A TIME TO GRIEVE; & A TIME TO WRITE AGAIN

Galerie des Glaces (Hall of Mirrors) in the Palace of Versailles, Versailles, France. Français : Galerie des Glaces du Château de Versailles, à Versailles en France. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It has been almost exactly four months since I stopped blogging. The dates may not show that to the day, but I had written some blogs ahead. I stopped because my younger brother Rex’s death by drowning came on top of a year of people – people that I cared about - dying around me; and my heart just wasn’t in it. The total of those who died came to something like sixteen. The dying started with Jo Curran, whom I had been helping to look after, killing herself – quite legally – under Washington State’s Death With Dignity Act. She was suffering from a particularly aggressive form of cancer, and would have been dead within weeks anyhow, but she wanted to go on her own terms. I think she made the right decision, but it was singularly upsetting being there at the end, with some other friends, watching her die.

To my surprise, I was particularly devastated by Rex’s death; and terribly affected for several months after that; and perhaps I still am, though time has begun the healing process. I was surprised because we weren’t close – he had long resented me for being the eldest in the family – and I was affected not just because of his tragic death in itself, but because it brought back all too many memories of our largely dysfunctional family; or such was my recollection. Other siblings may have different memories. My reaction was largely – though not completely – to steer clear of the family once I left home, because just about every family encounter, and gathering, seem to end in rows and recriminations.

This situation wasn’t helped by my mother, a great admirer of Lois XIV, who built the Palace of Versailles, both to increase his glory and to diminish the power of the aristocracy. He did this by making it clear that the nobility had to attend court if they wanted to be in his favor; and then by dividing his courtiers into factions which were then pitted against each other. He became known as The Sun King. Life was good if you basked in his favor; and decidedly difficult if you were in his shadow. Recall that Louis was an absolute monarch. He had ways of making one conform; and there was always the Bastille.

Home didn’t quite match Versailles for opulence – though all our houses were large and contained some truly elegantly decorated rooms – and one step-father, twelve children, two maids and a gardener didn’t quite offer the same potential for faction building as the French court: Nonetheless, she implemented the spirit of the whole thing with vigor and considerable style. She was a dangerous woman in many ways; but she had her good points: Her worst enemy could not deny her charisma; and she was always compelling, even when she was being frightening,   which was quite often. Mood swings were her specialty; and then she would lash out either physically or verbally with all the force she could muster.

But, once I could – I was married young - I steered clear of her in the interests of my own sanity, and a byproduct of that was that I lost touch with more than a few of my siblings, particularly the younger ones. And then came Rex’s death and I was reminded of the days when Camelot was Camelot – as, indeed, it had been on occasions. Few people gave better parties than mother, or were as enthralling when in good form; and I have met few men, if any, who could compete with my step-father, Alfred Lyons – when in his prime – for wit, humor, grace, and sheer intelligence. And to complement such qualities, he was an exceptionally good-looking man; and kind. 

But, tragedy can bring the survivors closer, and I’m delighted to say that I seem to have rediscovered a regular sorority of siblings; and wish that fate had placed us somewhat closer so that we could meet in person. But, Maxine and Lucy are in the U.K, Hermione is in Australia, Leslie is in France; and I’m not helping any by being in Seattle – on the Pacific coast of the U.S.

Tragedy struck again when my sister Hermione’s son, Alain, my nephew, was killed in a motor-cycle accident in Australia in January 2012, but Hermione has shown exemplary fortitude, much helped by the rest of the family.

Will Camelot ever return? If my sisters and their families have anything to do with it, it just might. It will be very different – perhaps a virtual Camelot - but it may well be better: And every castle needs a storyteller; a bard.

I guess that is my role.

 

 

VOR’s Turn: We Have Great Resources Available To Us; But, Do We Know How To Use Them?

Image by SS&SS via Flickr

When I argue that the American Business Model is fundamentally flawed, I don’t wish to imply that America does not possess incredible strengths. Instead, I’m arguing that a flawed business model means that we don’t know how to use them properly; and, above all, we don’t adequately respect our  greatest single resource which is the American people.

