A divided America

 Believes, Does, Featured, Thinks  3 Responses »
Aug 022011
 

The recent and ongoing debate regarding the debt ceiling and how to handle the persistent serious economic problems facing Americans has clearly proven that there is a big divide between Americans. The language of the debates refers to this divide and the various issues that comprise it. These terms label various people that are divided from others in America by these issues: the millionaires , the middle class, the poor, the employed, the unemployed, the retired, immigrants, illegal immigrants, the “blacks”, Hispanics, whites, the college educated, non-college graduates, public schooled, home schooled, the insured, the uninsured, home owners, renters, those whose homes have been repossessed, the homeless, heterosexual, homosexual, married, civil unions, unmarried, children, youth, seniors, Christians, non-Christians, Jews, Muslims, liberals, conservatives, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, the Tea Party, Congress, the judiciary, the President, particular state residents, voters, non-voters, local, those who are “free”, those who are “oppressed”, union members, non-union workers, public/governmental, personal/private, lawful, unlawful, constitutional, unconstitutional, and other such terms that specifically denote personal differences between Americans and how they relate to each other.

A lot of battles, and even a war and lot of laws have been passed in our efforts to remove some of these issues that divide us, but the differences and their influences still divide us. The civil war did not remove the division in American society that was created by those who who were “free” and those who were “slaves”. It only removed the label of “slave” from some individuals and states. And it took additional efforts of violent and legal action to enable former “slaves” and their descendants to become voters. And we are still trying to learn how to relate to these individuals who are different. And it seems to be apparent that borrowed money cannot enable unemployed people to finance home mortgages or even the purchase of new cars. And it may not even encourage the rich to employ more workers for their products or to avoid the use of foreign “slave” labor to make their products.

“No one left behind” is a nice slogan, but history has proven over and over again that no government or social system has been able to bring all of the individuals under its control to the same standards of living as everyone else in their system. There are always some “poor”, some uneducated, some oppressed, some untreated sick and handicapped individuals, some unemployed, and other categories of individuals who are in one way or another “left behind” or are not able to participate in all of the opportunities that their national society provides. It is really foolish for Americans and our elected representatives to believe that we can eliminate many of these persistent personal differences and issues that divide us by “throwing money” at them or even passing laws against them. They will not go away by such efforts, and such efforts may only strengthen the divisions.

An implemented “debt deal” will not remove the issues that divide us. More debates and legislative actions by our politicians will not bring Americans together for their common good. I don’t believe that there is any “political” solution to this problem. I think that there must be a major reform within American people regarding how they regard each other and what they legitimately can do and should do to help each other in their civic and personal lives. Such a reform is bigger than just deciding the relative merits of “big” government or “small” government and spending cuts or a “fair” tax. And such reform is greatly complicated by our political processes that reinforce procedures and decisions that reward the “majority” even though they may be only 51% of the deciders. A ratio of 51% to 49% does not describe a united America or a united anything. We need a much broader reform within America if we are going to remove many of the issues that persistently divide us from each other!

What do you think Americans in their personal and civic responsibilities need to do to become more united and less divided? What needs to happen outside of the political arena and within it that will implement such personal actions by Americans? Let’s talk about this.

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 Posted by Bob1 at 2:48 pm  Tagged with: american economy, angry citizens, congress, debt ceiling, economic problems, economic stress, financial operations, government program, legislative processes, liberals conservatives, personal differences, personal efforts

A good revolution

 About Christianity, Believes, General, Thinks, Wants  8 Responses »
Jan 302011
 

The people of Egypt are engaged in a revolution to make some major changes in their government, that is in how the business of their civic lives is managed. It is a noble cause to seek to be free from oppressive forms of government. We here in the United States understand that perfectly well. We engaged in a violent war to secure our independence from the colonial empire of Great Britain, so we understand the value of such freedom.

But we also understand that the benefits of such freedom are not easy to achieve or to maintain. Rules of law and order, even those written into a Constitution and established in a republican or representative form of government, are not always perfect or effective in meeting the changing needs of citizens. We know about this challenge, because our people got engaged in another war to remove the oppression of slavery from our society, but even then there were later riots in our streets with people being killed and property being destroyed to remove some of the causes and effects of prejudice from our society. And these problems are still not completely solved. So we are currently engaged in a “war” of words and political strategies to determine how to make our freely established form of government more responsive to the needs of our citizens and their role in the world.

