Why you treat me so bad

Contentment and self-worth are not profitable
How can you appreciate the worth of someone else when you don't have it in yourself
When people are telling you that you are not good enough
and their product will make you better
And there's always something that can be better

A law unto Themselves

Romans 2
12All who sin apart from the law will also perish apart from the law, and all who sin under the law will be judged by the law.
13For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
14(Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law,
15since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them.)
16This will take place on the day when God will judge men’s secrets through Jesus Christ, as my gospel declares.

Taxes and Job Growth

Question.

What taxes prevent/stop businesses from hiring workers?

Deep Question

What will society look like when human labor becomes obsolete?

Subtle Differences

Looking on the grassroots movements in the USA
Both the right and the left
have said that they cannot trust government to provide for people
Difference
the left says
Let's provide for each other
the right says
Every man for himself

MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.’S STEPS OF NONVIOLENCE

Step 1: Gather Information
Learn all you can about the problems you see in your community through the media, social and civic organizations,
and by talking to the people involved.

Step 2: Educate Others
Armed with your new knowledge, it is your duty to help those around you, such as your neighbors, relatives, friends and co-workers, better understand the problems facing society.
Build a team of people devoted to finding solutions.
Be sure to include those who will be directly affected by your work.

Step 3: Remain Committed
Accept that you will face many obstacles and challenges as you and your team try to change society.
Agree to encourage and inspire one another along the journey.

Step 4: Peacefully Negotiate
Talk with both sides.
go to the people in your community who are in trouble and who are deeply hurt by society’s ills.
Also go to those people who are contributing to the breakdown of a peaceful society.
Use humor, intelligence and grace to lead to solutions that benefit the greater good.

Step 5: Take Action Peacefully
This step is often used when negotiation fails to produce results, or when people need to draw broader attention to a problem.
it can include tactics such as peaceful demonstrations, letter-writing and petition campaign.

Step 6: Reconcile
Keep all actions and negotiations peaceful and constructive.
Agree to disagree with some people and with some groups as you work to improve society.
Show all involved the benefits of changing, not what they will give up by changing.

Social Democracy

political ideology that advocates a peaceful, evolutionary transition of society from capitalism to socialism using established political processes.
Based on 19th-century socialism and the tenets of Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels,
social democracy shares common ideological roots with communism
but eschews its militancy and totalitarianism.
Social democracy was originally known as revisionism because it represented a change in basic Marxist doctrine,
primarily in the former's repudiation of the use of revolution to establish a socialist society.

August Bebel imbued social democracy with the belief that socialism must be installed through lawful means rather than by force.

In his Die Voraussetzungen des Sozialismus und die Aufgaben der Sozialdemokratie (1899; “The Preconditions of Socialism and the Tasks of Social Democracy”; Eng. trans. Evolutionary Socialism), Bernstein challenged the Marxist orthodoxy that capitalism was doomed, pointing out that capitalism was overcoming many of its weaknesses, such as unemployment, overproduction, and the inequitable distribution of wealth. Ownership of industry was becoming more widely diffused, rather than more concentrated in the hands of a few. Whereas Marx had declared that the subjugation of the working class would inevitably culminate in socialist revolution, Bernstein argued that success for socialism depended not on the continued and intensifying misery of the working class but rather on eliminating that misery. He further noted that social conditions were improving and that with universal suffrage the working class could establish socialism by electing socialist representatives. The violence of the Russian Revolution in 1917 and its aftermath precipitated the final schism between the social-democratic parties and the communist parties.

In addition to abandoning violence and revolution as tools of social change, social democracy took a stand in opposition to totalitarianism. The Marxist view of democracy as a “bourgeois” facade for class rule was abandoned, and democracy was proclaimed essential for socialist ideals. Increasingly, social democracy adopted the goal of state regulation, but not state ownership, of business and industry as sufficient to further economic growth and equitable income.

"social democracy." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011. Web. 17 Nov. 2011.
http://library.eb.com/eb/article-9068443

Who do you love?

People tend to fall in love with someone they created or someone they once knew.
When it all comes down to it, people want others to do what they need to do for themselves.
You don't love your wife, husband, mother, etc.; you love what they do for you. You love their love for you.
One day I would like to meet someone I love for them and not for me.

Government Regulations and Job Growth

Question.
What government regulations stop/prevent people from hiring workers?

HP on Regulations and jobs

WP on regulations and jobs


Deregulation Won't Lead To Job Growth: Congressional Budget Office

Old School to New School

Time to get back to the basics: Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic. Then teach the kids how to navigate through the world and make informed decisions. I'll call it the 4 R's: reading, writing, arithmetic, and research.

Instead of giving the schools the money for each child; give the parents the money.

using critical thinking.
gathering information in their community (including internet)

Teachers are facilitators
Helping children present their findings through written and oral presentation. Also using art.

Using popular education
education that centers on the learner's life and community, making education relevant to the individual
A sort of functional education

Teach them conflict resolution skills

Research Based on intelligence cycle
planning
collecting data
processing data
producing presentation
dissemination

For job skills, more apprenticeships and OJT

Deep Thought

Nonviolence is the answer
to the crucial political and moral questions of our time:
the need for man to overcome oppression and violence
without resorting to oppression and violence.
Man must evolve for all human conflict
a method which rejects revenge, aggression and retaliation.
The foundation of such a method is love.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Questions about Democracy

The etymological origins of the term democracy hint at a number of urgent problems that go far beyond semantic issues. If a government of or by the people—a “popular” government—is to be established, at least five fundamental questions must be confronted at the outset, and two more are almost certain to be posed if the democracy continues to exist for long.


