Tuesday, June 28, 2022

ROE, Democracy, Patriotism, The America we know......

 

https://www.paypalobjects.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donate_SM.gif

Thursday, July 29, 2021

Message from "P": Helter-Skelter

The current Republican party is comprised of opportunists and malcontents who all have hidden agendas that have nothing to do with the principles espoused by the founding fathers, and enumerated in the Constitution. They view democracy as an anathema. Members perturbate the air with insane ramblings and conspiracy theories, designed to confuse, obstruct and cancel. Their ramblings often cancel each other out. Strip mall barrister Sidney Powell, defended herself in court by stating that no reasonable person could possibly believe anything that she said. Then why would anyone believe her? Yet, the deep fryer, bag of Oreos, double-wide crowd holds her every word as gospel.  "Little hands" Marco called Trump a con artist and an embarrassment in 2016. Now "lil' pants" is cozying up to him. What the hell has Rubio done? Does anyone know? For that matter what has Matt Gaetz done except party like a rock star and have sex with underage girls, with the American taxpayer picking' up the tab. He is nothing more than a Trussian version of a hippie, a self-aggrandizing slacker on the dole. Then there is Marjorie Taylor Green, a bull hen that appears to have been constipated for a long time.

The problem with these jackasses is that they are not only mind-numbing but represent a clear and present danger to our democracy and country. Antivaxxers' now believe the conspiracy theory that the government is using implants in vaccines. And variants of covid-19 are spiking in unvaccinated areas. And people are dying. Do these idiots really believe that the government cares about tracking their fat asses to the Piggly Wiggly?  And all this talk about elites. Did anyone see the movie Idiocracy? In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king. The bar on reality and critical thinking has been so lowered we are at a point were some sloths might be considered elite by these people. 

This lunacy is continuing because it is facilitated by the "elite" political opportunists who use these morons to raise money and further their political agenda. Metaphysically it is a kind of  "Helter-Skelter" world view. It is a fomenting of a civil war that is not so much based on race but rather based on anti-democratic ideology. Implicit and demonstrated by January 6th is the notion that these people are really stupid and incapable of governing or even thinking for themselves. Hence it will be up to the Trussians to rule. Freedom!!! Trump, Cruz, Hawley, Rubio, Gaetz, et al are destined to the fate of Lee Atwater, who on his deathbed had a terrible crisis of conscience.


https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/1485275-my-illness-helped-me-to-see-that-what-was-missing                                                                                                                                       

Thursday, March 4, 2021

"P" Anon: On a Mission from God

"P"Anon is a quasi-theocratic, left-wing, loosely organized network and community of believers who embrace holy political truths. These truth seekers maintain that following the presidency of Lyndon Baines Johnson, Satan infiltrated the Republican Party. Since that time, there has been a dynamic interplay between good and evil within the party.

"P", writing in the sacred scrolls, observes that with each succeeding Republican president, overall policy skewed, more and more, towards autocracy and a financial aristocracy, and away from democracy and equality. Republican policy has increasingly sanctioned a lack of concern for country, the environment, and the quality of life for the average American citizen with each consecutive term.

Though he really was a crook, Nixon did implement a myriad of progressive domestic and environmental policies. Both Reagan and H.W. Bush instituted progressive tax policies during their tenure. And W. Bush, acting as a minimalist, fostered NCLB and AIDS research. "P" recognizes that with the election of Donald Trump, Satan took complete control of the Republican Party and speaks directly through him.

Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris were enlisted to save the American experiment and restore the American values of truth, justice, compassion, equality, liberty, and unity to all American citizens. According to the holy archives, Harris is a descendant of Balthazar, one of the three wise men present at the birth of Jesus.

Though the identity of P. remains a mystery, followers believe he is an aging boomer living in the San Fernando Valley, presumably with a Liberal Arts degree, who is committed to elucidating the obvious truth of a burgeoning international conspiracy to impose autocratic rule and feudalism worldwide. The movement communicates through a hybrid version of COBAL trying to avoid the aura of being clandestine. Supporters identify with P., they do not deify him.

On a somber note, the sacred archives predicted the death of Rush Limbaugh. They document that Sean Hannity broadcasts from his basement, a full 38 miles from Manhattan, due to certain proclivities he shares with Jerry Falwell, Jr., Paul Manafort, and Roger Stone. And the scrolls predict that Donald Trump will run for the presidency in 2024. Only he will run from prison like Eugene Debs did in 1920.  


Sunday, July 5, 2020

Enough Is Enough

With the recent revelation that Donald J. Trump ignored intel documenting that Putin placed bounties on the heads on American soldiers in Afghanistan, all REAL Americans must act. We must act to get America back on the path to being great again. We must eliminate Trump and his band of Trussians.

One of the major reasons that Trump has not been removed from office, either forcibly or otherwise, despite his mind-boggling collection of crimes, is that he is a master of circumlocution. And much of the fragmented left buys into his maelstrom, charging down numerous paths, chasing demons, some real, and some highly exaggerated or misunderstood.

The monuments of Confederate generals should come down. The South lost the revolution and the monuments are a reminder of slavery. But are we now going to take it further, and waste focus and energy, to include statues of Washington, Jefferson and Roosevelt?