Hard to over-emphasize the importance of the next point: It concerns trust, the basis of all human co-operative activity. Few things are more important.

A major reason for this inability to make optimum use of the resources at our disposal is a pervasive lack of trust stemming from a long history of exploitation and greed run amuck. That, in turn, has led to excessive politicization which has the effect of being self-canceling at the expense of a vast amount of human effort. Way too many aspects of American life – like the judiciary and education – are politicized to no purpose. And, as a byproduct, are corrupt.

But assets are there nonetheless; so let me explore some of them.

1. We have a generally hard-working and resourceful population which is large enough to constitute an extraordinary internal market. Further, our demographics are favorable compared to many of our international competitors. Thanks to our immigration policies (imperfect though they are) our population is constantly being refreshed.

Unfortunately, we are poor at optimizing our human resources. Educational problems apart, whereas Europe mainly fosters cooperation between management and labor – and enshrines it into law - U.S. management remains authoritarian, and hostile to labor (which is one of the driving forces behind outsourcing); and the law is generally biased towards capital and management. The end result is a significant land pervasive lack of trust which has a profound effect on both productivity and quality of life. Our system also seems to actively encourage the expansion of an underclass as a way of beating down the price of labor, and, as a consequence – though there are other reasons as well - the diminishing of a well paid Middle Class. Meanwhile the Rich and Special Interests are grabbing all the marbles. That is not a sustainable situation.

2. Although our K-12 educational system leaves much to be desired, the basics are in place and are capable of vast improvement. Further, we already know how to make such improvements.

The above is true. Nonetheless, a combination of vested interests, politicization, ignorance, and inertia, seems to block substantive educational reform. An additional factor is that our consumer culture, heavily shaped by our media and commercial forces, is so dominant; and so effective at dumbing us down. The home apart, schools are not the only source of education. Culture has a major influence. Overall, our failure to optimize our human resources – both in educational terms and thereafter in work - represents our greatest strategic weakness as a nation.

3. Our best universities are the best in the world, and also have a formidable track record when it comes to fostering innovation. In addition., we have a college system which, at its best, is extremely effective.

There are several issues here. Firstly, although our best Third Level facilities are excellent, many others are not. Secondly, it is highly debatable whether launching most of our children with a major debt burden works to our best advantage – especially when jobs are in short supply. And, thirdly we seem to lack the kind of comprehensive training schemes in technical areas which produce the highly trained workers which make, for instance, the Germans and the Swiss so successful in international export markets. Further, we have a tendency to place far too much importance on credentialing at the expense of education. This is a form of qualification inflation which shuts many competent people out of jobs they could do easily; and which does not serve us well.

4. We have world class expertise in a large number of sectors; and dominate in many.

While this is a justifiable source of pride, the worrying fact is that we have been losing ground in sector after sector. A recent example is solar power, but there are many others including strategic areas like aircraft manufacture, aerospace and machine tools. There are a variety of reasons for this including the exporting of much of our manufacturing base (including vital technological expertise) by U.S. corporations; an excessive focus on short-term profits; a failure to invest adequately in research; and the rise of competitors such as China and India. Further, we continue to refuse to adopt any kind of national plan despite the fact that our competition have shown that such planning can work. Finally, we are faced with the fact that many of our largest corporations now consider themselves global entities, and do not have the National Interest at heart.  That has all kinds of implications we haven’t thought through adequately.

 5. We have marvelous natural resources such as coal, oil, natural gas, minerals, rare earths, and much more besides.

Yes, we do, but it is a regrettable fact that having natural resources can have several disadvantages as well. Firstly, extracting such resources can do terrible things to the environment; and often does. Secondly, there is a tendency to become complacent and not to invest in more environmentally friendly approaches. And thirdly, natural resources such as coal, oil, and gas in particular have a habit of fostering corruption. In contrast, it is noteworthy that many countries who have few natural resources – such as Japan or Switzerland or Israel – are forced to use their ingenuity, and do surprisingly well. It’s counter-intuitive, but it’s true that natural resources can be a mixed blessing; or worse.