Personal freedom is nice, but its real value is determined by how well free individuals get along with other free individuals, how they manage their corporate processes when they all have to work together, and how well they are able to get along with their neighbors.  And many individuals in the “free” world are concerned about the end  results of this revolution in Egypt, and others like it, because it is not always clear what form of government is going to be in “power” after the change is made and how effective it will be in enabling the citizens of Egypt to meet their personal needs and to live in peace with their neighbors in the other nations of the world. These concerns are always important, because our world is composed of a lot of “different” people who have a lot of different needs and wants and levels of personal and corporate resources to meet those needs and wants .

There is a very interesting conversation reported in the gospel of John (chapter 3:1-21) in the Bible that touches on this matter of “kingdoms” and civic “saviors”. The conversation took place between Nicodemus, a legal expert from the ruling body of the Jews in ancient Jerusalem, and Jesus whom he recognized as “a teacher” who had “come from God”. So Jesus was someone whom Nicodemus would respect as being wiser than some other consultant or expert in such matters. Jesus makes it clear to Nicodemus in this conversation that Nicodemus is really not able to recognize who it is who comes from “heaven”;  and he really can’t mentally grasp the difference between what is “true” and what is “evil”, that is between what is “light” or illuminating and what is a matter of “darkness” or worldly, in accord with the “heavenly” system of operating a “kingdom”. Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order to understand these matters he would have to be “born again”, which means that he would have to start all over with a basic change in the way he thinks. Jesus was telling Nicodemus that in order to understand the nature of a good “kingdom” or who might establish such a one on earth he would have to have his life and the disposition of his mind changed by “the Spirit” that is from “heaven”, that is from God.

I really think that these revolutions and political discussions,  like those in which the people of Egypt are engaged and even those in which we citizens of the United States are currently having,  are going to be basically futile and ineffective until people are basically changed into individuals who can recognize wise leaders who can lead them away from what is “evil” and help them to establish civic forms of government that are basically loving.

One of the basic difficulties in achieving such basic changes is that they can’t be accomplished through laws, that is through legislative political processes. There is no law that has ever been written or even conceived that can make free individuals love others or love those who “rule” over their civic businesses. In religious terminology we don’t need more revolutions, we need a good revival of human transformation in order to become “children” of our “Father” who is in “heaven” who know how to live in peace with their “brothers” and “sisters” in this world.

What do you think of these revolutions that are taking place around the world and the current discussions that are taking place among the citizens and politicans in the United States? What do you really expect them to accomplish? Let’s talk about this.

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 Posted by Bob1 at 2:59 pm  Tagged with: angry citizens, controversy, government program, legislative action, oppression, personal freedoms, political matter, political strategies, wise leadership

Hope

 Believes, Does, Says, Wants  No Responses »
Jan 092011
 

In light of the tragic assault upon several government officials and citizens yesterday (1/8/11) in Tucson, AZ, I’m wondering if we can look to the future with much hope. There is a lot of talk going on regarding the causes of this violence. Fingers of blame are being pointed at various individuals of public influence, and the language and tone of our political debates and discussions are being cited as possible contributing factors for this violent act by one “unstable” young man. But I think that the cause of this kind of violence is deeper than the language that we use to discuss our joint courses of action in this country. And it is this cause that dims my expectations for hope in our future.

When our legislative bodies of Congress and state and local legislatures  can approve bills for various public projects with a simple majority of 51% there is built into the decisions a strong impression of victory for the “powerful” majority and defeat for the “weak” minority. In the current political situation in which we live, where very major changes in some of our public policies and programs are being debated and trillions of dollars of taxes are being quickly spent, there are many causes of “anger” among many voters. But this is not to be unexpected when so much conflict, political fighting, persuasive lobbying, campaigns to gain “numbers” for each side of the “battles” are built into the system for how we conduct our legislative business. And the stage is being set for the ongoing “battles” as we approach the next general election in 2012. The sides are already gathering their ammunition and citing their targets and working to increase their numbers.

I think that is time for Congress and the people to make some basic changes in how we conduct our legislative business in this country. The standard for approval is way too low! A judge in any court of law where the actions of citizens and those of public officials are being debated, except for the Supreme Court, would rule that the jury was “hung” if its approval rate was even as high as  11-1 (which is about 92%).

I think that our present standard for legislative action in this country is only a setup for “power” politics that leaves little chance for much hope in our future. “Might makes right” is the law of the jungle. If we want to live somewhere else than in a “jungle”, we need to move to a higher standard for what is a “right” course of action in how we conduct our legislative business. What do you think? Let’s talk about this.

