Ebola—Book Learning vs. Experience, aka The School of Hard Knocks

          It has been a while since I have written a posting to this blog, quite a while, but perhaps the subject of the Ebola virus will be a good comeback inasmuch as it is currently so much in the news.

I’m sure you have all heard it said that this person or that has book learning but no real- life experience. Usually, the reference is used in a pejorative sense as criticism; but, really, no matter what or how much we learn from our studies, it remains in the end for us to learn from experience. In my view, there is no way anyone in a hospital in Texas or anywhere else in a country where it had never occurred before or, for most, even heard of for that matter, protocol (book learning) notwithstanding, be expected to react efficiently and effectively when, “out of the blue”, the very first victim walks or is carried through the door. Also, I submit to you that anytime or every time a new and unexpected event occurs—always, we might be expected to fail in our communications with one another. This happened in Pearl Harbor; it happened on 9/11; with this Ebola crisis, it has happened again; and this time won’t be the last. Such is just in the scheme of things.

For my part, I am outraged that so much has been made of this. I am outraged at the politicization—the political grandstanding; I am outraged at the excessive media coverage; and I am outraged at the mass hysteria being generated by it all. Now, today, the White House has announced the appointment of an Ebola Czar—absolutely ridiculous, just another expensive level added to the bureaucracy which will serve only to further impair and complicate solutions to our management and resolve of the many problems involved with this Ebola crises. CDC Director Tom Frieden was the only Czar needed.

It is, also, remarkable that our representatives have the time to come back to Washington and interrupt the work of those already working around the clock as they search for solutions to the crisis when they don’t have the time to come back into session and address the other many problems of our nation, i.e. immigration policy for just one example.

Let there be no doubt. This is a very serious problem. It needs to be solved at the earliest possible moment, and I’m confident it will if we can keep the politicians out of it. Haven’t they screwed us up enough? They haven’t been able to solve relatively simple problems like taking the money out of politics, immigration reform, unemployment, i.e. jobs, minimum wage reform, or public access to really affordable single payer universal health care, let alone solve the problem of an Ebola epidemic.

If you don’t do anything else on Election Day, Vote! Vote in your interests—Your Interests, not those of the Corporatocracy and Elite, the 1% dominating the governance of this nation, i.e. those who bought our democracy. Vote for those who will get the job done for you—who will give you back your country.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

Ray Rice

          Over the course of time, man has done some pretty nasty things—even the most atrocious, rape, murder, and mayhem. In fact, I’ll bet that, If the truth were to be told, there are very few of us who have not committed some act or acts during our lifetime of which we are very ashamed and would like to forget—to bury them in the past, never to be brought again to see the light of day. I think most of us fall into this category. Don’t you? I’ll bet most offenses are never even reported, and the offenders go free with another chance in life to repent—to try again. On the other hand, many are found out and penalized in one way or another. They may suffer from legal prosecution, imprisonment, or a multitude of other circumstance not the least of which may be the loss of their marriage, jobs, or some other. In any event, short of the death sentence, everyone (even those imprisoned) deserve the right to atone for their offense(s) and be restored to a life of freedom and opportunity—everyone. So let it be with Ray Rice.

          I submit to you that enough is enough. Ray Rice’s abuse of his wife was a serious offense by anyone’s standard for a number of reasons, and he should be punished and disciplined accordingly, commensurate with the offense he committed. At the same time, however, he should, also, be treated fairly, as should anyone, with a chance to atone and repent for what he has done. What is happening to him and his family now, is anything but fair and, also, nothing short of a media circus for the explicit purpose of exciting the public, increasing ratings, and making money—a travesty, to say the least. To take away Ray Rice’s very career, is tantamount to taking away his life. Ray Rice, the offender, is now Ray Rice the victim at the hands of the NFL, incompetent and trying to save face.

          Domestic abuse is a terrible and unacceptable offense. It is conducted all over this country every day, but it doesn’t come near to be being tantamount to murder, or fraud and corruption. It certainly doesn’t deserve a life sentence. Ray Rice, after being appropriately penalized and disciplined should be allowed to return to his career and become a productive citizen of our country. I would think he and his fellow players, by this time have learned their lesson.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

What?

          On the one hand, this is a deep mystery; and, on the other hand, it’s a “no brainer” because we never take the time to think about it in this way—most of us, anyway. Through no fault of our own (we certainly had no say in the matter), and for no reason whatsoever other than that two people, at one point in time without consulting us, became attracted to one another, and got together.  Seemingly, in no time at all, there we were—bare, cold, helpless, hungry, and all bent out of shape. As a matter of fact, from our perspective, we didn’t even know we had arrived, let alone who we or they, these two strange people (our parents), were. We just knew we were very uncomfortable and “pissed-off”. Our personal self-awareness was to come later, ever so slowly over a period of time so long that we didn’t actually realize when it did arrive. To make matters worse, we didn’t have the wherewithal to care for ourselves and provide for our basic needs, food, clothing, shelter and personal security; but, here we were, nevertheless.

          If you think this is bad, it goes downhill from here. From this point in time, the rule of law (God’s law) is, throughout your life, you must earn your bread (your living) by the sweat of your brow. God has given you the resources from which to live (they are there for you), but it is your responsibility to provide for yourself and your family. Yes. In the beginning, you are helpless and your parents will help you, if they will. Also, they will advise you. It is called nurturing; but, as rapidly as you are able, it is your responsibility in this world to provide for yourself. You will also receive help from others if and when it is needed; but, again, the ultimate responsibility is yours. It is you who is responsible to attain the necessary education, employment, and wherewithal to provide yourself and your family throughout life. And, with all that, it is your responsibility to help those less fortunate than you in the same theme of things. This is not the responsibility of our parents. It is not the responsibility of government as that is yours, too.

          Is this bad? Is it good? Now that depends on you, me, and us. It depends on, cumulatively, how good a job we do; and, individually, how good a job we do. In the end, we will have no one to blame but ourselves. Pointing our fingers at others never helps as we can only control ourselves. In the end, we are the sum total of the results of our decisions in life.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

The Basics–Why We Are Different

It has been said that we are three kinds of people. We are who we think we are; who others think we are, i.e. our reputation; and who God thinks we are, i.e. our character–who we really are.   

   

We are told by scientists that 98.6% of the DNA of a human being is the same as that of a chimpanzee. If that is true, and I believe them, then the difference between a human being and a chimpanzee is the remaining 1.4%. Therefore, it would seem to me that, within our DNA, lay the determining factors of our race, color, levels of intelligence, creativity, talents, motivation, aka drive, and all those many other inherited factors that make us and the chimpanzee within us born different from one another.

Then there are the different lands or countries into which we are born, our environment (both physical and social), and our homes. Last, but certainly not least, there are our parents along with all the internal factors that made both of them who and what they are. Up to the point after our birth, when we begun our transition from the parental nest, none of us had any choice or control over any of this–absolutely none; the preponderance of our character for the rest of our life was established, to be subsequently honed, sharpened, and hopefully enhanced by what we see, experience, and learn from then on until our death. Needless to say, the effects of parenting notwithstanding, we are in control of and responsible for that part of our life–the enhancement of our knowledge, the building of our character, the achievement of our goals, and our destiny–all within the limits of our abilities and circumstances in life. All of the aforementioned attributes combine to format our world view, determining our opinions and actions from birth to death. Jesus has said (paraphrased), “As you think, so you are”.

