China, Brazil, Argentina, the USA and more in relation to agriculture, tariffs, the economy and POWER

 This short video speaks for itself---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MHRqR0jBt1s

The title is: 

$164 Billion Blow! China Officially Cancels U.S. Farming Trade!

 [It's less than 11 minutes long, but you do have to suffer through the beginning of a few Ads before you hit the "Skip" button.]

Agriculture, mining and forestry are the "producers" at the base of every economy's energy and monetary*** pyramid.  Agriculture is especially critical.  Watch the video at the link above to see how Power is shifting in the world economy.

***  https://steadystate.org/service-providers-in-the-trophic-theory-of-money/?blm_aid=122634

This only will get worse after Trump takes office in January.

..................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Biden & Crew apparently believe almost anything said by the extremist Netanyahu

 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/12/26/michael_casey_resigns_over_gaza

Watch/listen to why a fifteen-year USA diplomat resigned from the State Department.  Several others also have done likewise, but we don't hear about it from the Mainstream/Corporate Media.

Casey was a frontline diplomat in the Israel-Gaza conflict.  He wrote numerous reports to the Upper Crust of the State Dept. detailing the war crimes of the Israeli military.  They were ignored.  Details are at the link above.

Israel continues to attack children, hospitals, schools, refugee shelters, ambulances, journalists, and basic infrastructure.  Biden & Crew continue their "ironclad support".  The tiny amount of humanitarian aid (food, water, medical supplies) which sometimes is allowed to get through to Gaza is grossly inadequate. People in Gaza are starving, dying from lack of medical care, and often being maimed or killed outright still to this day.  Where's compassion?

The entire scenario is a stain not only on Biden's Administration, but also on our country.  Yes, some are protesting and speaking out against this immoral Gaza policy, but not nearly enough.  Some world Leaders are boycotting Israel, but not enough.  What the Israeli Gov't is doing in Gaza is textbook genocide, and our Gov't is complicit in the execution of it.  There's a high probability that when Trump takes office, he'll make things even worse.

Watch the video at the link above, and then ask:  are the deaths of innocent people in Gaza simply "collateral damage"?  Keep in mind that genuine collateral damage is accidental.  The deaths in Gaza are are not such.  They are brought about on purpose.  The Israeli military knows children are in the hospitals, schools, shelters, etc., being attacked.  The excuse for the killing appears to be:  Hamas is hiding there, so we have no choice.  Really?!  There is, of course, always a choice in such matters.  No sane, ethical person would use such an excuse to murder innocent children.

Every government in the world should be shunning Netanyahu and boycotting Israel.  They should be doing so because millions of their citizens are demanding such actions.

.....................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well, and be a friction against the Machine.

Here's what happens when capitalism is deregulated

Enron

Remember the 2005 Documentary, Enron - The Smartest Guys in the Room?  [It's currently available on Amazon Prime, & probably elsewhere as well.]  Remember Ken Lay and Jeff Skilling?  Remember the criminal fraud?  Remember how many people lost their pensions?  Remember the concealment of Enron debt?  Remember the rolling blackouts in California due to the fraudulent manipulation of available energy by Enron "Traders", and the high price of electricity?  Remember how several Enron Executives each secured a Golden Parachute retirement just before the company bankruptcy?  It's all detailed in this riveting film.

Enron was founded in 1985 at the height of the Reagan-Thatcher Neoliberal DEREGULATION ERA.  The Execs in high positions soon developed totally bizarre financial derivatives/instruments/systems for Trading fossil energy.  Later, they appeared to be making massive profits for the company...because they were hiding massive debt.  The whole ponzi-like house-of-cards eventually collapsed.  The lives of hundreds of thousands of people (not only thousands of Enron employees, but employees in other companies, and consumers) were damaged significantly.

The 2007-09 Crash

Remember the 2015 film which dramatized the (commonly called) 2008 Crash, The Big Short with Christian Bale as Dr. Michael Burry?  Weird (and unregulated) private financial derivatives*** caused a financial meltdown felt around the world.  Real estate companies, banks, Wall Street Traders, bond rating agencies, and others all contributed to creating the fiasco.  The groundwork for it all developed during the Clinton Administration CORPORATE DEMOCRATS ERA and the Dubya Bush DEREGULATION ERA.  Millions of people were severely impacted.

