Politics 2016

As we approach the new year, the clowns will begin dropping out and all begin to take a serious view over who can be our next president.  By now a normal trend; it happens every four years.

The reason we have to put up with the clowns is  because across all of America, there is gross disenchantment over  the way things are.   A gross enchantment so huge, that unifies both the extreme right and extreme left into a larger classification.

These two opposite sides actually have a common denominator.  Both sides are both unhappy how the needs of real human beings are being trumped by those whom they have elected and trusted to serve them.

On the right it is the tea party types who are erroneously easy to dismiss as primitive forms of intelligence.  On the left is its those who exhale in triplicate just to hear themselves breathe, usually with complaints regarding how good programs are not good enough to their liking.

Or so each are characterized by the other side’s talk radio hosts…..

But in reality, both have a deep love of the America they grew up under and see it slipping away by the minute.  Both share the same vision that America needs to be great again, but simply differ on the approaches required to achieve that aim which can be characterized as such.  The left believes we need to change somethings in our system of governing; the right believes we have to change individual people one by one.

The common enemy in both parties surprisingly is the bloc of moderates spanning both parties who compromise too freely against their parties values and who seem  too prone to cater to business at the expense of individual constituent’s wishes and demands.  Rather bizarrely, we three parties, if you include this business class in the middle of both and only when two of the three agree, does anything get accomplished.

In Delaware this is played out in the opt out movement where the Governor (business party) used his veto and the head of the House of Representatives (business party) shows no sign of bringing it up to be overturned.. Enough votes (Dems and Repubs) are present to do so, just little procedural matter is all that is now boxing up the two wings wishes…’

Nationally the same scenario is being played out in that all the candidates are the same except one.  Only one candidate of either party is taking on corporate America.  All the rest are fortressed and supported by Corporate America marking all the differences actually existing between them as petty and insignificant when compared to the pressing needs at hand.

No matter who is elected, we can have no real change over the next four years unless that one who is different and from Vermont, wins.

So despite all the banter our main stream media is giving us, (whose staff is primarily and pathetically reduced to snooping on Twitter and putting that up as “real news”), the real question emerging as voters begin to look seriously, needs to be:  who will actually make that change that benefits me?

Only one.  Right now only one candidate’s platform can make the huge changes required to wean America off its penchant for developing profits, and turn America back to work on developing its people. Which is what the extremes of both right and left believe need to be done.

Because behind all the arguments about trade, abortions, shootings, and economics, the real solution to making your life better, is to put more money into your pocket as well as the pockets of the rest of the 99%.,…

Because you really aren’t politically free, unless you are also economically free. For unless you can quit that job you don’t like, can’t stand, or hate, and quickly find another one, you are not free.  If you have no choice but to work at that crumby job, you simply do not taste freedom.

Only one candidate’s platform will change that now;  it requires raising taxes on the one percent.

According to Fortune estimates, on this planet global households together have amassed over  $250 trillion in assets.   The one percent now owns 50% of that which translates into their ownership of $125 trillion in net worth. If this net worth were conservatively earning 7% per year in interest ($17.5 trillion), and the capital gains tax were raised to 50% marginal levels only on this select group, it would pump a lost $8.5 trillion back into the economy per year.

This is money that could be spent on combating global warming.  This is money that could be spent on making normal citizens earn more.  This is money that could be spent on ending hunger world wide. This is money that could rejuvenate cities providing great future for ones youth. This is money that could be spent on education.

And this money is absolutely free.

For the $7.5 trillion taxed and reinvested through governments around the world will offer (at minimum) a 2:1 rate of investment, meaning that the $7.5 trillion taxed and spent will generate a yield a $15 trillion return on that investment. Which since the wealthy own one half of all wealth, this means they get to re-pocket $7.5 trillion which they just gave up.  And if investment returns are higher, by ratios of 3, 4, 5,  even 10, they make out big time. Win, win, win.

Right now, only one person says he will do this.

Compared to this sea change, none of the other little things matter. If that yearly $7.5 trillion dollars through increased economic activity, is averaged out to all the 7.5 billion of this planets dwellers (of course it won’t be), it actually gives every single person a $1000 dollar increase of money they get to keep… They will see it in two ways; one they will see part of it in expenses going down and part of it in salaries going up.

Only one person across both parties fields has the wisdom take on Wall Street now knowing that it gets more expensive to do so by each hour.  OUT of all the candidates on both parties… ONLY ONE is not beholden to the interests of the top 1%.