6. We have a vast, beautiful, and bountiful land.

We are much blessed in this regard, but we have also managed to pollute just about every square inch of it (literally); and much of the the surrounding oceans into the bargain. And we have also degraded much of our top soil, and contaminated much of our drinking water. Beyond that, we have allowed far too much of it to fall into the hands of a few, as opposed to being available to most of us. Private property is a fine thing; but, like anything, it can be carried to excess.

7. We are the most powerful country, militarily, in the world.

The trouble with having the most powerful military is that there is a great temptation to use it unnecessarily – especially now that Congress has abdicated its sole constitutional authority to declare war. Further, such a situation has brought with it a vast – and deeply corrupt -Military Industrial Congressional Complex which is focused on driving up the amount we spend on defense even where it is militarily unnecessary. Currently, we have forces in most countries in the world, and are spending more on National Security that the rest of the world put together. That makes no sense. We need strong defense forces but National Security should not just be concerned with military matters. It relates to the general wellbeing  of Americans as well, and includes such things as health care and the prevention of poverty and hunger. Right now, we are spending way too much on the military, and not nearly enough on the American people, and re-building this country. Contrary to what many argue, we do have the resources, but our politicians are repeatedly making the wrong choices. And, as is normal these days, they are not consulting us.

 8. We have a highly sophisticated, globally dominant, financial sector.

The Financial Sector was touted for years as being a superior replacement for manufacturing as a source of wealth creation. Centralization of this sector was advocated as being essential in the interests of efficiency. The results - as we have switched from an investment approach to banking to speculation - have been disastrous. Meanwhile, we have run down our manufacturing base, and left our small business sector under-financed. A small number of people have made a great deal of money out of financialization, but the country, as a whole has been seriously damaged. Worse still, the financial sector has had to be bailed out – yet again – by the taxpayer; there has been no accountability; and Wall Street has not changed its ways. This means yet another financial crisis is virtually certain. A further problem is that centralized finance tends to mean centralized Big Business which also means de facto monopolies in most market sectors. A byproduct is that local innovation is suppressed and small business is under-funded. That, in turn, means fewer jobs. We are currently experiencing the results of such developments and they are not pleasant. Nor are our future prospects without significant change.

 9. We symbolize freedom to the rest of the world.

This is a profoundly American notion, but it is highly questionable as to whether it is as true as it once was in the immediate post-war years. Partly it has to do with the fact that we have invaded, or otherwise interfered with, other countries rather too often. Partly, it is because more and more people are becoming aware that freedom in the U.S. is excessively dependent on your bank balance; and is circumscribed in many other ways as well. Still, for all our faults, we have much to be proud of in this area.

 

Do we have have other things to be proud of? Of course we do – and it is a long list - but my key point is that though we have superb resources, we are careless with them; and if the U.S. is going to be changed the way many think it should be, we’ll have to do better in that regard.

We have to change. The status quo is failing far too many Americans. Most of us in fact.

 

 

VOR’s Turn: When I Say There Is A Crisis Of American Capitalism, This Is What I Mean

Image via Wikipedia

My thesis is that the current American Business Model (ABM) is fundamentally flawed and needs to be re-thought.

We like to think of it as the very manifestation of American freedom – as American as apple pie – but the truth is that our current version isn’t just stale. It’s rotten. It has has become corrupted. To call it crony capitalism, while accurate enough, is to be charitable. It has become sleazy into the bargain, and where the financial sector is concerned – which produced a staggering 40 percent of corporate profits up until the Great Recession – “rampantly greedy and crooked into the bargain” might describe it better.

Good grief! The damage to this country has been incalculable; and it continues. As for bank profits, if one made the banks fully accountable, and subtracted the real costs of supporting them – which has not been done – I suspect we would find that that these profits were illusory.

Yes, I know that is fighting talk, but bear with me. I’m not saying that that there are not great strengths in the ABM (though one has to look, and pause, and think). However, I am saying that it contains systemic weaknesses which we need to do something about.

