Tag: Political Philosophy

Dems And Big Ideas

IST Op-Ed

There is an old saying….”Democrats have great ideas but suck at politics”.   2020 is showing this very point…..the candidates all have great wide ranging ideas to solve the problems Americans are having.

We have the Medicare For All, the Green New Deal, Free education, etc etc….all are marvelous ideas that this country needs badly but will never get as long as we continue along the path we have been traveling for 50 years.

Democrats need to stop playing checkers and learn to play chess….short term answers are just not a reality…..they need a plan for long term…the long game is the only way to get and sustain all the changes they say they embrace.

Illustrating this point are a couple of issues that should be set in stone….Voters Rights, Civil Rights and Abortion….all 3 are Federal laws and all 3 are being chipped away to they are a mere shadow of their former selves.

Since they cannot take credit for the economy’s high points then they, Dems, should wrap themselves around health care.  Why?  The other 3 are being destroyed thanks to the concept of state’s rights….the old 10th amendment thing.

While the climate is an extremely important stand the sad thing is that most Americans could care less if their families are hungry….the only hope the climate has is the young for they can see beyond the next meal.

The Dems need to take a step back and start making the state elections more important than the national…..control state legislatures then the national stuff will be easier.

I have always said that the Dems are weak on foreign policy…..and now Trump’s moves in the Middle East is making himself look like he is the anti=war president…..and what does the Dems have in response to this false narrative?

Not A Damn Thing!

I hate to say I told you so, but well … as predicted, in the wake of Trump’s commanded military withdrawal from northeast Syria, the once U.S.-backed Kurds cut a deal with the Assad regime. (And Vice President Mike Pence has now brokered a five-day cease-fire.) Admittedly, Trump the “dealmaker” ought to have brokered something similar before pulling out and before the Turkish Army—and its Sunni Arab Islamist proxies—invaded the region and inflicted significant civilian casualties.

One must admit that a single phone call between Trump and President Erdogan of Turkey has turned the situation in Syria upside down in just over a week. The Kurds have requested protection from Assad’s army, Russian troops are now patrolling between the Kurds and invading Turks, and the U.S. is (for once) watching from the sidelines.

Democrats Have No Answer for Trump’s Anti-War Posture

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Antiwar Has Its Supporters

You all know that I am an antiwar person and have been since 1971….in those days we had a movement that did all they could to stop an unjust war….those days are gone….long gone. Americans seem to accept continuous war and the lack of a shared experience with the troops that fight these wars.

But wait!

First what do all these people have in common?

Andy Biggs of Arizona, Mo Brooks of Alabama, Warren Davidson of Ohio, Matt Gaetz of Florida, Louie Gohmert of Texas, Trey Hollingsworth of Indiana, Jim Jordan of Ohio, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Mark Meadows of North Carolina, Alex Mooney of West Virginia, and Bill Posey of Florida.

They are all in the House of Representatives….they are all Republicans….and they are all antiwar (for now)…..and after the antiwar I have very little in common with them.

Believe it or not…the GOP,  at least part of it, has become the voice of antiwar in the Congress.

comparative case study has demonstrated that only one political party has a principled (albeit small) contingent of legislators who care more about ending U.S. intervention overseas than partisan positioning.

In February, the House of Representatives voted in favor of House Joint Resolution 37, which directed “the removal of United States Armed Forces from hostilities in the Republic of Yemen that have not been authorized by Congress.” This, along with its complementary senate vote, was the first congressional invocation of the War Powers Act in the law’s history.

Then last month, the House voted in favor of House Joint Resolution 77, a resolution condemning “the decision to end certain United States efforts to prevent Turkish military operations against Syrian Kurdish forces in Northeast Syria.” This vote was in opposition to President Donald Trump’s announced withdrawal from the Syrian-Turkish border.

The Small But Brave Cadre of Conservative Anti-War Republicans

I did not believe my eyes but there it is……but I think their antiwar sentiments are just a political game and not some concern for the troops and our station in the world.

If I could would I ever vote for any on the list?

Probably not….for most are Tea Party toadies and I never liked the politics of the Tea Party.

Antiwar is just one issue that I care about and my candidate needs to tick off a couple of boxes before my vote goes down.

So far this election season only has one truly antiwar candidate….but they may not be long for the campaign trail for the MSM is doing all they can to make sure her campaign is killed in the court of public opinion……sadly it is the party that is doing the most damage with the help of the MSM.

