Our mega-corporations had better forget China and start putting the U.S. first

Back in the 80's I spoke out against what was then termed "Reaganomics", a theory most conservatives still cling to today as "free market capitalism". The idea is that if you deregulate the big corporate businesses, keep the federal government out of their hair, and let industries and their billionaire CEO's regulate themselves, it will encourage competition, resulting in lower prices, better products and services, and a healthier economy--and their success will "trickle down" to the rest of us.

I said at the time that Reagan was misguided and his thinking was flawed; that what would really happen is the rich will get richer (through collusion and loopholes) and the rest of us will get screwed. Well, guess what? That is what's happening. (Just ask Bernie Sanders). I mention this because it is our big business conglomerates that are making countries like China richer and our country poorer.

We need to clamp down on them with protectionist laws that force them to keep their facilities here at home, hire American workers, and stop selling out to places like China. If a company is going to call itself a U.S. company and is going to profit from our capitalist perks and benefits, they had better start putting the U.S. first, and not their bottom line.

Free market capitalists will always holler foul, of course, insisting businesses should be free to do whatever they want to make money. I say wrong. We, the people, own this country...and we need to take it back.

(Fact: the average CEO makes $100 million a year...and gets a bonus of, on the average, $150,000).

An irrational leader holding sway over an angry public is dangerous!

White working class men (who make up the bulk of Trump's supporters) do have a very legitimate beef with the way things are going. Their jobs are going to foreign countries, immigrants, computer geeks, and robots...while their towns and communities are going to hell in a handbag--increasingly losing all semblance of the traditional Western European Christian ethic, culture, ethnic makeup, and religious flavor they grew up cherishing. And, now, to them, it looks like the government is going the same way--having been taken over by pushy liberals who kick sand in the faces of their wimpy, comotose conservative counterparts. Am I right?

Hey, I totally agree that there is plenty of room for anger. As a traditionalist, I am irritated myself by this trend. But I also try to be realistic. I have to ask my fellow furious folks to stop for a moment and think about whether making Trump President will make things better or worse. Sure, he claims he's one of us and that he has all the solutions and will get things done. But is there anything to all of that bluster and braggadocio? Or is he blowing hot air out his you-know-what? I'll let you be the judge. But I don't trust him one bit.

Just remember: His plan to throw democracy and decency out the window and steamroll over anyone who gets in his way may result in the changes HE wants; but what do you plan to do if they turn out to be changes you DON'T want? What then? That could happen. He is, if nothing else, utterly unpredictable. No one knows what he will do or how he might act tomorrow, let alone as President. And if he really does turn out to be the powerful, ruthless, invincible warrior he purports to be, look out friends! Be afraid! That, as history has shown repeatedly, is a highly dangerous mix of leadership qualities.

Trump is what you get when low-info voters rally around "one of us"

Trump is emblematic of our dumbed-down culture. Before the age of 'smart' connectivity, those who were politically engaged had ordinary common sense, street smarts and a rudimentary education ... AND ... we wanted leaders who towered above us, who were the crème de la crème. Today, those ordinary would-be voters are intellectually lazy, out on cloud nine, and ridiculously narcissistic ... AND ... we want a President who is "one of us". Guess where that takes us?

Someone once said wisely that "The most essential requirement for democracy to work is an informed public". That's why it is dreaming to think we can go stormtrooping into places like Iraq and Afghanistan, set up some voting booths, and expect democracy to work.

But rather than worry about the third-world, we'd better look at what's happening to our government here at home. Ignorance embraces ignorance. By dumbing ourselves down as a culture, and picking leaders "like us" who "tell it like it is" and whom our lesser angels find entertaining, we may be destroying any chance of democracy continuing to work here.

Trumpism: Emblematic of our crass reality show culture?

I have this idea--perhaps mistaken (or not)--that Trump, being a seasoned reality show star, more or less represents contemporary pop culture to a segment of the public that lives and breathes that sort of cheesiness.  Could that be the secret to his popularity? I wonder... If someone were to go out on the street with a questionnaire querying people about their daily lifestyle and values, would the gung-ho Trump folks answer a lot differently than the anti-Trump folks?  Let's try it as an experiment.  You already know where you stand on Trump as being totally awesome, or totally worthless.  Now, let's see how you might answer said questionnaire. 

