The advent of semi-monthly credit cards

The Credit Card Act of 2009, stipulates that credit card companies need to allow at least 21 days from the time that a credit card bill is mailed for the recipient to make a payment upon it – in addition to the fact that the due date for each credit card issued must be on the same day every month.  This would seem to indicate that the current practice of monthly credit card bills is something that isn’t subject to change; but the thing about laws is that those that lobby hard enough to change a given law or to make an exception to such, especially when that exception is under the guise that this will be beneficial to the credit card consumer, signify that those very same laws are thus subject to change.

In consideration that the vast majority of employees are paid on a semi-monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly pay period, this would seem to indicate that not everybody would be adverse to paying a credit card bill semi-monthly, rather than monthly – though, of course, the benefits of such would have to be clear and obvious to the consumer.  The main selling point for consumers would have to be a lower interest rate, as compared to a credit card that stipulated a monthly payment, and of which, that lower interest rate would certainly seem to be a win for consumers.  Of course, the question, might well be asked, what is in it for the credit card issuer?  That answer has a lot to do with their perception of the good intentions of a given consumer as compared to their actual behavior.  That is to say, semi-monthly payments, would provide for credit card issuers, twice the amount of opportunity to charge a late payment fee, an over the limit fee, a return check fee, and any other pertinent fees so attached to that credit card.  In addition, the more frequent the payment period, the lesser risk that a credit card issuer has, in regards to perceiving better those that are going to be problematic in the collecting of anything from them, anytime soon.  Finally, all credit card issuers have an ungainly amount of terms and conditions, of which, buried deep within such, could be terms that would permit that credit card issuer to raise the interest rate for all those that are delinquent upon their account.  The bottom line is that credit card issuers are not stupid, and before they would roll out a nationwide semi-monthly credit card offer, they would first test such within a given community over a long enough period of time to determine whether a semi-monthly structure would be more beneficial for them or not.

In truth, a semi-monthly credit card structure could also be beneficial for certain consumers, because if properly structured, it would allow them to keep their credit card balance lower and because of a lower overall interest rate, this would definitely save them money.  In addition, with the credit card bill showing up more frequently, consumers might well adjust their spending habits to be more responsible about their expenditures.  It is well to remember, though, that current credit card debt is nearly $1 trillion, so for a certainty, because the major banks are essentially in the business of making money, any legitimate way that they can, that it is only a matter of time, before the waters are tested for this very thing.

21st century slavery

Western nations have a right to be proud of eradicating chattel slavery.  Yet, having done so, many of these same western nations, have within their borders at the present time, what appears to be an updated and insidious form of slavery.  We have to keep in mind that we live within a very big world in which the wealth, so of, is not even close to being equally distributed.  Further to the point, the governments that many people live under, are in a lot of cases, repressive, non-democratic in actual form, as well as lacking foundational good educational facilities and/or decent employment opportunities.

All of this basically means that in war-torn countries, be it civil war, or wars between nations, or in those lands of internecine narcotic wars,  and similar, those that are simply trying to live a decent and wholesome life, are placed in the unenviable position of having to consider outlets that may well be outside their township, or even their country, such as a foreign land.  After all, in a situation in which a family doesn’t see any good possibilities for themselves, while also desiring that their offspring have better opportunities then they have so had, they are going to be susceptible to being enticed by sketchy outside recruiters, as well as through their own volitional thinking, that the grass truly is greener on the other side.  The fact that they believe in that, isn’t even wrong, for western nations, typically have a stable rule of law, as well as better educational and employment opportunities, but alas in a lot of cases, that picture, in reality for those so immigrating, through illegal means, is often just a very tempting mirage.

The problem with a capitalistic system, or any monetary system, in which the lure or need of money is the overriding desire of a given entrepreneurial person or corporation, is that the unrelenting lust for that profit, above virtually everything else, addles the sensibility of what is good and fair.  So then, the fact that there are so many people that have illegally crossed the border, one way or another, and typically owe those that have helped them to cross that border a considerable amount of money, in which the clock is ever ticking upon them – in conjunction with the material fact that there are actually millions of immigrants without proper paperwork, within those western nations, already, leads to those illegal immigrants being exploited, time and time again.

So then, wage laws in regards to a minimum wage, overtime, age of the person so working, and so on and so forth, is something that is going to be subverted time and time again, by those that deliberately employ people that they know have questionable “legal” rights and debatable “legal” status.  So too, when it comes to the actual work and working conditions, those that hire almost exclusively illegal immigrant labor for certain job positions, are going to often circumvent those rules, in order to see that the work so being done is being accomplished in a way and manner that favors the man so paying for that labor.  In short, chattel slavery has been effectively replaced with those that have come to western nations looking for liberty and opportunity, but have found instead, a bastardization of such.

The relentless evisceration of the middle class

America desires to take pride in all sorts of achievements, some true, some mythical, and some absolutely false.  That is to say, to actually believe that America is the land of opportunity is at best, a half-truth, for that opportunity in this modern era, is certainly not equal for all of the people, whatsoever; and seems instead to be distinctly skewed towards favoritism to certain types of persons, certain types of corporations, and certain types of circumstances supporting those that are connected or well positioned.

A case in point, is the labor share of income, in which we read at mckinsey.com, that when it comes to the status of the labor share in America, we thus find that, “…three-fourths of the entire post-1947 decline occurred between 2000 and 2016.”  Further we are told, that all things being equal, if the labor share of income had remained at the level it was in 1998, that “…average worker pay might be higher in real terms by roughly $3,000 per year,”  which is a sizable amount of money to not have -- for those of the laboring class, who would most definitely want to have those funds available for them in order to aid them in taking care of those necessary things.