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 Posted by Bob1 at 5:29 pm  Tagged with: government program, judicial courts, legislative action, legislative bodies, legislative business, legislative processes, political debates, political matter, political situation, related news topic, violence

A good king

 Believes, Consumes, Does, Wants  3 Responses »
Dec 232010
 

Let’s pretend that you have become king of a vast domain with millions of people under your rule and lots of natural resources available to you and your subjects. You have absolute authority to make the laws and a judicial system to enforce them. Your term of rule is for as long as you are able to function or are forced out of your position by a more powerful individual or you choose to retire from the “throne”.

What laws would you make sure are on the books? Whom would they be designed to benefit and protect? Who would pay for the costs of their provisions?  What priorities would you have for their enforcement? What benefits would you hope to see from their enforcement during the next decade or so?

Perhaps you can recognize that this is not simply a “pretend” situation. Because of your power and authority as a voter, you do have the ability to influence the legislative processes of a “vast domain”. And the consequences of the rules that are set by those to whom you have given legislative power will be felt by the citizens of your realm for decades to come.  As a nation of diverse people we are going through some difficult times and changing circumstances for our lives as individuals and groups of working consumers. And we are expecting our “rulers” to rule wisely, but there may be some real differences between us in regard to what we understand to be good rules of behavior for our common lives and commerce.

Let’s talk about this. How would you answer the above questions? We are entering a time of crisis and change, and how you answer these questions may have some serious consequences for all of us during the next few years. OK “king” what is your will?

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 Posted by Bob1 at 3:39 pm  Tagged with: american economy, angry citizens, congress, consequences, difficult times, financial crisis, government program, legislative action, legislative processes, political matter, wise leadership

A good way to regard WikiLeaks

 Hears, Reads, Says, Thinks  No Responses »
Nov 292010
 

If diplomats didn’t lie to their own people and insult each other and their contrary associates in “private”, then the publishing of these “classified” documents wouldn’t get much attention or there wouldn’t be such “secrets” to publish. As long as diplomats from both sides of the “battle lines” feel that they have to communicate with each other in such ways in order to maintain and to strengthen their personal positions of power and pleasure, then such private remarks will be waiting to be published.

The struggles for power,  control, and personal and corporate riches and comforts are well recognized and generally acknowledged by most people around the world who see and experience their pressures everyday. Everyone wants to be on the “winning” side in these struggles, but the real “games” are extremely dangerous to the participants and they have severe consequences for even their fellow associates and citizens.

It might help if diplomats would only discuss the facts regarding what they and their political leaders and fellow citizens are doing in these “struggles”, keeping their personal opinions and verbal “bullets” to themselves. Total honesty and transparency between the diplomats and the “players” in these “games” for power is probably not possible or even wise on the “playing fields” of this world.  But there certainly must be a better way for grown up diplomats to communicate with each other regarding these serious struggles than what they are currently practicing.

The leaking of these documents appears to me be quite similar to the playing of some audio tapes that some kids have been able to make as they secretly recorded some frank conversations of their relatives regarding the family squabbles or conflicts that trouble some family relationships and hamper the peace of the family.

I wonder when our diplomats and leaders are going to grow up and begin to communicate with us and with each other in intelligent and mature ways of diplomacy to seek to resolve these powerful struggles that threaten us all. These WikiLeaks are clear evidence that many of our diplomats and world leaders don’t know how to do this and they haven’t reached a sufficient level of maturity to even recognize the dangers of their “gaming strategies”. And censorship and more secrecy are not the solutions to this problem.

What do you think of this matter? Should those who “leaked” these documents and published them be prosecuted as criminals or terrorists? How can we teach our diplomats a more mature way to conduct our diplomatic business? Let’s talk about this.

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 Posted by Bob1 at 9:41 pm  Tagged with: a matter of opinion, bad news, common sense, consequences, government program, legislative programs, peace on earth, political leaders, political matter, related news topic

Good health care

 Believes, Buys, Featured, Receives  12 Responses »
Mar 032010
 

Good health care is not a personal right. It is a parent’s responsibility. Parents everywhere have the initial and basic responsibility to care for the infant(s) to which they give birth. If they have insurance to help with the costs of this initial care, that is fine, but it is not the responsibility of any government or other relative or neighbor or religious group or friend to provide the funds for this ongoing responsibility or service any more than it is the responsibility of any of these entities to provide the funds to anyone for the purchase and operation of a phone.

Any insurance benefits that are available to help with the costs of health care must come from companies or agencies that collect premiums from their customers who want this financial service. And they are only able to pay individual customers and their health care providers for the specific costs of health care procedures if they can maintain an excessive level of premiums over expenses, if they can make a profit from their business. They have to be able to attract a “pool” of healthy customers who will have a minimum amount of costs for health care during a reasonable time frame so that they can afford to pay the costs for their customers when they become sick or otherwise injured. These principles of business are true for any company or agency that is engaged in providing financial services for health care irregardless of the name of the company or the government program that provides the financial plan, which is the insurance policy. They are true whether the policies are secured voluntarily or through compulsory taxes or fees.

