The intent of this blog is to promote human equality, human progress, human peace and justice, and optimism. To accomplish this, to encourage the discussion of ideas after identifying and discovering problems, and then creating positive solutions for "we the people," in order to provide for the "general welfare" and "domestic tranquility" of America now and its "posterity" into the future. To encourage an emphasis on separation of religion and state for all, no matter if this is for those "of faith" in a Maker / Creator (Deists, God-loving people, Christians, various people of spirituality) and atheists or agnostics.

Posts tagged ‘capitalism’

Three-Penny Op-ed: Socialism, Ambiguity, and Short-sighted Two-sided Contrasts

Everything is presented as black and white. We, the citizens of the USA, rarely get presented with more detail about a subject. If we did, though, too many of these younger generations reject learning and removing the blinders to soak up the details. Thus, the media folks and others can make statements based only on THEIR interpretation and never taking into account considerations for black, white, gray, or other tones or colors of the rainbow. After all, the rainbow naturally occurs when rain and sunlight simultaneously appear before our eyes.

I like Joe Scarborough and have learned a great deal from him, since I first read his article in a business magazine, published in 2005. Even Joe Scarborough, though mentions “free enterprise” and a black and white contrast between that and socialism. I would like to suggest that is not the case.

A Cuban whose family was forced to flee Cuba when Fidel Castro’s troops confiscated her family’s property helped me learn these differences. There is socialist autocracy as dictated by Fidel Castro and there is supply-side economic centrally planned autocracy as dictated by Battista, masquerading as capitalism and “free enterprise.” When this Cuban person visited a socialist democracy where the people are the happiest on earth, Denmark, she commented about how their mobile phone system far surpassed that in America. No wonder the people of Denmark, time after time, have been rated the “happiest on earth.”

The people of Denmark have socialist-capitalist democracy, not autocracy. They also have free enterprise, too. Yet, the American herd mentality, generated by the media in the USA, just use the word, “socialism” to describe Denmark and other Scandinavian nations. Mr. Scarborough, there does not need to be a differentiation between socialism and “free enterprise” capitalism.

In 2005, Mr. Scarborough wrote about the need for regulation. This COULD mean regulating the capitalist markets with an infinite demand or supply. Few supply side industries are infinite. One would think oil is infinite when listening to those who control the status quo in oil, from Texas to the Koch brothers to Saudi Arabia (whose royal family was responsible for 9/11 and for cutting off the heads of their citizens who disobey the autocratic monarchs), and many others. The net result is that we pretend oil is an infinite supply, when it’s not. Big oil works to block the R&D efforts and businesses which can provide more capitalist competition and help do what capitalism is designed to do: competition can help keep prices lower. Supply-side idiots controlling and regulating the markets. In criticism, I say that Mr. Scarborough appears to follow the American supply-side fat cat herd mentality when putting forth the “norm” of there being a black and white contrast between socialism and free enterprise. I just mentioned something which pretends to be free enterprise and it is not, so it regulates its own market and works to destroy a third-party regulator, the government. There was an American family with two presidents who side with Saudi Arabia and the oil monopolies, with one saying, “what is good for business is good for America.” Wrong. Balance is good for America.

The Scandinavian nations prove that socialism can coexist with capitalism and democracy. The Scandinavian nations are more racially homogeneous than the USA, so they don’t have to consider only two sides of the equation with “black and white.” America has to go beyond just two sides of the equation because it is not racially homogeneous. The reason why Americans are against socialism are the same reasons and the common thread which runs through so many issues in America: systemic racism. And I am not being ambiguous here because I refuse to accept those, whether black or gay (Lindsay Graham) who are “Uncle Toms” and do just what the “massa says.” This is the reason why so many white people wish to “make America great again” by going back to the days when white supremacy reigned in America. To these jackass idiots, this makes America great, not human equality as it appears in socialist notions, Social Security, Medicare, ACA, freedom to carry guns (for white folks to use the guns against African-Americans, Latino/a, indigenous folks, as in the past). This is the background of the NRA and the false ideas about the 2nd Amendment. False because it was how the 2nd Amendment was applied for many years when the “nation was great” (according to the MAGA group of the idiocracy).

This would mean that socialism is too much of an “equalizing” force.” Therefore, it is rejected by preaching ambiguous notions about what socialism is. It also means that only white people should be allowed to carry guns and kill by “standing the white-skinned people’s ground” as developed by the NRA (and Jeb Bush of Florida). America needs to BECOME great by getting over these ambiguities and simple “black and white notions.”

This is all said with all due respect to Joe Scarborough. I also say, with due respect, that Bernie Sanders and “socialism” is not, in many respects, the socialism of Scandinavian socialist-capitalist democracies. For instance. According to information I have read, out of Sweden and other Scandinavian nations, there are no government-instituted minimum wages. Why not? My impression is that we are describing a situation in which these nations recognize the role of balance in capitalism. Just as supply and demand in industries helps create a competitive environment in order to provide better prices and for being able to obtain products and services with more “bang for the buck” (value at a better cost), a lack of minimum wage will help maintain this. But. What are these nations doing to train its people so that industries in the future can better serve the demand side of the markets? Are they using privatized education and hospitals in order to accomplish the goals to solve problems? I really doubt it. It is another style of regulating what is done, but doing the regulation responsibly.

Are these nations perfect and more perfect than America? Not likely. There is no perfection. But they might be more reasonable and rational. One could say, “well they don’t have very many black people there.” OK. That might be true, when contrasting with America. But what is that worth? You mean to say, Americans are not able to learn to coexist in a nation where we do have multi-colored people? Bull. I don’t believe it.

I invoke, once again (and again and again and again and again) Frank Sinatra: “we can have fun in fixing an imperfect nation.” Frank Sinatra had a black friend in his “rat pack” who experienced systemic racism in this nation. From white Army troops in World War II pissing on Sammy Davis, Jr., to being denied the same entrances to the same hotels where he and Sinatra were performing, there was a problem in America and that problem was NOT what made America great. No wonder Sinatra described America as “imperfect.” Sinatra was not willing to give up solving the problems of the land he called, “home.”

