E Pluribus Unum

The title of this blog update refers to the motto on the Seal of the United States akin to the Coat of Arms of any other nation. A new Empire forged on the riverbanks of Mid-Atlantic the motto ultimately refers to the original Thirteen Colonies who came together to create one nation despite their various origins. The Catholic Maryland with the Cavalier Virginia. The Puritan Massachusetts with the slaveowning gentry of the Carolinas. The United States before it's forma founding was much different then than it is now.

To start it off, the landed aristocracy of the South was the true power in that area until the destruction of slavery and it's system during Reconstruction in the 1870s and the violence between slave and slave-master was even brutal enough for others in northern colonies to protest... another facet of Southern society were the poor white. The 80% of Southern Whites who were too poor to own slaves.Middle colonies like New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey for instance were America's breadbasket. These farmers grew so much food that they could easily support other forms of occupations such as the law, real estate speculation, trade and construction with the port at New York being among the colonie's busiest.Last but not least New England with the residual Puritan ethic tried to instill Puritan values via the laws they enacted in their colonies. It's forests constructed the world's greatest military machine (The Royal Navy) and shipping was it's main economic activity. Despite these differing ways of live these people managed to forge a nation.

Let's look at the United States today. American citizens are at each other's throats. The NAACP vs the Tea Party Movement. Republican vs Democrat. Socialist vs Fascist. Wall Street vs Main Street. Old American stock vs New American stock. America is in transition. Not only internally but internationally as it's traditional allies like the United Kingdom grow weaker and new power players such as China and Brazil grow stronger. New enemies are transnational shadows which like viruses lay dormant in states (even the United States) until they decide it is time to strike against America, it's allies and it's interests around the globe. All the while the push and pull between the Federal Government and the States become fiercer and fiercer as the tether threatens to snap.

Whites in America are close to revolting against their political system. They feel abandoned by the Democrats and are bitter towards the corrupt Republican party. Populism is their new philosophy and people like Rand Paul and Michelle Bachmann are sadly their philosophers. Last blog update I mentioned how racially confused and bigoted these people are and i'm sure these issues are bound to get worse as these people gain power and utilize Fox News to broadcast their message of populist revolt. William Jennings Bryan is rolling in his grave. In a new age of "Post-Racial" America, perceived racism against whites seems to be the new fad. Just ask Shirley Sherrod.

What's even worse is the political dance of death both parties seem to enjoy waltzing to in Washington. With the passing of the Financial Bill a few days ago, more hurdles are pressing against the legislative part of government. Climate Change and Immigration Reform are issues that will probably never be solved. Ever. The interests to keep the status quo going in these two areas are far too strong for anyone to try and change for the better.Also, despite TARP and pushing hundreds of billions down the greedy throats of banks it seems like the big corporations which run this would are just hogging the money in case there's a double-dip recession instead of lending the money. Also, Americans are still using their credit cards on borrowed Chinese money as if nothing had happened in September of 2008.

Despite all these problems and the worsening war in Afghanistan, America will have to unite as country to in order to prosper in this century. In a new age where global competition isn't only from nations but from foreign corporations and small businesses in developing nations... America will need to adapt. Or die. The Tea Partiers should change their banner from "Don't Tread on me" to "Don't leave me behind".

The Philosophy of Selfishness

Philosophy makes people go mad. Atheists often hark upon the evil of believing in religious dogma and creed but as we've seen in the 20th century, philosophy is just as bad. Whether it was Marxism, Fascism, National Socialism or Economic Neo-Liberalism people often die to create a utopia. As the Jews of Central Europe (who largely no longer exist) because the Nazis wished to create a paradise for the German Speaking people of Europe. Or the millions of kulaks, Ukranians, Chechens and other peoples Stalin liquidated to create a worker's paradise in the Soviet Union. I could go on and on but Year Zero often seems to be the goal of the people who actually crazy enough to philosophy. Which is why i'm fascinated by people in the United States or more specifically those who are aligned with the Tea Party movement in the United States which holds Ayn Rand's Objectivism, Atlas Shrugged and Libertarianism as the Second Coming of Reagan.

I've never read Atlas Shrugged, nor do I play to read a book that has a speech in the middle of it that goes on for 30 pages. That's sheer overkill, almost selfish of the author to put that in her book. But you don't need to read the book to understand what Objectivism or by an extension what libertarianism is about. Like most philosophies, it's core tenet is about pleasing humanity. Objectivism aims to increase people's perception of reality (since reality is only perceived by human perception of course) through logic and that self-interest, individual rights, laissez-faire capitalism and nasty industrial art from 1930's New York can help us cast off the shackles of tyranny.