***During the Bill Clinton Administration/Presidency, an attempt was made by Brooksley Born (Head of the Commodity Futures Trading Commission - CFTC - and an American Hero) to have such derivatives regulated by the CFTC.  Wall Street, Alan Greenspan, Larry Summers, and many other Clinton Admin officials fiercely and savagely opposed her efforts, and they won.  Too bad for Main Street, again.  Even today OTC financial derivatives are barely regulated, especially those used by securities & insurance firms.

Bottom Line

When combined with various public functions and facilities in a Mixed Economy, and when closely regulated, I believe Capitalism is a valuable economic system.  Unregulated, or even deregulated just a bit, Capitalism is a monumental disaster and an extreme danger to Main Street.  History supports such a contention.  Too bad for Main Street that the incoming Trump Crew is planning to push for unprecedented deregulation.  Too bad, indeed.

...............

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

The Myth of Capitalism vs. Socialism re Reality

The Myth

There's only one general type of Socialism, and it's all bad/destructive.  [Such is the view of the Political Far-Right around the world.]  There's only one general type of Capitalism, and it's all bad/destructive.  [That's the view of the Political Far-Left around the globe.]  Neither assertion is true.  In each case, there are at least two types:  dictatorial, and democratic.

The Reality

First, let's look briefly at the USA.  My beloved Land is usually thought to have a purely capitalist economic system.  That's certainly the view of most people on the political Right, and probably the view of most on the political Left as well.  The fact is: ours is a Mixed Economy.  While it's primarily capitalist, it has many aspects of democratic socialism.  Here are several of those aspects:  PUBLIC roads; PUBLIC schools; PUBLIC water systems; PUBLIC sewer systems; PUBLIC museums; PUBLIC parks; PUBLIC health clinics; PUBLIC Zoos; the Social Security Administration; prison industries; and the V.A. health care system.  There's more, but you probably get the idea by now.  Also consider the following.

When people refer to "capitalism in the USA", precisely which version of that economic system is being referenced?  Is it Crony Capitalism?  Neoliberal Capitalism?  Disaster Capitalism?  Casino Capitalism?  Monopolistic Capitalism?  Oligarchic Capitalism?  [They all exist here.]  It most certainly is NOT Adam Smith Capitalism.  That's found mostly only in the arena of Small Business enterprises.  Mega Biz people engage in the other forms.  I doubt most of them even have read The Wealth of Nations.

Adam Smith considered himself more of a philosopher than an economist.  Nevertheless, he's lauded as the Father of Economics.  He favored the establishment of SMALL, competitive businesses, not Mega, monopolistic Biz.  He never used the term "capitalism"; instead, he referred to "commercial society".  Most importantly, he believed that economics was only one aspect of the human condition, and not the be-all and end-all of Life.  The full title of his famous book is An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.  He was a Scotsman, and he changed the world.

Let's consider even more briefly the countries which adhere to democratic socialism, such as Norway***.  While they primarily may be socialistic in nature, from all I've read and heard about their economics, it seems to me they do embrace capitalism to a significant degree.  In other words, they each have a Mixed Economy.  I doubt many of their Powers-That-Be would deny it.

***Norway is the richest country in the world...not in aggregate financial wealth, but in the more accurate and comprehensive  measurement of per capita income.  It beats the USA in that regard.

Usually, in any "free world" country it's the Far Right and the Far Left folks who ignore the reality of their Mixed Economy.  They can't wrap their minds around such a concept maybe because it seems to contradict their ideology.  They are "True Believers", and nothing will do except pure capitalism or pure socialism.  Perhaps with age they'll realize that most things in Life are gray, not black or white.

😊😊😊😊😊

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Kirkus Reviews, the Meta-Crisis, Trump, and More REDUX

NOTE:  This essay was first published about six months ago.  With Trump's re-election, it's even more crucial now.

 Kirkus has been around for decades, is number 2*** in the USA for quality book reviews, and is known for being tough on authors.  They have reviewed my second book, 

CHOICES & CHANGE ON THE PATH TO A SUSTAINABLE EXISTENCE -

BEST CHOICES FOR NAVIGATING THROUGH A MONUMENTAL CRISIS.

It's a pretty good review, fair and insightful.  

[***Publisher's Weekly is number 1, but their waiting list is way too long.]

"A straightforward and useful guide to better living.