If people feel they don’t want to be contentious with others, so they just shut their mouths, out of fear of retribution and willingly accept lawyers who pit Americans against Americans with personal injury lawsuits and workman’s comp (rather than equalized healthcare for all), what a shameful, shameful, shameful bunch of Americans. I feel sorry for such people in their scummy ideas against anger and contentiousness when people say, “I am mad as hell and I ain’t going to take it anymore.” Anger and contentiousness against inequality in America, in any form, means we stand up for what is the correct thing for America to do to combat systemic racism (and homophobia, too).

Also to be mentioned is the idea of unions. When either side of unions is irrational and unreasonable, they destroy the balance which should be achieved. The ones with the whips had enough control to knock down the unions which went too far in America. They developed NAFTA and shipped jobs overseas. The irrationality of such bastards on the management side felt forced into a corner by irrational unions. Perhaps that is the case. In the process, these management bastards have increased their salaries and bonuses exponentially, as they still continue to work to destroy unions, in a vengeful attitude which then puts the union people in a corner. These working people think a Trump will solve their problems. Think again, you idiots. His cronies are the ones who wish to continue to replace workers with robots, you idiots, so go vote for idiot Trump and his followers, but be careful what you wish for because you might get something you don’t like or enjoy. As a member of a union, I can say that we faced this irrational attitude with an administration which refused to acknowledge our rationality while attempting to work out compromises at the negotiating table. I suppose I can say I understand why such Republicans acted in the manner they did, due to the lack of balance in unions and their delight at destruction of good things.

One more thing. Regulated capitalism might have elements of socialism, as what I have described here, but only when there needs to be regulation on both sides of the supply and demand considerations (on both sides of union-management negotiating table) and the goal is balance. Lacking this kind of balance and pushing the one-sided aspect of “free enterprise” and we end up getting rid of the “referee” in government (third party). This can be likened to letting Roman gladiators go in an arena and killing people like Christians. Supply-side economics with centrally planned economics from top-down of monopoly-style big corporations is not capitalism because, like the gladiators in an arena, it destroys and “kills” the opposition.

This can also be likened to a what-if scenario. What if an NFL team played a high school football team? What if there were no referees and all the rules were established by the NFL team, including the possibility of destroying human beings in the process? What if such a situation existed? If you would love to see this, then go to h-e-double hockey sticks because you are a savage barbarian trying to invoke your will upon a civilized nation.

My Cuban colleague I mentioned who came from Cuba at an early age in her life, also served on a Civility Committee which recognized coexistence and attempted to teach our students such concepts. Not barbarism. Civility. Coexistence. In America, the imperfect nation that it is, but being able to have fun in fixing it.

I would have fun in creating a democracy NOT based on a two-party system, as well, but based on something similar to the parliamentary system in Britain which went against King George and removed some of the taxes he imposed on the colonists. Bet Americans don’t know about this little aspect. But a parliamentary system night have two parties in control, but there are other parties to which the party which is in control has to make alliances with the parties with smaller numbers in order to name a prime minister. That prime minister has to maintain that coalition and partisanship is shot in the foot in the process. I do not believe the upper house of the parliament has any stupid freaking filibuster rules, either, which decimates the ability for compromise. Go to h-e-double-hockey sticks, Mancin.

With all due respect to those who continue to invoke a two-sided contrast in any form, it’s the resulting ambiguity and lack of compromise in actions (not values), stupid.

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Commentary, Economics, Regulated Capitalism, Commerce, New Comments, Op-ed

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Three-penny Op-ed: Democracy and Economics (17 Apr. 2021, The Economist)

Recently, I wrote about Queen Victoria, based on dramatization of her life. At one point in her early years of ruling during the 19th Century, Queen Victoria addressed protestors who were part of mobs attacking the palace where she lived. The scene depicted incendiary weapon of the time which was hurled through the windows of the palace. Those devices made one think of the “Molotov cocktails,” used in the 20th Century and derived the name from Vyacheslav Molotov. The name comes from a time period in which comes after the reign of Queen Victoria. When used in London during the queen’s reign, it approximates to the time of the residency of Karl Marx in London. Due to the time period, I come under criticism for using the words, Molotov Cocktail when they did not exist. People dwell too much on use of words and not on the fact that the name used in my writing referenced a weapon which was generic and could help understand what was actually used by the protestors.

Wording is so important when it comes to the false ideas passed down to our day from the likes of Karl Marx and Adam Smith of Scotland. Marx falsely claimed capitalism was “the problem” in the same way Reagan claimed “government is the problem.” People, particularly the lovers of Fox News, just grab at what was said and don’t give a damn about those of us who speak out about the false ideas which permeate the “herd” mentality from a Nazi propaganda machine like Fox News and other extreme right-wing news outlets.

Marx was wrong in blaming capitalism as a problem because capitalism was like a “new kid on the block” and barely understandable to others. The aristocracy grabbed at the ideas of Adam Smith with gratitude and simply twisted the ideas of capitalism to suit their ideas of aristocratic supply-side economics which disdains the demand side of the market. What would have happened if Marx had actually identified what the true problem was? What would have happened if the media of the day had revealed Adam Smith’s turnaround AGAINST the ideas of “free markets” because he felt humans did not have a natural human ethics and morality (The Theory of Moral Sentiments), so therefore there needs to be a “referee” with a third-party group regulating supply AND demand for the purposes of checks and balances in economics. (Also see Economics professor, Dr. Jonathan Wight’s book, Saving Adam Smith). After all, Adam Smith was a contemporary of the American Deists and Forefathers who saw a lack of chaos in the universe due to a Creator who worked with checks and balances, so they devised a political system and U.S. Constitution with checks and balances. Interesting to note that too many Americans grasp at Marx’s theory that “religion is the opioid of the masses” rather than what Jesus Christ said which applies to Adam Smith’s ideas about “moral sentiment.” Why? I ask. What if we changed this false notion? Shameful that human beings claim to follow Jesus Christ (as Smith was a Christian theologian, too), but really don’t grasp his notions.