Let's say the questioning went a little like this:  When you are talking to your kids around home, are things like off-color humor, drinking, and guns considered no big deal--or the kind of things your family frowns on? Do you typically watch a TV show at least once a week that features "real" people doing dangerous, stupid or off-the-wall antics? Do you watch any shows where sexual innuendo, cursing or bleeped cursing are taken with a grain of salt--or, in fact, make the show more entertaining? Do you get a kick out of watching someone get dissed, humiliated, or expelled from the competition by their peers, a panel of judges, or the viewing public? Is watching and enjoying these shows an ordinary family affair around your house--no big deal if the kids want to watch? Do you have sons (or daughters) who routinely play any kind of video games where someone kills someone else?

Good, now try these:  Do you know which Kardashian or Duck Dynasty person is which, and could you identify them in photos? Do you have certain times and situations where you make your kids ditch their phones or turn them off? Do you pray, discuss religious matters, or watch religious TV shows in your home with your family at least once a week? Would your kids get grounded for calling someone a dirty or tacky name? Do you know what kind of t-shirts your kids have in their closets? Would you stop them from wearing attire that promotes violence, drugs or sexual promiscuity, or musical artists whose music promotes such...or that imitates the "look" of a rap artist or other sports or entertainment figure who is famous for vulgarity or bad taste? End of quiz.

I'm not trying to be judgemental here...although I will admit that I lean toward the traditionalist (and anti-Trump) side. My point, however, is this: I wonder if Trump represents a modern lifestyle that his fans consider perfectly normal and okay...but which more staid, traditional folks consider appalling. I dunno. But I suspect there may be some of that going on. Someone needs to do the research...because I am very curious as to whether I should be fighting back against Trumpism, or against Western civilization.
NM

If Putin wants to give Assad a fair deal, that's reasonable

I think we should be okay with Putin granting asylum to Syrian President Bassar al-Assad, as he hinted he might be willing to do. Too often, in our zeal for spreading freedom and democracy, we automatically demonize all kings and dictators as tyrants, and deny them the due process they, like every other human being, are entitled to, once they are forced out of office. We did it with Saddam Hussein and again with Muammar Gaddafi. Both of those guys are now dead, essentially lynched (literally in Saddam's case) by their political foes without being given any real chance to defend themselves.

We should remember something: Democracy is not for everyone. It requires an astute, sophisticated, educated public and a people who are inherently tolerant and modern in their thinking. Some countries are simply too backward for self-rule. They need to work toward it gradually. And, in the meantime , they need a strong "father figure" to keep order and control their destiny until they are mature enough to control it themselves.

We need to remember that before we hawkishly go seeking regime change around the world without considering the consequences of leaving a power vacuum and a public that has no idea what to do next.

Note: A friend responded to me on social media:  If you read Revelations you will see where it's all coming together. Not in our lifetime but it's working. PRAISE THE LORD

...to which I replied:

As I've said before, I believe that our purpose is not to sit around twiddling our thumbs, waiting for Armageddon to rescue us from this sinful old place. We have an obligation to use our time wisely, to spend our worldly existence making the world better. Works and deeds do matter. Peter and James were right. Paul was not. But that's just my take on it. If there are, let's say, a thousand different versions of Christianity out there, and as many different opinions on these things...then---let's do the math---How many are likely to be right? Easy. Either ONE or NONE. How many are likely to be wrong? Also easy. Either ALL or 999. Those odds don't give me much faith in all these folks who swear up and down that theirs is the only correct religion.

Should we tolerate all religions---or only those that share our "God"?

I think the American people need to be educated on exactly what values ordinary Muslims hold. That's the only way we can determine if they are compatible with our American way of life or not and if we in this country should be expected to tolerate Islam as a legitimate religion.

Here in the U.S. most of us are of a Christian heritage and, as such, we tend to have a fairly modern enlightened take on God (as Jesus did). Most of us, I would say, view God (Allah--same thing) as being all about peace, forgiveness, non-violence, compassion, and making the world a nicer place. If some self-proclaimed religion teaches a value-system other than that, I'm thinking maybe they should be scratched from our "religious tolerance" list. Clearly, not every crazy group that calls itself a religion actually IS one, or has anything at all to do with God.

So, what about Islam? Where does it fit in? How many of us actually know what Muslims believe?  I wish some network or publication would take it upon itself to provide us a truly in-depth, well-researched series on what the Quran actually teaches, what the clerics are really saying in the mosques, and what has been written by Muslim intellectuals over the years regarding Sharia law and how Muslims view tolerance and the rights of individuals (including women, minorities, eccentrics, etc.). 

Educate us, if you will please, on whether we Christian Americans should trust and embrace the followers of Mohammed as our brothers and sisters....or not.

Hats off to the men & women who keep us free