that runs the show in the United States from its inception, is an immigrant to this nation, which is still true to this day, one way or another, such as through one’s bloodline.  So then, the fact that the United States has historically had a real aversion to immigration except from specific western European countries, is indicative that this country is two-face about that which is its essence, and quite obviously by its behavior, contradictory to those that believe that America is the epitome of opportunity, hope, and freedom.  Regrettably, those themselves that were immigrants seem to have forgotten that there isn’t any legitimate reason why the immigration door for others has to be closed, as if there isn’t any more room to fit anybody else in, when, in fact, there is more than enough room in this the third biggest country in landmass in the world.

Anybody with any sort of sensibility knows for a certainty that the mightiest nations in the world are those countries that have the necessary population and resources to exert themselves, and therefore it is never good enough to just be blessed with great natural resources, for without the people so needed to develop such and to improve upon such, nations are prone to stagnation and/or being conquered from that which has both the population and the means to impress themselves upon the other.  This so indicates that in numbers there is strength, and for all those naysayers that preach the false gospel that we live in a world with ever limited resources, we should temper that belief in recognizing that humankind has again and again proved it has both the means and has figured out a way not only to survive but to thrive, even in the most trying of circumstances.

Disappointingly, there seems to be a belief from a sizeable portion of Americans, that immigrants, that don’t look like them, or have habits which are different from them, or are unkempt in appearance, or crossed the border illegally, are somehow not worthy of being embraced as a true American.  While there is something to be said about the need to have some sort of integrity of our borders as well as to exert some sort of control over who so enters this country, a lot of this could be alleviated, if America presented a much more liberal and accommodating attitude to those that are refugees or simply those that are looking for a chance, or an opportunity to better themselves in a country that offers such, by therefore having a far more liberal policy towards those that would immigrate here.

America became a great power, not only because of its Constitution and its principles, but tellingly though the blood, sweat, and tears of its people; and of which, if the population of America had simply stagnated, as in its population remaining at or about 76 million peoples, which was its population in 1900, it seems inconceivable that it would today be the world’s foremost power, but rather one would think, that outside forces would have seen America as a land to plunder, instead. 

Those that would immigrate here or desire to do so, are primarily doing this for the opportunity to better their lives as well as their children’s lives.  Almost without exception, new immigrants are not here to play the “entitlement card”, or for welfare, or to be shiftless in their attitude, but rather, given a fair chance, they are the very stuff that will demonstrate in action, that they mean to be American, in every good sense of the word.

Why do you long for God?

When the ultimate push comes to shove, even the most diehard atheists, will often fall to their knees, begging God for this or that or if very angry, questioning God’s judgment.  So then, whether or not, all people will own up to it, most people have some degree of longing for God, and those that are the best part of any religious faith, definitely have that longing for God. 

The reason for our longing for God, comes down to the salient fact, that we long for that which we belong to.  We are God’s chosen children, and all good children, want to eventually return to the loving bosom of their Creator, for that is the sanctuary which brings the only lasting happiness that anyone could ever aspire to. 

God does not mind her children, being adventurous, for our creation, was never meant for us to be automatons, but rather was purposely done so that we could experience our existence in a manner in which we could take everything in and participate as per our free volition.  Yet, with great freedom, comes great responsibility, and those that work the angles in order to get one’s inheritance so to speak, and then to use such in playing the fool as some have done; should take great solace in knowing that God never takes this personally, but rather lovingly awaits our return with open arms, because God knows that nothing can ultimately replace that which is everything.

So then, we long for God because we are co-heirs to God, and those that are more enlightened and good servants to God, make it their point to be avatars for all those that have lost their way, for the good shepherd, cares for all of his sheep, and will not rest till every single sheep, without exception, returns to the fold.  No matter how long such takes, no matter how many worlds, universes, and dimensions that there may well be, this rescue will never end, until all is as it was in the beginning.

Those then that most long for God, are those that are listening to that still, small voice within and that voice will not rest until we are back with that which we properly belong to.  The word is there for each of us so that we will become cognizant of who and what we really are; and it is only through our willful ignorance or suppression of such that we are able to silence that which is there for our expressed benefit.

