Wall Street Versus Federal Reserve

The guys – and they mostly are males, not women! – on Wall Street are in the investment game for one thing: making money for themselves. To do that they have to make money for others as well; that comes with the territory. But the main point to remember is simply this: profits from trades and investments are the only goal.

What might be other goals you ask? Well, several goals come to mind. These will do for now:

1. Stable markets in which to invest safely for the long term
2. Stable funding for key industries upon which other industries rely
3. Stable currency values for transacting business in all other matters – domestic, foreign, commodities, interest rates, inflation and deflation rates, etc. 

As you can quickly tell these goals are well suited as policy goals. They are not goals for those who wish to make stunning profits from trading equities. Those folks do best when they upset markets and make their moves while values are shifting to adjust to the imbalances they create for the sole purpose of making money.

You doubt this goes on? Oh please! When exactly were you born? And were you protected from reality all of your life?

People do bad things for selfish reasons. Look at offshore investment vehicles to support my point. Observe also all of the tax avoidance schemes readily available to those who take the risks. And follow closely the actions of paid lobbyists as they manipulate elected officials all over the globe for favored legislation that will either protect their profit centers unfairly, or avoid taxation of profits, or in any other way provide a morsel of advantage over competitors so profits can be generated out of view.

Wealth accumulation in the manners described above have been with mankind since the inception of trading, currency creation, and legislative activity. It is the way of the world. It is unfair. It is unkind. It is against the law often. It is a scourge that we may never rid ourselves of. A fact of life.

So, why bother saying any of this? Because the Federal Reserve is attempting to maintain a healthy economy in spite of all the other players. Congress certainly does not understand how the economy works, but they do understand greed and the benefit they derive by giving seekers of favors what they want. They – the elected official – gains money or power and that’s all they want. The seekers want unfair advantage over others financially and get it from the elected officials.

Destabilization of the markets is the result. And the Federal Reserve’s job is to offset those results in order to maintain a stable market for the long term benefit of the rest of us. And the industries that rely on stability, the pension fund managers, major institutions that do the work of society (churches, universities, hospital and medical researchers and medical providers) and of course banks.

The guys on Wall Street, however, think interest rates are too low. That’s because they make money with interest rate fluctuations, especially when those rates are much higher. The margins these days are so low that one doesn’t actually make a living off of interest rates. So, what to do? Lobby for higher rates. But a funny thing exists that everyone touts but most ignore when it gets in the way.

The free market. That’s right, the free market dictates that interest rates are low when demand for borrowed funds or investible funds are high and the supply of such funds are low.

So, you ask what is the demand for borrowed funds and investment dollars? Well, one telling answer is this: how many loose cash dollars exist in the American economy at this moment that would be available for loans and investments? And the answer would be more than $5 trillion. That figure is probably much higher but at that amount it doesn’t matter if there is another trillion or so lurking around.

With so much available cash sitting idly, interest rates are low. That’s the point. And that’s the truth.

Wall Street guys will try to change your mind but they run into the above fact each time.

What they should do is create exciting uses for idle cash and attract it into play. When most of it has been so employed, then additional use will come only at higher interest rates. See how that happens?

Until we have settled the idle cash question, interest rates will remain low. Get it now, and move on.

The Federal Reserve is doing what it needs to do. Leave them to their function and expertise. For Wall Street guys, leave them to their greedy function but remember whose benefit is being served. It really isn’t yours; it’s theirs.

And that’s another fact of life.

Your welcome!

April 11, 2016

Party Politics – Democrat Style

Back in 2007 and 2008 when Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were battling for the party nomination for President, I was torn. I liked both candidates. On the one hand I wanted a woman to ascend to the White House, and I thought Hillary was the right person for it. Only one problem: she was so close in time to when Bill Clinton was President. National memory is such – now and then – to act as a poison well for people close to the unpleasant memories. And Bill made some beauties!

Hillary was tarnished by those beauties of Bill only because of her proximity. Association means a lot to a lot of people, and I had hoped that Hillary would have delayed her presidential ambitions to a later time when people would better focus just on her and not saddle her with the baggage of Bill.