Our Holy Bible tells us we are all born equal in the eyes of God. Our Constitution tells us we are all born equal in the eyes of the law. It is immediately obvious, however, that in reality, we are not all born equal. Mentally and physically, we come in all shapes and sizes with vastly differing talents, abilities, and levels of intelligence. I believe, the world belongs to all of us–not just a privileged few. Within reason, to the best of our abilities, the strong should help the weak, the rich should help the poor, and we should all help each other. I admire drive, ambition, and success. I despise sloth, greed, avarice, dishonesty, and slavery in any form. I firmly believe in the Words of the Lord when He said (again, paraphrased), “To whom much is given, much is expected”. He also said (again, paraphrased), “Feed the poor. As you do to the least of these, you do to Me”. You may not believe in God, and you certainly have that choice; but these rules, those of God, lead to a happier and more prosperous country, a happier and more prosperous world in which to live, and a happier and more prosperous life for everyone,. Isn’t this what we really want, rather than a course of self annihilation?

It is these basics that are behind the many subjects I have thus far discussed as well as those to be forthcoming in the future.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net. Whether you agree or disagree, let me hear from you.

A Wet Noodle

          How do you push a wet noodle up a hill, aka an inclined plane? Experience has taught us that there is always a super intelligent nerd somewhere out there in the woodwork who will eventually come out in the open and, perhaps, tell us how; but, for now, I don’t have an answer–not fully anyway. The wet noodle to which I am referring is not one you eat, in a bowl of soup for instance. I am talking about the kind of wet noodle who is fat, lazy, ignorant, unmotivated, or all of the above.

          As you know by now, our nation is rapidly becoming a class society, so let me begin at the top with the very rich who no longer work for their income and wealth, being fed from the productivity and income of the middle class, i.e. excessive salaries funded at the expense of those lower down the chain of command, those who are laid off–replaced by slave labor abroad (aka outsourcing), and those subsidized by lower tax rates offset by higher rates paid by others and/or offset by compensating charges to our national deficit and, consequently, debt. In times gone by, we worked hard, did the right thing, and, hopefully, progressed accordingly. But times have changed.

In recent years, wealth is increasingly inherited. In their book, Capital, Thomas Pikety and Arthur Goldhammer tells us that “capital tends to produce real returns of 4 to 5 per cent, and economic growth is much slower”. In an interview with Bill Moyer of Moyers & Company on April 18, 2014, the Nobel Laureate, Paul Krugman tells us, “When you have a situation where the returns on capital are pretty high and the growth rate of the economy is not that high (or even low), you have a situation in which not only can people live well off inherited wealth, but they can actually pass on to the next generation even more, an even higher share”; and, when you have such an economy, “which is what we now have, you’re talking about a situation in which dynasties come increasingly to dominate the top of the economic spectrum and a tiny fraction of the population ends up very dominant” (and they no longer work for what they get, which is kind of like a wet noodle).

          Moving to the bottom of the classes, we have the lowest of all, the underclass. I have discussed them before, but I want to begin by making one major observation so as to negate any confusion. The majority of the underclass may be black; but, increasingly, they are being joined by the white population as they are being forced out of the middleclass due to globalization, unemployment, a failed economy, and by immigrants–especially Latino. Accordingly, our inner city ghettos and older suburbs are increasingly being populated with the poor, unemployed, and the homeless, saturated with crime, gangs, drugs, single family homes, hunger, and hopelessness. Their schools are underfunded, understaffed, in disrepair, and the dropout rates have “risen through the ceiling”. Understandably, most do not even care anymore. They have just given up. How do you push a wet noodle uphill?

          In my mind, there are specific reasons for the plight of the blacks which can be summed up in one word, Racism. Beginning from the day they came here on the slave ships and were bought and sold in the public markets to the highest bidder, these people have been abused, neglected, and otherwise maltreated–shunned, ignored and set apart from the rest of us, the greatest insult one can inflict on any man, woman, or child. In addition, the denial of equal opportunity in education and employment has been a constant source of exacerbation to their condition ranging from, before the Civil War, being denied the right to learn to read to the present, being denied equal access to education. Before the Civil War, the rich became richer at the expense of the blacks, living off the backs of their slavery; and, now that they are no longer available, they continue to enrich themselves from slavery through globalization.

In his book, The Triumphs of Joseph: How Today’s Community Healers are Reviving Our Streets and Neighborhoods, published in 1998, sixteen years ago, Robert L. Woodson, Sr., a black conservative, points to an ever increasing gap between black haves and have-nots. If the causes stated above are holding back blacks on the lower end of the scale, he asks, why are they not holding back those on the higher end of the scale? In his book, he contends that the Pharaoh’s are the main problems in that they (These are my words, and I believe they apply to the white underclass as well as the black) enable sloth and poverty among the poor as well as protect the jobs and turf of the enablers. Since, as I have just indicated, his book was written sixteen years ago, the latter has surely been resolved by now—Not. We usually don’t solve problems do we? We just talk about them waiting for the other guy to do it.

I have watched and listened to Mr. Woodson on C-span; and I respect him very much. In my view, he is very intelligent and well informed. He strongly believes in self reliance and self help, and I don’t disagree with that at all, but his is only part of the answer. In my August 9, 2013 posting to this blog, “Who Am I”, I discussed in some detail what makes a person who they are and invite you to revisit it. In short, however, I believe that a person’s heritage includes not only their genes, DNA, etc., but, also, the sum total of their life experiences and education from conception to the present, their character–all affected and influenced by that of their parents, and the environment in which they, socially, politically, and economically were raised (Of course this includes the same factors in your parents, grandparents, etc back down the line). This is true of all of us. So, back to the question, which in effect, asks how we bring the best out in all of us–how do we motivate the underclass to rise above the rest? My answer is faith, hope, charity, and equal opportunity for all, all of which has been taken from us, stolen, by greed and avarice.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

Reference: My blog of March 4, 2014 Titled, Our Underclass, itemizes in detail and recommends specific                    solutions to resolve, at least in part, some of these problems.

California Passes ‘Yes Means Yes’ Law

          In my day, everybody just knew that a girl, when approached for sex, always said “No”; even though they might not really mean it. “No” might mean “Yes”; it might mean “maybe”; or, it might mean “No”. After all, to say “Yes” might make one think she was too “easy” and would go with just anyone, cheapening the relationship in process and jeopardizing her future. The male was supposed to seduce her; and, when she succumbed to his loving charms, he would feel complemented by his sweet success. Everything would be so good.

Over the years, however, it would seem that things have changed. Things have become more formal. “No” means “No”, and it must be said as such, which, if said, immediately terminates the process. In fact if the answer is “Yes”, the process can still be terminated anywhere down the line should anyone of the participant(s) change their mind and say “No”. The rule is “No means No”.