(1) What is the appropriate unit or association within which a democratic government should be established? A town or city? A country? A business corporation? A university? An international organization? All of these?


(2) Given an appropriate association—a city, for example—who among its members should enjoy full citizenship? Which persons, in other words, should constitute the demos? Is every member of the association entitled to participate in governing it? Assuming that children should not be allowed to participate (as most adults would agree), should the demos include all adults? If it includes only a subset of the adult population, how small can the subset be before the association ceases to be a democracy and becomes something else, such as an aristocracy (government by the best, aristos) or an oligarchy (government by the few, oligos)?


(3) Assuming a proper association and a proper demos, how are citizens to govern? What political organizations or institutions will they need? Will these institutions differ between different kinds of associations—for example, a small town and a large country?


(4) When citizens are divided on an issue, as they often will be, whose views should prevail, and in what circumstances? Should a majority always prevail, or should minorities sometimes be empowered to block or overcome majority rule?


(5) If a majority is ordinarily to prevail, what is to constitute a proper majority? A majority of all citizens? A majority of voters? Should a proper majority comprise not individual citizens but certain groups or associations of citizens, such as hereditary groups or territorial associations?

(6) The preceding questions presuppose an adequate answer to a sixth and even more important question: Why should “the people” rule? Is democracy really better than aristocracy or monarchy? Perhaps, as Plato argues in the Republic, the best government would be led by a minority of the most highly qualified persons—an aristocracy of “philosopher-kings.” What reasons could be given to show that Plato's view is wrong?


(7) No association could maintain a democratic government for very long if a majority of the demos—or a majority of the government—believed that some other form of government were better. Thus, a minimum condition for the continued existence of a democracy is that a substantial proportion of both the demos and the leadership believes that popular government is better than any feasible alternative. What conditions, in addition to this one, favour the continued existence of democracy? What conditions are harmful to it? Why have some democracies managed to endure, even through periods of severe crisis, while so many others have collapsed?

Encyclopædia Britannica

capitalism

word of the day
noun
an economic and political system in which a country's trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit,
rather than by the state.

New Oxford American Dictionary

also called free market economy , or free enterprise economy economic system, dominant in the Western world since the breakup of feudalism, in which most of the means of production are privately owned and production is guided and income distributed largely through the operation of markets.

...is based on private ownership of the means of production and allows individual choices in a free market to determine how goods and services are distributed.
Socialists complain that capitalism necessarily leads to unfair and exploitative concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of the relative few who emerge victorious from free-market competition—people who then use their wealth and power to reinforce their dominance in society.
Because such people are rich, they may choose where and how to live, and their choices in turn limit the options of the poor.
As a result, terms such as individual freedom and equality of opportunity may be meaningful for capitalists but can only ring hollow for working people, who must do the capitalists' bidding if they are to survive.


Encyclopædia Britannica.

What gets me is how some people see capitalism as inherently evil
probably do to profit motive and competition
which relies on people's greed and violence

Then there are others who say that capitalism is the most humane system
People having the freedom to conduct their lives as they choose.

I see capitalism as amoral
Meaning it is as moral as the person practicing it.

Seems that Adam Smith proposed that capitalism only works when it is practiced by moral people.
He seemed to be the first to believe in 'trickle down' economics

*Adam Smith has sometimes been caricatured as someone who saw no role for government in economic life. In fact, he believed that government had an important role to play. Like most modern believers in free markets, Smith believed that the government should enforce contracts and grant patents and copyrights to encourage inventions and new ideas. He also thought that the government should provide public works, such as roads and bridges, that, he assumed, would not be worthwhile for individuals to provide. Interestingly, though, he wanted the users of such public works to pay in proportion to their use.

One definite difference between Smith and most modern believers in free markets is that Smith favored retaliatory tariffs. Retaliation to bring down high tariff rates in other countries, he thought, would work. “The recovery of a great foreign market,” he wrote “will generally more than compensate the transitory inconvenience of paying dearer during a short time for some sorts of goods.”*
Smith

*The role of government had been gradually narrowed until Smith could describe its duties as consisting of only three functions:
(1) the provision of national defense,
(2) the protection of each member of society from the injustice or oppression of any other, and
(3) the erection and maintenance of those public works and public institutions (including education) that would not repay the expense of any private enterpriser, although they might “do much more than repay it” to society as a whole.*


*One final attribute of the emerging system must be noted. This is the tearing apart of the formerly seamless tapestry of social coordination. Under capitalism two realms of authority existed where there had formerly been only one—a realm of political governance for such purposes as war or law and order and a realm of economic governance over the processes of production and distribution. Each realm was largely shielded from the reach of the other. The capitalists who dominated the market system were not automatically entitled to governing power, and the members of government were not entrusted with decisions as to what goods should be produced or how social rewards should be distributed. This new dual structure brought with it two consequences of immense importance. The first was a limitation of political power that proved of very great importance in establishing democratic forms of government. The second, closer to the present theme, was the need for a new kind of analysis intended to clarify the workings of this new semi-independent realm within the larger social order. As a result, the emergence of capitalism gave rise to the discipline of economics.*

Encyclopædia Britannica.