Of course, longing for God, is not the same thing as being with God; and therefore, each of us needs to do our part to be one with that which is absolute perfection.  This means that all of what we do and say absolutely matters, for that which is tainted in character, truly needs to be purified; done so, through the challenges and trials that each of us need to successfully face, and of which those that prove their worth in this field of fire, are those that are not just co-heirs with God, but co-creators, as well.

You are not in reality, your ego

While each one of us is an individual, there are some people that identify through their ego a heck of a lot more than other people.  That is to say, some people, are so attached to their ego, that is, their self-image, that this is all that they believe that they are.  Then there are those others, who are cognizant that they have an ego, but do not overly identify with that ego, for they know that their true self-image is not limited to their physical body and mind, or what people say about them; but in actuality their real being is superior to that, for they are ultimately a soul created by the very hand of God, so provided with the opportunity to express itself in a material form on a material plane, of which this world is meant to be viewed as a proving ground, providing each one of us therefore with an opportunity to be of assistance to those that have lost their way as well as to be of material benefit to our fellow sojourners while in this domain.

Yet, the lure of being human is so intoxicating for some, that they are unable to perceive anything other than what their five senses so perceive, and of which, they therefore identify fully with who and what they believe that makes themselves to be.  This means that they often see this world, as a place, in which there are only winners and losers, of which, anything that challenges their good standing in that domain, they take as a challenge to their self, and therefore they will subsequently take the necessary steps to protect what they believe to be theirs, which is the very reason why there is so much conflict and disagreement in this world.

Most of that, which the ego cries out as being absolutely necessary in order to be satiated and satisfied, are, when fully distilled and looked at objectively, not as important as all that.  The things that people will literally fight tooth and nail over, are often in the scheme of things, not all that imperative.  The ego is a tyrant, it wants what it wants, and when such an ego as that meet another ego that wants what it wants, of which there is an overlap between the two, this thus creates a whole lot of trouble.  To those that live for their ego, and believe fully in their ego, everything that they fight so hard for, is the ultimate reality, and to therefore believe that somehow that this mindset is incorrect, they see as nothing more than a mind game.

Yet, each of us is eternal, so to be overly concerned about that which is transitory, is clearly putting the cart before the horse.  In the entertainment world, in order for a drama to work, there needs to be conflict, and in order for there to be an appropriate resolution to that conflict, there needs to be the hero of the piece, doing their part to overcome obstacles as well as to do the right thing.  This signifies, that kneejerk reactions to insults, offenses, putdowns, betrayal and the like, are in reality, situations in which we are given the opportunity to react in kind and play to our ego; or instead, to step up and to recognize that as the great director of our own piece, we are not our ego, but eternal beings of enlightenment, blessed with wisdom and perspective.

Drugs and the temporary escape

People use illicit drugs and alcohol, for a variety of reasons; of which, fundamentally the main reason that people use and often abuse such, has a lot to do with their continual dissatisfaction with some aspect of their personal life, and therefore they use drugs as their crutch to deal with such.  Further to the point, western nations are more prone to illicit drug abuse, simply because those nations in which a significant amount of the population, aren’t overly preoccupied with the complexities of mere survival, have therefore time on their hands to use for their betterment or for something else.

The continuing problem with illicit drug usage is that the “high” or the effect of such, is only temporary, which means that those that use have to keep coming back to it, unless they change their mindset -- or regrettably when it leads to one’s death, in which case, it’s permanent.  So then, illicit drugs are going to provide, perhaps, some sort of temporary relief, or pleasure, or a mind-altering experience, or social satisfaction, or satisfaction on some other level, but none of this is going to be long lasting, so whatever has driven a given person to illicit drugs is never going to be resolved by continuing to use those same drugs.

Whether or not a person, needs to give up illicit drugs, though, has a lot to do with the so-called benefit or effect that they perceive comes from taking those drugs, along with their ability to conduct their lives in a meaningful manner; of which, the sensible person reflects as to whether or not the reality that they have with drugs, is better than the reality without.  That is to say, drugs and alcohol usage, for adults, can be legitimate choices that people are entitled to seriously consider and to evaluate, of which, to state therefore that all drug and alcohol usage is always categorially bad, is simplistic, as this is not always true, but is rather, case-to-case, specific.