Think in terms of a well built boat which is sinking because it has holes in it. Given that it is full of people, the first thing you do is patch the holes. Later, you may decide to buy a new boat, but it will still be broadly similar but may be significantly different in detail; and, as always, the devil is in the detail.

In short, I’m not suggesting we give up capitalism and switch to sun worshipping or outright theft (A form of capitalism we made much use of where Native Americans are concerned). I am arguing that we should introduce some intelligence (and decency) into the system of capitalism we have now.

Others have, and it works for them. Why shouldn’t it work for us? Enter Intelligent Capitalism. What a novel concept! Let me list its requirements:

NOTE: ABM = American Business Model

1. The purpose of an economic system, such as the ABM, is to deliver an acceptable quality of life to the vast majority (and preferably all) of the population. At its core, a sound economic system is essentially a way of cooperating (believe it or not) to maximize resources; with rewards and competition providing the incentives, and regulations constituting the rules of the game. Here, we need a balance.

The ABM fails.

2. A viable economic system needs to be fair, and to be seen as fair. This is fundamental to human nature (flawed though it is). Lack of fairness invariable results in social unrest; or worse. Short of total oppression, there are really no exceptions to this principle. Massive income inequality is neither seen as fair, nor is it fair; and it has a disastrous effect on our well being in general.

The ABM fails.

3. A viable economic system needs to provide full employment at pay that allows for a reasonable lifestyle; and provided the economy with purchasing power. Lack of demand leads to unemployment.

The ABM fails.

4. A viable economic system should encourage, and achieve, productivity gains and steady growth.

The ABM fails.

5. A viable economic system should strike a healthy balance between work and one’s private life; and must include paid sick leave and several weeks of vacation. In short, people should be treated decently. They work better that way.

The ABM fails.

6. A viable economic system should provide both stability, and economic security. This requires a robust social safety net.

The ABM fails

7. A viable economic system should encourage both savings and investment.

The ABM fails

8. A viable economic system should fundamentally focus on the real economy, and not be overly focused on making money with money. It should add real value.

The ABM fails.

9. A viable economic system should not be overly centralized, but should function at local level as much as possible. This has numerous advantages ranging from the fact that most people prefer it, because it promotes personal relationships, to the fact that it foster small business, and thus unemployment. In addition, it promotes resilience.

The ABM fails.

10. A viable economic system should, more or less, be able to balance its budget and its trade. That means it must be internationally competitive, and be capable of producing goods people want.

The ABM fails.

11. A viable economic system should constantly be investing in the future, whether it be in infrastructure or capital equipment, or housing, or the public good in general. Lack of investment may go unnoticed in the short term, but has serious consequences.

The ABM fails.

12. A viable economic system be able to guarantee savers an adequate financial return, and, at the same time, be able to supply capital – particularly at local level – when needed.

The ABM fails.

13. A viable economic system needs to be able to cope with change in such a way that employees are paid until they find another job. and are retrained if necessary.

The ABM fails.

14. A viable economic system needs to encourage a well educated, well trained, healthy work force.

The ABM fails.

15. A viable economic system must be be environmentally aware, and not pollute, or otherwise degrade the environment.

The ABM fails.

16. A viable economic system should be based on the free market, and open competition, with monopolies and oligopolies being opposed.

The ABM fails.

17. A viable economic system should have a simple, fair, transparent tax system.

The ABM fails.

18. A viable economic system should encourage a wide variety of different enterprise structures and should not be overly dominated by corporations.

The ABM fails.

19. A viable economic system requires that capital and labor co-exist in reasonable harmony; and that there be a balance of power.

The ABM fails.

20. A viable economic system require a government which is responsive to the electorate as a whole, and not controlled near entirely by the Rich and Special Interests.

The ABM fails.

 

I don’t wish to cause you indigestion, but I would like to point out that the current American Business Model fails to meet any of the above criteria; none of which is unreasonable.

Worse still, the ABM isn’t proving to very effective. It is just not delivering what Americans need.

I submit the need for change is self evident, and have to wonder why President Obama has not articulated that fact.

