THE PROBLEM WITH SOCIALISM FROM A GENETIC PERSPECTIVE.

Ambition is an innate human emotional trait. It sometimes elevates to the more toxic level of greed. 

Every emotion is G-d given.  Ambition, like all our feelings and desires, serves a genetic purpose in life's struggle.  We must fight to survive and to provide for our offspring.  We must compete for "our share of the pie."

Ambition operates through our behaviors.  And we operate in a context. That context may be a family unit, an organizational unit or a much larger societal context such as community (e.g. town, state or country).

Now let's superimpose an economic system, such as Capitalism and free markets as the context in which our ambition operates and you'll get outcomes, good and bad.  You'll end up with giant winners, some losers and everything in between - billionaires, millionaires, the middle class and the poor. 

A healthy society will engineer ways of managing and correcting for the excesses and the drawbacks of ambition.  It will "care" for those who can not cope. It will write laws to control for abuses by those who make "bad" choices.

A healthy Capitalistic society will encourage charity and philanthropy by recognizing, incentivizing and honoring it!  A healthy society also has morality woven into it's fabric through it's civic and religious institutions. They provide a crucial safety net for those on the short end of Capitalism.  What's more, a healthy environment for Capitalism encourages the entrepreneurial spirit which  creates new opportunities for success as innovation and competition destroys and replaces existing enterprises. In a Capitalistic society there are many paths for achieving upward mobility. 

But what happens when we superimpose the economic and governmental structure of  Socialism? What happens when government, rather than a free market economy becomes the basis for distributing wealth and opportunities? What happens when government makes the choices?  Does Socialism make things fairer? 

The type of economy and government we have doesn't eliminate greed and ambition, any more than it eliminates hunger or lust. It just effects the ways that greed and ambition manifest and are exhibited. 

Free markets make choices and distribute the wealth in important different ways than a government which makes those choices and distributes wealth. When ambition, and even greed, are put in the context, or a system, of Capitalism versus Socialism you get very different outcomes.

Corruption seeps into both systems!  Both Capitalism and Socialism are vulnerable to corruption. There will always be those attempting to cheat the system.  But it is one thing for that corruption to be external of the government and another for that corruption to be internal to the system.

It is one thing for there to be special interests trying to influence the government and another thing for those in the government to be corrupt.  It is one thing for people driven by greed and ambition trying to manipulate government from the outside. It is another for someone driven by greed and ambition to be inside the government making choices to benefit themselves and their constituents.

Socialism goes wrong for many reasons.  It stifles competition and innovation.  It undermines and takes away individual freedom. Socialism removes incentives to win and encourages mediocrity.  But perhaps the most insidious reason why Socialism is the road to ruin is that is shifts the primary context for greed and ambition from being external of the government to being internal to the government.

Socialism opens the door and invites corruption. Corruption inevitably emerges in Socialist governments because ultimately greed and ambition is in our DNA whether one is a Socialist or Capitalist.  Socialism fancies itself as having a higher moral ground.  It does NOT.  That argument is fallacious.

A well designed and managed system of Capitalism has excellent corrections and controls for greed and ambition - some are inherent and some are by design. There are so called checks and balances, thanks to the brilliant design of our Constitution. Socialism does NOT. That is why Capitalism has lead to the greatest wealth and Socialism has historically always lead to ruin. 

Young people tend to be more ideal and naive. They tend to dream big and have high hopes.  As we get older we tend to become more wise and cynical. We become more realistic.  We are more aware of the risks, and with less time to correct for them we become more risk averse.  You might say older people know better because they've seen more.

Socialism sounds good to those who are young and naive. Unfortunately, young people tend to have a very poor knowledge of history. And for anyone who grew up in America we have NO direct personal experience with living under Socialism.  Many people have a very shallow actual knowledge or understanding of how Socialism works.

Ask anyone who lived in a country that was or became Socialist. Ask someone who came from Cuba or Venezuela or Russia what they think about America going down a Socialist track. Some countries that the young like to point to as success stories have turned away from Socialism because of it's flaws and failings and are moving back toward free markets and Capitalism.

The solution for America is not Socialism, it is to seek to correct for the problems in our Capitalistic system. We have to drive out corruption both internal and external sources. We have to refine the rules of the game.  We also have to be careful that we don't go too far and start to cause malfunctions.  We want to make an even better environment in which greed and ambition operate in positive and constructive ways.