So I examined Obama’s candidacy and was pleasantly surprised. Read several books on him and came to understand his abilities, thinking process and values structure. He was a formidable politician as well. I had not known much about him going into this race, but soon developed a deep appreciation for him.

As the primary elections went on I observed how Obama and Hillary conducted themselves. Who would I support? A candidate who would be the first African American president? Or the first woman to hold the White House?

Even though Obama’s history in elected politics was small, he projected a statesman’s demeanor and a quick mind promising an intellect that was up to the demanding job of being President.

Hillary, on the other hand, turned feisty and combative early in the campaign. She soured me at that point and I transferred my allegiance to Obama.

Now eight years later Hillary is embarked on the mighty task to win the White House. Her only opponent is a 74 year old Vermont US Senator who is decidedly liberal and even a self-avowed Socialist. In a conservative tinged nation like America in 2016, socialism is not an ideal bully pulpit to speak from. So it seemed Hillary would have a cakewalk to the party’s nomination.

How wrong I was!

Bernie Sanders turns out to be a spokesman for a lot of young people, a lot of independent minded voters, and a lot of people sick and tired of politics as usual. Hillary represents the latter while Bernie speaks for the former. And yes, it is time we changed from the old ways to the new ones. Ours is a society mired in mediocrity in public performance. Politics has become a power game for the wealthy and only the greedy need apply. To feed this the rest of us pay the price. That’s 90% to 95% of us pay the greedy power mongers. They are the winners, not us.

In Obama we won, but the power brokers and wealthy pulled most of the strings. So nothing much has been accomplished if it had to be run through congress. America wants this to stop. So do our friends in other nations watching us.

But what is happening now is this:

1. Sanders speaks what most want to hear
2. Hillary speaks of governing and her ability to do so; and she can do it!
3. Republicans speak of conservatism, states’ rights, religious power and power over people. 

In a nutshell that sums it up for me. Sanders has the talking points. Hillary has the governing points. Republicans are the polar opposite.

So, here’s the deal. Hillary is presently turning into the shrew again, bad mouthing Sanders and building party animosity in the ranks. Bernie’s people are out of control and doing the same against Hillary and thus magnifying the animosity.

Hillary and Bernie should be on the same side. Both have great ideas. Hillary has the knowledge and experience and the connections to get things done. Bernie does not have those abilities and a Sanders presidency would be more years of governance stymied by congress. Not a good thing for the country.

Hillary should win the primaries and be the party’s nominee. Bernie should be a trusted adviser and idea man to assist Hillary. The republicans should lose the November election handily and lay to rest for at least four years the conservative machine of negativism. That will give republicans an opportunity to rethink their party’s vision and soul. Then they can return to the national stage to play the role of a responsible two-party player with effectiveness.

Meanwhile Hillary needs to learn to play nice with Bernie. Bernie needs to reshape his vision and collaborative powers and play well with Hillary.

Failing this, Bernie will win the nomination and destroy both Hillary and the Democratic Party for at least eight years. More importantly the White House will be inhabited by Ted Cruz and abortion, Christianity and conservatism will reign supreme in the land.

Do any of us really want this?

If not, then you know what to do.

April 8, 2016 

Freedom Reigns in USA?

Well, I guess it makes a difference who you are. In the America of 2016 one thing is certain: everyone is free to be a bigot. Then too, everyone can be stupid with impunity. Also, each of us can be rude, crude and lewd. There are costs to being all of these things, but those who need to feel superior to someone do have the freedom to be an ugly American. In time they may understand why they shouldn’t act as such, but for now they are free to be themselves.

Individual states – Mississippi, Texas, Alabama, etc. – are free to make their own laws, ignore their own laws, enforce their laws or not, all in the name of States Rights. But they do have to cooperate with federal government standards, laws and protocols if they expect to benefit from major budgetary help, outright giveaways and cooperation in countless other ways.

