Author: admin

Much is being made these days about capitalism vs. socialism, the first being presented as the natural order of things – another patriotic litmus test from the conservatives, and the second being presented as the righteous order of things – another politically correct litmus test from the liberals. There is no discussion going on of course, just name calling and insults. As usual, we are wasting a wonderful opportunity to examine a fundamental question – when is capital more important than society, and vice-versa?

Both capitalism and socialism are being treated right now as religions, and we certainly have a lot of fervent believers in both. But capitalism and socialism are more like yin and yang, two forces that must be balanced in order to achieve harmony.

We should be concentrating on identifying the best attributes of both capitalism and socialism, and figuring out how to combine the best attributes together into a whole – capitalistic socialism perhaps, or socialistic capitalism. This would be far more constructive than simply arguing and posturing as to which is superior.

Capitalism at its best rewards imagination, hard work, entrepreneurship, the willingness to take a chance, to dream of something better. Socialism at its best advances our collective future, provides a fair and equitable division of wealth, and protects the weakest of us – the young, the old, and the ill. All of us should be able to agree that these are all positive things.

We can see right now what happens when capitalism is too strong. Fewer and fewer of us make more and more, while most of us make less and less. The power to direct our society becomes concentrated in the hands of those who want to make more money through control of our laws and institutions. Our collective future is forsaken for the benefit of a few, the protection of the weak becomes an inconvenience and a burden.

And we can see from the experience of other countries what would happen here if socialism ever became too strong. Fewer and fewer of us would want to work hard, to take a chance, to invest in a new business or idea. When all is free for everyone, there is no incentive to dream or achieve. Our collective future ends up rotting away from within due to neglect and lack of effort.

This is why we need to ensure that we achieve a healthy balance between capitalism and socialism. It is not fair or reasonable to demand that our leaders declare themselves to be either a capitalist or a socialist when we really need them to be both.

What we really should be concerned about is fascism, which is overwhelming us on a daily basis. The blind trust in one ideology to the exclusion of all others, the use of lies, threats and intimidation to control and direct thought, the attempt to dictate the flow of capital and to break down the collective and supportive nature of our society – this is what we need to fear and guard against.

The excesses of capitalism – where it is accepted that some people deserve to make hundreds of times more than what the average person makes, where our best jobs are sent out of the country in the name of our businesses being more competitive, where so many people make so little that they can’t afford to pay taxes and have to rely on government assistance to survive – these excesses cannot simply be replaced by the excesses of socialism.

The excesses of socialism would be just as bad. Left unchecked, a socialistic society will develop its own ruling class that craves power and privilege just as much as any capitalistic oligarch ever would. In a system where everyone is said to be equal, some will always strive to become far more equal than the rest. Manipulation and control through political and social correctness becomes a fascist movement, breeding resentment and rebellion until the system fails and anarchy prevails.

If the ultimate failure of capitalism is greed, the ultimate failure of socialism is hypocrisy.

This is why achieving a balance between the two is so important.

Over the past few years, “Thank you for your service” seems to have changed from an expression of heartfelt appreciation into an empty sounding feel-good platitude. I am tired of hearing this expression voiced by our politicians and pundits over and over and over and over again. I have the same opinion when this expression is used over and over for our first responders – our firefighters and police officers.

It often strikes me that the people using this phrase do so in a self-serving way to demonstrate their patriotism and political correctness, or out of a sense of social obligation. I listen to them mouth the phrase, but I know that most are so far removed from the sacrifices that our service personnel and first responders have made or may have to make that the phrase ends up meaning nothing.

Sometimes it seems that the use of this phrase allows people to avoid the need to understand and truly appreciate what service, and the sacrifice that is sometimes required in its performance, really means.

I wonder what our service personnel and first responders think about this phrase and those who use it every chance they get. Does this phrase mean anything to them anymore, or does it sound just as emotionally empty as someone saying “have a nice day!”?

I am fully aware and very appreciative that some of our military personnel can and do experience terrible injury, stress disorders, and other consequences of their service. I am also aware of the dangers and stress involved in responding to fires or criminal activity. It is a terrible tragedy when people are killed or injured in the line of duty, or are emotionally scarred by their experiences. Calling these people our heroes, acknowledging their sacrifices, and doing what we can to address their needs and the needs of their families is absolutely the right thing to do and must be done.

I understand the argument that our military personnel and first responders risk their lives to keep us safe and to protect our way of life, and are therefore somehow special and uniquely deserving of our gratitude.

However, there are countless other people who dedicate their lives to helping others such as nurses, teachers, and social workers. There are people who sacrifice their personal lives to work far away from their families. There are people who work dangerous jobs and risk injury every day. Why do we not thank them for their service and the sacrifices that they make?

At the end of the day, we all spend our lives working for a living one way or another. Most of us don’t receive any special recognition for our efforts and commitment. Maybe it’s about time that we begin thanking each other for our service to one another.

