Racism in the United States of America

Let’s begin with the facts. Xenophobia, a strong antipathy or aversion to strangers or foreigners, is and has been a fact of life with the human race ever since the creation of life. There is no question as to its existence. It’s in our genes. The question is how in a civilized society we can adequately discipline ourselves to control this trait within us in order to maintain peace and harmony in our lives—to live with one another in peace. There can be no peace without it.

Racism, a form of xenophobia, has been prominent among our people in America from the very beginning of our history when our original inhabitants, the American Indians, were joined (invaded if you will) by “the white man” who subsequently introduced the slavery of “black people” from Africa in the early seventeenth century. I believe it was Alexis De Tocqueville who wrote in his book “Democracy in America”, published around 1835, “They murdered the Indian and enslaved the Black”. Then there were the Hispanic and Latino Americans.

The status, or state, of racism in our nation today is currently a major issue, in the press, on television, and on-line. Especially today, one year after “Charlottesville, the question naturally comes to the forefront. What’s happening? What is causing the current eruption of our racial problems—the hate, the vitriol? Is it being exacerbated by our current president, Donald Trump? People want to know. So, before I go any further, please allow me to put one thing behind us—Donald Trump’s part in this.

As you are aware, Donald Trump is not my favorite person.  However, that having been said, our President Trump has absolutely nothing to do with our current problem of racism in our United States. We should put that behind us and go on with solving our problem—what is really wrong with our nation’s racial relations.

I’ll be blunt about this. We the people will never solve our problem of racism in our country until we want to. As long as we continue to point our finger at “the other side”, we will continue down our path of disunion and self-destruction. As has been said by John Dickinson in his pre-Revolutionary War song, “Then join hand in hand, brave Americans all, by uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!” We fought a Civil War over this matter. We amended our Constitution to resolve it (The Fifteenth Amendment). Yet we the people, for the most part, turned our backs on the solution. We ostracized the blacks from our society. We refused them adequate employment, we barred them from voting; and, worse of all, we refused them adequate education. It took one hundred years until we passed the Civil Rights Act in 1965 in support of their needs. And now, today, fifty three years later, we continue to inadequately provide them with education of a quality to enable them to achieve gainful employment.  

Let’s understand this dilemma. If you, as an individual or as a people, are raised in abject poverty; if you are inadequately educated; if you are unable to live a life on par with others in your society; and, to add insult to injury, if this lifestyle is forced upon you, as a people, for three hundred-plus years, you are destined to be an inferior person or people relative to others in your society. We have been doing this to you for three hundred years and are insisting on continuing down this same “road”, expecting you to compete on an equal level. What’s wrong with this picture? There are always those who are able to rise above those kinds of obstructions in life; but, I’m not one of them. For the most part, I doubt if you are either.

From a different prospective. What I have said above, notwithstanding, there can be no solution to the problem of racism without mutual respect and trust by and for all. To this end, I’ll make the following observation: I don’t like using these terms, but I must. I must be perfectly candid that there be no misunderstanding. No matter what color (black, white, brown, etc.) or ethnicity, there are what we term “low class” or underprivileged people among all. We must help these folks to change their lifestyles for the better, their manners, their language, their respect for and treatment of others, and their obedience to law and order. Gangs, drugs, and so-called nasty lifestyles must not be tolerated. And what do you get for your trouble in doing this? Jobs, higher standard of living, social acceptance, fulfilled living, happiness, and respect, i.e. a better life. Of course, nothing is ever guaranteed, but….

I submit to you that, unless our nation will provide adequate levels of education to our people—all of our people, enable the enhancement of our lifestyles and standard of living, and guarantee equal opportunity to all, we will not solve our problem of racism.

These are my views. I’m interested in yours.

