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Any representative democracy that wishes long to survive cannot afford to delegate the right to vote to such masses as are inexperienced, mis-educated, easily duped, slaves to narcissism, or un-invested dis-loyalists.
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Assuming a responsible electorate, ask:
What debts should be socialized; what profits should be private?
Not all debts should be socialized; not all profits should be entirely private.
???But, how best should we check and regulate the twain, while preventing the regulators from falling into corruption and pulling the rest of us after!?
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"SOCIALISTIC-CAPITALISM":
(aka, “Progressive Corporatism,” or “Progressive Realism” --- PREOLISM)
I. LEVELS OF SOCIO-POLITICAL ECONOMIES:
A. Tribal
B. Religious
C. Industrial
D. Free Enterprise Competition (Classical Capitalism)
E. Large Scale Competition or Organization (“Socialistic-Capitalism”)
F. Ponzi Pyramid Schemes Run Amuck
G. Work Delegation to Robots
H. Thinking Delegation to Computers
I. Insight Delegation to Living Computer Scientists and Philosophers
(Eventually, what, then, shall be left for humans, trans-humans, and/or cyborgs? Pleasure? Games? Virtual Wars? Science-Space Exploration? Contact with other dimensions or forms of intelligent consciousness? Hyper Realities?
Eventually, what comes of civilization, morality, meaningfulness?)
II. SOCIALISTIC-CAPITALISM:
Presently, we are at the “E” level, entailing Large Scale Competition or Organization, i.e., “Socialistic-Capitalism.” This is not a “New World Order for the Ages.” It is "ONLY" A PHASE.
We are in for a period of “muddling through.” Mere fine tuning will not end all abuses of power leveraging. Mere principles of Capitalism, while useful for purposes of reference, have become largely inadequate to serve complex, modern economies.
However, we are beginning to enter Phase F, the Ponzi Pyramid Scheming Phase. During this phase, we will be severely challenged to assert appropriate checks, balances, and controls over cynical, morally-soulless, power-lusters, disproportionately represented among the Baby Boomer Generation. More than "hope in change" will be required of us, if we are to survive them.
III. MUDDLING THROUGH:
We need to moderate our notions about Capitalism, in respect of:
A. BIG SCIENCE:
1) Biological Monitoring Implants, Genetic controls, Genes of altruism, Pinpointing laser guided pain, Social monitoring, Space based defense, etc.
B. REGULATION OF ABUSIVE EXCESS:
1) Worldwide and/or nationwide TOOLS FOR PROPORTIONATE REAPPORTIONMENTS of income and wealth.
C. ECONOMIC-LEGISLATIVE TACTICS:
1) Establishing Schools for Congressional advisers on economics, regarding the Science-Art for how best, tactically, to:
2) Pinpoint economically appropriate earmarks for spurring research, development, and marketing;
3) Pinpoint or jumpstart appropriate inter-corporate and inter-national competitions and divisions of labor.
4) Line Item Veto
5) Term Limits
D. CHECKS AND BALANCES:
1) Developing means for curtailing gross abuses of politics as extensions of piracy.
(Who monitors the monitors, who controls the controllers, who controls the memory changers and the history and record manipulators, who computes the computers?)
E. PRESERVING LIBERTY AND PURSUING MEANINGFULNESS:
1) Protect against over-empowering surreptitious, seditious, death-dealing individuals or co-conspirators of terroristic tactics,
(a) while preserving, as much as reasonably feasible, appropriate, meaningful avenues for expression of individual freedom and dignity.
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F (PONZI) -PHASE OF FINANCIAL PYRAMIDING ---LOSS OF NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE:
CO-DEPENDENT ENTERPRISING: For a member corporation or nation to subordinate its independent business or trade to the financial derivatives or international currencies of a group of corporations or nations is to expose itself to increased impotency in event any one of such members so pyramids its dealings, so lives beyond its means, so borrows against its hedge funds or posterity, so pollutes its resources, or so irresponsibly conducts its financial dealings as to pull all other members together into financial and social ruin. Excepting the well-positioned among those with luck or foresight, all collapse or drown together.
10 comments:
EVIL OF SOCIALIZING DEBT WHILE KEEPING PROFITS PRIVATE:
Snippets from http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/a_long_term_strategy_for_a_fre.html:
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Let's be frank. This bailout legislation is the first step in an effort to socialize debt -- while it attempts to keep profits private.