Once an infant is born, his or her body is no longer “new”. It is like a “new” car that immediately becomes “used” once it is driven off of the dealer’s lot or taken out of the display room. Then it is the responsibility of the owner or parents to maintain the car or the health of their child. The dealer may provide a warranty to cover some possible costly repairs to the “new” car, but these would only be effective for a limited period of time and they would basically only cover parts of the car that were not subject to a lot of poor maintenance or abusive driving habits, and the price of such warranties is included in the price of the car. Warranties for used cars are usually very expensive and very limited if they can be purchased at all. Health care is a legitimate cost of living for adults and their dependents even for those who are unemployed.

So insurance companies or agencies that agree to cover the costs of health care on the “used” bodies of their customers must be wise managers of their financial assets if they are going to maintain a necessary level of profits in their business. That means that they must recognize and take into account the personal factors, such as age and gender and health habits, of their customers. It is foolish to expect good business managers to ignore these factors by trying to force them to issue insurance plans without regard to the “pre-existing” health conditions of their customers. That is like forcing a car dealer to issue a service warranty on a used car irregardless of whether or not it was caught in a flood, involved in a crash, or just poorly maintained for years. Such an effort by congress to force insurance companies to ignore “pre-existing” risks, such as high blood pressure and smoking and health histories, is nonsense or poor business.

Our congressional representatives and the president should not be engaged in this current effort to reform health care, particularly the business practices of insurance companies who are seeking to provide individuals with some funds for the costs of this service. And they should not be seeking to put caps on the level of fees that private professionals can charge their customers and patients for the health care services that they provide. Such fees and premiums are matters of the business market place. This reform is not a responsibility of our government.

The health care reform that needs to take place in our society should not be focused on the insurance business or the services of health care professionals, but it should be focused on getting adults to recognize their responsibilities to provide health care for the children that they produce and to practice habits of good health. Such reforms could go a long way toward enabling them to maintained their bodies for many decades of comfortable living, although “old age” is basically not a preventable disease.

A lot of good health care could be established by going back to a previous plan by many insurance companies who would issue health insurance policies that would only cover “major” medical expenses, such as those that might come from unexpected medical emergencies or accidents. All other costs for health care would be recognized as being outside of these policies and within the personal responsibilities of adults. These costs would be for such services as for eye glasses and regular dental cleaning or braces and flu shots and blood tests and physical therapy. The service of emergency health care for the unemployed and the persistently poor should be provided by more non-profit medical clinics in our communities, with these being operated by caring charitable foundations, churches or synagogues, or other such agencies. Doctors and other health care professionals could be encouraged to spend a few years of service at a less than normal wage in such clinics in the course of their careers. This would take some of the financial pressure off of the hospitals that are profit-seeking businesses.

Good health care is a basic need for every person, and some reforms in this service are necessary. Let’s talk about what makes for good health care.

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 Posted by Bob1 at 1:31 pm  Tagged with: controversy, financial crisis, good health, government program, health care providers, insurance benefits, legislative action, related news topic

Good credit

 About Christianity, Believes  34 Responses »
Feb 042010
 

One’s credit rating is an indication of the level of faith that a lender has in his or her ability and willingness to repay any funds that the lender might advance to him or her. It is apparently based on the person’s current financial assets and his or her financial history. A good credit rating is a valuable resource to have. It can be very useful in any time of emergency when a major expense is necessary to handle some unforeseen circumstance. But it may be lost or jeopardized or changed if a person uses his or credit to make purchases that he or she knows are unnecessary and beyond his or her anticipated timely income.

This matter of one’s credit rating has some things in common with one’s faith in God. What is God’s credit rating with you? How much faith do you have in him to pay for your sins with the bloody sacrifice of his Son, Jesus? God has said that he would do this if you would repent of your sins, acknowledge Jesus as the Lord of your life, and trust them. For some insight into this matter see this statement on my website: “Faith”.

This matter of faith and trust is a very basic part of living in a world that is filled with all kinds of risks and unloving enemies. Whether you are concerned with some economic or spiritual matters in your life, let’s talk about a “good credit rating” for you and God.

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 Posted by Bob1 at 2:01 pm  Tagged with: a matter of opinion, credit rating, faith and trust, financial operations, God's providential care, government program, spiritual matters
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