I (temporarily) rest my case.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VOR’s Turn: The Current Crisis Of American Capitalism Is More Serious Than The Attack On Pearl Harbor; And Should Be Treated As Such.

Image via Wikipedia

Despite extensive (albeit flawed) media coverage of the Great Recession, its causes and significance, I still get the impression that far too many of us don’t adequately appreciate, or care to grapple with, the sheer scale of the corruption emanating from our financial sector.

It represents a crisis of American Capitalism; and you file that sort of thing under the heading of ‘Existential Threat.’ That means, in effect, a threat to our very existence. It is that serious.

It has already overtaken our political and legal processes, and continues to spread like an aggressive cancer throughout virtually every aspect of the American Way of Life. We already know that our politicians have been bought. Now everyone, and everything else, is being bought also.

This Crisis of American Capitalism (capitalism comes in many flavors – and some work well) is an issue with such catastrophic implications that it should dominate public discourse; yet, palpably it doesn’t. It’s almost as if the attack on Pearl Harbor had been relegated to the status of a regrettable event – perhaps akin to Katrina - which might require a few reforms, but which otherwise could be substantially ignored. Such a reaction, back in 1941, would, quite rightly, have generated total outrage throughout the land.

Fortunately, it was not required. FDR rose to the occasion, made a magnificent speech, unified all Americans to a common purpose, refocused the entire economy to achieve that purpose, and then won the war. The effort almost certainly cost him his life, but it was the very personification of leadership.

President Obama has shown no such leadership. There have been no major speeches focusing the nation on the threat emanating from the financial sector, and no major efforts initiated to defeat such a threat.

Instead, he has concentrated on shoring up the status quo, together with the very people who helped to cause this crisis, to the tune of over $16 trillion; and has made no effort at all to either break up the big banks, or prosecute those responsible. It is almost as if he is complicit; and perhaps he is.

The financial sector is still being propped up by the Fed. His supporters are having a hard time making sense of this; and this level of subsidy to the financial sector certainly does not match any form of capitalism yet invented except what is pejoratively called “crony capitalism.” The suspicion is that Obama is so dependent on Wall Street for financial support, for his reelection campaign, that his obligations as president come second. And one can add in the fact that he seems remarkably reluctant to articulate clear Democratic principles; or to stand and fight for his beliefs. But what are his beliefs? 

President Obama’s depressing behavior apart, let me explore some of the other reasons why public indignation is so muted:

Media Failure: Although media coverage has been extensive, taken as a whole, it hasn’t been nearly as clear and focused as it might have been. It’s as if we weren’t quite sure who had attacked Pearl Harbor. Perhaps it was the Japanese, but it could have been the Soviets. Perhaps a volcano had erupted or there had been a giant gas explosion. Bottom line: the issues have been blurred. Given who owns the media, we shouldn’t be surprised by this. Big business can’t become big without being in bed with the financial sector; and our main media is owned by Big Business.

An Apathetic (and frequently ignorant) Public: I have no desire to be critical of the American public, but it is hard not to be concerned when one examines the data available. Let me quote a neighbor (a fireman) instead: “Thanks to TV, fast food and drugs – mainly legal – we’ve turned into a bunch of flaccid couch potatoes; and we deserve what we get.” Hmm! Not sure I would go that far, but about 30% seem to be totally deaf to any form of reasoned argument about any issue; and the thought that half of the rest are permanently drugged (legal drugs are still drugs – and not all are legal) is not reassuring. Also, many work for corporations who do not take kindly to political activism, and who have the power to fire people whose politics they disapprove of; which they use. The reality of freedom is way different from the propaganda.

The Extraordinary & Unrelenting Efforts of the Republicans To Blur the Issue: We should scarcely be surprised at this, given that the Republican Party is so clearly in the hands of the Rich and Corporate Interests these days, but one might have hoped that there would have been a few Republicans left who would have considered the Public Good, the National Interest or even the ethic of the situation. Clearly not; and to a disturbing extent, the Democrats have been complicit. So much for Congress.