Like storm damage; they can go it alone and rebuild homes, highways, public buildings and the like on their own dime, or they can request help from federal authorities for disaster funds. Or they can let their public schools run every which way but when individuals are discriminated against, federal authorities can revoke public school funding assistance from that state. Same with public standards in health, safety and policing. Discriminate against women, ethnic minorities, people of low income or disabilities, and those states will feel some financial pain. Like the wayward spouse who has sexual affairs while married, will lose the kids, have to pay alimony and lose value of some assets. Whether it is the husband or wife who dallies, they will experience loss for their exercising such freedom.

There is order within each community. This order is a form of values shared within the community. Violate them and order is fractured. Consequences will follow. Simple.

Imposing your values on others when they do not represent justice or fairness is the same as stripping freedom from those who don’t believe as you do. Adopting your value as a religious value, does not earn you the right to impose your value on the other person. That is not religious freedom just because you say it is.

In the America of 2016 there are millions of people who believe that Satan resides in abortion and in homosexual behavior. They often believe that poor people choose to be so and feed at the public trough. 

These people work hard to levy blame, harm and penalty on those they look down upon. They insist this is their religious belief and thus insist that they are allowed to behave accordingly as an expression of religious freedom. Unfortunately for them they cannot claim such freedom with the force of law.

Public schools are open to all citizens. It is American value and philosophy that all people are afforded equal access to education as a means to pursue life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The same can be said of equal access to health, jobs and opportunity. These are the means to build life, experience liberty and pursue happiness.

Achieving happiness is up to each of us to do for ourselves and our loved ones. But our well being is based on the ability of our society (community) to help each access the same as best they can based on their abilities and desire.

It is not in the community’s best interest to keep good people down, poor and sick. Nor is it in the interest of our society to maintain an under-educated populace.

We work hard for everyone to make of life what they will without harming others while doing so. Order is thus established and maintained. We have the rule of law not the rule of mob. And we have freedom to practice our religion as much as we have freedom from having religion foisted upon us, especially religious beliefs and practices with which we do not agree.

Your religion is yours. Mine is mine. Even if yours or mine is the absence of religion. That’s OK in America. You don’t have to agree with me, believe as I do or do as I say. You can’t harm me. I can’t harm you.

Abortion doesn’t harm you, or me. It is a serious, heavy issue. It is one which is difficult to live with and understand. But it is not for you or society to impose a belief on me. Abortion is not murder; it is not the taking of innocent life. The fetus is a fetus and not a live human being capable of breathing on its own. It is a phase of life prior to birth. To believe it is a living, breathing human entity is a belief that some people hold. I do not.

I promise you I will not have an abortion (I am male; I am over the age of reproduction) and I will not force another to have an abortion. That is their choice to make, labor over, and discern minutely. I have done my thinking and discernment. I do not believe abortion is something to be legislated about other than for the safety and health of the mother. As a male I have no right to make this decision for a woman or for another human being. 

The same is true about sexual rights of individuals. Allowing religious perspectives to control the discussion over transgender or same gender rights is inappropriate. If you don’t believe in gay marriage, gay sex, or transgender policies, then separate yourself from these issues. You are not involved in this unless you choose to be. But for what reason? These are not your issues.

Gay people do not pose a threat of any kind to you and your family. They are not predators. You may fear they are but that does not make them so. It is your fear. Own it.

If individuals usurp from you directly the means to pursue life, liberty and happiness, seek legal recourse. You probably have such available to you. But if these people are not bothering you directly, then you do not have any recourse. They are what and who they are. They believe as they do. You believe as you do. You are who and what you are.

The best solution: live and let live. I can’t stand the way you vote or drive your car. But you are free to do both without interference from me. Break election laws and the rules of the road and the police will knock on your door. Otherwise you are free to live your life.

Now let others do the same. You don’t agree with them. Or me. Fine! I will live with that. but you do not have the right to impose your values and beliefs on me.

Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana, Tennessee, Texas and Arkansas – live your lives as Americans or not. Time will catch up with you. The Bible is a religious book with enormous historical context and standing. It is not the ‘state book’. Abortion is not for you to rule over. Neither is conservative, liberal or middle of the road political belief. Those are all for each of us to determine for ourselves.

Hiding behind a legislature or policy maker doesn’t make truth truer, or falsehoods more false. It just demonstrates the moral bankruptcy of the followers, unhappy as they may be.

