King Internet Troll Donald Trump on his time line was explaining away the fact that he has the distinction of running a Casino who’s the odds are in the House’s favor into bankruptcy. He advised that bankruptcy is not personal, it’s a business tool. He points out that successful businessmen use bankruptcy on a regular basis to remain successful (for themselves and stockholders). However he also says that as a “successful businessman” that is his primary qualification to be our president.

Now any rational person knows full well that corporations are not people. What many do not understand on either side of the political divide is that government is not a business. The two have far too many conflicting goals in existence to justify that comparison or model. Let me spell it out. 

The primary goal, the bottom line of business is the financial profits of the owners and stockholders/investors. That financial profit is obtained by bringing in more money while spending as little as possible in operating expenses. The largest operating expense in most businesses is employees and their benefits to keep them employed. This is why business community opposes any increase in the minimum wage, this is why they usually go to the cheapest supplier of goods to produce whatever they’re marketing. When profits start to tank, it’s the employee who’s first to go on the chopping block. They reduce quality and even customer service to maintain that profit margin. When all fails, they declare bankruptcy to be exonerated from their debts, break-up and cash out on the business itself. All of this, by the way is monitored by the bankruptcy courts, a function of government to ensure as little harm to the investors as possible occurs. 

Now the primary goal, the bottom line of government is the well-being of her citizens. That concept precludes the whole financial profit goal of business. Revenues via taxation, tariffs, fines, etc. are redistributed to build infrastructure and provided needed services for the well-being of the citizens, especially those with little ability or means to supply things for themselves. The money goes to ensure the streets are safe, the water is clean, the bridges are sturdy, food is safe, sewage is properly taken care of, medical services and education are available and accessible. It is quite simply all customer service for a customer base of over 320 million people and balancing the needs and wants of all those 320 million. It doesn’t run a financial profit because to do so is to make citizens nothing more than disposable items on a balance sheet. Government is prone to run in a deficit when revenues are withheld or hard to obtain, so they often have to borrow.  

Keep in mind that borrowing and subsequent interest falls upon the government via revenues from us to pay back to the banks. If we were to declare bankruptcy like Donald Trump does as a business tactic harms every single citizen of this nation and possibly the world. Even coming close to defaulting on our debt decreases our credit rating and costs us even more. Business tactics to address these issues only benefits a tiny fraction while destroying everything else. 

No Donald, corporations are not people and government is not business. Government has a unique function in the grand scheme of things to care for flesh and blood humans from the cold callous hands of corporations and businesses trying to milk them for everything they got. There is no financial profit, there’s societal prosperity and care for all that effective government sees to where nobody is disposable and no function can be slashed or eliminated if it harms those who need it. Government by design is a poor business model because the customer is always right, and their rights must be maintained at all costs. No financial profit in that is possible.

In a horrific tragedy like the Charleston shooting, there is rarely only one or two factors in play that contribute to why the act occurred. Many tend to pick on only one or two items to fit their preconceived agendas, some do to simply deny the plausibility of uncomfortable causal factors.

When you listen to the debate over why this happened you hear about the racism of the perpetrator, easy access to weapons, institutional racism, mental illness, pure anger and then you hear about attacks on Christianity, not enough guns and the ever present “False Flag Operation” from the real loons on the fringe.

I find very little, if any justification that this creep was attacking Christianity. I find it interesting that those who throw that out have yet to state what his religious views were. It would appear that he was, as are many Whites in that part of the county, a staunch self described Conservative Christian. It would be interesting to see what his religious views are. However, as he himself said in front of witnesses and victims it was racially motivated. He had to do this because Blacks are “raping our women and taking over the country.” Hardly an attack on Christianity.

So it is apparent that in the grand scheme of things this was racially motivated. But why? How did this human reject get to be so racist? Did it come from his father who from accounts gave him the gun he used to murder these Church goers who welcomed him in with open Christian arms? Possibly, but how did dad and his family become racist? Is he insane? I would suppose you would need to make a clear definition of insanity. He’s clearly not representative of most thinking regarding the sanctity of human life, but is that insanity or his poorly developed sense of morality and justification of violence? Sociologists would point to his environment. Now Governor Nikki Haley has made it clear that racism no longer exists in South Carolina and she lays all blame on the shooter himself not caring what his motivations were or how they developed.

