Tag Archives: education

Price Of Injustice?

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Price Of Injustice - Headerby Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

THE PRICE OF INJUSTICE IS ALWAYS HIGH… THE COST? HIGHER!

Almost everyone is familiar with the Star Wars movies. They’ve become a part of not only our national but the international culture as well. “May the force be with you…” “I’ve got a bad feeling about this…” “The dark side.” These are phrases we use – sometimes daily – and they’re so much a part of our culture everyone understands the meaning conveyed often without stopping to think about from whence the phrase comes.

When they launched the prequel trilogy beginning with “The Phantom Menace,” we packed the theaters because we were invested in the tale. We wanted to know how things came to be. I remember watching the first Star Wars movie “A New Hope – Episode IV” and wondering where the hell were episodes 1-3. Thus, like most of you I found myself also sitting in a darkened theater, fully engaged to see the events that led up to the first 3 movies I had seen.

Price Of Injustice - Young AnakinWe were introduced for the first time to young Anakin Skywalker. I remember thinking, like many of you, “how in the world does this adorable child grow up to become Darth Vader?” We were told that he and his mother were Slaves. They were owned by “Watto” a Toydarian junk dealer/human trafficker in Mos Espa on Tatooine.

The reality of their Slavery was made comfortable to the audience. They seemed to have a home, own property and were able to host a meal for Qui-Gon Jinn and his party. Price Of Injustice - Qui-Gon Jinn AnakinSlavery was made to seem like just another job. You didn’t really begin to understand until Qui-Gon Jinn purchased Anakin from Watto. But hey! It was for the better wasn’t it? His mother Shimi Skywalker seemed to understand. Surely Qui-Gon Jinn would have purchased her too if he’d had enough money. The first episode left you with the feeling that they’d be back to get her. It was almost as though her gifted son was going away to college. Yes there were tears, but most mothers cry on their child’s first day of school. Were you *really* paying attention though?

Price Of Injustice - Anakin Mother Goodbye SceneIt turns out, they never did go back to get Anakin’s mother. Clearly this weighed heavily on him as he grew into a young man. There remains an unbreakable bond between mother and child and the full impact of this is realized in the second episode – “Attack Of The Clones.” Anakin senses his mother’s distress galaxies away and drops what he is doing to rush to her aid. He neglects his duties something anyone of us would do if our mother were in distress.

Price Of Injustice - Watto Toydarian Junk DealerIt turns out that Watto needed some money so he sold Shimi Skywalker to a group of “Sand People” who mistreat her sorely. It is the mistreatment she is suffering at their hands that Anakin feels. He arrives just in time for her to die in his arms. It is this hurt and rage that sets his feet firmly on the path to “The Dark Side.” He uses his Jedi training to murder them all. His rage makes him powerful. Were you paying attention?

Yes, Chancellor Palpatine – a Sith Lord – was certainly contributing by egging him on. However, the real message – almost subliminal – was the injustice of slavery, the need for retribution is what actually made him vulnerable to the suggestions of Palpatine. The Chancellor only acted as a catalyst for the explosive brew that was already present.

Price Of Injustice - AnakinYes, we see and understand the highly sanitized concept when it is surrounding by special effects and a well written musical score. However, we forget that everyday in our society we are allowing the creation of millions of people who are raised on the heady toxin of injustice to be loosed upon our society. No, they will never pick up a light saber, but they may pick up a gun. They cannot move objects with their minds but the seeds of pathology planted in the fertile soil of poverty, lack of opportunity and injustice are growing like weeds all around us.

Price Of Injustice - Darth VaderThe transformation from a young adorable Anakin Skywalker to the murderous Darth Vader whom without remorse slaughtered the “younglings” – children training to become Jedi – was jarring. Were you paying attention? Yet, it was a metaphor for what occurs on a daily basis within our society. We’ve got children murdering children. Mothers burying their young instead of the natural course of nature. Instead of paying attention, we look for the simple solution. Must be the guns! If we could just get rid of those, everything would be better. No it wouldn’t. We’re creating monsters wholesale in the test tubes of ignorance and lack. The price of injustice is high, the cost is even higher. Pay attention!

Should We Stop Talking About Racism?

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Should We Stop Talking About Racism?by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Because Not Talking Has Worked So Well…

Should We Stop Talking About Racism? - Ted Nugent

Ted Nugent

It is always amusing to me when certain white people attempt to designate a Black person and suddenly make him the spokesman for all Black people in America. It is about as cheerful as Black people declaring Ted Nugent to be the spokesman for white people in America. Get the point?

Black people are no more monolithic than white people. This strategy of declaring “leaders” and then only dealing with those handpicked few is another form of racism. Who are the white leaders? Who speaks for ALL white people?

We are not aliens and neither are white people. Thus this whole “take me to your leader” shtick needs to be retired. Most recently it has reared its ugly head with a meme being circulated quoting something Morgan Freeman said during an interview. Morgan says that his policy is not to discuss racism. I think he should probably stick to that policy. On the day in question, he proffered a solution to the racial problems in this country as to simply stop talking about it.

What a novel idea? Of course, not talking about a problem has always been effective right? Following this logic, we could solve all the ills on this planet simply by not talking about them! World hunger? Stop talking about it! Global poverty? Stop talking about it. Violence against women? If we stop talking about it, it will go away! Our declining educational system. Don’t mention it and suddenly all our students will begin getting straight “A’s.”

Should We Stop Talking About Racism? - Fukushima

Radioactive Seawater

If we simply stop talking about the Fukushima melt down, all that radiation that is being continuously released into the ocean ecosystem and the environment will stop. Want terrorism to end? Simply stop talking about it! What about the economy? Out of work? Under water on your mortgage? Just stop talking about it and everything will be fine!

Of course this is utter nonsense! One of the keys to our successful survival on this planet has been our ability to communicate to solve problems. Talking about our problems has always been the preferred solution. Talking about our problems has prevented and ended wars. The Internet wasn’t invented so you could update your relationship status on Facebook or post happy pictures of your feline. It was originally invented as a way for scientist to collaborate and share their research with other scientist around the globe. The quickest path to progress is through talking. Never forget this simple truth! Should we stop talking about racism? Hell no!

Abortion Myth-Direction. Playing the Pro-Life Movement for Political Gain.

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Abortion Myth-Direction

by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

Ebers Papyus - Ancient Egyptian instructions for inducing abortions.

Ebers Papyrus. Ancient Egyptian Medical Text on how to induce abortions.