Now, it seems that the rules are, once again, about to change. The legislature for the State of California has passed a new law, now awaiting Governor Brown’s signature which defines sexual consent between people as “affirmative, conscious, and voluntary agreement to engage in sexual activity”. “Yes” means “Yes” and can be changed anytime within the process by just saying “No”.

Presumably with only the two partners in the room at any one time during the consummation of the sexual act, if one of them claims to have been raped or to have changed their mind and said “No” to terminate the act, it would seem to me that lack of a witness would render the law ineffective—bummer. But surprise—I have a solution to the problem. The State of California should amend the law to require a form to be prepared on which the various stages of the sexual act are identified with a “box” at the beginning of each stage to be initialed by each participant as the act is consummated. When they have “finished”, each partner should sign the form, swearing that they have dutifully obeyed the law and mutually consented to the act which they have just culminated. Then they should have the form officially notarized by an authorized Notary Public and, upon completion, submit the completed form to the Clerk of Courts for the record—problem solved.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

          Corporate Inversion II

          On the seventh of July, I wrote about corporate inversion, the despicable and, (I believe)—although currently legal, unpatriotic act of avoiding Corporate America’s fair share of corporate income taxes, i.e. their support of the cost of our government—our country. Simply stated, this is an act accomplished by moving a company’s corporate headquarters to a foreign country in order to avoid taxes.

Within the last two days, you have been literally bombarded by the media with the news of Burger King’s contemplated acquisition of Tim Horton’s, the Canadian coffee and donut chain, headquartered in Canada. Our maximum corporate tax rate is 35 percent and theirs is reported at 15 per cent, just below our effective rate of 18 per cent.

I’m going to slightly digress here to make a quick but related point. In these last two days, I have heard more discussion in the TV media about corporate inversion than I have heard over months of the past concerning this subject. Since most of our people receive the majority of their news from TV than any other source, this point is especially important, I think, because the planned Burger King inversion will have less impact on our nation than other inversions which have occurred. I think the extra attention paid to this by the TV media is due to Burger King’s recognizability by the public when compared with lesser known corporations—it’s more newsworthy, just one more example of corporate emphasis on profits than service to their customers—in this case, informing the public by the TV media. Corporate inversion is a serious subject having a significant impact on our country and our people. We shouldn't have to wait for information to be profitable in order to receive it.

May 5^th, Bloomberg News reported that at least 31 publicly traded companies with U.S. roots and executive offices in the U.S. are incorporated overseas. They’re listed on U.S. exchanges, including the N.Y. Stock Exchange. Dave Johnson, a fellow with Campaign for America’s Future and a senior fellow with Renew California,   reports in Campaign for America’s Future Blog that “The share of federal revenue coming from corporate taxes has dropped from around 32 per cent in 1952 to 8.9 percent now. As a share of gross domestic product, it has fallen from about 6 per cent of GDP then to less than 2 per cent now. Meanwhile the rest of us—including small domestic companies that don’t have armies of tax consultants—have to make up that shortfall, either through increases in things like payroll taxes, or through cuts in the things government does to make our lives (an insertion by rjm: the prosperity of our country) better.” Dave Johnson goes on to tell us, “One of the larger dodges is that we allow corporations to ‘defer’ (i.e. never pay) taxes on profits made outside the U.S. So they engage in all kinds of schemes to make it look like their profits are not made here. As a result many companies owe very little tax on the proceeds from their U.S. operations, and then defer their non-U.S. profits from being ‘brought home’ to avoid paying  the taxes on non-U.S. sales. It is estimated that as much as or even more than $2 trillion of taxable profits are being hoarded outside of the U.S. because of deferral.” Pfizer alone, we are told, had as much as $73 billion in taxable profits held outside the U.S. in 2012.

What about some of our politicians whom we pay to represent us and take care of our nation’s business? It was just reported on www.thewire.com two days ago that John Boehner and Dave Camp (R-Mich.), the Republican committee chairman who overseas tax policy, reportedly profited from one corporate inversion deal. It was reported by Bloomberg that they sold “stock in Covidien Pic within nine days of an announcement that Medtronic Inc. was planning to take over the company. The stock price of Covidien jumped after the announcement of the deal, under which the new merged company would be based in Ireland and avoid paying U.S. corporate taxes.” It didn’t explicitly say, but I’m thinking “Short Sale”.

First, the Corporatocracy and Power Elite take over our government, buying our votes through mind control, propaganda, campaign financing, buying the votes of our representatives (on both sides of the aisle), lobbying, and revolving door hiring of those entering and leaving government (yes they do it both coming and going). Then they take away our jobs through outsourcing to slave labor abroad (compared to wages, benefits, and the working and living conditions of our workers in this country, rendering us uncompetitive in most instances, relatively speaking, these are slave laborers—in my mind, without a doubt). Thirdly, they effectively stagnate our wages at home; and, lastly, they are working arduously to take away our safety nets of Social Security, access to National Health Care, and social welfare needs such as disability insurance, food stamps, etc., etc. Now, they are doing everything in their power to quit paying their fair share of taxes. I’ll leave for another day the discussion of their exploitation and abuse of our natural resources and the environment. Extrapolating into the future, these people, if allowed by us to continue on their present course, will reduce the ordinary people of this country and the world to little more than animals.

Alexandra Jaffe of THE HILL–Ref: www.thehill.com, wrote on August 27^th about comments Mitch McConnell made during a private strategy conference hosted by billionaires Charles and David Koch in which he laid out his strategy if the Republicans win the Senate in the November election. He said he is going to drop “all these gosh-darn proposals” being sponsored by the Democrats, “like minimum wage and extending unemployment benefits, as ‘staggering and beyond deplorable’. We’re going to go after them on healthcare, on financial services, on the Environmental Protection Agency, across the board”. Also, he stood up strongly for the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in their decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. I call it the “Corporations are people decision”. What all these people have been discussing has nothing to do with hard work, do the right thing, equal opportunity, a government of the people, by the people, and for the people, a free and prosperous nation, etc., which they constantly proclaim. What they are putting forth and doing—right before our eyes, is repression and, eventually, our enslavement. Followed to its ultimate conclusion, we will be little more than serfs in their fiefdom, the fiefdom of a world government ruled by the Corporatocracy and Power Elite. You can be sure. It will no longer be a Shadow Government then.

And you ask. What can you do? You can stand up and shout. Get on Face Book, Twitter, and other social websites. Let those “do nothing” representatives of our government and sell-outs to the enemy know how you feel (And you can bet your sweet tooty these people about whom I have been writing are your enemy). They are not working in your interests. Write and call your representatives in the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate as well as the President. Call into C-span. Let them know you are no longer apathetic. Most importantly, let them know you are going to the polls and vote and then go. Do it!