To counter Nikki Haley’s assertion, many point to the fact that the old Confederate battle flag still flies proudly in South Carolina. They will say that the Stars and Bars is a symbol of racism. The response is that the flag is merely a remnant to honor the Southern Heritage. They add that after all, the Civil War wasn’t about racism or slavery, it was all about State’s Rights and the tyranny of the Federal System and Northern aggression. There is a problem with that assertion, the very people who formed the Confederate Government were very clear at the time that this was about slavery.

Confederate States of America Vice President Alexander H. Stephens clearly spelled out why they seceded and why the Confederacy was formed in his “Corner Stone Speech” on March 21, 1861. He spelled out the differences in their form of government and specific changes in their government over that of the United States Constitution. However he was also clear, the corner-stone, the foundation of this government was slavery. Here is the full text of the speech:

http://teachingamericanhistory.org/library/document/cornerstone-speech/

It is no wonder in the 21^st Century leaders of the South want to deny the obvious, especially with a Black President in office. Pure racism is very much alive and thriving in the South. To make even the slightest acknowledgement of it invites scorn.

However in not acknowledging it, in not accepting the truth, little if any is done to finally address it. To allow the Stars and Bars to fly in South Carolina only perpetuates and gives credence to the sins of their past and the sins of racism. You can’t fix something if you don’t admit it exists. That’s the problem with the spineless leaders in the South and many parts of the country, they’re too afraid to alienate the worst among the American people so they allow them to be racist and look the other way.

This rant wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t also make another mention about guns. Easy access to guns is also a major component to what happened, as all mass killings are. Nothing other than bombs or chemical weapons kill as many and as quickly with little effort than guns. Why do we continue to allow those with hate in their hearts, crime on their agenda, imbalances of the brain to have easy unmonitored access to these weapons of death? It’s the nation’s failure to finally and nationally impose real gun legislation to make sure those noted above don’t get guns and use them. All validated scientific studies prove more guns don’t make you safer, quite the opposite. All true readings of history and the creation of the Constitution proves the second amendment wasn’t a free unregulated path to gun ownership of all people regardless of their ability to handle weapons of death, even Scalia says so.

We will never abate this new normal of mass killings unless we address the two overlying issues that play a major contributory influence on them, easy access to guns, and allowing racism to continue and grow unaddressed by government and citizens tired of these morons.

Time to take the Stars and Bars, symbol of institutionalized racism and slavery by a failed rebel confederation down and start promoting equal rights and humanity for all people and not tolerate or ignore hatred.

As the nation goes full swing into another election year to determine which party will occupy the White House and possible control the House and Senate, both parties and all candidates and pundits will at some point speak of “Freedom”. No doubt everyone has a concept of freedom but are all these concepts the same? Not by a longshot.

This nation consists of over 320 million people. Of these people, we have numerous ethnic and racial backgrounds (Caucasians, African, Native, Asian, Semitic, Hispanic, etc.) and even these groups break themselves down to more specific groups of ethnic/racial divides. There are over 320 different religions and denominations in this country and like with ethnic and racial backgrounds, some of these religions break down to smaller groups based on interpretation and emphasis on some matter of theology. We have over 50 political parties throughout the United States and again, especially among the major parties, they break themselves down to smaller groups. We have the 1%, the upper middle-class, middle-class, working class, impoverished class. Further, not only do we have males and females, we have hermaphroditic and cross gendered people. We have people of heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual and asexual orientation.  Finally as per the Supreme Court, we not only have “people” we have Corporations with the same rights of naturally born people. All of these groups and more, have varying degrees of ideology, values, morality and principals. However all of these people share one thing in common, they are all Americans guaranteed by the 14^th amendment equal rights, though many in certain groups will argue that point.

So if we are to hold the Constitution of the United States as supreme in this nation and the principal that this is a nation of law, all of these people share another thing in common as native born or naturalized United States citizens, “Freedom” shared by all. Further, not only do they all share the same freedoms, they should share the same rights to practice their freedoms. Obvious, many would think; but the history of this nation and the rhetoric being heard in this campaign season speaks otherwise.