Socialism will never eliminate greed and ambition. It will just lead to a corrupt government where the government becomes wealthy.  

The beauty of Capitalism, and the reason it has created more wealth, opportunity and a higher standard of living than any other form of government in the history of civilization is that it created a context for greed and ambition which leads to benefits for all of society. 

One uncomfortable aspect that comes with Capitalism is that some people will get much wealthier than the rest of us.  That is why we have to control one other G-d given desire - jealousy.  Jealousy leads to coveting and stealing.  

In case you haven't noticed, there are Commandments against "coveting" and "stealing."  And in case you hadn't noticed, there is NO Commandment against becoming incredibly wealthy.  Stealing includes taking away wealth and property regardless of who does the taking.  

There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it."

When Americans go to the polls in 2020 the biggest decision we need to make is not a Democrat or Republican choice.  It is whether we choose of a candidate who will promote Capitalism or Socialism. 

  

YEARS FROM NOW IS TOO LATE

PARDON ME FOR RAISING ALARM. EXCUSE ME IF I HARP ON ANTI-SEMITISM. PLEASE TRY TO UNDERSTAND WHY.

As anyone who reads my post knows, I am often standing up for Jews.  You might think I am obsessed.  I am certainly very sensitive about the threats Jews face.  I feel it is my duty to speak up.

I would not expect most folks to appreciate what Jews face.  Even members of my family under appreciate the issues.  After all, Jews overall have been very successful in America. No other country besides Israel has been as good for Jews.

Living in the USA, in NY State and in particular in such close proximity to NYC it is hard for many in the Poughkeepsie area to understand how few Jews there are in the world and the risks that lay so close to, and often break the surface in society.

Israel and the United States account for 83% of the world's Jewish population, while a total of 98 countries host the other 17%. Excluding Israel, nearly a third (27%) of the world's population of Jews lives in New York state alone! And, approximately 55% of NY State's Jewish population live in just NYC's five boroughs.

Even though such a large percentage of the world's Jews live in NY State, we still only represent ~8% of NY State's population. In 42 of the States, Jew's represent 2% or less of the population.  In 33 of the States the Jewish population is 1% or less. Most public schools across America are lucky to have 2 Jews in them, and many have none!

Jews in New York can stand up for ourselves, with assistance of law enforcement.  Do you realize that almost all Jewish temples have to hire armed guards for protection during the holidays!  Imagine if there needed to be armed guards at your Church's doors on Easter and Christmas.  Almost all temples in the world, including all the ones in Poughkeepsie, have had to lock their doors and install a buzzer and video cameras to protect occupants, including the Rabbi.

In other parts of the world, our numbers are so few that when anti-Semitism erupts Jews must hide or leave.

Throughout history "leaving" has been the way it's been for the Jews. To begin with the Jewish population around the world is a diaspora, a dispersion from Jews original homeland. It goes all the way back to the Assyrian expulsion of Jews from Israel/Samaria in 733 BCE, and the Babylonian expulsions of Jews from the Kingdom of Judah in 597 and 586 BCE and finally the Roman conquests and sieges from about 66 BCE through 70 BC.

Wherever Jews ended up, Jews faced the risk of being forced from their country because of hatred. Two times ALL the Jews were expelled from an ENTIRE COUNTRY --- England in 1290 and Spain in 1492. And of course less than one full century ago, in our grandparent's day, nearly 50% of the Jews throughout Europe were murdered. MANY of the Jews living TODAY in the world had family murdered in the Holocaust.

Even today in America which has been so good to the Jews, and where Jews make up less than 2% of the population, ~60% of all hate crimes are committed against Jews.

I hope these few facts help one to appreciate why Israel is so precious. It is the only country in the world, compared to over 20 Muslim countries, that is truly and fully dedicated to providing a safe and secure homeland for Jews. We have to cherish it -- it is the only place we know we can go where we are welcome. Even America turned away Jews trying to flee Hitler and the Nazi's!

For nearly 3,000 years Jews have been the scapegoat and suffered whenever society breaks down. An atmosphere of blame and hate has already re-emerged across Europe!  Attacks and desecration happen nearly daily in Europe.

Politicians in Europe who could truly give less than a hoot about Palestinians and have no good reason to care about Israel find an enthusiastic audience of supporters when they hurl anti-Semitic and anti-Israel remarks around.