Haley offers a short handbook for more ecologically sensible living..."  

~ Kirkus Reviews

The full review can be found here:

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/scott-c-haley/choices-change-on-the-path-to-a-sustainable-existe/

My three books can be found here:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/author/B0BVJMMWLG/about

At the link, click on "All Books" (above my name, near the top of the page).

Please hear me:  I don't care one whit about the piddly revenues received from book sales.  If I could afford it, I'd pay for any purchases myself; but I live very modestly (by Western World standards), and can't do that.  What I do care about are these two things:  1) the crucial concepts in the books (and elsewhere) have been rigorously researched by expert scientists in their respective fields (not by me, I'm just the messenger), and need to be spread far and wide if humans are to survive & thrive; and 2) gaslighters and serial liars like Trump are poo-pooing those concepts, and too many people seem to be believing the lies.  That must change quickly.

The Meta-Crisis we're in is real, and the threat is existential - the very existence of human civilization is under grave threat.  The key to navigating through the Crisis is SOCIO-ECO-EDUCATION, and then peacefully pressuring the Powers-That-Be to take significant mitigating action.  Without such, I fear for the quality of life my grandchildren and all younger generations will have to endure.  Help out:  become an informal educator whenever and however possible.

.................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Here's precisely why & how the American Empire is ending, and Trump has a very minor role

 Jeffrey Sachs is a respected international economist, a notable Professor, and an experienced consultant to governments in the arena of international negotiations.  In this relatively short and recent interview, he gives a no-holds-barred view of why and how the unipolar world is changing to a multipolar one.  The days of the Government of the USA being the Big Kahuna are coming to an end.  In most respects, such is not a bad thing.  On the international stage, our Fed Gov't over decades has become arrogant and bullying, and that has been in play long before Trump.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=swVjCFqL6-s

Trump became somewhat popular largely because of his TV Reality Show.  Here's the only thing you need to remember about that show:  it was scripted FICTION.  In the real world, DJT primarily was a failure in business.  If you don't believe it, look closely into his various businesses from the 1980's to the present.  You'll find numerous bankruptcies, the shafting of contractors, the shafting of employees, court cases against him, fines, etc.  He once claimed he got his start with "a small loan of a million dollars" from his father.  

David Cay Johnston, the investigative journalist and Pulitzer Prize winning author, has written a number of best-selling books about economics, Big Business, and Trump.  In one of the Trump books, he states that Fred Trump "loaned" Donald a total of sixty million dollars over the years.  So much for DJT's "small loan".

It wouldn't surprise me at all if, when Trump says he'll "make America great again", he  imagines a hundred-year (or maybe a thousand-year:) State-Corporate Complex with his descendants at the helm.  Based on his history of the last forty years, though, what's highly likely to occur is this:  he will self-destruct.  In the next two to four years, his management and policies will destroy the popularity he has now with the 28% (of all American adults) who elected him.  Example:  watch what happens when he implements his much-touted Tariff increases.  [See this 12-minute clip, previously posted on this blog:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvJ4XS9_h_0&list=WL&index=69 ]

BOTTOM LINE:  Trump will not be able to stop what Prof. Sachs says is coming to the world extremely soon.  DJT's so-called strongman image is a complete charade.  Most of his supporters soon will see he's nothing more than a serial liar who is somewhat clever.

Watch the Jeffrey Sachs interview (the first link in this essay).  It's quite an eye-opener.

..................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

27.8% of ALL Adult Americans Voted Trump into Office in 2024 = not much of a mandate

 While his victory was impressive, let's put Trump's win into GENUINE perspective, as follows.

1.  In 2023, there were 262,083,034 ADULT Americans in the USA.  That number includes all voters plus all those who don't vote.

2.  In the election, 72,895,705 people voted for Trump.

3.  Conclusion:  it took only 27.8% of ALL adult Americans to elect our President.  [Historically, it usually took only a tad over 25% to win the Presidency.]

The "mandate" being touted by the Trumpican Party is a mandate from about 28% of American adults.  Even if we consider only those who voted in the election, Trump secured only a fraction over 50% of the vote.  It was barely a majority.

Everyone should keep ALL these numbers in mind when thinking about what some are calling "the greatest victory in the history of American elections".  Such characterization is a real stretch, eh?