Freedom isn’t so simple because to give blanket freedom to all is to invite anarchy. There must be limits to freedoms so as to not infringe on the freedoms of others. I do not have the freedom to take your car because I lack one myself. You do not have the freedom to take up residence in my home uninvited because you do not have a place to live. I do not have the freedom to endanger your life nor you I, because we do limit freedoms as they conflict with others and lead to discourse within the community jeopardizing public safety and cohesion. This is also the issues with “rights”.

I have yet to hear any compelling argument or historic research that states unequivocally that any class of United States citizen is excluded from exercising any right or freedom guaranteed in the Constitution or that any particular right or provision in the Constitution carries more weight than another. Under the constitution, not only are all people equal under the law, “rights” carry the same weight. The right to bear arms isn’t greater than the right of free speech nor is it the other way around. However it is true that in the real world, rights and freedoms can and will conflict with one another. When this occurs, it is the responsibility of legislatures and executives to propose, legislate and enact laws and regulations that level the playing field so as to not give one view or position extraordinary power and influence over another. This is why our right to vote and be heard is so important, so we can ensure those we elect to office and those they select to sit on the Courts recognize that common sense approach to a smooth operation of our democracy.

It does not devalue or lesson our rights and freedoms by interjecting responsibility, fairness and humanity into the equation. However many think it does and will go out by all means to ensure their priorities of rights and freedoms trumps all others. It is no surprise that those who do tend to do this have the money and influence over elected government to ensure their rights and freedoms do in fact trump yours. Today, many try to conflate religious freedom with the freedom to discriminate against others.

We always have been and will always be a class society. A classless society of over 320 million people isn’t possible. As Orwell pointed out in Animal Farm, when you try to instill a classless society and set up a structure to ensure it, you end up with “all animals are created equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” This is the failure of large scale communism. Democracy can work under a class system, providing that one class doesn’t trump the other in power, voice and influence. However the only way to prevent that is avid knowledge of, and active participation in, the system by all. Despite the efforts of modern day feudal lords like the Koch Brothers and those they employ, ordinary Americans do have a voice if they only choose to exercise it. It is no surprise that more inclusive and populace government emerges when a higher percentage of voters exercise that right than when fewer do.

When you look at the overall platforms of the two major parties vying for wins in 2016 one thing is very apparent, the Republican Party will push for the “Freedom” to exert a fringe rightwing agenda based on an interpretation of Christianity upon the whole of the American People. They want the freedom to limit the rights of Women, LGBT, Minorities and others to exercise their rights to make their own choices regarding their reproduction, who they marry, voting, assembly, access and care. The freedom they appear to support more than anything else is the freedom to take rights guaranteed to all citizens from them so they can have greater power, influence and voice over everything in this nation. Is it any wonder that the majority of funding for the GOP comes from a small number of big donors who are in the 1% and are corporations?

As for the Democrats, they are pushing for the freedom to marry who you choose, make the decision for your reproductive rights, freedom to get the same healthcare and education to thrive and survive others can obtain, but you can’t afford, the right to vote unencumbered based merely on your socioeconomic status, race or age, your rights to enjoy safe water, food, clean air again needed to thrive and survive. They are for expanding more freedoms, more rights than the Republicans who want to limit them by law. Is it any wonder that the majority of Democratic campaign funds come from small individual donors?

Are the Democrats perfect? Not by a long shot. Many will introduce pro corporate agendas that run counter to the overall message. However that is to be expected and no matter how you look at it and measure it, it’s a far better deal from them than you will ever get from the Republicans. In fact from what I can tell, the only rights and freedoms the Republicans want to provide for the masses (at least the white masses) is the right to obtain, carry and use any classification of guns and ammunition on the streets of this nation. Not sure how that helps the nation as a hold since every validated study clearly shows that more unregulated gun ownership makes people unsafe, not safer. But that’s another rant.

So, if you believe in the same rights and freedoms for all regardless of whatever class or classification you may be in, governed and regulated by fair and enforceable laws to keep the playing field even and not prevent you from doing better for yourself and your family, you want to research and vote moderate towards left. However if you believe that only a select few in this nation are deserving of nearly full and unregulated, ungoverned freedoms to do for themselves what you can’t, you want to vote far right.

Most of you, despite efforts by the extreme right, still have the right to research and vote your choice. Do it while you still can because the pattern from the Republican Party clearly shows that like Animal Farm, all Americans are created equal, but some Americans are more equal than other so sit down and shut up.

Freedoms and rights, use them or lose them.