As for moral outrage, whose right is that?

April 7, 2016

  

Opening Eyes and Ears

You see the world based on your own experiences. So do I. Our families were part of that living library of experience. And our neighborhoods, too. Schools, churches, neighborhood friends, those chums we grew up with, spent time with, shot the bull with. We explored life together a lot. There were times we didn’t ask the questions weighing most heavily on our minds, but we waited for the right time to do it. We usually did ask those questions.

In this way we learned about sex. I know your blushing right about now, but that’s the way it is, isn’t it? We trust close friends to talk honestly about things we don’t know or understand. We knew about pregnancy. We knew where babies came from, but the mystery was learning how they came to be in mom’s belly. The way people demurred from talking about this subject kept us from asking family members our pressing questions.

So we turned to friends. Not the creepy ones, the ones who were prone to bullying or poking fun at you. No, we reserved our most personal questions for those we knew would listen.

At school we didn’t bother the teachers; they were the same age as our folks and we didn’t want to embarrass them, either.

Little by little we scoped out the world. Bit by bit we realized some things we had gotten all wrong, but then more chats with friends and we adjusted our understanding. Besides, as we grew older and did papers and projects for class, we learned to visit the library. Encyclopedias, too.

Today, kids have the internet and answers are everywhere to be found. So many we don’t know the questions they answer. But never mind about that, we are on our own now and can learn to ask the right questions, follow the answers with more questions, and eventually we have a pretty good understanding of what’s what in life.

I remember having physical feelings that didn’t seem ‘normal’ but I didn’t have a clue about what I was feeling, so didn’t know what to ask or how to ask it.  Years later, maybe 15 or more, I began to put words to the feelings. At the time I didn’t trust any of my friends to know what I was talking about so I kept quiet. More years passed and finally I had a friend I could confide in, confide these deepest of feelings and questions.

He put me in contact with another person he felt certain could counsel me on sexuality, especially attraction to my own gender. Talk about awkward! I still get sweaty palms thinking of it. But it is over now; long over and I have learned much about life that smooths all the awkward moments. Still, the sweaty palms! I wonder if those will ever fully disappear when I think of these matters?

Today I interact with people of all types. Men, women, teenagers, people of faith, atheists, drug addicts and alcoholics. Employed and unemployed, too, are people I am familiar with. Of the latter, most are people of middle age who have suffered career dislocation and have no idea how to relocate their talents to a meaningful calling while earning a fair and livable income. A sign of our times, career dislocation is a serious issue that colleges and high schools need to pay attention to, and governing bodies, too, ought to consider policies that would ease folks through these treacherous waters of life. These problems sap energy and financial resources from communities. We all pay the price of these dislocations. Worse still is how the individual feels about him or herself. Worthless comes to mind. They would offer us even more terrible word choices. They feel pulled into a rabbit hole of extinction. They fear the unknown. They tremble at irrelevancy or the fear of being so. Often they drink or drug to cover the pain. Adding to their misery are the ramifications of that behavior. Worse comes to worst. Institutionalization or prison results in many cases. But that behavior can be managed in better ways that brings the person back to wholeness. And purpose.

How many inmates of jails and prisons are mental health patients in need of treatment? How many are potentially gifted students in need of education? How many are spiritually hungry folk who need time and space to work out their life story on a positive scale? How many of all of these people actually get a chance to explore these solutions? Not very many.

You know that. We all know that. But once the miscreant has journeyed through the criminal justice system and is locked away, we prefer to not think of them. It is better to envision our streets and neighborhoods free of their ilk and threat. We prefer to let the professionals deal with the wreckage of such lives.

But did you know there are very few professionals doing that kind of work? Would it also surprise you to learn that those few professionals are so few compared with the inmates with needs that not even a small dent is possible. The state of our penal institutions is dreadful. Our society feels so harshly that budgets are continuously reduced on a per capita basis to deal with prisoners already in our system. And then, we remove public institutions from the mix and increasingly place this work to the lowest bidder within the private enterprise system. Good luck on rebuilding lives within this environment.