The REAL issues of the American Civil War were complex. The economy was a driving factor. The Northern states, centers of manufacturing, were competing with England for raw materials, including cotton, that were produced in the Southern states. Slavery was a component of the economy in the harvesting of the raw materials. One might ponder what role Eli Whitney's invention of the cotton gin played in the decision making process of Northern policy makers. And many on the Left forget that America was founded by men who were treasonous. America was a British colony at the time of our inception.

These periods of American history are complicated. Trump is not. Trump and his tribe of conmen, thieves, and imbeciles have been destroying the fabric of the great American experiment since he took office. We must stop him. We must choose carefully the rabbit holes we pursue.


Sunday, April 19, 2020

Can Obamacare Defeat the Trump Virus?

With all the exultations from Trump regarding his absolute powers, I thought it appropriate to begin with a quote from Lincoln's Gettysburg Address:

"Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure."

Covid19 in an abstract sense, came along at the right time. The pandemic has brought to the forefront some of the harsh realities of our world. These realities have been obscured for two decades by our reliance on technology, and the fake news and lies of some pundits and politicians that thrive in the medium.

The US economy under President Trump is not the greatest economy in American history. The appearance of being robust and the soaring stock market were aided by monetary policy that has traditionally been used to stimulate in a recession, not bolster an economy at full employment.

In reality most Americans are living paycheck to paycheck. Despite the artificially induced, and factually incorrect, "low" inflation, the wages of most Americans have not risen enough to save anything, if even enough to pay their current bills. Employment benefits, including paid leave, pensions, and comprehensive health benefits, have vanished like smoke in the wind. And technological innovation, whose domination over our lives has been accelerated by the pandemic, and irresponsible capitalism, the two modern fates and furies, are zeroed in on our posteriors.

Ironically Covid19 might have bailed Trump out. It certainly gave him the opportunity to pay off some of his cronies.

The Pope along with some vegans and tree huggers, have suggested that the crisis, at least temporarily, has slowed the savage exploitation of our environment and global warming. I am not sure that this is so but one thing is certain. If we do not address climate change and the accompanying destruction of the Earth and her ecosystems, we are toast. Better start supporting candidates who lobby for space exploration. And start teaching your grandchildren about life on Mars.

The Republican approach to the crisis initially was to ignore it and it would go away. When it didn't go away, their response is still shrouded in wishful thinking and "hopeful" distortions and exaggerations. Hopefully, one thing that comes out of all of this is the realization that science is an invaluable tool with the capability to increase the quality of our lives.

America has always been a great melting pot. It's people, because of many variables including heritage, education, and experience are cognitively different. At the same time most of us, with the exception of those that dwell in the swamp, share some common perceptions and values. We believe in family, work, in life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Hopefully, after this crisis, we as a people will be better.




Sunday, October 20, 2019

The Formerly Silent Majority

Throughout my adult life, I have been baffled by people who have supported candidates and political platforms that were contrary to their own self-interests. Why would small business owners and blue collar workers support GOP candidates that facilitate anti-union efforts, corporate raids, unfair corporate advantage, and the exporting of American jobs? Why would people in economically- challenged rural areas support candidates that favor agribusiness over small farmers; and seek to ban abortion when the cost of raising a single child is astronomical and can be devastating to the life of a single woman? And these same candidates seek to squash all government aid designed to assist in the raising of an economically-challenged child.

Reflecting on my own childhood, I began to get some understanding. I was part of a large middle class family. My father was the breadwinner and my mother managed the home. We were not ultra wealthy but we were very comfortable in everyway. Education and travel were taken for granted as long as one maintained a healthy work ethic. All our neighbors, and all my friends, had remarkably similar circumstances. I attended a public middle school and public high school in the late 60's and early 70's. It seems very peculiar now, but there were no African-American students and you could count the number of students of Hispanic decent on one hand, shocking in retrospect, for a public school in Los Angeles.

Fifty years later the dynamics of my neighborhood and my school, over time, have changed broadly. I believe this may not have been the fact for many communities in Red states. And because of this some Americans have not adapted either psychologically or economically to the changing realities. And the change is not fake news, but real. And this change is disconcerting, even frightening for those Americans.

We have had a black president. The LGBT community, something that was never discussed when I was a boy, is achieving recognition and rights. Foreign competition and technology have evaporated well-paying American jobs. Women play a prominent role in the workforce. The wealth gap between the rich and poor is increasing faster than the polar ice caps are melting. And the American middle class is becoming an endangered specie.

America became great with the rise of a middleclass, beginning with the Industrial Revolution typified by Henry Ford and innovation of interchangeable parts, and solidified by the post World War II boom when America provided for the world. And with globalization and the decline of the middleclass, America is waning.

I didn't vote for Trump. In fact I haven't voted for a GOP candidate since Lowell Wicker ran for governor in Connecticut in 1990. But I can see why many people did. GOP candidates tend to be loud and brazen and angry. They symbolize masculinity and a return to the "better" past. They appeal to the machinist who has lost his job and cannot provide for his family and the small farmer who has just faced foreclosure. They appeal to the veteran in Thurmond, WV whose kids can't find a job. And they appeal to all the Archie Bunker types who feel emasculated by the election of a gay city councilman.