          Really, isn’t it worth the effort? It’s your country. Protect it or lose it. Vote for tomorrow. It will matter to you and your children then. Vote for tomorrow. Don’t vote for yesterday. This is serious stuff. You don’t have to take this “crap” you are being dealt.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

How We Vote

          In his book, Blink, the author, Malcolm Gladwell tells the story of Warren G Harding, our 29^th President of the United States, arguably, according to historians of the time, one of the worst presidents in history, allegedly, unbeknownst to him, overseeing an administration of vice and corruption (His reputation has since been usurped by a worse and even more damaging president, but that is a subject for another time). Entering office March 4, 1921, Harding died in office of a stroke August 2, 1923.

According to Gladwell, “Harding was worth looking at. His head, features, shoulders and torso had a size that attracted attention; their proportions to each other made an effect which in any male at any place would justify more than the term handsome – in later years, when he came to be known beyond his local world, the word ‘Roman’ was occasionally used in descriptions of him. …., his legs bore out the striking and agreeable proportions of his body; and his lightness on his feet, his erectness, his easy bearing, added to the impression of physical grace and virility. His suppleness, combined with his bigness of frame, and his large, wide–set rather glowing eyes, heavy black hair, and markedly bronze complexion gave him some of the handsomeness of an Indian. His courtesy…..suggested genuine friendliness toward all mankind. His voice was noticeably resonant, masculine, warm. His pleasure in the attentions of the bootblack’s whisk reflected a consciousness about clothes unusual in a small-town man. His manner as he bestowed a tip suggested generous good-nature, a wish to give pleasure based on physical well–being and sincere kindliness of heart.”

To make a long story short, President Harding’s performance in office was reportedly lack luster and mediocre in just about every position he held throughout his career and into his presidency. He loved to play cards, drink whiskey, and women. His political progress and success appeared to be due only to his personal attributes indicated above combined with the salesmanship of the political machine promoting his candidacy. One can only conclude that the preponderance of the people who voted for him had to have placed their votes based on their emotional prejudices and bias formulated by his physical appearance and personality–certainly not rational and objective reasoning or knowledge.

Today, our world is on fire, people are suffering all over, and our nation is in deep political and economic trouble. Midterm elections are drawing near. Emotional and prejudicial thinking among our voters are a threat to the very existence of our democracy; and, yet, there are those among us who will put our nation at risk by their refusal to seek the real truth and vote for those who really represent their true interests–mainly because we just don’t want to take the time. We refuse to accept the premise that with freedom goes responsibility. There are still those among us who persist in using the same criteria for voting that we did in 1921 when we voted for Warren G. Harding.

Election Day is coming. It is imperative that we vote rationally and intelligently. It is imperative that we vote for those candidates who represent our own interests. Who represents yours? Are you poor? Are you working or unemployed? Are you homeless? Are you in need of healthcare you can afford? Are you on Social Security? Are you disabled? Are you on Food Stamps? Are you middleclass? Are your jobs being outsourced to foreign countries, to slave labor? Or, on the other hand, are you in the top 1% of the people, those taking in the highest income and holding the most wealth among us–those on the top end (the receiving end) of the income inequality picture–those whose interests are represented by our Shadow Government, the Corporatocracy and Power Elite among us. Chances are that you are one of the 99% of us. You know who represents the 1%. Who represents you, the 99%?

In either event, what is any of this discussion worth if you don’t get out and vote, if you don't protect your interests. One thing you can count on–you can take to the bank, the Corporatocracy and Power Elite will.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

Our Underclass

          Saturday, August 9, 2014, a young black teenager, Michael Brown, 18, was tragically killed by an officer of the law in Ferguson, Missouri—shot dead while unarmed. I am not going to discuss this tragedy here. I am only using it as what I believe is an example of an ever increasing problem throughout our country and in hope that it will serve as a beginning toward a solution to that problem, an ever increasing underclass and our people’s discrimination against them.

          Surely, there is no informed citizen in our country who is not aware of the ever increasing inequality in income, wealth, and equal opportunity among our people. Surely, there is no informed citizen in our country who is not aware that the rich are getting richer and the poor poorer. Surely, there is no informed citizen in our country who is not aware that, as jobs are being outsourced to slave labor in various countries abroad, their jobs in this country are, for the most part, coming out of our middleclass (Don’t anyone say that isn’t true. A rose is a rose by any other name. Slave labor abroad is supplanting our middleclass jobs here. If those overseas jobs were to be returned, along with the people performing them there, back to this country at the wages they are being paid there, relative to our wage levels here, they are, in my view, effectively, slave labor); and, those so displaced, are forced into our ever increasing underclass—all part of the “trickle down” theory.  Our rich get richer and our ghettos get bigger.

          But I digress. There is an even bigger and more ominous problem. We must, to the best of our ability and the fullest extent possible, eliminate our underclass. We must enable them to return to the middleclass and beyond in accordance with their abilities. Equal opportunity for all must be available to all. The ultimate security of our country, our nation, depends upon it. In as much as the majority of our underclass is black, I want to discuss their plight first. To that end, let us begin at the beginning with some simple facts.

          In the beginning of our great nation, the black people here then were slaves, brought here on slave ships from abroad and auctioned as property in the slave markets to the highest bidder. To make a long story short, our nation fought a long and bloody civil war to eliminate slavery and make all men free. Once freed, they were loosened on their own, with little or no support, into the countryside to fend for themselves. Of course there were exceptions; but, for the most part, they were denied education and means of survival—they remained defacto slaves. They were never accepted as a free people within our society. Yes, their condition slowly improved over the years that followed, but they never really improved until the Civil Rights Act of 1965. Unfortunately, that didn’t’ wholly solve the problem either, as hatred and discrimination against them continues to this day. They continue to be denied equal opportunity, education, and recognition. These are the basic facts and the root(s) of the problem. These people have serious problems, social, economic, and otherwise. Consequently, our nation has a problem, our problem—every last one of us, bar none.

          These serious and severe problems have consequences which no serious thinking person can, in my mind, deny. Undereducated people cannot be expected to think or reason rationally. People reared in severe poverty, deprivation, broken homes, and crime ridden communities will not, and should not be so expected, have the values and motivation of those more fortunate among us. Jesus tells us that, as we think, so we are. Our environment has everything to do with how we think. Again, those people came here on slave ships. Ever since, we have been their environment. We have a problem, and we created it. Now we must solve it. For the past 238 years since our revolt against Great Britain, the majority of our people have been white. Now, that is about to change. We are about to be their environment. If we don’t change and end our hatred, we are going to reap what we have sown.

          Now, I want to approach this subject from another angle. Discrimination and hatred runs both ways. Also, it goes above and beyond the color of one’s skin. A person’s behaviour, personal appearance, and speech transcend all. Some characteristics are just not socially acceptable no matter what color one is, especially in one’s search for employment. As I have said, we all have an immense stake in solving this very critical problem. We must work together. We must supplant hate with love and respect for one another. We must make every effort to educate and improve the lot of the underclass if not eliminate it completely, i.e. enable them to rise to the middleclass.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

Corporate Inversion

          Corporate Inversion is not normally a subject of dinnertime conversation. Most people haven’t even heard of it. What most of us are hearing, and frequently, are the constant complaints of our illustrious Corporatocracy regarding our nation’s corporate tax rate as compared to most other countries in the world. They say we have, on average, the highest corporate rate of all. I don’t remember when the change was made, but I do remember back in the seventies when the corporate tax rate was 51%. Today that rate is 35%, down 16%. Help me understand.