The Equally Extraordinary & Unrelenting Efforts of the The Financial Sector (and Big Business in general) To Manipulate Public Opinion and Game The System: There is a tendency to refer to the Financial Sector – Wall Street or the Big Banks – as if they existed in isolation. Clearly they do not, but it is rather more important to be aware that the interests of the Financial Sector and Big Business in general are frequently one and the same. That represents an extraordinary nexus of resources compared to the ballot box. And the Rich and Corporate Interests have not hesitated to use such resources to the fullest extent necessary.

It says a great deal about the current state of this Great Nation that the only people who seem to be prepared to do the right thing are those involved in the Occupy Movement. And now winter is coming.

We all need to get involved. This used to be a pretty good country. Seems a pity to have it stolen away from us. Our own interests apart, much of the rest of the world needs us too; even likes us. And we need them.

Perhaps we need a different graphic.

‘A’ for ACTION comes to mind. By ‘U.S.’

Those were the days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VOR’s Turn: The Irish Samurai

Despite being a WW II baby (May 23 1944) and thus brought up in a period when both Germany and Japan were not thought of with much affection, I have long been intrigued by Japan.

It was strange, really, because most of the books I read when I was growing up were ferociously anti-Japanese, I did not know any Japanese, and most of the movies I saw were equally unforgiving.

Beyond that, a much admired uncle, Joe Lentaigne, had fought the Japanese in WW II and had endured terrible privation while fighting with Orde Wingate’s Chindits. After Wingate had been killed, General ‘Fighting Joe’ Lentaigne had gone on to command the Chindits, and, as it happens, Wingate’s son, also called Orde, had been in my class at school.

The Chindits, by the way, were special forces who fought behind enemy lines and were supplied from  the air. It was a brilliant idea which ran ahead of the capabilities of the air forces of the time. The men achieved some military successes, but suffered horribly.

My anti-Japanese influences did not end there. When I was 19 – which would make it 1963 – I once had the privilege of spending an evening with the famous Australian author Russell Braddon, whose book, THE NAKED ISLAND, was as powerful an indictment of Japanese wartime cruelty as you are likely to read. Russell had experienced this first hand.

He had been a prisoner of the Japanese for four years, from 1942-45, in the notorious Changi prison in Singapore.

Russell was a delightful man (he died in 1995), and a talented writer, but suffice to say that, at that time, he still was not minded to forgive the Japanese. He had seen numerous friends die quite unnecessarily from malnutrition and disease in Changi, and he had also witnessed, and been the victim of, much brutality.

He had also witnessed a number of executions by decapitation. He was of the opinion that Japanese culture was fundamentally flawed and, in a word, hated them.

In my opinion, he had earned the right, but though I thought about his words a great deal – I was much impressed by him – my interest in Japan did not waver.

A further negative regarding Japan was that, in those days, anything cheaply, and frequently badly, manufactured, seemed to come from either Japan or Hong Kong.

Times have certainly changed.

So where did my interest in, and respect for, Japan come from? I don’t really know, but I suspect I read a couple of contrarian books – I have been reading 2-4 books a week for most of my life, and I know I was profoundly impressed by various features I read (and looked at) in the National Geographic. Their standard of photography has always been commendable.

My conclusion went roughly along these lines: Here is a culture which is certainly different, but which makes a great deal of sense within its own parameters, and which is impressively focused on the excellent, and the beautiful. As to its behavior in China, Korea and during WW II, one has to appreciate that Japan was still in the middle ages less than three generations earlier, and cultural confusion under such circumstances was scarcely surprising.

Eventually, in the Nineties, I made it to Japan to do research for my second book, RULES OF THE HUNT. It was a truly marvelous trip which pretty much confirmed my conclusions. I have always wanted to go back, but somehow that has never been possible. I regret it deeply. It’s a truly fascinating country, and culture. And I made some good friends there.

I was reminded of Japan when I watched THE LAST SAMURAI recently. It’s a stunningly beautiful movie starring Tom Cruise and directed by Edward Zwick which somehow was not as well received as it might have been.

I enjoy it more every time I see it. It brings back many, many, marvelous memories.