Christmas is over, but the warm glow remains. Seeing family and friends, eating and drinking, going to church, and those presents!

Yes, those presents. I am pretty sure that nothing I gave and nothing I received was made in this country. Maybe some candy and some books, but that’s about it.

I wish I could go into a store or an online retail site and see “MADE IN THE USA” on the box or on the label or in the item description. I would gladly pay more for the privilege of buying something that my neighbor down the street or across the country has made. I know that there are artists and artisans and craftspeople in this country making all sorts of wonderful things, but how about those day-to-day items that we all need throughout the year?

When I was growing up, it was very difficult to find something that was not made in this country. Now it is very difficult to find something that is. All we do is resell what others have made.

Surely this has to bother someone other than myself?

And take a close look at what we are buying. So many of the products we import are poorly constructed and likely to end up in a landfill within a few years once they’ve stopped working or have broken just from normal use. We accept the inferior just to save a few bucks, and then end up buying the same product over and over again.

Our major retailers will explain that products MADE IN THE USA would be too expensive for most Americans to buy, particularly the lower class and much of the middle class, and that they have no choice but to import the cheapest products available just to compete and stay in business.

Unfortunately, there is some truth to this statement. When you are paid so little that you need to work two or three jobs just to make ends meet, then every dollar has to be spent to obtain the greatest short-term return.

Everything in this world is interconnected. Once we begin paying everyone a livable wage regardless of what they do, then we can all afford to buy a higher quality of goods. Once we can afford a higher quality of goods, then it makes more economic sense to make the goods in this country. We need to demand the option to buy MADE IN THE USA, and we need to choose that option whenever we can. By doing so we support our neighbors and our nation, and this should be important to all of us.

We need to begin designing and manufacturing our own products to a higher standard than what we are currently willing to buy. MADE IN THE USA should once again stand for the best design and the best utility and the best quality. Otherwise what is the point?

It is true that we now live in a world economy and need to compete in some market segments with third-world countries and third-world labor costs. This does not mean that we have to do so across the board, which seems to be where we are at right now.

Much is made these days of how important it is to be a patriot, to hold on to those traditions that made this country great, to honor our veterans and first responders who have sacrificed themselves for us.

What kind of patriots are we if we choose to buy and sell inferior imported products to each other instead of buying and selling higher-quality products that we make ourselves? What traditions do we uphold when we wave American flags that are made overseas? How do we honor those who have sacrificed themselves for the rest of us when we support the economies of other countries and not our own?

As Americans we have a choice. Are we willing to accept being second-rate and repeat the feel-good statements that pass for patriotism and do nothing other than criticize one another, or are we willing to step up and work together in order to regain our greatness? Make America Great Again should not just be a slogan on a hat but a way of life.

For some reason, we Americans have this deep need to shop, to buy, to find the best deal. Like an addiction, this need has to be satisfied whenever the urge strikes. Take Thanksgiving, for example. Stuffed with turkey and gravy and green bean casserole and pumpkin pie, the urge strikes us, and we leave our family and friends for the mall or department store. When we arrive, we are greeted by clerks and managers who have had to leave their families and friends in order to serve us.

Why do we do this to ourselves and to each other?

Aren’t holidays supposed to be a celebration, a time shared with the people most important to us?

One can certainly question the humanity, or lack of the same, of those corporations whose upper managements have made the decision to force their employees to sacrifice their holidays to go to work to sell, sell, sell. I am certain that all these corporate types who made the decision to put sales and profits over the well-being of their employees are not out working but instead are home with their families and friends, or on vacation somewhere enjoying their holidays.

But really, shouldn’t we question our own humanity first? Is our need for stuff so great that we have no feelings for what we make others do to satisfy our addiction? Are we really that selfish?

There are a few services related to our collective health, safety and security that need to be provided on a 24/7 basis. Policemen, firemen, medical personnel, the military, etc. need to work or be on call at all times. This is an accepted part of their jobs, something that many of us probably take for granted.

I am sure that there are those among us who see shopping on Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year’s Day as their God-given right as Americans. Apparently spending time with family and friends is down on their priority list, or maybe shopping is considered to be a family activity, up there with going to church, just a new way to pray.

I would suggest, however, that holidays should be respected and all of us given the opportunity to enjoy them as a shared celebration.

Therefore, Congress must extend all federal holidays to all Americans, with exceptions only for the services mentioned above. All businesses must remain closed so that their employees can enjoy their holidays. In addition, normal opening times must be followed on the day after a holiday. No more of this 12:01 am Black Friday nonsense.

This should be Federal law. The “Holiday Protection Act” or something like that.

Moreover, in the interest of religious fairness, if the Christians can have Christmas designated as a Federal holiday, then the Jews,the Muslims, and the Hindus should be able to have one of their religious days designated as Federal holidays as well. We would all benefit from more holidays anyway, and perhaps in this way we would become a bit more tolerant and understanding of each other.

