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The Ship of State

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There is much discussion about central government these days. As usual, Republicans want to end as much of the Federal Government as possible, assuming all central government is bad, and return power to the states.

Here are some interesting side effects of a lack of Centralized authority, regulation, advice, and even employment.

If each state has its own education system, what will be taught? It’s is easy to imagine many different education systems in many different states, but if you understand human nature, one state will provide next to nothing for education and one state will go all out for a fulsome education. So people born in one state are uneducated and in one and over educated in another? That’s a simplification, but a true one if you’ve ever traveled the United States. Any student should make the most of whatever system they are in, like the present, but system inequities will grow exponentially if states are allowed their own schedules and syllabuses. Not only would it lead to informational deserts and oases but imagine if the Christian state of New Christendom, (yes, imaginary) only taught their students the Bible and that God would provide for all? Would those students be at a disadvantage to students in other states that taught reading and writing? Or would an uninformed belief in what God supplies be an advantage?

Laws? What if it’s legal to have sex with a 15 year old in one state and not others? With the large contingent of perverts in the American population can you anticipate the nefarious, interstate activity?

Who pays what for National defense? And if one state pays more, does it get more?

Who pays for interstate infrastructure? Imagine a major toll road with every state section being in different levels of repair depending on how much the state has to effect repairs? I’m thinking 95 from Maine to Florida, with possible tolls at every state line to collect revenue. Ugh.

There are more than enough issues with states running their own parts of the country, but it has to be obvious to all a central authority is needed. And to have a central authority, we need taxes to support it. That’s life. Almost every European country collects more taxes than the US, and Europeans are not flocking to our income tax haven. Why not?

Then there is The Ship of State. A majestic floating vessel. We, the populace are on the decks and in the cabins, bemoaning our fates or reveling our hearts out.

But below decks is the engine and support structure. Regulatory agencies TRY to make sure drugs are safe and effective for everyone. (Cartels are a perfect example of an un-regulated drug trade.) The Ship’s health institutes track what is killing us so lawmakers and manufacturers can keep us on track to healthier, safer, and happier lives. Other departments monitor food, air, and water quality, all looking to HELP a burgeoning, profitable corporate world make more profits without losing lives or limbs. Wouldn’t it be better if corporations factored in more regulation instead of paying settlements from lawsuits? Hm. Let’s ask the lawyers on the upper decks. Note: The new administration is pledging to remove regulations and taxes currently “strangling” American Businesses. Take a look at not just balance sheets, but CEO pay and tell me how much more profit do companies need to make? And how much more do they need to pay CEOs? Then, imagine no regulation…

The Ship of State also employees over 2.1 million people in these “below deck” activities. There are Federal Employees in every state with the top ten being work forces in: District Of Columbia, Virginia, California, Maryland, Texas, Florida. Georgia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and New York.

The Original American Experiment in Democracy has already outlasted almost all other empires in the world’s dynastic histories. The steady, unwavering cruise of The Ship of State has been a large reason for our success. Support it. Or get yourself some weapons, grow your own food, and make your own Ozempic and Viagra.

The Great Divide, new version

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I was reading a great article about pig iron and how it got its name, when a strange idea struck: America IS divided but not by political party or economics, but by facts: Some like them, some don’t. The article about the iron was well written and laid out the story with a beginning, a middle, and an end, all supported by facts about making a hard, but cheap metal. In the background my tv was stuck on interviews with Trump supporters at his Madison Square Garden rally. And I’d just read an impassioned letter to the editor from a Trump supporter trying to get local voters to vote for a Trump surrogate.

It became apparent the Trump Train is all about feelings. The letter writer called the Trump surrogate “tough and empathetic”. Rally attendees talked about Trumps machismo, his manliness, his aura.

The Pig Iron story stood in stark contrast. The story was all facts. No feelings. For months the reason for Trump support was elusive. Just the fact he’d say one thing, do another, and then deny he said or did both, was disqualifying, in my eyes, for leadership of the free world. But it is what APPEALS to the Trumpers. One said “Trump’s shaking things up.”Another said “Liberals are mad because they can’t control Trump. He does whatever he wants.” Duh.

Suddenly, it’s full circle back to common sense, and I wonder if any Trump supporter ever really hears themselves, or pays attention to what they say. It’s unsaid whether Trump will keep shaking things up as a leader of all America, or if he’ll do whatever he wants to us all, and our institutions. Do Trump supporters think about that?