As for the rest, it will be in my memoirs.

But, by the way, the original title for my first book, GAMES OF THE HANGMAN, was to have been: THE IRISH SAMURAI. I always saw my protagonist, Hugo Fitzduane, that way (albeit without a master) and still do.

 

VOR’s Turn: Threats To Our National Security That Stem From Within. #2: THE HIJACKING OF OUR DEMOCRACY BY THE RICH & CORPORATE INTERESTS

Image by matt griffin via Flickr

We tend to associate the word “coup” with armed force and – not infrequently actual violence – but, almost certainly, the insidious power of money has even more coups to its credit.

It reduces the seizing of power to an investment decision. It is also administratively and logistically simple. No troops or tanks required; and those you need to over-power - will take plastic.

Where this country is concerned we have experienced an interesting variation on the traditional secretive coup. In our case, those who have bought power, have largely – though certainly not completely - operated in plain sight by perverting the Constitution. They have bribed their way into power; and intend to hold on to it in exactly the same way.

Politicians come cheap. Return on such invested capital is excellent; and there is a track record to prove it.

The Supreme Court has been complicit in this power grab in a whole series of pro-business judgments which first all ruled that corporations, from a legal point of view, had the same rights as people; and secondly that corporate money was the equivalent of free speech and must, therefore, go unchecked.

From then on, the decline of effective representative democracy was inevitable. Why should a politician listen to his constituency when he has been bought into office with corporate money; is maintained in office in the same way; and will similarly benefit when he or she retires? Research shows that he or she does not.

The system has now been so corrupted that even at a time of unparalleled income inequality and widespread unemployment – a consequence of a rigged taxation system and the lack of worker rights – the Republicans feel quite safe in blatantly advocating tax (and other) reforms, which will further aid the transfer of wealth to the Rich and Corporate Interests; and further advance social inequity.

Such behavior is shameless, reprehensible, and morally wrong, but the Republicans feel they can get away with it because they now control so many of the levers of power – and particularly of propaganda – that resistance will be futile; even if they fail to capture the presidency as such.

Their rationale is simple. The Rich and Corporate Interests have bought both parties (and have manipulated the Tea Party into the bargain). Bribery rocks! Well, that may be a slight exaggeration; but that it works, is certain.

Look no further than the continuing support of the financial sector by the Democrats for proof of this, plus the glaring absence of programs advancing social equity. In effect, the 99% have no representation.

Unfortunately, history shows that social inequity invariably results in social unrest and, not infrequently, violence. And where does violence lead? It has featured in our history before. The term we used to describe it was: “Revolution.”

The V for Vendetta mask may soon look less benevolent.

 

America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.
Abraham Lincoln

Any people anywhere, being inclined and having the power, have the right to rise up, and shake off the existing government, and form a new one that suits them better. This is a most valuable - a most sacred right - a right, which we hope and believe, is to liberate the world.
Abraham Lincoln

 

 

 

 

 

VOR’s Turn: Smorgasbord

Image by p0ps Harlow via Flickr

I’m taking a temporary respite from my rather somber pieces about Our Threats From Within.

Apart from any other reason, it is Saturday, my self-designated day of relaxation and utter idleness. I would have added “utter degeneracy” as well but one has to be cautious in this internet age. Besides, I’m older these days and content with “leisurely degeneracy.”

I don’t really become utterly idle, but the point is that I try and abandon the work ethic for the day, and make everything optional. In short, I delude my mindset into believing that I ‘m not working because I have to, but for the sheer pleasure of it – and entirely voluntarily at that.

It’s a surprisingly successful technique. There is a lot to be said for self-delusion when you know you are deluding yourself. Or is someone manipulating me to think just that?

I’m deluding myself into thinking: “Im-possible.”

The above cartoon has been borrowed from that amazing site THE BIG PICTURE. I said before that is was a positive cornucopia of good things. Let me now substitute: “Smorgasbord.”

The following came from the same source.

"My colleagues, they study artificial intelligence; me, I study natural stupidity." -Amos Tversky, Stanford psychologist and a founding father of behavioral economics