Ronald Miller

www.sageobserver.blogspot.com

The Election, November 6, 2018

If, in the election of November 6, 2018, the Democrats regain the majority in the House of Representatives, should they elect Nancy Pelosi to the position of Speaker of the House? Correct me if I’m wrong, but Nancy Pelosi is the most effective fund raiser of any politician in office today. In terms of campaign financing, she is an invaluable fund raiser for the Democratic Party—absolutely invaluable. It’s questionable if they can do without her. Her real worth as a leader of the party, however, is arguably questionable.

This is my view. I believe this nation is in serious trouble, socially, economically, and politically—our democracy is in jeopardy. Really, we are in serious trouble. Whom we elect to office, the Presidency, the Congress, or the Supreme Court is vitally critical to our future, the most important questions being not only whom we elect and their competence but the direction in which we want to go and who will be doing the electing, i.e. the people or the Corporatocracy and Power Elite. Put another way, who’s in control?

Stating this in another manner, you/we are in “deep shit”! Who is running our government and managing the nation’s affairs is critical to our survival and that of our children, grandchildren, and descendants forever. It’s long past due for us to quit being stupid and get with the program—whatever it takes. The competence and leadership ability of our elected representatives is critical. Just as critical is the competence of our electorate. “Stupid is, stupid does” is no longer acceptable. The stakes are just too high. Loyalty to political parties must be discarded. Loyalty to our country must be in the forefront of our minds. Goals and issues must be the subject at hand.

These are my views. I’m interested in yours.

Ronald Miller

www.sageobserver.blogspot.com

Donald John Trump

Retired and unemployed, most mornings I enjoy the privilege of watching C-SPAN’s Washington Journal along with a good cup of coffee. All too frequently, I hear people, calling into the program saying, in effect, “Quit picking on our President, Donald Trump. Give him a chance. He’s doing a great job. He’s getting things done. He ‘tells it like it is’, etc.” I’m writing this in response to say, “Hogwash”! It may be true that he is being “picked on”, especially by the news media, about which I will talk another day, but the other complaints are downright inaccurate—wrong.

Before going one step further, let’s agree on one very basic and important fact—a fact which I sincerely believe is grossly overlooked by most of us and never discussed. The Presidency of The United States of America is one of, if not the most, important and responsible positions of leadership in the world today—more than any international corporation, more than, arguably, any other country, the incumbency of which demands the very utmost of personal and professional skills, including but not limited to honesty, integrity, intelligence, knowledge and character, in conjunction with the requisite diplomatic, management and leadership abilities enabling one to successfully lead and manage such a vast organization. Our government, The United States of America is no small organization despite the best efforts of some politicians and others (Grover Norquist, for example, wanting to “shrink it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub”) to the contrary. If anyone wants to discuss our presidency, they must recognize its immense responsibility. It is no grocery store or shop on the corner.

Donald Trump is not being picked on. One does not have to accuse him of anything or listen to anyone else who does—especially the news media. All one has to do is stop, look, and listen to him in order to comprehend who and what he is. As they say, “It’s a ‘No Brainer’”. Let’s face it. We made a mistake in electing him to office. It is patently obvious that Donald Trump does not have the necessary qualifications indicated above to hold office. He is not a leader; he is not a manager; he is not a diplomat; he is not knowledgeable; and, for that matter, he is not a businessman—not a successful one at least. His many legal encounters and bankruptcies of record documents this; and when all this “shakes out”, I think we will find he and his various organizations are “over their heads” in debt, if not bankrupt. If our president, Donald John Trump, is being “picked on”, he is doing it to himself. If he is continually being shot in the foot, it is he who is holding the gun.

Before closing this, I want to briefly discuss the election, November, 2016. I submit to you: The people of this country didn’t have a chance. They (We) didn’t have the chance of a gasoline dog trying to go thru hell of electing a candidate who would represent the best interests of “We the People”. As I wrote back then, our election of Hillary Clinton would be a disaster; our election of Donald Trump would be a catastrophy. What we have wrought is before us. We are in the midst of a catastrophy. We only had two choices—and very poor ones at that. I’ll tell you. I voted for Hillary. Come hell or high water, we can wade through a disaster. Our nation has done so many times before, but only time will tell on this one—a catastrophy is another matter. 