Smith promoted the idea that ultimately, “free markets” end up giving us monopolies, regulation of an economy by autocratic big corporations (“deregulation,” as Reagan proclaimed) to their self-serving interests which destroy competition and small business. This is similar to what happened in Ancient China when the small business Mandarin class was destroyed and China imploded on itself (see Zakaria).

In stating, “business and politics are growing closer in America, with worrying consequences,” there is agreement with what is proposed in the text above. The fact that American business in the late 19th Century created a rich commerce for America makes quite a bit of sense. However, with J.P. Morgan and others in the 20th Century, America began to steer away from such a pathway. Teddy Roosevelt, the “trust buster,” worked to regulate the huge corporations. This continued after World War II, even as corporations became larger. International Business Machines (IBM) was created by Thomas J. Watson. However, he and the other executives at NCR where he originally was employed, worked to destroy competition and the government came down hard on them. In the process, Watson became a benevolent autocratic CEO at IBM and the company flourished. But once benevolent ones depart this life, they are often replaced with barbaric, ruthless, and vicious dictators. It is seen that IBM was later headed by such vicious men and this became the norm in America, as we watched as CEOs increased their salaries and bonuses so astronomically that it has been a 1000% rise since the 1970s. Ayn Rand and others promoted, with Reagan, supply-side economics and deregulation. Teams of lawyers in big corporations and the proliferation of so many lawyers in the American economy (creating jobs for themselves as ambulance-chasing vicious ones who attack one against the other in a destructive and greedy manner) meant corporations could better protect themselves than the small little business person. As with what happened to the Ancient Chinese Mandarin small business class, these people were put out of business. Fast food magnate like ruthless and vicious Ray Kroc hired people to scout areas with small mom and pop diners and place McDonald’s near those areas, for the purpose of destroying the competition, with the same regard as Republicans under Trump destroy and destroy and destroy, beginning with the ACA which has a goal of extending competition in health insurance in order to help lower the prices which are ripoffs and nickel and diming the demand-side of the capitalist market.

Rick Scott in the U.S. Senate is responsible for the Hospital Corporation of America which is a huge corporate conglomerate begun during the Reagan years with the purpose to destroy the “competition” of public health facilities. The loss of such public facilities really hurt the American people during this pandemic. People like Rick Scott, Jeb Bush, Ron DeSantis and Trump Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos, had designs on creating big corporation in America which could be called “Education Corporation of America.”

Jeb Bush and other Republicans like him also privatized the prison system of Florida. The net result has been, to make a profit, by putting more people in jails (concentration camps?). Most of those people are black people who then are removed from the voting rolls. In a recent referendum in Florida, the voters of Florida voted to stop that type of treatment of those who served their time in jails by getting them back on the voting rolls. This applied to non-felony criminals or minor criminal activities, particularly possession of marijuana or cocaine, etc. This push to get black people in jails from these minor offenses is reminiscent of what was portrayed which happened to Billie Holiday when latent homosexual, J. Edgar Hoover, headed the FBI. (See the movie, The United States v. Billie Holiday).

It was very eloquently stated in The April 17 Economist article: “we also believe that concentrations of power are dangerous. Business people will always lobby for their own advantage, but the closer they get to the government, the more harm they threaten to both the economy and politics.” However, to frame this issue as “classic liberals” really puts this too much on the political spectrum, when I know many conservatives who support this ideal, too. As Dr. Howard Dean, one-time candidate for president of the USA, said, “we need to frame the issues to make them more acceptable to more people.” Putting in the word, liberal, sad to say in today’s world, gives ammunition to the fat cats of America who follow fascist Trump and push their own agenda with lies and the re-telling of lies. It is bad enough that they have ammunition with guns and the NRA, let alone words used as ammunition.

Speaking of Dr. Dean. He comes from a state which puts restrictions on big box corporate retailers, not allowing them to build in low density areas where they can become more monopolized by destroying the small business competition. Current U.S. Senator, Bernie Sanders, is from the same state and should nix what Rick Scott of Florida says in his fascist white racist business-loving, greedy, selfish way.

George W. Bush may have had SOME good ideas (i.e., use of switch grass as a renewable energy source). But the worst thing he said, as applied to this article in the Economist about the “political CEO,” “what’s good for business is good for America.” I am glad to read this article which does a good job at shooting holes in this asinine statement made by a former president.

The examples of successful challenges to the pandemic were in nations which were democracies which worked together in good alliances with business and health systems to defeat the “war” of the pandemic.

In the late 19th Century, one could have said, “what’s good for government is good for business.” Ronald Reagan, in his stupidity, destroyed that notion and we are being forced to live by such destruction. It needs to change and we need to rid our economic system of the words of individualist, selfish, greedy, lovers of money and materialism. We need to work on the same principles of checks and balances which our Forefathers used in setting up our political system.

There is evidence that Adam Smith recognized the same thing for our economic system, but the autocratic aristocrats in the monarchies of his day proclaimed they had a “divine right to rule” and grabbed and used Smith’s ideas to their own advantage. They twisted Smith’s ideas in order to keep the status quo of the system they controlled, while playing lip service to the Smith ideas about “capitalism.”

The result was that Karl Marx gave capitalism a bum rap rather than acknowledging how the system of supply-side economics was the problem. In essence, Lenin and Stalin set up the same type of centrally planned supply-side economic system in Russia. The Ancient Chinese did the same thing many years ago. These systems of supply-side economics failed. When will people recognize this?

Even General Douglas MacArthur, as Supreme Commander of Japan, following World War II, worked to destroy two things in Japan: (1) the communist party and (2) the aristocratic autocratic supply-side economic system which had existed for many years. This system made the Japanese so ruthless that they refused to abide by the international humane rules for POWs, often murdering American POWs and stuffing the genitalia down the throats of dead men (see Ken Burns documentary about World War II, The War).

