Long-term Jobless

          Reuters, a well-known news reporting organization, has reported today that President Obama will meet with the leaders of more than twenty large companies which have agreed not to discriminate in hiring against the long-term unemployed.

          Wonderful! I’m all for it. Over the years, and especially in current times, it has been reported that companies are refusing to even interview those who have been out of work for an extended period of time. Also, with one excuse after another, businesses are turning their backs on the hiring of older people. It seems that they just don’t quite fill the bill. They are over-qualified, under-qualified, too fat, too skinny, black, white, yellow, and not pretty enough–you get the picture.

Frankly, I don’t know how far our President is going to get with these companies. Keep in mind; these are some of the same companies that hire slave labor abroad at wages less than a dollar an hour. It sure is slave labor. Really! Everything is relative; and, as I have said many times, “A rose is a rose by any other name”. They may not consider (or admit) it is slave labor in the countries where it is being performed; but, relative to wages and conditions in our country, it is slave labor. Believe it! They even lock those poor people in at their work sites–all for the sake of excess profits. And, do you really think they pass all of their cost savings from using slave labor back to the consumer here in America? Their net profits are not only higher; but, so also, are their gross margin percentages. Look at how many people have been killed in these slave factories. Have you forgotten Bangladesh? I hope Walmart hasn’t. The families of these poor people need to be compensated for the loss of their loved ones.

It has been a while. Some of you may be too young to remember; but, perhaps others of you may recall. In 1970, Union Carbide India Limited, UCIL (51% owned by America’s Union Carbide Corporation, UCC), built a pesticide plant in Bhopal, India. Subsequently, on December 3, 1984, a release of methyl isocyanate gas which immediately killed approximately 3,000 people and subsequently lead to the death of more than fifteen thousand. In February 1989, the Supreme Court of India directed UCC and UCIL to pay the equivalent of $470 million to settle all claims arising from the tragedy. Think about that–only $470 million for that many lives.

Let me make one last observation; and, then, I’ll quit for the day. You have been reading and hearing about the subsidization of fast food workers, other retail employees and low wage workers through welfare payments, i.e. food stamps, healthcare, and housing aid, as well as recommended increases in the minimum wage. Wouldn’t this same subsidization apply to our vast unemployed, out of work because of the outsourcing of labor to this foreign slave labor? Wouldn't it? It would seem to me that employment, i.e. jobs, would be better than subsidization by welfare.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Pre-K Education

          Mayor Bill de Blasio, the newly elected mayor of New York has hit the floor running, introducing a new and ambitious pre kindergarten plan which will “extend free, full-day, ‘high quality’ pre-K across the city in two years, eventually to reach more than 73,000 four year olds” with a separate after-school initiative for middle-schoolers. He proposes to pay for it by a “small, five-year income tax increase on those earning $500,000 a year or more”. Hooray for Mayor de Blasio! We should adopt a plan like (or better than) his throughout the nation immediately, if not sooner. Over the years of the future, it will surely pay for itself.

          We have a problem in this country, folks–a serious problem, an extremely serious problem. The world certainly isn’t going to come to an end, but life as we know it (and our government) cannot continue on its present path. I predict a crash is coming–a real crash, if we don’t change. You know that we can’t continue with half the country (Obviously, I’m talking in generality) supporting the other half. On the other hand, you also know we cannot abide being governed by a dictator or oligarchy reducing us to serfdom or slavery.

          I have said before, we have approximately forty-seven percent of our people living in poverty and receiving some type of welfare or support, including twenty million unemployed or under employed; and, as I have also said previously, we have another twenty million people in our prisons. That comes close to half, doesn’t it? Our inner-city ghettos are full; and, in a manner of speaking, effectively isolated from our suburbs, jobs, and opportunities. You may argue with that. With a full stomach and a pay-check, it is easy to do; but I believe what I have just said to be substantially true. I, also, believe that those in our “underclass”, based on current events, are growing in numbers and will soon outnumber the rest of us.

          We have been told the poor will always be with us, and I believe that; but, I also believe we should do our utmost to eliminate poverty to the fullest extent possible. To this end, we must eliminate the underclass in our country to an absolute minimum. We must instill values in our youth, eliminate gangs, eliminate crime and drugs, and eliminate dependence. Our people must be educated and develop job skills in order to be productive and, therefore, self sufficient and responsible citizens.  That’s what I propose; and education is the most essential component of any possible course of action we can take to achieve that end.

It is in the early years of life, our early childhood, when we learn the fastest and the most–when we form our attitudes and views of the world around us. Pre kindergarten is an excellent starting point to take advantage of this. It is imperative. I say again, kudos to Mayor de Blasio.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Jamie Dimon Gets a Raise

For those of you who haven’t heard, finally, at last, Jamie Dimon, an unsung hero and conscientious hard working and highly productive member of one of our nation’s most important and essential industries, has been awarded a raise in salary and benefits. For months, if not years (or maybe it has been years), Mr. Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan, has successfully fought off law suit after law suit unfairly perpetrated upon his company for housing fraud, securities violations, and other minor and unimportant charges by the United States Government, receiving only minor fines and admonishments. I think one fine assessed against his company was only eighteen billion dollars or something like that. Maybe I’m mistaken; it may have been eleven billion. I’m not absolutely certain. Anyway, it’s only “peanuts”. I think, also, there may have been another rather small fine of one or two billion or so. I’m not sure. Anyway, in either event he sure deserves the seventy-four per cent increase he is being awarded for the year 2013. He has worked very hard to get where he is and achieve so much for his company. He deserves his twenty million dollar income. Besides that’ he needs the money. The eleven million dollar annual salary he received last year wasn’t even a livable wage. How sad. Again, I’m not certain, but he may have had to park his limousine under an overpass at night. Also, those four thousand dollar shower curtains in his bathroom need to be replaced.

I’m sure you realize at this point in my discussion that an element of sarcasm is involved in what I am saying. I refer you, therefore, to the New York Times January 24^th article, Big Raise for JPMorgan’s Dimon Despite a Rough Year, by Peter Eavis. You can pick it up on the internet at www.dealbook.nytimes.com.

It’s just an afterthought; but, looking at his picture in the article leads me to think. Anyone that young and obviously handsome–perhaps we should consider him as a candidate for the presidency in 2016, especially after he and his cohorts have done such a good job for our country in these past few years–You know, the rise of the markets in derivatives, the resulting bubble in the housing market, and its subsequent crash when the derivative markets caved in. Also, we must not forget the massive layoffs, consequential unemployment, home foreclosures, etc., etc. Oh well, you know. These are just minor details–What the hell? Put em in office. They've got a pretty face. On the other hand, however, perhaps they won't like the cut in pay.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

The Right to Life

          “The Right to Life”, the title given to the very important issue of abortion prevention, seems to especially come to life at the beginning of every election cycle, used by certain politicians as a tool to arouse and exacerbate the emotions of the electorate in an effort to secure votes. In between election campaigns, it seems we hear very little about the issue. It only comes up when Joe Blow wants to run for office or be re-elected. I’m sorry, but this aggravates me to no end. This issue should not be politicized. Especially significant is that the most, if not greatest, support for this issue comes from the “Christian Right”.