The GOP has become the party of depraved, indifferent, conmen and criminals. The greatest trick Trump ever pulled, along with the rest of the Republicans, is convincing the formerly silent majority that he would do something for them.


Saturday, September 14, 2019

Will Wishful Thinking Destroy the Dems in 2020?

The recent Democratic debate and follow-up discussions on cable television, have been very critical of the Democratic frontrunner Joe Biden. A thinking person must acknowledge that the understandings, values, and truths of an individual evolve over the course of a person's life through experience. Throughout American history, our perceptions and understandings have changed. And this is reflected in our interpretation of the Constitution, and the laws we enact. Change and the quest for our better angels is never instantaneous. It is a process that requires hard work and occurs over time.

I was a college student at Wesleyan University in the 1970's. At that time, it was almost impossible for anyone to be more politically correct. I entered the university enamored with the teachings of Karl Marx. I knew intellectuals who viewed the USSR as the promised land. Over the course of my studies, the logical flaws in the political philosophy of Karl Marx became apparent. Marx presupposed that human nature could be altered within the constructs of a political system. He believed that people maturated in such a system and left to their own devices, would act in the interests of the society, the greater good, and "ignore" their complex, self-centered, instinctual nature.

Social democracy, and the social programs in our country, are far different from the political system that Marx fashioned. Many Americans have no understanding of this fact. And this represents a major problem for Democrats, especially those on the far left. Perhaps if we renamed it Equacap it would be met with more open-mindedness in rural America.

The socialism that is practiced in America, which neither Trump nor ultra-conservatives object to when it benefits them, seems to work well with capitalism. It creates a compromise that transcends both and benefits both. The 2008 bailouts of the banks and automakers are prima facia evidence that this is truth.

Politics is the art of the possible. In the 40 years since I graduated, there have been significant changes in American life. The demographics of our country have and are continuing to change. We have taken a bite from the apple in the garden of Silicon Valley. And technology plays a dominant role in our lives. These realities, for obvious and complex reasons, have disconcerted a significant segment of America. And this is one of the reasons we have a jackass in the White House.

Let us not let our self-centered, instinctual nature, despite the fact that it is clearly aligned with the Age of Enlightenment philosophies, righteous truth, human decency, and the traditions of Christian charity and mercy, give the beast four more years.

Monday, October 1, 2018

The Trussians Are Coming

Back when I was in my youth, some time ago, there was a comedian who ran for president. His name was Pat Paulsen. I believe he "waged" his campaigns not with the intention of winning, but rather to add levity to politics and increase the strength of his brand.

His quotes included:

"You can fool some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you can only make a monkey out of the voters every four years."

"All the problems we face today can be traced to an unenlightened immigration policy on the part of the American Indian."

Since the inception of the Tea Party, and their success at the polls, we have witnessed an surge in "politicians" of this nature. Only the humor has been replaced with hatred, vitriol and bigotry. Florida gubernatorial candidate Ron DeSantis featured an ad teaching his children to emulate Trump complete with an explosion in his backyard. And the appearance of 'I'd rather be a Russian than a Democrat' tee shirts at Trump rallies, while we are in the mist of an investigation to determine to what extent the current administration conspired with the Russians to meddle in our democracy, is quite troublesome.

These non traditional candidates, shamelessly, are driving out traditional, more decent, moral and competent, candidates witnessed by the departures of Darrell Issa, Jeff Flake, Paul Ryan and 28 other Republican congressional candidates not seeking reelection.

Humor is a wonderful thing. But it is not a panacea for all things. As Trump and the Trussians continue to defile America, attack her traditions, institutions and the rule of law, it may be time for a quote from one of our country's founding fathers who refused to sign the Declaration of Independence because the Constitution did not yet have a Bill of Rights. Patrick Henry said:

"Caesar had his Brutus, Charles the First his Cromwell and (Vladimir Putin)…..may profit by their example. If this be treason, make the most of it."

Sunday, June 24, 2018

Understanding Trump


First, Donald Trump cognitively is a corporate leader. Corporations are by their very nature dictatorships ruled by CEO's and often a board of directors that is somewhat beholden to  shareholders. The sole objective of corporations is to accumulate wealth and power (to facilitate further accumulation), for top executives and board members, and shareholders.

Employees are merely expendable ciphers of the corporations, a necessary evil to be eliminated whenever possible. Trump's lack of concern for his workers and failure to pay some of his small business vendors over the course of his life is a result of this mindset. Be loyal and produce or your fired, until I don't need you anymore. He has also demonstrated the same lack of concern for clients exemplified by the lawsuits against Trump University.

For Trump and the super rich like-minded, laws and regulations get in the way. The environment, the quality of life for Americans, the future of anything are irrelevant annoyances and consideration of them stands in the way of their one and only purpose. Traditions, institutions, civility are roadblocks that must be torn down. Wealthy donors and supporters are his shareholders. No matter, as Balzac stated, "Behind every great fortune lies a great crime."

Trump likes dictators. He likes Putin and Jong-un. They are his contemporaries. Their corporations run relatively smoothly.

And foremost, Trump is also an entertainer, a showman in the vain of P.T. Barnum. And though he craves validation, he fully understands that he is CEO of America because of his base. He was elected because they are discouraged, disenfranchised and afraid. He continues to play on their frustrations. He continues to delve into the dark corners of their minds, and has shocked them to the point of giddy stupefaction. He must have their ratings or the show will be cancelled.