The bottom line is that the monies which historically would have gone to the laboring class, has not actually disappeared, but has been re-allocated to mainly those that are in the executive positions of certain corporations, as well as in the hands of those that are the investors, in such.  In other words, while the laboring class, continues more and more to struggle within a construct in which they are clearly regressing, those that are the masters of that labor or are investors in corporations, of such, have never had it better. 

All of this is reflected in the material fact, that America, though immensely wealthy in aggregate, is becoming, day-by-day, more unequal in how that wealth is so distributed, and we do find, that never have so few in number, had so much.  Not too surprisingly, in a nation, in which the rich have the lion’s share of the resources, and a massive underclass has pretty much nothing of worth held in their name – that leaves essentially only the middle class to truly represent what America actually is, in substance; and of that middle class, they are struggling, cause quite frankly, being shorted $3,000 annually, is a big deal.

If this nation, actually cared about its laboring class -- rather than its national representatives consistently doing the bidding of the superrich as well as kowtowing to the well connected, then this nation would take it upon itself to do two fundamental things.  The first would be to establish a national living wage, with an annual cost-of-living adjustment attached to it, and the second would be to actually enforce a progressive tax system, which would through its robustness eliminate all the tax dodges and workarounds, so used to great effect, by superrich individuals, as well as behemoth corporations.  Until then, things will continue to get worse for the laboring class, before they have any hope of them getting any better.

Towards a national vehicle registration fee

Each State has its own rules of the road, as to how they thus figure out the amount to charge for vehicle registration each year, which varies from some rather complex programs, such as in California, to many a State which simply has a simple flat fee.  The thing is, though, most vehicles are capable of crossing State lines, and many a driver does so.  Further to the point the Federal-Aid Highway Program supports the State highway systems and it would seem that in order to contribute monies to more Federal funding that a national vehicle registration fee should be imposed by the Federal government. forthwith.

Additionally, it has to be kept in mind, that there are many types of vehicles on our roads, of different vehicle weights, of different fuel sources, of different engine sizes, of different ages of the vehicle, as well as a different amounts of miles so being driven by each  one of these vehicles, annually.  It would seem then, in consideration that this government has an obligation to help do its good part to encourage the usage of fuels and vehicles that are more energy efficient, or less polluting, or both, that they would want to put into place, a national vehicle registration fee program, which would impose upon those vehicles that are most abusive of our limited resources, or are more prone to polluting, a higher fee so being charged, than those vehicles that are more in conformance with the national goals of energy efficiency and other pertinent transportation desires.

In addition, the current way of assessing fees, does not take into account, how many miles a given driver, drives each year.  In other words, just like a buffet, it’s one price, for as many miles as a person so desires or needs to drive.  Yet, the thing is, the more that vehicles are driven in aggregate, the more energy that is being utilized, the more potential pollution is being emitted, and the greater the overall wear and tear is going to be effected on our roads, so of.  This would then reasonably be something in which, there should be tiers of what a national vehicle registration fee should be, not only depending upon the actual vehicle characteristics of that vehicle, but also the amount of miles so driven in a calendar year.

After all, the more that a person utilizes a resource, in fairness, the more that they then should be charged, depending though upon other material factors in regards to the nature of the actual vehicle, itself.  Further to the point, a national vehicle registration fee, could have some of its funds so being collected, earmarked to benefit and sustain public or alternative transportation of all types, because quite frankly, the United States does an overall poor job in encouraging its people to avail themselves of public transportation, perhaps because that choice is often not a particularly desirable alternative.

Sure, Americans love their vehicles, and they also love their freedom, but that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t have to pay a fair and sustainable price for having that freedom in the first place.

Death, taxes, and the superrich

It has been said that the only things certain in life, are death and taxes.  Yet, for those that stand to inherit bucketloads of money we do so find that the current exemption, as of 2023, is $12.92 million for an estate of a single individual, and thus the current exemption for a married couple is an astonishing $25.84 million.  This signifies, that for those that are married and have assets of nearly $26 million that they are able to thus legally pass that wealth onto their progeny, with no estate tax being assessed against those inheritors, whatsoever.  Further to the point, those that have estates far exceeding $26 million, have no doubt, created tax strategies that will enable that money to be designated to individuals and organizations with an absolute minimum of estate taxation being assessed against it.  That is to say, we read at cnbc.com, that “Just 0.2% of U.S. adults who die have owed estate tax in recent years… …That’s lower than the historical 1% to 2% share.”  In fact, cnbc.com, tells us, that there were only “… 2,570 taxable estate-tax returns filed in 2019.”

When a country is too frightened or too stupid to tax the very entities that have all of the money in the first place, it is only fair to assume that those that are our legislative representatives in this nation, have themselves been “captured” by the superrich.  After all, think about it, the amount of people that have assets greater than $26 million are all people that are in the upper decimal of the top 1% of such familial wealth accumulated in the United States.  The bottom line, is about half of the people in the United States, have no net worth, which would seem to indicate that they would appreciate the superrich, coughing up a heck of a lot more of their wealth, upon their demise, so as to redistribute such to those that really need it, in the present.

It would be one thing if in this modern age, America was becoming a nation in which its labor class was capturing a fair share of what they so produced for those that they work for – but in actuality, the labor class, has been steadily losing ground in the 21st century and that ground has been almost exclusively lost to those that are the superrich or well off, instead.  This means that the superrich as things are so currently structured, have never had more money in their hands, then they so have today; and somehow, for whatever spurious reasoning, they are being taxed at historic low rates on not only an annual basis, but also upon their death.

A nation that won’t tax the superrich appropriately when they are amongst the living, and insists upon not taxing them upon their death, is a nation that has no interest, whatsoever, in seeing that there is a process in place to accord a fairer distribution of the wealth, of this country.  Those then, that truly believe that wealth concentration is good for a nation and its people, have surely got it all wrong – for that is the very thing that Europe was known for, before America rose up to assert its independence, back in 1776.  Yet, regrettably, America has itself become a nation of dynastic wealth, so having been accomplished upon the backs of its own working class.