Now, let’s be clear about this–let there be no doubt. Although, at times not a very good one, I am a Christian; and I firmly believe in the right to life. I am opposed to abortion, except in those cases when it is medically necessary, where the pregnancy is the result of incest, or, arguably, some other extenuating circumstance is involved. Babies can always be placed for adoption, for which, the Lord knows, there is always a continuous and raging market. As we speak, Black Market Profiteers are kidnapping babies, raiding nurseries in hospitals, and stealing them from wherever they can be found. There is especially no need to kill them when there are plenty of those who want them and will love and care for them. The right to the sanctity of life demands the right to life, as redundant as that may be sound.

Now, let us get back to the “Christian Right”. They are professed Christians, born again, just as I professed, above, for myself; but, let me tell you one thing about Christianity. You can’t profess one segment of Christ without, also, accepting the other beliefs that go along with the faith. You cannot. You cannot pick and choose what you want to believe. To do otherwise is downright hypocritical. You can’t have one part without the other.

What am I talking about? I’ll get down to it. It’s this. When it comes time to go to the polls, many voters will vote for a politician based upon this one issue, or perhaps it might be another. I've used this issue, “The Right to Life” for a reason, but it is only as an example. The point is, there are others–other singular issues on which a voter may choose to focus. Too many of us don’t look at the “big” picture when we vote. We are very myopic in our views.

Back to my example–that politician who is so vigorously proclaiming the right to life in order to get your vote, is also supporting other issues on his platform which the voter simply chooses to ignore. On the one hand, he, the politician, will vote to support the saving of millions upon millions of lives from abortion; while, on the other, he will choose to ignore, in times like these, the plight of the forty-seven million of us living in poverty, with twenty million unemployed or underemployed, including an approximate million homeless women and children as well as men, sleeping on the streets, under bridges and/or in their automobiles. In these times when there are three people unemployed for every job opening and a job is extremely difficult to find (impossible for some), he will vote against the extension of emergency unemployment benefits; he will vote for the reduction, if not elimination, of the food stamp program (while, in the same instance, vote for "welfare" grants to millionaire farmers [some of whom are members of Congress] under the guise of subsidies); he will vote for the reduction of Medicaid; he votes against national healthcare. Also, just an afterthought, what would our nation’s condition be if the twenty million of us in the prisons (this is on top of the forty-seven million in poverty), were to come into the unemployment lines (Of course, not all, but the release of many prisoners is currently under consideration)?

I could go on and on, but I’m sure you understand what I am saying. This whole political process is broken. It makes no sense at all–and much of it, unfortunately, has been cast in the name of Christianity; which, Christianity it is not. Warfare is not Christianity. Torture is not Christianity. Lying, cheating, stealing, fraud, and deception are not Christianity–no matter how you cut it. Soon, we will once again have an opportunity to vote–our next election is just down the road. Look at and study the real issues. Be careful for whom you vote. What you think you see, might not be what you get.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net 

Why Do We Believe?

          Reading and listening to the many comments frequently expressed by people and the media when discussing the plight of the poor, our underclass, relative to the rich and well-off, the illustrious elite among us, I can’t help being struck by the tenor of some of the many critics: “Those lazy loafers–they don’t want to work; People like that think the world owes them a living; Anybody who really wants a job can find one–if he (or she) will only look; We’re creating a welfare society of misfits, losers, and dependents–Socialism, Communism; It’s their fault they have no money; If they sacrificed, saved, planned, and did the right things like I did, they wouldn’t be in their present predicament; They wouldn’t need social security, etc., etc.” And on and on it goes.

          Now I’m not a psychologist. Of course, I studied a course or two in college as many as some of you, most of which seemed more like a course in statistics; but, really, psychology is not my thing. In the course of my lifetime, however, I have seen a few streetcars go by–not to mention a few other matters; and there are a few things I have noticed about people.

First, almost (if not all) people are mentally lazy–they don’t like to think and will resist doing so to the fullest extent possible. Yes. You’re right. That includes me, too–I’m among the worst. The only difference is that some of us are more so than others (except, maybe, for someone exceedingly brilliant–Albert Einstein, perhaps). I have believed this for a long time, and told others, although I couldn't understand why. That is until I recently read a book, Thinking Fast and Slow, by Dr. Daniel Kahneman, winner of the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. In his book, Dr. Kahneman tells us we have two types of thinking, Type 1(Thinking Fast) and Type 2 (Thinking Slow). In the Type 1 mode, the one which we use first and most always, we make quick and fast decision–reflex like. We use slowly (at times, not at all) the Type 2 mode for our reasoning and calculating. As a quick and simple example, if I ask you how much is 2 X 2, you will immediately answer 4, without even thinking–you will not go beyond Type 1 to answer. The answer is embedded within your memory. If, on the other hand, I ask you how much is 212 X 15, most probably, Type 1 doesn't have the answer (If it does, you are much smarter than I am). You will be forced to use Type 2. To the fullest extent possible, we will use Type 1 thinking, thinking fast, to make decisions and resist using our function of reason, Type 2, because it is more difficult and takes longer. The reason for this is that Type 1 is firmly embedded within our brain–it is a defense mechanism. If a bear is coming after you, there isn’t always time to think.

The reason I am telling you about all of this is that, for almost all of us, we don’t like to read, we don’t like to calculate, we dislike complexity, and we just don’t like to think in general–the results of which are that we are very ignorant about many things. Our decisions are based on the information stored in Type 1, consisting of life experience, what we have learned in school, misinformation based on the lies and propaganda constantly fed to us over time by the media and others, and our biases and prejudices. This goes not only for our political views but for everything else.

There is another factor which I have observed in human behavior. It, too, I believe, is one of our defense mechanisms firmly ingrained in our subconscious memory. It is a human tendency for us to compare, to judge, to measure, ourselves with one another on a regular basis. This is a subconscious defense mechanism because, in one way or another, more or less, we compete on a continuing basis. Is he (or she) bigger? Is he stronger? Is he better looking? Is he smarter? Does he have more wealth? Is he my type? Do I like him? Is he as good as me or in my class? We constantly evaluate one another–again, subconsciously. Now, let me propose a question for you. If you can think of the other person (maybe even your adversary) as “lesser” than or lower in status than you–if you “put him down” in your eyes and/or the eyes of others, what does that do for your ego? Doesn't that make you feel superior? Think about it.

