Divide and Suppress

During an interview on NPR this morning, I heard that 49% of Americans have an unfavorable view of Islam. American Muslims are treading carefully on the eve of this 9/11. The end of Ramadan ushers in a three-day holiday. Because it includes 9/11 this year, Muslims are toning down their holiday celebrations.

Thursday vandals wrote racist graffiti on the wall of the Hudson Islamic Center. People immediately said "They must have been from outside the city," or "They are probably mentally challenged." The instinctive reaction was only outsiders would behave so badly and a refusal to confront the potential for darkness within their own community. This morning three young men were arrested for the crime. They were residents of Hudson. No mention was made of their mental condition.

We live in a media-fueled climate of racism and extremism - against Hispanics, against Muslims, against non-Christians, against less fundamentalist Christians. Interaction between Democrats and Republicans reflects intolerance rather than a will to wisely govern.

Nurturing discord benefits those who would keep the American people weakened and underfoot. It's working far too well.

To Tax or not to Tax

The Bush Era tax cuts were supposed to stimulate the economy and spread the wealth. They succeeded in the former and failed in the latter. Even their success as economic stimulus comes into question. The boom earlier in the decade had more to do with the illusion property values would rise forever and the creation of esoteric financial instruments that hid the rot in the system until the structure collapsed than with real economic growth. The very wealthy did get wealthier. The rest of us got poorer, many got much, much poorer.

While our nation's wealth migrated to huge corporations and the super-rich who controlled them, the government amassed enormous budget deficits. Government expenditures, including two very costly wars, were made with borrowed money. The results weakened the core of the nation's financial structure and could not continue.

Proclaiming the Republicans or the Democrats caused the deficits does not fix the problem. Cutting taxes will not fix the problem. Maintaining current spending levels will not fix the problem.

None of the solutions are palatable. Postponing action will only worsen the problem. Letting the tax cuts' sunset provisions take effect is only a start.

Our nation needs policies that nurture American self-sufficiency instead of stifling it. It cannot sustain a system in which it imports far more goods that it exports. While this works very well for corporations that continue to off-shore production and jobs, it is disastrous for the country. It makes it less diversified, increases its indebtedness, increases unemployment, robs it of the fruits of its innovations and drastically lowers its standard of living and economic security.

Our nation needs to build on the strengths of its citizens, not pander to their weaknesses; leave the era of factionalism and recommit to working together to forge a stronger, better integrated society. If sacrifice is asked of us, there must be corresponding benefits and the sacrifice must be evenly spread across all economic levels.

Complaints of a Liberal Elitist

Why Liberals Need to Draw a Line in the Sand
We got a massive bailout of the very rich, lackluster stimulus funds bogged down with bureaucratic red tape for the rest of us. Our tax system encourages the constant flow of wealth away from the middle and working classes to the super rich.

We got a national health care bill that curtails a woman's right to choose, transfers more of the nation's wealth to the insurance companies, places a heavy burden on small employers and forces citizens to buy over-priced product from private-sector companies.

Despite financial reform, credit card companies continue to charge usurious interest rates, banks continue to fleece depositors with outrageous fees and savers get barely visible returns on their deposits.

When corporations seek Chapter 11 protection to "reorganize," taking out small shareholders and debt holders and relieving themselves of pension liabilities, it is considered savvy financial management. When homeowners walk away from mortgages they can no longer afford (no Chapter 11-style reorganization available to them), they are considered dishonest free loaders who violated "sacred" contracts. The Secretary of the Treasury is a tax evader who, when he finally paid them, faced none of the consequences ordinary tax payers have to face.

Ending "don't ask don't tell," keeps getting put on the back burner. Guantanamo Bay remains open. Corporations have achieved the legal status of citizens. Acorn was destroyed but Goldman Sachs flourishes.

Our prisons are privatized and our infrastructure is being sold off. Much of our precious water supply is owned by Nestles, a Swiss corporation with a questionable human rights record.

Oil companies rule. While China develops renewable energy technologies, we contemplate our navels.

The media labels conservative Democrats "moderate" and liberals are termed "activists." The media is controlled by a handful of conglomerates whose very existence violates antitrust laws.

Our leaders preach the importance of small business and let the big guys undersell them into receivership, swallow up their assets and innovations, and raise prices.

The poor are blamed for the depredations of the rich. Hardworking Americans impoverish themselves acquiring college educations, then cannot get jobs.

Politicians praise American initiative and self sufficiency while individual citizens are prevented from participating in disaster abatement and big corporations are allowed to buy up and bury the technologies (or export them to other countries) that might reignite our economy.

While Republicans catered to their base, Democrats threw meager bones to theirs, assuming "liberals" had no place else to go. That "no place" threatens to include the polls in November.