A brief history of abortion

Believe it or not, abortion is not new. It has been around for thousands of years. It was practiced in ancient Rome and the earliest reference comes from ancient Egypt. For those who’s views are informed by their religious faith, particularly the Christian faith, this is something to think about. Jesus would have of been familiar with the practice of abortions, yet he is not recorded as saying anything about it. As a matter of fact, Abortions do not even merit an honorable mention in the Bible.

We often believe that abortion is the result of modern medical advancement. Nothing could be further from the truth. Surprisingly enough, unwanted pregnancies have been occurring since people first began to make babies. Not long afterwards, they began discovering how to terminate those pregnancies. The irony is, some of the methods practiced in “Ancient Egypt” and other places, employed the exact same approach used today. They used certain plant based suppositories to cause a hormonal reaction which would end the pregnancy.

When does life begin?

When life begins depends on one's point of view

When life begins is largely dependent on the person answering the question.

The answer to this question depends on one’s subjective point of view. Does life begin at conception? Does it begin when the brain becomes active in the fetus? Does it begin when the baby takes it’s first breath? Does life begin before conception? Some people believe we live many lives. It might even be prudent to ask, “what exactly is human life?” The answer to this question truly depends upon the person being asked and the person asking the question. It could be argued in a variety of ways, with each position able to defend their points of view.

The problem is, it really comes down to the belief of the person asking the question and doing the answering. From the perspective of the Christian Bible, it is interesting to note, Adam did not become a “living soul” until he took his first breath from God. He was fully formed – presumably an adult – with all his limbs, organs, vital system etc., but he was not alive until the moment of that first breath. Thus, based on that passage in the Bible, I could sustain the argument that life does not begin until the moment a baby takes its first breath. I’m sure many will find this unsatisfactory because it goes against what they’ve been led to believe.

Of course, one could also use the Bible to argue that life begins before conception.

[KJV] Jeremiah 1:5
Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations

Note the the part about being known before being formed in the womb. This could support those who believe that we live many lives. To be known, one must exist. Actually there are numerous Biblical passages which suggest reincarnation and multiple lifetimes. However, dealing with that topic is for another day. It does raise an interesting question. To wit: If one is known prior to coming here and God is intimately involved in whom comes here and why, does it seem logical that God would send someone into a body that was going to be aborted? It is a question of faith, and it is worthy of thoughtful contemplation.

Abortions in the Bible

The Holy Bible

The Holy Bible

While the Bible does not mention abortion by name or seem to take issue with people practicing abortions, oddly enough there are passages in which either God causes an unnatural termination of pregnancy or authorizes a ritual to accomplish much the same thing. In the book of Hosea a curse is placed upon Ephraim. A part of that curse involves God causing miscarriages. This is without a doubt the ending of a pregnancy unnaturally. An abortion by any other name… except that the abortion provider in this case is God.

There are numerous passages where God demands the murder of pregnant women. If you murder the pregnant mother, you’re effectively aborting the fetus as well. Thus this notion of God being against abortions is actually unsustainable when one actually examines the Bible. Those who identify as Christian and oppose abortion for religious reasons, clearly have not read their Bibles.

Hypocrisy that knows no bounds

“Don’t tell me what you value. Show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value.” __Joe Biden

Fertilizing of the egg. 9 months then you're on your own

Enjoy it while it lasts

It is high time someone called the “Pro-Life” movement on their blatant hypocrisy. Some of the same people who are out picketing Abortion Clinics will leave that protest, head cross town and join up with a TEA Party rally. Some of the same people protesting abortions, on the basis of being “Pro-Life,” believe in and support the “Death Penalty.” Where were they when we invaded Iraq? This sovereign nation had nothing to do with the attacks on September 11, 2001. They did not have any “Weapons of Mass Destruction.” Hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi civilians, men, women and children lost their lives, where were these “Pro-Life” protesters?

Chart of cuts to education under Republican run States

Notice the difference between the Red and Blue States?

Life is more than just conception. It is more than just giving birth. It is providing shelter for your child, food, clothing, medical care, education, all those things Republicans are hell bent on cutting. They know the words, but they don’t know the music. They speak the “Pro-Life” language, but when you look at their actual policies, their words ring hollow.

Inigo Montoya

Pro-Life? I do not think it means what you think it means.

The same people who are marching under the “Pro-Life” banner are some of the same people who are in the TEA Party. They complain about taxes they aren’t even paying. These are the same TEA Party Republicans who want to cut funding for education, want to do away with the “Affordable Care Act” which gives health care to millions of children who did not have it before. These are the same people who are against school teachers being given a raise. These are the same people who will vote for a candidate who has as much as promised a war with Iran if he’s elected. Yet they claim to be “Pro-Life.”

Oil Company Subsidies and the Congress

This shows what they value and it’s not Pro-Life

Make no mistake. Although resources are always limited and choices have to be made, when you vote to give $4 billion dollars in subsidies to the most profitable corporations on this planet – the Oil Industry – while at the same time cutting spending for “Head Start,” “School Lunch Programs,” “Pell Grants,” “Education,” “Health Care” and a host of other programs that provide quality of life and opportunity, don’t pretend to be “Pro-Life.” As Joe Biden says, “don’t tell me what you value, show me your budget and I’ll tell you what you value.”

The harsh realities of an Abortion decision

Surgical Suite

Surgical Suite – Most people tend to avoid these if at all possible

I am puzzled by those who have convinced themselves that getting an abortion is the equivalent – if not easier – of going to their dentist for a teeth cleaning. An abortion is an invasive medical procedure. It’s an operation. I know of few people if any who look forward to being operated on. You can die from an abortion and people have died. An abortion is not a woman’s first choice. There is a recovery period following an abortion. Complications, both physical and psychological are common.

Pregnant Teenager

It can and does happen

Consider your average 14 year old. Remember when you were 14? You had all the answers didn’t you? You were as good as grown, just waiting for the rest of the world to catch up with your epiphany. Yet, at 14 years of age, if your parents had put you out of their home, they would have been charged with child neglect. The State won’t give you a driver’s license because at 14? They know you don’t have good judgement. At 14, you may have thought you knew everything you needed to know. Yet, going to school was still mandatory. Even if you were industrious and got a job, your parents have to sign off on it. During the school year your employer, by law had to limit your hours.