We can always go shopping another day.

Listening to the eulogy for President George H. W. Bush, remembering the too-recent eulogy for John McCain, and anticipating the eulogy for President Jimmy Carter, I am struck by their shared commitment to country and the greater good. Each man in their own way sacrificed their personnel interests for us, and each paid a price for doing so. And I am sure that each would do the same again, even knowing the price to be paid.

Where are our great leaders now? All I see are loud talkers, special-interest sell-outs, clever politicians eager to appeal to our worst impulses. We’ve wasted the last 25 years mired in the politics of partisanship, meanness and pettiness, an addiction to power instead of principle. The character of the American people has been damaged by this political environment. One only has to read comments posted on-line on virtually any subject to see just how base and cruel many of us have become.

We were once global leaders, champions for peace and tolerance and democracy. We helped to rebuild Japan and much of Europe, and made it possible for China to become an important part of the world. We worked to end the cold war and foster a better relationship with Russia. To a great extent, we all shared in a better life.

Where is this spirit now? We’ve abdicated our role as a global leader. We’ve lost our ability to design and manufacture even the simplest of goods, like nails and screws and toothpicks. Our middle class is shrinking while the richest of us accumulate all of our wealth. We fight among ourselves over the pettiest of issues and declare one another as the enemy. We use the harshest of language to degrade and belittle each other, and then tell ourselves how clever we are.

We have lost our way. We are under attack on all fronts, from foreign influence in our elections to theft of our intellectual property, including secrets relating to our military and weapons development. We are ignorant of our history, unable to follow the simplest of logical discussions, focused on being entertained instead of becoming enlightened. Fat, dumb, and not very happy.

So I ask again, where are our great leaders? Pelosi? Schumer? Ryan? McConnell? Trump? I don’t think so. Obama? Not so much. The Clintons? Please.

Much is being made of all these newly elected Democrats, as well as a few who failed in their election bids but impressed with the closeness of their failures. Are any of these people going to become statesmen and stateswomen? Do any of them have a vision of what we as a nation could and should become? Or are they just angry and self-impressed, self-righteous without benefit of a cause?

And the Republicans, what have they shown us? A return to a fictional past, tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, an unwillingness to provide balance to President Trump’s worst impulses, contempt for those who sit across the aisle.

We all want America to be great again, but we’re not going to get there following the path of the last 25 years. Each of us needs to reset our values and preconceptions, listen more and talk less. We need to remember who we once were and decide together who we want to be.

Eulogies can tell and show us what it takes to be great, but that in and of itself means nothing. It is up to each of us to receive the message and accept the challenge. Our collective greatness starts within each one of us.

Any thoughts?

 

 

(previously published November 22, 2018)

The Latinos are coming! The Latinos are coming!

Whatever your feelings about immigration and immigrants, this country has a problem with controlling its borders while remaining the world’s beacon of freedom and opportunity. This is a difficult balancing act and easy to get wrong.

Right now, we have groups of people approaching our southern border, determined to essentially bypass our border controls and immigration laws and enter our country. Once allowed in and given a hearing date, most will probably disappear into our cities, never to be heard from again unless they commit a crime and are caught.

I am sure that some of these people would qualify for asylum status due to threats, political and otherwise, that make continued life in their homeland a virtual death sentence or something nearly as bad. The rest are basically wanting to immigrate to this country for the opportunity to have a better life for themselves and their families. We must acknowledge as well that some are leaving behind a criminal past that they fully intend to resume once they are here.

A billion people and more, from many countries around the world, would like to live in this country. We don’t have room or opportunities for all of them. Our long-term challenge is to help these other countries develop their own opportunities for their own people so that their own people don’t feel so compelled and driven to leave home and come here. My general impression is that most people would prefer to stay in their own country with family, friends, and familiar customs if they feel safe and can achieve a basic standard of living. We should be helping to make this happen.

For the short term, however, we need to address what is happening right now. We must find a way to manage these groups of oncoming people in a humane manner that prevents all but the most deserving of asylum from forcing themselves into our country.

President Trump is right to want to deny asylum to anyone who does not respect our laws and wants to enter our country where there is no border control. We need everyone to come in through the front door, not breaking into the cellar.

The courts are right that President Trump does not have the unilateral authority to change the applicable immigration laws to accomplish this. Laws are passed by the Congress, the legislative branch of the government. The executive branch has the responsibility to carry out laws once passed.

Given the pathetic state of our partisan politics, and given my healthy skepticism, it is hard for me to imagine our senators and representatives working in a non-partisan basis to change this one thing that is urgently needed right now.

However, this is what they must do. Learn to work together to change one thing at a time.

Forget about funding the wall, forget about protecting the dreamers, forget about chain migration. Return to these issues later. Right now, address the issue of how we handle people who want to claim asylum or wish to immigrate so that we protect our best interests and prevent our country from becoming a free-for-all destination for the world.

Any thoughts?