Saturday, June 20, 2015

June 20, 2015
Dear Hilary:

I am one of many, many millions, I am sure, that is thankful and encouraged by your offer to dedicate a significant part of your life to what is at this time in world history probably the position most in need of a person with heart. I have followed your journey for a long time, and I always knew that you were such a person.

I thought it was unfortunate that you allowed the advice from the not so heart focused heads around you to guide your election effort in 2007/8. Yet life has a way of working for the common good, and in retrospect it was good that President Obama was chosen.

He has been one of our greatest, and courageous Leaders. He had to, and still does, face more conscious and pointed hatred in a day then most of us encounter in a life time. His time in office has served to clearly reveal the carefully hidden polar opposites of, not only the nation, but the planet. His very presence in office served to reveal the gross racism, and the deep cleavage that have always been present between the huge many and the elite few.

In a way, this was his service to Humanity. He was not able to do a great deal about either of these issues. However, his courageous, relentless day to day struggle to move us forward even in tiny steps is what  leaders model do and .

So, now, when the lines of demarcation between the dead past of hate, racism, classism, sexism, religious bigotry, exclusivity and privilege, and the alternative of  life, liberty and freedom for all are so clearly drawn and we are so in need of a leader with heart, your time has come. I am sure you will be the next leader of this nation. I am sure that  you understand our needs and see the way forward. You have demonstrated over the years that you have heart, and that you love, and “the measure of understanding is the degree of love.”

I have one suggestion just now. As you are well aware, the economy, as was pointed out by another Clinton, is the issue. We desperately need an economic model that breaks out of the mold of competition for wealth and power and serves the Common Good. Although he is still somewhat influenced by the decadent thoughtforms of competitive capitalism, I would recommend Paul Krugman as an economic adviser to you in this area. Mr. Krugman has a heart, and I would suggest that the first thing you look for when selecting other advisors is their heart. The heart can revel all paths.

Looking forward to the day that I can address you as Mrs. President,

Lots of love

-tom

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Letter to Paul Krugman

Dear Paul:
So, “The F.B.I. and the Justice Department are investigating whether officials for the St. Louis Cardinals hacked into the internal networks of the Houston Astros to steal closely guarded information about player personnel.” NYT 7/17

Good heavens, corruption! In baseball!! the American “pass-time”. Actually, “sports” along with banking and the stock market, have been among the most corrupt from the get go. I would be surprised if this is all there is to corruption in baseball, or in any other aspect of our competitive society.

The point here is that corruption is an intrinsic, a natural aspect of competition. Regardless of all the blather about “sportsmanship” and personal honor, What matters is winning.

Corruption is an unavoidable aspect of any competitive system. We will just skip Global International Relations which are competitive in all respects and likewise corrupt in all respects. But, can you name one of our economic (in any field), political, judicial, religious, law enforcement (on any level), or social systems that is not full of lying, stealing, cheating, the occasional murder? Even the “hard sciences” are corrupt with paid for “proof” for whatever you want to sell, like “climate change is a myth”.

The foundations of the system come with built in corruption. Good hearted and honest individuals such as yourself have not, for eons, and are not now going to be able to “fix” this system with reasonable and logical arguments. Already Thomas Piketty’s work is receding into the mists generated by the Winner’s media systems.

The system cannot be fixed. It needs a totally new foundation.

Capitalism is not the problem. There is nothing wrong with capitalism. Capital is initiatory power. It is an always present aspect of Life. The problem is the private ownership of capital and the god of competition that fosters and protects it.

Cooperation now, cooperation is the basic foundation of the system that runs the Cosmos. It will take some time, but not as much as one might think, to eliminate the ignorant and decadent concepts of competition and the absurdity of the private ownership of capital and to establish new foundations. I would encourage you to think more along these lines and suggest economic paths that would lead toward cooperation. Your voice would help as lot.

BTW., Pope Francis’s Encyclical, released today is an excellent example of the kind of courageous commentary of which we are deeply in need. The “winners” are characterizing it as an attack on capitalism. But then they would so characterize any expression of the truth.

lots of love

-tom