What does all this have to do with the poor among us–the underclass? Does what and how we think affect our view of this problem? Does it affect the color of the lenses in our glasses through which we view things? How reliable is our viewpoint (in the above, in politics, or in anything else about which we may form an opinion) in light of the above?

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Corporate Irresponsibility

          I would like to call your attention in this posting, once again, to the social irresponsibility of big business to our people and our nation with just one more example, the tobacco industry.

 In yesterday’s edition of The New York Times (January 18, 2014) titled, “Smoking Is Worse Than You Imagined”, the “Times” reported that, in a Report of the Surgeon General issued last Friday, the estimated costs of smoking to our nation has increased to between $289 Billion and $333 Billion a year for medical care and lost productivity, up from a previous estimate of $193 Billion. Accordingly, deaths have increased from a previous estimate of 443,000 to 480,000 per year; and, also, smokers have a much higher risk for lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD–You know what that is. You hear the term all the time–especially in pharmaceutical advertising) than smokers in 1964, despite smoking fewer cigarettes.

The report, also, tells us that they have now discovered that exposure to secondhand smoke can cause strokes; and that the risk of developing lung cancer has increased substantially because of changes in the design and composition of cigarettes, including ventilated filters that lead to more puffing of noxious materials and blended tobaccos, containing carcinogenic nitrosamines.

The government report says there is no doubt as to who is to blame. It is the tobacco industry. As a result, the Food and Drug Administration is about to begin regulating tobacco products, enact large tax increases, and spend huge amounts of money on ad campaigns–all because of the social irresponsibility and complete disregard for the well being of the people of our nation by another member of the corporatocracy. Are the tobacco companies really supplying a service to the people; or, on the other hand, is this just another day, another dollar at our nation’s expense? I say, “They don’t care who they kill as long as they make a buck”.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Where I am Coming From

As I post to this blog today, I want to try and “jell” some of the many thoughts on the several and varied economic, social, and political viewpoints which I have expressed in previous postings, beginning by saying, I certainly am not, God forbid, a Communist, and neither am I a Socialist. Let us get this behind us. History has shown us that both, in and of themselves, are self-destructing and an absolute failure in execution, so you can forget that. On the other hand, as events unfold in these times, neither do I believe in laissez-faire capitalism (Albeit from a different perspective, I discussed capitalism and socialism in some detail in my posting of November 11^th, last year. If you haven’t had a chance to read it as yet, you may want to scroll down to the bottom of this page and click on “Older Posts”. Continue to do this until the November 11^th subject of “Capitalism, Socialism, and Healthcare” appears).

The principals of capitalism are motivated solely by self-interests which can be a good thing if properly executed. Again, as I have said many times, the purpose of a business is to provide a product or service to its customers, the people whom it serves. That is its purpose, its only purpose, and should be its primary focus. The confusion is that most businesses think their primary purpose is to make a profit which is not so. Profit is absolutely necessary for a business to remain in business, but that is not its primary purpose. Making a profit is every bit as important as paying salaries; but, again, profit is just an expense just like rent, insurance, or the electric light bill. Profit is the expense incurred in the use of the money invested by its investors in the business. You may argue that profit is the purpose of investing–the investor; but, it is not the purpose of the business in which it, the investment, is invested. If the business does not take care of its primary purpose, provision of a product or service to its customers, it will not succeed and the investment will be lost. This may seem like splitting hairs; but it is reality. Anything else will ultimately result in a loss for most everybody all the way around. If you can’t see the truth of what I am saying in the events leading up to the financial crisis of 2008, I sincerely suggest you review the process again and look real hard. It’s where your heart, your primary focus, is that is of prime importance to success of a business.

A very dear friend, upon reading some of my postings to this blog, said to me before church Sunday, “You must be a Democrat”, to which I replied, to his utter surprise, “NOT”; and, even after being a registered Republican for many years, neither am I a Republican. If nothing else, the administration of Cheney, Rumsfeld, and Bush cured me of that. So what am I? I could take the easy way out and declare myself to be an independent (That would be closer to the truth than Republican or Democrat), but I won’t. I’ll just tell you. First, above all else, my foremost loyalty is to God–I consider myself to be a Christian, as difficult as that is at times. I believe God gave this world, this land, and all the resources therein to all of us, to all mankind–not to just a relative handful of the elite, and certainly not to a corporatocracy.  Secondly, I am an American, a loyal citizen, my constructive criticism of its governance notwithstanding–a right guaranteed to you and me by our Constitution, the law of the land. I want to see the elimination of our Shadow Government by the Corporatocracy and Power Elite and the restoration of our country to that of a Democratic Republic governed by the people.  

Given what I have just said, I believe our economic systems, our government, and our laws, should support the common good and well being, of all the people. Not only does this mean life, liberty, equal opportunity, and justice for all; but, also, it means the social well-being of our people as well–from the bottom to the top and back again, a strong and secure nation for all the people. After all, a country or nation is no better than the sum total of its people. God tells us that as we do for the least of these, we do for Him (paraphrased). This would probably put me in the category of a populist. What I loathe is lying, cheating, stealing, fraud and deception, sloth, laziness, and the abuse of power. These kinds of behavior permeate all levels of our society from top to bottom–from the rich to the poor. There are those among us who consider these traits to be those of only the poor, but they neglect the sins and weaknesses of the rich. Believe me when I tell you that the poor among us do not have a monopoly on these things.

Now you know. After all this time, I have “come out”. These are my values. Your comments are welcome.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Government Spending

          I know this is one whale of a subject to cover in an essay of a few hundred words. I also know my knowledge of the subject is limited–limited for more reasons than one; but I get so angry the way our government carries out its responsibilities, I am compelled to discuss this matter. I cannot restrain myself.

          Surfing the internet today, my attention was drawn to an article from Reuters titled, “U.S. Waived Laws to Keep F-35 on Track with China-Made Parts”. Now that made me mad. The F-35, a $392 Billion state of the art fighter plane, billions upon billions of dollars over budget, and we are setting aside our national security to buy parts for it? I have just acknowledged my ignorance of this subject, but one thing I do know is the subject of accounting. I know, also, that our illustrious Department of Defense has been budgeting and spending over the past few years close to $750 Billion dollars per year (Almost Three Quarters of a Trillion Dollars, if you will), an amount greater than all the major powers of the earth combined. I know that our Department of Defense lost billions of dollars of currency (packaged on skids) in Iraq during the war which they never found. I know that our Department of Defense does not have an auditable accounting system–a complete set of books with integrated data bases. When he became head of the Department of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld said then that one of his first priorities would be to correct that, but it never happened. Supposedly, two wars and other priorities intervened (I don’t understand that either. Surely a top executive of the caliper to be head of the Department of Defense of a nation as large as ours can handle a routine matter such as that. Our major corporations do it every day.).