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Not only my opinion.  Happy Trails

Mea Culpa, and Brief Notes on What the Trumpican Party Victory Reveals

First, as evidenced by the previous Post on this blog, I misjudged the thinking of the majority of the people here in my beloved Land.  I've always known WHY that majority is fed up with The Establishment and its Plutocracy.  On the socio-economic scale, the lower 80% of people here have been shafted for decades.  My mistake was in thinking:  by now surely ALL people would see clearly that Trump is a) not the one to save them; and b), he's a con-man who actually is in favor of the ruling Plutocracy.  I was wrong; they don't see it.

Here are just a few of the things the Trumpican Party victory reveals (in no particular order) ---

1.  Apparently, too many of us have been dumbed-down to the point where we no longer are capable of critical thinking.  In general, I blame our education system for that.  Mainstream Media also are at fault.  Have you noticed, for example, for many years young folks have been encouraged to skip a university education in favor of a vocational/trade school.  Such schools certainly serve a valuable function; however, their limitations need to be considered.  Generally, they don't provide a well-rounded education.  Yes, it's true you don't need a university education to get a good job; but such a higher education provides most students with a lot more than a job.  It broadens your worldview, and gives you skills in understanding what's important in life.  It does more, but I need to keep this essay relatively short.

2.  There also seems to be a serious problem with too many universities.  It appears to me that too many of them are more concerned with not offending some group or another rather than exploring ways to develop open minds and critical thinking.

3.  The mainstream, corporate faction of the Democratic Party is not paying enough attention to Main Street.  Worse, they are marginalizing the Progressives in their Party, the ones who are tuned-in to Main Street.

4.  The mainstream Dems who now rule their Party need to stop enabling Netanyahu's genocidal wars.  They should do so not only for obvious ethical/moral reasons, but also because they won't get Arab-American votes until they do.  [That's about 1.5 million votes. ]

5.  Trump realized a long time ago that if you repeat a lie enough times, then people will come to believe it.  He repeatedly lies/lied about immigrants, the economy, Democrats, any Republicans who oppose him, election integrity, crime stats, covid, the Media, etc., and all those lies have served him well.

6.  The Upper Crust of the Dem Party has failed miserably at showing people the urgency of addressing the existential threat of ecological overshoot, and the fact that Trump policies will increase the threat & the urgency by orders of magnitude.  Educational institutions, the Mainstream Media and others also have failed in that regard.  Perhaps they all have failed because they don't fully understand the Crisis, or they still may believe we humans have until 2050 to address the problem.  In any case, within ten years politics will not be uppermost in anyone's mind; but trying to find a degree of physical, mental, and economic comfort will be.

7.  Most people apparently are as in the dark about eco-overshoot's existential threat as is Trump and the Plutocracy.  Otherwise, they never would have voted an ecological ignoramus into office.  They would have known that such an action would be tantamount to eco-suicide.

...........................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

IF Americans have any common sense left after enduring decades of continual neoliberalism, then the 2024 election...

will play out like this--- 

1.  Due largely to young voters, women, people of color, Independents (41% of adult Americans are Purple, not Red or Blue), and the wisdom of many senior citizens, Harris will win the race.  Why?  Following are only some of the reasons.

2.  A majority of people are now wary of Trump's blatant lies, never-ending personal attacks on those who oppose him, total lack of statesmanship, ignorance of economic principles, espousal of violence, and his general negative and toxic demeanor.

3.  A majority of voters realize it's utter nonsense to blame a President or Vice President for overall INFLATION.  They know that the policies of the Fed Reserve Honchos affect the inflation rate more than any one person.  Interest rates are not determined by the President or VP.  The amount of "helicopter money" (basically created out of thin air by the Fed) dropped on all of us is not determined by the Pres. or VP.  Voters also know the Fed Reserve does not kowtow to the Oval Office.  [Remember how Trump once (while he was Pres.) denigrated the Fed Chairman for his actions?]

4.  A majority is aware of the rock-solid data showing that immigrants here have a LOWER rate of violent crime than those of us born and raised here.  Thus, Trump's constant claim of rampant criminality by immigrants is just another of his many delusions.

5.  A majority of people now see that Trump, if elected, will be consumed by revenge against his "demonic enemies" (his words), and such would not contribute to working toward unifying the country.  People are sick & tired of his divisiveness.