This is why the anti-Semitic tropes of Ilham Omar are so threatening. It is tropes like those she espouses that ultimately lead to creating an atmosphere where Jews are not safe. It is those same tropes that spread the virus of the mind that is anti-Semitism. That is what allowed Hitler to cast his spell on Germany --- to convince an intelligent and cultured society that it's Jews were the problem -- and that Hitler had the final solution.

So when Congress fails to even call Ilhan Omar out by name in last week's House Resolution, while it may not seem like much to many people, it is huge, disgraceful and frightening for Jews. And when Speaker Pelosi and Ocasio-cortez, the so called future of the Democratic party come to Omar's defense it is despicable and unacceptable.

Allowing Omar to remain in good standing and  serving on the House Foreign Affairs Committee is a giant injustice.

If the world woke up in the 1930's to the virus of anti-Semitism and crushed it early, Hitler would not have risen like he did.

EUROPE AND AMERICA NEED TO WAKE UP BEFORE THE VIRUS OF ANTI-SEMITISM OVERTAKES US AGAIN.

2020 Is A Crossroads Choice

THERE ARE THOSE WHO SEEK TO TURN AMERICA UPSIDE DOWN.

The Framers of our Constitution strove to create a national government that was effective and powerful, but which did not infringe upon the rights of the individual, nor upon the powers of the states.

Through charter and design, our Founder's sought to ensure liberty, freedom and the pursuit of happiness. To achieve these marvelous things the framers promoted self-determination while limiting the role of Government in our private lives.

You might say that the Fathers of our country believed in the smallest government possible.

It seems to me that those who are seeking to tax people and businesses the most they possibly can in order to increase the size of the Federal Government and it's role in our lives are doing precisely the opposite of what the American Revolution was fought for.

To put some perspective on what I am saying, it helps to recall the famous Boston Tea Party which was masterminded by The Sons of Liberty. That key event which lead up to the American Revolution was triggered by a 3% tax on tea.

America feels like it is at a crossroads.  Do we choose the Socialist vision that promises higher taxes, larger Federal government with a greater role in our lives?  Or do we recall the vision that Founders risked it all for? That is fundamentally the choice that will be before us in 2020.

ALL AT ONCE: Stronger Workforce, High Wages and Lower Student Debt

THE WORKFORCE OF TOMORROW. WON'T NEED STUDENT DEBT to the extent it does today. Here is why.

America is Going to Build a Strong Workforce, Greater Labor Force Participation and Reduce Reliance on Student Debt.

A 4 year college degree, which takes on average nearly 6 years to obtain, is the most expensive way to prepare a high school graduate for a job.

An apprenticeship or internship is the least expensive.  And after college the student needs to still find a job and pay off a massive debt. Whereas the apprentice has a job, a salary and no debt when they finish their training.

Mike Rowe of Dirty Jobs fame has been an early beacon on this subject.  Ivanka Trump's workforce initiative is putting America on the right track.

An advanced degree makes sense for some professions and people.  But America has overtly relied on 4 year colleges & universities as a means to a career path.  That is changing under the Trump Administration.

Today the shift towards apprenticeships and internships is changing the way we think about preparing for a career.

Part of the reason for this is that Trump's policies have lead to such a robust economy and low unemployment, that companies are offering more on-the-job training opportunities.

Ivanka Trump rightly points out that with the nation's low unemployment rate, there's a "vocational crisis" in America because small businesses are having difficulty finding workers with skills needed for their job openings.

Together with America's CEO'S, HR experts, Union Leaders, and Governors, Ivanka Trump and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross are identifying and developing strategies that will increase apprenticeships and on-the job training to provide workers "with concrete opportunities to sustain jobs and stable careers in a modern economy."  The impact on labor force participation and wages will be tremendous.

There are already more jobs available than there are people in the workforce, companies are more willing to hire chronically unemployed people like felons, those without a high school diploma and the disabled.

Increasing labor force participation will not be enough to meet future labor needs.  This is especially true once America's home builders expand to the levels we need AND the USA starts funding infrastructure!

ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE NOT THE RIGHT SOLUTION.  America and it's employers deserve a workforce pool that entered the USA legally with proper vetting and documentation who desire to work and contribute to American society.

It is crucial for our nation to get past our political differences and straighten out our immigration issues and policies in smart ways.  Obstruction over the needs we have for border security and immigration reforms is hindering our country's ability to move forward and to reallocate limited Federal funds and resources to more beneficial uses that will enable us to INCREASE LEGAL IMMIGRATION.