One last thing: Our people elected Donald Trump because they viewed him as “one of us”. He talked like us; he “told it like it is”. But they were mistaken. Real leaders in a huge complex world such as the one in which we live cannot be like us. They don’t necessarily think like us; they don’t always talk like us; and we cannot always talk like them. If we had their qualifications, well, we would be one of them—you think? Donald Trump is not one of them either. Neither do I think he is one of us; but only time will tell who and what he really is; and only time will tell if and when we can survive this mess in which we find ourselves.

These are my views. I’m interested in yours.

   

Ronald Miller

www.sageobserver.blogspot.com

The Democratic Party. Who or What Are They?

Time magazine writes in its September 21st issue last year, “Divided Democratic Party Debates Its Future as 2020 Looms”. Not only does 2020 “Loom”, November 6^th, this year’s election day “Looms” also—only 79 days from now when we will come together to elect a new Congress for the next two years—and the party is still divided as to whom they wish to represent in our government—we the people, whom they represented in our more prosperous years in the past, the Corporatocracy and Power Elite, whom they, for all intents and purposes, represented since the election of President Clinton in 1992, or just the Democratic Party, i.e. to hell with the best interests of the people or the nation (Isn’t that what we have been doing? Isn’t that the way it now is—all about party politics? Isn’t that how we got stuck with the “Bad Joke” we now have for president? ). Every time we have an election, for the most part all that is discussed is party politics. Relatively little time is spent in discussing issues; and, even then, the depth of the discussion is so shallow, it’s embarrassing. Think about it. 

As you do so, you might also recall that the Corporatocracy and Power Elite is already represented by the Republican Party and have been since their inception (Check out the history of our nation since the industrial revolution in the nineteenth century). Must we allow them to continue their take-over of the Democratic Party also? If we allow them to rule over both parties, our democracy will surely be lost. And where will we go from there? It would appear to me that we already consist of the “haves” and “have-nots”. Every day the gap between our working class and the wealthy grows larger. Is that what we want for our children, grandchildren, and generations to come? I don’t think so, and I don’t think you do either.

I submit to you that the Democratic Party needs to return to being the representative of the people. This is where Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman brought us. This planet belongs to the people, all of us, and not just to the wealthy and powerful—and certainly not to corporations, legal entities with neither hearts nor souls. To that end they need to promote and provide sound government for all in conjunction with our corporations and businesses which should serve the people who created them, with quality products and services. After all, that is their real purpose, or were supposed to be. Even those who invest to “make money” exist, in the final analysis, to serve “We the People” by financing these businesses.

What, then, kind of government should we expect from them? 

I submit, first and foremost, we need leaders who have the ability to lead—the ability to “unite” us rather than “divide and conquer” us as is now being done. This is the most important and necessary task before us today. As I have said before, we have never been this divided as a nation since the Civil War of the nineteenth century. It is absolutely imperative that we come together as a people once again. 

Second, we must rid our politics of money in campaign financing. Corporations are not people, and they must not be allowed to “vote”. Our Shadow Government of Lobbyists must be eliminated.

Third, we must get our finances in order. We must eliminate our deficit and, in turn, our national debt. To that end, we must reform our system of taxation. Taxpayers must pay according to their ability to pay, corporate welfare must come to an end, and loopholes eliminated. We must balance our budget(s) as needed—surpluses in good times and deficits in hard times.

Fourth, we must provide our people with a single-payer universal healthcare system with access for all. I suggest it be based on the model of our present system of Medicare and that it is imperative that it be a standalone self funded system external to our Federal Budget as currently is our present Social Security program. Not only will this provide affordable healthcare to all, it will significantly provide relief to state and local budgets, corporate expense, and our national deficit.