Trump is the culmination, the final product, of the Revolution of Insanity in America that began with Sarah Palin and the Tea Party. Back during that period, when facts and figures, reality, and the truth still had some relevance, Tea Party thinkers criticized deficit government spending. They argued that since American families must live within budgets the Federal government should also. Government should be run like a business. Then when they began to consider healthcare, care of the elderly, education, addiction, and support for small businesses not to mention the Blackwater debacle which broke the budget, they ceased. Faced with the idea of "firing" a sick family member whose medical bills exceeded the family budget or farming out a child to avoid father's income from being taxed, they soon realized the folly of this analogy.

Tuesday, May 22, 2018

Trump World: The Lies We All Tell Ourselves

Despite the damage being inflicted by Trump's policies, more and more I am coming to the realization that it's a numbers game. The earth is finite and real solutions will never come about without an acceptance of the fact that many of the paradigms and models we all use are flawed. Most people regardless of political affiliation believe that what they want is what they need. And they want what they need immediately without regard for consequences or how they impact others, the world, or the future. The two dimensional television unreality of Trumpism reinforces this and causes consequences, facts and the truth to take on an almost surreal state. We can put our heads in the sand, or switch channels but ultimately we cannot turn off the consequences of our actions forever. The days of reckoning are already beginning in the form of mind boggling debt, crazy weather, diminished employment opportunities, and unsustainable populations,

There was open talk among intellectuals that Trump is delusional and void of reality evidenced by his claim that it is not his voice on the Hollywood Access tape. Technology in our middle history (planes, trains and automobiles, telephone and pre-cable television) brought people together and fostered a sense of community. The New Media has done quite the opposite. Since it impossible for humans to access and process the vast amount of information that is available, and people are becoming unable to differentiate between what is reality and fake news, people are becoming selective and live in technology tribes. And we are becoming dumber and are becoming addicted to "attached" technology, some of which is really useless in the broad scheme of things. The financial aristocracy whose members have always lived in a self-imposed bubble, understand this and are using this understanding to manipulate the rest of us. This was a major factor in Trump's win though he probably doesn't understand any of this.

Liberal Google and Microsoft really don't care as they live in their own very comfortable eco-friendly, organic bubbles. And Amazon is reaching monopoly status but nobody even talks about it or the multitude of mergers that have transpired recently.

In Trump World, to maximize their wealth and power, reactionaries, religious fanatics and plutocrats now hide under the conservative label and use their resources to undermine and attack the Age of Enlightenment philosophies and traditions of Christian charity and mercy that shaped the beliefs of our Founding Fathers, all the while paying insincere public homage to them like Roman Gods.

Meanwhile a significant segment of America is being ravaged by drug addiction. There is a line from the Oliver Stone movie, Savages: " Drugs are a rational response to an insane world." Though Stone was talking about marijuana, guessing the same goes for opioids.  Most in the areas ravaged by addiction essentially haven't done anything wrong. Most did what they were told to do.They worked hard and played by the rules, for the most part. And for decades they have been neglected.  And they are coming to the realization that there might not be a way out. Most of them are probably right. And they voted for Trump. It is impossible to comment definitively on their condition or their chances from any bubble.

Trump World is about tribalism, bubbles, enemies, real or fancied, and the lies we all tell ourselves. It is primal, dog-eat-dog. It is impossible to fully understand without again acknowledging the impact of social media and technology on all of us. We are getting to the point where we literally live in groups in clouds. And technology is beginning to appear to have more value to some in the upper strata than people. If Marx were alive today perhaps he would declare it the new opium of man.

Living in Trump World doesn't foster contentment and actualization but contrarily anger and fear. In this state it is very difficult to solve weighty problems let alone even fully understand them and their gravity.

Saturday, November 18, 2017

Four Days in a Florida Hurricane Shelter

Hurricane Irma struck South Florida early morning on September 10th. I had just returned from a trip to Connecticut and began to focus on the storm three days prior. The lurid media projections of a category five storm charging up the center of the state, touching both coasts, unsettled me. After being unable to book a hotel or flight, and hearing of a traffic jam all the way to Orlando, I opted for a shelter.

Inside the shelter, people were clustered in hallways. The man seated next to me was a retired Harvard professor. In a crescent around us was a twenty-seven member extended family of people of Michoacán heritage.

On the first day the professor and I had a conversation about academia. He told me that he had witnessed a change in the essence of a Harvard education during his tenure. He went on to say that when he began teaching, Harvard sought to produce great Americans who influenced the world through their graciousness. He expressed that this gradually changed over the course of his career where students primarily became concerned with getting good jobs and making a lot of money.

Over the next three days I became aware of how well-mannered and affable the large family around us was during this difficult period. They socialized their children, engaged in polite conversation with everyone, offered fruit, sandwiches, and cell phones to all. They even helped the professor rise to his feet several times.

Except for those at the ends of the hall, who had complained constantly during the ordeal, the Man of Letters thanked everyone for a tolerable experience before he left.

Sunday, December 4, 2016

Will the Real Donald Trump Please Stand Up!