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Is Hyper-Capitalism Dead?

Is the “Witch Is Dead”?

Do you know what an “Objectivist” is?

Objectivism holds that there is no greater moral goal than achieving happiness. But one cannot achieve happiness by wish or whim. Fundamentally, it requires rational respect for the facts of reality, including the facts about our human nature and needs. Happiness requires that one live by objective principles, including moral integrity and respect for the rights of others. Politically, Objectivists advocate laissez-faire capitalism. Under capitalism, a strictly limited government protects each person’s rights to life, liberty, and property and forbids that anyone initiate force against anyone else. The heroes of Objectivism are achievers who build businesses, invent technologies, and create art and ideas, depending on their own talents and on trade with other independent people to reach their goals.

Politicians like Rand Paul (that is Rand not Rue) and ex Speaker Ryan were followers of the head honcho of this philosophy Ayn Rand….but in today’s society it looks as if the meth head may be losing her hold on the young…..

Eight rules governed the original Ayn Rand clubs that proliferated across college campuses in the 1960s, as they sought to seed Objectivism—Rand’s philosophical glorification of laissez-faire capitalism and heroic individualism—in the minds of impressionable youth. And of these eight, only two rules could ever be mentioned publicly: 1) Ayn Rand is the greatest human being who has ever lived, and2) her novel Atlas Shrugged is the greatest human achievement in the history of the world.

Objectivism has a serious youth problem, and the conference’s organizers were quite aware of it. They offered a discount rate for those under 30, a talent show, and extracurricular activities like “late night jams.” It made me wonder: Is Rand’s hyper-capitalist philosophy—which has influenced some of the most powerful political and economic giants of recent history, from Ronald Reagan and Alan Greenspan to Mark Cuban and Steve Jobs—running out of juice? There was only one way to find out. I would have to attend the conference’s various panels on the virtue of selfishness, the evils of regulation, and the greatness of capitalism’s dark patron saint, and try to fraternize with the next class of Paul Ryans in the making. So I went into the Objectivist sanctums of Cleveland, sporting an Ayn Rand tote bag outfitted with an “I ❤ fossil fuels” pin, to gauge the reach of Rand’s cult of unbridled capitalism on today’s political scene.

https://newrepublic.com/article/154705/last-ayn-rand-acolytes

The young seem to be leaning Left these days…..and that will not change as long as economic injustice is running rampant…..change that and it is possible that Rand’s (Ayn not Paul) could once again be popular…look at the new popularity of Orwell’s “1984”….any thing is possible.

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

What Is Patriotism?

This is one of those nagging questions that needs a answer…

In this nation of tribes within tribes….the term patriot and patriotism have fallen into some sort of funk….once again I try to help my readers look into this phenom…I have my definition….but is it the best one….or is there any other definition that fits the term more properly.

I have asked this question many times for it is a political tool and can be used as an insult to opponents…..I have asked and I have written many times trying to get to the root of the answer to “what is patriotism”?

A few of the more recent writings……

https://lobotero.com/2016/07/07/patriotism-whats-it-good-for/

https://lobotero.com/2016/09/25/who-has-a-lock-on-patriotism/

https://lobotero.com/2017/04/21/what-happened-to-patriotism/

I still do not have a sufficient answer to the question.  I have my feelings on the term but what about others…do they feel the same as I?  It is a term that is batted around too easily to the point of becoming political slogan instead of a way of life.

Those lingering questions…….

What is patriotism?

Is it an ideology?

Is it love of country?

Is it a religion?

Is it values?

What makes it patriotism?

Answer me that.

What makes one a patriot?

Patriotism is not love of country, if by “country” you mean scenery—amber waves of grain, purple mountain majesty, and the like. Almost every country has pretty collections of rocks, water, and stuff that people grow and eat. If that’s what patriotism is all about, then Americans have precious little for which we can claim any special or unique love. And surely, patriotism cannot mean giving one’s life for a river or a mountain range.

Patriotism is not blind trust in anything our leaders tell us or do. That just replaces some lofty concepts with mindless goose-stepping.

https://fee.org/articles/the-true-meaning-of-patriotism/

Is there one overriding characteristic that will define patriotism?

I have questions with few answers.