At 14 you cannot vote, you cannot buy liquor, you cannot smoke and you cannot enter into a legally binding contract. The State understands this and protects the 14 year old from his or herself. Unfortunately, at 14 you can get pregnant. Rarely does a 14 year old get pregnant by following her parent’s instructions or advice. It was because of her lack of judgement that she got pregnant. A 14 year old doesn’t have the requisite judgement to drive, vote, end their educational career or work a full time job, but suddenly we’re going to pretend that she’s got the judgement to become a mother? This is insanity on a whole new level.

If she carries the baby to term now what? She cannot get a job because she cannot drop out of school. If she lives in poverty, her parent(s) may both be working. Which of them should quit their job to stay at home and care for their grandchild? They cannot afford child care costs and the cost for infant care is even higher. Currently? There are programs in place to offer some assistance. However, Republicans are going after those programs hammer and tong to dismantle and de-fund them. Many of these Republicans fly under the “Pro-Life” moniker. But are they?

What about giving the child up for adoption? That is a shotgun solution usually put forth by people whom have no idea what they’re talking about. First of all, it’s not that easy. It’s not that cut and dried. Even if it were, by the time that 14 year old carries her child to term, holds her baby just one time, there’s no letting go. It’s that whole judgement thing again. Guess what! The same courts who in their infinite wisdom have determined that a 14 year old cannot drive, vote, smoke, drop out of school, or drink beer… those same courts will suddenly determine that this same 14 year old who is too young to enter into a legally binding contract, has the right to keep her baby. Not only is she now condemned to poverty, but her child is as well. The thing about poverty? It becomes an endlessly repeating cycle. Children raising children. Like the sign over the gate to Hell, “Abandon All Hope Ye Who Enter Here.”

Often the pressures of parenting at such an early age cause young parents to become abusive. Thus we now add abuse to the poverty stew. Abuse begets abuse and often a child born under such conditions winds up in jail, a ward of the State or worse.

Understanding the statistics

At some point in the Abortion debate, the subject of acceptable exemptions comes up. Usually those who are moderate agree that Abortions should be available in cases of rape, incest or to protect the health of the mother. A disturbing trend has developed of late. Now, certain people are even discounting these as legitimate reasons to perform abortions.

Under Reporting Rape

Most rapes are never reported

According to The Center for Bio-Ethical Reform, 1% of abortions are due to rape or incest and 6% involve the health of the mother. There is a problem with that first statistic. Rape is one of the most under reported crimes there is. This comes from the Department of Justice and FBI studies. Out of 100 rapes only 46 are ever reported. 54% go unreported. There are many reasons for this. Oft times the rapist is someone the victim knows. It may be the boyfriend of her mother, it may be a brother-in-law and uncle or cousin. The fear of what would happen to family relationships should the victim go public is often enough to keep the victim silent.

This is the dirty little secret that resides in the dark, dank fetid corners of our culture. We do not want to talk about it. We pretend that if we do not acknowledge it, it will cease to exist. Question: If most women don’t report their rapes to the police, what are the odds they’re going to report it to the doctor performing the abortion? Would the doctor be required to report it? If a 16 or 17 year old gets raped by say her mother’s boyfriend, most will never tell their mother what really happened. They’re not going to tell the police and should they get pregnant, they’re not going to tell the doctor. Thus that 1% figure is an error. What should it actually be? I have no idea and I’m not sure anyone can accurately determine the true figure. All we know is that it is higher. Rape by it’s very nature is not a planned sexual encounter. I don’t think a rapist acting on the spur of the moment, stops to put on a condom. Thus because the sex is unprotected, there is a much higher chance of an unwanted pregnancy occurring.

Ramifications of reversing Rowe v. Wade

Reversing Rowe is not going to end abortions. Abortions have been going on since the time of the Ancient Egyptians. They will continue. What will happen is, they will go underground. No laws or regulations. No one to prevent late term abortions from occurring. No licensing agency. Think about it like the war on drugs. We all know how well that’s turned out.

RU-486 Pill

“The morning after pill”

In fact, there would be an immediate black market created for the RU-486 pills. If you cannot keep cocaine, meth or an assortment of other narcotics off our streets and – dirty little secret – out of our prisons, do you think you’ll have better success with RU-486? Once that market is created, all sorts of people will rush in to fill that void. Some will produce fakes, others, lacking the technology or quality control will be pushing pills that are dangerous and in some cases deadly. Not a problem for you? Actually it may be. As parents, try as we might, we often do not know when our children become sexually active. Should a pregnancy occur, what might a daughter do to keep from disappointing her parents?

Something else to consider, what if a woman has a legitimate miscarriage? A woman discovers herself to be pregnant. The pregnancy is unplanned and she’s dealing with the ramifications of bringing a new life into this world. She begins seeing her doctor for pre-natal care. She shares her reservations with her doctor. So he knows she’s having some anxiety. One day while she’s at work, she begins having cramps. She runs to the bathroom and miscarries into the toilet. Does that toilet now become a crime scene?

Crime Scene Toilet Seat

Could this become a crime scene?

With Abortions becoming illegal it would also be illegal for her to have taken RU-486 or some other abortion inducing compound. If she’d taken something to cause a miscarriage, under the law she would have committed feticide. Would she be required to try and recover the fetal mass for analysis? Should she call the police so their crime team can come and recover the evidence? When she returns to her doctor, he’s going to know she’s no longer pregnant, will he be required to report her? Would this have a chilling effect on women seeking pre-natal care? These are things that must be considered.

Picking a place to be

Paying lip service to being “Pro-Life” does not make one “Pro-Life.” To be “Pro-Life” you must be supportive of all the systems that make life possible. Pre-natal care, post-natal care, health care for the child and the mother, nutritional support such as WIC programs, early learning, “Head Start” and other programs which aid parents and children, must be supported.

When you cut public assistance programs, you’re not just cutting adults, you’re also cutting the children that depend on those adults. When you do not support “A Living Wage” for people at the low end of the income scale, you’re not supporting the children they are responsible for.

Array of contraceptive devices

Various contraceptive methods

When you refuse to support access to contraception for women or sex education in the schools, you’re increasing the number of unwanted pregnancies. Abstinence? Works great… right up until it doesn’t. When it comes to sex, we’re like a person with a carbohydrate addiction in a bakery. Eventually we’re going to eat something sweet. We are hard wired for sex from millions of years of evolution. The survival of our species depends on it.

“Agent Smith: I’d like to share a revelation that I’ve had during my time here. It came to me when I tried to classify your species, and I realised that humans are not actually mammals. Every mammal on this planet instinctively develops a natural equilibrium with the surrounding environment; but you humans do not. Instead you multiply, and multiply, until every resource is consumed. The only way for you to survive is to spread to another area. There is another organism on this planet that follows the same pattern… a virus. Human beings are a disease, a cancer on this planet, you are a plague, and we… are the cure.”