After all, adults are entitled to, or should be entitled to make those decisions that they feel make most sense to them, which includes drug usage.  Unfortunately, a huge swath of those that indulge in illicit drugs, do so, not because there is a perceived benefit for them, but fundamentally to escape something that is troubling them; as in something that they did or are thinking about doing, loneliness, social acceptance, a dead-end life, personal failure, self-medication, or just about anything that permits them to, for a time, to escape from that which does not bring them happiness or satisfaction.

Those that believe that they have tried everything, to be happy or to live a satisfactory life, but perceive their situation as essentially an exercise in futility, are going to be far more susceptible to indulging in illicit drugs so as to escape the reality that they care not for, in order then to be in a different time and place, in which troubling things don’t seem to bother them as much, or they don’t feel the hurt as much.  Those countries, then, that have a lot of substance abuse issues, are typically going to be those countries, in which, a significant amount of its denizens feel with some legitimate justification: hopeless, lost, and without a future, so then those drugs become a pathway for them, to escape their daily drudgery, and to a certain extent, to take some degree of control of their often powerless and bleak lives.

The continued evisceration of collective bargaining

People aren’t stupid, and people that don’t have much, have zero interest in ever working against their own good interests.  Yet, in recent times, again and again, union representation votes, when it even gets that far to get a vote, have seen the employer, typically winning such a vote, time and time again.  It would be one thing if those so voting against unionization, were actually in jobs that paid a living wage, with good health benefits, employment guarantees, and ample room for advancement and growth, but that is seldom the case.  Indeed, many “blue collar” jobs without unionization, do not pay all that well, and offer little flexibility for the employee, who are typically treated pretty much as that of little value by their employer.

Unfairly, the most common play used by employers to stymie unionization, is playing upon the “fear factor,” of which they typically threaten that with union representation so being approved, that therefore in consideration that they will subsequently be responsible for additional wages to be paid, that they will therefore have to reduce employment considerably, or hours, or both, and often followed this by the threat that they will likely be forced to subsequently move their facility overseas, or to some other more accommodating locality.  Not too surprisingly, this type of tactic so used by employers often works, because it plays upon the fear that employees have, that the very little that they get from their gainful employment, is in danger of being snatched away, so in homage to “a bird in hand is worth two in the bush,” they thereby vote against such unionization.

The bottom line, based upon the continual steep decline of unionization in private enterprise, is that the tables will not soon turn for employees of such.  Therefore, the only way for collective bargaining to again have any sort of relevancy, is for the federal government to step in, and to establish a minimum wage floor, for all employees, with virtually no exceptions made to that rule, of which, that wage should be on or around $15/hour.  This then, at a minimum, would provide not only a meaningful wage concession in favor of employees, but after a period of time of this being in effect, would put the sword to the lie, that these employers are all going to have to reduce employment, or hours, or to move their facility, elsewhere.   This then, perhaps would serve as the necessary impetus for those so employed, to re-consider the value of collective bargaining, to then take what they currently have as a wage floor, and to go after something of more substance without being so scared of the “bogeyman”.

In an era in which corporations are making plenty of profit, that profit is accruing at an ever-higher percentage to those that are not its common laborers; which we see by virtue of the greater and greater inequality between those that have as compared to those that have not, which is not beneficial for societies, and leads to the uneasiness and uncivil behavior which is becoming more commonplace, by the day.  Collective bargaining is the best vehicle to bring some sort of semblance of sharing to the table of prosperity and employment, and in absence of the success of such, then the federal government needs to do its necessary part to help the powerless and exploited to get their fair share.