Turning back the clock and abortion

In many a nation, this is still a man’s world.  When it comes to western nations, though, the primacy of males has basically been replaced with a more collaborative understanding between the two sexes, which makes then for a better society.  Yet, the United States, seems to have taken a major step back, in regards to the equality of the sexes, through its overturning of Roe v. Wade. While the actual Supreme Court decision, was itself, a stretch in its reasoning at the time, it had been, though, the established law for the entirety of the nation for nearly fifty years, and to thereby replace such with decisions now to be made by the State legislative branch or of subsequent laws enacted within an individual State, makes then for a whole lot of inconsistency, confusion, and stress, for those thus desiring to be in reasonable control of their reproductive rights of their own sovereign body.

We are taught to have respect for the law, but when an important law is substantially different, depending upon whether a given individual lives in one State or another, then respect for that law, as enacted, thereby, is going to be reduced, significantly.  Of course, it has to be taken into account, that for those, that truly believe that life starts at conception, then the safe access to abortion, or the legitimacy of such, becomes, for them, a moral crusade.  Still, the counter-argument to that, is that each one of us, should be sovereign in regards to our minds and of our bodies, and so it logically follows that females should be accorded the respect that they deserve, to make whatever appropriate decisions that they feel is best, for a fetus that they carry 100% inside of them, subject to reasonable restrictions, such as the viability of the fetus, on its own.

Further to the point, there is the law on the books, and then there is the actuality of the law in practice – in which, many a law is blatantly violated again and again – such as we see in people that indulge in marijuana, which still remains a Schedule I Federal crime.  This thus indicates that even when abortion is stamped illegal, or is unavailable within a given State or county, that this does not, in and of itself, prevent abortions from happening, one way or another.  In short, what so happens in those places in which access to a safe abortion is precluded, is that most of those people that have determined that they want an abortion, are going to find a way to accomplish that task – with the significant difference for them, being the risk of the procedure being unsafe, the expense, as well as the possibility of criminal penalties that they or others so involved, may be susceptible to.

Sure, the United States, can turn back the clock on abortion – for indeed, in certain States of this Union, it has already done so; but that is not going to take a medical procedure which happens hundreds of thousands of times each year, alongside medical pills that can induce an abortion on its own, being actually reduced significantly or ever trending towards zero.  To believe that this is going to happen, is insensible – what will happen, though, is that the most vulnerable and marginalized amongst us, will unduly suffer for their lack of fair access to be in control of their own bodies, which is discriminatory and fundamentally wrong in every conceivable way.

When the public sector is not public

We’re supposed to be governed by public servants – which signifies that those that are our representatives in government, have an inherent obligation to be open and transparent to the constituents that they so publicly serve.  In actuality, though, few people are credulous enough to believe that our public servants are being as transparent, public, or open that they could be, and in a construct such as that, this thus means that those that are the citizens of this nation, do not truly have the resources that they thus need to be able to judge fairly as to whether or not, what is so happening under their collective names, is firstly consistent with the principles of this nation, and secondly whether this reflects the desires of those that populate this country, of, for, and by the people.

All those that are our public servants, whether elected or appointed, have a responsibility to be accountable to the citizens that they so serve.  The fact, then, that so much of what so happens of importance on behalf of the people, is secretive, or deceptive, or unaccounted for, is unacceptable.  Additionally, it is problematic for the general public to actively desire to participate with their governance, when that public doesn’t have full disclosure of what is or is not actually going on, on their behalf.  That is to say, civic service duty, voluntarily done by the people, is always going to suffer, when the people don’t feel that their voice is heard, and further to the point, don’t have the knowledge to ascertain whether those that represent them are actually being forthright and true.

So then, in fairness, whether the news is good or bad, those that are our public servants, need to keep foremost in their minds that when they are dishonest or purposely deceptive with the people, that the people have truly been cheated of what they are deserving of and have a right to know.  Those that are up to no good, are always those that prefer secrets that are not disclosed to those that are not in the know, as well as favoring labyrinths of all types and sizes, in addition to utilizing constant misdirection – thereby providing them with the cover that they need to perform those dirty deeds, so done by American public servants, but not willingly disclosed to the people of America.

A government that is not open and honest with its people, is, by definition, not going to be a good government, nor is it going to be a government that is actually in harmony with its governing documents.  The primary reason why there is so much disharmony, conflict, tension, and unhappiness within America, has an awful lot to do with the fact that the people don’t have a fair say, and they also don’t know what is really going on, behind the scenes.  In truth, the people of America are currently being disrespected by their government, and it is those very same people, that have to thus pay the price, figuratively and literally, for that governmental deception and malfeasance.  The answer, then, to this current mess, is for this government, to become far more forthcoming and open in its public activities, or simply admit to the people that this isn’t a democracy, in any fit, form, or function, and never will be.

“The care of human life and happiness, and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government”

The above quotation comes from the esteemed Founding Father and third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, so written in 1809, after having completed two full terms as President.  If this nation, would take those above words to heart, we would thus find America to be a far more civil society, not only for the citizens that make up that nation, but also for the world, at large.  Regrettably, as the premier world military power, America has seen fit that it must also be the world’s perpetual policing force, thereby getting itself involved in all sorts of foreign affairs, in afar off lands, as if America, alone, should so determine what sort of governance should or should not be practiced in sovereign nations around the world.