We’re so good at it, we now have over 300 million living here in the United States and over 7 billion populating the entire planet. We are in the middle of a population explosion. The global population is growing exponentially. The resources on our planet are not. We have seen what happens in nature when a population of creatures becomes unbalanced. Their population explodes until they consume all available resources and then they die slowly, painfully from disease and starvation.

Farmers Inspect their withered crop

Farmers inspecting their withered crops

The reality is, we’re already beginning to see the signs of this happening to us already. When you see those commercials at night showing you starving and impoverished children, they live in places where the populations grew beyond the resources required to sustain them. Could anything like that happen here? What makes you think it couldn’t? This past year we had one of the worst and widest droughts since the “dust bowl” of the 30’s. It hit in our main agricultural belts. We will not fully understand the impact of this drought until this spring. It will take that long for whatever crops we were able to harvest to be turned into the staples we rely on for sustenance.

Marie Antoinette

“Let them eat cake.” __Marie Antoinette

We no longer understand our relationship with the land. We go to grocery stores and super markets without ever stopping to ask “where does that produce come from?” We are living out the “let them eat cake” mentality that caused Marie Antoinette to lose her head. Her inability to realize that her people were starving was no doubt exacerbated by the largess she enjoyed. Her pantry was full. The supermarkets and grocery stores have become our pantries. It won’t hit home for us until we go to the store and find those shelves bare. What will we do?

Every choice, every decision carries consequences. If you want to decrease the number of abortions, but you object to providing access to contraceptions and sex education, you’re not “Pro-Life.” If you want to decrease the number of abortions but you’re against having your tax dollars go to support the programs and agencies that provide support and make it possible for struggling people to care for their children, you’re not “Pro-Life.” If you’re not concerned about planetary resources, preserving our environment and repairing our fragile ecosystems, you’re not “Pro-Life.”

If your concern for human life begins at conception and ends at birth, you’re not “Pro-Life,” you’re Pro-Fetus and that is something entirely different. Don’t get it twisted.

Has Affirmative Action Helped Black People?

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by Benjmain T. Moore, Jr.

President Kennedy

The Question of “Affirmative Action” has been a contentious matter since it was first introduced in 1961 by then President Kennedy. The words “affirmative action” were first mentioned in Executive Order 10925. It was proposed as a method to redress the discrimination that persisted in spite of”Civil Rights Laws” and constitutional guarantees.

It is one thing to put laws in place. It is quite another thing to put in place mechanisms that make certain those laws are enforced. Unlike some of our more recent Presidents who are known for their unfunded mandates, President Kennedy took the next step. Criteria were established and enforcement mechanisms were put in place to ensure compliance with “Civil Rights” laws.

President Lyndon Johnson (LBJ)

President Lyndon Johnson continued President Kennedy’s legacy giving a speech defining “Affirmative Action” in March of 1965. In September of that same year, he signed Executive Order 11246 which enforced “Affirmative Action” for the first time. It required government contractors to hire minorities and treat them with the same considerations they gave their white employees. Equal pay for equal work, equal benefits and equal opportunities for promotions and advancements.

Has affirmative action helped Black people?

Shirt seen at a Mitt Romney rally. Racism is alive, well and out in the open.

Let us examine this critically. First, make no mistake the institutionalized racism upon which this nation was founded is as alive and well today as it was back then. In spite of what we’d like to believe, the election of our first African-American President has revealed the cancer which has been festering just beneath the surface of society. When grown men, whom we’ve entrusted with the responsibility of governing, are willing to commit the treasonous act of destroying our economy rather than work with a Black President for the betterment of all, imagine what things were like back in the early 60’s when racism didn’t have to slink in the shadows.

Those who opposed affirmative action were not without guile. The first thing they did was successfully connect it to the “woman’s suffrage” movement. The plan was ingenious. By having women classified as minorities, and folded up under the affirmative action umbrella, they effectively broadened the scope of the program to such and extent, loopholes and the opportunity for mischief were the inevitable results.

Since the number of females is roughly equal to that of males, by definition, being a female does not and should not qualify one for minority status. While any fair minded person would agree that women certainly have their own issues which need and deserve redress, the purpose and intent of the affirmative action program was to redress historic injustices against Black people.

Gaming the system

Unemployment rate for Blacks versus Whites

Employers were quick to realize if they hired a Black female, they got a two for one deal. They could double count her as two minorities. They could also pad their minority numbers by hiring white women. Thus, they effectively diluted the intent and effectiveness of the program. Black males who were the nominal “bread winners” in the Black family did not see the increase in jobs intended by the program. In addition, this role reversal created a destructive pressure on the Black family. Mothers are critical to family cohesion. When they began leaving the home to enter the workforce in greater numbers Black families began to destabilize. Children with mothers at home, do better in school, are less likely to get into trouble, do better and are more apt to become productive, contributing citizens.

Prospective employees at a jobs fair

Yet another technique was “malicious obedience.” This technique was designed to generate anti-affirmative action sentiment from the white workforce. This was the hiring of any warmed bodied Black person regardless of skill and qualifications. This of course meant that a skilled Black person did not get the job and white people developed resentment because it was clear that their unskilled co-worker was there merely because of his skin color. Employers were not at all bashful about pointing out, that they were being forced to hire Black employees because they had to meet their quotas.

I am not saying that these practices were the norm for every employer. There were many who appreciated the concept of “affirmative action,” and did all they could  to carry out the provisions of the law to the best of their abilities. It only takes a few bad apples to spoil the bunch and there were considerably more than a few racist employers who did all they could to undermine and game the affirmative action program.

This classic misdirection was also used in our institutions of higher learning. In 1954 “Brown v. Board of Education” was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court. Prior to this case, the prevailing theory that you could have a duel track – now a track for each minority group – system wherein Black people could attend an all Black school and receive an equal education to their white counterparts, was a carry over from “Reconstruction” following the Civil War. Black people were no longer Slaves, but they were not welcomed into, and were denied access to the institutions and facilities used by white people.

A young Thurgood Marshall

The case argued by the NAACP’s lead attorney and future Supreme Court Chief Justice Thurgood Marshall, proved that for a variety of reasons, separate was not equal. Schools are funded by tax resources which are directed – just as they are today – based on political interests. Just as suburban schools receive the lion’s share of tax money, the all white schools receive more funding than Black schools. This disparity in resources means that two children, one white and one Black who applied themselves fully under this so called “separate but equal” system would come out with unequal educations.