Markets work because they reward good investments and punish bad ones. The legislation's effort to protect unsound investments seems to assume that investors will not take these protective measures into account in future financial speculations.
This quasi-socialist economics cannot and will not work. When a government nationalizes its country's debt, it makes rational assessments of risks in the private market all but impossible. Is it risky to invest in "The Fiduciary Bank of Loans to Unqualified Borrowers?" Who knows? Depends whether or not the bank's "troubled assets" have made the Treasury Department's list.
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Privatize Social Security. The Social Security system has to be fixed someday. Why not start now? The federal government collects nearly 20 billion dollars every day in SSI payments. This money is presently funneled into the world's biggest Ponzi pyramid.
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... We are told that we face an economic disaster of titanic proportions and then, in the next breath, we are told that only a massive influx of taxpayer dollars can save us. People with sound economic sense know that this is not true.
It is time we started looking to the market place for solutions to our economic crisis. If we continue to look to the federal government to fix the problem, we will eventually corrupt and destroy America's free market system ... and lose ever more economic freedom.
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FN: This kind of fraud and corruption occurs far more often in socialized economies than it does in free market economies. "Inside information" is not rare in socialism -- it is the norm. My soon to be published memoir Underground: Life and Survival in the Russian Black Market addresses this issue.
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COMMENT BY AUTHOR: While doing research for this piece, I read several articles that claimed that Republicans were persuaded to vote for the senate's legislation because of the inclusion of the mark-to-market provision. (See section 133 of the bill.) If this is true, then the Republicans are an awful cheap date. Democrats crammed the bill with exemptions, unrelated legislation, and various payoffs. Republicans got the promise of a study. I call that "gutless."
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SNIPPET OF COMMENT BY Randall Hoven: All good points. But falling on deaf ears. The public has already swallowed the lie that this was a failure of the free market, an "unfettered free market" per Nancy Pelosi. And McCain merely echoes the "it was corporate greed!" crowd. We are in for a New New Deal. This time it will be pure communism, not the watered-down kind like last time.
SNIPPET OF COMMENT BY Otis A. Glazebrook, IV:
The Government now effectively owns about 70% of financed housing! We are too late!
The Government sffectively controls Energy/transportation, it is wrecking Healthcare and now housing...... tell me what is left?
SNIPPET OF COMMENT BY AmericanInEurope:
... the real criminals were the negligent liberals who in the name of socialism ignored all the red flags of an artificial housing bubble for years and boldly and nakedly took kickbacks from Fannie & Freddie donors and stood in the way of any new regulation - the very same regulations Barney Frank decries we didn't have!!!!
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Unfortunately, we will now all suffer for the utopian kumbaya fantasies that Dodd, Barack Obama and Barney Frank and the idiots at ACORN brought to us. Capitalism wasn't the problem, in a sane world it would never had come to this if it were allowed to prevail and destroy the institutions early on that were generating such risk before the risk could become systemic. Instead, Socialism propped up and rewarded the failures and led directly to the impending calamity.
The perennial problem is: How can we restrain those we entrust with power from abusing such power?
Unfortunately, our regulators (Congress) have slipped the regulation of, both, voters and decency. The electorate has been rendered so dumbed-down and mesmerized by monopolized media as to have been made only a sideshow. Even reporters for MSM have been dumbed down, mesmerized, or bought off. Control of our politics has tipped to persons, groups, and power-lusters who long ago acquired expertise for preying on our collective narcissism. Yet, only a remnant notices.
Boomers have induced our lowest common denominator, collectively, to opt for:
churches and belief systems that sell salvation or self-esteem on the cheap;
raving in ecstatic, addicted delusions of entitlement and utopia for the taking; and
belief systems that all pain is caused by “the man.”
Contrarians “just don’t get it.”
We are far down a three pronged path, which we will follow to (1) long term disaster (Obama), (2) short term, character building disaster (McCain), or (3) physical reassertion of adult supervision (McCain kept on a short leash).
Does there yet remain time enough to “get physical”?
GIANT CIRCLE: Each event that can be purposefully or meaningfully sensed or experienced seems eventually to connect in some sequential, synchronous, pattern with every other event, sometimes seeming connected in a giant circle, sometimes in short cuts, or in conversions, or even in spooky action at a distance. But, may there be some noumena underlying all phenomena, for which space, time, matter, and energy are no impediment to its Will?