Crude abhorrent talk and behavior is nothing new to politicians and political leaders. Anyone with even a smattering of political history will remembering the racist comments of Woodrow Wilson and John Kennedy's adversarial relationship with Nikita Khrushchev, who was given to drunkenness and pounding his shoe on the table during nuclear weapons negotiations.

In the 2016 elections the Democrats forgot all of this. Basking in the delusional superiority of political correctness they attacked Trump's style and demeanor and showed that they were out-of-touch with the lives and struggles of white working class voters. The lives of truck drivers and family farmers are far different from the precious liberally educated.

In fact, Trump's "loading dock, barroom" delivery resonated with these former Democrats. And, unlike the Democrats, the Trump team understood the new medium, and how to reach these people, tweak and twitter their frustrations and communicate with them. It is not far fetched to believe that some women were titillated by Trump's groping comments or that the Bush family endorsement of Hilary Clinton actually helped Trump.

This notion is further substantiated by the fact that virtually all the polls and all the media predicted a Clinton win. MogAI, which predicted winners in the primaries and the last 3 presidential elections, based on a algorithm using social media data, predicted a win by Trump. Even Nate Silver predicted a Clinton victory.

One thing is for sure. As president, Trump will enrich himself and those immediately around him. We can only hope that many of the altruistic notions he has espoused in the course of the campaign and his life are ideals that he truly holds and believes. He has stated repeatedly that all Americans should get a fair shot. And that we can't just let people die in the street. He admits that he has profited from the corruption in the system, that he knows how it works, and he has stated that he wants to turn things around and "drain the swamp." We can only hope that he conveys and instills in those around him, these values and perceptions. And that these values and perceptions translate into policy.

And we must pray that his administration does not evolve into a Bush/Cheney administration on steroids. And that his administration is not characterized by even more obscene tax cuts and greater deficit spending- partially to temporarily placate his supporters- than the Bush administration which he so openly criticized. For this will lead to the annihilation of the middle class.

Trump has taken business bankruptcies four times. We must pray that The Donald has seen the error of his ways and does not try to run the government like one of his businesses. After all, unlike his failed casino ventures, there is no institution to bail out America.

Saturday, February 27, 2016

Toto, I've a Feeling We're Not in Kansas Anymore.

There is an old colloquialism that is often attributed to Sam Clemens that goes, "Figures don't lie, but liars do figure."

I think that the 2016 Presidential primary races of both the Democrat and Republican parties illustrate that a large segment of the American people, on some level, are beginning to see that the understandings and beliefs that served as the foundation for previous generations are not applicable to the current realities of life in America. That is, they just don't add up.

This is highlighted by the surprisingly strong support that non-establishment candidates are getting. We just may be on the cusp of a revolution of understanding.

On the GOP side, Ted Cruz, the Tea Party darling, is beginning to be seen for what he truly is: the consummate sociopathic grafter, the carny preacher who plants "miracles" in his tent while taking money from Wall Street to finance the show.

And because of this new feeling by Americans that something is not quite right, this man who ultimately is only concerned with his own self-aggrandizement, is loosing the support of a significant portion of his Evangelical base.

Marco Rubio, with the aid of a combination of cronyism and nepotism, is mouthing policy and platitudes that served the establishment of previous generations but are no longer viable in today's world.

Pull yourself up on the coattails of the rich and powerful is his American Dream.

Trump is much more complicated and his motivation is much less transparent. Certainly with individual and national debt reaching mind boggling levels, and with the rise of globalization impacting the standard of living for most Americans, and the ability of Americans to save, Trump's brand of nationalism does have mass appeal.

Though he does denounce inversion, corporate welfare, and global monetary and business practices that harm the American worker and America as a whole, it is unclear if his brand of nationalism allies with Teddy Roosevelt's vision.

President Roosevelt called for the end of special protections for businesses by the Washington Establishment. He believed that anyone who worked hard should be able to provide for themselves and their families. No person or group should have access to "special privileges" that are not available to everyone else. (This notion is an anathema to both Cruz and Rubio and Trump has openly acknowledged that he has made many "donations" over time to further his business ventures.)

Teddy, the Trust-Buster as he was nicknamed, advocated equality in the rules of the game ensuring that the rules and laws made opportunity available to everyone. Lofty!

Bernie Sanders is without a doubt the most authentic candidate running for the Presidency in 2016. His candidacy has great value in that it focuses on and highlights the corruption and inequities present in our society, conditions that Roosevelt sought to remedy.

Bernie Sanders points out the special protections for the wealthy afforded by our government. He makes us aware of the inability of many hard working families to provide for themselves and their families currently. He elucidates the special privileges, inequities and corruption by the Establishment in our society, issues that were central to the policy of President Teddy Roosevelt over a century ago.

Unfortunately, these maladies are as old as mankind and the actions have been entwined with and divorced from our democracy, in varying degrees, over time. And they can only be changed through the process of our democracy over time.

In American government, Trump is right about one thing. Progress comes about from making deals. And democracy is compromise.

However, as Sanders points out, democratic progress cannot come about if a majority of the shareholders are excluded from the negotiating table by economic or procedural means, by lies and misinformation, or a rigged system.

Chris Matthews on MSNBC recently stated that an ultra right-wing Congressman recently told him that he spends all of his time in Washington convincing his colleagues that he is not crazy and then returns home to his constituents and has to convince them that he is.