There's the rub. When two realms were supposed to form and they did not. America has always had market systems mixing with governance. And Government deciding matters of distribution.
It seems ridiculous to even think you could separate the two

Some things don't ring true for me
I think you can have a private owner without a profit motive
Aren't non-profit corporations still capitalist due to their private nature
Or are we saying they are socialist due to their lack of a profit motive

1854, "condition of having capital;" from capital + -ism. Meaning "political/economic system which encourages capitalists" is recorded by 1877.

Deep Horoscope

"When I see your face, the stones start spinning!" wrote the poet Rumi, as translated by Coleman Barks. "Water turns pearly. Fire dies down and doesn't destroy. In your presence I don't want what I thought I wanted." I think you need to be in the presence of a face like that, Gemini. You've got to get your fixations scrambled by an arresting vision of soulful authenticity. You need your colors transposed and your fire and water reconfigured. Most of all, it's crucial that you get nudged into transforming your ideas about what you really want. So go find that healingly disruptive prod, please. It's not necessarily the face of a gorgeous icon. It could be the face of a whisperer in the darkness or of a humble hero who's skilled in the art of surrender. Do you know where to look?

Grace emerges in the ebb and flow, not just the flow. The waning reveals a different blessing than the waxing. Where are you in the great cycle of your life?

*

SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
There's a three-mile stretch of Interstate 880 south of Oakland, California, that I call the Singing Highway. For reasons I don't understand, it generates low humming melodies every time I drive over it, similar to the guttural chants of Tibetan monks. Sometimes I swear I can even hear lyrics.

Once, as I was driving to the airport on the Singing Highway, I swear I heard the same lyric repeating over and over again: "a shortcut to the path with heart / a shortcut to the path with heart / a shortcut to the path with heart."

Where's the path with heart for you? What would it involve for you to take a shortcut to get on it?

Accountability

Word of the Day
accountable
adjective
1 (of a person, organization, or institution) required or expected to justify actions or decisions; responsible:
government must be accountable to its citizens | parents could be held accountable for their children's actions.
2 explicable; understandable:
the delayed introduction of characters' names is accountable, if we consider that names have a low priority.

New Oxford American Dictionary

one of the biggest problem our country faces is the lack of accountability

Emperor of the U.S.A: military

In my empire
I would assess all international military facilities. If the country wants us there, they have to pay us. If they don't want us there then we will leave.

Give it away

How did the president gain so much power?
Congress gave it to him.
Every power the president has outside of what's written in the constitution was enacted by law.

Weakness of Violence

The ultimate weakness of violence is that it is a descending spiral,
begetting the very thing it seeks to destroy.
Instead of diminishing evil, it multiplies it.
Through violence you murder the hater, but you do not murder hate.
In fact, violence merely increases hate.
Returning violence for violence multiplies violence,
adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness;
only light can do that.
Hate cannot drive out hate;
only love can do that.

Martin Luther King Jr.

Deep Thought

Since Aristotle's time, political philosophers generally have insisted that no actual political system is likely to attain, to the fullest extent possible, all the features of its corresponding ideal.

Encyclopædia Britannica.

House the homeless

'There is no right to sleep indefinitely in public or private parks' implies that the homeless are breaking the law by sleeping in public.
In this case every society, especially those claiming to be humane, have a moral obligation to house their homeless.

Ralph Maver
On the Daily Beast FB page in response to Occupy Wall Street Movement Has No Right to Sleep in Parks

syndicalism

word of the day

noun historical
a movement for transferring the ownership and control of the means of production and distribution to workers' unions.
Influenced by Proudhon and by the French social philosopher Georges Sorel (1847–1922),
syndicalism developed in French labor unions during the late 19th century and was at its most vigorous between 1900 and 1914, particularly in France, Italy, Spain, and the US.

New Oxford American Dictionary

The hallmarks of syndicalism were workers' control and “direct action.” Syndicalists such as Fernand Pelloutier distrusted both the state, which they regarded as an agent of capitalism, and political parties, which they thought were incapable of achieving radical change. Their aim was to replace capitalism and the state with a loose federation of local workers' groups, which they meant to bring about through direct action—especially a general strike of workers that would bring down the government as it brought the economy to a halt. Georges Sorel elaborated on this idea in his Réflexions sur la violence (1908; Reflections on Violence), in which he treated the general strike not as the inevitable result of social developments but as a “myth” that could lead to the overthrow of capitalism if only enough people could be inspired to act on it.


Encyclopædia Britannica.

syndicalism
1907, from Fr. syndicalisme "movement to transfer ownership of means of production and distribution to industrial workers," from syndical "of a labor union," from syndic "chief representative" (see syndic).

Charitable taxation

10 percent tax. Tax in the form of a charitable donation.
It could be 10 percent of your time, services, goods, etc.
The citizen makes the choice of what they will donate.
The donations are documented and made available to the public.

Questions for the Elite

If you make more than a million dollars, how can you live with yourself knowing that there are people who don't have a home or have nothing to eat or went bankrupt over medical bills?

What percentage of your income did you actually pay in taxes?

If you own a business...
How did you make a profit during the recession?
Why did you fire people?
Why won't you hire people?
What regulations stop you from hiring?
Have you had a hand in law making?
What legislation did you help write?
How much money did you give politicians?
Why does health care cost So much?
Have you participated in any policy that hinder your competition or small business?
Why are you lying?
Why do you need subsidies?
What do you do with your record profits?

Martin Luther King jr's Six Principles of Nonviolence

Principle One: Non-violence is a way of life for courageous people.