The problem with America, is that it not only carries a big stick, but it insists upon utilizing, almost exclusively, that big stick, and virtually then ignoring the value of speaking softly, and thus the good utilization of diplomacy and negotiations in the affairs of foreign governments.  None of these unnecessary military misadventures bodes well in providing more care and happiness to human life, either here or abroad -- for America by its bellicose foreign policies, far too often believes that to resolve such to its satisfaction, necessitates the destruction of whatever that they perceive as being the enemy, as if this sort of action somehow is always justified, and will thereby ultimately bring lasting peace.

At the present time, America is in desperate need of a reset; and further to the point, America needs to determine what should be the legitimate object of good governance.  It would seem, that Jefferson, had it right, of which, the care of human life and happiness, should be the calling card of this the richest nation that the world has ever known.  If America, was to focus intently upon the good and thus the contentment of those that it so governs, as being its primary goal, then for a certainty, the people that live within this land, would enjoy a more prosperous and thereby satisfying life.

There are all sorts of things that any nation can get itself involved in, but the most pressing concern for any good governance, is first to recognize that such governance should be done for the greater good and benefit of the people that make up that nation, to begin with.  There are always going to be troubles within a given nation, and also without, but not all troubles need to be dealt with forcefully or even personally addressed by American governance, especially when they do not realistically involve real or present dangers to those that populate this good land.  Those that insist upon getting their noses into the type of business, that does not directly involve them, are susceptible to not only their nose getting bloodied, but in thus getting intertwined and intermixed into that which is not going to have a good outcome for anybody or anything.  Rather, a better pathway, is to concentrate foremost upon pursuing happiness, which rests upon the sound tenets of liberty, justice, and fair play.

“Blessed are the merciful, for mercy shall be in their portion”

The above quotation comes from the insightful mind of the incomparable Kahlil Gibran, and is inspired by Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.  For a certainty, this world would be in a whole lot better shape, if in our interactions, we demonstrated more often mercy, compassion, understanding, patience, and forgiveness with one another, as opposed to being judgmental, vengeful, impatient, hateful, and violent, instead.  In the scheme of things, a significant portion of humankind is confused about who they really are, in essence, and because they do not know who and what they really are, or even where they should be going, their decision making and therefore their communications with one another, is going to suffer from that confusion, that thus reigns within their being.

To be merciful, is a quality that typically comes forth from those that have obtained wisdom; for those that are wise, do not strike out wantonly against others that simply do not know what they are really doing -- because those others having not properly comprehended that each one of us has been equally created by the very same hand of God, thus naturally lack proper discernment.  Certainly, each one of us is capable of getting far off of the course that we should be on, and many of us are quite capable of erroneous decisions, bad actions, and meanness – but that doesn’t signify that the best way to resolve such bad behavior is forceful retribution; for rather, a more sensible approach to such consists of a mixture of empathy, fairness, justice properly applied, and mercy.

So too, we have an obligation to those of our brothers and sisters that are errant in their ways, of doing our part to help them to thus correct their mindset.  Further to the point, those then that come from bad circumstances, of which they have been effectively treated rather poorly and of which their life experiences are often one of a struggle to find some degree of self-respect and worth, dearly need the helping hand that will thus serve to redirect their minds to that which is beneficial and useful, instead.  Of course, change does not often happen overnight, but we have an inherent duty to do our good part to help where we can so help, by exhibiting ourselves the mercy as our response to those in need, as opposed to the harshness so often effected by society, in its stead.

Also, it is fair to recognize that who and what we really are by our deeds, good or bad, is reflected in the portion of the goodness that we so receive as our compensation, so of.  Therefore, those that exhibit to others the narrowest of minds, and the harshest of their being as their persona, as a reflection of what they believe justice should be, are going to receive in return, a portion of that same justice, for themselves.  On the other hand, those that are merciful, will find that though they undoubtedly have faults and have also made their fair share of mistakes, that they will receive in return, a portion of that mercy, which they so richly deserve as their fair compensation.

The good works of Jesus the Christ

Most people consider the healing of so many, the feeding of the thousands, the turning of water into wine, and the resurrection of dead, to be perceived as “miracles.”  While, indeed, these were miraculous, they would more appropriately be described as being a fair representation of the good works of the Messiah, of which we so read in Holy Scripture In John 14:12, that “…he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also…”   Which thus indicates that each one of us, is capable of performing the same miraculous acts that Jesus so performed, if only we would become fully actualized by being in conformance with the attributes of our God and of our Messiah.

That is to say, as equally created children of our immaculate God, we are all accorded with the capability to perform wondrous deeds, but in order to do so, we must first develop the discipline to keep our mind and therefore our acts, rightly focused upon only that which is good and beneficial – along with also having the wisdom to take the gifts that we have developed over an extended period of time and thus use them responsibly for the greater good of humankind.   

In life, as much as we might wish that we could take shortcuts in order to get to the destination that we so desire to be, we do so find, that before we can get to where we so need to go, that we need to first be a good pupil, learning well from our esteemed and wise elders; and further to the point, we need to then demonstrate in action, that what we have so been taught – is validated by us through successfully having passed the tests so needed to demonstrate that we have not only learned our lessons well, but that we also have absorbed those lessons successfully in our persona, so that what we so need to represent and to be in our actions, are always consistent with, and therefore in tune with our God, who first formed us, in God’s good image.

While it is good to appreciate the greatness of Jesus the Christ, is isn’t good enough just to sit back and admire such -- for each of us has a responsibility to answer to that sacred call, to thus become what we were always created to be.  Those then that put their nose to the grindstone so as to manufacture good works for the betterment of the society that we are an integral part of are thus doing their necessary part to help make this world a better place for their involvement in it.  That is why, our Messiah, never stated to His disciples, that what He so did, could not be repeated by anyone else.  Rather, what our Messiah taught, is that we as equal creations of our God, are meant to well develop our skill set and then to thus utilize our skills on behalf of being a material aid for those that are our brothers and sisters. In short, the good change that we so desire to see enacted in this world, comes forth from the good works that we so help to manifest.

