republicans

Truth in Poetry: 15

Problem: Trump and the Republican Party

Trump and the 20% or so of the American population that adulates him is not a new problem in the United States.  Of course, there are racist issues, xenophobic tendencies, conspiratorial thinking.  But there is also utter sociopathy, paranoia, fanaticism, and just pure, unadulterated greed.  There is also stupidity.  There is not ignorance, because ignorance is self-correcting. 

            This brings us to the problem.  Trump was allowed to take office and those who support him, support him knowing who and what he is.

            In order for Donald Trump to have taken office, there was a decades long movement to undermine good government policies.  The undermining of these policies has allowed for a minority to take control of this country.  This is part of the problem.  In a functioning and fair, and healthy governing system, Donald Trump would not have stood a chance.

            However, there will always be the fringe minority, the “deplorables” of any country.  These people are the cost of a civil society but the majority must not let them overtake the country.  People who support Donald Trump have no place in a civil society, and yet to be civil, there must be a place for them. This is the catch-22.  However, all opinions must be allowed, but all opinions cannot be considered respectable, much less accepted.

            Religion, fear, and greed all play a part in the debacle that the Republican Party has become, and in the once unthinkable idea that someone such as Donald Trump could become president.  While we cannot rid our society of people who would stand in the way of social and political progress, we must never, ever let them become philosopher kings.

Solution: Civil Responsibilities, Individual Responsibilities, Realism

            It would be much easier to simply state that education is the answer.  It would be much more comfortable if we could just make policy changes in the government, or regulate the billions of dollars that unconscionable corporations and individuals poured into both political parties for dubious reasons.  But these solutions, however much they are needed, are short-sighted for this particular problem.

            A solution to Donald Trump is more opaque, less ideological perhaps.  The United States has something very good, worth fighting for.  But we must always keep that in mind.  We often get derailed.  We often lose track of what it is that is important.  With that in mind, we must concentrate on changing anything and everything that allowed for Donald Trump.  This ranges from accepting everyone’s opinion (which we mustn’t do), to “agreeing to disagree”.  This includes calling out and facing people who would undo those ideals this country supposedly stands for.  This includes holding people responsible, especially politicians and religious leaders who allowed this atrocity as well as those who would undermine the basic ideals of the concept of democracy.

            This also includes facing realities.  As a country we must face certain realities that are beyond ideological beliefs.  We must realize that ideologies fall short, and that reality is what counts.  While we may want “things to be different”, we must agree on a direction, how we want them to be different.  In short, we must decide on what kind of society we want to live in, and then work (not wish) our way towards that goal.  We must give up John Locke and look towards John Stuart Mill.

            Donald Trump is a wakeup call.  His followers have always been here and unfortunately those sorts of people will always exist.  The rest of us allowed this to happen because of apathy, or laziness, or indecision.  We allowed this because we were too caught up in our own personal battles.  We were too busy buying the latest gadget or checking our “feed”.  We turned our heads instead of facing reality.  We got what we deserved: the Republicans and Donald Trump.  The Republicans, Donald Trump and that ilk are correct about one thing:  freedom does not come free.  But none of us can be free from our responsibilities to never allow another Donald Trump.

Truth is Like Poetry 5

Problem: Laissez-faire Capitalism

The problem of the idea of money is (actually) most likely as old as humanity.  Money, in all its forms, is simply a method of barter.  Bartering systems have varied over time, ranging from rocks and livestock and other things throughout history.  However, capitalism goes beyond the concept of bartering.  Capitalism is the concept of profitizing.  Nowadays, especially in the USA, capitalism has taken on a religious tinge which gives it some of the same qualities and problems as religious belief.  So, the idea/concept of using money as a system of barter is not the issue, the ideological fetishes regarding profit is. 

Profit-at-all-costs is the end result of laissez-faire capitalism.  This, in short, is the problem.  This has cost the American society dearly morally, socially, and politically and culturally.  One aspect of this problem is the so-called ‘Protestant work ethic”, which leads to meritocratic worth above all else and creates a moral worth to economic standing.  Secondly, capitalism has led to an oligarchical and plutocratic governing system that is unhealthy and even dangerous.

Lastly, laissez-faire capitalism corrupts the concept of civilization; it undermines a core value system that allows peaceful societies to exist by rendering unfair the barter system itself.  Profit-at-all-costs  undermines trust in the economic system of a country.  It is important to remember that greed is not a basic good, something capitalists throughout time have seemed to forgotten.

Solution:  Government Regulation

FDR introduced “The New Deal” early last century when capitalism-run-amok tanked the American economy, and it is a good start as a solution today.  Furthermore, anti-trust laws are already in place to rectify the problem of capitalism, but have simply been relegated to legal trash heaps by the Republicans in particular and indirectly by Democrats.  They are The Sherman Antitrust Act, The Clayton Act, and The Federal Trade Commission Act. 

The Sherman Antitrust Act deals with unfair and deceptive contracts and trading (think Wall Street) while The Federal Trade Commission Act deals with deceptive ‘acts and practices’ such as the housing bust in and the reasons the government (we the people) had to bail out the banks.  The Clayton Act was put into place to cover issues not covered by the previous two.  There is also the McCain-Feingold Act which, in part, was put in place to battle Citizens United (a heinous piece of pathetic legislation that undermines all vestiges of fair-trade practices).