You need to send him  money, whether you’re a Republican or Democrat. Both party’s networks are thoroughly tainted by corporate money. But one person isn’t…

In 2002 we gave the top one percent a loan from the American people which was to make us all wealthier over time.  They got their money, and kept it; we were polite and nice about asking for restitution. Apparently enough time has gone by, they think it is theres.  Meaning, it’s now past time we called back our loan which we originally gave to the top 1% via the Bush Tax Cuts. …

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tired

That was the feeling one got from yesterday… in general when it comes to the state of Delaware.  Everyone is just so tired.. A lot more than from other years…  Our legislature is too old.  The same characters have done it all over and over without change… Like week-old bread, the taste has molded, and the texture toughened…

There were moments of lucidity.  Legislators there for their first closing sessions provided some passion and freshness but they were frozen out of the mainstream by the lobbyists and legislators who’ve repeated this charade since the early 90’s.

I was reminded of many a small business, run for 40 years, where ideas fresh and invigorating 30 years ago like the merchandise, were still on the shelves, collecting dust. too young for antique dealers, too old for everyone else…  When one walks in banging the screen door, the owners stir, suspiciously watch you peruse their merchandise, standing at attention to ring up an anticipated sale, then shrugging their shoulders as you exit and drive away…

Our state has reached that point…  We are tired… We are tired of having no money.  We are tired of always cutting back. We are tired of not raising taxes.  We are tired of doing without…. We are tired of blaming prevailing wage. We are tired of sticking it to tolls and fee-payers to raise our revenues.  We are tired of this overbearing, oppressive, stifling , thick humidity crushing summer air that makes all move in slow viscous motion to avoid being smothered in buckets of sweat.

We are a tired state….

And why?

The answer as any CEO will tell you, is because we have reached our end of hope.. We have no new visions in front of us, which is accurately cartooned by the Rodel name changes originally in 2006 from Vision 2009 to  Vision 2015, to Vision 2025, which despite all the name changes, essentially remain exactly the same.

We are tired of going to work making less, then have to do with less to pay for our higher bills, since someone somewhere up there is making a lot more than what they once did for the same service they’ve always provided…

We are tired of being brushed aside, by those who have money and pull with legislators they’ve now sat at banquet tables for over one fifth of a century.  We are tired of not seeing change…

That is essentially it…   We are tired of not seeing change….

Oh, those who want the middle class as serfs again, don’t seem to feel this ennui… They are pumped up cheering as every earned right we’ve had for hundreds of years, gets stripped away…. But they are a thin minority… The rest, just muddle on, lost in their distractions of NetFlicks or Amazon shrugging their shoulders complaining how nothing ever improves….

There are bright spots on the distant horizon… Bernie Sanders may actually become a force of change even if not elected, by breaking the ennui on the playing field with something new.  Or we may go to war with an unknown enemy today, which always sharpens our focus even if upon simple survival…

The road map is clear.

Although two months too early to talk about football, I am going to break that rule here… In the contest between people and money, the American people are down 24-7 in the 3rd Quarter… We all know that comebacks in the NFL happen all the time.   We know that with only 2 unanswered touchdowns and a field goal, we again have a tie game…  But with every minute time is running out..   Our chances are lessening that we will ever again have the middle class prosperity under which we grew up… With every passing second which we do not have the ball, our future becomes dimmer, and dimmer, and dimmer, and dimmer….

As any football aficionado will tell you, there comes a time in every game, where playing defensively is not an option.. You’ve already lost by being defensive; it is too late to focus only on stopping the others from gaining… Your only option is to finally run or throw the ball, and if you don’t have a clear shot… you take the chance with a “Hail Mary”….. because at 24-7 against you… you don’t really have a choice….

Here is what is missing…

Taxing the top one percent… That alone, like a 70 yard pass and 20 yard run into the end zone, will make the game into a battle again… That alone will put the adrenalin back into life.  That alone will give 315 million Americans the one single ray of hope they have, that though things are tough now… at some future point, they too will be able to relax and enjoy the game of participating in the American dream….

Because when it comes down to it… and this isn’t just me but the entire course of human history, when you put all your faith into a system that believes in getting the most out of every worker…. you will never be paid what you are worth.. You will be always paid the minimum allowed to keep you in in that spot…  Doesn’t that make perfect sense?  Why would anyone pay you $100,000 when they can fill your spot with a kid for $25,000?

Trusting business is trusting a brown recluse spider to take care of you…

The only way we will ever have a better future for our children, is if we tax those 1% just enough to pay for $100,000 accountants, scientists, and inspectors to keep those 1 per centers legal and in line…  Then, if  you don’t like your low corporate pay, there is a high paying government job waiting for you that will double your income….

Cuts, cuts, cuts, are old, old. old… Find someone who says tax, tax, tax,  and we will again hope, hope, hope…

There is only one way out of our quagmire… Tax the top one percent fairly until we have the nation we again want…   Till then, it will be the same ole, same ole, same ole, same ole, same ole…….. long after the day we die… Each day we don’t tax is like each minute we don’t play offensively; we bury our children’s economic future deeper and deeper and deeper.  The beauty of being American, is that we are supposed to make our own future…  Find someone out there who will raise taxes… and support them like hell. This time, vote like your future income depends on it… because frankly, that is the only thing it does depend on…