If America does not wake up, learn and gain wisdom about these circumstances today, then the negative components is described in this article about the “political CEO” might happen.

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democracy, Economics, Regulated Capitalism, Commerce, New Comments, Op-ed

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It’s About Time: Someone Who Addresses TRUE Capitalism (CBS News Story, 60 Minutes)

God bless Darren Walker, head of the Ford Foundation. Thank you Leslie Stahl and Sixty Minutes for your story about Darren Walker. What a delightful story! What a delightful bit of information about the same love of capitalism which I have written about quite frequently over the last 20 years or more and finally brought to the attention of people. I have frequently tried to point out that the capitalism identified by the wealthy today is really not a capitalism, but merely supply side economics favored by wealthy people and big corporate giants. Thus, we have now ended up today, as Mr. Walker said, with a problem not only for black or Latinx people, but also de-evolving wealth for white people, too. That a small number of the wealthy own as much as 90% of those at the bottom rung of the economy. That capitalism is about opportunities, not just jobs. This last thing, I have spoken out against the liberals and union folks who ONLY talk about jobs, eeven though I am a lifetime union person.

Having lost my stock in a corporation, due to the wealthy supply-siders and friends of Reagan in the 1980s and 1990s, Mr. Walker’s ideas about profit-sharing, not stocks really rang the bell loud and clear for me. It reminded me, too, about the fact that friend of Ayn Rand (lover of the virtue of selfishness), Alan Greenspan, during the Reagan era, had a truly good reason for changing his mind about whether supply-side economics is any good. For many years, I have been saying, over and over again, that supply-side economics is NOT capitalism. The wealthy refuse to buy into this position, out of fear of losing.

I have been stating that capitalism, with the pandemic threat, could be saved by using the example that we once had for war bonds, in order to gain money to fight the war with Hitler and Mussolini. Today, we heard Mr. Walker talk about investment bonds for the Ford Foundation. This also goes along with ideas about raising money through a group like March of Dimes, to pay for the war on polio. Our thanks for the uplifting words by Mr. Walker, as he acknowledged this concept about bonds and other means for raising money for investments.

Mr. Walker, you mention that such actions which means wealthy give their money away and it might mean a loss to them, is “against human nature.” You are darn right about that. However, in stories about the development of the National Parks system in America, there were people such as Steve Mathers who worked within the government, as a wealthy man, to GIVE money to finance this effort AND to pay government employees who did it.

My ancestor for whom I have been admitted to the Sons of the American Revolution, Capt. Frederick J. Schoonmaker, gave money to finance the war effort against the British Crown in the 1770s and 1780s because the fledgling American government was broke.

My point about Mathers and Schoonmaker are about how there are examples which made this nation GREAT of people who DID go against human nature, as does Mr. Walker, and gave their money to efforts to help establish this nation and then one example of building our national parks system and preserving the wilderness in America. Thus, when speaking with Leslie Stahl and saying this sort of action “goes against human nature” and it is correct. But we do need to find all the examples of those who DID go against human nature and helped build this nation to be what it is today, in spite of the imperfections and blemishes over time.

Donald Trump and the Trumpicans and Proud Boys (and others) have no idea what it means to make America great in this respect. They have no clue.

Again, thank you Darren Walker, for the enlightenment provided tonight in the interview by Leslie Stahl on Sixty Minutes. Kudos and bravo to you! Keep up the good work!

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Economics, Regulated Capitalism, Commerce, New Comments

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REVIEW: Morning Joe & book, The Whiteness of Wealth

Thank you, Dr. Dorothy A. Brown (author of The Whiteness of Wealth: : How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans–and How We Can Fix It), adding to the author, Heather McGhee (The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How we Can Prosper Together). The problem is evident with regard to taxes which are designed for the most wealthy individuals in America and that means white people benefit more. Well said.

My problem is in the sub-title of the book. As Stacey Abrams says, “we stand firm on our values, but can compromise on our actions.” I stand with Dr. Brown in the values of human equality which she points out in the title. I have some concerns about the part of the sub-title of “how we can fix it.”

Yes, Dr. Brown gives us some good insight on solutions for the problem. And we should all recognize her for coming up with solutions and standing forth with such solutions. Thank you, Dr. Brown.

My problem, though, for which I have written over and over again, is that people look at capitalism through the lenses and perspectives of the wealthy white people for more than 200 years now. They have played lip service to the ideas defined by Adam Smith whose intent was to change economics of supply siders who are white aristocrats since the Middle Ages (the Dark Ages). The industrial revolution, according to these people, is the result of capitalism. It’s the result of the aristocratic white folks who thought it would be nice to play lip service to Adam Smith. In fact, I argue that the industrial revolution has merely been a repeat of the agribusiness and agricultural plantation systems. The level of impact may have been better for the white Europeans who flocked her voluntarily to work in sweat shops where many died, but the concept is the same as enslavement of Africans. Yes. Slavery is far worse. No denial of that. But the CONCEPT is very similar. Do I make my point in this regard?

What America is facing, as a result of this twisted version of capitalism is something in which the wealthy Roosevelts tried to twist back and who is it that attacks such people? White wealthy ones which newspapers at the end of the 19h and beginning of the 20th Century identified as “fat cats.” I use those words, but sad to say, no one follows suit. Perhaps if I say, “white fat cats?” Sadly, there are many African-Americans who do follow suit with wealth and become “black fat cats,” too. As Whoopi Goldberg said, “we all need to get on the same page.”

Marx, too, opposed this capitalism defined by white supremacist aristocrats. To solve the problem, he suggested something which was adopted by the former Soviet Union in the same way the white aristocracy adopted capitalism to fit the status quo which had already existed. Whether czars or monarchies of Europe, it’s the same thing. Communists using the Marx ideas by playing lip service to them, but creating a the same type of centralized planned economic system which the czars had, but calling it something different and tossing away religion, due to the fault of religion being controlled by hypocrites, and proclaiming a religion of atheism. After all, religion was the “opiate of the masses.” Yes. But God and the spirituality of God is NOT the opiate of the masses. That’s the point people don’t get. Even the Founding Fathers in America, in spite of their embracing enslavement of a people, had a better idea than Marx with regard to their Deist beliefs.