“SQUARING THE CIRCLE”: Each of us integrates and represents (1) purposes that are sometimes amenable of analysis from a particular, individual, or capitalistic perspective, and (2) purposes that are sometimes amenable of analysis from a holistic, communitarian, socialistic perspective.
Yet, in trying to blend an analysis to encompass both the particular and the holistic, the individual and the communitarian, or the capitalistic as well as the socialistic, we tend to lose accurate or reliable measure or analysis.
PROBLEM: Pushed to its limits, capitalism runs up against problems and inequities, as also does socialism. So, may some form of “socialistic-capitalism” help us muddle through some such problems and inequities?
CATEGORIZATION: Were one to categorize in general terms all of humanity’s concerns, one may formulate a list amenable, for some uses, of being likened to a giant circle.
At 12:00 Midnight on such circle may be listed PURPOSE,
At 1:15 A.M. --- BEINGNESS,
At 2:30 A.M. --- ENVIRONMENT,
At 3:30 A.M. --- POPULATION,
At 4:30 A.M. --- FOOD,
At 5:00 A.M. --- CLOTHING,
At 6:00 A.M. --- MEDICINE AND HEALTH,
At 7:00 A.M. --- MENTAL HEALTH,
At 8:00 A.M. --- SECURITY
At 8:30 A.M. --- WEALTH AND ACCUMULATION
At 9:00 A.M. --- INDIVIDUAL CHALLENGES AND PURSUITS
At 9:30 A.M. --- FRIENDS AND RECOGNITON
At 10:30 A.M. ---SOCIAL ASSIMILATION,
At 12:00 Noon---SCHOOL,
At 1:30 P.M. --- REFORM SCHOOL,
At 3:00 P.M. --- FAMILY,
At 4:30 P.M. --- CULTURE,
At 6:00 P.M. --- TECHNOLOGY,
At 7:30 P.M. --- SCIENCE,
At 8:00 P.M. --- SPIRITUALITY AND PHILOSOPHY
At 9:00 P.M. --- ENTERTAINMENT,
At 10:00 P.M. --- FULFILLMENT,
At 11:00 P.M. --- SLEEP AND REST AND DEATH,
At 11:30 P.M. --- AWAKENING AND BIRTH,
And so on, around and around the circle, or zigging, zagging, or popping in and out here and there in, through, across, and around the circle.
Obviously, depending upon one’s focus or purpose, one may connect such concerns in a different order around the clock or circle.
Alternatively, one may look behind, subsume, or collapse all such terms under simpler, more encompassing concepts. That is, one may conceptualize as if our circle of relations were attributable to a spiraling, fluxing, synchronizing, sequential interrelating among Will (spiritual inclination) and Law (mathematical and/or natural).
PERSPECTIVE --- INDIVIDUAL VS. HOLISTIC: Regardless, among the listed concerns, which may be appropriate for being addressed in communitarian fashion, and which in individualistic fashion?
BOTTOM LINE:
HERE ARE OUR PRESENT PROBLEMS:
1) When socialism is an appropriate strategy for addressing such concerns, how can individual incentive be preserved?
2) When capitalism is an appropriate strategy, how can insurance against individual calamity be spread?
CRIME OF THE CENTURY:
See http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/10/the_crime_of_the_century_the_e_1.html.
COMMENT:
Wrong Regulators:
U.S. Governmental regulation lit the fuse that ignited the current worldwide financial meltdown. Regulations mandated that lenders extend loans to unqualified home buyers, regardless of credit. The CAUSE OF THE MELTDOWN WAS REGULATION, NOT DEREGULATION. The cause of regulation requiring massive market infestation by promiscuous loans to unqualified borrowers was liberal socialism, not market conservatism. The cause was Frank, Reid, and Pelosi — not Bush.
The cure is not more of the same. The cure is not to elect Obama, to put an exclamation point on top of Frank, Reid, and Pelosi.
SNL: http://www.hulu.com/watch/38041/saturday-night-live-washington-approves-the-bailout#x-4,cNews and Politics,1.
Faux Socialism:
Having been called to some flavor of “socialistic-capitalism,” what flavor have we been experiencing during this last administration, under Bush-Pelosi-Reid-Frank? What is the alternative for “change?”
Have we not already been experiencing socialism under the rule of Big Money Nomenklatura? If so, more of the same is hardly “change.” Making Obama President while earmark-crazed Democrats rule Congress would not be change.
Bush has not advocated for representing an educable electorate. Rather, united with Pelosi-Reid-Frank, he has mainly served the agenda of Big Money Power Elite.