From my own experiences, I attended an inner-city school up until the 4th grade. Leschi Elementary was experimenting with what was then the cutting edge approach of allowing students to progress at their own skill level. In 4th grade I was in a 6th grade reading class – the highest they offered – and I was taking what they called “5th grade Algebra.” I thought I was doing well. My grades were good and I was presumably advanced for my grade and age.

That year my parents bought a house in the suburbs. I was enrolled in an “all white school” – except for me – and I discovered very quickly there is a difference. Although I may have been advanced for an inner-city school, I was way behind the other white kids who were not experimenting with learning at their own pace. They were simply moving along as the curriculum required. It took me several months to get back up to speed.

Here’s the upshot. Had I continued on with the inner-city schools, I may have easily made the Honor Roll and graduated from high school with honors. The rude awakening wouldn’t have come until I sat down for my college entrance exams. Those exams weren’t geared toward inner-city applicants. They were designed to level the field across all schools regardless of privilege. My SAT scores would have been too low to merit consideration for most colleges.

This problem would not have been because I had not applied myself. Nor would it have been because I had not earned good grades. It would have been the result – ultimately – of some politician deciding to funnel money to the schools in the affluent white suburbs and not the largely minority inner-city. To then pretend that SAT scores are applicable across the board is an exercise in sophistry.

Colleges know this. There is a direct correlation to the amount of money spent and the quality of education received. If this were not the case, “Ivy League” schools like Harvard, Princeton and Yale wouldn’t be able to command the high tuitions they require. Students are willing to go into debt because they understand, you get what you pay for. Inner-city schools are no different. You don’t get what you don’t pay for.

The end result of this insidious perfidy – if allowed to go unchecked – would be the creation of a permanent underclass not unlike a stratified society based on a Caste system. India is thousands of years older than we are. They are an ancient people with records – Vedas – going back so far into history, they are considered by some scientist to be anachronistic works of fiction. Why aren’t they the World’s “Super Power?” I submit it has everything to do with the stratification of their society and their creation of permanent under classes. When you limit the potential of a segment of your population you’re cutting yourself off from the most important resource we have, the human mind.

Affirmative action for white people

The fact of the matter is, white people benefit from affirmative action all the time. They don’t call it that. They do not perceive it as affirmative action, yet that is exactly what it is. You’ve seen glaring examples of it lately. Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Rick Perry, Todd Akin to name but a few. All supposedly have college degrees. Two have been – one is – governors of are largest States – based on land mass – one is a sitting congresswoman and the other is running for the U.S. Senate. Need I say more? How did any of them even get into college let alone receive a degree?

By the time I entered high school – Todd Akin – I had a working understand of human reproduction. By the time I entered high school – Sarah Palin – I was very familiar with a “World Map and Globe.” By the time I entered high school I had a reasonable grasp of American history. I could recite the standard reasons for WWI and WWII I knew that the Russians had been our allies in WWII. I had a working definition of the differences between Communism, Socialism and Capitalism. I had studied the McCarthy era and black listing – the “Red Scare” – and had a reasonable understanding of the dangers of labelling people and why certain individuals and companies did so for their own gain. Yet, these people seem to be totally ignorant of the basic facts any high school student who’s paid attention in class should know.

Notice any minorities in this graduating class?

One of the programs used to provide affirmative action for white people with regards to education is the “Legacy Program.” If either of your parents or grandparents attended a University, you are given special consideration for admission to that University. In fact you will get more points for your legacy status than any consideration you might receive under affirmative action based on your race. Does anyone truly believe that George W. Bush truly got into Yale, graduated and then got into Harvard and received a legitimate MBA? I sincerely doubt he could graduate from the high school I attended. Yet because his father and grandfather attended Yale, he had no problem getting in. He took a seat that other, better qualified white people and minorities did not get. 

The reverse discrimination argument

The theory behind this attack on affirmative action is that preferential treatment on the basis of race – 400+ years of discrimination to the contrary – is now a violation of various equal protection clauses in the law. It is actually rather clever however, it fails to take into account that affirmative action was put in place to address the already existing disparity in opportunity, education and hiring practices. I’ve already demonstrated that with the dilution of affirmative action provisions through the rolling up of women and other minorities under it’s umbrella, affirmative action has not truly been applied in the manner it was intended. Has affirmative action helped Black people? Not as it was originally intended to do.

The basis of these reverse discrimination law suits ironically by their very nature admit to an original existing discrimination. Hence the “reverse” clause. They are predicated on a sense of white entitlement and white privilege. Black people are only 12% of the total population. Just 12%. If you said that colleges had to set aside 12% of available slots for Black people that’s 88% of available slots for everybody else. Thus, white people already have their 88% and they’re now drooling with anticipation at getting our meager 12%. This would be bad enough if we actually had 12% set asides, which we do not.

I want to introduce you to Tim Wise. He is an activist and advocate for racial equality and he puts things in a manner that other white people can understand. The following is a 9:31min excerpt from one of his lectures. I believe you’ll find it enjoyable and enlightening.

Tim Wise on White Privilege

Defining affirmative action

A tale of two cubicles

Imagine two employees or two students. One has everything they need. They have a nice work cubicle with a powerful computer connected to the Internet via a high speed network. The other has only pencil and paper. If you give them similar assignments, whom would you expect to perform? You decide to “level the playing field” as it were by giving the employee with only the pencil and paper, a computer as well. However, you give him or her an old IBM-XT computer connected to the Internet over a 300 baud modem. Do you feel better? You did do something, but did you actually level the playing field? Of course not. Yet, in essence you gave out some affirmative action.

The game of life?

To use another analogy, consider a Monopoly Game. One that’s being played with real money, real property/land and what happens in the game happens to you in real life. Further imagine that this game has been going on for the past 1,000 or so years. There are hotels on Board Walk and Park Place. In fact there are hotels on all the properties. Whenever someone leaves the game – through death – one of their heirs takes their chair and the game continues.

The passage of the “Civil Rights” laws now means you get to play. We’ll give you your $200 dollar salary and let you roll the dice. Do you want to play? Would you play under these conditions? I’ve been involved in Monopoly games where I prayed to go directly to jail. At least I could sit out my 3 turns without worrying about having to pay anything.