In past postings to this blog, I have on more than one occasion pointed out the lack of patriotism on the part of our nation’s corporations. I have pointed out their lack of care for our environment, loyalty for their employees, and, for that matter, even loyalty for their customers. If in the seventies their rate of return on investment was acceptable then, why is not their present rate of return at a tax rate of only 35% acceptable now—especially in light of the enormous national deficit and debt with which our nation is now burdened and their share of the profits embedded in that debt? This leads me to another question. Why is our Corporatocracy complaining about a 35% tax rate? I’m not going to bore you here with a detailed discussion on taxation (I confess. I don’t want to do the necessary homework), but the fact is our corporations, for the most part, do not pay taxes at anywhere near that high rate. On average, they don’t pay half that. Many pay nothing, absolutely nothing. But, to take this just a little further, beyond taxation, still dissatisfied with their return on investment, they—as you know, are outsourcing labor (jobs) to the detriment of our nation and our economy, to slave labor abroad (Insofar as I am concerned, child labor and the labor of those living in substandard living conditions, and dormitories or barracks, is slavery—a rose is a rose by any other name).

Now, still dissatisfied with their return on investment, the Corporatocracy has gone even further. More and more companies are moving their jobs, production, profit centers and profits out of the country—our future if we continue to accept the current system and the endless job of trying to make it more fair and consistent. They are resorting to corporate inversion (and they have been doing this for several years). They are moving their corporations overseas (the complete hypocrisy of which is indicated by the fact that their CEOs aren’t required to move with their company)—one popular location among others is Ireland, a country with a very low tax rate. Sandy Cutler of Eaton moved his company’s domicile to Ireland in 2012 by buying Cooper Industries, a company run from Texas which already had a foreign address, via a 2002 corporate inversion. He predicts his company’s tax rate will be about 5% this year. Are you kidding me? Does anyone think that a country like the United States of America can govern a country with a corporate tax rate of 5%, given the immense amount of programs we have going—and necessary programs at that? Do you really think we can successfully compete, tax wise, with other much smaller countries at those or similar tax rates? Do you think we can successfully compete with slave or other labor with similar rates? What will Mr. Cutler do next? At what rate of return on investment will Mr. Cutler and his partners be ultimately satisfied? Is their objective to enslave the world? Is that what it will take for them to achieve their ultimate goals? When people like Ted Cruz and Grover Norquist (and all the others in their party) advocate so small a government and so low a rate of taxation that they can squeeze it in the palm of their hand, where do you think they are taking you? Why do you think your economic status has fallen so greatly while theirs and the stock market has gone through the roof? You surely must see the truth. Look at the past; Look at the present; Predict the future—your future. This is where the Corporatocracy and Power Elite, our Shadow Government, is taking us—back to serfdom, where our forefathers were centuries ago and from which they escaped to come here, to the "land of opportunity", The United States of America.

Reference: Tax Break ‘Blarney’: U.S. Companies Beat the System With Irish Addresses,  www.bloomberg.com;

Moving Your Company Overseas Is So Evil, Jack Lew Would Ban it in the Past!, www.reason.com

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

Our Affordable Care Act

          What is it that our government (and far too many of our people) don’t understand about the need to replace the ACA, the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, with national healthcare for all, i.e. universal access to healthcare for all citizens from the cradle to the grave modeled after our present system of Medicare, and do it now. Our people need it; our country needs it; and, our government needs it—replacing ACA with universal healthcare for all will most surely take a multitude of monkeys off their backs as well as ours.

          Today, two different federal appeals court panels issued conflicting rulings on whether the government could subsidize health insurance premiums for people in those states that use the federal insurance exchange, rulings which declare that government cannot subsidize insurance for those in states that use the federal exchange. Here we go again! Around and around we go; where we will stop, nobody knows. Of course, these will be appealed, and you can read all the details in the media; but these are just more among many stumbling blocks in the face of progress—and to what end? Where beyond mass chaos is all this going? Let me ask some questions. How much longer do Americans have to suffer the worry, uncertainty, insecurity, poverty, and, yes, even death before our government will adopt a universal national healthcare system with access by all—healthcare wherein all one who has a legitimate medical need can go to an emergency room, or to his or her doctor of choice and make an appointment for service. We don’t have to reinvent the wheel, the system(s), minus whatever tweaks may be necessary, are essentially there, they are in place. What we are doing and where we are going is abhorrent and for what—to what end?

How much longer must employers, especially small business’s many of whom cannot afford the costs, be straddled with ever increasing employee healthcare costs, costs which inhibit planning and destroy profits, putting many out of business? How much longer will the public put up with a dysfunctional government which refuses to do the job for which they are paid? How much longer will we the people put up with a Shadow Government which has usurped the rights of the people through bribery, deceit, “revolving doors” and other nefarious courses of action?  How much?

When adopted, this healthcare plan should and must be administered from a “stand-alone”, “pay as you go”, fund just like Social Security, completely transparent to the public and funded by a specific tax designated for that purpose. I suggest a surtax on income from all, adjusted annually so as to run neither a deficit nor a surplus. This should be managed, in my opinion, by experienced doctors and monitored for efficiency and good service to the benefit of the people.

Think about all the good this will accomplish if properly managed (and that is what we pay our government to do—in the final analysis, they are public employees and it should be no other way):

This will be a huge relief to our employers.

This will (and must) amount to a huge reduction to healthcare costs as a whole as well as an immediate reduction to our national deficit and consequently a venue toward the ultimate reduction of our national debt.

This will lead to the addition of thousands, if not millions, of hours to the time schedules of our Congress spent in arguing and bickering, which, when added to the elimination of the four hours or more they spend every day collecting money from the lobbyists, representatives of our Shadow Government which buys their votes (this to be accomplishment by a Constitutional Amendment to eliminate private money from all political campaigns upon penalty of imprisonment) will be a beginning in their getting a job done, once more, for the people.

This will enhance the morale of the people taking one big monkey off their back.

This will reduce poverty.

This will be a boon to our economy and our prosperity

          The list above is not all inclusive. I’m sure other benefits will become evident as we put the new system into effect. Also, the people should not be fed a false bill of goods as they have too often in the past. Although total costs will be reduced, no one should be led to believe that the benefits are free. They will not be—all must pay their fair share. In fact, supplemental insurance may be necessary as is now so with Medicare; and, in fact, close surveillance must be maintained with imprisonment for those who abuse the system, including doctors, business owners and managers, and all other abusers.

          With freedom goes responsibility. Put all the pressure you can on your representatives and the President to get this done as soon and as much as possible. Pressure them to get this done and put it behind them so they can solve the next many problems before them.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net. I welcome your comments.