The very surprising support of Sanders and Trump may illustrate that many Americans are starting to come to the realization that things are not quite right.

Friday, November 27, 2015

End of the World as We Know It

In a very methodical, efficiently systematic, and very timely manner; and with the aid of the information revolution and social media, a hybrid business model, masquerading as the Capitalism described by Adam Smith, has eroded the middle class, the economy, and democracy in America.

Capitalism has become synonymous with, forgive the Civil War analogy, Sherman's "March to the Sea", in order to provide unfathomable wealth and power to the few. Fast food corporations are selling diabetes and obesity. Phillip Morris is selling lung cancer. And virtually all corporations are destroying the planet beyond repair.

In the wake of economic crises and the challenges of climate change and resultant instability in the world, corporations are practicing inversion to avoid paying for the damage they do.

Pfizer Pharmaceuticals' union with Allergan is the latest example of corporations running amok. Over the years American taxpayers funded grants for research and development and tuition for employees. And Americans currently pay the highest prescription costs in the world and constitute the largest block of consumers. Yet Pfizer doesn't want to help pay the bills of America while continuing to reap the benefits.

Our government is under attack from the far right. But the lessons of the economic crash of 2008 show that without government, capitalism would have destroyed itself. If the Federal Government didn't bail out the banks and auto companies, it would have been the end of the world as we know it. Remember, George Bush, a Republican, began the bailouts.

If the extreme far right-wing of the Republican party is able to severely disable the Federal Government, capitalism, all versions thereof, will end in a blaze of golden parachutes. And America and the world will enter a system of feudalism and the New Dark Ages.

It began with Sarah Palin and the omnipresent social media. Statements, opinions and positions all of a sudden could be transmitted instantly to everyone without regard for facts, the truth, or reality. The American population was saturated with misinformation smartly masquerading as the wisdom.

The disparaging remarks by Republicans regarding education illustrate the intent. From the Koch brothers' offer of money to forgo college and the buying of curricula in some colleges, to the Republican attack on political science typified by Tom Coburn's bill to kill funding for research, to Sarah Palin's own term, "Nerd Prom", when describing the White House Correspondences' Dinner, it is clear that critical thought, logic and reality are under attack.

It must be noted that political scientists study how to make our democracy work better. They aid in understanding terrorism and identify global threats and help develop strategies. They develop public policies that improve response to natural disasters, health challenges, and many challenges we face as a nation.

It is clear that, in this era of flawed thinking and social media, critical thinking, a product of formal education including the liberal arts, is more important than ever.

Decades ago, back prior to the era of social media, back in the time of the newspaper and critical thinking, people examined their existences. In the era of social media, people are having their existences molded by the medium, and ultimately the powers behind the medium.

Four decades ago, in the America I knew, the prevailing thought- stated in various ways- was to examine your existence and maximize upon it. Put simply, figure out what you are capable of doing and be the best you can. And go after the necessary education, training, and experience.

It use to be a sign of stupidity and futility to aspire to and seek a position that you were totally unqualified for; a position where you lacked the understandings, values, competencies, and experience to perform that position with any degree of success. This is laughably obvious for pilots, sea captains, physicians, et al, but much less so for those seeking public office. Maybe this is one reason that Congress has had so much difficulty performing in the last decade.

Hillary Clinton, though a flawed candidate, is the best hope for America in 2016.

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Are Climate Deniers the Greatest Domestic Terrorists in American History?

A terrorist performs heinous acts for political gain, either economic or psychological.

The projected impact of climate change on America, both domestically and in terms of national security is almost beyond human comprehension. And climate change affects virtually every aspect of human existence.

Hard evidence of climate change can be found in the oceans, at the poles, and in everyday life. Dying coral reefs, strange shark migrations, vanishing glaciers and species, and the warmest temperatures on record are reality and not a product of a vast liberal conspiracy.

Another glaring example is the 2015 water shortage in California coupled with lowest winter snowpack in recorded history. I have a client who is working on a process to extract water from the atmosphere in California. He is also attempting to work with the Chinese.

Man-made global warming has and will continue to have a tremendous impact on the production of food for human beings. Rising oceans have and will further alter and damage peoples' lives, and increase the costs borne by our government to deal with the climate related catastrophes. New weather anomalies and diseases have and will continue to be created. Every facet of human existence will be increasingly challenged.

These ever-escalating challenges will tax resources to the point of near chaos. Domestic catastrophes coupled with scientific realities- exemplified by the effect of ocean warming on sonar- will gravely impact our national security at some point.

A thought occurred to me the other day when Donald Trump complained about the rigors of campaigning and appeared to be contemplating an exit strategy for his 2016 presidential campaign if he decided to withdraw.

The compos mentis segment of the GOP base appears to not want to be in positions of leadership.  John Boehner was joyous and appeared almost intoxicated when he announced his resignation as speaker of the House of Representatives. And the Republican controlled House has yet to find anyone that is willing, and at the same time, able to meet the "requirements" of the party's extreme right-wing. Even reactionary commentator Bill O'Reilly chuckled when asked if he would become Speaker of the House, the third person in line to the presidency.