          Another practice of government which needs to and must be scrapped is the annual practice of “spending out” the prior year’s budget in order to justify the next year’s budget. Budgeting for next year should be based upon next year’s projected needs–not last year’s expenditures. We can track down “mad cows” to specific barnyards within specific states. We can spy on our people and the people of the world, but we don’t have the technology to produce a balanceable set of books in government? Jumping just briefly to immigration, we were told that of the estimated eleven million or so of illegal immigrants, the majority of them had overstayed their visas and just “turned up missing”, blending into and lost within the populace. We don’t know what, who, or where they are. Hellooooooo! With today’s computer technology, why was our government not on top of that problem within twenty-four hours?  I’ll tell you this. If they were in the business of loan sharking, they would have. If these illegals were pornography, they would have (reference the SEC incident reported a few years back).

          This is not a rant and rave to blow off steam. We have real financial problems in our nation. As I have said before, we have forty-seven million people in poverty, approximately twenty million of whom are either unemployed or underemployed, and millions more of whom are sleeping in cars, under bridges, or on the street. For that matter, we have another approximately twenty million persons holed up in our prisons. Goodness gracious! We only have three hundred seventeen million or so (give or take) in our whole country; and, what is worse, our leaders do not seem to even care. This is a game for them as they watch us writhe and suffer. One thing is certain. This is no game for those in pain.
       
        There is one more point. As much as our government might desire such, these down and out folks aren't going to go away. They aren't going to just disappear into the woodwork like a bunch of worms. History over the centuries tells us these problems will be solved–one way or the other; but, wouldn’t it make more sense to do it peacefully before the …. hits the fan?

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net     

Economic Inequality

I was reading a December 15, 2013 article from the New York Times by Dr. Paul Krugman, Nobel Prize winning economist, titled Why Inequality Matters, at the end of which was a letter to the editor from a reader commenting on the subject. I feel so strongly in agreement with the content of his letter, I am compelled to share it with you. I just don’t know how to express the commenters thoughts any better. The letter to the editor goes as follows:  

“Several years ago Elizabeth Warren noted: ‘There is nobody in this country who got rich on his own…You built a factory out there? … I want to be clear: you moved your goods to market on the roads the rest of us paid for; you hired workers the rest of us paid to educate; you were safe in your factory because of police forces and fire forces that the rest of us paid for….You built a factory and it turned into something terrific…? God bless. Keep a big hunk of it. But part of the underlying social contract is you take a hunk of that and pay forward for the next kid who comes along.’

 No one expects everyone earns the same amount. But there is a social contract that says those who make your business possible deserve, yes deserve, to be compensated with a livable wage and benefits. Today greed attempts to shift the responsibility for supporting the community to blaming the community for economic problems. Shame on government when instead of supporting the community and protecting the worker from devastation, government supports greed.”

          The first part of the writer’s letter quoted Elizabeth Warren. You know who she is. She’s the Senator from Massachusetts and an expert on bankruptcy law and government. In fact, she wrote the Consumer Protection Act. She has, also, been suggested as a possible candidate for the presidency in 2016 and would make an excellent president, but she has said she doesn’t intend to run. I digress, but I just wanted to give you a “heads up” in the event you haven’t heard of her. This lady is first class by anyone’s definition–absolutely first class.

          Inequality of income and wealth in our nation is sinful to the point of abuse of our people. We are being raped. It has ruined and is continuing to ruin our economy and our way of life. Our Shadow Government must go. Our country must be restored to the people. Our Congress has the power; and they must get it done. Money must be taken out of politics completely. Our one vote means very little, if anything, when our representatives are selling themselves to the highest bidder. It’s up to you, the people, to eliminate inequity. Your consolidated vote is the key.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Religion and Government

          As I promised in a previous posting, in my posting today, I want to discuss religion as it might relate to government, i.e. the state, and its separation there from. As you might guess, I wasn’t here in 1776 when the Declaration of Independence was written or in 1789 with the establishment of our Constitution; but, from my reading and study, my understanding is that the average immigrant, i.e. citizen, then was Catholic, Protestant, or Atheist. All other religions or beliefs were a small minority. Also, the values expressed in our Constitution reflect Judeo-Christian values of right and wrong, the sanctity of life, and the pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness, including the value that all men are created equal–the basis of our law and values today. Obviously, as I have written in past postings, in reality, all men are not created equal physically, mentally, or status wise; but they are equal in the eyes of God and the law, and have the right to equal opportunity–a right all too often denied them (perhaps another discussion for another day).

          Currently, in our political discussions, many argue heatedly about the separation of church and state and secular government. This separation is not written as such in our Constitution, but it is inferred by a phrase, “wall of separation between church and state” used by Thomas Jefferson and others concerning the intent of the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment, used frequently by the Supreme Court. As you know, the First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….” Thus we have the concept of separation and a secular government.

          I am submitting to you my views on this matter. I’m sure you will have yours, and they may very well not be in agreement with mine; but, here goes anyway. I believe in God, the Creator of Heaven and earth. As a Christian, I also believe in Jesus, His Son. You may not believe–many, unfortunately, do not. You not only have that right, but the teachings of Jesus and the Bible specifically give you that right. God gave man free will; and, if you will recall the teachings of Jesus, he affirms that right. Neither God nor Jesus insists you believe. When Jesus was instructing his disciples to go out into the world and spread the Word, you will recall that He told them, regarding those who refused to accept their teaching, to shake the dust from their feet and move on. Who am I to force my Christian beliefs on anyone when neither God nor Jesus did so? You go to your church and I’ll go to mine. I’ll try to inform; I’ll invite you; I’ll urge you; but it ends there.

          At this point, I momentarily digress to make what I believe is an important point for all believers to keep in the forefront of their mind. If you really want to make believers out of non-believers, the best way to do that is to set an appropriate example that they may see your way of life as better than theirs. Any approach that “jams your beliefs down the throats’ of others will always be counterproductive in the long run. This is not easy as none of us are wired to comply with the teachings of Jesus. The Bible tells us that all of us, bar none, are sinners. All a Christian can do is believe and do his best to set an example. I say these things, not to preach, but to establish an understanding of the premises’ on which I stand–to establish a basis for the following.

          God created this world for all of us, those who believe and those who do not. All who have studied the history of Christianity and the Papacy can readily recall the conflict between church and state over the hundreds of years as control of one over the other seesawed back and forth, each striving for power of one over the other; and, I believe, in the final analysis, to the detriment of each. A strict requirement of the believer is that we love our neighbor as ourselves. We don’t have to like them, but we certainly have to love them. Plain and simple, it’s called AGAPE love (See First Corinthians, Chapter 13).