Empathy

          Empathy, a word seldom used in our daily conversations, the meaning of which is understood even less by many of us, is defined in Wikipedia as “the capacity to recognize emotions that are being experienced by another…. being”, i.e. putting one’s self in another’s shoes—to feel another’s pain. Obviously, it is very difficult for one to feel another’s hunger when one’s stomach is full. It is very difficult, when one’s belly is full of expensive wine and luxurious dinners, when his baths are furnished with $4,000.00 shower curtains, when he lives in large and expensive homes, and when he drives expensive automobiles, perhaps even chauffer driven, to comprehend the needs of the poor for basic food, clothing, and shelter. After all, you worked hard for yours, and they can do the same for themselves. Doesn’t everyone have equal opportunity? Think about it. Do we? Do we really? How many of you who read this have ever known hunger? How many know the absolute fear in the pit of one’s stomach when losing his job, with neither food in the closet, or money to pay the rent. How many have been out of work for a year or more with no job in sight and absolutely clueless as to where to turn? How many have had that feeling of being all alone with nowhere to turn—homeless perhaps? I dare say, not many.

          I suggest this to you, to everyone who reads this. The good old days are over; and, for most of us, they aren’t coming back—not in our lifetime anyway. We need all the empathy we can get—especially from government. If you think I’m nuts, you haven’t been keeping abreast of the news in the papers, on television, and/or on the internet. Our economy is in recession, our demand for product and services, the real producer of jobs in our economy, is down, and we as well as our government are in debt “up to our necks”. To exacerbate our problems as a nation even further, we are in a pseudo civil war with our government which has been overthrown by an oligarchy of the Corporatocracy and Power Elite within.

If you and I entered into a conspiracy to overthrow our government, we would be arrested, thrown in jail and, perhaps even shot. Our Corporatocracy and Power Elite, on the other hand, have taken over without firing a shot (that we know of), and not one of them have gone to jail. All that has happened to them is that some of them have been forced to pay huge fines, the money for which has come on the backs of their stockholders. They have usurped the power and authority to run this country from the three branches of our government which are supposed to be in authority.

You don’t believe me. Tell me. Who said corporations have the rights of free speech when they aren’t people. For that matter, who said they are people? I’ll tell you, but you already know. Our Supreme Court of the United States of America did. Not only did they do it once; but, also, they did so more than once. Now that doesn’t come close to being in our Constitution, does it? But they did it anyway. Was it cause or effect? I’ll leave that to you, but one thing is obvious, we are no longer a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Our government, our Shadow Government, an oligarchy of the Corporatocracy and Power Elite, has their money in the pockets of a significant number of the elected members of our government; and they are pulling the string—running the show. They have effectively usurped our vote. Our underclass is growing, our middleclass is rapidly disappearing, and we are melting into the status of serfdom, not unlike Nero, fiddling while Rome burns.

What should you do about it? There is much we should do about it and it begins at the ballot box. Vote for a party of the people. Stay away from any candidate whom you think may follow the money and turn from the people when the going gets tough. Stay away from those candidates who follow the money. Stay away from any candidate who votes for the oligarchy of the Corporatocracy and Power Elite—especially those corporations which don’t pay income taxes and/or move their companies overseas. Vote for high tariffs on all products of those companies that move overseas and sell their products back here, especially those using slave labor abroad (If their wages and standard of living is less than ours and they work under sweatshop conditions, they are slave labor—a rose is a rose by any other name). Let’s adopt an amendment to our Constitution that takes private money out of politics and pay for elections from a surtax on corporate income (this would be a good time for a comprehensive reform on voting and elections as well as taxes).

This is just a beginning but we should begin with the election coming up in November. Let us shed our bumper sticker mentalities. Let’s really take back our country. Let’s get the Corporatocracy and Power Elite out of our government and out of our affairs. They exist to serve us—not us to serve them. Jobs? They’ll come. They’ll come when we start spending again—when our demand for product and service comes (Perhaps we should start with our infrastructure and go from there).

Ronald Miller

Email your comments to me at:

mtss86@comcast.net

Government and Religion

          My designated title for this posting notwithstanding, what I am going to discuss today is freedom of religion. A lengthy email was sent to me, allegedly forwarded from Ben Stein, regarding religion in America. I’m not going to copy it because of its length; but, essentially it says, “I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country….” etc. Frankly, the way emails are being constantly abused, I don’t know whether he said it or not, but I hear this kind of statement not infrequently from other sources—thus the reason for this posting. I think his comment should be addressed.

          If I’m wrong, I want someone to tell me, but it is my understanding that our nation is a secular nation with a Constitution that guarantees freedom of religion for all, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom to bear arms, and all the other subjects covered by our bill of rights. In his book, The Faiths of the Founding Fathers, David L Holmes provides us with an excellent documentary of religion in our country from our very beginning. As I understood his writing, the preponderance of the original settlers consisted of Deists, Protestants (this would include Puritans and Unitarians), and unbelievers. For the most part, Catholics and Jews came later with Muslims and others much further up the line in our history. By the time the bill of rights was written, it provided freedom of religion for all—for everybody. In my mind, this means the freedom to not believe as well as the freedom to believe, and that implies or infers we are a secular nation.

          Now, let us get to Dr. Stein’s concern which is the degradation of values in today’s society; and I must say that I agree with him. I’m not going to attempt to write a thesis in theology here because I am not qualified; but I will say this. One’s religion, one’s beliefs, i.e. your religion, your beliefs are only as real and valid as your personal relationship with your God. One’s faith doesn’t begin with government. It begins with the person—within himself; and, if his faith is real, anyone within eyesight can see it in how he lives. What is more, God gives everybody the right to live as he wishes, believe what he wants to believe, and accept or reject His Lordship as he so chooses. It’s called freewill. He doesn’t force himself on anyone; and, in my mind, this implies that He doesn’t expect His followers to force Him on others either. Rather they are to spread the Word, to plant seed, to set an example—not to force anyone.

          I have told you before, I am a Christian. It gets awfully hard sometimes when I take one step forward and two steps backward, but I do my best. And I continue to do that because I believe. But my point in all this has to do with Dr. Stein’s (a Jew, by the way) concern for the degradation of values in our society. The fact is that the degradation of our values began in our homes—in our living of our lives. Children aren’t born with faith. It must be taught to them in the home. It is an absolute fact that the human being learns more from what he sees than what he is told. What one sees has more credibility than hearing. Your have heard many times, I am sure, that “seeing is believing”. One’s “actions speak louder than words”. We go to school to become educated, but it is in our homes, in our churches, in our synagogues, in our mosques, etc, as well as, just as importantly, from our associations with others that we learn values. We are experiencing degradation in our values because of the degradation of the family. As that institution fades into the past, so also will our values—the direct result of worshiping mammon instead of God, the Corporatocracy and Power Elite.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

Immigration Reform

          Almost constantly discussed in the media of late is the subject of immigration reform, a subject of which, among many other subjects, I am woefully ignorant. Almost every time, a discussion of immigration reform arises, sooner or later, someone will question border security which puzzles me to no end. Just what is meant by border security? Really! What are they talking about? I wish someone would tell me so that I may understand. I’m not sure I know. In my view, we have excellent border security between the United States and Mexico—certainly much better than we have between us and Canada or on either of our two coast lines. In fact, I submit to you that, with all its inadequacies, our border security is better now than any time in our nation’s history. What are these people talking about?