Taking theologian, Adam Smith’s ideas, and turning those ideas to their own favor and continuing the status quo which favored their wealthy asses (they called assets), gave us the industrial revolution and the herding of people into cities and urban areas so they could create a caste system which favored their asses. They allowed small business to thrive in America, but it thrived best in rural areas, not urban areas where big corporate conglomerates and monopolies could rule and drive small business out of existence, creating the same type of centralized planning and control which the Soviets used and which now still exists in Russia. The communists only used black Americans for their own benefit to gain control of the world. Does one think they truly had the human condition in mind? Give me a break. Adam Smith found out that free markets create monopolies and this went against the ideas of Jesus Christ, so he changed his mind in his later years. However, the aristocratic white fat cats embraced Smith’s earlier ideas which give us this idea that “free markets” are good and overlooking what ultimately happens with “free markets” as competition in a capitalist economic system is destroyed and supply side monopolies which regulate the markets as they are able to, with s*** like Citizens United Supreme Court Decision, destroy (deregulation) government regulation – by a third party.

In this sense, These white fat cat aristocrats love deregulation because it means they can also invoke Jim Crow and other laws in “private business” and they work to stop the government from interfering, as we are watching as it happens today in Georgia (and other state) voter suppression laws.

Thus, I see tax reform through the lenses and perspectives I just defined. I agree with the author who spoke on Morning Joe. Tax credits are designed for the wealthy ones which consist mostly of white people. No doubt about this. My take on this is what conservatives in an earlier era in my life said and for which no conservatives today even mention, while CLAIMING to be conservative. There is too damn much of this political spectrum. People saying, “I have to follow what the conservatives are saying.” Or. “I have to follow what the liberals or progressives are saying.” Ultimately, the entire political spectrum is looking at this through false lenses and working to bring people aboard their “ship.” Even the liberals and progressives are doing the same and thus get attacked as being “socialists” or “communists.” Their values are good, but their solutions get sidetracked by false perspectives. I have yet to hear anyone, except some like Joe Scarborough, even come close to saying what the Progressive Bull Moose Party said in the teens of the last century. Who was the leader of this movement? Theodore Roosevelt, Jr.

My solution is to abolish the income tax and the sales tax. Replace it all, at national and in states like New York, with the value added tax. It becomes a more transparent tax added to the value of products and not seen by the average person, including not requiring the bull manure of paper work which the average person in America needs to do to file income taxes. For small business people, too, this is better, plus the elimination of the sales tax. They sell the product at the price determined by manufacturer, producer and government. In addition to small business (or other businesses), government could reduce expenses, as well. Business and individuals no longer face a regressive tax which penalizes making an income and, if done properly, could lower the overhead and make for better profit margins, rather than looking for tax credits which help fund corporate welfare primarily for the white fat cats. Think of how much money it costs America to support, financially, tax collectors, accountants, and lawyers, so we have more money for education and healthcare for all, which is sorely needed as teachers, professors, nurses, are often the first ones on the chopping block of economics and commerce. How about putting accountants and lawyers on the chopping block instead and in the process, helping non-white people to succeed in a better human equality environment?

Again. Thanks to Morning Joe in bringing these authors to light. I hope we hear more about this.

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Commentary, New Comments, Television & Radio Reviews

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There You Go Again!

Here it is, 2:15 pm. No Binghamton Press & Sun-Bulletin. Weekend after weekend. Many times, the Saturday edition does not arrive. The Sunday edition might arrive, but late in the morning. That’s better than nothing at all.

Most people on the demand side of this newspaper market would simply drop the subscription. Maybe Gannett would like it if all of us did this?

Calling, submitting complaint by email, and nothing is done. There they go again.

Who is they?

Owego gets the newspapers. Newark Valley does not. The local retail outlets in Newark Valley say they do not get the newspapers to sell. Why?

Over the hill and the retail outlets in Broome County receive the newspaper. Why in this area of Tioga County is the consumer being screwed? WHY? Is the Newark Valley consumer nothing but chopped liver? One time and ok, it is understood. But how many times?

From about 1966 to about 1970 or so, a young kid delivered the Sun-Bulletin in Newark Valley. Those were the years when there was an evening Gannett newspaper (The Evening Press). The Sun-Bulletin was the morning newspaper published by David Bernstein. When Bernstein sold the newspaper to Gannett, ultimately the two became one. The result was one morning newspaper, the Press & Sun-Bulletin.

Young kids could deliver two separate newspapers, Sun-Bulletin in the morning and Evening Press, obviously evening. Those young kids were too young to use an automobile, so they rode a bike most of the year. In the snow, they walked the route.

Sometimes, demanding customers insisted these kids must get the morning paper to the customer before 5 AM because they had to drive to work at IBM. One customer wanting this early delivery may have been separated by about 1 1/2 to 2 miles from another. Obstacles had to be overcome or else the customers would simply cancel their subscriptions. The young kids remained in touch with the customers, often having to go collect the money for the week on a Saturday morning so they could be available to play in the marching band for a football game (sometimes to play JV football on a Saturday).

So, yes, COVID-19 makes life tougher. The question remains, though. If someone has difficulty delivering the newspaper to Newark Valley on Saturdays, then why is it there are not enough others, in this time of high unemployment, who could do a better job? Do others just sit around hoping a check arrives from the government, so why bother? Really? Those kids sometimes did multiple jobs and got money from multiple sources, so “‘splain it, Lucy!”

Oh, well. There you go, again. No paper. There you go again. People on the demand side of the market demanding something better. How dare we do that?

Oscar Wilde: “My tastes are simple. I desire only the very best.”