I only hope that the GOP's denial of global warming is not at the core of its propensity for obstruction and, merely one of the fanciful vagaries of it's less competent members. 

Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Trump's Candidacy Has Value

Donald Trump is an arrogant, narcissistic very successful businessman. I am sure that he greatly overestimates his real understanding of and ability to rectify the things that are truly wrong in the world. Yet he does recognize many of the problems and issues, realities that most other candidates are unwilling or unable to address. And because of this his dialogue has merit.

Trump rails against Mexico and China. And matter-of-factly states that, when elected, he and his gang will put both Mexico and China in their respective places. He will be able to get Mexico to pay for a wall that will keep their undesirable, criminal, illegal emigrants from entering our country. He neglects to discuss what Alan Greenspan told Congress years ago: that illegal immigration has a profound positive impact on our economy.

He proclaims that he will stop the Chinese from devaluating their currency which is hurting American businesses. He neglects to say that his clothing line is manufactured in China, that his best clients are Chinese, or discuss the staggering amount of our Treasury securities China holds.

It is obvious that Trump has never read Metternich or essays by Henry Kissinger. And he lacks understanding of the complex political and economic interconnections of nations today, which are more so today then at any time in America history  (See Post: Is America Being Purchased? 10/10/10).

I will concede that his analysis of the Middle East, a region full of internal contradictions, is pretty sound and decision makers might consider utilizing cost/benefit analysis as part of their decision making process. Most of the Middle Eastern countries and territories share a combination of policies that support American objectives and, simultaneously, policies and behaviors that are abhorrent, detrimental to our objectives, and ones we are trying to eradicate. And I applaud Trump's opposition to the War in Iraq and his dialogue on the reasonable use of force.

Trump has also talked about corporate inversion and his own bankruptcies. He has stated that he is against inversion and that the corporations should be forced to return to the US and pay taxes.

He has talked about his bankruptcies and explained that they constituted legal means to build wealth. He intimated that these shenanigans, along with inversion, should be illegal. Students of history will remember that Franklin Roosevelt appointed Joe Kennedy as the first Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission after he had used every "trick in the book" to build his wealth. 

Trump has talked about political correctness and stated that by focusing on it we are wasting time, loosing sight of the truly important things, and the Big Picture. I don't think that Trump is a racist or a misogynist, in the same way that many Tea Party Republicans are. His political incorrectness is a perfunctory reaction to what he views as annoyances. It is pragmatism versus the abstract for him.

He has countered his PC critics by stating that America has an obligation to take care of its poor. He briefly outlined an upgrade to Obamacare that must be driving all other Republicans crazy. And, he has stated that with the exception of abortion he supports the work of Planned Parenthood.  

Monday, June 29, 2015

"Cause in sleepy London Town there's just no place for a street fighting man." Jagger/Richards

"When a plutocracy usurps economic and political control of a democracy, the only remedy for that democracy, save a  violent revolution, is a system of taxation, aimed at the plutocracy, that enables economic and political power to be distributed to the citizenry in a more democratic manner."  

Will Poor and Lame


The week of June 21, 2015 was historic in terms of social change. In a 6-3 ruling, the Supreme Court upheld Obama Care. The justices interpreted the law enacted by Congress and deemed that it was not contradictory in intention and was constitutional.

In a 5-4 ruling, the court ruled that same-sex marriage is an unalienable right, granted by the Constitution, and must be honored in all 50 states.

And, as a reaction to the massacre of 9 Africa Americans at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston by a white supremacist brandishing the Confederate flag, many leaders in Red states are taking down that flag, and distancing themselves from that symbol.

I do not want to underplay how momentous these rulings are or what a big deal it is for reactionaries to acknowledge that the Confederate flag is divisive and a symbol of hatred, racism and bigotry for many.

These rulings and actions certainly illustrate  the potency of the Obama presidency and they will contribute to his legacy.

After celebrating this historic change, the likes of which we have not seen since the sixties, let us focus on and work on the truly momentous problems that this country and mankind face.

Citizens United is real. The plutocracy is buying political power. And their objectives are detrimental to the majority of the citizenry.

Income inequity is a complicated issue and real. With defference towards those that practice alternative lifestyles, the positive human impact of being able to marry, gay or straight, is minimized if couples can't afford to feed themselves or go to the doctor when they are sick.

Obama began his presidency with "The Audacity of Hope".  And to continue forward America needs this audacity followed by clear thoughts and actions.

West Palm Beach, Florida, the home of Rush Limbaugh and Newsmax, recently instituted the most advanced and cleanest waste-to-energy power plant in North America. The plant will provide energy to 40,000 homes and businesses while processing more than a million tons of municipal solid waste. This will reduce reliance on the landfill by almost 90% while recycling 30,000 tons of industrial metals. And it will create 200 full time jobs.

For the life of me I can't figure out how this got by Rick Scott.

Friday, May 15, 2015

Marco Rubio, Rex Nutting & Reality

It has recently come to light that the golden boy of the Conservative wing of the Republican party has a benefactor.

The New York Times, on May 10th, 2015, made us all aware that a billionaire auto dealer named Norman Braman is the money man behind Senator Marco Rubio's rapid political rise.