Does border security mean that we don’t permit anyone to cross our border anywhere or anytime along its vast stretch without our permission, apprehending, arresting and incarcerating everyone who does each and every time? Using our border with Mexico as an example (It seems to be the one most frequently discussed), where does our enforcement of border security begin? As these immigrants come to our border, at what point do we stop them? When they are still on the other side of the Rio Grande River, before they cross, do we stop them there? And just how do we do that? Maybe we should stand on our side of the river and shoot them. We could go out into the Rio Grande and drown them as they are crossing. We could throw rocks at them, driving them back. Of course, these approaches might be considered a declaration of war with Mexico, which certainly wouldn’t have been a problem with President Polk back in 1846.

 On the other hand, let’s pretend they get to our side of the river and we catch or stop—even incarcerate or, again, shoot—them. Is that border security? Do we have border security then? At what point do we have border security? Are these people even allowed to knock on our door and say, “Please, may we come in?” After all, that’s what these children from Central America are doing. If our illustrious media is telling it like it is, that’s how I read this present crisis. How can someone knocking on our door and saying, “Please”, indicate a lack of border security in any way? It is reported. These people cross the river and turn themselves in to authorities. Help me. I’m confused. I’m sure you will have an answer Mr. Cruz.

That a group of immigrants sneak across the border and infiltrates into our country unbeknownst to us, without a doubt reflects error or weakness of some kind on the part of our security—in that or those instance(s), something went amiss; but, especially in light of the fact we already spend billions of dollars every year on border security, does it mean we don’t have border security? Only Jesus is perfect, so at what point are we willing to accept the adequacy and degree of perfection of our system. For that matter, maybe our system is already as perfect as one can reasonably expect technically. Perhaps the problem is that our system(s) is underfunded relative to our expectations. Perhaps it is understaffed. Perhaps it is not managed efficiently (as is the case with our Veterans Administration). I think we have the system. The problem lies somewhere else—most probably politics. I suspect that somewhere behind the scenes certain people don’t want the system to work—not for now anyway. President Obama has asked for $3.7 billion to help finance the resolution of the present refugee crisis on our border with Mexico as well as shore up other financial needs with our immigration service. As is true with anything, if we want product or service, we must pay for it—unless you want to work for free, that is.

As an adjunct to this essay, allow me to ask one last question. We are told there are twenty million or so illegal immigrants in the United States, and our government over the past thirty-some years has lost track of who and where they are—can’t even find them. We are further told that over half of these people came here legally with passports, and they are now illegal because their passports have since expired.  Why do you think a nation with the ability to track down a mad cow in a barnyard in Timbuktu can’t find an illegal immigrant right in front of our face, i.e. in our midst? I submit to you that the problem with the INS, our Immigration and Naturalization Service, is the same as with our Veterans Administration, and other departments within our government. It is underfunded, understaffed, and poorly managed. I forgot to especially mention our Securities and Exchange Commission. Do you remember a while back when it was reported that their employees were caught watching pornography on their computers during working hours?

We need Border Security. We need the INS. In our civilized society, we need many other services from government. We cannot live civilly without them. But nothing is free. We must pay for what we get, and those payments can only be through taxes based upon one’s ability to pay, i.e. a progressive tax system. To this end, watch who is clamoring for increased border security while simultaneously voting against the money to pay for it. It’s kind of ironic that those who are paid so much for accomplishing so little expect others to climb mountains for nothing. These politicians talk dumb to we the people. Perhaps they do so because they think we are dumb.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

Public Servant or Master

                    Do you really think a public servant is a de facto public servant, i.e. serving the needs and interests of the public for whom he works and by whom he is paid, if he puts his personal interests and goals ahead of those whom he is supposed to serve? From another point of view—how long do you think you would last in a job working for a private corporation if you put your personal interests and goals ahead of those of the corporation?

Let me tell you a story and, what I’m going to tell you, I swear before God is true. Many years ago, my mother was dying (on her deathbed) in Ohio. My wife went up there to be with her and care for her—I could not leave my job here; and, since we also had a young son in school, I had to put him in daycare after school until I could leave work at the end of the day to pick him up. Inasmuch as the daycare closed at 6:00 o’clock P.M., I had to leave work at 5:30. Would you believe, I received a letter from my boss telling me I had to decide to either be a member of his company or to be a father.

This is an extraordinary occurrence. I recognize that. I worked in corporate life for over thirty years and this is the only time I ever worked for anyone that bad, but I’m trying to make a point. And that is, when you work for someone, they, within reason (and my example was beyond reason) they expect and demand your loyalty and utmost effort to do the job which you accepted with them. If you don’t, they will replace you just as surely as God made little green apples.

Let me ask you another question. If you were working for an employer and you simultaneously served the interests of his competitor rather than his. How long would you last? For that matter, would you consider yourself loyal? Or, if your employer was your country, would you consider yourself a loyal patriot? Or, conversely, would you be unpatriotic? Now that’s a thought—isn’t it?

Let me tell you something, folks; and you have to know by this time that I’m telling you the truth. We, our nation, are in serious trouble–we are on a dire precipice economically, politically, and internationally, regardless of the spiel they continually pour out with their daily propaganda. We’re not in trouble tomorrow or some Sunday after some Tuesday, we are in trouble now—today. You should also understand that these are not unsolvable problems. They can be solved—all of them; and most of them can be solved in relatively quick order. Our great nation (and it is still great in spite of ourselves) has been around long enough, experienced enough, and studied enough (some of these things have been literally studied to death) that we have the knowledge and the expertise to do it and do it now. Yet, our Congress, the only one with the legal authority under our Constitution, to solve our problems, refuses. They now serve our New King, the Corporatocracy and Power Elite, to whom they sold themselves along with their power. The interests of our New King are not ours. We are diametrically opposed; and, if we the people continue to let these people rule much longer, it will be too late for our democracy. This is being told to you, not only by me; but by many others much more qualified. It’s in the papers, in books, magazines, on television, and on the internet. The information is before you all the time. Sometimes, one must just read between the lines.

What can you do? For one thing, you can get angry. You can get on the backs of our Congress and stay on their backs. Perhaps we need a few more (not just one) million man marches on each of their offices at home as well as in Washington. You can get out and vote. Vote every one of them who do not support our government and our people out of office. I’ll tell you this. If you will do this, there won’t be many of them left. They’re corrupt! They have sold out! Many are unpatriotic! They shouldn’t be in their jobs. We didn’t hire them (that’s what we do when we vote, you know—we hire them. They work for us, or they're supposed to) to get in office and fill their pockets. We hired them to work for our good and that of the nation. We certainly didn’t hire them to sell their power, given to them under the authority of our Constitution, to the Corporatocracy and Power Elite, our New King. That’s why we rebelled in 1776. We threw out the king! And, we should throw out this King. In just four months you will have your chance to do it—to do just that!