Hardware and software and the vehicle industry

We read at azom.com, that “The current global market for Automotive Manufacturing was valued at $2.9 trillion in 2022,” which is an absolutely astonishing figure, signifying that there is plenty of business as well as money to be made in the automotive industry, for those that are well positioned to do so.  The thing is, though, that the way that vehicles are manufactured today, differs distinctly by which they were manufactured a couple of generations ago – in which vehicles were at that point of time, basically sophisticated mechanical devices, consisting of a drive transmission, steering, brake, electrical and engine parts, as well as a suspension system, along with a body and a chassis.  That is to say, vehicles back in the day, were pretty much strictly hardware, and minimal software.

In today’s world, software performs more and more of the functions so needed, upon a given vehicle, and that trend is set to continue along that same pathway for the foreseeable feature.  This is why, then, hi-technology companies, known more for their software expertise, as opposed to their actual sustained manufacturing of goods, have gotten themselves so involved in the automotive industry.  Further to the point, there is a huge dividing line between what hardware so represents in vehicles as compared to software.  That is to say, for those that are strictly in the hardware business of automotive manufacturing, they must deal with the threat of, or the reality of union representation, along therewith having a fairly high vulnerability to that human labor; in addition, to the fact that they have all the expenses so being incurred in order to procure materials and to subsequently manufacture such, along with the space so needed to do the actual construction of that vehicle work.  In other words, those that are strictly on the hardware side of vehicle manufacturing, have to carry a lot of fixed costs as well as being exposed to large capital expenses, in order to try to make a relatively small gross margin on the work that they so do.  On the other hand, those that are on the software side, while being seriously exposed to a significant amount of research & development costs, know that once they have proven software that functions reliably and well, that their pathway to good profits and therefore a good gross margin are excellent.  That is to say, car manufacturers of today, that are not consolidated with the major software component so needed to produce those modern vehicles, are in severe danger, of being reduced to supplying the hardware component, and thereby the far less profitable part of a vehicle, to those that control the software, and hence the lion’s share of potential profits, instead.

So then, in essence, the reason why so many hi-technology companies have taken such a sustained interest in vehicle manufacturing, has very little to do with a desire to actually manufacture the hardware component of those vehicles, and everything to do with being the master controller of how those vehicles so operate and are sustained in good working order, from a system and software perspective.  This so indicates, that today’s biggest and best known manufacturing brands of vehicles, know for a certainty, that they must either control the software so needed for their vehicles being manufactured, or own such, or else they will be stuck in the purgatory of the diminishing returns of hardware manufacturing, in which their hard work of doing such, is subservient to those that control through their software the most meaningful part of the actual vehicle.

What are you seeking for?

It’s good to ask questions, especially when those questions are being asked to somebody or something that can provide a practical and comprehensive answer to such.  After all, we need to ask questions, or else take the time to do the research ourselves in order to learn vital things, and when we fail to do so, we thus lose ground in our knowledge, for knowledge is never finite or ever complete.  In other words, even when we are done with our formal schooling, it is sensible to continue our learning, rather than to become intellectually lazy, or to rest on our laurels, for life is ever changing, and we should desire to do our best to keep up with what is so happening in and around us.

As it has been said, an unexamined life is a life which has been lived poorly, for when we fail to desire to question the why of our very existence, it would seem that we have somehow misplaced what our priorities should really be focused upon.  For a certainty, it is problematic for us to find our best destiny, if we have not done our good part to figure out what we should be concentrating our mind upon, and thereby diligently working at, in order then to get to the best place for our life, and therefore have lived then our life well.

So too, it is important that the goals that we are fixated upon, are worthy of our spending our time and resources upon – for even when we put forth a heroic effort in order to achieve something, that effort may all be for naught, if what we have gone after, doesn’t in the scheme of things, represent something of real merit or worth.  This is why we need to understand, that simply going with the flow, is almost never going to be a life lived well, for that which is dead, by its very nature, must go with the flow – and therefore only those that are alive, can per their discernment, go against the flow, when such seems to be the most appropriate course of action to take.

Additionally, as much as we might want to believe that we are intelligent and knowledgeable, none of us knows everything, and all of us can therefore learn from someone or something else, who has clearly demonstrated the type of sound wisdom, that we can thus draw upon, if only we would seek for such.  That is why it is so vital for each of us, to ask the questions that are pinging upon our conscience, along with making sure that the questions so being asked, are being directed to the right entity.  For then, it has to be said, that not everyone or everything is going to be beneficial in our search, which is why we must always keep foremost in our mind, that eternal vigilance is our responsibility, for we are the very ones that care most that what we so seek upon is true. 

Remember this well, it is never too late or too early, for that matter, to figure out what we are so seeking, and when after careful contemplation we know what it is, our obligation then is to be faithful to that quest, come what may.

Getting beyond mere survival

In America, it is fair to say, that though there is a disappointing amount of people that suffer from poverty, that it can be said, that even the poorest of the poor, essentially have what they so need to survive, by availing themselves of, through various charities or various government departments, the essential things that they so need to have in order to secure that survival.  Perhaps that is the mark of a great nation, in which, even the most vulnerable, have enough to survive.  Perhaps though, in consideration that America is the wealthiest nation that the world has ever known, mere survival, would appear to be something less than what America could really do to be of real assistance to those that are its most endangered citizens.

After all, let’s face it, the objective of most people that walk upon this earth, is to have some semblance of a life that is well worth living, and quite frankly, just bare survival, doesn’t seem to fairly fit within that construct, especially when taking into consideration how many have far more than enough that they or their family members could ever really utilize, in their time upon this earth.  Sure, perhaps those that are wealthy, including nations, deserve to have that wealth, and further to the point, because that wealth is theirs, should thus be able to spend that wealth or to save it, for whatever purposes or inclinations that they so have.  Then again, it could be said, that the measure of how great a nation really is, should never be measured by its mere wealth, but rather should be measured by how such a nation and its people, interact with and deal with those that are its most vulnerable.