Social conformity, conventional wisdom, and unconventionality

There are plenty of things which we consider to be the norm, today, such as women being permitted to get themselves educated, and thereby to have worthwhile careers; which supersedes by a country mile, the previous belief that the proper place for a woman, especially a married woman, was limited to the home, as a housewife and bearer of children. The fact that women can nowadays set their own paths, has brought forth for them a form of liberty and freedom, previously denied to them, and helped to make society, better, for their valued contribution to it.  So too, conventional wisdom, will, for instance, recommend that people follow some sort of set formula for investing, without taking into full account, that past performance is never a guarantee of future performance; yet, many people will follow that conventional wisdom, for that appears to be the safe and proven route to take, not seeming to realize that by so doing, this may result in a very poor result, to their lasting regret.

The reason that so many are so inclined to follow conventional wisdom, and to abide by social conformity, in so many instances, is that, quite frankly, this is the easy road to take; of which, should a given person fail in such, they are still able to take solace that such failure is not theirs to personally own, but rather has a lot more to do with just bad luck, for, after all, they dutifully followed the conventional wisdom, and stayed within the norm of social expectations.  Regrettably, this sort of groupthink is not really beneficial for the advancement of societies, for those that fail to question the why and for what reasons, behind such thinking, aren’t going to be able to develop the robust type of reasoning so necessary to break free from those self-imposed shackles that may serve little good purpose.

Still, it definitely takes a brave soul, to step outside social conformity, and to embrace unconventionally; especially when this isn’t done just to be different or to be noticed or to be difficult, but rather this is so done for the sensible reason, which is that this appears to be not only the better road to take, but, also the necessary one.  Sure, no doubt, those that blaze their own path, are going to leave themselves open to suffering withering criticism, even from some of those that they are closest to, but those that have the strength of character to go where no one else or few have been, are not the type, that once they begin their given task, are going to easily let it go.

Virtually all of the advancement of humankind, has come forth from those that do not follow the well-trodden paths of those that are risk averse and conformists, but rather are the enlightened individuals that recognize that true change can only come forth, from those that are willing to take well thought out calculated gambles in the fair belief that by so doing, this will help bring forth breakthroughs, previously unknown, which thereby becomes beneficial for society.  So then, to dismiss, without proper consideration, all those that are outside social norms and conventional wisdom, is the very attitude, that marks a civilization as being in decline.

Fascism does not belong in America

America has the reputation, perhaps deserved, perhaps undeserved, of being that beacon of liberty, for all those other nations, to aspire to become in their own right.  Yet, fascism is not something that any country, even one of long standing, is completely immune to.  This thus signifies that the fact that the military-industrial-technology complex is at the present time, tied intimately into the highest levels of government, is clearly at a minimum, the first pillar of incipient fascism, for when businesses and government are in lockstep, this signifies that it is these powerful institutions, joined at the hip, that are thereby determined to be in opposition to all those with the temerity to question the judgement or wisdom of this being good for the continual liberty of this country.

When the federal government along with the biggest and most profitable corporations are essentially on the very same page, then to a very powerful degree, they are interdependent upon one another.  After all, the power to tax, is the power to destroy; and the bigger the budget of any government, the more that there is for businesses to receive in return for their continual loyalty to that government; of which part of that loyalty is providing to that government, actionable information that it so desires, whenever it so desires such, in return for that continual favorable governmental treatment.  So too, those governments that are trending to fascism, aren’t interested in a vibrant and competitive marketplace, of which there are many smaller players, trying to one up one another; but rather their strong preference is to deal almost exclusively with those corporations that are monopolistic in structure or are dominant players, which obviously makes it rather straightforward in coming to sensible plans and agreements that makes sense for all parties, involved.

As for the citizens of this nation, a surprising amount of those citizens, don’t really understand that real liberty, is messy, it is loud, it is inconvenient, and, of which, by definition, it is never dictatorial.  Rather, somewhat regrettably, a significant portion of the population, likes the structure of a strong central government, especially when that government is a great provider as well as a strong protector, for this then provides those pliant citizens with structure and so long as they then have the basic essentials of shelter, healthcare, education, and employment, covered; they aren’t overly concerned about how much liberty that they have.  In fact, a notable number of citizens, truly believe that governmental handouts and benefits should be directly tied to citizens being loyal and obedient to the state.