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Republicans Who Support Tea Party are Traitors to This Country

The tea party is attempting to turn people against our Constitutional-based democratic-based country, attempting to destroy our U.S. Constitution which is described by former Israeli prime minister, Menachim Begin, as one of the greatest documents ever written.  The Constitution begins with “We the people…”  The tea party wishes to change it to, “We the corporate monopolists…”  I refuse to accept that this nation is a “republic,” as die-hard Republicans try to claim.  It is NOT a republic, it is a democracy of “We the people…” as stated in the first line of the U.S. Constitution.

Attempting to tear apart “We the people…” is a method of “divide and conquer” so as to tear apart all the accomplishments of Teddy Roosevelt and his “trust-busting” which resulted in one of the greatest nations on earth.  These tea party people and the Republicans who support them suck.  The suckers are those who accept without thinking this attitude to tear apart our government.  This U.S. government has proved successful over many years and needs to be bolstered.

The white racist suckers who take sides with the treasonous tea party are also divisive, playing into the hands of a fascist group of people who promote greed, love of money, and anarchy.  They are wrong.

To be positive, I have positive solutions not based on ideology.  But first, this is the damage being done by the treasonous tea party and their billionaire / millionaire friends (Koch brothers, Rove, Limbaugh, Scott, Walker, Armey, Cheney, Bush family … and others).

1. Removal of the long-term investments in real estate, due to de-regulation of banking and other financial institutions (by Reagan, Bush, and others).  This once provided opportunities for the Middle class, rather than the caste system imposed by these wealthy pigs who are supported by dumb ignorant Middle Class people who have no wisdom.  A home in 1988 could go up only 1% in 8 years.  That was good because one had to wait for the long-term.  But layoffs by greedy tea party type pigs resulted in losing a long-term investment.  Then, the de-regulation of banks encouraged a fiasco in finance between 2002 and 2006 – four years.  The price of real estate became a short-term investment, rising 125%.  Yet, people who lost out STILL will vote Republican.  What dumb jerks, because it was the Republicans who CAUSED it – de-regulation – and did nothing about it when the market moved to slum lords who could “flip” houses.

2.  CEOs began pilfering the nest eggs of Americans, claiming “there is no money for pensions.”  That is the talk of hoodlums and goons and pigs.  There IS money for pensions, but these pensions were used to increase the gap between CEOs and the lowest paid employees by more than 1000% between 1974 and today.  There IS money for pensions, but the CEOs have become a bunch of deceptive liars – and CREEPS.  They forced the average worker into 401(K) plans – NOT DESIGNED FOR RETIREMENT PLANS.  They forced the average worker into a risky market while the CEOs sat by in comfort of their HUGE bonuses which were stolen from employee pensions, even when the BASTARD CEOs failed at their business.  And the boards of directors of these perverted corporate leaders went right along.  Just read Ellen Schultz’s book, RETIREMENT HEIST.

3.  George Bush, traitor as resident of the White House, trashed parts of Medicare and AARP went along.  The man quotes from Nazi propaganda minister, Goebbels, twisting information and mocking and scoffing at those who expose the truth – like a good Hitler propaganda master, with whom Bush’s grandad HELPED to attain power in Germany.  FASCIST dictators, not men of the people.

4.  With Medicare gutted, people have less for retirement.  People laid off after 55 pay the highest for health insurance, but are unable to secure jobs – as the CEO pigs scrap their pension plans.  And now the tea party assholes wish to remove the pools which COULD reduce the cost of insurance to people in this age group whom they have screwed (unless they are brats with lots of money).  Nice opportunity which only Ebeneezer Scrooge could agree.  These bastards attempt to turn the fiction of Charles Dickens and Ayn Rand, too, into reality.  Go f*** off, you bastards.  Someone go for their deep pockets, please!   Bastard snots who don’t even recognize who or what (the government) helped them ACHIEVE what they did.  Bastards.  Low life scum with lots of money.  Even a fiery hell is too good for them.

5.  Tea party attempts to scrap Medicare, Social Security, and Obamacare.  This after removing all capitalist market abilities (pensions and long-term investments in real estate) for the Middle Class to seek opportunities.  These people are attempting to carve a caste system in America into stone.  And what do so many people do? They go along blindly, rather than object.

6.  A former jerk of a Republican senator advertises the biggest screwing Americans can receive – to replace long-term investments in real estate.  The “Reverse Mortgage” is designed and embraced by tea party brats and snots to put people in their places in old age, never allowing children to receive a return on the investment their parents made in a long-term investment.  The banks own those homes in “Reverse Mortgage,” so therefore this also makes it more difficult for young people to obtain housing.  These homes are passed to slum lords with the ability to monopolize and control the prices of homes and RENT.  F*** them.  Screw them.  Someone file a class-action lawsuit against all these people, please!

And to the Democrats.  Stop with this stupidity of “American Dream.” STOP IT.  Get down to the brass tacks of what is really happening.  Speak to the American people who are enterprising people, you dumb jerks in the Democratic Party leadership.  Speak to the ones who are like Congressman Patrick Murphy.  The DREAM makes it sound like people are “ENTITLED” to this.  Dead wrong.  Nobody is entitled to these things unless they INVEST and receive a RETURN on the investments.  Get down to the brass tacks of talking about INVESTMENTS and RETURN ON INVESTMENTS.  A major financial enterprise (Charles Schwab?) once ran advertisements about gaining money “the old fashioned way; we earn it!”  The tea party has REMOVED these things from the “common human,” within the capitalist system and this is wrong.  They pit people against a government which COULD protect them in this capitalist economy.  People are stupid jerks who follow the line of reasoning of a bunch of scoundrels called “tea party.”  Democrats do NOTHING to challenge these notions.  Just continue with “the American Dream.” F*** the American dream and do something different with your approach, you jerks.

The man who defined capitalism (not socialism), following an 18th-Century Scottish banking crisis about on par with the Bush one in 2008 (created by the Republican de-regulation of a decade or so earlier) was a Christian man expecting business people to “naturally” regulate themselves.  But after this banking crisis, Adam Smith changed his mind.  He noticed so many of these Christians were actually hypocrites and determined there should be some regulation.  The tea party quotes this man in claiming no regulation.  They are wrong.  They are dead wrong.