Wages have been painfully stagnant. Now they are rising the fastest they have in a decade. America will have a stronger and larger workforce, higher wages and lower student debt all at once thanks to the Trump Administration's leadership.

TRUMP IS FIXING OBAMA.

UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES OF RENEWABLE ENERGY

Does anyone else see the irony?

In order to protect our environment, our nation struggles with switching from fossil fuels to renewable sources such as the most popular wind and solar. In order to transition, vast areas of natural wilderness must be become giant wind and solar operations. One solar farm alone in California incinerates 6000 birds a year, including endangered species.

Human beings have a massive footprint on this planet.  From the energy we consume, to the products and food we consume. To the garbage and other pollution we produce. And destruction we cause in numerous other ways.  Population growth over the centuries greatly exacerbates these problems.  (The word "consumer" has an interesting history. That history speaks volumes about the problems we face today!)

That is why one of the best ways to approach greenhouse gases and many of our environmental issues is conservation -- using less and recycling more.  And the best way for us all to be activists is to practice conservation in our own homes, businesses and lifestyle. Here's a few things we can do:

• Change every light bulb you have to LED.
• Recycle everything thing you can and do what you can to reduce your waste.
• Carpool and ride share as often as you can.
• Install solar if you can.
• Choose wisely when it comes to cleaning products - make your home less toxic.
• Extend the useful life of items - cars, furnishings, clothes, toys, etc. and take items to goodwill, consignment, and other such operations to give items a second life rather than putting them in the waste stream.

In addition to conservation, I believe the other greatest potential for resolving the challenges we face is research and technology.

A LED bulb is a perfect example of conservation. LED's reduce energy demand by a factor of 10x. A 4 watt LED bulb gives off the equivalent of a 40 watt incandescent bulb, and it lasts 10x longer too.  Replace old appliances with newer ones with a higher SEER ratings.

Industry is going it's part with modern factory equipment is far more energy efficient.  Hydrogen fuel cells are a great example of a highly promising energy alternative!  Farms, schools, municipalities and commercial buildings can all do a lot to conserve energy and water too.

Most electric plants in the USA are greatly more environmentally friendly by switching from coal to natural gas.  Gas pipelines are a far more efficient and safe way to transport natural gas.

One big bonus of the USA's expanded production and exploration of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) is that other countries can justify converting their coal fired electricity plants to natural gas.

We are doing better even after pulling out of the terribly unfair Paris Accord.  The USA has reduced emissions more than any other country in the Accord.

There are other large pressing environmental problems:

• Our energy grid is highly inefficient.  Modernization is sorely needed. 
• We need to dramatically improve how manage water resources. (Israel is world leader and has much to teach us.)
• The agriculture industry can do more to reduce methane and other impacts. (Again, Israel is a leader in agri-tech.) 
• -Ocean dumping is a giant problem. Not so much by the USA, but terribly so in Asia!)

I am no fan of AOC!  AND, the dialogue has already begun on these subjects long before her fresh face and wise-ass mouth showed up!!  The LAST thing we need is for big egos and big mouths to turn this into a political DEBATE.  Or for Socialist to try to shove the change down our throats by having government force decisions, eliminate choices and free market forces by overly rushing the process and taking central control.

We need bipartisan intelligent and practical discussions. We need private and public entities working together.  We need to fund quality R&D in honest and effective research centers. We need entrepreneurs and capital markets to seek out opportunities to bring good ideas to first stages.

We can't just turn our backs on fossil fuels. And we shouldn't.  If all of us a participate and support efforts through positive consumer behaviors we can have a large and rapid positive impact on our environment.  We need to act less like consumers and more like citizens of of the only planet we have to share.

WHATEVER IT TAKES TO SHOOT THEMSELVES IN THE FOOT

Democrats are doing whatever it takes to gain power.  But it all may be shooting themselves in the foot for the 2020 Presidential election.

Democrats have gone from Russian collusion, to a coup attempt, to illegal hush money, to obstruction of justice, to tax evasion -- in order to overthrow the election results.  Remember what Hillary said during the election debates about how important it was to except the results of the election? Obviously, for Democrats, that only applies if Hillary won. 

The Star Witnesses:
- A fake dossier by a discredited foreign spy paid for by Hillary Clinton.
- A group of deep state state partisans who are being outed and removed from the DOJ and the FBI.
- A Porn Star and her creepy lawyer who stole her group funded money.
- A convicted liar and cheat on his way to prison for his own crimes.