Anytime that the government is very large in regards to both its monetary budget as well as the amount of people it so employs directly and indirectly; and of which, it deliberately provides a significant amount of business to the biggest and most powerful corporations in the world under purposely structured agreeable conditions for the benefit of those corporations, then that country is clearly on the road to fascism, with really the only thing missing, being the people of this country, saluting that which takes care of them, cradle to grave.

Unfettered financial speculation is insanity

The United States has the biggest stock market in the world and for whatever reasons has decided in recent times to allow more and more financial speculation through hedge funds and the like, which involves derivatives, options, and just about all things that permit incredible amounts of leverage to be utilized, of which these speculators avail themselves of every conceivable angle to get any sort of edge that they can think of, all in order to chase the almighty dollar and thereby to make money, without producing anything of merit or of value.  This signifies that basically financial speculation provides nothing of substance for society as a whole while if anything it increases the instability of the financial edifice.

The business of America should be the business of producing, creating, improving, and sustaining those things of substance that make for a better America, not just done for a select few, but for society, in whole.  Those that make it their business to just lust for and live for the making of money and nothing else, through essentially their cleverness and deceitfulness, without adding one iota of worth to their nation, by virtue of playing a zero-sum game aren’t ever going to be people that are worthy of being emulated, let alone, being respected.  Nevertheless, in a country in which wealth, seems to equate to respect, those that know how to make money through their financial speculations, get way too much respect, despite the fact that as the game is played, they are fundamentally producing nothing, while unnecessarily adding to risk of viable businesses as well as the instability of global financial institutions.

The whole point of rules and regulations in any business enterprise, has a lot to do with the protection of those institutions, from that which is inimical to those businesses.  That which is speculative in nature, has got to be controlled, or it will potentially and unfairly consume, damage, or destroy that which is being speculated upon.  This thus signifies that the first order of business for American governance is to protect, support, and to augment those businesses that are actually creating things of value, as opposed to simply allowing it to be open season for that which is speculative in nature so being provided with the opportunity to put their baleful influence into play upon them.

Those that make money from their ability to work the angles to put money into their own pocket, without correspondingly providing anything of substance, should be closely regulated, and should never be in the position to inflict lasting harm onto a given industry or society, in particular.  Those that do not control that which prudently needs to be controlled, have let through the gates, the seeds of their own future destruction.  The whole principle of hedge funds, should be completely re-evaluated, whether that be an institution as seeded by already superrich people, or something like the superrich endowments such as are at Yale or Harvard, seeded by former alumni and the like.  The bottom line is speculation is the bastard child of investment, and has no legitimate function in the family of capital investments, but should be seen as the sick parasite that it is.

“The Constitution was made to guard the people against the dangers of good intentions”

The above quotation comes from the inestimable Senator Daniel Webster, in 1837; of which it almost goes without saying that a good Constitution, by definition, protects the population from bad intentions.  Yet, we should always be on the alert, that those that are our representatives, having in the best of times, good intentions for the people that they are pledged to serve, do not necessarily make decisions that despite their good intentions, thereof, are ultimately beneficial and helpful to the people.  For instance, the government has department upon department, institution upon institution, that are pretty much opaque to the people, with the good intention, that such secrecy is necessary in order to appropriately defend our country from enemies, both foreign and domestic, but such secrecy, in addition to the billions upon billions of the people’s money so being spent, creates an inherent danger to the people, because of that hidden power which has not been appropriately vetted and certainly is not under the control of those that have a right to know.  Further to the point, never has the government, had more actionable information in regards to its own individual citizens, that by virtue of this information, perhaps obtained with the best of intentions, can be utilized in order to monitor, to control, and to manipulate that population, which serves to undercut the very freedom and liberty that each are entitled to.

We do not really know whether this present-day government, has good intentions at all times for those so governed – but clearly, we find that the people are to a very large extent, living within a construct in which what has been sold to them, is that they as a people need to sacrifice some of their precious liberties in order to have safety.  Perhaps the intention behind this sort of tradeoff, is well meaning, but the danger of such, is that this population thereby lives under the impression that there are dangers that are imminent to their safety, that must be met by governmental actions, of which, they as a people, are not cognizant of the whole truth, behind such actions, and hence lacking that full disclosure, do not know whether this is the right or appropriate response so being made for their alleged safety or not.