Anyone that thinks they have the answers then please jump in and enlighten me and my readers.

If there are NO common definitions of patriotism then how can we have a united nation with freedom and justice for ALL?

Just a thought.

Any thoughts you would like to pass on?

I Read, I Wrote, You Know

“Lego ergo Scribo”

What Do Democrats Stand For?

After the disaster of the Congressional Hearing…..the question needs asking and needs a good answer.

Look at the Democrats in Congress….what do they stand for?

There is a serious lack of authority from a committee of the US House of Representatives….they all sat there let some half-wit thug show them the door.  Basically Lewandowsky dropped his pants the wiggling his penis at the Committee and the Nadler let him get away with it.

We know what the candidates have on their minds……there is Medicare For All…..and a Green New Deal……and some vague criminal justice thoughts and financial reforms by the boat load…but in reality there is nothing to their “policies” because NONE of it will ever see the light of day.

We are talking about a full time body that works on a part time schedule….about 3 days a week when in session…..weekends off with Friday and Monday for travel to meet with the high dollar donors.

Democrats of old knew how the game of politics was played…….the Dems of today are willfully unqualified to play the game. 

As the saying goes….”Democrats have great ideas but suck at the game of politics.”

They spend their time on the short term goals and never have formulated a long term plan and it shows…..their inefficiency screams everyday out of the “Idiot Box” as one and then another is interviewed and there is NO unified message….no matter the topic….there is NO unified message.

And this is why the so-called “moderates”….have proven what I suspected for many years…..Dems are cowards and truly SUCK at politics and a doable message.

In January of 2019 I wrote that the Dems would be a major disappointment and my opinion of them has not changed……https://lobotero.com/2019/01/03/democrats-will-be-a-major-disappointment/

If you are a Dem then please tell me what do the Dems running for the presidency stand for?  Then take a look at the Dems in Congress and give me the same answer….do they truly stand for anything other than being re-elected?

Back in May of 2019 I tried to help my reader with this probing question about our Dem candidates……https://lobotero.com/2019/05/13/party-politics-for-2020/

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

VOTE!

“Lego Ergo Scribo”

Capitalism Has Failed!

I realize this post will not sit well with those individuals that have more money than brains…….but let’s look at it….capitalism has failed.

The truth is that the “economy” is booming according to some….then why are most Americans are overworked and underpaid and the future looks no brighter than now……

Let’s look shall we?

Some years ago, I faced up to the futility of reporting true things about America’s disastrous wars and so I left Afghanistan for another remote mountainous country far away. It was the polar opposite of Afghanistan: a peaceful, prosperous land where nearly everybody seemed to enjoy a good life, on the job and in the family.

It’s true that they didn’t work much, not by American standards anyway. In the U.S., full-time salaried workers supposedly laboring 40 hours a week actually average 49, with almost 20% clocking more than 60. These people, on the other hand, worked only about 37 hours a week, when they weren’t away on long paid vacations. At the end of the work day, about four in the afternoon (perhaps three in the summer), they had time to enjoy a hike in the forest or a swim with the kids or a beer with friends — which helps explain why, unlike so many Americans, they are pleased with their jobs.

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/01/american-capitalism-failed-us-overworked-underemployed-powerless-ever/

Now we see a debate taking hold should the US embrace socialism over the soul sucking capitalism we have today?

In 2016, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders ran on a platform that many thought would’ve ruined his political chances. He ran as a democratic socialist, disavowing America’s longtime capitalist consensus and proudly wrapping himself in a label pundits considered political poison. And it worked.

In American politics, and particularly in the Democratic Party, the primacy of capitalism is, for the first time in ages, an open question. Sanders is expected to run again in 2020, and to run with the support of a grassroots movement that thrills to his break with capitalist convention. He’ll face, among others, Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who says one key difference between her and Sanders is that she’s “a capitalist to my bones.”

https://www.vox.com/the-big-idea/2019/1/7/18167691/what-is-socialism-capitalism-sanders-warren

Personally I do not care what we call it…..as long as the children get educated, people make a living wage, health is for everyone, etc……so can a bit of socialism help capitalism?

Larry Fink, the chief executive and founder of BlackRock, published his annual letter to the chief executives of all the companies around the world in which it invests last week.

And Fink’s message was: don’t put profits first. Put “purpose” first. “Purpose is not the sole pursuit of profits, but the animating force for achieving them,” Fink explained.

