Fools Paradise

Americans are blinded by their own foolishness. Many of us cast votes for public office based on issues that are close to our personal emotions or immediate needs, without consideration for objectivity or malice. We are blinded by our economic woes and spiritual passions. We foolishly accept the rhetoric of the extremist or alarmist and fail to take time to challenge their claims or investigate the sources. It is obvious in the current political climate, with the volatile rhetoric and dogma that is being spewed forth from most conservatives and certain Tea Party members, that much of the nations anger will decide the mid-term elections.

The consequences of venting their anger at the polls unfortunately will only produce the opposite of what they truly seek; jobs, stable economy, less government, and liberty.

Many American voters are blinded by their own patriotism which paralyzes their thought process and makes it numb to any idea beyond their perception of traditional American values. Many tout that the U.S. Constitution limits the scope of government, and they perceive that government can only interfere with the free markets. To be free to make a profit on the sweat of any sucker that is willing to pay any price for any product they may be able to produce, in any manner they see fit. Any regulation required for the safety and security of the consumer is a personal front to their right to be an entrepreneur. If people are willing to make uninformed, unwise, or risky decisions, then it is an American right to take advantage. Further, if regulation shall be required, then it must be so complicated and so ambiguous that it effectively confounds the consumer to a level that requires further legal counsel and intervention to detour any notion of recourse.

As one that has been politically and spiritually engaged in the American dream my whole life, I find it very interesting that these people that denounce our government are the same ones that take advantage of it when it is personally beneficial. They privately complain about people that file bankruptcy due to loss of employment, but publicly have no qualm about filing bankruptcy themselves to save their own corporation's or business from failing. They claim they support religious freedom on one hand, yet they also claim it is a Christian nation on the other. They scream that the government is too big and overreaching, yet they have no problem taking a government contract to make a large profit. They are so transparent that it make one wonder how they continue to grab power and stack the rules in their favor.

Wonder no more! We Americans are simply fools.

Only fools would watch George W. Bush sign into law the deregulation of the banking industry, change the bankruptcy rules, and propose that social security be allowed to invested into the stock market, then elect him in a second term. Only fools would watch the Republican Party borrow and spend more money in six years than all previous congresses combined, then blame the failure of the economy on the Democrats. Only fools would believe the conservative rhetoric that the President of the United States is not a U.S. citizen and is a Muslim. Only fools would believe that the Tea Party is a diverse group of American voters with the best interest of all Americans at heart, in the name of Liberty, Jobs, and Patriotism.

Yet I do not tarry or worry because I know most are fools, and it is easy to predict the inevitable outcome. Therefore I am no fool and can take advantage of our foolishness.

I predicted fairly accurately the failure of our economy and moved all my personal wealth out of the stock market on October 7th, 2007 after several years of warning the banks, coworkers, family and friends. I can also predict that the fools will vote out the Democrats who have averted a great depression which potentially could still be 100 times worse than the 1930's, because it is global via the Internet. I can predict that the fools will repeat everything they did in the 1930's and prolong the agony for many unnecessary years.

One may ask how I can predict such a doomsday scenario? Easy, we have learned nothing from the past. Why? Perhaps it has much to do with the true nature of Capitalism unchecked. The same environment that existed prior to 1929 (Free Markets) is the motivating force today. The same type of people that were living beyond their means in the roaring twenty's also exist today. The same critics of the status quo when it all came undone, also exist today. The same people that believed in survival of the fittest also exist today. Finally, the same fools that believed them and took the bait also exist today.

One thing is for certain. People are easily manipulated by their personal values. Religion, work ethics, morality, patriotism, greed and fear makes most voters vulnerable to those that want to fool them into a false sense of resolve.

The simple facts are that many conservatives have rationalized that it is best for all Americans to allow Capitalism not government to determine our destiny. That greed is good and government is bad. That money is not the root of all evil, but Liberal compassion somehow is.

I personally welcome the coming storm. Only then will God's wrath and subsequent grace be know. The only tragedy that shall be hard to bear is the children that shall suffer because of it.

May God be merciful to the children.

The SushiDoctor

I have to repost this essay I came across while blogging on the healthcare bill. It was so beautifully written and addresses the claim that the healthcare bill is socialized medicine. Enjoy.

This morning I was awoken by my alarm clock powered by electricity generated by the public power monopoly regulated by the US Department of Energy. I then took a shower in the clean water provided by the municipal water utility. After that, I turned on the TV to one of the FCC regulated channels to see what the National Weather Service of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration determined the weather was going to be like using satellites designed, built, and launched by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. I watched this while eating my breakfast of US Department of Agriculture inspected food and taking the drugs which have been determined as safe by the US Food and Drug Administration.

At the appropriate time as regulated by the US Congress and kept accurate by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the US Naval Observatory, I get into my National Highway Traffic Safety Administration approved automobile and set out to work on the roads built by the local, state, and federal Departments of Transportation, possibly stopping to purchase additional fuel of a quality level determined by the Environmental Protection Agency, using legal tender issued by the Federal Reserve Bank. On the way out the door I deposit any mail I have to be sent out via the US Postal Service, and then drop the kids off at the public school.