The Bush-Pelosi-Reid-Frank agenda has been, essentially, to advocate for: open borders and cheap labor (“shamnesty”); non-independence in respect of energy (failure to have earlier incentived electric or hybrid cars); and new-world-order entanglements and dependencies with other nations (Nafta, Cafta, World Court). Their preferred flavor of socialism has not entailed the honest informing, educating, leading, or serving of the electorate, but the corrupting of America in order to serve International Big Money.
If McCain/Palin want to win, they had best soon show us how and why they are exponents for REAL CHANGE, i.e., for bringing socialistic aspects of our capitalistic system under heel of an informed American electorate. To do that, they must stand against established, sold-out, mainstream media and academia and EDUCATE THE ELECTORATE.
Right soon, they had best show how it is Obama who is against real change, who will set the old rule by Big Money (Soros, et al) in concrete.
OF PHYSICS AND MORALITY (IS AND OUGHT):
“IS” --- PHASING REALITY:
To appreciate or perceive a particular or holographic pattern of “physics,” one’s expression of Will must become so attuned and sensitive as to be receptive to such appreciation or perception.
To will to attune to any perspective of patterns or of holography is to will to insulate oneself apart from The Holism of Being, which necessarily renders any particular-based-perspective incomplete, as well as subject to instantaneous phase conversion upon each change of perspective or attunement.
In coming to experience a perspective, as one senses any single pattern or thing, one will, alternately, sense such thing (1) from a perspective of particularity and (2) from a perspective of holism.
One may sense or measure a thing (1) as being particularly emerged or expressed out of its environment, and one may sense such thing (2) as a sub-holism out of which other particular things are expressed (or cross-reacted with).
While one is focused and intent to appreciate a pattern from a perspective of particularity, one will be so defining oneself in such relation, so that one will not then and there be appreciating such pattern from a perspective of significantly greater holism, and vice versa.
Each perspective one experiences or chooses coordinates with an interpretation of reality, which collapses in a way consistent with reinforcing each such perception. Each such interpretation is “real” to one’s experience, but is not a complete model of The Reality exterior to one’s perspective.
Based on logic availed to our empiricism, a mortal perspective-of-reality may not, at the same time and place, accurately know or measure both (1) the particular reality of its perception and (2) the holistic reality that subsumes its perspective.
As one measures light as a particle, one will not be measuring it as a wave; and vice versa.
One cannot, with completely coherent consistency, measure a thing in simultaneous space (location) and time (direction of change), from both a perspective of particularity and from a perspective of greater holism.
One cannot, merely by continuously subdividing things, reach or comprehend an ultimate particle or a complete model of explication.
Nevertheless, by practicing in attuning and measuring in respect of various perspectives and models, one may come to appreciate an ever-expanding and/or changing universe of ambiguities and possibilities.
Therewith, one may gain vision, insight, intuition, judgment, and skill. Therewith, one may artfully ever-engage in one’s choices and appreciation of Will.
For that, no single science or course of study will yield “the correct answer.” But, a variety of approaches may enhance one’s artistically skilled appreciation of paths for pursuing fulfillment.
“OUGHT” --- INSPIRING MORAL CHOICES WITHIN SOCIAL REALITY:
We have no way to make our interpretations or physical measurements “more perfect or complete,” merely by rationalizing arbitrary notions or blends of notions, such as notions of “part-wholes” or of “particle-waves.” Rather, it is beyond our mortal comprehension or mathematics to devise any synthesizing model that could yield a complete, coherent, consistent interpretation of reality.
Perhaps, however, we may enhance alternative, hyper, virtual ways of interpreting, which may lead us to experience different perspectives of holographies of our common holism. In any event, no one model and no blend of models avails a reliably complete interpretation of any non-trivial event.
Such problem of incompleteness pertains to every model or perspective we may choose, and is not confined merely to our physical reality. Rather, such problem also permeates our intangible, conceptual, conscious reality. Such problem applies when we try to blend concepts of: psychology with sociology, or individual enterprise with community goals, or capitalism with socialism.
In considering a number of different models or perspectives, we may enhance our humility, insight, vision, intuition and emotional appreciation. In such way, we may better inspire choices, even though mere logic or math can never prove that any one choice was ultimately morally “better” than any other.