I don’t want to tell you for whom you should vote, but I will suggest this to you. Don’t vote for anyone who supports Wall Street and/or the Big Banks. Don’t vote for anyone who supports the Military Industrial Complex—no one. Don’t vote for anyone who supports Big Oil. And, don’t vote for anyone who supports Big Corporations run by Overpaid CEO’s. None of these give a damn for you or for our country. They care only for themselves and their interests. Yes, I’m a little dogmatic; but business, as I have said many times in the past, is supposed to exist for only one purpose and that purpose alone, to serve the public, to provide a product or service. We the people created businesses and they aren’t people regardless of our politicized Supreme Court (That’s not Constitutional either, by the way. SCOTUS is supposed to be politically neutral). We the people also created government to govern us and business. We did not create business to govern us. Any government or business that thinks otherwise will not survive. You better believe it. Just read your history.

By the way, I just finished two books over the Fourth of July Holidays, Beyond Outrage and Aftershock, both written by Robert Reich, Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkley. They are highly readable and very informative as to what has happened (been done) to you and to our country over these past years since the last depression—especially since 1980.

Ronald Miller

Email me at mtss86@comcast.net

Think About This

One’s religion, ideology, scientific, or any other view aside, it seems to me that one absolute and undeniable fact in life is that man exists on this earth. He exists; he’s here, and he is in charge of managing it and everything on it (or supposed to be). Therefore, it would seem to follow that all else would be for the benefit and support of him—mankind. Business came after man. It was created by man as a tool for his use and service in the conduct of his life. Whatever else you may believe, this is an absolute fact. Man is in charge of this earth.

Now, I’m going to get from fact to my opinion. Now, you have to choose. Man should govern business instead of, as it has very rapidly evolved, business governing man. Either the purpose of a business is to serve man or it is to make a profit for a few at the expense of all else, i.e. people, resources, and the degradation of the environment. What is your opinion? What is your choice? Should man control the tools, i.e. business, computers, and the robots; or, should the tools control the man.

When we allow an oligarchy of the Corporatocracy and Power Elite of the world (think Globalization) to govern us, we will have literally abandoned our Constitutional Rights as a citizen of the United States of America. We will have allowed our government to evolve from a democratic republic to that of an oligarchy. We will no longer be in charge. We will return, again, to a monarchy; but, this time, it will be different. The king will be a New King, and you won’t like it. On the surface, the discussion may seem academic. Below the surface, it is horrific. There is nothing academic about it. Just look outside and watch what is going on. For those with “eyes to see and ears to hear”, the answer is obvious if one is only willing to look.

Election Day is just four months away. I urge you. Vote! Everyone vote! Vote for freedom; vote for the interests of the people, the ninety-nine percent of us. Be careful of the candidates, who when the political pressure is on, will swing toward the money. Vote for those who care about what is best for our country. The issues aren't just taxes. In the long run, "Taxes buy civilization". Nothing is really free. The real issue is voting. Who is going to govern our nation—we the people or the Corporatocracy and Power Elite?

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net

Opinions or Facts—How We Think

In his book, Thinking Fast, Thinking Slow, Dr. Daniel Kahneman tells us that we, people, have two modes of thinking. The first and most often used mode is “thinking fast”. It is a fight or flight mode. It serves to protect us from our enemies. It is reflexive in its nature. When we think; when we are confronted with thought, a question, an issue, or involved in a discussion, we go to this mode almost automatically. Our mind immediately consults our mental database, our internal store of knowledge, experience, impressions, opinions and prejudices accumulated over the span of our lives.

The second and least used mode is “thinking slow” This is the mode wherein we reason; we study; we contemplate; we calculate; and, here too, we build our store of knowledge. This mode is least used because we have an inborn tendency to resist using it, resorting first to our “defensive mode” of “thinking fast”. Both of these modes lead to inputs to our mental database. In conjunction with what I have said, I have a saying, “Everybody, with very few exceptions, is mentally lazy. Some are just more so than others”. Only one example among many others is that of those who don’t want to read. There are very many of us who refuse to read books at all, and many who do read will read only fiction, and then, only the kind where they don’t have to think—not good for themselves and not good for the nation.

With the foregoing in mind, let us add some “givens” to the equation. An important fact we must keep in mind is that our learning is greatest at birth. I have read but long since forgotten the statistics; but, if I remember correctly, learning goes downhill from there—it slows as we mature. Also, reason, our ability to calculate the cause and effect of our actions, doesn't mature until around the age of twenty-four—more or less (possibly one of the reasons we are so successful in gaining recruits into our military services). This is a real problem for young people because, in all honesty, this is the time in their lives when they form opinions and prejudices—they think they know it all. And yet, they are called upon to make career and lifetime decisions, many of which can never be corrected, based on not much more than fantasy, and, at the very best, pure wishful thinking.

In light of what I have said, I want to discuss the subject of “opinion(s)” in conjunction with that of “prejudices”. Everybody has opinions, but few have the facts (Implied from the discussion above). As one person has said, “One is entitled to their opinions but they are not entitled to their facts”. What is an opinion? Wikipedia tells us that, “In general, an opinion is a judgment, viewpoint, or statement about matters commonly considered to be subjective, i.e. based on that which is less than absolutely certain, and is the result of emotion or interpretation of the facts. What distinguishes fact from opinion is that facts are verifiable, i.e. can be objectively proven to have occurred”.

Where am I going with this? I’ll tell you. If you didn’t see something with your own eyes (and you can’t always believe even them), or you haven’t actually verified it through reliable unimpeachable witnesses, and/or sources, if that something isn’t recorded or documented, you don’t know it for a fact. And, also, if you don’t know it for a fact or know the relevant facts, those related to, affected by, or contributing to them, you can’t entertain an informed opinion regarding the matter, i.e. the trading of the four prisoners from Guantanamo as just one example. At that point, it is only your opinion. And, opinions are: I think so, I would like to think so, or, maybe, I hope so—all of which may very well be and probably are influenced by your prejudices (mine too—I’m no different).

And what are prejudices? Again, Wikipedia tells us. “Prejudice is prejudgment, or forming an opinion before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case. The word is often used to refer to preconceived, usually unfavorable, judgments toward people or a person because of gender, political opinion, social class, age, disability, religion, sexuality, race/ethnicity, language, nationality or other personal characteristics. In this case, it refers to a positive or negative evaluation of another person based on their perceived group membership. Prejudice can also refer to unfounded beliefs and may include “any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence”. Gordon Allport defined prejudice as a “feeling, favorable or unfavorable, toward a person or thing, prior to, or not based on, actual experience”.

All of these, opinions and prejudices, are built into your individual and personal data base, from which you draw daily in order to make good and bad decisions. I go into all of this because it seems to me, in “my opinion”, in these perilous times; and they are perilous, internationally and domestically, socially, economically, and politically. I have added socially to the list because, additionally, I think we are experiencing in our society a breakdown in values, in the home, in the family, and in the marketplace. Our God has been replaced by Narcissism and our New King, The Corporatocracy and the Power Elite. But don’t tell our youth. They have it all figured out (just as I once did). We know/knew everything. We’re still operating in the First Mode, taking advantage of the Second Mode only when we must.

Ronald Miller

mtss86@comcast.net