After spending another day not being maimed or killed at work thanks to the workplace regulations imposed by the Department of Labor and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, enjoying another two meals which again do not kill me because of the USDA, I drive my NHTSA car back home on the DOT roads, to my house which has not burned down in my absence because of the state and local building codes and fire marshal’s inspection, and which has not been plundered of all it’s valuables thanks to the local police department.

I then log on to the internet which was developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Administration and post on CNN about how SOCIALISM in medicine is BAD because the government can’t do anything right!

by The SushiDoctor on CNN.com Healthcare Blog.

Why I am Liberal

"Give me your tired, your poor,Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

When I think of the actions of the Democrats to muster the courage to vote yes on Healthcare Reform, I am reminded why I am a Liberal Democrat.

I am a Liberal because I stand with integrity to place the needs of my country before my selfish desire.

I humbly pick up the noble torch of truth to march for the cause of the unfortunate and exploited.

I respect the grace of labor by recognizing its significance in the development of a nation.

I am generous in spirit and noble in deed.

I am proud to be Liberal.

The Real Economics of Our Time

The Real Economics of Our Time

Profits do not create jobs. Wages create jobs. When people receive wages, they tend to spend them on things that fundamentally sustain an established standard of living. When people receive profits, it is considered above and beyond the income required to sustain an established standard of living. Therefore profits are excess capital in the economy for investment in research and development or entrepreneurships. The problem arises when the people with profits desire to sustain a certain standard of living based on profits rather than wages, and cut people or wages on those that generate their profits to sustain that standard of living. Because of this the basic economy shrinks and the unemployment rises.

I am of the school of thought that in order to increase the overall economy and generate more jobs. We must increase the base wage and reduce profits. It is much like growing plants. If you take a plant that has only the water and sunshine that nature provides it will generate a certain amount of sprouts. If one starts to prune all those sprouts and not provide additional water, light and nutrients, then it will die. Only when the plant receives more water (opportunity), light (education), and nutrients (higher wages), does the plant thrive and produce more sprouts (profits).

What we have done is reduce wages by moving overseas to reduce cost. This has therefore reduced wages and opportunity here. Yet we continue to flood light on the issue and convince ourselves that with education alone that we can still obtain profits. In actuality all we have done is dry up the opportunity and starve the local economy.

The reality is that the only way to turn this economy around is to take new seeds (taxes), present new opportunities (Water), and place them in a whole new light (education).

The problem is that those which have benefited from the profits (sprouts) do not want to provide any seeds (taxes) to plant.

Until people can completely understand this and stop supporting those that are selfishly hoarding all the seeds, and will only release enough seeds to those to keep the power to decide who or where the seeds are planted, then we remain at their mercy and self interest.

That is why I cannot be Republican. They seem to feel that government is the enemy because they want to safe guard the economy and look after the lower and middle class. Their policies support the corporation at the expense of the individual. It is a survival of the fittest mentality that has little sense of community. They only want to deal with social issues through the church without respect for people of different cultures. They cleverly disguise their greed and ambition through a moral facade that is socially compassionate on the surface, but in policy and practice keeps more people in poverty and powerless to be empowered into a higher class.

Perhaps people will begin to understand why Republicans’ so called moral majority wants to take education from the public and place it in private hands. Then their party can control the thinking of the masses and blame the liberals for all the social woes. It is a clever strategy, but one doomed to failure honestly. It has been done many times throughout history. Yet I am amazed at the number of people that are convinced that greed is good and compassion is immoral. The private education system is obviously working for now.

I am hopeful however, since I am a liberal Christian that has left the church because God knows I can remain a christian without following false prophets. Plus I am not so naïve to believe that I am the only one. It just surprises me how those people that call themselves Christian cannot see these false teachings, and apply different rational to social issues that are the premise of their argument and theology when it comes to their beliefs. Could not the failed economy or the division of their party not be God’s judgment of their twisted policies?

I will speculate on religion and politics in another essay. This is about economics. I just wanted to make the point that politics and religion are only a part of economics, albeit a significant part. It should be understood however that in a nation that prides itself on basic freedoms; freedom of religion, democracy, and education, that we need to connect the dots. We are free to connect them however we choose, but we cannot expect certain results when we connect them poorly. We cannot continue to grow and prosper if we fail to recognize the relationship between the fundamental institutions we support.

Personally, I believe in our nation, our constitution, our government, and our freedoms. I respect the beliefs of others, but resent the lack of respect for my beliefs. I shall always reserve the right to fight against oppression in any form or authority. As a citizen I must respect the law, but nothing precludes my right to challenge the law. I shall however discern in what is an appropriate platform to express those beliefs with consideration for others within the community. I only wish that others would reciprocate mutual considerations.

I do however understand those that have the right to survive physically, and that these rights sometimes preclude the luxury of debate. For example, ones lack of education or understanding and economic means may not allow them to communicate their needs effectively. It is up to those of us that do have the means to yield to their concerns as a matter of principle. I am not speaking of the abortion issue which is much more complicated, but the disenfranchised living.