<<I believe the war on terror is a fraud>>
I also think this war on terror is a “fraud”. I think so-called “terrorism” is actually just the first discernible stage of a backlash of the “have nots” against the “haves”. It may have a primarily Muslim face today, but it may well encompass nearly all races, religions, and geographic locations in time. Black, white, yellow, brown, etc.
Corporations or big biz have grown far too large. Whatever happened to anti-trust? The consolidation or aggregation continues as the largest companies acquire and grow even larger. They are the true influence on governmental policy and it is effectively a continuation of the colonization of the past. The form is different but the substance is the same.
Everyone focuses on borders but elites are beyond any one specific location. The most affluent have multiple homes, multiple passports/citizenships, and won’t be impacted by the problems of any one specific nation or country. If things are unfavorable in one place they can easily move and escape. Not so for the rest of us.
My folks would say that there just aren’t enough resources to provide a good life for everyone in the world and so it is understandable and to be expected that those that control it will never give it up. But, it always amazes me that the bulk of the lower and middle economic groups or classes buy into certain pseudo promulgations, arguments or fallacies. One is that wealth distribution is out of the question and wrong.
If you are poor and disenfranchised there is often little choice but to fight and try and redress (yes, and kill - not saying it's right just saying they will - desperation is a powerful motivator) those on the other side. They're just gonna die poor and early anyway. As blasphemous as most here might think it, and while I have no explanation of how it might work (far beyond my limitations to contemplate), I would actually like to see a $10 million limitation on annual net income in all countries and something like a $50 mil ceiling on net assets. No one needs more than this. If you can’t live on $10 mil a year and $50 mil total then too f*cking bad. There are other people to consider. You want more? Fine, AFTER there is no more substantial poverty. AFTER people aren’t dying by the millions of preventable diseases. AFTER everyone in the US (from an American's perspective) has healthcare. But, you’re a communist if you put a cap on “capitalism” to so many. As if incentive would be completely destroyed by this policy or choice. How in the world did a situation arise in which the masses are the defenders of the rights of thousands or tens of thousands of the obscenely wealthy while a billion around the globe are impoverished? Barely enough to live, not enough food, poor housing conditions, no possibility of adequate healthcare, and little chance of doing anything more than just surviving into old age if they're lucky.
My folks pay an increasing amount of money on pharmaceuticals from Canada,etc., and bitch about the cost of maintaining their health. But, most people can’t afford this. And, anyone who is over sixty knows that there are more and more new drugs coming on to the market to take and possibly give you the chance to live longer and more healthily. There is one life for everyone, and some will live longer, better, and enjoy the advantages of technological advancement while the majority get some lame trickle down which may help their progeny in several generations to have a somewhat better existence than their forbearers today. The pace is too slow. The inequities too great. It is unfair and it will only create more and more that will be willing to die for “change” and be called “terrorists”.
Many of the wealthiest countries are facing demographic trends which will produce an increasingly older population and become a great burden or problem. To my mind things will only get worse. I guess if we can harness and control those countries with growing and/or younger populations like in Asia, the Middle East, S. America, and Africa we can “use” their workers and our “financial” advantages to our benefit. I don’t see how these countries or areas can acquiesce to this though. Not forever to be sure. Information is moving too quickly now.
Inevitably the logical step is to fight your oppressors. Pretty hard to strike back at big biz so countries become the target. In the US we have walked around oblivious to the activities of our companies in foreign lands. We don’t care about the poor f*cks working in sweat shops across the sea. Just keep producing those cheap products we need. How many countries have had corrupt leadership or puppets helped into power as facilitators of big business for the developed nations? I’d venture to guess nearly all of them. They’ve been stripped of resources, saddled with debt and disadvantageous agreements, and their futures present a long hard and difficult road. It seems more than likely that unless a better balance is sought for all the peoples of the world then we in the US are gonna continue to have to lose people to this so-called “terrorism”. As a cynic I expect this will be the case. But, I honestly don’t think this is actually about Al Queda, Muslims, etc.
Thing is we know that there is really no genetic difference in people. Give me ten babies from the poorest or most impoverished spot on the planet and allow me to apply material resources, the best educators, etc. and they’ll dominate any ten babies from the most affluent parents if we place them in a horrible environment, shitty schools, with not enough food to eat. Many of the least educated have some very real misconceptions about people in other countries. They actually believe that Americans are smarter, better, more talented, etc. than everyone else. The point is that you can ship the jobs offshore or you can allow jobs to be performed where it is most economically sensible today. But, this trend may eventually have a life of its own and it sure looks like the initial steps are occurring right now. Does anyone doubt that the Chinese, for example, will be able to make even greater strides and produce tremendously gifted scientists, mathematicians, engineers, etc., etc.? The genie is out of the bottle. Anything that can be created in one place will eventually be copied and may even be improved upon elsewhere. The “when” is the only question. How will we be treated if we lose control of our destiny?
There are a lot of great things about our country and our past. But unless the principle focus is to provide a world of equal chance and opportunity we are going to screw the whole thing up completely. No one needs an advantage. But everyone deserves a fair chance. I graduated from a decent accounting program at USC. Fact is many can’t afford to get there and obtain the advantages or opportunity that provided. Are accountants absolutely “better” because they went to a name school? No way. It is how hard you work and how you apply yourself. However, the initial job opportunities are far greater for those from the “right” schools as opposed to those coming out of a state program, for example. Education should be structured so that the pool of available money is aggregated and allocated to provide equivalent learning opportunities (i.e., facilities, teachers, resources, etc.) for all. Let the best and brightest rise to the top. Let’s not allow familial wealth or lack thereof to make the difference.
Maybe my folks are correct in thinking this planet can’t support everyone to a good standard of living. Population pressure and growth continues. Natural resources will deplete. Those that “have” or “have inherited” may be correct that there is just not enough to go around. So it is appropriate to fight by any means necessary to hold on to what they have and damn those that are born to unfortunate circumstances. Afterall, we all only get one life (imo) and the future is not a real concern if you’re dead.
We won’t contemplate hard solutions and only take half measures as we are forced to address problems. We’re worried about the results of our past policies in the ME and what might potentially happen to the flow oil in the not too distant future if we don’t act so we choose to invade Iraq. We’ll fix it by force. We’ve supported tyrants in Saudi Arabia, etc. since oil was discovered in the area in the Second World War. Now another tyrant isn’t playing ball the way we want so we take him out. Lots of countries around the globe with tyrants .. just not with oil. We let that slide.
I admit the complexities of the world economy are beyond my ability to adequately consider. In the US we continue to incur debt and consume beyond our production and depend upon our creditors to buy our hard assets. Somehow this is supposed to work out or make sense. I don’t get it but evidently someone does. It seems more reasonable to return to a state of being in which the country saves and consumes to the extent of our production. Relying upon this financial pyramid scheme to work out in the end sucks. I don’t trust it.
I don’t doubt I’ve sounded like Don Quixote here, and maybe it is the beer in my hand affecting my mind (lol – I’m sure it is – but hey football is on -s), but I just felt like doing some ranting. All we get is smoke and mirrors and the world news continues to sound lousy. I just don’t like the direction things are heading and it doesn’t look like it is going to change.
You can now return to your regularly scheduled programming Tip … if you didn't already get bored and stopped reading five paragraphs ago
Take it easy, please ignore everything I have just said –s
Best, Jeff |
