Poverty and Compassion?
I cannot understand where American compassion for those in need has gone. I guess when people are scared, many put their own interests ahead of others. Thank God we have some heroes out there and that some of us give a damn about others.
I worked on property theory when doing my dissertation. Back in those days in the mid sixties we had a balance between three interest groups -- businesses, unions and government. And our political decisions were generally worked out between the first two with government serving as regulator and referee. But starting with Reagan things began to change. He cut back on regulation. Bush cut taxes -- particularly for the super rich. And without regulation corporations, could do their thing of making profits and feeding millions to greedy CEOs. Teddy Roosevelt back when warned of such things as we are seeing once again -- particularly monopolies which displace the public interest with their greedy pursuit of profits -- not even for stock holders but for their management.
If one is super rich, one can simply move elsewhere if conditions deteriorate in the U.S. Many have alternative homes around the globe as well as investments in the global economy. Why loan money to small businesses to create jobs? Not much profit there.
I think it was David Hume who noted that humans fall along a spectrum ranging from those who really care about others to those who are happy to kill -- directly or indirectly -- to make greedy pay offs to themselves.
Most of us know both types and those ranging between them who can turn mean when scared, e.g. the Tea Party types.
I despair at what I see happening to this once great nation. Even racism is returning. The loss of teachers where particularly needed is a disgrace as we waste monies on pointless wars and military equipment such as those super jets designed to fight the Soviet Union and costing a bundle. No, there is no longer a Soviet Union, but their are pols who want to protect their own where these things are produced, e.g. Gingrich when he was in office: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich
And so the U.S. Goes - Down, Down, Down!
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"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
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Ed Kent [blind copies]
I worked on property theory when doing my dissertation. Back in those days in the mid sixties we had a balance between three interest groups -- businesses, unions and government. And our political decisions were generally worked out between the first two with government serving as regulator and referee. But starting with Reagan things began to change. He cut back on regulation. Bush cut taxes -- particularly for the super rich. And without regulation corporations, could do their thing of making profits and feeding millions to greedy CEOs. Teddy Roosevelt back when warned of such things as we are seeing once again -- particularly monopolies which displace the public interest with their greedy pursuit of profits -- not even for stock holders but for their management.
If one is super rich, one can simply move elsewhere if conditions deteriorate in the U.S. Many have alternative homes around the globe as well as investments in the global economy. Why loan money to small businesses to create jobs? Not much profit there.
I think it was David Hume who noted that humans fall along a spectrum ranging from those who really care about others to those who are happy to kill -- directly or indirectly -- to make greedy pay offs to themselves.
Most of us know both types and those ranging between them who can turn mean when scared, e.g. the Tea Party types.
I despair at what I see happening to this once great nation. Even racism is returning. The loss of teachers where particularly needed is a disgrace as we waste monies on pointless wars and military equipment such as those super jets designed to fight the Soviet Union and costing a bundle. No, there is no longer a Soviet Union, but their are pols who want to protect their own where these things are produced, e.g. Gingrich when he was in office: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich
And so the U.S. Goes - Down, Down, Down!
--
"A war is just if there is no alternative, and the resort to arms is legitimate if they represent your last hope." (Livy cited by Machiavelli)
--
Ed Kent [blind copies]
posted by Ed Kent at 8:12 AM
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