Let’s sweeten the deal a bit for you. We’ll give you some”affirmative action.” We’ll give you Baltic Ave. No hotels. No houses. You’d need Mediterranean to put those up and we’re not sure we want to give you that much “affirmative action.” Besides, some of the other players are grumbling because we gave you Baltic Ave. How about now? Would you play with real money now?

This is what “affirmative action” is. It is an inducement to get you to play a game you can never truly win. Your objective is to merely survive. Has “affirmative action” benefited Black people? Truthfully? The Jury is still out.

The End of America?

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Empires won by conquest have always fallen either by revolt within or by defeat by a rival. __John Boyd Orr

by Benjamin T. Moore, Jr.

236 years ago this nation was formed. It was an experiment in a blended form of government heretofore unknown in recorded human history. There had been democracies as far back as the Grecian empire. There had also been republics. The “Roman Empire” was such. However, there had not really been a form of government that combined the two and wrapped them with the strict set of rules today we refer to as our Constitution.

A lot of thought went into constructing our Constitutional Republic. The problem with a Republic is, you’ve merely distributed the power of a King amongst wealthy plutocrats. Although a plutocracy may engage in enlightened debate marked by continuous disagreement, you could always be certain they would all agree on what was in their own best interest. Thus whatever decisions they would come to would always be those decisions that maintained their power, often at the expense of what was best for the masses of people they ruled over.

How about a Democracy? A Democracy is good as long as you’re a member of whichever group is in the majority. The “Founding Fathers” remembered the religious persecution that caused immigrants to flee Europe, risk a long, arduous and dangerous ocean voyage for the mere chance at a better life in a wilderness land.

A democratically elected, constitutional republic seemed to be the best of both worlds. No Kings to establish dynasties. The efficiency of a Republic. The fairness of a Democracy bound by the protections of a Constitution which placed strict limits on governmental powers. In truth, with only a few hiccups along the way, we’ve done pretty well.

The problem with any system is always the human element. No matter how noble the intent, over time corrupting influences will emerge to alter and wrest that original intent for selfish purpose. You need but examine any institution that has been around for any period of time to see it’s evolution into decay. One of the best examples of this are religious institutions. Once they existed to better the human condition. Now they are little more than profit driven silos of power. They’ve gone from amassing fortunes to seeking to wield political power. “Separation of Church and Sate” be damned!

Our educational institutions have also fallen to corruption. It used to be a diploma from certain institutions actually meant something. Attending those institutions taught you how to think. Now you’re taught what to think. Instead of turning out men and women equipped to invent the future, they now turn out cookie cutter drones good for nothing better than working in a corporate hive. Should any one of them actually invent something, it becomes the property of the corporation. Thus, invention is suppressed. The progress of humanity is impeded because control and profit have become more important than progress and advancement.

The primary instrument of our demise has been economic greed. We have allowed ourselves to be deluded into believing that economic systems have some moral attributions exceeding the effectiveness of their applicable functionalities. There is nothing inherently good or evil in Capitalism, Communism or Socialism. These are merely economic philosophies. These are tools used to provide a monetary system for the benefit of the societies that use them.

Ask the average American and they’ll tell you that Capitalism is good and Communism is evil. What’s worse, they will irrationally attach the attribution of evil to any society using Communism as their monetary system. Those with a smattering of historical knowledge may point to various war atrocities which occurred under some regime using Communism. If you ask them to explain exactly what Communism is, you’ll usually find their silence deafening. Ironically they seem to forget that Nazi Germany was not Communist.

Whenever you see such irrationality surrounding what is actually a neutral economic philosophy, one must ask whom is promoting these feelings? Whom continues to stoke these fires? To what end? Communism is not a form of government. Yes, I know that dictionaries will say that it is. However, if you compare the definitions of Communism and Socialism you’ll see they are actually identical. The differences are really in the terms used to describe the governmental agency used to control the distribution of the common wealth.

Capitalism is defined as the wealth being owned and controlled by private agencies and individuals. In practice however, we have corporations who’s wealth exceeds the economies of small nations. Their boards of directors are in effect governments who hoard the wealth for those at the top and exploit the workers at the bottom.

The only reason Capitalism continues to exist is, those in power have been successful – they should be, lord knows they spend enough money on propaganda – in convincing the masses that they might one day earn a seat at the table. This is exploiting the same mentality that causes people to buy lottery tickets every week.

How is Capitalism working out for us? Let’s look at a few examples. I remember when “broad band” Internet access first became available in my area. I have been “on-line” since the early 90’s. When I first got on-line, there was Compuserve and AOL. The Internet existed but was primarily the province of research institutions and the government. Everybody else used an interconnecting series of Computer Bulletin Boards known as BBS. These bulletin board services would exchange packets of mail once or twice a day using telephone land-lines and a modem through a series of “nodes” known as “Fidonet.”

You could only communicate instantly with other users in your community who happened to be on the same “Bulletin Board” as you were, at the same time. When “Broad Band” came to my area it was provided by a company called, “@Home.” The speeds were blindingly fast. Actually faster than what they are today. They had partnered with local Cable Television providers to bring their service into our homes. The rates were attractively inexpensive and I was so impressed, I couldn’t have been happier than a fat man at a free smorgasbord! Unfortunately, my joy was to be short lived.

Comcast – may their villainous tribe decrease – began buying stock in @Home. They bought enough stock such that they were able to control the direction of the company through their votes on the board. They actually voted down decisions that would have made @Home more profitable and voted into place policies that crippled @Home and eventually led to it’s demise. Once it was weak enough, Comcast made them an offer they could no longer afford to refuse and bought them out. Like a “Trojan Horse” they infiltrated @Home, poisoned them and took them over.

In rapid succession I received two notices. The first informing me that Comcast had acquired @Home and my billing would now be coming from them. The second informing me that the speed of my connection was being cut in half. Note, my bill wasn’t decreasing to reflect this diminution in service. I would continue to pay the same price but I would be receiving less. How do you like them apples?!?

Had @Home asked me, I might have warned them about what was coming. I had an interesting experience with Comcast a few years earlier. This was back when Cable was only 40 or so channels and nobody had conceived of HDTV. Our Cable bill had started out around $25 per month. We looked up one day and it had crept up to $60 a month. We hadn’t added anything, however – as I’m sure everyone who is a Comcast customer knows – Comcast had been adding in little hidden charges and hidden fees, minor price increases the results of which were, one fine day, my wife and I said enough and decided to look for other options. Because of “franchising agreements” with the City, Time-Warner couldn’t compete in Comcast’s area – outside 465 – and Comcast couldn’t provide service in Time-Warner’s area – inside 465. So much for competition benefiting the consumer.