In truth, the more unequal a nation and its people are in their wealth, in their status, and in their power, the less stable or justified such governance is – for to keep masses of people, forever subservient to those that are, in essence, their masters, necessitates a sophisticated and powerful surveillance state, in conjunction with the coordination of the policing arm of that state to forcefully enforce such on behalf of those elites.  Those then, that live in nations, in which, there is great inequality, along with great injustice, of which the people thus suffer from the law being used as a cudgel to keep them in their place, are stuck within a survival mode, which reflects that they are not equal citizens of that country, but merely people that exist, in order to basically be exploited for the benefit of those that are the actuators of that nation.

Those nations that have become fortunate enough to become wealthy, have an inherent obligation to their people, first of all, to see that each one of those that make up the body politic, has a fair opportunity to have a life that represents well the success of that nation, by the accouterments that best represent, such success and a good life.  That is to say, as civilized human beings, the objective for our people, should always be in accordance to seeing that those that are good members of such, are fairly entitled to a good life, and not just mere survival.

Sports, live action, and replays

The major sports in America, such as baseball, basketball, and football, suffer from a lot of inaction, in which, periodically we so find, that nothing much is happening of import on the field in real time; so then, in order to keep the interest of those so watching such on television, fans are typically kept engaged through the watching of replays, both in slow motion as well as in normal speed.  This, quite obviously, is beneficial for sports fans, but therein does lie the rub, when somehow, the replay is still going on, but the live action on the field has returned and is not being instantly displayed.  That is to say, occasionally there are those times, when replays are still being shown, when something else of interest is happening live on the field -- which obviously seems then to be a case in which the live action, has somehow taken a back seat to a given replay, though typically for only a very brief amount of time.

As much value as a given replay so represents, it seems sensible that the live action on the field, should be something that at least is being displayed, as much as possible, if not all of the time, by, for instance, having a live picture-in-picture shown during a replay, displayed then in the corner of the television screen, thereby providing for the fan watching the game, the opportunity to keep an eye upon the live action, should they be so inclined; because quite frankly, sports action can ensue, in which sports purists, are always disappointed when they are unable to see exactly how a given play developed in real time. The bottom line is that the director of the sporting event, can’t possibly keep their eyes on every camera so being utilized in the game, and additionally, even if desired, they are not always able to instantly switch over to live action, because the play of the live game, can be faster than the eye.

So too, in recognition that most sporting events dedicate one corner of the screen to showing the real time score, along with other pertinent information, and often another corner of the screen, seems to serve as advertising space for the broadcaster, or even for ads themselves, then to dedicate some portion of one of the corners of that screen to always having a camera on the live action, would not seem to be all that daunting of a task, at all. 

Again, it is well to point out, that replays have not always existed on televised sports, and though, most fans, appreciate replays and know of their inherent value; it has to be said that those that are most engaged in watching sports, do not desire to miss the live action of the sport, and when they do, they are disappointed, especially when something significant has happened, because they are unable then to fully appreciate what has so occurred in real time.  Therefore, sports television broadcasters should seriously consider, dedicating one portion of the screen, when replays are thus being shown, to the field of live action, instead.

The transformative power of a supportive environment

The structure of our life, positive or negative, supportive or non-supportive, most definitely matters – in which, those that are fortunate enough to live within a supportive environment, such as through their community, through their schooling, through their familial relationships, and through their social interactions, are well set then to have a life that is more fulfilling and healthier than those that lack these important accouterments, or suffer from a far poorer quality of such.  As much as America celebrates the achievements and the accomplishments of the individual, it is vital to note that none of us, creates our own success, solely, and without the aid of anything or anyone else.  This then is why it is so important that we create, encourage, and thus help to sustain environments that in their structure, are beneficial to the people, as a whole.

Regrettably, far too many Americans are not being nurtured in a way and manner that is beneficial to them, and because of that, they are, in essence, living and having to deal with life, at a significant disadvantage.  Further to the point, the fact that so many are unable to avail themselves of being able to lean on successful others to help them to navigate through, not only, the ebbs and flows of everyday life, but to also be of aid to them in overcoming inherent disadvantages that their community imposes upon them, is most unfortunate.  We know this for a fact, that society will always benefit, from having more and more people, that are able to call upon a supportive environment, to help backstop them in their endeavors, as well as providing to them, the safety net so needed for those that are continually challenged.

The structure of American life is inherently unequal, because of its belief in the overriding value of its free enterprise system and of free choice, which wouldn’t necessarily be such an inconvenient problem, if within the structure of American governance there was a distinct drive to see that everybody within this nation, was provided with the fair opportunity to get a good education, to avail themselves of necessary healthcare, to be properly fed and housed, to live in a safe neighborhood, as well as to have a fair opportunity to take their particular skill set and to, at a minimum, receive a living wage, in return, for an honest day’s work. 

When we take a careful look at ourselves, it is fair to state, that every one of us, needs and desires a supportive environment, in order to best achieve sustainable success in our respective lives.  We find that, especially so for those that are society’s most vulnerable, that having a supportive and caring environment is the difference maker as to whether their lives will be something well worth living and thus habitually enjoyable, or whether instead this will be, for them, a life that is at best, something to grudgingly endure, because though America is the richest of all nations, that the world has ever known, it seems too often to behave as if it is perfectly fine to leave behind those that it doesn’t care to support or to provide the necessary environment to truly help or to sustain them.