          This is why we must have a separation of church and state–a secular government. There must be room for all of us; we must get along; and, in the end, God must be the Judge. We have all we can do to live our own lives.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

The ‘Duck Dynasty’ Patriarch Issue

          Phil Robertson, “Patriarch” of the ‘Duck Dynasty’, has been so much in the forefront of the news these last few days that I cannot help but comment. For those who have never heard of the ‘Duck Dynasty’ (if there is anyone), this is a television series viewed on the A&E network. Mr. Robertson was recently interviewed by GQ Magazine; and, in this interview which was published in its January, 2014 edition, he made several controversial statements which created such a furor he was suspended from the show.

Asked about sin in his interview with GQ, Mr. Robertson is said to have said, “Start with homosexual behaviour and just morph out from there–bestiality, sleeping around with this woman and that woman and that woman and those men.” Also, quoting scripture, he said, to the effect, “Neither the adulterers, the idolaters, the prostitutes, the homosexual offenders, the greedy, the drunkards, the slanderers, the swindlers–they won’t inherit the kingdom of God. Don’t deceive yourself. It’s not right”.

Also, “I never, with my eyes, saw the mistreatment of any black person. Not once.  Where we lived was all farmers. The blacks worked for the farmers. I hoed cotton with them. I'm with the blacks, because we're white trash. We're going across the field. ... They're singing and happy. I never heard one of them, one black person, say, 'I tell you what: These doggone white people' -- not a word! Pre-entitlement, pre-welfare, you say: Were they happy? They were godly; they were happy; no one was singing the blues”.

Out of these quotations of Mr. Robertson along with his suspension came charges and accusations of hate crimes, racial baiting, religious bigotry, and violations of free speech. Although it won’t get very far, I would add one other–exploitation by the media. Many events worse than this would pass by the wayside and the media wouldn’t even pick it up. They pass up reporting on many other much more important subjects every day, so why this one? Why this subject? Why do they report this over and over and over all through the day, day in and day out–every day? The answer to that is sensationalism. It creates ratings; it sells advertising; it makes money. What it does not do is responsibly serve the public, except to provide crude entertainment to some among us. It helps to feed our appetite for certain forms of gossip–socially and intellectually irresponsible, I believe.

This particular issue is so multifaceted that one cannot rationally discuss it as a whole. It only brings out the bias, prejudice, bigotry, and speculation in all of us with little, if any positive results. Mr. Robertson, according to the various articles written about him, is an intelligent, honest and forthright Christian man raised in the bayous of Louisiana, a product of his culture and upbringing who speaks his mind candidly and honestly. What we see, is what we get. As citizens of a democratic republic and, for those who profess to be Christians, we all have a stake in this. We have a dog in this fight, as they say.

The issues involved are religion, sin, government, racial hatred, homosexuality, freedom of speech, and the social responsibility of business–all major and complex issues in their own right. I would compile these into three central discussions– the social responsibility of business which I have discussed on previous occasions; government, another facet of which I will discuss below; and religion, which I will discuss in the near future.

In this nation, we are guaranteed freedom of religion and worship by our Constitution. Now, I’m not a lawyer; but that means to me the separation of church and state–government does not run the church, and the church does not run the state. When we elect our government in this nation, that government, so elected, has a legal obligation to govern and serve the interests of all the people, every last one, whoever they may be, whether they are green, purple, have pin-pointed heads, whatever; and those people have an equal right to opportunity, treatment, life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and to practice any religion they may choose to follow (I must add that, in my view, this does not include religious law that supersedes the law of the land or is destructive of our democratic way of life–that is not in the deal and was never intended to be.). To purposely belabor the point, I will be more specific and say, rich, poor, smart, stupid, educated, uneducated, heterosexual, homosexual, bi-sexual, trans-sexual, male, female–have I left anything out? That’s our country; that’s how it was designed; and that’s how it is. To this end, we must “all get along”. I might, also, remind you that, for us who are Christians, we are commanded to love one another, every last one, all the above factors notwithstanding. We may not like some people, but we must love them–the Bible calls it AGAPE love, and it includes forgiveness.

One more issue in this matter is the question of freedom of speech. There is no question. We are guaranteed freedom of speech under our Constitution. Let me remind you, however, that just because the law says so doesn’t make it so. The absolute fact is we do not have freedom of speech in this country and we never have since day one. It has always been true that one must watch what he says, where he says it, and before whom. Depending on what is said and where, one might suffer ostracism, unemployment, violence, or even arrest and internment–try talking politics in a bar. I just hope I don’t end up that way. I would like to think what I have to say is honest, constructive, and a contribution to the dialogue.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

The Purpose of a Business 

          I’m usually open–minded to all arguments, but one argument upon which I refuse to bend is the purpose of a business. That is, a business exists for one purpose and one purpose only, to provide a service or product to the people or their representatives, the government for one example–no other. When there is no further need for a business’s product or service, the reason(s) notwithstanding, it ceases to exist. Its purpose is not profit; its purpose is not to provide jobs; and, most certainly, its purpose is not to fill the Christmas stockings of politicians. Its purpose, once again, is to provide a product or service, directly or indirectly, to man.

          I was viewing a speech on C-span earlier today by Senator Mitch McConnell, the Senate Minority Leader of the Senate in which he presented a defense of the coal industry in light of that industry’s current problems with the EPA–he called it “our war on coal”–not. In his presentation he used the testimony of a young ex-coal miner who wrote a song about coal mining, to the effect, saying coal mining is a “way of life”, and we should not decrease our coal consumption so as not to take away that “way of life” (I suppose the ecology notwithstanding). I submit to you, no business is or should ever become a “way of life”. Just as they have always done throughout history, businesses cease to exist when they are no longer needed, become obsolete, or a detriment to the lives of those whom they serve.

          Looking at the subject from another angle or perspective, in fulfilling its purpose stated above, a business should do so in the spirit of the function to be performed as well as in its execution, ethically and responsibly with the ultimate wellbeing of those whom they are supposed to serve in mind. Anything less is immoral and a farce. I’m sure all of you, by now, know that, under the Affordable Care Act, i.e. Obama Care, people with a pre-existing condition cannot be turned down for health insurance. Guess what. Tonight on CNN, it was reported that United Health Care has found a way around that law by dropping your preferred physician from their coverage. So, what is one to do–especially when your condition is serious and your preferred doctor is critical? What else? You either change doctors (to someone you don’t know and, worse yet, who doesn’t know you) or change insurance carriers, in which case you very possibly will be charged higher insurance premiums. Such action is not within the purpose of a business and is morally reprehensible. I may be idealistic, but I feel a business should not be allowed to exist if it cannot perform in a moral and socially responsible manner. We desperately need to able to trust those with whom we deal.