At that time, there was a company providing Satellite TV service known as “PrimeStar.” Some of you may recall them? I opened my “Yellow Pages,” located their number and gave them a call. How bad could it be? The lady that answered the phone said, “PrimeStar, how may I help you?” I told her briefly what my issues were. I vented a little about my disgust with Comcast, then she said something that simply stunned me! She said, “well let me look at your service and see what I can do.” What? The Hell you say??? “Oh, PrimeStar contracted with Comcast to do their installations. From what I’m looking at, you’re entitled to some promotions and new pricing plans that should drastically cut your bill…. yes, we can get your bill back down to $30 dollars.”

Needless to say, PrimeStar is no longer in existence. That’s Capitalism you say? Shrewd business practices in a competitive market? Perhaps, but what about all the employees of @Home and PrimeStar who lost their jobs, their health insurance and a substantial portion of their pensions… if they were able to negotiate any of their pension funds? Collateral damage? Perhaps…

Because what we have are in essence monopolies working in collusion, there are very few companies providing Internet service to the citizens of this country. Unless these companies can rape… er, I mean, make the profit margins they wish, there are many rural communities who do not have broad band internet service. Did you know that our Internet speeds in the United States are 5 to 6 times slower than many places in Europe? France immediately comes to mind. Yes, some of it has to do with fiber-optic lines, but much of it is due to throttling that goes on at the Cable Companies. Why? Because for a few dollars more, they will sell you a tiered service with much faster speeds. Almost as fast or perhaps even a little bit faster than what @Home was bringing us for less than half the cost… and this was before fiber-optic lines!

I Will Never Buy an Apple Product Again!

One of the reasons I originally went with Microsoft for my computer system, had a lot to do with Apple blocking and prohibiting access to many features allowing users to tweak their operating system. You could only use Apple monitors, printers and their own peripherals. Thus, if Okidata had a printer that did what you wanted for half the cost of the Apple offering, you were shucks out of luck! They did get me on their iPhone however. Primarily because at that time, it was really the only “SmartPhone” available that made the Internet truly usable on a cellphone.

I was elated when I first got it. I set up my e-mail accounts, began saving my “favorites” in the web browser and I began taking pictures. It was then I noticed a problem. The first iPhone would not take videos. Really??? For those of you who do not know, the same lens that will take a “still picture” will take a video with equal ease. It is simply a matter of software. In point of fact, an entire underground counter-culture industry has sprung up “jail-breaking” iPhones. There was a 3rd party application that could turn the “still-camera” in the first iPhones into video cameras. So, why didn’t Apple think to make the camera on their well thought out iPhone a video camera? Because three months later, there were suckers waiting in line over night to get the next version of their iPhone for a slightly higher price. Of course it came with video capability.

They were gouging their customers by the incremental release of technologies they already had sitting on their shelves. Rather than produce the best product they were capable of, and then bettering themselves on their next big “reveal,” they chose instead to sell a substandard product and turn an extra dollar from a gullible, naive public. Capitalism? Shrewd business marketing? To be sure. However, it is also a hidden redistribution of wealth from people with way too little of it to people with way too much of it. Why do I say this? When you’re not getting what you’re paying for? You’re being ripped off. The difference in features between the iPhone I purchased and the new one that came out 3 months later, were not sufficient to justify the cost of an entirely new phone. I gladly would have paid $50 to $60 extra for the features which probably cost less than $10 to include. Paying $199 for a brand new phone, is a scam.

In 2005 we built a brand new 6,400 sq ft. home. We built it out of brick and spared no expense within our financial means at that time. We took our time and carefully selected the very best appliances available to our knowledge at that time. No, we didn’t buy Viking for our kitchen. We don’t have it like that… but we didn’t short change our appliances either. Our home has two high efficiency furnaces, one for the downstairs and one for the upstairs. We also have two hot water heaters. We selected A.O. Smith “Power Shots” because they had a good name. Since 2006 – when we took possession of our home – I’m on my 3rd water heater. Why? Yes, we have well water. However, we have a high end whole house filter as well as a water softener which we maintain.

What goes out on the water heater? The “thermo-coupler.” This is the control module which by the way, never comes into contact with the water. A.O. Smith has replaced at least 4 of them under warranty. They’re about $350 each. However, the warranty does not cover the labor involved to swap them out. Each time the plumber comes out, it costs $170. Growing up, we had water heaters that worked flawlessly and lasted 15 – 20 years. How can this be? Did they suddenly forget how to build reliable water heaters? Of course not! There is more money involved in fixing, repairing and supplying parts than there is in actually building and selling a solid product. This is why cars are stolen. Your car is worth over 3 times what you paid for it in parts. I’ve actually considered buying a brand new car and making a deal with someone to simply take it apart piece by piece and sell the parts on eBay. I’d make enough to pay the car off and buy another one free and clear. Yes it would take time and be a hassle, but the reason this is even possible is because the automotive industry, years ago figured out they’d make more money from people trading in their cars every 3 or so years and buying new ones.

It wasn’t enough changing the styles. The consumer needed a little extra incentive so they built them to start wearing out after 3 years. The backlash was, people began buying foreign cars. This is why German, Japanese, Korean, British cars and others are being sold here today. People simply got tired of being nickel and dimed repairing or replacing their cars every 3 years. Detroit left an opening that foreign companies rushed into fill. Capitalism? To be sure. However, the upshot was/is that American dollars have been flowing into the coffers of business and governments that are not truly Capitalist. If you worship at the shrine of Capitalism, why are you funding the governments of countries that practice Socialism and in some cases Communism?

Bottom line? The pursuit of profit under the aegis of Capitalism has caused the American consumer to fund and pay for the resources of nations who seek our demise. Who cares? So long as somebody makes a profit right?

Corporate Parasites – It Cost More To Live When You’re Poor

Businesses and Corporations actually budget, counting on your late fees. What’s worse, they now employ strategies to maximize these fees. Case in point. Like you, I have several Credit Cards. “BankAmericard” is one. “DiscoverCard” is another. I single these two out because of a particularly nasty little trick they tried to play. Like many people, we use “Quicken” to manage our finances. We have Quicken set to remind us when some payments are due and to actually pay others. One of these credit cards was due on the 1st of the month, the other was due on the 15th of the month. For several years, all was good. Every bill was automatically paid on time. No late fees. No issues.