Gosh, you'd think Democrats would be too tired by now.  Or that they would realize that this President is going to serve out his term.

Maybe they have realized he is not going to be removed from office prior to the 2020 election.  So now the focus is shifting to preventing Trump's re-election.

But here is the irony of all this.  Most people knew what a creep Trump was when he was elected.  But fewer people ever imagined he would be as successful once he was President.

Plus at this point, the Democrats play book is wide open.  It is plain to see several things about Democratic politics and strategy.  Between the way they weaponized the IRS, DOJ and FBI, the Kavanaugh hearing, the proven Leftist media bias and the obsessed hate by the Hollywood elite, the public has seen the ruthless nature and extent that Democrats will go for power.

Further, the hypocrisy and criminality of the Clinton's is still unsettled. Investigators are gaining and evidence has mounted to the point that it would seem inevitable for there not to be a grand jury indictment. There is a good chance of that being a backdrop to the 2020 election.

Finally, the crazy Socialist policies coming out, coupled with the stunning immortality of end-of-term and even at-birth abortions, blatant anti-Semitism and anti-Israel rhetoric, has all distanced the Party from many in their party.  Moderate Democrats can hardly recognize their party.  Even lifelong cardholders such as Blacks, Hispanics and gays have started to #WalkAway and #Brexit from the party. Keep in mind that elections swing on small segments. Last but not least, once reliable extremely wealthy donors to the Democratic party have to question their support.

So the irony is that as the Democratic party is doing whatever it takes to get rid of Trump, they may just be giving Trump his best chance for 4 more years.

Ultimately, if this economy continues to strengthen, we get out and stay out of wars, N.Korea doesn't go backwards, the Middle East grows more peaceful, NATO funding is increased and more balanced, the United Kingdom proves that Globalists had a lesson coming, China gives up a better trade deal, manufacturing continues to return, and the USA is more safe and secure, it will not matter what Democrats do.

Trump will get himself elected again because he will have managed to fulfill his Trumped-up campaign promises.  Thanks to all the #winning Trump will have actually achieved his primary promise that is printed on those Red Hats that Democrats call racist.  And the voters are much more apt to believe what Trump chooses to print on his 2020 hats!

TRUMP IS FIXING OBAMA.

FREE ISN'T FREE

FREEDOM OR FREE?  DIALOGUE OR DEBATE?

This is the video shown at a recent Conservative Party Action Committee national event.  Of course it is a political message.  As you can seen it is drawing the topical battle-lines with a heavy emphasis against the Far Left Socialist side of the Democratic party with the radical stances of it's leaders, particularly those rising in popularity.

The fundamental difference boils down to the virtues of freedom and less government control versus the percieved benefits of more government control and the need to forego freedom for them.

The Left conflates "free" with "freedom." Their appeal is free health care, free college education and other ways in which government will provide you FREEdom.  The right recognizes that "free" is an illusion, and "free" removes freedom of choice and typically comes at an overall price to society that is higher than it would have been if market forces such as innovation, competition and entrepreneurship were given the freedom to operate.

... you might say that the consequences of "free" are outweighed by the benefits of "freedom."

Government has a role to play in either the Left's or the Right's model.  The way that role is defined is essentially what the fight between the Left side of the Democratic party and the Right side of the Republican party is all about.

The centrist or moderate perspective is to work together in order to find a workable compromise.  In simplest terms, the difference between the "far sides" and moderate Centrist is played out through  debate rather than a dialogue. The far sides seeks a win-lose outcome.  Moderate Centrist seek a win-win outcome.

In order to have a dialogue and a win-win outcome, both sides have to build trust and respect and let go of resentment and bitterness. The media loves a good fight!  And so they actively stir the pot and inflame feelings. And so do nearly all political ads.

Politics is a war of ideas but it is fought using the weapon of emotion, with fear being one of the most suitable.  Fear triggers and brings out reactions of anger and hostility.  Fear sells newspapers, or these days clicks. The media is as guilty as politicians, if not more so, of exploiting fear.

This is NOT to say that either side doesn't have legitimate fears.  But the paths to resolution could not be more different between an approach of respectful dialogue and debate!

The farther both political Parties move to their respective outer side, the more acrimonious the climate in this country will get.  It is difficult to say where that leads to. But one thing for sure, that is a more stressful and painful path.

THE HYPOCRISY IS GREATER THAN THE TRUTH.