And to the dumb ones who follow Karl Marx.  Karl Marx was a jerk, too.  He blamed capitalism when it was monarchical monopolism which he SHOULD have blamed.  So the tea party twists this to their favor, while re-establishing a type of monarchical monopolism, but indeed this system today, given a blessing by a stupid Supreme Court led by a stupid man named Scalia, is a corporatist system no different from monarchical monopolism.  It’s also no different from the Soviet and Chinese forms of communism and the hierarchical top-down arrangement of the Roman Catholic Church – from Vatican City.

Democracy takes thinking people who understand civics, not politics.  Who understand how a democratic government works.  This takes work on the part of the masses.  We once had masses who were NOT lazy and would embrace this system.  Too many lazy people have poked fun at this system, particularly among my own age group.  They are disgusting people and allow the tea party to rape all of us up the ass.

Scalia believes in the Roman republic and has no idea what the American democracy is about.  Scalia and his fascist friends endorse the idea of slavery, including the corporatist movement to re-make education in order to create slaves, rather than thinking people who understand a broad array of topics from science, math, engineering, technology, social sciences, to physical education, humanities, arts, and yes, the CIVICS of democracy.  These are what education is all about, not the slavery endorsed by colleges with the name, “CAREER.”  Education was designed with a pedagogy which prepared for careers AND lifelong learning.  Just because a bunch of lazy loudmouth Baby Boomers have decided on their own that education has parts which are irrelevant – this is irrelevant to the design of education.  I say to all these jerky SOBs – LAZY ones – to go take a hike and institute their ideas in some third world developing nation, rather than create a lazy one here.  Everyone has the slave attitude of being “entitled” to things slaves receive.

Even BS loudmouth artist, Limbaugh, once said, “slaves have it good because they work and someone takes care of them.”  The SOB “troll” snotty Limbaugh misses the point of the human spirit.  We wish to advance ourselves, no just take care of others.  The Chinese COMMUNISTS impose a system whereby, rather than working towards retirement investment – LONG TERM – the young people are told to get a career (as a slave) and take care of their parents.  What about the AMERICAN WAY, you dumb bastard, Limbaugh, where we are NOT always dependent on children or others.  That we can achieve an independent security.  YOU BASTARDS of the FOURTH REICH.  GO TO HELL.  You bastard remove all abilities for humans in America to achieve a financial independent security and GIVE IT ALL – INDEPENDENT SECURITY  – to the top-level snots who worship money.  YOU BASTARDS.  You destroy something which made America a successful nation – in the name of your stupid f***ing ideology.  Screw you.

I have used some language to suggest solutions.  But are these rejected due to the language?  I never abused the 10 Commandments, but I proposed and supported the ideas of Jesus Christ as he violently demonstrated his anger at deceptive wealthy business people.  To summarize my SOLUTIONS (in case you missed them or were not able to pull them out of what I wrote), here I go.

1. Rather than reduce Medicare, cut some of the military budget and provide Medicare from cradle to grave.  Put our tax dollars to work for the LIVING, not creating the dead.  People in territories like Puerto Rico need to pay into it, or declare independence from the USA.

2.  Stop scrapping Social Security and bolster it.  Keep it at the same age levels.  Force people in territories like Puerto Rico to pay FICA (if they don’t already).  If Puerto Rico does not pay it’s fair share, shove them off in their own independent nation.

3. FIle lawsuits against the billionaires who are scrapping our government.  Whether that be a class action suit or lawsuits by the government.  File a series of lawsuits against Stop the “personal injury” lawsuits which pit the common man and woman against the common man and woman, and direct this dirt against those with deep pockets.  Instead of hurting ourselves, hurt those who are truly hurting us.

4.  Stop the corporatization of education and health care.  These are NOT commodities, they are necessities.

5.  Give all stock holders of public-traded companies equal votes, not just the ones at the top with the most money, as we watch those bastard pigs take away from those who invest their money in the company – and they don’t have any conscience what so ever.  If they were truly being rewarded due to the same “merit” systems these pigs wish to impose on a new slave class, then this would not be necessary.  But these guys have no morals what so ever, figuring they can do anything they wish, like the kings of Europe who felt their power was “heaven sent.” That was BS then and it’s BS now.  There is not “divine rights,” you bastards at high levels.

6.  Regulate the banking and real estate industries to allow moderate long-term growth in housing prices.  This is not a dream.  This is not an “entitlement,” either.  It is just plain common sense for creating opportunities, rather than the type of lopsided top control like that of Haiti and many banana republics, as well as many developing nations.  Corrupt money-worshiping people control these governments – permeated by evil people who perpetuate this crap.

7.  Create a system of retirement security for hard-working people to achieve and I guarantee it would cost LESS than the one which has been created with bonuses and golden parachutes for myriad corporate money-sucking pigs and money worshipers.  I don’t care how this happens, but the best system would be a national pension system bolstered by 401(K) or 403(B) plans – as originally intended.

8.  Stop giving away money in the Social Security system to those who have not contributed or abuse the system with their “disabilities.”  Create another fund for these people.  Primarily, I speak about immigrants who never contribute.  If I go to other nations, I am treated this way.  I suggest a United Nations regulation of this aspect (not an international pooled fund).  It is not right for some people to come to America’s shores and be given money they have come to believe they are entitled to, but me and others recognize we ARE entitled to this money (because we helped fund it) and also recognize we are NOT entitled to funds in Canada or Britain or other Western nations.  Go f***, you people who think you are entitle do our American money.  F*** those who abuse it through corruption.  Strong words?  I resent America being turned into a third world nation, as we accept third world nation people.  Perhaps the corrupt leaders in Haiti and other nations need to take care of their own and stop the corruption.  NIgeria – stop your f***Ing corruption.  Stop it now.

9.  Stop blindly funding wars around the globe which the American people and our government DO NOT have the funds to do so.  Stop listening to an AWOL jerk like George Bush as he flagrantly spent money which he did not have to spend on wars, funding his friend, Dick Cheney (Halliburton), and other munitions companies with OUR (“We the people…”) funds.  STOP IT NOW.  I support President Obama’s diplomacy and think he makes a strong leader.  F*** those who think he is weak because their opinions are BS.