The other billionaire running for an office, Musk, has said when he gets into office there will be short-term pain for America as he guts the government. Yummy. I can’t wait to see that. Musk, who is giving away money, says America needs to be more fiscally responsible and he is the one to make it so. Say what?

The whole Trump campaign is like an R-Rated Abbot and Costello routine. “Who’s on first?”

“Why?”

“Cause I want to know.”

“No. Why is who’s on first.”

Trump is playing it close to the vest, but his noisy, power-drunk posse is already looking to reform the entire United States into Trump World. It will not be subtle, like last time when he put a billionaire hater of public education, Devoss, in charge of the Education Department. And put Mulvaney, who tried to de-fund the Consumer Protection Board under Obama, in charge of The Consumer Protection Board under Trump. Insult and injury to the American Consumer in one appointment.

This time it will be balls to the wall change. And he will still try to win, even if he loses the vote, a fair and accurate vote, denied by all the sore losers for over 5 years now.

So. Will there be anyone left who cares about facts? Maybe Vance, who whined that Democrats called Trump Hitler, when the only significant person on record calling Trump Hitler is…Vance.

Let the games begin. Literally.

Politics, the Modern Version

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As an Independent who skews Liberal, the opportunity to see Conservative values and policies is often an enlightening and rewarding experience.

I’ve worded that sentence in a precise, particular way, to highlight the dumb-ass nature of current American Politics. Talk to any Conservative who will admit to any Liberal Policy being worth a crap? And vice versa? No. If you’re a modern Republican Conservative, anyone who doesn’t think like you is an idiot. Oddly, if you are a Modern Liberal, anyone who doesn’t think like you is an idiot. When did all this happen?

The Traditional Values the Right likes to claim as their own, are Values shared by every Lefty Liberal I know. And how many Liberals want to take guns away from citizens? A better question is to ask how many Liberals actually own guns. A lot.

Let’s look at it this example: Today, a Conservative offers a 10 point plan for governance. A free thinking Liberal will probably admit (NOT out loud) he supports five of the points. In The Old Days of Political Action that was called a “Starting Point”. These days its is called…I don’t know what but since the ideas are “Labeled” as Con or Lib, zealous supporters of both fire up the insult engine and the discussion is over, except for the bleacher activity where each tries to pull the other’s pants down.

This crazy stuff started before Trump, but he gets props for understanding how to capitalize on an electorate of–suddenly–idiots. Since the 80’s there have been many strident, bombastic, conservative voices who made a great living telling the usually apprehensive Conservative population anything NOT Conservative was worthless. Gingrich, Limbaugh (Yes, the one Trump gave the American Medal of Honor to), Beck, and then O’reilly, and Hannity, all painted non-conservatives as Non-Americans. I never heard the same from any loud, famous, and ultimately wealthy voices on the Left, but maybe there was, most certainly in response, at some point.

Then Grover Nordquist, the famous anti-taxer, began his campaign of making Conservatives sign a Pledge (google the Taxpayer Protection Pledge) to Lower or even end, taxes. If a Conservative didn’t sign the pledge, the non-signer was voted out of office in the next primary season. Sound familiar? Right now, in this past primary year, Republicans urged all voters to ONLY vote for Trump-loving candidates.

So. Did the Liberal side sit on their asses? No. Now, any non-Liberal thought is a threat to Democracy, with the capital D, And “both-sideism” has become part of the modern political lexicon.

So here’s what is lost: a good, conservative idea during a Liberal Administration, and a good Liberal idea during a Conservative Administration. Neither will ever be considered. How about a thoughtful, intelligent, Conservative politician running for office in a Liberal Gerrymandered area? Or–again–vice versa?

I may have an idea how this crap started, but I’ve no idea how to end this. Anyone else?

All I can say for sure is America is NOT the land of responsible adults, anymore, and I suspect we all need to look in a mirror of our own, not our news silos.

As a humorous aside, Trump is not even a Conservative. Ask Grover.

Caveat: because of space, everything is over-simplified. Do your own research, especially into the Contract with America, 1994.

Language…Words…Tools?

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The last post got me interested in the origins of words and languages. The usual suspects were consulted: The internet and Wikipedia.

The only true thing I learned is: nobody knows. In fact, according to Wikipedia, the evolution of language is such a difficult subject, its research was banned by The Linguistic Society of Paris in 1866 as a subject “unsuitable for serious study”. Study has not stopped, however, but why would it when the best theories cannot be unproven, and even the dumbest among us can have a go at it.