In relation to where our civilization is presently, “socialistic-capitalism” may be descriptive of what we have chosen --- consciously or unconsciously. Yet, no such concept of “socialistic-capitalism” will necessarily be a better or higher form --- either of socialism or of capitalism.
We are in a passing phase. Our appreciation of it may be enhanced were we to become more receptive to spiritual humility and intuition that avails from a variety of perspectives.
Make choices we must. One such choice may be to appreciate how no zealous notion of communism or of socialism can replace the enlightened empathy that can be received in common spiritual humility before God.
Whether we label our secular political philosophy as communism, socialism, capitalism, humanism, or as some blend thereof, what is most important to our humane, enlightened empathy is that we appreciate our spiritual interconnection, which devolves from a myriad of ambiguous possibilities of Will.
In single minded zeal, there lurks the blind evil that ever challenges us.
DISTORTION AND DE-GLOBALIZATION --- “the teachers now have some problems”
Snippets from http://www.economist.com/specialreports/displayStory.cfm?source=hptextfeature&story_id=12373696:
THE WORLD ECONOMY
When fortune frowned
Oct 9th 2008
From The Economist
What will be the long-term effect of this mess on the global economy? Predicting the consequences of an unfinished crisis is perilous. But it is already clear that, even in the absence of a calamity, the direction of globalisation will change. For the past two decades the growing integration of the world economy has coincided with the intellectual ascent of the Anglo-Saxon brand of free-market capitalism, with America as its cheerleader. The freeing of trade and capital flows and the deregulation of domestic industry and finance have both spurred globalisation and come to symbolise it. Global integration, in large part, has been about the triumph of markets over governments. That process is now being reversed in three important ways.
…
Western finance will be re-regulated. At a minimum, the most freewheeling areas of modern finance, such as the $55 trillion market for credit derivatives, will be brought into the regulatory orbit. Rules on capital will be overhauled to reduce leverage and enhance the system’s resilience.
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… governments across the emerging world extended their reach, increasing subsidies, fixing prices, banning exports of key commodities and, in India’s case, restricting futures trading.
…
America is losing economic clout and intellectual authority. Just as emerging economies are shaping the direction of global trade, so they will increasingly shape the future of finance. That is particularly true of capital-rich creditor countries such as China. Deleveraging in Western economies will be less painful if savings-rich Asian countries and oil-exporters inject more capital. Influence will increase along with economic heft. China’s vice-premier, Wang Qishan, reportedly told his American counterparts at a recent Sino-American summit that “the teachers now have some problems.”
….
… rebalancing is needed, particularly in financial regulation, where innovation outpaced a sclerotic supervisory regime ….
Misguided subsidies, on everything from biofuels to mortgage interest, have distorted markets. Loose monetary policy helped to inflate a global credit bubble.
Provocative as it may sound in today’s febrile and dangerous climate, freer and more flexible markets will still do more for the world economy than the heavy hand of government.
PROGRESSIVE CONSUMPTION TAX:
Corporations should be prohibited from making political contributions. And contributions by individuals to specific political candidates or parties should not be tax deductible. Rather, such contributions should be considered as a form of “consumption,” and should make the contributor subject to a progressive consumption tax.
Missing Greatness:
At one time, did America care about constitutional governance and civilizing family values?
How is it she has come to wish to change, to disrobe her constitutional garments and to toss out her family values?
As her starry eyed electorate gapes in addled hope, groping in wild addiction to open “door number 1,” what lies behind — if not a wasteland?
– Why does business seem never to apprehend how representative governance dies for everyone when nothing is done to counteract widening gulfs between haves and have nots?
– Why does youth seem never to apprehend the abusiveness and inefficiency of big government?
– Why has academia so utterly failed to espouse a workable, progressive tax on consumption, to defend democracy by countering widening gulfs in political and economic influence while providing funding to build and maintain civilizing infrastructure?
There would be no need to spread wealth to layabouts were wealth used to incentive work, fund jobs, and build and maintain infrastructure.
Snakes Among Conservatives:
To be anything, a thing needs to have defining characteristics. For example, “America” is a country of boundaries that are physical, political, moral, and aspirational. “Conservatives,” wishing to conserve America, defend borders, restrict in-comers to legal immigrants, extol an informed electorate, promote family values, and fight for individual liberty. International “Socialists,” wishing to see America torn to bits and fed to ravening primatives, defend no borders, advocate “rights” to cross borders, whip up, mislead, and indoctrinate electorates, cede responsibility for rearing children to the State, and seek the security of mobs of protesters.