Fifth, we must put an end to the “dumbing down” of our people. We must provide taxpayer paid public education Pre K through college for all citizens—college for those who desire and/or qualify for such and vocational training for those who don’t attend college—high school graduation, and vocational training being mandated minimums for everyone (the college graduates excluded), the mentally and/or physically disabled excepted.

Of course, there is more that must be accomplished—these are just the basics; but I must make note of something else. We are no longer an agricultural country of thirteen colonies in the “woods”. Yes, we want and need to be a free people. But let us not forget. Your freedom ends where mine begins and visa versa. It is that very reason that causes us to need bigger government, albeit as little as possible. The bigger we grow and more complicated our world around us becomes the larger government we need. To those who think “Big Government to be inefficient and unworkable, let me remind you that there are huge corporations “out there” all around us who compete in size with our government, and they are very efficient. There are only two reasons they are able to operate more efficiently than government, the intrusion of politics and the qualifications, abilities, and rates of pay to the people they hire. If we want a more efficient government, I suggest we discontinue or minimize the extent of our political intrusion. Where we need markets, let us have them; but when we need government, let us have government. There is plenty room for both. What we don’t need is the hate, greed, avarice, dishonesty, and corruption that envelopes us.

Get with the program, Democrats—Go Bernie, the Revolutionary. And, to you Republicans: after Richard Nixon, Bill Clinton (Yes, he’s a Republican too—in disguise as a Democrat), George W. Bush, and (last and the worse president of all), Donald Trump, you should be ashamed of what you have done to this country over these past many years and the condition in which we find ourselves today.

These are my views. For all our good and the long run good of our great country, I sincerely believe they should be yours. Whatever you choose to believe register to vote and go to the polls in November. At the very least, by doing so, you will help to unite us to one degree or another. May the will of the majority prevail.

Ronald Miller

www.sageobserver.blogspot.com

Abortion and Our Constitution

In the 228 years since the year of our first census in 1790, one year after the advent of our Constitution, the United States has ballooned from thirteen sovereign states under one flag with a population of 3,929,214 people to the greatest, most prosperous empire in the history of civilization, the leader of the free world, with a population of 326,766,748. Born in an era of complete self reliance when we raised or hunted our own meat, grew our own food, built our own houses, and provided for our own security, we have progressed to a nation of agriculture and through the industrial revolution to the ongoing technological revolution of today. Wherein it used to take weeks or even months to send a letter, today we can send a message around the world in seconds. In the complexity of today’s world we are most often reliant on the productivity and aid of others. We live in an age of rapid change and dependence upon others. Self reliance is almost obsolete, if not impossible. Yet, we strain to live with on outmoded Constitution, often wasting millions, if not billions of dollars in the process; and, arguably, our governance is stressed to the breaking point. Our Constitution must be amended.

Presently, our nation is divided—the most divided, in my view, since our Civil War (some might argue our division in the ‘60s). Our population of 326.8 million, each and everyone, has a different opinion about almost everything. Even in the beginning of our great nation, our forefathers didn’t dare lay the design of our Constitution on the table for all to design. They designed it behind closed doors and presented it to the people when they were done. Accordingly, I believe we should amend our Constitution one amendment at a time.

This having been said, in light of the impending renewal of the argument on abortion anticipated by the replacement of Supreme Court Justice, Anthony Kennedy, I believe we should begin with amending our Constitution to incorporate a provision for abortion. And, to minimize argument and expense, I believe we should do it a special way. I believe, at election time, we should initiate a national referendum of the people, outlining provisions of the amendment. Once the people have spoken, and if approved, the amendment should be presented, as outlined in our Constitution, to the states and to the Congress for approval and implementation, finally putting this issue “to sleep” once and for all. Hopefully, this can be accomplished in a relatively short period of time as opposed to the months and, sometimes, years such effort normally takes.

This is my view, what is yours?

Ronald Miller

www.sageobserver.blogspot,com