6.  Bottom Line:  IF (& it's a BIG IF) there's any common sense left in this country, then Trump will be defeated.  HOWEVER, here's one way he could steal the election (he calls it his "little secret")---

https://www.democracynow.org/2024/11/1/donald_trump_mike_johnson_little_secret

7.  End Note---  Trump has been telling Evangelicals that God saved him from assassination so he could be President (thus, it's God's Will).  Most of them appear to believe the same.  I'm a fairly open-minded guy, but I can't buy any of that.  It's narcissistic, manipulative hogwash.

........

Not only my opinion.  Happy Trails

Trumpican (or perhaps, Trumpzi) Party completely replaces the once honorable Republican Party of long ago

 https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/29/a_night_at_the_garden_marshall

https://www.democracynow.org/2024/10/29/jean_guerrero_trump_rally_nyc_msg

History repeats itself:  the 1939 Madison Square Garden political rally and the 2024 MAGA rally at the same location.  At both times, the hatemongers promoted their racism, xenophobia, and ignorance to an audience seemingly in general agreement.

Trump or Vance probably will claim that the MAGA rally shows massive support for their candidacy.  As pointed out in one of the clips above, here's the truth:  the number of people attending the Trump rally compose only two-tenths of one percent of the greater NYC population.  Two-tenths of ONE percent.

A short time ago, Trump falsely claimed that "...200 million people [in the USA] support me".  Such a claim is pure, unadulterated nonsense.  It's a blatant lie.  In 2016, he lost the popular vote by about three million; he became President only because of the antiquated Electoral College votes.  In 2020, he lost the popular vote by about seven million votes.  He also lost in the Electoral College.  Plus, it's completely plausible that in both elections some/many people voted for him only because they liked his opponent less.

In 2024, 244 million people will be eligible to vote in our national election.  Common sense tells me no one person has 200 million of those people as supporters.  In 2020, a record 66.6% of potential voters turned out and actually cast a vote.  Usually in this country, only a tad more than 50% of voters participate by voting.  All the above suggests many citizens are fed up with the sorry state of American politics.  Nevertheless, it's likely that this year's election will result in up to 70% of eligible voters participating.  One reason why is below.

Between 2020 and 2024, the Trumpican Party upper crust (not, in general, Main Street Trump supporters) has demonstrated even more of a shift to hatemongering, xenophobia, racism, divisiveness, misogynism, and fascism/authoritarianism.  The majority of our citizens abhor such a shift.  Many previously nonvoters likely will decide to join in and vote it down.  [If it isn't voted down, then USA politics is in a sorrier state than what I once thought.]

..........................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

The High Tech danger you know little-to-nothing about, & Trump is a pawn in the whole scenario

https://steadystate.org/is-the-election-a-civilizational-turning-point-why-musk-is-really-backing-trump/?blm_aid=122634

How much do you know about Transhumanism?  The concept has been in existence for years and years.  With recent advances in A.I., it has started to advance in leaps and bounds.  Backed by a few physicists, several billionaires and others, Transhumanism is now on the brink of starting to change civilization forever.  For the most part, those changes will be horrendous for Main Street and Heaven-on-Earth for the Elites.

Politicians such as Trump and Vance are pawns in this existential game, and I doubt they even know it.  I imagine their supporters on Main Street are even less aware of what's going on.  By the way, this is NOT a "conspiracy theory".  It has been right out in the open for years.  YouTube has lots of pieces about it.  I think it has been ignored by most of us because it's so bizarre...seemingly impossible in our minds.  Guess what?  It's no longer impossible.

SUGGESTION:  read the article at the link above.  Then read it again.  Then do whatever you can (as long as it's legal) to wake up your political representatives to the need for A.I. legislation ASAP.

.............

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

I'll bet a lot of people have forgotten this aspect of carbon dioxide

Including even elementary school students, by now we all know that CO2 is a "greenhouse gas".  There's another reason to be concerned about excess carbon dioxide in our atmosphere---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=58I6YQzBrPo

Sabine is a physicist with 1.48 million subscribers to her YouTube Channel.  She covers many interesting topics, and I appreciate her dry sense of humor.  This recent piece on CO2, Elon Musk, and Trump is quite good, and less than eight minutes long.

Even Musk, who is not up to snuff on most ecological principles, cannot deny this characteristic of CO2.  In fact, he supports concern about it.  Given many of his other views on ecological matters, that's a bit amazing.