"As Mr. Rubio has ascended in the ranks of Republican politics, Mr. Braman has emerged as a remarkable and unique patron. He has bankrolled Mr. Rubio's campaigns. He has financed Mr. Rubio's legislative agenda. And, at the same time, he has subsidized Mr. Rubio's personal finances, as the rising politician and his wife grappled with heavy debt and big swings in their income."

Inherently, there is nothing wrong with having a patron. Many artists, musicians, and intellectuals have them. One can only speculate where Rubio would be without this benefactor. But what is especially troubling, is the hard Social Darwinism that Rubio espouses when, in fact, his situation is prima facie evidence that it is false.

Rex Nutting is a real person and has written a very relevant article in MarketWatch documenting how the stock market destroyed the middle class.

Put very briefly, for the last three decades a pervasive business model has encouraged top managers of American corporations to raid their companies of the funds they need to build and expand, and invest in their workers for the long haul.

They, according to Nutting,

"Loot their company, by using large stock buybacks to... manipulate share price, which allows them to use inside information to time their own stock sales. By using buybacks to funnel most of the company's profits back to shareholders (including themselves)." Wow.

I can only wonder how Senator Rubio feels about all of this. One thing is clear. His benefactor, who benefits from the propagation of misinformation, is happy to continue subsidizing Senator Rubio as long as he continues to espouse Horatio Alger myths which help facilitate the destruction of the American middle class.

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Save the Middle Class But Don't Touch My Salary!

Back in February 2015, Rex Nutting wrote an article for MarketWatch outlining seven means to slow the erosion of the American middle class. He acknowledges that "history shows a prosperous middle class makes the economy stronger." His caveat is that these seven measures will accomplish this "without soaking the rich."

Full Employment. By increasing employment for "could be" workers, wages will rise for all workers. And this objective can be facilitated by Congressional action that authorizes money to repair and upgrade our forgotten infrastructure. A fantastic idea but requires government spending (tax money) and will never get through our current Congress.

Give workers a voice. The GOP has literally been at war with workers and unions since the beginning of the Bush administration. Unless it is accompanied with pro-worker legislation, regulations and tax policy, it will result in the further exportation of jobs.

Give workers better skills. I have been arguing and documenting in this blog, for years, that in addition to legislation and tax policy that has hurt American workers, technology has played a major role in rendering obsolete many skill sets. Machines have and continue to displace many workers.

Encourage more profit-sharing. I still come across American companies that offer their employees profit-sharing and 401K plans. However, due to the evolving nature of employment in this country, these benefits are dwindling and are currently an endangered specie.

Enforce and strengthen laws protecting American workers. Mr. Nutting argues that millions of workers are being cheated by the companies that they work for. And that they have a right to pensions, health care, disability insurance, and workers' compensation insurance. He continues that Social Security and Medicare should be reinforced, not gutted. Workers PAY for these entitlements and are relying on them more and more because of the aforementioned.

Raise the minimum wage. A truly good idea short term. Our country is beginning to act on this suggestion in certain political regions as well as on the federal level.

Require our foreign trading partners to respect their workers' rights. At this point in my critique I am beginning to wonder if Rex Nutting is in actuality a computer program. If he is not a virtual cousin to Harvey the Rabbit, I sincerely hope he continues to advocate for the Progressive agenda.

Though his goals are truly noble, and a more equitable distribution of wealth is necessary to preserve democracy and the America that most of us know and love, what Mr. Nutting fails to realize is that these proposals "soak the rich" only by slightly different means. Spending on infrastructure must come from taxation and is a very Keynesian notion. What Mr. Nutting fails to acknowledge is that the super rich and global corporations have significant control of the American government and, short of a revolution, these whimsies will never come into being. The powers that be see democracy, justice, and equity as an anathema to their world and vision.

As a boy in the 1960's, the model for living a "good" life was to go to college, get married, buy a house, and save for retirement. The millennials will attest to the flaws in this model in our current world.

Also, for some, landing a well-paying government job was akin to hitting the lottery. Not only did this offer security in one's life but might also serve as a spring board for the formation of a small business or "private sector" venture with a grant or a lucrative government contract. Conservative Republicans and their wealthy puppeteers, despite trying to dismantle most of the federal government, have taken this concept to the extreme.

Monday, March 16, 2015

President Donald Trump is Tough on American Terrorists

I expect that SNL doesn’t take unsolicited ideas for their openings, but I think a brilliant one in view of recent events would be to open with a faux Fox News (a little redundancy there) special bulletin on international terrorism from 2017 and have their commentator cut to a White House briefing by President Donald Trump, announcing that the President of the Teamsters International had been apprehended by special ops forces and was being taken to Guantanamo Bay for interrogation.  He could then reiterate his campaign promise to track and hunt down other “international” terrorists who threaten our way of life.  As a final absurdity he could dramatically announce that just prior to his message, the FBI and Military Police had staged a coordinated night raid on the State Department and Pentagon, where terrorist cells of the American Federation of Government Employees and National Federation of Federal Employees had apparently infiltrated our most sensitive government installations disguised as janitors.  He could point out that these terrorists were given free reign by the Obama administration, and even allowed to meet regularly with their spymasters at their union locals to discuss their plots, and then resolutely face the camera and tell the American people that they now have a President who isn’t afraid to tell terrorist organizations, “live from New York, it’s Saturday Night!”