Step-by-step and major goals

For those that desire to be high achievers in life, or to maintain such a status, there has to be some sort of setting of the standards so expected to be established, or of the goals that must be achieved and fully realized in order for this to actually become a truly successful accomplishment. So that, while it is certainly possible that people can accomplish important goals and thus realize the achievements of those goals, by basically just getting done what needs to get so done; we often do find, that it makes a whole lot more practical sense, to have a very specific goal in mind, and to thereby work specifically towards achieving that goal, above all.

The thing about goals, especially the ones of the most immense importance to us, is that often these goals are not even close to being in our grasp to begin with, but will require, instead, our diligent and relentless pursuit over an extended period of time, so as to achieve such.  This thus indicates that for those that first start the race towards that achievement, somewhat akin to a fast jackrabbit, are probably going to find themselves, burning out at some stage, along that path to get to their goal; and further to the point, those that burn themselves out are somewhat prone to thus giving up on the pursuit of their goal, or amending such.  A far better way to successfully go after a goal, instead, is to understand realistically the time table so needed for that accomplishment, as well as the accouterments so required to get to that goal, with the expressed understanding, that because the achievement of that major goal will take an extended period of time, it thus lends itself into being broken down into meaningful steps.

Once a goal has been broken down sensibly into key steps, the consistency of purpose of achieving that major goal becomes something that is more obtainable, because there has been set up a clear pathway that is structured in which each step, is suitably celebrated, as a necessary part that makes up the whole.  That is to say, there isn’t any real good reason to believe that the steps so needed to get to that major goal, shouldn’t be appreciated, in and of themselves, for the structured value that they so represent in helping to get to the ultimate finish line of that goal. 

So then, when setting a major goal, that goal should be broken down into its logical components, and each one of those components should be thus broken down into its chief parts – and periodically we should review those steps, so as to take into account that we are, in fact, progressing ever so surely to the major goal that we are desiring to achieve.  So too, who hasn’t picked up a very thick book, of 1,000 pages or perhaps even more, and seen the task of reading and thereby absorbing that book, as being daunting; but when we subsequently take a look at the Table of Contents, we find that the book is broken down into chapters, and those chapters are thus broken down into sections, of which, each day that we read that book, we make progress, step-by-step, till we have eventually completed it – much like we do when we methodically pursue and subsequently achieve our major goal.

When cheating is the norm

When cheating is the norm, we are essentially living in a world and are thus part of a society that is upside down; for when that which is clearly wrong is functionally the norm of society, than the end result is going to  be for those that make up that society, a construct in which honesty, uprightness, and morals, takes a backseat to all those that march to the beat of an entirely different drummer that entices them with those siren sounds, that makes them to believe that they are thus fairly entitled to take shortcuts, to be deceptive, and to cheat. 

The thing about cheating, especially when such is done by those that we look up to, such as respected political figures, or parents, or the executives of the company that we work at, or our friends, is that it seems to reflect quite succinctly that what is good for the goose must so be good for the gander.  That is to say, when the obvious effect of cheating seems to be that those that cheat, aren’t often punished, and further to the point, appear to be successful, then it is going to be mighty tempting for others, to want to follow along the same corrupt footpath.

Then there are also the words that we speak, of which, many a person has some pretty darn good advice, but if the people that are espousing such wisdom, are themselves untrue to what they are so professing, not only are they hypocritical but they also serve to undercut the very words that they have so spoken, by their own personal bad actions.  Additionally, the wrong message is being sent, any time that we state something banal to another, such as “cheating is wrong,” and then proceed to follow up that message by listing the exceptions and the exemptions to that rule, which somehow always seem to be exceptions and exemptions that serve to personally benefit the entity so inclined to cheat.

So too, what really hurts about cheating is the fact that those that do not cheat, though having a clear conscience about such matters, which most definitely has its worth, are clearly also not therefore playing on a level playing field, and when that field has been tilted in the favor of those that cheat, then those that are true and honest, are functionally having to deal with a real handicap, in regards to achieving their own life goals. This thus indicates, that in a situation in which there are two people that are close in their abilities, and of which one of those people is quite accomplished at the type of cheating that serves to make their abilities seem even better to others, whereas the other one does not cheat, at all; then the one so cheating is often going to be able to pull ahead of the other.  This seems to indicate that the proverb that “cheaters never prosper,” doesn’t ring true, whatsoever – at least, not often enough in this world.

Perhaps there would be a lot less cheating if the environment that we lived in reflected far less of a “dog-eat-dog” world, and reflected far more of the value of cooperation and neighborliness, instead.  After all, in a zero-sum society, this is going to implicitly encourage for many a person, some degree of cheating, because they don’t want to lose in a finite game, which clearly is perceived as having just winners and losers.  The end result, though, for society, is rather poor, for when those cheaters prosper, those that are good and honest, get an undeserved raw deal.

Those that have -- typically demand peace and order

It would be a mistake to believe that those that have, are somehow pretty much the same as those that do not have.  The problem with those that do not have, is that, when those that do not have, believe that their situation is well-nigh hopeless, then their viewpoint in life is often fundamentally going to differ distinctly from those that have; whereas, for those that have, typically, their main concern is the maintenance and thus the stability of the status quo, which they normally are an integral part of, for they are mainly satisfied, as things so stand.  As for those that currently do not have, but believe that they have a reasonable shot of being amongst the haves, there viewpoint is often in flux, depending upon where they are in life, or expect to be.  That said, the types of people that are inclined to rebel or complain, may indeed occasionally have some degree of overlap, with the have and have nots; but what the have nots are seeking is often quite different than what the haves are seeking – for the former wants their fair share; whereas, the later, wants a government that will help them to maintain their current share or status and not to improperly take it away or endanger it.