Then one month, we got a notice of a late payment fee. When we looked into it, we discovered that “BankAmericard” had unilaterally changed the payment due date to 5 days ahead of schedule. This caused us a late payment fee. Because we paid as scheduled, we were not 30 days late and it did not impact our credit score. Not a problem, we simply went into Quicken and adjusted the payment trigger to the new date. A few months later, we got another notice of late payment. This was from “DiscoverCard.” They had done the exact same thing. Over the next 6 months, both “BankAmericard and DiscoverCard” did the exact same thing… AGAIN!

What made this possible? Banking deregulation! After President Obama’s administration put regulations back in place, this became illegal. My wife who works in the Banking Industry knows the law. When they tried it again, she called them up and cited the law which says they cannot arbitrarily change payment due dates. Here’s the tip off. The person who answered the phone acknowledged this law and apologized and set the dates back to what they were originally.

 Have they stopped this practice? Of course not. If you are not aware of the changes in the law, it’s business as usual. Look at it this way. Suppose you were caught shoplifting a few steaks to feed your family. You get caught by store security as you’re about to exit the store. Would you be allowed to say, “Oh, my bad! I’ll put them back. No harm, no foul?” Of course not. You’re going to be charged. Yet, these large corporations are in essence shoplifting from the pockets of their customers. If you don’t call them on it, they get away clean. If you do catch them they simply stop. They do not refund all the fees from the times they robbed your previously. That’s just water under the bridge.

Most people get paid around the 1st and or the 15th of the month. Thus, it would make sense for your payments to be scheduled around those dates. This would also work for people who are paid weekly. When companies structure their payment due dates away from these times there is a reason. That reason is it maximizes the probability of late fees. If everybody paid their bills on time, these companies would take a hit to their revenue streams.

Socializing Cost While Privatizing Profits

There is an excellent book by David Cay Johnston called “The Fine Print: How Big Companies Use ‘Plain English’ to Rob You Blind.” How does your State or City attract a new manufacturing plant or a Sports Team? They offer the inducement of tax incentives. They’ll build the stadium or they’ll give them an abatement in State taxes to build their plant. When this happens, who is actually paying for this? The money isn’t coming out of thin air. You the taxpayer is footing the bill. When a corporation is given tax abatements to build that new manufacturing plant, yes they’re bringing jobs to your community. However, not only are they not going to have to pay State taxes – the taxes that build and maintain the infrastructure they’re going to be using – oft times they will not have to pay State taxes on their employees. They will still collect – take those taxes out of the pay checks of their employees – but they will pocket that money.

This is money that will not go to schools, fire and police departments, first responders, teachers, road maintenance and all the things that make our communities the places we like to live. Nobody asks the question, “how many jobs would a corporation have to provide before the benefits they provide would justify the costs to the taxpayers?” Politicians won’t ask because the photo-op of them cutting the tape for the opening of a new plant is good for votes.

The Oil Industry is the most profitable industry on the planet. Yet, we subsidize them each year to the tune of billions of dollars. Why? The problem is simple. Corporations have bought our elections and they’ve bought our elected officials. They are using the money they’re plucking from your pockets, your pension funds and your children’s college funds to build the prison they’re confining you in. You are paying for your own enslavement.

Blood Money

Whenever you hear the President or some other political leader use the phrase, “protecting American Interests,” you need to understand what they’re saying. They’re rarely if ever talking about what is in the best interest of you and your family. They’re talking about the interests of one or more corporations. We have sacrificed our treasure and paid in blood to protect the profit stream of corporations.

World War II ended in 1945, yet we still have military bases and a military presence all over Europe. Why? Radical Islamic terrorist don’t hate us for our freedom as one nit wit American President proclaimed. They hate us because our corporations are exploiting their nations, people and resources. Why do we care who is in power in a particular region? We care because we want to deal with governments favorable to our economic interests. What economic interests does the United States have in these regions? None! We do not collect taxes from those populations. It is our corporations that want to either do business there, build a pipeline across their country or use their people as cheap labor in conditions and at wages that would be against the law here.

You cannot buy cigarettes in the United States until you turn 21. You cannot market cigarettes to children. However, those laws are not present in other countries and our Tobacco Companies do a bang up business in these other countries around the world. If you’ve been on-line for any length of time, you’ve no doubt seen pictures of young children smoking. As these 3rd world nations become more modern and realize the harm being done to their children, when they connect the dots of early cancer deaths to our Tobacco Companies, how do you think they’re going to feel about the United States?

There is a multi-national corporation I am aware of that has 250 thousand employees world wide. A year or so ago, when they passed out bonuses it was discovered that 10% – the upper management – received 90% of the money. The CEO received $5 million in cash and $25 million in stock. He catches the “5 O’clock” elevator at the end of each day. He flies around on a corporate jet. The employees that make this possible, work 14 and 16 hour days. Do you see anything wrong with this? Do you think this CEO would do his job for say… his current salary plus only a $15 million bonus? $10 million? $1 million?

Tell me again why we need to cut taxes for people like this? By the way, why was his bonus structured such that he got $25 million in stock? Stock is only taxed at 13%. What tax rate are you paying? How much is enough money? How many billions do you have to have before you can say, you’ve got enough? Do you realize if you have $1 million dollars and you invest it conservatively, you will make between $80 to $90 thousand a year in interest? You won’t have to touch your principal if you can live off of $80 thousand a year. Now multiply this by the multiple – hundreds – millions some people have. Remember, these people are taxed at only 13% so no matter what happens, they’re fortunes will continue to grow.

I have nothing against this. However, if we must make a choice as to what is best for our Nation and the communities in which we live and the opportunity we’d like to pass on to our children, we need to make some changes. We are allowing this nation to be destroyed through the greed of the few at the top. When you buy a government, you get the people for free. The purpose of the government is to serve the people and provide for the common good. No Mitt, Corporations are not people! What’s best for a corporation is not necessarily best for the people. What is best for the executive management of a corporation is not necessarily best or fair for the employees that make their success possible.

Our infrastructure is crumbling. We’re fighting wars that really are not in our interest. Our educational system is failing. We’re ranked 25th in math, 17th in science and 14th in reading. This should chill your soul. The only true resource on this planet is the human resource. Problems are solved through ingenuity. Our children not only are our future, they will invent our future. If they’re not equipped to compete successfully, our future will be dim indeed.

What threatens our nation is not in the mountains in Afghanistan. It is not in the deserts of Iraq or Iran. It is not Russia, China or the monetary systems they choose to use. What threatens our nation is right here sitting around tables in corporate boardrooms.