10.  Create an energy-independent America and shed our relations with pigs like Saudi Arabian sheiks.  PERIOD.  Without our military might, the Saudis would be NOTHING.  So make them pay.  The Saudi pigs take advantage of this nation, using traitors like the Bush family and Dick Cheney.  Stop this BS NOW.  Charge Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and other nations with wealthy sheiks for every dollar we lose due to wars in the Middle East.  If they don’t pay, withdraw our military support.  Make this EVIDENT to the American people, despite a f***Ing media which refuses to expose the truth – supported by the [false] divine right corporatists and Scalia.

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The American Wealth Today

 

There is nothing wrong with wealth.  What is wrong is the gap between have’s and have-not’s.  Capitalism is a good thing and helps to develop wealth.  Capitalism goes sour when it becomes centralized and similar to the economics of a centralized economy in the failed Soviet Union.
The disgust with wealth in America today can be expressed as follows:
  1. Emphasis on quantity over quality
  2. Considering human beings as “economic units,” robots, or slaves (like the plantation owners of the South; like the Romans did)
  3. Cutting corners to make the cheapest possible products and utilize our vastly overrated marketing networks to sell shoddy products (Jesus Christ became violently angry when shoddy products were sold in the temple)
  4. Laziness at the top, making lousy role models for the American work ethic, then blaming American workers for not having a “work ethic”
  5. Emphasis on greed and selfishness of the individual to such extremes that the good of the society is negated completely
  6. Monopolistic attitudes among cronies;  no different than the centralized control and cronyism which eventually aided the destruction of the Soviet Union (Soviet system was not communism)
  7. Mis-aligned ideas of capitalism and wish a return to the economic feudal/landlord/ mercantile systems which preceded capitalism, not recognizing how it was capitalism and democracy which made this nation great
  8. Through large corporations like Wal-Mart and McDonalds (and others), have goals to destroy the mom and pop small retail businesses in America, in the same manner the Ancient Chinese destroyed the Mandarin merchant class and plunged China into centuries of poverty (perhaps the wealthy in America are listening too much to advice of the Chinese today who DON’T have our best interests in mind?)
  9. Anarchists, promoting any type of action, even if it smacks of swindling and deception, to make a buck, and go to extreme lengths to validate these actions – including … “doing this in the name of the LORD!”
  10. No longer do the wealthy put their sons and daughters in the line of duty to defend this great nation and get wackos like Allen West to justify what they do; look back at the wealthy ones like Teddy Roosevelt, George Washington, Marinus Willett, John F. Kennedy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and countless other wealthy Americans who would put THEIR lives on the line to defend this nation, not just the ones who are unemployed.  Side note:  was it the poor “communist” who deplored the draft and sought an end to it?  No.  It was sons and daughters of wealthy ones who led the protests against Vietnam and the draft, far different than the poor Irish immigrants who protested Lincoln’s draft in the 1860s.  About the only official in the wealthy / elite Washington crew that I have heard has children serving in the Armed Forces is Vice President Joe Biden.   Perhaps there are others?  Please tell me.  The ending of the draft, I believe, was more beneficial for the wealthy ones, not for the Middle and lower classes.  The wealthy today can withhold their investments and create an environment where poor people have no choice but to volunteer to serve in the military.  What sick people the wealthy Americans are today.  Sickos.  The wealthy no longer sacrifice for this nation, and expect the “Roman-warrior” types in the lower classes to sacrifice.  The draft created an equalizing force in America. We need to implement more than just a draft, but a 2-year compulsory service by every American, regardless of wealth.

    I had a wealthy ancestor who sacrificed big time for the American Revolution.  He nearly went broke in funding this new nation when all the tax dollars were going to Britain.  I think the wealthy ones today should do the same thing as my ancestor did by putting this nation first.  And guess what?  There were no “communists” at the time my ancestor lived.  But go ahead – call him a “communist” or a “socialist,” Mr. West.  And while you are at it, Mr. West, call me, a good CAPITALIST supporting SMALL BUSINESS in America, a “communist,” too!  Go right ahead.  You bastard… and all the goons who lack any intelligence who support you.

    This last issue in number 10 is a big one for me.

    I wish to ask Jeb Bush how much HIS ancestor sacrificed for this nation and then ask him to consider how much HE sacrifices for our nation today – with investments and buddies in Saudi Arabia?  HUH?  I learned that Jeb Bush and I are both members of the same organization – the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR).

    How much did George Bush sacrifice for this nation?  Had it been necessary for me to be drafted, I would have gone.  It would not have pleased me.  But the draft ended by the time I became 18.  That would be the same for Neil and Marvin Bush, but not for Jeb and George.

    When guys were STILL leaving for Canada, I remained in this nation.  When I was offered a job opportunity in Canada – teaching – I remained in this nation.  Those were tough decisions for me to make, but I chose the solution which I felt was best.  Jimmy Carter was president when I was offered that job in Canada.  Imagine my disgust when smooth slick Reagan defeated Jimmy Carter in 1980 – and I was told I should just simply put up with the situation.  Imagine it.  I could have been a Middle Class citizen in Canada on the Canadian healthcare system today – which I have heard is not so bad, despite what wealthy Americans beholden to the “black hole money pit” of big insurance and big Pharm, keep propagandizing about.

    The people who run those corporate conglomerates know nothing about sacrifice for America.  Again, they prefer to destroy than to compete.  Compete with companies in the Western world which have lower expenses due to universal healthcare? NAH!  These bastard pigs wish to destroy, rather than figure out ways to compete.  Compete with companies where per capita healthcare costs are 1/3 those of American healthcare costs?  Hell no!  Destroy the idea of lower cost healthcare instead.

    It will be nice to have sensible people like Patrick Murphy in Congress, rather than the divisive wackos doing duty for the Murdock / Norquist / Koch / Rove (racist) wealthy group.

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