I think of young people caught in this vortex of personal destruction. What they need is a time out and a gracious heart of another human being willing to listen and help build positive thoughts. How many get this opportunity? Not many. And most come with a theology present along with religious rituals and other creedal matter that doesn’t always sit well with the inmate. To get help they have to yield to someone’s religious beliefs?

I get it that religious institutions often dedicate themselves to helping others. What I don’t get is why people don’t do this type of work without the religious directive. I don’t need a religious belief system to press me forward to do this sort of work.

Do you? Might you be willing to step forward and help an inmate or two feel cared for and worthy of investment for a better life after his term of imprisonment is over? If so, contact your local Sheriff’s office and discuss what you have in mind. He will most likely receive you gladly. And he may even help you broaden your work to other institutions hungry for your help.

If we don’t do this work the prison population will re-enter society, our society, worse off than when they entered the criminal justice system. If that is true we are in a world of hurt unimaginable for generations to come.

We can do something about this. Each of us can adopt an inmate to help. And together we can petition our governments to do the right thing in the first place and provide the helping services to these people before the problem worsens.

That would be a good starting point.

April 6, 2016

Where Are We?

So this guy walks down the street. Saunters just a bit, slows to look at a passing car with vintage lines, picks up the pace and continues on his way. Now more purpose adds to his step. He seems to be in just a bit of a hurry. Strides are longer, his heels bite the pavement with an audible staccato. He turns a corner and faces a door.

It’s an ordinary door. Wood with weathered panels, but in good repair otherwise. The doorknob is dulled brass worn clean of paint. The kick plate is slightly dented showing wear of many years as well as insistent toes. This is a door that has received hundreds of people per day. Through it they seek treasures of hope?

I haven’t revealed much in these two paragraphs. No age. No body type. No interests. No purpose. Just a guy walking down the street with varying gait. And a doorway that leads where?

So. A mystery. Or not! That remains to be resolved.

What kind of door is this that welcomes so many people daily? Is ‘welcome’ the proper word describing the door’s function? Received is the word I used originally. A stream of people enter this doorway daily. For what purpose? How can we learn the answer to this question?

Let’s walk through the same door. A lobby awaits just inside. The floor is sturdy tile most likely fashioned from stone material. Its color is medium gray. The walls are very light gray, almost white. Lighting is generous and shadow-free. The air is buoyant and fresh, unmistakably the product of an efficient HVAC system. Temperature is 71-degrees and pleasantly neutral to body temperatures.

There is a building directory on the wall listing each floor and the offices or people found on each. Two elevators open to the lobby 25 feet from the entrance door. We scan the directory board and observe tenant listings.

No doctors are listed. Nor attorneys or accountants. Eight floors are shown plus the basement. Aromas rising from below inform the presence of a cafeteria or café. The directory is re-scanned and departments are noted, or seemingly so. But no title for the building denotes an institution or agency with multiple offices.

Noted are these specific listings: paradigm review; product generation; modeling and prototypes; neuromapping lab; network development; production modeling; data systems management; organizational structures; financial systems; planning and development; launch models.

Do we yet know what purpose this building serves? And what of the denizens of this space? Who are the doers and who are the users? Indeed, is there an obvious functional identity apparent? Are their customers or providers? Or what?

Watching those entering the lobby we note a wide range of ages. Probably 40% are female and the rest male. Most ages are late 20’s or early 30’s, but a heavy concentration of 50’s to early 60’s is present as well. Young and old (middle aged!) mixing agreeably. Camaraderie is bubbling; these people know each other.

Lobby traffic again: some people gravitate to the directory but most know where they are going and enter elevators briskly. People are moving around the building with ease and purpose. And routine. They know where they are going and they are working ideas in their minds. Ideas. Purpose. Routine. Traffic flow.

This is not a school, although the sense of that seems to be evident to a degree. If not a school, then, what could this place be? Eager folk entering and moving about the building. What do the office names or departments suggest?

Is this a corporate office building? If so, why not a name on the building identifying the corporate tenant or owner? Why no receptionist desk in the lobby? Why no phones or phone numbers on the directory board, just function names and room assignments?