“Profits are in no way inconsistent with purpose – in fact, profits and purpose are inextricably linked.”

This corporate purpose, he went on, means investing for the long term, serving a community, developing the talents of a workforce. And so on. BlackRock also says that bosses’ pay should not rise faster than that of the firm’s workers and has threatened to vote against remuneration committees that agree to excessive awards.

It’s enough to make the libertarian epigoni of Milton Friedman, the economist who famously asserted “there is one and only one social responsibility of business – to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits”, choke on their cornflakes.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/blackrock-socialism-capitalism-stock-market-sacha-romanovitch-grant-thornton-a8737131.html

We need some help……this deal is just not working the way it was intended…..reform NOW or face the consequences.

Did Neoliberals Get The Memo?

I smell a new war brewing……

Neoliberalism is the bane of humanity and it has been a driving force in politics for decades…..these are the people that fear that “creeping socialism” because they are doing more damage to a country that anything socialist.

But first for those that are scratching their heads and thinking this is something about Dems need to step back and read…….neoliberalism knows NO political party……

What is this magical thing called “Neoliberalism”?

The main points of neo-liberalism include:

  1. THE RULE OF THE MARKET. Liberating “free” enterprise or private enterprise from any bonds imposed by the government (the state) no matter how much social damage this causes. Greater openness to international trade and investment, as in NAFTA. Reduce wages by de-unionizing workers and eliminating workers’ rights that had been won over many years of struggle. No more price controls. All in all, total freedom of movement for capital, goods and services. To convince us this is good for us, they say “an unregulated market is the best way to increase economic growth, which will ultimately benefit everyone.” It’s like Reagan’s “supply-side” and “trickle-down” economics — but somehow the wealth didn’t trickle down very much.
  2. CUTTING PUBLIC EXPENDITURE FOR SOCIAL SERVICES like education and health care. REDUCING THE SAFETY-NET FOR THE POOR, and even maintenance of roads, bridges, water supply — again in the name of reducing government’s role. Of course, they don’t oppose government subsidies and tax benefits for business.

3. DEREGULATION. Reduce government regulation of everything that could diminsh profits, including protecting the environmentand safety on the job.

4. PRIVATIZATION. Sell state-owned enterprises, goods and services to private investors. This includes banks, key industries, railroads, toll highways, electricity, schools, hospitals and even fresh water. Although usually done in the name of greater efficiency, which is often needed, privatization has mainly had the effect of concentrating wealth even more in a few hands and making the public pay even more for its needs.

5. ELIMINATING THE CONCEPT OF “THE PUBLIC GOOD” or “COMMUNITY” and replacing it with “individual responsibility.” Pressuring the poorest people in a society to find solutions to their lack of health care, education and social security all by themselves — then blaming them, if they fail, as “lazy.”

But if they is too confusing and you need a visual…..

Most everything was written by me awhile back……https://lobotero.com/2018/08/24/is-neoliberalism-dead/

I bring this up because too many of the Dems are in the column for neoliberalism and it is a dying or dead political philosophy and yet candidates like Biden keep pushing neoliberal ideas as solutions to this world’s problems….and we see how those solutions have worked out, huh?

The evidence keeps piling up. Neoliberalism is dead.

Just look at the record. Trump—a cross between a carney barker and a conman—beat a neoliberal in 2016. Right-wing populists have scored big in Austria, Italy, Britain, and Brazil since then.  Just recently, Australia’s right-of-center Labor coalition won their election. And in the European Union’s latest contest, Greens won big while right-wing parties made gains in some areas.  All these victories came at the expense of neoliberal centrists.

Bottom line: Across the world, people are finally wising up to the fact that neoliberalism has failed them economically, politically, and environmentally. In fact, the climate crisis—an existential threat to human civilization—is a direct result of the global neoliberal juggernaut that has swept the developed world.  So are the record levels of income and wealth disparity, and the subversion of democracy by a powerful oligarchy—particularly in the US.

https://www.commondreams.org/views/2019/06/03/neoliberalism-dead-neoliberal-elite-didnt-get-memo

Please look at the candidates carefully.  Please make a decision that will produce solutions or at least real solutions.

Most of the candidates are in the pocket of corporate America and their solutions will only help their handlers….not the people.

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

Vote!