Indeed, there is also the fundamental problem of those that have the best of intentions as opposed to all those that do not; for those that know their intentions are wrong, can at times, change their mind as well as their behavior, to that which is right, or perhaps even lose heart in what they are doing, because they know that it is wrong.  On the other hand, those that believe wholeheartedly that what they are doing is right, of which that is their absolute intent to do so; may well find that being driven by the belief that they are in the right, it becomes, for them, well-nigh impossible to be knocked off of their present course, for their course, once taken, is fixed and unchangeable.  This thus creates the quandary of those with good intentions, that are unable to recognize the danger of their actions, of which without a robust Constitution being actuated against them, this can thereby destroy from within, that which has stood tall, against all from without.

What plan are you following in your life?

Of course, in answer to this question, above, there are going to be some people that simply don’t have a plan, don’t have time or an interest in having a plan, and don’t care to plan.  Then there are those others, that certainly have the time to reflect upon what their plan should or should not be, but go about working their plan in a haphazard and inconsistent way, ultimately to their lasting regret.  Further, there are those that most definitely have a plan, and through their persistence and effort are successful in completing their plan, which may or may not, as the sands of time run short, have been the best of plans.  Then there are those, that take seriously their obligation to really examine their own self, and from there, to discover that the greatest purpose of their life, is to live such a life that is in harmony with the force that so created them, in the beginning.

Within this world, as it is, there are all sorts of temptations and lures, that compete to get our attention, for not all that glitters is gold; in fact, most that glitters and therefore entices us is that fool’s gold.  Additionally, life is full of distractions, serving to take us off course, and by the time we get back on course, we may be so far adrift, it seems almost futile to do something constructive about our predicament; which is why so many of us, go with the flow, never seeming to realize that it is only those that go against the flow, that are exerting their free will volition, that they truly have a free choice, and that it is well-nigh imperative that they exert such, or else they will not become what they really need to become.

People believe all sorts of things about this world, some of it true, some of it not.  But recognize this, even the most cursory of thinkers, must know for a certainty, that none of what we see and are a part of, could have possibly just have come forth out of complete nothingness.  This signifies, what every sentient human being implicitly knows, that because we were created, there must be behind our creation, the omniscient Creator.  So then, this world, should best be seen for what it really is; which is a proving ground of our character, when so provided with absolute free will, by that which created us, of which, this thereby presents us with the fair opportunity, to do something of merit with this freedom, or not.

All sorts of people, like to talk a big game, about this or that, of what they are going to do or what they could do, but really, whatever the circumstances of a given life, our responsibility is fundamentally the same; which is to do the best that we can within our situation, and to make it our point to help to make our family, and our community a better place for our having been part of it, and this we must do, day-by-day, through our successful interactions with others -- so done by our display of our concern, patience, helpfulness, love, and fairness; all in the good understanding that we are all equal in the eyes of our Creator, and that the greatest tribute that we can make therefore is to be true to this, which makes for the best of plans.

The consolidation of rental properties is inevitable

According to Zillow.com, “American renters paid a total of $485.6 billion in 2017,” and nmhc.org, states that in 2018, the largest rental apartment owner was the corporation MAA which owned 99,972 rental units.  Additionally, the 2015 American Housing Survey, indicated that there were “nearly 48.5 million rental units in the United States.”  All of this combined, serves to demonstrate that the rental property business is absolutely huge in regards to not only the units so available, but the monies to be garnered from the renting of properties.  Further to the point, property owners are well aware of all the tax advantages that owning rental property entails, such as: mortgage interest deduction, depreciation of said property, deduction of property taxes so paid, as well as the expensing of repairs and upkeep. All this in a construct in which most rental properties will usually increase in value at a higher rate than inflation, along with the landlord being able to raise rents typically at a rate that is favorable for their investment, and of which to buy rental properties, does not necessitate having all of the cash available, but rather often involves a considerable amount of leverage being negotiated and approved for, which can thereby be intelligently utilized for the owner’s benefit, especially when their credit is impeccable.