There is a consensus among us serious thinkers (I am now among them) that language took a long time to develop and will not reveal its secrets…ever. A theory which makes sense (as most do), is the appearance of stone tools. The existence of these tools meant the someone who invented the tools was sharing intelligence with others on how to make those tools. Makes sense. But then the theory fails to be taken seriously when we consider apes have–and use–tools of all kinds yet they can’t conjugate a verb. Or can they? For that matter, can we? And when the original tool maker pointed, grunted, and nodded approval to his apprentices, could they ever have imagined the concept of conjugation might find its way into the process?

A theory which is neat and tidy is the Alien Theory. Let me elucidate and explicate. Well-dressed and educated aliens were driving by eons ago and saw an empty-looking, green and blue ball.They stopped to take a leak and were surprised to find early humans hiding behind the bushes, watching. At that very moment, the aliens responded with something similar to our modern “WTF?”, and followed that up with an “LOL” when the the humans threw stone tools at the titanium spaceship. After washing their hands completely, the Aliens proceeded to set up tents for classroom instruction of the Native Earthians, who were forced to attend, unless they were sick. Masks were not invented, yet. Subjects were English 101 and Precalculas math. Pop quizzes were scored and failing humans were put on the spaceship for specimens to be examined on the ride home. The “smart humans” were set loose into the world to propagate their learning and population. And thus math and language were given to our world by somebody who couldn’t hold it in, any longer.

There’s no speculation on how the Aliens were treated when they got home, but Earth proceeded on its course to development, especially after the humans realized the apes “weren’t getting it” and all attention was then focused on the least hairy members of the clan/tribe/society. Shaving was invented around then, as well, using a really sharp stone. Smart, right?

Does any of this sound like a “subject unsuitable for study”?

Final thought? Language and words (and math, science, et. al.) are wonders we all should take part in, and enjoy. We will never get all the answers to all the questions, especially in our lifetimes, but enjoy the journey. Be more inquisitive about where “decimate” comes, from (deck a mate?)and less about who will win “Survivor”. Please.

The World Is Ending…again

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In the 1960s I spent a lot of time chasing girls and learned it was beneficial to volunteer for social causes. Fresh off the farm, finding girls was never the problem but getting them to notice, well, thank God for social causes. In those days Viet Nam was the key issue, but the climate, and Earth Day, were major issues as well. Race relations were at an all time low, too, and many inner cities burned out in protest of unequal opportunity and freedoms.

The adults in my circle of life, those days, were mostly epochal, and convinced American Institutions were falling and the world was near The End. My mates and comrades on the other hand, saw signs of new life, signs of repair, signs of rebirth in the possible, hopeful complete demise of The Military Industrial Complex (MIC), Big Business (BB), and Climate Polluters (CP). My father’s father was one of the former barons of commerce who felt the world was spinning out of control, young people did not respect, their elders, and Western Civilization is headed for doom.

While my general intent for partaking in raucous and often illegal demonstrations was unapologetically romantic I did learn to see the merit in Grandpa’s warning’s, back then.

Sixty years later most of the same issues are still out there, still threatening the future of Western Civilization. Except for Viet Nam. Nam is now our 15th largest trading partner, right after Ireland and Switzerland. The size and nature of that trading says a lot about US Government Policy over the last 60 years, a history confusing older American GIs and Viet Nam vets, both.

The Viet Nam story reveals, however, the larger truth of what our nation is about, really: Money. Wealth. And the power they have over legally elected governments and regulatory institutions.

The sad fact about The End of the World in this current generation is how really close it is, but not for the reason you might think. We now have a Supreme Court loaded with justices who care not for the common sense approach to judicial thought, but to the laissez-faire attitude of the French Physiocrats who reigned over France’s governmental policies from 1775 to 1786. I don’t really know a lot about them but it is important note the French populace revolted in 1789 and overthrew the existing French government. Completely. And executed some former government officials.

It is fair to say someone benefited from the trouble young people caused in the 60s and it wasn’t the young people. The MIC and BB and CP have worked tirelessly over the past 60 years to reaffirm their control over the day to day life of Americans and their money. Some people, even some politicians have been fighting them over those 60 years but you can see who’s winning in the simple fact climate and inequality are still issues today.

Now there is a Supreme Court made up of laissez-faire minded individuals, intent on eliminating as much regulation, oversight, and legal obstacles as they can.

It is not for an old, cranky man to say the world is coming to an end, but let’s see how the next 10 years play out as power gains power, and looks for more…without restraint. Or responsibility.