It is active non-violent resistance to evil. It is aggressive spiritually, mentally and emotionally. It is always persuading the opponent of righteousness of your cause.

Principle Two: Non-violence seeks to win friendship and understanding.
The end result of nonviolence is redemption and reconciliation.
The purpose of nonviolence is the creation of the Beloved Community.

Principle Three: Non-violence seeks to defeat injustice, not people.

Non-violence recognizes that evildoers are also victims, and not evil people.
The non-violent resister seeks to defeat evil, not people.

Principle Four: Non-violence holds that suffering educates and reforms.

Non-violence accepts suffering without retaliation. Non-violence accepts violence if necessary, but will never inflict it.
Non-violence willingly accepts the consequences of its acts.
Unearned suffering is redemptive and has tremendous educational and transforming possibilities.
Suffering has the power to convert the enemy when reason fails.

Principle Five: Non-violence chooses love instead of hate.

Non-violence resists violence of the spirit as well as the body.
Non-violent love is spontaneous, unmotivated, unselfish and creative.
Non-violent love gives willingly, knowing that the return might be hostility.
Non-violent love is active, not passive.
Non-violent love is unending in its ability to forgive in order to restore community.
Non-violent love does not sink to the level of the hater.
Love for the enemy is how we demonstrate love for ourselves.
Love restores community and resists injustice.
Non-violence recognizes the fact that all life is interrelated.

Principle Six: Non-violence believes that the universe is on the side of justice.

The non-violent resister has deep faith that justice will eventually win.
Non-violence believes that God is a God of justice.

Changing terms

I wonder if I can avoid confusion by staying away from words like 'capitalism' and 'socialism'
Instead, using phrases like 'state owned', 'privately owned', 'publicly owned' or even 'worker owned'

Rejection of God for a king

1 Samuel 8


1When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
2The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah
5and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations."

6But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
8According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.
9Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them."


10So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him.
11He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots.
12And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
13He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants.
15He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants.
16He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
17He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
18And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."

19But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us,
20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."
21And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD.
22And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey their voice and make them a king."

Private Property rights

What if the only property you had the right to was the space you were taking up at the time?
The only thing you owned was what you made or what was gifted to you.

A new economy

Learning from the past means you have more empirical data to help you create a better future
We don't have to repeat the past.
We see what works for our purposes and what stifles our purpose

We talk about capitalism and socialism of the future based on what it looked like in the past

Who steps up to say that it doesn't have to look that way?
That we have created something better out of that rubble

I've seen that the best economies are a mixture of both
A mixture of individualism and collectivism
We can look at a capitalism that is not driven by profit.
We can look at a socialism that is not controlled by a despot.

What is best now? Social democracies. A bridge between socialism and capitalism.
public sector provides for basic needs.
private sector provides all else.

Corporate Power

Corporations get their power from the government
To do the ridiculous things they do
to the detriment of the workers and consumers
and to their competition

Replace unemployment benefits

Replace Unemployment benefits with a retraining program.
Person gets tools needed to start a new career.
Degree program or certification/licensing program.
Receive living assistance during retraining

Interdependent

word of the day

adjective
(of two or more people or things) dependent on each other:
the increasingly global nature of human society, with interdependent economies.

New Oxford American Dictionary

Deep Horoscope

In Santa Cruz there used to be a nightclub that featured live rock bands on a big stage but enforced a strict policy forbidding its patrons from dancing. The one time I went there, the music was loud and infectious, and I naturally felt the urge to move in vigorous rhythm. Moments after I launched into my groove, a bouncer accosted me and forced me to stop. I think this situation has certain resemblances to the one you're in now, Gemini. Some natural response mechanism in you is being unduly inhibited; some organic inclination is being unreasonably restrained or dampened. Why should you continue to accept this?

I hope the oracle above provides you with the inspiration you need to do what you've got to do and change what needs to be changed.

*

SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
Dumb suffering is the kind of suffering you're compulsively drawn back to over and over again out of habit. It's familiar, and thus perversely comfortable. Smart suffering is the kind of pain that surprises you with valuable teachings and inspires you to see the world with new eyes.

While stupid suffering is often born of fear, wise suffering is typically stirred up by love. The dumb, unproductive stuff comes from allowing yourself to be controlled by your early conditioning and from doing things that are out of harmony with your essence. The smart, useful variety arises out of an intention to approach life as an interesting work of art and uncanny game that's worthy of your curiosity.

Come up with two more definitions about the difference between dumb suffering and smart suffering.

Deep Thought

"We have no morally persuasive power with those who can feel our underlying contempt for them."

-- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

US Constitution Article IV

States' Relations

The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states

The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government,
and shall protect each of them against invasion;
and on application of the legislature,
or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against domestic violence.
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

XXII Amendment

1. No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice,
and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.
But this Article shall not apply to any person holding the office of President,
when this Article was proposed by the Congress,
and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of President, or acting as President, during the term within which this Article becomes operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the remainder of such term.

2. This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States within seven years from the date of its submission to the States by the Congress.

my thoughts

Term limits should apply to congress too. And the Courts.

Discrimination

Word of the day
noun
1 the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, esp. on the grounds of race, age, or sex:
victims of racial discrimination | discrimination against homosexuals.

2 recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another:
discrimination between right and wrong | young children have difficulties in making fine discriminations.
• the ability to discern what is of high quality; good judgment or taste: those who could afford to buy showed little taste or discrimination.
• Psychology the ability to distinguish between different stimuli:
[ as modifier ] :
discrimination learning.