These philosophies influenced many people; many of whom who'd have strange influence over the economic affairs of various nations. Milton Friedman - a staunch believer in laissez-faire capitalism utilized some of his free-market reform ideas like unbridled free trade on poor Latin American countries after it had been taken over like dictators like Augusto Pinochet of Chile and Galtieri of Argentina. In order for these economic policies to follow through, these regimes had to brutally repress their peoples civil rights and it lead to massive inflation which brought many of these nations ten step backwards instead of forwards into the loving arms of Free Market Capitalism sans Socialism. I especially feel bad for Argentina, Argentina was among one of the richest nations in the beginning of last century and now India with 800,000,000 helots are richer by GDP and GPP. How the mighty have fallen. Free market capitalism for poor countries is devastating as your country is flooded with cheap products from China, as state owned enterprises are sold to be privatized who then fire half the workers or destroy unions to lower wages and increase the hours worked per week. They cause massive inflation as central banks toy with interest rates to gain profits while the Middle Class is squeezed out of existence. This is what happened to Latin America in the 1970s. Brazil was spared one could suppose but it soon had a debt of over $100 billion dollars due to its Free Market dictators from the 1964-1985.

Another economic error caused by these libertarians was caused none other by Alan Greenspan. A devout disciple of Ayn Rand. Under his control, derivatives and subprime mortgages caused an early 2000s boom that all came crashing down in 2008. Even before a congressional hearing later that year he admitted that there was some flaws in his thinking. A method of thinking dating back to Ayn Rand and her rational-self interest to enrich oneself's without regulating the market. We're in a recession becomes of these fools. Now, this is when the story of the philosophy of selfishness becomes interesting. The worsening recession creates a movement within the US who basically hate the US government and dislike a whole bunch of things which Democrats and Republicans but more specifically George W Bush created while in office. Such as a large fiscal imbalance, two foreign wars, terrible schools, rising costs etc. and libertarianism soon took root among these "Tea Party" people.

Now, go forward two years and the US is facing an important election this year to decide which party controls the Congress. A xenophobic, racist, nationalist, war mongering party of libertarians or a do-nothing, hypocritical, pandering party of snakes in the grass. While US debt to GDP ration is getting higher and higher with a budget deficit of over 1 trillion dollars. Rand Paul (note Ayn Rand = Rand Paul), son of Ron Paul is launching his own bid for power states that he questions the legitimacy of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 mainly because of his libertarianism believes. Ultimately, this goes back to any argument involving libertarianism whether it be about free market economics or same-sex marriage. His argument is this, since people are rational and self interested beings having laws against hate crimes are dumb because only dumb people would do it. And if dumb people discriminated against people in say - restaurants then social pressure would create such a backlash that the dumb people wouldn't be racist ( Dr. Martin Luther King begins to toss in his grave).

Many intelligent people in response to this said that Rand Paul is dumb because by not banning hate crimes and segregation the government would be sanctioning this behaviour because it wouldnt be able to enforce it's laws or protect the liberties of people and by not being against it - it would seem to dumb racist people that since it's not against the law the US is a "free country" it's legal to be racist in the public sphere, thus making segregation legal and sanctionable by law because you have the supreme authority to discriminate against those who wish to do business with you. Rand Paul saw these comments and fled to Arkansas to lick his wounds and shut up ever since.

The libertarians are just getting started however, there was a piece in a newspaper in some US state about the evil of being charitable on a hot summer day by giving free lemonade by a woman named Terry Savage. No, people should be selfish and not give things away for free asserted the libertarian and if they do, it's socialist. To be honest, i'm not even sure what socialist is anymore. So I decided to look it up in a dictionary. Socialism : is an economic and political theory based on public or common ownership and cooperative management of the means of production and allocation of resources [Thanks Wikipedia]. Since the business is privately owned, if it decides to be charitable with what it produces it's not necessarily socialist since it's not owned by the public. Americans on the whole are just confusing. The Classical Liberals are the social conservatives and the Classical Socialists can't even pass universal national healthcare.

Maybe the great moral tragedy isn't same-sex marriage, the legalization of marijuana or Obama winning a 2nd term of office. Maybe it's when selfishness, the idea of naked self-interest to satisfy your endorphin craving that hammers at your brain all day becomes popular (especially to the 1% of Americans who on 50% of the wealth in the country) chips away at American liberty until becomes another Chile.Fear-mongering by the far right has enflamed the unemployed masses of the American populace so much that xenophobia and a rampant anti-intellectualism may guarantee someone a seat in Congress or the Senate not to mention the White House. Can you imagine the Supreme Court nominees Sarah Palin would pick? America is doomed and the Libertarians aren't helping with their avarice.