We return to the lobby and note a bulletin board of sorts. Its information is shown behind a locked glass panel. It has minimal graphics but a lot of words. It shows hours of the building, when it’s open and when it’s not. The hours cover 20 hours per day and they say people are welcome every day of the week, even holidays.

This is not a hotel. We have already stated it is not a school. Then what is it?

Do you know? Care to share your ideas?

April 5, 2016

Hello, Goodbye, Hello Again

With spring moods fluctuate. One moment we are up and the next down. Smiles one instant, frowns the next. So it goes following moods which track the seasonal swings from warm to cool to cold back to warm.

Mood swings are life. We live through them and experience them. Lately I’ve tried to use them to peer inside myself and use the energy (or lack thereof!) to fuel fresh thoughts and perspectives. Here’s one that might interest you.

My work with SCORE (SBA created entity formed to work with individuals wanting to form their own businesses, or help small businesses improve their success and performance) has uncovered some interesting things:

·        Old urban areas disconnected from a central city have fallen into disuse and decay

·        Those same old urban areas are valiantly struggling to re-position themselves for growth and renewal

·        Those old cities are making headway; they are adopting new uses, new paradigms and who knows where this will lead them?

·        SCORE is a non-profit, all volunteer agency staffed by mostly retired executives; we seek to work with all of America’s small business community; that’s all as in all genders, ethnicities, ages and income levels

·        Regional cities referenced above contain a lot of diversity that are not currently mainstreamed to the modern economy

·        SCORE can and will work to fix that

·        But we have to find ways to recruit diversity among our mentors so they can recruit diversity among new clients

·        That’s how it works but we didn’t actually realize that!

·        So in metropolitan Chicago these decaying cities exist: Joliet, Aurora, Elgin, Rockford; and they all need help

·        SCORE is inventing a way to provide that help

One of the inventions is helping old white men understand the reality of diverse America. Offering bi-lingual workshops, round tables and conferences is one tool we need. Working with local agencies we are finding the bi-lingual help. And the venues that are attractive and convenient for the new clientele.

We are finding hunger for help in starting new businesses. We are finding expertise among the clients who, because of our lack of bi-lingual skills, are as bright and intelligent and creative as the old white male society we know best! We think we are aware but haven’t lived it close up so I doubt we are truly that aware. But we are learning.

We don’t know their markets, but they do. They don’t know how to work those markets, but we can teach them the how. And then they will reap the rewards of doing so, build a successful business, employ community labor and strengthen the community. All at the same time. And we helped but only by first recognizing our limitations. And asking for help.

This is becoming a lesson in humility. We thought we knew but realized otherwise. We thought we knew the how but needed to find intermediary skills to make the how workable. We thought we were creative and we were: we invented what we needed to do to make the desired outcomes happen.

When JFK challenged the nation to put a man on the moon within 10 years, we didn’t laugh. We buckled down and invented our way to the moon.

Today we need to envision an American society rich in its immense diversity and invent our way to this goal. That goal is in our national DNA. We are diversity personified and always have been so. Current immigration rhetoric aside, ours is a melting pot and all are welcome to sit at our table and consume the stew. That is what made us great. That is what will continue our greatness.

See, feel and do. That’s the American way and SCORE is part of that story today.

Care to help write the history?

April 4, 2016

Rabbit Rabbit

Another month begins. An old month ends. And the year moves forward day by day. So greetings to April and Rabbit! Rabbit!

Saying ‘rabbit’ aloud twice is an old superstition both in the United States and the United Kingdom. Saying these two words aloud upon rising and being the first words uttered in the month is supposed to bring the speaker 31 days of good luck. So there. Look it up yourself if you must, but you won’t learn much more than what I just provided you!

Maybe this is the month in which we learn finally who is most likely to win the presidential nomination from each of the political parties in America. I still think it will be Hillary for Democrats, and I think the Republican convention will be forced into an open free for all during which a somewhat independent minded person with main line credentials will appear on stage as the finalist. I doubt that will be Kasich but he wouldn’t be a bad choice; just not the best. Cruz, maybe, but that would be a very bad choice for the party. Trump, no; he is the focal point for avoidance as the party’s star.