New Oxford American Dictionary

discriminate (v.)
1620s, from L. discriminatus, pp. of discriminare "to divide, separate," from discrimen (gen. discriminis) "interval, distinction, difference," derived noun from discernere (see discern). The adverse (usually racial) sense is first recorded 1866, Amer.Eng. Positive sense remains in discriminating. Related: Discriminated. Also used 17c. and after as an adjective meaning "distinct."
discrimination
1640s, "the making of distinctions," from L.L. discriminationem (nom. discriminatio), noun of action from pp. stem of discriminare (see discriminate). Especially in a prejudicial way, based on race, 1866, Amer.Eng. Meaning "discernment" is from 1814.
It especially annoys me when racists are accused of 'discrimination.' The ability to discriminate is a precious facility; by judging all members of one 'race' to be the same, the racist precisely shows himself incapable of discrimination. [Christopher Hitchens]

US Constitution Article III

Judicial Department

The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be made, under their authority;--to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls;--to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction;--to controversies to which the United States shall be a party;--to controversies between two or more states;--between a state and citizens of another state;--between citizens of different states;--between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of different states, and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states, citizens or subjects.

as per constitution
focus on protecting individual life and liberty.
4 year term limits

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

Emperor of the U.S.A: Economics

In my empire
People would be able to participate in any consensual exchange of goods, services, and labor.
Government's only Job would be a last resort measure to protect life and liberty

Currency will be set with coined precious metals. measured in grams.

People would be made aware of their own worth and ability.
Know that you buy things for convenience

Racism

Word of the day

noun

the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.

• prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief:

a program to combat racism.

New Oxford American Dictionary

Deep Thought

Don't make a decision when you're angry
Don't make a promise when you're happy
B Scott

US Constitution Article II

Executive Department

The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.

The executive department should only consist of agencies that deal with foreign affairs and defense. All other departments and agencies will be controlled by the states.
Only focus on situations that are a threat to the U.S.
No interfering with other countries when there is no real threat to the U.S.
Countries should ask U.N. for help in conflicts.

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

XVI Amendment

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration.

my thoughts
Repeal income tax of all kind. Enact state sales tax. Congress creates budget.
States provide funds for budget based on population or revenue of state.
Purchasing of housing and farmed foods ( produce: meats, diary, grains, vegetables, fruits) are exempt

or adopt voluntary funding where people donate to government programs of their choice

Prejudice

word of the day
noun
1 preconceived opinion that is not based on reason or actual experience:
English prejudice against foreigners |
anti-Jewish prejudices.
• dislike, hostility, or unjust behavior formed on such a basis:
accusations of racial prejudice.

2 chiefly Law harm or injury that results or may result from some action or judgment:
prejudice resulting from delay in the institution of the proceedings.

New Oxford American Dictionary

Don't make assumptions about me based on what other people do
Don't compare me to other people

Boundaries

Surprised I didn't write about this already

Realized when fight or flight are my choices, I choose flight.
Rather than tell someone that they have crossed a boundary

Not realizing someone has crossed a boundary

Then ignoring the boundaries
bottling up
feeling like shit
how long would that last?

Acknowledge shit I don't feel comfortable with.
Boundaries can be set on the spot
Acknowledge headaches and stomach aches are symptoms of emotional turmoil

it's good to write down some boundaries and review written boundaries maybe once a month

Self Defense Is Always Authorized

In response to people who think that women should not learn self-defense to combat domestic violence/sexual violence/or any other type of violence because that just perpetuates the cycle of violence.

That is a great sentiment and I'll totally agree when:
Boys are not encouraged to defend themselves. When Parents do not encourage boys to defend themselves. When boys do not learn how do defend themselves just from being indoctrinated into society.
And when all people can be rationalized with.

Until all this happens, I will advocate for women and girls to be able to defend themselves as well as any boy in this world.

We should all be able to defend ourselves against those who are not rational. Those who find pleasure in violence, or think that their God (or the other voices in their heads) told them to be violent.

Keep in mind, self defense can turn into pure violence
Self defense is only used to stop a threat. To put yourself in a safe situation
There is a deadly force triangle
Capability
when a person has a weapon or the means to harm others
Opportunity
when people are in the range of a weapon or other means of harm
Intent
when a person wants to harm others

Self defense is used to break this triangle
You can use a strong presence or gentle communication to diminish intent
You can use evasive actions or running away to lessen the opportunity
You can disarm to get rid of the capability

Once you have broken the triangle, there is no need for further action.

There is a line between defense and retribution

Unhealthy decisions

This train of thought was called mistakes. I don't like that word anymore

Getting involved too early
Ignoring boundaries
Not trusting my instincts
Having sex to early
Not being friends first
Not backing off when I feel something is off
Staying in an uncomfortable situation
Not knowing the difference between irrational fear and survival instincts

Not knowing your common purpose, goal, identity or rationale for existing together
you don't know of anything you can build a friendship on

Taking a risk
Knowing there was a high probability of failure
and underestimating the severity of it.

