by

John Wright

Every so often I reflect on changes in our society in the USA. I do that to realign my perspectives with regard to our societal evolution. Typically, I am upbeat with regard to our latest scientific achievements and downbeat about the continuing loss of power for the common man. Today I decided to write a few thoughts about loss of power, which is fairly synonymous with loss of liberty. Let me be succinct, liberty is silly to a rat in a one way maze. You cannot win when the game is fixed. Freedom of speech, exercised individually, is an invitation to investigation, arrest, indictment and prison.

My wife happened to be watching television yesterday. She requested my time to listen to commentators and interview subjects reflect on some recently uncovered major misdeeds by our former FBI Director, J. Edgar Hoover. I commented that, in general, powerful people in government and business do not pay for their crimes. They control the police forces and investigatory agencies, directly or through nominees. They are not typically investigated or exposed until after their death, when there is no risk of loss of wealth or imprisonment. Such is not the case for the common man. And there was no oversight committee to identify Hoover’s abuses.

Sure, the Enron® scandal is an exception, but only because the top management became stupid to the point of bankruptcy and visibly and knowledgeably destroyed the savings and investments of too many people. How about the poor suckers in California who couldn’t afford to pay their electric bill after the crooked prices Enron charged for fuel to provide electricity? Think about the economic and personal damage wrought by the rolling blackouts that somehow didn’t happen in 2000 or 2002? Do note that people in power are not permitted to be stupid criminals. They are, however, given the benefit of the doubt and permitted to do whatever criminal acts they can accomplish so long as they don’t get caught. They are permitted to hide much of what they do legally.

Is this not also true for the common man? Of course it is, but the damage a common man can do is very limited, whereas the powerful in government and business can wreak havoc across the entire country. It is rather obvious that systems of checks and balances to restrain the powerful are embarrassingly missing in the USA. The evidence of that truth is found in results, not in poorly implemented accounting standards or theoretically effective laws. The concept of increased moral responsibility to the citizenry with increased power simply isn’t there in our laws or our checks and balances, nor in the mores, minds and hearts of the very wealthy. Noblesse Oblige is dead.

The United States is an oligarchy, not a democracy. The members are the very wealthy; who determine what individuals will hold political office. This has been true for 100 years and more. The missing ingredient in our society that is never mentioned by the media is wealth limits for individuals and companies. That is the only form of checks and balances that will positively reduce criminal behavior by business executives and legislators.

Wealth limits are the means to eliminate usury and business practices such as international outsourcing, which uses slave labor while undermining the job security (thus lives) of the general population within the USA. Our ancestors brought slaves to this country and look what we have today. Our present business executives are simply underwriting the growth of populations in other countries, who will one day consume us. Meanwhile, our legislators are continuing to allow massive immigration into the USA for well known groups willing to work for slave wages … while they reproduce to excess.

It is the failure of the powerful to be responsible citizens in their behaviors that threatens the long-term outlook for USA common citizens. Our children and grandchildren will inherit the economic and political disaster that results from unrestrained capitalism. The very powerful are utterly corrupted, and common citizens do not actually have viable means to displace or control those individuals. Instead, we have continually lost power and freedoms since the inception of Federal Income taxes. Laws have been made and continue to be made or changed to benefit the very wealthy and to control and oppress thoroughly the common man.

Today there is no way for ordinary people to respond effectively to forces that undermine their security. Even efforts to unionize some businesses are met with the same illegal business behaviors that were the worst of our history. I do not like unions because they inevitably damage the economy by becoming self-serving, but the ugly truth is that without effective checks and balances in place, our businesses have regularly oppressed their employees and undermined any sense of job security. Is lose/lose the best we can attain?

So what do we do? Is anyone willing to promote a political platform for wealth limits and immigration cessation and reproduction limits? Are these not the most pressing long-term considerations? Today our leaders are whining about the Middle East and preparing to go to war … a war that they want to complete the economic and political oppression of Middle Eastern people with oil. They blatantly dishonor the concept of national sovereignty, and they are ready to prosecute and execute before any feared weapons of mass destruction crime is actually committed. The truth is that they do not want power to exist outside their control. Our physical environmental decline is definitely getting worse, but our president is actively promoting oil exploration and development of more oil fields and refineries, instead of turning to alternative energy sources for our present and our future.

If we have a troubled economy, where is the logic for exporting jobs? Where are the federal laws to stop that practice so that we can improve our employment at home? If you haven’t guessed by now, it is time to realize that the wealthy are determined to succeed even when that means you will be destroyed. Only you can stop that practice, and it must be done through elections, not revolution, for you have not a prayer of succeeding in a revolution. It is, as you might expect, illegal for you to own viable weapons that you and others might use to force the reformation of your government and our laws.

One parting thought … I recently crossed the border from Canada into the USA, and I could not believe how trivial that crossing was. I could have brought anything into the USA without fear. If you think Homeland Security is effective you need a wakeup call. The entire hullabaloo about security is worthless as implemented at our borders. Any terrorist worth his (her) salt could easily do major damage to USA citizens with poisons, bombs or biological agents. You are not secure due to anything done by your government, which leads to the most troublesome question of all … how can those in Washington in the "know" proceed as they have unless they realize that there is no major hazard to our physical safety? If that is true, what are they actually trying to accomplish? Now you can be afraid.