Dear Mr. President

Friday, May 22, 2015

Dear Mr. President,

Re the TTP business.

This secret stuff, asking people to approve things that they have not seen/read, and as legislators for the Common Good, at least that is what they are supposed to be, had a chance to ponder is off the wall, over the top, really weird, and not the way the Constitution says the government is supposed to work.

I do not know what is in this TTP thing. I accept that you think it is O.K. for the Common Good, or at least as good as you can get it. The secret stuff is simply mind boggling. What on earth is the BIG DEAL? Bigger than honest government, freedom, justice for all?

I put no stock in the bit about your concern for your “legacy”. You of all people should not be giving that kind of ego driven non-sense any thought. Do you think that when Martin King, or FDR or Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln, or dare I say it, Jesus Christ where making their decisions they cared one tiny damn for their LEGACY? Do you think they care about it now?

Maybe this is out of your hands Maybe you can’t really do anything. But you can tell the public that you want the thing made un-secret and available for the elected folks to see before they have to vote. Goodness, Mr. President, when  you  were a Senator would you have sat still for this craziness? I doubt it.

Please do something!

Lots of love

-tom

Dear Mr. President

5/20/15

Dear Mr. President:

Thank you for your response to my letter re the role of education in our National Village, the village which Hillary wrote about in her book, It Takes A Village. I love all of the suggestions you have made. However, I have not seen much evidence of their adoption as yet, and I pay attention to the field.

The school districts in the neighborhoods of the remaining middle class and of course the “upper classes”, usually have some kind of fund raising program that generates lots of money for their districts. Interesting caveat here: Many of the individuals who live in these districts vote against any increase of taxes for schools in general. Their focus is on “Our Children”.

I appreciated the remark, about showing teachers support and respect worthy of their daily commitment.  It is obvious that this particular area is woefully neglected. Some of the lack is deserved because there are those out there who are not teachers; they just have a job. This is quite obvious to any parent who is paying attention. It is sad that many “parents” are not paying attention. However, most of these parents are victims of the system. They are beat down and exhausted by just trying to make ends meet.

You note mentions no help for 2 crucial areas. 1. If we want better Teachers we need to pay them. The ridiculous wages teachers earn in comparison to other professionals is the greatest proof of our disrespect, not only of Teaching, but of education. In lieu of a Bill, how about an Executive Order that sets Teacher’s pay at least commensurate with a Congressman’s. You could subsidize their pay to raise it.

The other thing is that you could do an executive order that pays parents to get involved with the school system! I have more, but am out of characters with no spaces.

Lots of love

-tom

Letter to Paul Krugman

Dear Paul:

Regarding your column of last Friday. This was the best thing you have done in the few years that I have been following your commentary in the NYT. I have posted comments on those columns on the Times, but this comment needed more than the 1500 characters.

My favorite remark, the, by very far, best, clearest, and to the point, remark that  you have as yet to make on the unending stream of sophistic fog that issues from the mouths of the current crop of “candidates” and, it needs to be said, many of your so called colleagues in the ranks of the academic “economists” was this one

 “Take a moment to savor the cowardice and vileness of that last remark.”

“That,” you said “was sinking very low.” Totally!  It does appear to me, however, that “Low” is a point which does not exist on the scale of amorality. They, Paul, simply do not get it. Low means nothing to them. The scale that they use is,  “Will it sell?” All too often the answer is, “yes”.

And “wait there is more”!  You exclaimed. And indeed, you go on to enumerate a long list of what to me are simply bald faced lies. It is absolutely amazing that ignoramuses such as Wolfowitz and Chertoff would be allowed to be present, let alone advisors.

“What’s going on here?” you ask.  Your best answer, “My best explanation is that we're witnessing the effects of extreme tribalism.” Incredible!

Tribalism is a kind of social community that became extinct in the modern world several thousands of years ago. There are of course remnants on the planet of all of the stages through which Humanity has evolved. There are, for example, in the deep jungles in South America, “tribes” of primitives who still indulge in the occasional head shrinking ceremony.

One does not join or create a "tribe", one regresses into that state. Modern tribalism which we see in particularly in the terrorist operations of the day, the Mafia, ISIS, the Tea Party, is a retrogressive effect of the shrinking of consciousness. Undoubtedly, the capacity of the Bushes’ and their tribal member’s consciousness to include even one “outsider” has shrunk considerably in the past few election cycles.

I can't post your entire column here, Paul, but I do strongly recommend to all readers that you look into Paul Krugman’s May 15, 2015 Fraternity of Failure.

Hold on Friends! The foundations are crumbling, or since they were built on the sand of illusion, maybe they are just washing away.

Lots of love

-tom

Letter To The President

Dear Mr. President:

I read your talk at the JC in South Dakota. I love the free Jr. College initiative.