Emotional Stability

Acknowledging an emotion when it is present
Knowing the source of that emotion
observing it and it's source objectively, no aversion, no craving
Never stifling an emotion
knowing that repression is toxic

expressing that emotion without hurting yourself or others

letting an emotion do it's work
then letting it go

Emotion, like a sneeze or a cough
A symptom of something going on in the body
alerting you to pay attention to what's going on inside you
a means of expelling.
Treat the cause not the symptoms

US Constitution Article I

Legislative Branch
restricted to duties defined in constitution
when not in session, weekly meetings with leadership in their respective states
all legislation passed by congress require vote from citizens. Vote only valid if more than 3/4th of electorate vote (less than 3/4 means the people don't care and the legislation passes). Citizen vote must pass with >50%
(Contemplating consensual legislation)
4 year term limits
Congress shall have the power to accept donations and collect fees. (abolish taxes)

http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

XIV Amendment

All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws

Emperor of the U.S.A: federal power

In my empire

I would maintain and rearrange all executive departments and agencies that deal with foreign affairs and commerce
I would transfer all other departments, agencies, and codes to the states.
All laws and codes would be seen as guidelines and suggestions.
The people of each state will vote to keep or do away with the laws transfered to the states.

Stereotype

word of the day

noun
1 a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing:
the stereotype of the woman as the carer |
sexual and racial stereotypes.
• a person or thing that conforms to such an image:
don't treat anyone as a stereotype.

New Oxford American Dictionary

Emperor of the U.S.A: funding

In my Empire
Government will be funded by donations and fees.
Government would run a Pledge Drive for funding programs
I would pay off all debt owed to foreign entities.
Internal government debt is paid off in property or other assets.

Democracy

word of the day
noun ( pl. democracies )
a system of government by the whole population or all the eligible members of a state, typically through elected representatives:
capitalism and democracy are ascendant in the third world.
• a state governed in such a way:
a multiparty democracy.
• control of an organization or group by the majority of its members:
the intended extension of industrial democracy.
• the practice or principles of social equality:
demands for greater democracy.

New Oxford American Dictionary

literally, rule by the people.
The term is derived from the Greek demokratia,
which was coined from demos (“people”) and kratos (“rule”) in the middle of the 5th century BC to denote the political systems then existing in some Greek city-states, notably Athens.

Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online Library Edition.
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 2011.

democracy
1570s, from M.Fr. démocratie (14c.), from M.L. democratia (13c.), from Gk. demokratia "popular government," from demos "common people," originally "district" (see demotic), + kratos "rule, strength" (see -cracy).
Democracy implies that the man must take the responsibility for choosing his rulers and representatives, and for the maintenance of his own 'rights' against the possible and probable encroachments of the government which he has sanctioned to act for him in public matters. [Ezra Pound, "ABC of Economics," 1933]
democratic
c.1600, from Fr. démocratique, from M.L. democraticus, from Gk. demokratikos "of or for democracy; favoring democracy," from demokratia (see democracy). Earlier was democratian (1570s). As a political faction name, from 1790 in reference to France. U.S. political usage (with a capital D) attested from c.1800. The party originally was the Anti-Federal party, then the Democratic-Republican (Democratic for short). It formed among those opposed to extensive powers for the U.S. federal government. The name of the party was not formally shortened to Democratic until 1829. Democratic socialism is attested from 1849.
democrat
1790, "adherent of democracy," with reference to France, from Fr. démocrate (18c., opposed to aristocrate), back formation from démocratie (see democracy); revived in U.S. as a political party affiliation 1798, with a capital D. As a shortening of this, Demo (1793) is older than Dem (c.1840).

US Constitution Preamble

We the People of the United States, 
in Order to form a more perfect Union, 
establish Justice, 
insure domestic Tranquility, 
provide for the common defense, 
promote the general Welfare, 
and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, 
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.
http://www.usconstitution.net/const.html

Socialism

word of the day

noun
a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.
• policy or practice based on this theory.
• (in Marxist theory) a transitional social state between the overthrow of capitalism and the realization of communism.

The term “socialism” has been used to describe positions as far apart as anarchism, Soviet state communism, and social democracy;
however, it necessarily implies an opposition to the untrammeled workings of the economic market.
The socialist parties that have arisen in most European countries from the late 19th century have generally tended toward social democracy.

New Oxford American Dictionary

social and economic doctrine that calls for public rather than private ownership or control of property and natural resources. According to the socialist view, individuals do not live or work in isolation but live in cooperation with one another. Furthermore, everything that people produce is in some sense a social product, and everyone who contributes to the production of a good is entitled to a share in it. Society as a whole, therefore, should own or at least control property for the benefit of all its members.


This conviction puts socialism in opposition to capitalism, which is based on private ownership of the means of production and allows individual choices in a free market to determine how goods and services are distributed. Socialists complain that capitalism necessarily leads to unfair and exploitative concentrations of wealth and power in the hands of the relative few who emerge victorious from free-market competition—people who then use their wealth and power to reinforce their dominance in society. Because such people are rich, they may choose where and how to live, and their choices in turn limit the options of the poor. As a result, terms such as individual freedom and equality of opportunity may be meaningful for capitalists but can only ring hollow for working people, who must do the capitalists' bidding if they are to survive. As socialists see it, true freedom and true equality require social control of the resources that provide the basis for prosperity in any society. Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels made this point in Manifesto of the Communist Party (1848) when they proclaimed that in a socialist society “the condition for the free development of each is the free development of all.”


This fundamental conviction nevertheless leaves room for socialists to disagree among themselves with regard to two key points. The first concerns the extent and the kind of property that society should own or control. Some socialists have thought that almost everything except personal items such as clothing should be public property; this is true, for example, of the society envisioned by the English humanist Sir Thomas More in his Utopia (1516). Other socialists, however, have been willing to accept or even welcome private ownership of farms, shops, and other small or medium-sized businesses.