          Folks, this is just another reason why we need to adopt a single-payer healthcare system, i.e. Medicare for everyone–no confusion, minimal decisions, no muss, no fuss, and, for the people, no bother. I should also add that our proceeding to that end will go a long way toward eliminating our deficit, assuming we establish the same rules governing the negotiations of prescription drug prices as those of the Veterans Administration. This just one example illustrated by United Health Care clearly shows the road ahead for the Affordable Care Act. More United Health Cares will come out of the woodwork every other day. You can count on it. Those who have been blood sucking our people for these many years need to be put in their place, and a single-payer healthcare system modeled after Medicare is the way to do it. Relatively speaking, it’s easy; it’s simple; and it’s doable. Let’s do it. Write your representative in Congress. The Republicans don’t have an alternative plan to the Affordable Care Act. Here’s one for you. For additional info on this subject, please refer to my previous discussion on this, September 30^th and July 23^rd of this year.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Our Depression

We certainly hear a lot in the news today; our government is in serious doubt; and our politicians are flailing in the wind, so to speak. Even though, allow me to list below a few items which I consider to be facts, no matter what the propagandists say.

Fact No.  1. Our country is in serious economic difficulty with twenty million people, more or less, unemployed, under employed, and/or living on poverty level wages.

Fact No.   2. It would appear that our leaders just wish they will go away. Trust me. They won’t. We need jobs, and we need them now–not some Sunday after some Tuesday.

Fact No.  3. Real jobs will not come until there is increased demand, and demand will not reoccur without a massive increase in spending by government and the people, in which event, the people must have living wages.

Fact No.  4. Not one dollar of debt can be paid until our national deficit is eliminated, and our deficit cannot be eliminated until our national budget is balanced–in the end revenues must equal spending.

Fact No.  5. We will not recover from this very serious dilemma in which we find ourselves until our nation, at the very least, gets back to a “real” level of employment (You surely know this reported 7% unemployment figure is pure fiction to give us that warm fuzzy feeling which we all like ever so much [and help us to forget the twenty million discussed above]–don’t believe it.), and our national budget is balanced, i.e. our deficit is zero (then we can start on paying off the debt).

          At this point in the discussion, we come down to another very important matter–our national debt. The Nobel winning economist, Paul Krugman, for whom I have immense respect, tells us in his book, End This Depression Now, that we should not consider government debt in the same vein as we think of personal debt–government can print money and people cannot. I, also, read his book, Depression Economics; and, as I understand his thinking, he believes our level of government debt is not presently critical–we should concentrate on increasing spending, stimulate the economy now, and get out of this depression. Austerity at this point in time is a danger to our economy. Again, we should spend. To put people back to work we need to increase demand. A jobs bill is one way of doing that. At this point in the discussion, we move to my opinion.

          One of our ex-vice presidents, Richard Cheney, has said that deficits don’t matter (there is no way I believe that although the opinion of Paul Krugman borders on it), and his administration operated accordingly–a matter of record. Of course, in addition to enriching themselves, they had another motive in mind–the reduction, if not elimination, of our so-called entitlements. If the debt and deficit were high enough to become critical, they could force the negotiation of their elimination or reduction in the requisite budget battles. That’s where we are presently.

          Where am I going with this? I think our government should get their head “out of the sand” and pull this country out of the depression in which we find ourselves. You claim we aren’t in a depression. I submit to you that the only reason you may be right is the relief we enjoy from our safety nets of Social Security and healthcare, both of which enable most of us to hold our heads above water–one of which, Social Security, came out of the Roosevelt Administration in the thirties; and the other of which, Medicare and Medicaid, came out of the administration of Lyndon Johnson in the sixties (Without them, we would really be in deep doo in this country). We need to get out of this economic mess and we need to do it now, politics notwithstanding; and we need to spend the money to do it. In conjunction with this, we need to develop a ten year plan to eliminate our deficit and, after that, a twenty year plan to pay off or pay down our national debt (Dr. Krugman would probably say this is unnecessary, time will take care of the problem. He may be right; but, with all respect, I disagree.).

Deficit reduction could begin with implementation of the single payer healthcare system I recommended in an earlier blog, and serious cuts in waste, fraud, and abuse in government, defense, and intelligence. One suggestion to this end might begin with an auditable accounting system and integrated budgets and data bases in defense and elsewhere where they are needed. With all the computer intelligence in the NSA, one would think we would have been smart enough to do have done that already.

By the way, before I quit this for today, have you thought of the billions of dollars we have wasted with this ACA, Affordable Care Act– the division among us, and everything else? We could have just signed everybody up for Medicare and had this thing going already with much less muss, fuss, and bother. We just don’t make sense. We just don’t make sense. I’m sorry. I can’t stop. Look at the relief this approach would give to business and the economy. For the third time, we just don’t make sense.

Good night, folks.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

South Africa

Have you seen the news of South Africa in the wake of Nelson Mandela? The television screen was replete with pictures of the impoverished black people of the land, walking in streets of mud among the shanties in which they lived. It went on to tell us that the white population among them owned all the land while the natives had nothing. The augury of the presentation went on to show how the black people were forming armies and training their young to fight. The white landowners were understandably fearful of what might be in their future and that of their children.

Why am I telling you this? This situation in South Africa didn’t come about because it is a nation of lazy loafers and ne’er-do-wells. It is the direct result of the inequality of opportunity in income, wealth, education, and due process under the law over these past many years–a carryover of colonization and apartheid. This is what happens in a land where peoples are suppressed and there is a lack of equal opportunities for all, economically, educationally, and politically. This is what has been happening in our country over the past half century–especially in the past thirty-plus years. No one has to tell you about how the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. You know it. You are probably among the latter.

As I have pointed out on previous occasions, wages and income (in real terms) is decreasing in our country, and the preponderance of our people is in debt up to their ears (personal as well as national debt). Unemployment is exceedingly high with, current statistics notwithstanding, over twenty million people out of work, and jobs (and money) flowing profusely from our country to nations around the globe. Many just cannot make ends meet. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of our people, go to bed at night hungry. Even more is on some form of welfare or another–our welfare rolls (state of dependency) have literally exploded. The standard of living for our economy as a whole is in decline, a trend I anticipate will continue for the foreseeable future; and as you might expect, worry, unrest, and discontent among our people is rampant. The sale of firearms and ammunition in our country has increased significantly, and the establishment of internment facilities and massive purchases of ammunition by our government’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), an agency of the United States Department of Homeland Security has also been reported (Ref: infowars.com). As if this isn’t enough, our government is politically broken. For all practical purposes it has become inoperative–almost beyond repair. As just one example, Congress literally threw $24 Billion into the trash vis a vis a completely unnecessary government shutdown (small change compared to other travesties in the past). They, also, cut food stamps, despite this plight of our people.

