The Sage Observer

The Riots In Baltimore

We have a racial problem in Baltimore. We have a racial problem in Ferguson. We have a racial problem all over this country. In fact, we have had a racial problem since before the beginning of our nation. There is no question about this, so why haven’t we done something about it? We know the problem. We know the problem well. Its history is well documented; and we know its causes and solutions—all of them. We are sleeping in the bed we made. So, are we going to solve the problem, or are we going to let it destroy us?

I’m going to discuss this problem; but, before I do, I want to share a few personal observations and opinions with you:

First, we have come a long way in this country since our beginning. Whereas, in the beginning, the color of a man’s skin made a difference, I believe that is no longer totally true—not for all of us, at least. On the one hand, over the years, I have come to know, like, and respect many colored people very much. On the other, there are many whom I don’t like at all and avoid as much as possible. Then again, there are many white people whom I don’t like either for many of the same reasons, and I do my best to avoid them, too. As I think about it, it’s not the color of their skin I dislike. It’s their behaviour. I submit to you that our racial problem today isn’t race. The problem isn’t color. Our people today are more tolerant than ever. The root of the problem today is the behaviour of people—human behaviour. The solution to our racial problems will never be found until we address human behaviour. Then, we will immediately recognize that the problem affects both colored and white—vastly exacerbated by poverty, spawned by joblessness, broken homes, single parent families, lack of education, gangs, drugs, crime, and on and on. Books have been written about this, but the point here is that xenophobia is not the real issue. I believe most of us have risen above that.

Second, there are, at the very least, two extremely important professions serving our nation and our people everyday who in my opinion are underrated, underpaid, and from whom, sometimes, we expect and demand just too much—not infrequently, their very life. I am talking about our police men and women and our teachers. Yes, there are bad ones and there are good ones, but that’s what we pay managers for—to weed out the incompetent whom we shouldn’t have hired in the first place. We can do that.

Third, our Constitution was written from a purely civil perspective. In the very beginning, our Articles of Confederation didn’t even enable us to pay our bills—we couldn’t pay our army to fight the war. There was no provision for taxes; blacks were property; women couldn’t vote; we were effectively a dysfunctional nation, thirteen sovereign countries under one umbrella, the United States of America. When we finally adopted our Constitution, ratified in 1788, blacks were still considered property and women still couldn’t vote. In fact, our bill of civil rights wasn’t included either. It came later. Social rights, on the other hand, were not included in the Constitution at all. Socially, it was survival of the fittest and let the devil take the hindmost as it remains, for the most part, today. One would be deaf, dumb, and blind today, if he didn’t know who is advocating that. My point is that we need to add our social rights to our Constitution as we have our civil rights, an issue almost never mentioned.

Fourth, let me offer one more opinion before I go any further. An ideology of “survival of the fittest and let the devil take the hindmost” is immoral, reprehensible, sickening, and uncivilized. Such is certainly not advocated by Christian Doctrine which implores us to “love our neighbor as ourselves”. It’s inhuman. Animals deserve better treatment. To even approach a position of validity, such a position must be predicated upon the belief that we are all born equal, which is definitely untrue. We are all born equal in the eyes of God; we are all, supposedly, born equal in the eyes of the law; but we are not born equal when we are born. We are born different physically, mentally, sexually, and develop differently from a multiple variety of environmental differences, i.e. geographical, family, religious, political, and economic, etc. Under our law, the constitution, we (everyone) deserves equal opportunity to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, personally, socially, and economically, race, creed, and color notwithstanding. For this to happen, our Constitution must provide for our social needs as well as our civil needs. We are human beings—not property to be bought, sold, and used at the whims of the rich and powerful for their personal comfort and pleasure.

Now, let’s get to our problems and their solution, which, if we don’t solve to the satisfaction of all, I predict will erupt in a ball of fire, misery, and death—sooner, if not later, your choice.

I know I must sound like a broken record; but, first we must take back our democracy for the people, stolen from us by the Corporatocracy and Power Elite. We must eliminate all private money from politics, imposing strong penalties upon any and all abusers. I mean prison sentences for offenders. Our Congress must return to representing the people rather than the multi-national corporations and the very wealth, aka Plutocrats. Our corporations were created by man to serve man—not to rule over him.

Second, we must establish comprehensive voting and election reforms, including provision for a system of multiple parties. This only took one sentence to write; but it is of major importance to all of us.

Third, if we are to eliminate poverty, increase the standard of living and well being of our people, and return our nation to prosperity, we must enable job creation. We must educate our people (All OF THEM), and we must make it mandatory for all to the fullest extent of their abilities, beginning at Pre K through four years of college. Those who prefer not to attend college should be provided with vocational training as an alternate, the goal being to insure that everyone has a job skill and is qualified to hold a job. Everyone who is able must work. Everyone possible, regardless of color, must have equal opportunity, cradle to the grave, to support themselves. School dropouts must be illegal. This education must be taxpayer paid.

Fourth, every citizen should have public access to single payer healthcare, i.e. Medicare for all. This must be a standalone fund financed on a “pay as you go” basis, as is Social Security, by a special progressive income tax earmarked for that purpose and should not be part of the national budget. It must not run a deficit (I firmly believe this, properly managed, will have an extremely favorable impact on total healthcare costs as well as the achievement of a balanced budget “down the road”.

Fifth, Social Security must be brought up to date and continued with livable benefits. As at present, it must continue to be a standalone fund financed on a “pay as you go” basis financed by a special income tax. I believe we should remove the cap from the present tax; and, if necessary, amend it to a progressive tax. In any event, it should not be part of the national budget or run a deficit.

Sixth, and certainly not least, everyone, corporations as well as people, should and must pay their fair share of taxes in accordance with their ability to pay. Patriotism must be requisite to all. We desperately need and must have national tax reform.

In summary, we must enable the restoration of our middle class and the advancement of our underclass to the fullest extent possible. If we can’t restore the standard of living of our people and our democracy, we will never be able to help the rest of the world.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net