The second disagreement concerns the way in which society is to exercise its control of property and other resources. In this case the main camps consist of loosely defined groups of centralists and decentralists. On the centralist side are socialists who want to invest public control of property in some central authority, such as the state—or the state under the guidance of a political party, as was the case in the Soviet Union. Those in the decentralist camp believe that decisions about the use of public property and resources should be made at the local, or lowest-possible, level by the people who will be most directly affected by those decisions. This conflict has persisted throughout the history of socialism as a political movement.

Encyclopædia Britannica

socialism
1832, from Fr. socialisme or from social + -ism. Cf. socialist. Apparently first in reference to Robert Owen's communes. "Pierre Leroux (1797-1871), idealistic social reformer and Saint-Simonian publicist, expressly claims to be the originator of the word socialisme" [Klein]. The word begins to be used in French in the modern sense c.1835.

socialist
1827, from Fr. socialiste, in reference to the teachings of Comte de Saint-Simon, founder of French socialism. The word begins to be used in French in the modern sense c.1835. Socialista, with a different sense, was applied 18c. to followers and pupils of Dutch jurist Grotius (1583-1645).
Prison is a Socialist's Paradise, where equality prevails, everything is supplied and competition is eliminated. [Elbert Hubbard, "The Note Book," 1927]

Petition the government for the release of all non-violent criminals

Release all non-violent inmates. Incorporate restorative justice in the criminal justice system. Allow criminals to pay a debt to society that is pertinent to their crime.

Why Occupy Wall Street

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ANDERSON COOPER: Peter, one thing we haven't seen a lot at Occupy Wall Street protests is Wall Street businessmen like yourself going down there. What are you trying to accomplish in doing that? 


PETER SCHIFF: Well, you know, I sympathize with the situation that they have, but I'm trying to help encourage them to direct their anger towards Washington. 


You know, it's big government that has wrecked the U.S. economy, not capitalism. They need to understand that. And if they really want a bright future to this -- for the country, it's capitalism that's going to provide it, not government.


(END VIDEO CLIP)


COOPER: What do you think he does not get? 


MICHAEL MOORE: Oh, my God. 


(LAUGHTER) 


MOORE: Wow. Wow. That's -- that's such a huge disconnect. I'm afraid anything I would say would be just too mean. And I...


(CROSSTALK) 


(LAUGHTER) 


MOORE: I will tell you, Professor Cornel West said that he needed both to sit down with him over coffee and Cognac, because it would require that to kind of come to some sort of understanding. 


MOORE: Yes. 


(LAUGHTER) 


MOORE: Yes. Yes. Yes. I think so. 

I think what he doesn't, Mr. Schiff doesn't understand is that the reason we're not occupying Congress or D.C. right now is because the congressmen and the senators are the employees of Wall Street. They work for Wall Street. They're funded by Wall Street. And they do the bidding of Wall Street and K Street, which is the lobbying arm of Wall Street. So we're kind of tired of going and dealing with the middleman or the servant. We'd rather go to the big house and take it there, because that's really where the problem is. It is with capitalism. It is with corporate America. Capitalism right now -- and it's important to define a word in its present form. 

Just like you wouldn't define the word marriage as a woman has to get permission from her father in order to marry, but that was the definition 100 or 200 years ago. So let's not use the old definition. When we say capitalism, we're talking about 2011 -- 2011 capitalism is an evil system set up to benefit the few at the expense of the many. 

That's what's happened. And that's what people are so tired of, which is too bad for the capitalists, because I think a lot of people, perhaps in this crowd, probably used to support the old style of capitalism. 

COOPER: So what system do you want? 

MOORE: They have completely lost them. 

Well, no. Well, there's no system right now that exists. We're going to create that system. This movement -- this movement in the next year or two or few years is going to create a democratic economic system. That's the most important thing. Whatever we come up with, it has to have at its core the American people are going to be the ones controlling this economy. 

We're going to have a say, a big say, the say, in how this economy is run. That say cannot happen by the people in the penthouse offices on Wall Street. That is over. That is over. We have declared it over. Now it's just a matter of time until we actually make this happen, when we bring democracy, true democracy to this country. 

We're no longer settling for, you know, oh, we live in a democracy because I can vote for a politician. Uh-uh. No. No. True democracy means I also have a say in my future and I have a say in how this economy is run. And you're not going to use me and abuse me like this. 

I mean, how many people -- we talk about the people who've lost their jobs. How about the people who still have jobs? You know what their job is now? If you're working on an assembly line in Flint or Detroit, you're now doing the job of one or two or three -- I'm sorry -- one person is doing the job of two or three people. 

They have killed the other ones off. And now everyone's got to work harder, harder, longer hours, for less pay, less benefits. The damage that this has done to people, to their physical lives, to their mental lives, to their families, I just think there's so much carnage as a result of capitalism, 2011 capitalism, that they overplayed their hand and now the people are going to come up with a better system that's going to be run by the people. 


COOPER: Michael Moore, appreciate your time. Michael, thank you. 


MOORE: Thank you, Anderson, for being here and giving voice. And, remember, I'm only one voice here. Everybody here has a story. Everybody in this movement is a spokesperson and a leader. 


COOPER: Michael, thank you. 


MOORE: Thank you.

http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/1110/28/acd.02.html

Big picture

My question to any who oppose the present system.
How will your system do a better job?

