think about it REFORMS:


POINTING FINGERS


by william e. kelly


On TED.com, the “non-partisan, nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas, usually in the form of short, powerful talks,” a presentation five years ago by wealthy, Seattle entrepreneur Nick Hanauer, titled Rich People Don’t Create Jobs was banned as too controversial…Until viewers petitioned to have it shown. TED’s motto is, “Ideas worth spreading.” I neither agreed with Mr Hanauer’s claim that


the rich do not create jobs, then nor now. The fact is that anyone who has money and exchanges it for creating, distributing, selling or purchasing goods and services, creates jobs, as well as tax revenues. The subject of who and how jobs are created,


really is not that complicated. Inventors, investors, entrepreneurs and the labor pool, convert ideas into two types of goods and services: Those considered necessary to sustain life and those convenient or desirable to more fully enjoy and make life easier. When these four groups collaborate and cooperate, we have an economy that is sustainable, which serves all those willing and able to participate and contribute for the benefit of all. Government exists to uphold the United States Constitution and to protect the freedoms and rights granted its citizens. It also protects us from forces inside and outside of our borders that would disrupt, destabilize or damage that economic system we call capitalism. It is defined in theNew Oxford American Dictionary as “an economic and political system in which a country’s trade and industry are controlled by private owners for profit, rather than by the state.” Lastly, it assists those who can neither


48 RAGE monthly | APRIL 2017


participate nor contribute without help. In this context, why are the number of Americans


who can’t meet their individual responsibilities to provide food, shelter, education, clothing and a sustainable quality of life for themselves and their families rising?


This is where it gets complicated. Acknowledging that our nation’s corporate taxes


are among the highest in the world, while personal taxes are lower than many other countries in which health care, education, shelter and the necessities are deemed by their governments as human rights, begs greater questions. Why are the high American corporate tax dollars not “trickling down” and where are those dollars going? Why can’t so many Americans meet their responsibilities to provide food, shelter, education, clothing and a sustainable quality of life for themselves and their families? Pointing fingers of blame seem to grossly outnumber the hands that seek compromise and solutions through mutually-beneficial collabora- tion and cooperation. Meanwhile, the systems and mechanisms that provide a sustainable government, economy, healthcare system, social safety nets and education, are failing us. Wikipedia describes capitalism as being “...


where transactions between private parties are free from government restrictions, tariffs and subsidies, with only enough regulations to protect property rights.” However, America is not keeping pace


with the changing needs and conditions of the real world. Is it because we do not more strictly adhere to a laissez-faire economy or that we too strictly adhere to it? Our founding fathers created a Constitution


that provides for reform to form a more perfect union as times and conditions evolve because the consequences of maintaining the status quo are a certainty for disaster and ruin. The questions I posed can only be answered and the challenges addressed when we individually choose to come together to reassess our expectations in the face of the harsh realities. We must unite as a people and a nation to update the systems and laws we depend on to sustain our democracy, freedoms, economy and way of life. It is a monumental task that requires give-and-take REFORMS at all levels from top to bottom in government, campaign financing, taxes, immigration, education, healthcare, social safety nets, collective bargaining, military defense, etc. etc. etc. What reforms could you live with to preserve and


unite your nation and way of life? What are you doing or not doing to support a government of the people by the people and for the people? Just “Think About It” and reform as needed. It is a simple idea with a complex and complicated recipe.


NOTE: Mr. Hanauer’s talk, the source of this month’s column, can be viewed it in its entirety at: highexistence.com/teds-congroversy-3-threatening- talks-they-tried-to-censor.


OUTNUMBER HELPING HANDS!


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72