......................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Damage to both the ecosphere & democracy already being done by A.I. & the billionaires promoting it

https://steadystate.org/maybe-we-should-be-the-ones-doing-the-grokking-thoughts-on-m/?blm_aid=122634

CASSE's article at the link above is another of their MUST-READ pieces.  It's extremely well-written, interesting, smack-dab-on-the-mark, and relevant to everyone.  The author is Helene Langlamet.

Except for the short note to follow, I won't even attempt to summarize her provocative and accurate depiction of what's going on with information technology and AI today.

The information technology industry (let's call it Info-Tech) would like us to believe that it's going to save the world by using AI to solve problems.  Not only that, but it supposedly will do so with minimal damage to the environment...and no threat at all to democracy.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  The damage and the threat already are beginning to happen.  Read the article.

We the People must convince politicians to regulate Info-Tech and AI applications ASAP.  If such does not happen, the danger to the ecosphere, democracy, and social justice is extremely high.  Read the article at the link above to see why.  It will take only five or so minutes of your time.  Please read it now.

.................

Not only my opinion.  Best Wishes to Everyone

Muted, but STILL another shabby debate performance by a toxic narcissist

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXKSg8KXaQw

He was tragic, pathetic, ridiculous, & laughable in one 90-minute fell swoop.  Trump truly appears to be utterly delusional.  The top-level Repubs supporting him are making a monumental mistake.  A Party which long ago stood for honor, integrity, and the common people now is completely off the rails.

In addition, DJT's tariff increase proposal (which is more of an increase than any other in U.S. history) would increase price INFLATION - which now is declining - beyond the pale.  He's lying when he claims China would be paying for tariffs.  Consumers here would be doing it.

Finally, a reminder:  I'm not for Harris either, but she's orders of magnitude better than Trump.  [I don't care for her Gaza policy, her fossil fuel policy, or her lack of understanding of Sustainability.]  Neither major candidate is what we need to successfully navigate through the Meta-Crisis we're currently facing.  Clearly, though, Trump is the worst choice.  No doubt about it.

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Not only my opinion.  Be Well

An MD explains why the USA has the least effective healthcare system among the wealthy countries in the world

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CxGhEuXcG8&list=WL&index=67&t=2s

Usually I summarize the key points of a link's content.  Not this time.  The doctor is so well-spoken and his presentation so brilliant, I want to try and make sure each reader here watches the clip rather than relying on a summary.

He also talks about what could be done to fix our broken system and restore ethics (relative to patient CARE) in the medical profession.  The number of doctors in that profession is decreasing rapidly.  It's not burnout from overwork.  Instead, in most cases it's being demoralized with the state of the system.  Such can and must be corrected ASAP.

..................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Why Big Biz Backs Trump, and why Sustainability is feared by them all

Robert Reich explains it in a clip under three minutes long---

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0LEnI9THvLA

One might guess it's about tax cuts and tax avoidance.  Yes, but it's also about blocking the path to Sustainability.  Many years ago, the Titans of Mega Biz realized they had to start talking-the-talk in regard to renewable energy, but walking-the-walk largely could be avoided IF they spent big bucks on politicians friendly to the economic status quo.  A bit later, they recognized that Sustainability involved a lot more than just transitioning to renewables.  It also meant reducing our energy use, being accountable for pollution, treating workers and consumers fairly, eliminating corporate welfare, increasing the social safety net, and more.

In the view of Mega Biz, the economic status quo was being threatened as never before.  So, both individually and collectively, the Titans decided to essentially buy more and more political influence.  They selected, groomed, and financed the majority of national political candidates.  Their degree of success in getting candidates friendly to their view varied, but almost always was at least somewhat on the mark...even with Democrats.

So, what was (and still is for the most part) the "economic status quo" back then?  Here it is in a nutshell:

1)  neoliberal capitalism (which is NOT Adam Smith capitalism); 

2)  deregulation, corporate globalization, & corporate welfare;

3)  bailouts for mega biz;

4)  banks too big to fail, or jail;

5)  reduced benefits for employees;

6)  reduced services to customers;

7)  job insecurity;

8)  treating pollutants as "externalities" (and not the responsibility of Big Biz);

9)  austerity for Main Street; and

10)  anything else which benefits Mega Biz at the expense of Main Street.

