Benefits of being an optimist

I tend to be a pessimist but I recently saw an old recorded class taught by Victor Frankl where he advocates for a optimistic outlook to achieve your goals.  If you think about it; an optimist is more likely to try harder and are more likely to overcome obstacles.  A realist might give up when the going gets tough.  A pessimist might not even try.

Authoritarianism

The insurrection act is a tool of authoritarians.  It bypasse judicial review.  There is no balance of power or overcite. 

Why government needs to be apolitical

The following link below is an example from the military which clearly describe why public institutions must be apolitical.

Maintaining an apolitical army

Corruption

The best government can be destroyed by corruption and greed.

There seems to be corruption in virtually every branch of the federal government.  Trump is accepting Bitcoin and airplanes.  Trump is suing his enemies.  Trump is pardoning criminals.  Trump is trying to make the Ukraine the villain.  The separation of powers has become a joke. Voting is under attack.  The supreme court justices are getting lavish vacations and gifts.  Congress is being allowed to profit on insider trading.  The rich are profiteering.  Companies are putting their shareholders before their customers and their employees.  Collective bargaining is going away.  The poor are getting less services and the rich are getting tax breaks.  Health insurance is way too expensive and too tied to your employment.  Consumer protection, as well as many other protections and administrative oversight are going away.  Trump is trying to privitize as many federal programs as he can.

Citizens United

Get big (dark) money (super pacs) out of politics.  Overturn citizens United.

What if your limitations are what make you great?

https://youtu.be/XDERbNHfLaE?si=YL4sH5fI-CW7DNE

Fake Emergencies

The president has expanded his powers by declaring emergencies on little or no evidence. 

Deep state vs dark money

The deep state is the bogeymen of culture wars.  The rich and powerful vs the disenfranchised.  The few vs the many.

Dark money is how things get done without oversight. Things that are unpopular or downright illegal.

Controlling or supressing the media is a way to control the narrative. 

Meritocracy

Meritocracy sounds good but is easy to use to hide prejudice and inequality. 

Inequality

How to create a fair and balanced society?  I have heard of civic society; economic populism; and socialism.  A democracy is supposed to share power but is prone to abuse and manipulation.  Capitalism is designed to create a Plutocracy where the rich get richer and the poor stay poor.  Cultural populism is just a distraction to hide the consolidate of power. 

Inaction and moral obligation

"Inaction can have serious consequences and individuals have a moral obligation to take action when they witness injustice or wrongdoing."

-Unknown 

Nothing funny or interesting to say

I haven't posted anything in a long time.  I didn't think I could maintain a useful blog over time so there you have it.