I don’t usually copy other people’s writings in my postings to this blog; but, if you will indulge me, I would like to make an exception and post a recent letter to the editor of a national newspaper. Except for a couple spelling corrections, I have not edited it one iota. I just want to give you one example of the feeling in this country. It reads as follows:

“In fact, the federal deficit has been inching down. And why must deficit reduction always fall on the backs of the least among us? The rich have been left happily alone on their pinnacle of invulnerability, there is about $33 trillion in offshore taxes left un-pursued, and no one on the right will so much as consider the phrase "raise revenues".

You can't turn the clock back to the mid-19th century. When enough people are marginalized and realize that they have no stake in a nation that doesn't give a tinker's curse about healthcare, public education, access to higher education, and has cooperated in building a workforce of terrified serfs at the behest of behemoth corporate interests with no national or ethical boundaries - the peasants will begin rioting, and the baby will go with the bathwater.

The rising inequity between the very rich and everyone else, and that includes a frustrated, hard-working middle-class whose corpse is being picked over by the corporate rich in this country like a dead pigeon is, I assure you, far more dangerous than the federal deficit. The government can print money any time it likes. But it won't have a fire hose long enough to put out the fire that will eventually ignite from the spreading gasoline pool of failure to thrive among everyone but the rich.”

I think that says it all, folks. That says it all. We need to change our direction before we, too, become like South Africa. We need to take back our government from the Shadow Government of the Corporatocracy and Power Elite. We can only do this with election and campaign financing reform; and by becoming politically active and eliminating private money from the election process, which will never happen if we never get with the program.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

It Seems To Me

It would seem to me (I have had a lot of those lately, and they “seem to” keep coming). It would seem to me that if one really and honestly in their heart believes in democracy, they would believe in it for all people–not just themselves. If one believes that (if one  really does), would it, therefore, go without saying that he or she would, also, believe all people within any given unit of a democracy be included in the electoral process–our nation, for example, or any nation for that matter? Can a nation really be democratic if its people or any significant portion of them is excluded from the process?

Think about that. Is a government wherein its elected representatives are significantly controlled by major contributions of money from outside private interests, taking precedence over the best interests of the people, a democracy? Is gerrymandering consistent with democracy? Is passing laws deterring voting by certain segments of the population democratic? How about those who pass laws ostensibly with one effect for the underlying purpose of, effectively, achieving another, thereby constraining the democratic process, i.e. voter suppression? What do you think of excluding other political factions from the electoral process? Do you think that to be democratic? Should we have more than two political parties within our system of government to better recognize the needs and desires of our people? Should multiple parties continue to be restricted in our electoral process?

Having asked these questions, do you believe that those who practice or contribute to practices of voter manipulation and suppression really believe in a democracy of the people, by the people and for the people; or, on the other hand, are they serving just their own special interests through control of the vote with little or no regard for the benefit of the people?

I have one last question under “It seems to me”. Does it “Seem to you” that you can continue to enjoy the benefits of a democratic republic without the active and robust participation of you and your fellow citizens? Do you really think our democratic republic can continue to exist given the direction in which it is going if you fail to actively take part? Surely you cannot be happy with things as they are.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Our Budget Compromise

Its lack of real accomplishment notwithstanding, our illustrious House of Representatives and United States Senate have finally come to a bipartisan budget agreement. In the course of its announcement, Paul Ryan, a member of the House of Representatives and United States Senator Patty Murray jointly stated, to the effect, that no better deal could be made under the circumstances of today’s political conditions. That remains to be seen, however, as it still must be approved by both bodies of Congress and signed by the President.

I didn’t see this in the write-up; but, as I viewed their joint announcement of the deal on CNN, Senator Murray said, in effect to Ryan, “You and I serve a different team” to which he nodded his head and spoke his agreement. He certainly does; but, really, I was surprised that he would openly admit it. Senator Murray serves the people’s team (I hope I’m right on that–one never knows anymore). Ryan serves our Shadow Government. You remember. That’s our government by the Corporatocracy and Power Elite which controls our Congress and others high up in government through their campaign contributions, lobbying groups, think tanks, etc.–overpowering your vote.  That’s the top five percent of us, or so, where most of the money goes. I’ve been telling you about these people. Just tune into the various news programs on your radio and television. Listen to them talk. They’re good, folks. They are really good. They’ve got a line that’ll really “Wow Ya”.

I don’t know all the good and bad of this (as they say, it’s beyond my pay grade); but there is some good to be seen in it. For one, it will get us by a possible government shutdown, January 15^th; and, for another, it might help to facilitate negotiations of the debt limit in March, allowing us to keep going until we can come, hopefully, to a real and substantive agreement. The bad, of course, is that, but for the greed and avarice involved, we could have solved many of our problems permanently. This just, once again, kicks the can down the road.

A really sad omission at this point in time is that of our Congress not renewing the unemployment benefits expiring in December, just after Christmas. Not only will this cause severe damage to the lives of the individuals involved; but, also, it will take from the overall economy a significant stimulus, hurt business, and bring about additional losses in jobs. I don’t care what your political religion is, that’s one hell of a blow to all of us. It’s very easy to make decisions about the lives of others when you have a full stomach, warm clothes, and a roof over your head; but it’s a horse of a different color when you are the one hungry, about to be evicted from your home, or sleeping out in the cold with no hope of improving your condition. Wake up, people! These are not normal times. There are approximately twenty million people out there who are hurting and are hurting badly. It’s freezing out there; and our Shadow Government doesn’t care. They do not feel the cold and can care less about how you feel (Correction: They do care for your money and your vote, however).

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Thinking

          Just from personal observation of people over the years, I have developed a perception, subjective of course, that we all are mentally lazy, including me–especially me. I know for a fact that I am guilty of this impediment–seriously so. Since I don’t dare be alone with this defect (my ego won’t tolerate it), I must assume we are all in this together, including those much smarter–we are all this way. Aren't we? It is just a question of how much more or less. Isn’t it? Think about it.

          What brings the subject to my mind just now is that I have been reading a book (I’m not quite finished yet) by Dr. Daniel Kahneman, titled Thinking, Fast and Slow; and, what do you know? Surprise! I am vindicated. Dr. Kahneman tells us we have two kinds of thinking, Type 1 and Type 2. I’ll probably not be able to explain this as well as he; but, nevertheless, I’ll do my best. These are my words and interpretation.

