Social Problems: Standing On The Shoulders of Giants
SOME THOUGHTS FROM THE AUTHOR
“Never underestimate the power that a small group of determined people can have.” From “
I consider myself a cynical optimist. I hold out hope that this ship can be righted, but I have seen so much that argues against that hope, and so I remain cynical. I have seen the best that man has to offer and I have seen the worst. I choose to believe that right will win out in the end, but still wonder if we have enough time left for that to happen. It is entirely possible that we, as a species, will devour ourselves from the inside, all the while drinking a toast to greed and inhumanity. I hope I am wrong!
As a nation we have been served by some giants. Over the past 236 years there have been men and women who understood the basic truths of humanity, and have lived their lives according to those truths. Of course they have had their own frailties; they were, after all, human beings. There will always be the naysayers who will point out the negatives about these giants, but the words….the powerful words….will live on forever as a beacon of hope, wisdom, and clarity for all to learn from.
Do You Believe In These Words?
Lost Forever?
- Politics: The Day My Love For Politics Died
For this author the love of politics and belief that politicians can bring about meaningful change died slowly during this lifetime.
GOVERNMENT
“We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution.”
Abraham Lincoln
The words of Lincoln echo those spoken and written by the founders of the Constitution. The ultimate power in this once great nation rests in the hands of the people, and if that power has been relinquished then the people only have themselves to blame.
Those who wrote the Constitution were adamant about the need for revolution if and when the power of the nation was taken from the hands of the people. Many of them argued that special interest groups and their money should never be allowed in the political system, that the possibility of corruption and influence was too great. Oh, if they could see the system today!
“The seed of revolution is repression.”
Woodrow Wilson
Make no mistake about it; throughout history, the repressed have always risen up and undertaken a revolution. What, then, is repression? Are we talking about military repression in the United States? A dictatorial government that infringes upon those most basic rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness? In today’s industrial world there are few, if any, dictators in office, but that does not mean repression is non-existent.
When a man, or woman, cannot make an honest day’s living no matter how hard they try, repression exists. When the cost of living is controlled by those with deeper pockets, repression exists. When special interest groups control legislation then repression does, indeed, exist.
It is not a matter of if a revolution will happen; the only question that remains is when the first drum roll will be sounded, as citizens finally understand that according to the Constitution of this country it is their responsibility as citizens to stand up to repression and, if necessary, to revolt.
How is this Economic System Working for You?
- Social Problems: Economic Slavery 2012
If you are in the bottom 99% of American society, this article might interest you.
From my buddy Joseph
- Still Having Hope for The Human Race
Still having hope for the human race. Deep inside still see the light. We all should know ourselves and find out what's the meaning and purpose of our lives.
ECONOMICS
“True individual freedom cannot exist without economic security and independence. People who are hungry and out of a job are the stuff of which dictatorships are made.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The last sentence of that quote is the most important in my opinion. People who are hungry will respond to any promise, false or not. In the absence of a voice of reason, people will grasp at any straw, believe any falsehood, agree to any terms, in order to survive.
Once that happens you have lost liberty!
The American people, and many in all of the industrial nations, have dug themselves a sizeable hole and they have no shovel to dig their way out. They spent beyond their means, completely forgetting the lessons of the Great Depression, and now find themselves working for half-wages while the interest rates continue to add to the debt.
Former corporate managers working at Burger King find it a bit difficult to pay off the corporate manager debt accrued during decades of over-spending. A college education, once considered the first step towards a high-paying job, is now nothing more than a piece of parchment that is proof of un-payable student loans.
“Not only our future economic soundness but the very soundness of our democratic institutions depends on the determination of our government to give employment to idle men.”
Franklin D. Roosevelt
The very foundation of our economic system is crumbling, as 80% of the populace owns 10% of the private wealth. Former President Clinton, in a speech at the 2012 Democratic Convention, stated that the old economy is dead, replaced by a new economy demanding new job skills. His solution was to educate those unemployed so that they can qualify for the new jobs. I would submit to you that a single mother in Georgia with three children, debt rising and waking hours diminishing, could no sooner go to college to earn new job skills than she could fly to the moon.
Franklin D. Roosevelt understood this; in the midst of the worst economic disaster this nation has ever seen, he did not ask the people to go back to school. He understood that this was a matter of survival and they needed to work right that instant. He then set about creating jobs and please note, this was at a time of incredible technological advancement. When he could have told people they needed to re-train for high tech jobs he instead told them to grab shovels and go build a bridge. He told them to go plant trees and make parks, upgrade roads and construct schools, all jobs requiring a minimum of job training.
He understood, more so than possibly any politician in this nation’s history, that people needed to work to maintain their pride and to maintain their hope.
JUSTICE
“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.”
Frederick Douglass
Where poverty is enforced! Where ignorance prevails! Could we be speaking about the United States of America, where the rich get richer and the poor are left to walk the streets in search of that life, liberty and pursuit of happiness they were led to believe existed?
This nation, or any nation, will never achieve its potential as long as members of that nation are hungry, jobless and homeless.
No, nothing is safe, and perhaps that’s as it should be. When education declines, when qualified teachers cannot be hired in the poorer districts, when jobs are outsourced and the leaders turn their heads, then nothing is safe. Deprive a person of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and that person is justified in standing up and demanding more. Deprive a person of the very basic means of survival and do not be surprised when that person turns to crime as a remedy for their ills.
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.”
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Please, I want someone who does not believe those words to step forward! Please explain to me how our nation can turn its head while citizens are starving? Explain to me how our nation can turn its head while people are homeless? Explain to me how our nation can turn its head while veterans go without benefits, while children are abused, or while people are forced out of their homes by financial institutions who are allowed to wave the bottom line as if it were the American flag.
Some Thoughts On A Simpler Life
THE TIME IS NEAR AT HAND
We were given the blessings of freedom by those who came before us. We were given the torch of revolution, a sacred torch that was paid for with blood and toil. Are we simply going to roll over and allow that torch to extinguish, or are we going to pick it up and follow a proud tradition of defending our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?
Action begins at an individual level, and then to the communities, and then ultimately to the national level. Write your congressmen, your mayor, your governor, and anyone else in a decision-making position. Organize community activities to take back your community. Become aware of your fellow citizens and when someone is down, do not walk past without seeing, but rather reach out a hand of help.
For far too long now we have chosen to practice the fine art of tunnel vision existence. We have built a protective wall around ourselves and said the mantra “see no evil, hear no evil,” hoping that we will be insulated from harm.
While we were doing that, our nation changed, and the change is good for very few. We are not helpless. We are descendants of men and women who understood the basic principles upon which this country was built, and it is now time for us to do our part in continuing those principles.
Where injustice exists, there is justice for no one! Where poverty exists, there will never be freedom. Where repression exists, there will never be the United States of America!
We stand on the shoulders of the giants who came before us. Will we carry on the fight, or will we let the flame die, extinguished by the cold breath of complacency and indifference?
2012 William D. Holland (aka billybuc)