Secondly, government is not a business and cannot be run as such.  It is a platform upon which societies are built, and like all such platforms, it is conceptual, not financial.  The question, as is the case with most socio-political questions, is what kind of society do we as individuals want to live in, and government is an answer to that question.  Laissez-faire capitalists, Libertarians and Republicans mostly, have answered this question loud and clear as to the kind of society that they desire, and the consequences of their decision has not boded well for civil, fair, peaceful societies.

A Civil Society

In New Hampshire, armed idiots chased the governor elect away.

Ted Cruz is leading a group of Republican traitors, trying to fight the results of the recent elections. Mitch McConnell gives them his “blessings”.

No warranted evidence for any of their allegations has been produced, and our current president tried to change voter results in Georgia and an ongoing health concern is still, still a political debate.

Most of us turn our heads in disgust with some egging the upending of our country on for religious or other ideological reasons. Gun sales are up and fear and loathing are at an all-time high while rational and critical analysis and thinking are at an all-time low.

It is time for us as a nation to ask some simple questions:

What kind of society do we want, and how do we get it? How did we allow our society to come to this point?

It is time for us to look past the platitudes and bumper stickers and realize that a civil society does not come free and that unfettered freedoms do not equal a civil society.

Something for Nothing

There is no such thing as something for nothing.  Our need for cheap goods and services is real, but the ability for companies to offer them is an illusion.  Think about this the next time you walk into a Walmart or refuse to buy quality, ethical food because it is too expensive.  Think about this the next time you hire someone.

Companies do not need to eat; they do not have needs.  People have needs, and when we demand more for less we are demanding that others give up what they need; we are demanding that others give up what they need for what we desire.

The arguments are similar and ubiquitous against this way of thinking.

“I cannot afford…”

This is true, but it is not the cost of quality goods and services that is the problem; companies do not pay living wages, we need to reevaluate our priorities, our economy is based upon a lie.  We have overextended our finances.

“That is too expensive.”

Perhaps.  Maybe you do not understand what it takes to bring “that” to you.  It might be that “that” is not subsidized by your taxes.  Chances are you do not value “that” enough to buy it or don’t realize the true cost of doing so.

“I can get it cheaper….”

Yes, it is probably true that you can get it seemingly cheaper, but at what cost?  The true costs of cheap goods and services are rarely seen or thought about.

There is no such thing as something for nothing because for most of us nothing is simply not enough.

A Particular Failure

To do what is right is extremely difficult.  The agrarian experiment entails giving up niceties without giving up civilization; the grocery store is still a reality.  However, while visiting the “walk of shame” we are faced with choices: should I buy that bag of bread or bake my own?  Perhaps I should not buy those paper towels and just use my cloths I have at home?

Sometimes we fail to make the right choices because it is too easy to make the wrong choices.

The list goes on: pork, beef, flour, milk…

The opportunities are always available: farmer’s markets, neighbors, localvore, and just doing without.

Sometimes when we fail, we know that we have failed, or perhaps more honest: that we are failing in the moment; that we fail ourselves is the worst.  On the farm, failure is, as has so many times been said, not an option: the work must get done, and there will always be more work.

I cannot feel but there is a correlation in politics today.  This country has made the wrong choice because it was an easy choice to make for some.  To make the right choice from this point on will be difficult.   And while I do not wish this simple blog to become simply a political  podium, and cannot but hope that after this failure is finally finished that we can turn and perhaps after acknowledging that we have failed our selves, can pick up and do the work that is inevitably waiting as it is until our dying days.

Liberal, Commie, Bastard

politics2

It is state election time here and again I am reminded that the language we use often mirrors how we feel rather than what we think. One piece of mail that I received regarding a state candidate was simply emblazoned “LIBERAL”. I have to wonder about the purpose of such claims. When I do, I remember John Stuart Mill’s writings on “Classical Liberalism”. There are ten principles. Here they are in short:

  1. The life of each individual is an absolute and universal moral value.
  2. Every individual owns his body, his mind, and the labor thereof.
  3. Every individual has the right to pursue activities for the betterment of his life.
  4. The rights of an individual to life, liberty…are not granted by other human beings.
  5. The initiation of physical force, the threat of such force, or fraud against any individual is never permissible.
  6. The sole fundamental purpose of government is to protect the rights of individuals…government is not the same as society.
  7. Every individual has the absolute right to think and express any idea.
  8. Commerce, technology and science are desirable.
  9. Accidents of birth, geography, or ancestory do not define an individual and should not result in manmade restrictions of that individual’s rights or opportunities.
  10. It is a moral imperative for humans to expand their mastery of the universe indefinitely.

The above ideas were expressed by Mill in 1869. What I find interesting about these principles of classical liberalism is that most of these principles have been absconded by the present-day “conservatives” which brings me to my point about language: it changes. I would suggest that to use language is to express ideas not create ideals. It also reminds me that in order to own a word, I must have clear understanding of that word.

It is important to remember in these days of political posturing that it is not only the language that we use that is important, but the ideals that we abide by: we must own the word we speak. To call someone a “liberal” is neither good nor bad. However, the reasons that we have for calling a person or group anything are good or bad.

It is much easier to rely upon rhetoric rather than principle to express ourselves, especially when we are not certain of the ideals that we actually hold, nor why we hold them. It is much more difficult to understand what we say before saying it than it is to say something that we really don’t understand.

Politics may be rhetorical by nature, but they are meaningless without the ability of society to understand the underlying ideals that are expressed by politics. As Mill is also quoted as saying, if we don’t educate ourselves, we deserve what we get.