Deep thought

The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don't have any. -- Alice Walker

XII Amendment

The Electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for President and Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President, and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as Vice-President and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate;

The President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and the votes shall then be counted;

The person having the greatest Number of votes for President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the President.

The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of Electors appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.



my thoughts
approval voting or instant runoff voting

Republic

phrase of the day

noun
a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives,
and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch.
• archaic a group with a certain equality between its members.

The United States of America is a Constitution-based federal republic

Federal republic -
a state in which the powers of the central government are restricted and in which the component parts (states, colonies, or provinces) retain a degree of self-government;
ultimate sovereign power rests with the voters who chose their governmental representatives.

It's the same deal of a system that looks good on paper but never really works.
Ultimate sovereign power should rest with the people...
How is that when only 60% of the people vote?
When the representatives are not representing the people who voted for them.

There are people who aren't being represented.  What should they do?
The right to free speech, a free press, peaceful assembly, and petitioning the government
is how people represent themselves.  

Deep Horoscope

Funky pagan scientists at Zen State University have found that the regular consumption of Free Will Astrology can be effective in smoothing unsightly wrinkles on your attitude, scouring away stains on your courage, and disposing of old garbage stuck to your karma. They've also gathered testimony from people who claim to have experienced spontaneous healings of nagging ailments and chronic suffering while under the influence of these oracles. If I were you, I'd try to take advantage of such benefits right now. You could really use some healing. Luckily, it looks like there'll be an array of other curative options available to you as well. Be aggressive about seeking them out.

How well is your imagination working these days? Could it use a boost? A prod? A jolt of inspiration?
*
SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
I give thanks for the dented rusty brown and gray 1967 Chevy 10 pick-up truck that my neighbor parks askew on the shoulder of the road near my house. Its messy beauty snaps me back to sanity when my own perfectionism threatens to de-soul me, or when all the shiny, sleek, polished things of the world are on the verge of hypnotizing me into believing that only they should be considered attractive.

Are there equivalent triggers in your life?

X Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

IX Amendment

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

I Amendment

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof;
or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press;
or the right of the people peaceably to assemble,
and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Petition the government for term limits

Amend Constitution to include term limits for Congress and Judges.

Deep Horoscope

Here's a vignette described by columnist Thomas Friedman: "Ludwig Wittgenstein once remarked that if you ask a man how much is 2 plus 2 and he tells you 5, that is a mistake. But if you ask a man how much is 2 plus 2 and he tells you 97, that is no longer a mistake. The man you are talking with is operating with a wholly different logic from your own." I'd like to suggest, Gemini, that for you right now the whole world is like the man who swears 2 plus 2 is 97. At least temporarily, you are on a very different wavelength from your surroundings. In order to understand what's coming toward you, you will have to do the equivalent of standing on your head, crossing your eyes, and opening your mind as wide as it'll stretch.

What is the obvious secret you can't quite see? How could you turn your challenges into daily gifts for yourself?
SACRED ADVERTISEMENT
"You may enjoy this movie if you shut down enough brain cells. I turned off all except the ones needed to remember where I parked my car." This observation comes from a critic's evaluation of Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, but I've read similar comments in many reviews of other films and entertainment. Indeed, it's an approach that many intelligent people employ routinely in response to the shiny slop our culture offers up.

What about you? Do you assume you have to make yourself dumber in order to have fun? Has the well-crafted inanity of the world caused you to shut down your sensitivity? Work to reverse this trend. You'll receive help from unexpected sources if you do.

grievances

major-corporations-tax-subsidies

CorporateTaxDodgersPR.pdf

the_great_corporate_tax_scam/

Mark-Fiore-Zero-Zero-Zero

280-big-public-firms-paid-little-us-tax-study-finds

debbie-wasserman-schultz-says-tax-rates-lowest-195

gop-rep-jim-sensenbrenner-says-us-has-highest-corp

warren-buffett-says-super-rich-pay-lower-taxes-oth

barbara-boxer-says-400-richest-taxpayers-saw-incom

marcia-fudge/rep-marcia-fudge-says-some-largest-corporations-pa/

us-usa-taxes-corporations

michele-bachmann-says-top-1-percent-pay-40-percent/

john-cornyn-says-51-percent-american-households-pa/

Deep Thought

In foreign affairs
It's not about friends or enemies.  It's about national interests
-adapted from michael ware 

Government Assistance

Make people work for government services.
Meaning, you have to contribute to society in order to take from it. This means mandatory community service (or national service) in order to receive any government benefits.
 If you want education, medical services, food, whatever, volunteer in your community or join the military (or any other federal service) in order to earn those services that you are getting. If you don't want or need any assistance from the government then you can go about your business.

Simple solution. A person who already volunteers in the community can present their hours to a govt agency and get compensation for it. Specific compensation, not just a check. This would mean vouchers for medical, education, food, whatever. Voucher amount would depend on the amount of time they've contributed.

Sounds to me like a good solution to this public option idea.

*This is about the third time I've written about Public service/govt. assistance. Probably because I think it's a damn good idea that's probably not that hard to implement.
TANF already requires work.  Expand a work requirement to all government assistance programs.

http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/ofa/law-reg/finalrule/aspesum.htm

Petition the government to expand federal work study program

Expand the Federal Work-Study program to replace all student loan and grant programs.Transfer current borrowers to the work-study program and allow them to work off their debt.Forgive all interest payments on government loans.