So then, when it comes to the haves, what they so know is that only an upset of the status quo could typically ever imperil them and since they do not wish for this to occur, they make it their point to see that the peace and order so required to have a civilized and thus an organized society are in their control, either directly or indirectly.  After all, once a given institution or family has achieved success, the over abiding future goal of that entity is to see that it continues for as long as period of time as so possible, with as much stability as possible, as well.  This thus signifies that it is always the status quo, and will always remain the status quo, that are the least likely to desire to change much of anything, and when they so actually comply with any such change, they often do so in a very slow, methodical, and reluctant way.  Those that have, want peace and order, mainly because their lives are essentially quite satisfactory, and they then seldom want to take any undue risk that might therefore upset their comfortable status, because they realize that the potential  upside for them is fairly limited, whereas, the downside could be for them, catastrophic.

This thus signifies, that for those that are keeping score, we thus find, that the people and institutions crying the loudest for peace and order, are always those that have a vested interest, and therefore a real good reason to want things to stay the way that they currently are.  On the other hand, those that want justice, fairness, equality of opportunity, and change, are going to primarily be represented by those that represent the have nots, as well as those that are fair-minded institutions and people, and of which, some of those people will be the haves, that apparently have a conscience, which they are obedient to, for the greater good of society, at large.

The apparent decline of civic virtue

There are plenty of people, that are proud to be American, and have a strong tendency to wear such pride on their sleeve.  In fact, based upon all the continuous immigration to America, both licit and illicit, along with the salient fact, that there are very few people, each year, that voluntarily give up their American citizenship, it is thereby fair to say, that being an American citizen gives every appearance of being something, that those that are its citizens of, or those that want to be citizens of, highly value.  All of that is to the good; the problem though comes from the inconvenient fact, that many a person wants their liberty, their freedom, and their free choice, in which they can often cite some part of the Constitution, or the Declaration of Independence, in regards to their “rights;” but when it comes down to each one of these people, willingly doing their part in regards to their civic duty in order to uphold the very values that they believe are so dear to them, we often get some sort of disappointing disconnect, from a significant subsection of our citizens.

In sum, as some have said, “freedom is not free,” which is absolutely true.  Further to the point, the institutions and values that we most highly cherish, need our active participation in them, in order for this to well continue for our joint societal benefit.  In other words, those that are unwilling to carry their fair load in regards to their responsibility to that government, of, for, and by the people, aren’t doing their good part to continue to make this a country worth fighting or dying for.  In effect, citizens of America, have what appears to be the lightest of burdens when it comes to being compelled to demonstrate their civic virtues, for there is not at the present time, compulsory conscription for military service or even for community service.  That is to say, if you are born in the USA, your country might well request your service, but it cannot compel that service from you -- though this nation does extract monies from its citizens, through its various taxation policies.

So too, a major problem within America, is the disappointing lack of cohesion exhibited far too often by one citizen to another, in which, neither side wishes to give ground or to even necessarily listen to the other; thereby discounting and suppressing commonality, in order to uphold the supposed superiority of the  individual, above all.  What those people are lacking, is the understanding that each of us has also a corresponding obligation to help make this society a better place for our active participation in it.  In other words, those that are unable or unwilling to put the public good as well as civic virtue, above their selfish desires, at least, some of the time, aren’t then doing a darn thing to help further the cause of this nation, because they have failed to comprehend that they have a responsibility to do something of worth for this nation, or they thus have, in effect, betrayed its core values.

More freight trains and less semi-trucks

For anybody that has spent even a little bit of time on the freeways of America, night or day, we inevitably come across when so driving upon those freeways, the absolute multitude of semi-truck after semi-truck after semi-truck also driving upon those same freeways, with us.  The go-to choice to move freight around in America, seems to be mainly by semi-truck, and of which, our interstate system appears to be quite capable of handling all of those semi-trucks throughout America, adeptly.  The thing is, though, that at the inception of the 20th century, a significant percentage of the biggest share of market capitalism of publicly held stocks, were actually represented by railroad stocks, mainly because that was the primary means to move necessary goods all around America, and thereby was of immense benefit for the people and for businesses, by moving those essential goods from one place to another, for the greater efficiency and profit of the American people.

We find that, though, by the middle of the 20th century, important governmental decisions were made to invest billions upon billions into our interstate highway system, which thus made it practical to move more goods through trucking transportation, and by virtue of the fact, that rails were thus either ignored, dismissed, marginalized, underinvested, or to suffer from benign neglect, meant a greater and greater share of those goods so moving from coast-to-coast, and elsewhere, would be done through the trucking industry, instead.  Yet, when it comes to energy efficiencies as well as to CO2 emissions, the freight industry is by far, the better choice.  In most cases, freight trains run by electricity or via diesel power, making their usage of energy to not only be more resourceful than semi-trucks, but also signifies that the overall pollution by freight trains is far less.  So too, freight trains are absolutely safer per mile than semi-trucks because freight trains run on their own rails, as compared to having to share the road with other vehicles and thus the inherent dangers, therewith.

The emphasis that the American governance asserts in regards to the ground transportation of goods of all types, does have long term consequences; and of which, when forms of viable and reliable transportation, are neglected or their priority is marginalized, then the result is going to reflect that what has so been prioritized will get the incumbent benefits, instead.  The decision that America should take under serious advisement, is whether or not, freight trains, should become a higher priority for the moving of freight, throughout this nation, or whether such should continue to cede more and more market share to semi-trucks.  After all, in order for rail service to become a renewed and re-invigorated force in the 21st century, this needs to be something that the government must be an active participant in, because it is governmental land, governmental right-of-way, and government eminent domain, that is going to determine whether rail is or is not properly prioritized.  In fairness, it isn’t so much that freight trains don’t move any goods, but rather it is whether or not, going forward, this nation will emphasize that because freight trains are more energy efficient, less polluting, and safer, that this form of the transportation of goods will or will not be prioritized.