One might argue that the consolidation of rental properties into fewer hands might be beneficial for those that rent, in the sense that cost savings so generated, from economies of scale would thereby trickle down to renters, in addition to the fact that landlords with deep pockets would have a stronger tendency to keep their properties in pristine condition.  Regrettably, that probably will not occur, for the one thing that those that own a lot of anything do not desire to see happen, is to have to battle against ruthless competition in which there is essentially a “race to the bottom”, thereby impacting profits, safety, and cash flow.  Rather, big conglomerate landlords, would in all candor, prefer to have markets in which they have enough force and strategic position to essentially dictate the prices of the rents so being charged, by utilizing sophisticated algorithms, surveys, demographics, feedback, as well as at a minimum, an implicit understanding with other big players, that to undercut one another, serves no good purpose, or, even better, they will strategize to simply corner the market, wherever so possible.

The bottom line is that in a day and age when housing prices have never been more expensive and of which it is an absolute truth that people need a place to stay, that landlords see this market as an opportunity that will further separate those that are fortunate enough to own their own property and then some, in contrast to all those that can’t afford to, and probably won’t ever, thereby leaving these people susceptible to what the market will bear for their rental needs, of which, that market as it consolidates will desire an ever greater percentage of a given person’s income.  As they say, “you can shear a sheep many times, but you can only skin them once,” of which, all those that have to rent, are by definition, almost never in the driver’s seat of demanding much of anything from a given landlord, and therefore pretty much have to accept the best deal that they can get, and when that market is controlled by a local oligopoly, or similar, the rich will get richer, and an ever-higher percentage of a common laborer’s paycheck will go to cover that rent.

All rights, no duties?

In America, especially, people are quick to talk about their rights, but seldom are they so quick to talk about their corresponding duties to those rights.  Perhaps this is the case, because the first Ten Amendments to our Constitution are collectively known as the Bill of Rights, and of which there isn’t thereafter subsequent Amendments known thereby as our Bill of Duties.  Yet, clearly the rights that we have as given by our Constitution, or through our Creator, have implicit within those rights, a responsibility and therefore a duty for those that wish to faithfully exercise those rights.

The fact that there is a significant swath of the population that either are unawares, or act unaware, that they ever have a responsibility to their governance, in regards to their rights, is the primary reason, why there is so much selfishness and confusion in society, today.  For instance, the right to our freedom of speech, has a corresponding duty that such speech cannot, for example, be utilized to incite imminent lawless action or of fraud, for without such limits being imposed upon that freedom of speech, then civil societies could easily be torn asunder.

So then, every single right, comes with a corresponding duty, and further to the point, every right, necessitates responsibility to that right.  That is to say, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, has quite obviously a corresponding duty that such arms so kept and subsequently utilized, must be done in a responsible manner that does not infringe upon the people’s liberty to be about their business as well as also precluding lawless, illegal and threatening actions by those with those arms; in addition to the salient fact, that such arms are not to be used as part of a rebellion to that government of, for, and by the people, but instead must be utilized in the defense of that liberty.

As it has been said, freedom is not free, but rather necessitates eternal vigilance, of which that vigilance is part and parcel of the duty and thereby the responsibility that each citizen is obligated to perform on behalf of their government, in order to do their fair part in maintaining and enhancing that freedom.  A country in which the people are constantly pestering their government, or one another, about this right or that right which has been compromised or trammeled upon, must realize that it is only when those that have those rights, have taken upon themselves their duty to those rights, that we are best able to maintain that which is a right, which is why each right so granted, needs to be successfully championed by the people and its representatives, or we may just find such, as if it never was.

Those that understand the importance of rights, must do their loyal part, to maintain those rights, for far too often that which we take for granted, such as our unalienable rights, will be sundered from our very hands, by powerful forces which do not care for the people to have all those rights; but rather would prefer that the population be frightened into forsaking certain rights, and hence their duties and responsibilities to those rights, in abject obedience to that which has no legitimate right to such.