Yeah, liberals need to draw a line in the sand.

Owning a Small Business

It's all about eking out your cash flow, robbing Peter to pay Paul, trying to collect your receivables so you can pay your payables. Every government report you are required to complete subtracts from your bottom line. Every insurance policy you must carry costs money for a bet against yourself. Debt is terrifying. It limits your flexibility to control expenses during product cycles, economic downturns or in the face of competition from larger, more diversified companies. It increases your cost of goods sold. Without borrowing, your business probably will never get out of the starting gate. Even with it, failure is common. Most small businesses fail within the first five years.

If you are sued, and this is a litigious society, you retain a lawyer. This is expensive. It costs money you will not see again, no matter the outcome of the suit. If you lose, you and your business could well end up bankrupt. If the suit is covered by one of your insurance policies, defense will be handled by the insurance company, which usually will settle, no matter how frivolous the complaint, in order to control cost. This opens wide a door to those adept at "gaming" the system.

Common wisdom assumes persons who own their own businesses are wealthy. Sometimes they are; however most small business owners struggle. They work long, arduous hours at wages no union worker would accept; try to maintain compliance with a regulatory maze larger companies have entire departments to deal with; and carry their business problems home every night. There is no shutting the door on the office for the small business owner.

Why do it? To be your own boss. To be self-sufficient. To have at least the chance to do things your way. To work at something you actually enjoy doing.

Why did we invade Iraq?

War is the continuation of diplomacy using other means, Carl von Clausewitz.

Why did our leaders decide to invade Iraq? Since the public is never trusted with the full picture, what follows is speculation.

Iraq probably seemed like a sure thing, a no-brainer.

1. Despite the absence of evidence of WMD, Saddam's posturing made their existence appear highly likely.
2. In a region dominated by religious states, Iraq was secular. The possibility of religious factionalism must have been judged remote.
3. Iraq was governed by an extremely unpopular tyrant.
4. Iraq had rich oil fields.

I believe Cheney, Rumsfeld and company were convinced our forces would be hailed as liberators, Saddam would be toppled, a stable, friendly regime quickly put in place and lo and behold, we would have a solid ally (i.e. client state?) in a dangerous corner of the world, a strong base from which to combat radical Islamic terrorism and preferred access to all those lovely oil reserves.

Did any of these reasons justify the war? I certainly don't think so and didn't then. I believe going to war in Iraq was one of the worst foreign policy decisions this country ever made. This disastrous decision was made worse by the incredible incompetency of its execution.

Execution of the War
None of the civilians planning and starting the war had military or combat experience. Colin Powell, who did, was sidelined, then co-opted, then again sidelined. Generals who disagreed with the tactical and strategic methodologies of the invasion received short shrift -- many were reassigned or were forced into or opted for early retirement.

A pity none of the civilians had read Sun Tzu or Carl von Clausewitz or had a background in military history. Even a good football coach knows that the best game plans rarely survive the first set of downs. Absolutely no flexibility to adapt to the unexpected was built into the campaign. Suggestions by commanders in the field for adjustments to conditions on the ground were adamantly resisted by Rumsfeld's War Department.

I reiterate my point in an earlier blog, successful civilian oversight of the military requires civilian commanders who are well educated in military matters. Otherwise they enter war room briefings unequipped to make good decisions. If they wait until they take office, it is too late. Events will overtake them.

Study of history and civics is absolutely essential to a viable society.

Bill of Rights: VII, VIII, IX, X

These seem more open to different interpretations that I through VI.

Amendment VII
In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII
Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

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

Amendment X
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.

The Iraq Combat Mission is Over

Last night President Obama addressed the nation regarding the end of the combat mission in Iraq. It was not a victory speech, because there was no victory. Thousands of U. S. soldiers died, tens of thousands were critically wounded, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died.

Did the conflict make us safer from terrorism? On the contrary, it probably made us more vulnerable by increasing hatred of the U. S. and making a dangerous corner of the globe less stable. Yes, the vicious dictator Saddam Hussein was removed. But nothing better has replaced him. Iraqi infrastructure was destroyed. A secular society devolved into one torn by factional religious hatred. The country could still descend into civil war. Iran lies dangerously positioned on the Iraqi border.

Did the war bring us assets? It drained our treasury and limited our ability to deal with problems at home. It did nothing to decrease our dependence upon unfriendly countries for our oil. The only beneficiaries were the companies that supplied the materials and manpower needed to wage it.

What happens if Iran invades Iraq or, more likely, manages to insert itself into the Iraqi political process?

Iraq. Let there be no mistake. We broke it. We could not fix it.
I hope it's over.