Your focus on "job preparation" was disappointing. The biggest job we have is being citizens of a Democracy. This means valuing every one regardless of what their "job" is, or even if they have a job or not.

The "family" metaphor is not effective. It carries the baggage of  Big Father/Mother who know best, one of the sophistic concepts utilized by the retrogressors.

Evoking and linking "rugged  individualism/entrepreneurship" as values is a problem. Both concepts are code words used to undermine Democracy. The concept of entrepreneurship, basically anti egalitarian, is not a product of a Democratic system.

Democracy decentralizes power, moves it form the hands of the few into the hands of the people. A government that "creates an environment that encourages and safe guards entrepreneurs" is the agenda of the retrogressive forces. That agenda, as we can clearly see, fosters the centralization of power in the hands of a special class.

I see a very long list of other Brothers and Sisters from all walks of life, many of whom gave their lives to further the Common Good as rugged individuals, individuals precisely because they knew that they were part of the One Humanity.

With few exceptions, entrepreneurs that I am aware of are not individuals. For the most part, again with a few genuine exceptions, while not "bad people", they are self centered, ego driven, and usually very smart brothers and sisters who are not even remotely aware of the Common Good or Democracy or in many cases, environmental sanity.

Most of our brothers and sisters who have a decent home life. adequate income, and an adequate education including a strong immersion in the Liberal Arts would make great citizens.

Lots of love

-tom

Letter to Paul Krugman

Friday, May 01, 2015

Dear Paul.

Re Your column in the New York Times of May 1, 2015 "Ideology and Integrity"

I admire your efforts to bring a sense of collective responsibility into the blizzard of half to no truths which have characterized the discussions re economics. It is, however, "like tilting at windmills". It would be far easier to get blood from a rock than to get intellectual integrity from amoral individuals.

Beliefs have nothing to do with this. Oh, I suppose that some of those brothers and sisters actually believe what they cater to, but that fact is really a good argument for getting rid of the whole notion of belief anyway. Believing is simply a mental state that has the tendency to lock one into some narrow conclusion re whatever. Once one commits to believing something, game over. Not a good idea in an infinite Cosmos!

Most of the individuals involved here are simply doing what works to achieve their ends. Unfortunately for Humanity, their ends are most deeply involved in the self centered acquisition of some sort of personal aggrandizement…. power, money, ownership of something, anything… regardless of the repercussions to the Common Good. Morality is simply not an issue. But to put on a good show, they will donate millions to museums, concert halls, even Universities if they will follow a few requirements...that is.

I am suggesting that you give up on the soft economic arguments of humanistic reasoning. Reason dialectics require a heart on each side of the discussion. Such is not the case here. You have been trying this approach for many years, without much success, and the efforts are beginning to sound more and more like pleas. I think it is time to go up front with this. 

The bit on Zombies was right on track.

The controlling ideology of selfishness flows from a deep ignorance regarding the Physics, never mind the “morality”,  of how the Planet and the rest of Cosmos works. It is not a brain buster to scientifically, that is to use hard science documentation, to demonstrate that the basic ignorance of soft economic shibboleths such as the “acting for the benefit of one’s individual self”.

For example, there is no “individual self” that exists separate from, or outside of, or independent of the rest of Humanity. There is a conscious realization of one's individuality which is a basic aspect of being human, but the realization, if it is enlightened at all, will recognize that one is an inseparable part of a great whole called Humanity. This is a scientifically demonstrable fact. Basic high school physics is all it takes.

These apostles of self centeredness are on record as denying any whiff of hard science that would trod on either their income or power, or the right to do anything to make it in any arena at all. Just recall the years they drummed up and paid "scientists" to provide them with arguments that would counter the flood of scientific data regarding their very profitable active addiction of the population with nicotine delivery devices called cigarettes. So, we finally took actions that made a big dent in local cigarette consumption.

The response from the self centered entrepreneurs, "O.K. we will make electronic nicotine delivery devices." These are selling like "ecstasy", making tons more money by eliminating the huge costs of growing and processing tobacco, enriching virtually the same crowd, and addicting many of our children. When we get rid of electronic cigarettes, the individuals intent on doing that which will get them money or power regardless, will come up with something else. This has been going on for countless decades, and will go on for more decades, unless we shift the foundations of the economic system from being based on personal wealth generation to serving the Common Good.

So, in terms of the occurring and pending environmental disasters resulting from climate change which was generated by decades of the self-serving economics of entrepreneurs who lack, not intelligence, but integrity which is a heart quality, it is not surprising to find sophist shills such as Ted Cruz shilling away to protect the interests of Big Oil, and various other Corporate Sophist Golems ( a new technique in Golem making) in the defense and weapon manufactures, just to mention a couple.

It is time to bring the entire conversation regarding economics or the blood circulation systems of civilizations as well as the planet under the preview of Science. And it will still be a big struggle, but one we can actually win.

Lots of love

-tom