"The only thing we have to fear, is fear itself" said FDR

While the government diverts our attention by one scare or another-Ebole one day, ISIS another, Social Security bankruptcy another, and then back to the old stand-by, Terrorism-they allow the plutocrats to find ways to stick it to the rest of us.  Now I read that NJ wants to raise a gas tax by eliminating the estate tax.  How greedy can the one percent get?  Take away a tax on the extremely wealthy and replace it with a sales tax, that as all sales taxes, is a dis-proportionate burden on the lower classes.  Is there no limit to how far the rich will push the envelope (in my opinion, there isn't)?  Thomas Jefferson once wrote that people will bear suffering until a certain point and then they will respond;  I don't want to be around when they do.

Remember Jefferson's words:  "All experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, then to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed".

US Elections: A Modest Proposal

After reading The Nation 6/8/15 on the "Wealth Primary" and the need for presidential candidates to raise money, it occurred to me we should change our election process.  Lets just auction off every political office in the country to the highest bidder.  That way the money that "buys an election" will go to the government and not to some multi-million dollar ad agency or media empire. 

Ok, so its a crazy idea some might say, but the wealthy run the country anyway, they should be able to pick their leader.  In that way candidates don't have to debase themselves kissing up or lying thru their teeth to us about what they will do once in office.  These promises are mostly forgotten anyway.  You know, Bush the compassionate conservative or Obama the anti war candidate (Iraq).

The money made by the auction should be earmarked for some domestic purpose depending on the level of government the candidate seeks.  The money raised by those wishing to be President would go to the federal government to be used for infrastructure repair or social security or education or whatever the nation needs most. 

Money raised by those wishing to be House or Senate members should be split evenly between the federal and state governments and used for domestic issues to be determined by those levels of government.

Money raised by those wishing to be Governor or Lt Gov should be earmarked for the state to spend on domestic issues.  Likewise, those running for country office and town should be used by those jurisdictions for their needs.

The bidding can be done on E-Bay and open to all those who meet the qualifications as set forth in the US Constitution.  This would be conducted over a 30 day period to allow the rest of us to watch to gain some entertainment value from.  This would also negate the need for all those annoying phone calls for this candidate or that candidate, all those political signs up and down the highway (in the name of full disclosure I  must admit this might make my collection of political signs more valuable), the endless TV and radio commercials saying what a lard-ass some someone else is or how many times they have committed an unspeakable sexual act in a men's (or women's) room on the NJ Turnpike.

We can also make a lottery out of this by allowing people to place bets on who would win.  This way the "electorate" is given a little taste of a remaining free election process.

As I said at the beginning, this is only a modest proposal and one that will need to be improved on if a number of people agree with the idea.

Obama and Gun Violence.

In response to the killing of nine people in a Charleston, SC church because of their race, calls for change have been many.  Some of demanded the removal of the Confederate battle flag being taken down from the grounds of the state capital in SC and many have called for more control over who can buy a handgun.  President Obama comments that things will not change until "the American people feel a sufficient sense of urgency" and say this is not normal in a society.

I have said before, after Columbine, and Sandy Hook that I for one make a pledge to not vote for any politician who takes money or support from the NRA or the Gun Owners of America.  That will apply for every office for which an election is the way to pick the office holder.  That might leave me with no one of the major parties to vote for, but there will always be a minor party with someone with gun money.  If we all took this pledge then things would change.  I am not talking about denying gun ownership to hunters or those who have a legitimate need for one.  Just get in registered and don't allow anyone to sell a gun without a background check and a licence to sell.  The Second Amendment does include the words "well regulated" in regard to gun ownership and that's all most people are asking.

US Aircraft Carriers

Since 1968 the United States had built 14 aircraft carriers; ten of those named for Presidents of the country. There were the Kennedy Eisenhower, T. Roosevelt, Lincoln, Washington, Truman, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, Ford and a second JFK.  The next one (you know there will a next one) should be named the Bush W. Bush.  It could be the first all-drone naval vessel.  It could be programmed to fire automatically whenever something got in its way.  

Iraq War

Iraq War question should be did you oppose the war from the get go, not this bullshit about "knowing what we know now, would you have opposed it".  I said from day one that the war was the worst mistake we could have made in over 50 years of foreign policy.  I believe that has proven to be correct.  If a candidate for president didn't know what I did they should not be in the running to lead this country.

US Economic System

Our economic system seems to have it all wrong.

We drive down wages by destroying unions, refusing to raise the minimum wage, and shipping jobs overseas.  Those workers make so little they don't owe-or pay very little-income taxes, while also getting government benefits in the form of food stamps.  On one hand that results in less revenue coming into the federal treasury while at the same time more money going out to make up the difference from what companies are refusing to pay their workers.  All in all less revenue to pay for the services and programs people need.

On the other hand we allow more and more wealth to accumulate into the pockets of the very wealthy or almost very wealthy.  We then create a  tax structure that limits the amount of revenue the government can acquire from the rich.  We allow those making just under half a million dollars a year to pay a Bush II era tax cut rate.  We tax capital gains at a lower rate than regular income, we tax unearned income (interest and dividends) at a reduced rate than earned income and are about to approve a plan to eliminate inheritance taxes on the extremely wealthy.

If that's not bad enough already, the corporations owned by the very wealthy  take their headquarters off-shore to avoid paying income taxes.

Could we possibly have created a system that is more ---- up?  The reality of an economic system is the average citizen and the spending they do is what keeps an economy strong; the rich have the money but they don't spend enough of it to make up the difference of the paucity of spending by the average person who only had enough to afford the bare necessities.  All of this and we continue to spend for defense like we were still fighting World War II.  

This country-if we keep this up-is heading for a major fall.

Life of a Nation

Life of a nation is a constant conflict between two opposing forces.  One force consists of those business interests who are motivated by monetary gain and maybe a general idea of what they want is also good for the nation as a whole.  This force is never ending and constantly renewed with new believers in private gain.  There will always be a force of this nature and it requires no new motivation to exist or keep active.

The other force is composed of those who believe a policy is wrong or unethical on moral grounds so they organize to oppose it.  This force needs constant re-birth as the causes or evils change and people lose interest or  die away.  There is not an immediate supply of believers.  This force will be plagued by the reality that most people will get worn down by the scale of their opposition, will just say "what the hell" give up and go home.  They cannot possibly present a organized consistent opposition to the force of business interests-especially when those interests control government policy.