As I understand, our minds constantly operate under Type 1. We think and make decisions fast; Type 1 is automatic, operating off the information and experience we have accumulated and stored in our mental data base over time–whatever that may be. You have heard many times the statement, “Garbage in, Garbage Out”. This is where that comes into play for better or for worse. You get out of your mind what you put into it. Jesus says, “As you think, so you are”. Type 2, on the other hand is your thinking or reasoning process. This is the lazy side of our thinking. We actually resist using it. It operates to overrule Type 1 when necessary. A simple example of its use might be seen in driving a car when, all of a sudden, you are threatened by an extraneous event–another vehicle runs a red light in front of you, a pedestrian is in the crosswalk, the light turns yellow, etc. A decision has to be made. Reasoning is required. I’m sure by now you get the general idea. Type 2 facilitates decision-making. 

In addition to the facilitation of decision making, Type 2 is used when we read, study, listen, calculate, experience, etc. The more we use this type of our thinking, the better we will  develop our inner database and make better and more reliable decisions, building knowledge, eliminating misinformation, and erasing bias and prejudice in our minds–enabling the effectivity of our Type 1 thinking. But, we don’t like to do that, do we? We would rather take the easy way out. That’s the mental laziness coming out in all of us–a fact of life that feeds our everyday reliance on preconceived notions, opinions, bias, prejudice, and animosities, our level of intelligence notwithstanding. Even the smartest of the smartest is susceptible to this flaw in our nature.

Think about it. We all vote.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net  

The Minimum Wage

          Once again, the subject of the minimum wage is at the forefront of discussion in government; and, frankly, for the life of me, I can’t understand why it’s even being debated. It seems (the debate, that is) so unnecessary. Raising the minimum wage is either good for the country (our nation) or it is bad for it (I’m talking about the good or best interest of our country, our nation as a whole–not that of individual vested interests). It’s that simple. Once again, as in everything else (it seems), our government is engaging in an exercise in masturbation. How many times over the years in our past have we raised the minimum wage? There is no need for study. There is no need for debate. We know the answers to the questions. We know the economic impact and incidence of raising the minimum wage. We know all the possible effects–all there is a need to know. We have been there. We have done that. We know! We also know it is the right thing to do in these trying economic times after so many years of inflation since the last time. We also recognize the need to adjust Social Benefits, accordingly, to compensate for the resultant inflation. So why don’t we just do it and move on to resolving the many other important issues on our nation’s agenda? There’s too much talk. Of course, we have to decide how much, don’t we?

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Where Are We Going?

It has been several days since I have written a posting to this blog, and I sincerely apologize for that. I really appreciate your following my writing and hope you will continue; but, to be completely honest, some days my thoughts flow, and other days they do not. I, really, just draw a blank. Again, I’m sorry. I hope you will “hang with” me in this endeavor.

One doesn’t have to look back too many years to see the future if they only care to take a look. History does repeat itself. In my final years of life, I will not be around to see (or experience) it; but, looking at the direction in which our leaders are taking us and how they are managing the affairs of our nation, I foresee only a path of poverty, misery and servitude for my children and their descendents. Ignorance, greed, avarice, and incompetence abound; everyone thinks they are right, facts notwithstanding; no one will admit they are wrong; and our world (as we know it), our government of the people, by the people, and for the people, is slipping away before our very eyes, arguably either (thru passive neglect and ignorance) forfeited by the people or stolen from them by an oligarchy of our nation’s corporate and power elite, the top one percent, if you will–our Shadow Government–those who take all the money. I can’t argue the distinction, as the latter could not have occurred without the acquiescence of the former. It’s sad, if not tragic, isn’t it? We have come to the point in our nation’s short history where (as I have said before) we not only have a “Shadow Banking” system (Reference the report of The Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission, published January, 2011), we also have a “Shadow Government”. We’ve come a long way, baby.

The question at hand is, what are we going to do about it, and when are we going to do it? Not all, to be sure; but, for the most part, the foxes (the power elite) are in control of the henhouse. You know they aren’t going to do anything; so, the ball is in your court. Let me suggest this. In November, 2014, we are going to have a national election for representatives to Congress, the House of Representatives and the Senate. To the best of your ability vote only for those who represent the people of this country, the 99%, those to whom God gave this planet in the first place. Don’t forget. When Jesus came into this world, he came to the poor, the disenfranchised. It was Jesus who chased the money changers from the temple because they were liars, cheats, and thieves. Accordingly, cast your votes for representatives of the people, populists if you will, rather than those who represent only the interests of the very rich (and their wannabe's).

Let’s get the show on the road toward taking back our country for the people. We need jobs. We need to take money out of politics. We need to legally affirm that corporations are not people and do not have the rights of people. Only God makes people–not Mr. Roberts or his gang. We need to insure open, honest, and fair elections, open and fair to all citizens and political parties–gerrymandering and discrimination be damned. We need to shore up Social Security to the extent we don’t have to argue the matter for ever again. We need a single-payer healthcare system for all. As one great leader once said, “It doesn’t matter if the cat is white or the cat is black, the cat we want is the cat that catches mice”. We, also, need to amend our Constitution as needed to implement a government, as Abraham Lincoln said in his address at Gettysburg, of the people, by the people, and for the people.

We have a year left before the election, folks. Please. Think seriously and deeply about what I have said. I urge you. Focus on our government being a Democratic Republic, representative of the people, as it was originally established in 1789.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Busted for Drugs

Trey Radel,

Representative of the State of Florida to

The United States House of Representatives

          I’m sorry, Mr. Representative. I really am. Not only am I truly sorry for you, I’m sorry, also, for your family; but, really, you picked a bad time to do this. You picked a time when the effectibility, credibility, and personal character of the whole Congress is in question. I say, shame, shame on you. You picked a time when so many of your kind have sold their very souls to the lobbyists, representatives of the Shadow Government (The corporatocracy and power elite) which really “calls the shots” in America and rules over us–just to get re-elected.

          You claim that you want to “continue serving this country” (Ref.: USA Today, November 20^th). As is so with any representative of the American people, the best way to do that was to begin by setting an example–not only in character (that’s extremely important); but, also, in your credibility. Are you really sincere when you vote on an issue? Do you really believe in that for which you are voting; or, on the other hand, is your vote in the House of Representatives only a reflection of the party line, i.e. pseudo-insurance for re-election? I’m thinking of your co-sponsorship of legislation to change the nation’s mandatory minimum drug sentencing laws, a bill that calls for states to drug test people who receive food stamps (Again, Ref.: USA Today, November 20^th). That does raise an idea, though. If, today, in these times when our nation is in a state of economic depression, we are going to drug test poor people on food stamps, perhaps we should initiate a program of drug testing Congressmen.

          I say again, Mr. Representative, shame on you. You really don’t belong in office. You should resign. If you were a black man, you would be doing time–another travesty in our legal system, i.e. one law for the underclasses and another for the upper. You can take that to the bank, Mr. Representative.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net