So, many Conservatives, out of sense of human morality: oppose blanket amnesty for invaders; detest the enabling of voter fraud; want States to decide how to regulate abortions; defend the authority of parents; and do not seek to undermine efforts to conduct the nation’s defense.
Faux Conservatives (what are they “conserving,” apart from self-delusion of elitism?), while denigrating homage to any basis for morality as “oogedy boogedy,” mock such concerns and values, even going so far as to argue, illogically (albeit, in cutesy language), that Conservatives reduce their electoral power by actually standing for such things.
And so, this last election cycle, we ran a “Republican” who actually acceded to most arguments of faux conservatives. Problem: Democrats already own the monopoly on voters who lack moral values (i.e., unwillingness to defend partially born babies, unwillingness to defend borders, willingness to gather in groups in order to expropriate the production of others). That is why their candidates run on vapid notions of “change.”
A Republican cannot defeat a Democrat by trying to out-do vapidity or the trashing of moral values. (Well, duh!)
Modern Democrats (and faux conservatives) spend little time discussing moral values, except to ridicule values of Conservatives. Values of Democrats are not moral, but selfish. Yet, Orwellian Democrats take taxing others in order to vote for handouts for themselves as “unselfish.” Remarkable! Democrats: give less to charities; want government to take from workers to redistribute to layabouts; want or claim “rights” and entitlements to free health care, free college education, and free equality in income (i.e., “free lunch”). When Conservatives advocate the contrary, faux conservatives (spineless snakes) spit poison in our eyes and complain of splitting and losing the base.
But nothing could be more fork-tongued. One does not defeat the free-lunch crowd by joining them. One defeats them by joining with the non-free-lunch crowd. When everyone waits for free lunch, no lunch comes to anyone. That is socialism.
WHAT JUST HAPPENED?
http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/12/what_the_heck_happened.html.
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http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/12/blagos_auction.html:
Until Republicans become willing to provide "checks that will work" against disproportionate purchases of political influence, they will remain, as Democrats (tweedledee and tweedledum), major parts of the problem --- the problem being the collapse of Western freedom.
Banish Rinos; educate Conservatives; divert libs to fantasyland; rein in unions; reestablish competitive markets; reempower the States; and sound the alarm!
A 5 alarm bell is ringing ...
BTW --- The comfort and freedom of Repubs and Dems was not purchased and is not supported by their cheap shenanigans, but by the sacrifices of real patriots, i.e., firemen, policemen, military troops. Break faith with them by institutionalizing government and corporate Ponzi scams and your children will inherit the whirlwind. Wise up!
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http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/12/blagos_auction.html:
"Power and money have never been separated in world history and never will be. "
True, McCain's porous approach, being fundamentally incoherent, could not provide a defensible perimeter against corruption. Nor can we divorce Power from Money.
But we can check against some of Power's leveraged abuses.
Honest government should be about coherent, competing checks and balances.
If we wish to live in a society of free expression and enterprise, we must find ways to prevent those who become most influential in business or politics from leveraging their power to restrict the free expression and enterprise of everyone else.
I have no problem with someone using his energies and talents to accumulate wealth.
I do have a problem with his using his accumulated wealth to restrict my free expression and enterprise --- especially by buying politicians on the cheap. (Buying influence on the cheap translates, much as insider trading, into ever more leveraging of wealth --- sort of like a legalized Ponzi scam.)
I have no problem with his making campaign contributions to politicians.
I do have a problem with politicians, who are supposed to represent a broader constituency, being reduced by exigencies of competition to cheap whores for immoral pimps.
Our existing system of checks and balances has long ago been overwhelmed.
We need to re-think some new checks and balances.
Not to purify politics or business, but to restore markets and empower more people with opportunity to compete.
One obvious way to do that is to tax political contributions (purchases of political influence and access) at very progressive rates.
Obama's election was not purely the result of masses of small contributions being made by lower classes seeking to vote raises for themselves through the political process.
Rather, such masses were orchestrated with behind the scenes credit availed from billionaire "socialist" opportunists.
If we don't check such abuses, we resign our freedom --- both of expression and of enterprise.
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http://www.americanthinker.com/2008/12/god_and_the_auto_bailout.html:
Ward P. Deaton, Jr. ("Prayer is for us to find His will"):
Good. As we approach prayer and meditation with an honest and listening heart, we become more likely to pursue that which should be meaningfully availed to us. This is d0-able and to-do.
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