Truth be told the republicans have wasted so much of their credibility there are few good people available to serve as the party’s leader, especially in the White House. Donald Trump is not truly a republican and everyone gets that by now. Furthermore, the word is out that he really doesn’t want to be president either. His quest I think has been one of waking up the nation to the reality that the parties are both bankrupt. We must, as Bernie states, seek new ways to do the best for our people and nation. I just don’t think his methods will work. I’d like to think they would work, but a true revolution right now is ill advised. Besides, we should be able to engineer a peaceful revolution where intellect and good will win the day.

Hillary is the candidate best suited for governing the nation at this point in time. Bernie has ideas that need full consideration as we forge ahead into the future. And Trump’s message to America is that many people are frustrated and fed up with inaction from elected leaders. But Trump’s message also informs us that those frustrated people don’t understand much of what’s happening with the exception of their homes, families and check books. They live off the land and other people. They are manipulatable. They need a leader to tell them what to do and when.

The rest of us, however, should take note and begin the clean-up of our political mess. It is in sad shape. It is also lazy. People want instant success and change. They want things better before they even learn what they did or didn’t do to make this situation happen in the first place. Without that understanding they remain far distant from understanding what we have to do to repair all of the damage of the past few decades when politicians waged war against each other and weakened America.

The rest of us; yes, you and I and a host of others. We helped make this mess. I tried but was unsuccessful. I kept up on political, philosophical, sociological and anthropological writings. I even dabbled in theology, too. Although I came through this welter of information better informed, I was not empowered to make a difference in the lives of the nation. Oh, I did my thing locally, even regionally in a small way. I had some influence in small institutions and kept busy in that way. But truth be told my work did not sway many minds. Even this blog doesn’t reach enough people to make a difference. It only makes a difference in my life (mainly!) and perhaps a handful of people who follow my thoughts.

When I mentioned we are lazy, I meant that. most of us read an article and lay it aside. We go on with our work and busy lives and remain unmoved by what we read. We might think about the writing a bit later on, but did it make a difference? In my case readings make a dent in my consciousness, but I cannot say that they have actually changed my mind. Maybe sometimes, but only in small ways. Sometimes an article or event moves me to write a column or essay. But that only means something to me. How could I have more of an impact?

Or you, too, for that matter. How much do we really impact history? The sheer inertia of mass inaction actually does make history. That’s how wars began. Too many sat on their hands and didn’t take action, didn’t tell their leaders ‘no!’ So the war in Iraq under the guidance of George W Bush occurred. So did many other wars. World War II began because Germans did not stand up to Hitler. Neither did other countries who yielded easily and were badly used in the war. America did not enter the war until it was almost too late. Yes, Americans were reluctant to get involved. You see where I am heading with this, don’t you?

We either make things happen by doing something, or not doing something. The latter is the most easily accomplished. Thus it is the leading cause of history. Doing nothing and let things take a ‘natural course’. Sad, isn’t it? But it is the truth in most cases.

Trump is a symptom of what’s wrong with American politics. Let someone speak for everyone else and maybe collect some popularity. Then others rally round the candidate. A lot of people build the guy up and place him on a pedestal until bad news is uncovered and we gleefully pull him down from the pedestal. Push ‘em up, tear ‘em down! That’s the American way.

Rather we should build up good thoughts and leaders to carry their banner. We might actually get somewhere we want to go and with the sustainable logic that serves the purposes of more people than not. The health of a nation is not in one person. It is in the common good of most of us. If more are strong, then we have the power and resources to help the few who are not in good shape. So we care for the old, the halt, lame, sick and disabled. The stupid and under-educated we have with us always, just like the poor. But take care of them we will, and in a good way.

To know or not to know is very much like 'to act or not to act'. The knowing is critically important to the action. Without the knowing, little good will occur.

How many of us exercise our citizenship in this lackadaisical manner? How many of us therefore are manipulated by others, so they can harvest the power, money and influence for themselves at our expense? I bet a lot of us have done this; many are doing it right now.

How else can you explain Donald Trump? Is this really the face America wants for our nation. Our history?

Oh Please!

April 1, 2016