The status quo is pretty much the exact opposite of a sustainable economy and lifestyle.

The influence of the Titans has been massive, and has reached all the way to the Supreme Court of the USA.  The majority on that Court now are anti-healthcare, anti-EHS (environmental, health, & safety), anti-democracy, and anti-sustainability.  Whether that majority knows it or not, they are supporting Fascism - the marriage of the power of the State to the power of Mega Biz.

All the above is precisely why Big Biz backs the candidate who is the biggest embarrassment and danger in the history of the USA.

.................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Democrats and the Meta-Crisis

Senator Warnock (Dem from Georgia) gave a great speech at the Dem National Convention in Chicago.  Parts of it touched me deeply.  Nevertheless, I've seen nothing anywhere which convinces me that mainstream Democrats (Biden, Obama, Harris, Schumer, Walz, Pelosi, etc.) fully understand the ongoing Meta-Crisis or how to address it.  The very few Dems who do (still not fully, but way above the mainstreamers) are not mainstream, and have been marginalized to the hilt (Sanders, Warren, AOC, Omar, Jayapal, Barbara Lee, Ro Khanna, etc.).  And time is running out.

Do the Democrats understand the Crisis (in general) better than the Republicans?  Yes, apparently so.  Despite that, their grasp of the Crisis falls short of what's needed to navigate through it.  Such is the case mostly because of what appears to be a lack of Systems thinking on their part.  They tend to put each of the various aspects of our predicament into a separate "silo" (so to speak).  Deeply connected parts of the Crisis thus become separated when "solutions" are considered.  [An example is in the next paragraph.]  Most likely, the result will be a series of incomplete (or failed) responses.

Currently, the "Big Kahuna" being dealt with (barely) is Climate Change, a symptom of Ecological Overshoot.  For the most part, it has been placed in its own "silo".  Biodiversity Loss, also a symptom of Eco-Overshoot, is in another silo and is being given short shrift.  Its connection to climate disruption, soil degradation, preventing the spread of disease (pandemics) and more doesn't appear to be under consideration.  There's a lack of holistic thinking and synthesis in such a "silo-ing" approach.  Biodiversity Loss is every bit as important as Climate Change when it comes to responding to the human predicament.

The Green Party fully understands the Meta-Crisis, all aspects of it - sociological, ecological, economic, and ethical.  Those candidates should be elected, but won't be... mostly because Americans (in general) are ecologically illiterate.  [That statement is not an insult; it's an observation.  I'm illiterate about lots of things:  medical surgery, business management, particle physics, auto mechanics, etc.; there's no reason to be insulted about that:]  Plus, there's the unrelenting propaganda from most Republicans, Oligarchs, and Plutocrats.  

C'est la vie

..................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

MORE idiocy, mostly from politicians

1.  As the Biden Admin bemoans the continuing excessive killing of civilians by the Far-Right Israeli Leadership, $20 billion more in military hardware for Israel has been authorized...with no conditions attached.  [It's true some of that hardware - F-16 fighter jets - won't be available until 2026; however, bombs-missiles-and other munitions probably will be shipped in less than a month from now.]

2.  Trump appears to be melting down.  His gaslighting tactics - lying, accusing his opponent of actions which apply to him, constantly changing the subject when backed into a corner by logic & truth, egregiously insulting people, making unsubstantiated claims, etc. - are not having any significant effect on his opponents.  He seems to be baffled by that, and as a result, when speaking publicly he rambles, whining about different things and spewing out topics which have little-to-no connection to one another.  He's now the confused, old man in the race.

 

3.  Spokesmen for the Israeli military claim everything is being done to avoid civilian deaths in Gaza.  "Everything" includes evacuation orders.  The problem is:  every place refugees evacuate to is attacked, and often without warning.  In a recent bombing of a school, over 100 people were killed.  Many of them were blown into so many pieces they were unidentifiable.  [Source:  the independent news show, Democracy Now!]  Israel says 31 Hamas members were killed in the attack.  Do the math: over two-thirds of the victims were civilians...including CHILDREN.

4.  Not too long ago, Elon Musk claimed Earth could support 80 billion people.  Such thinking is completely devoid of ecological knowledge, and is both delusional and idiotic.

https://www.unilad.com/news/elon-musk-believes-earth-could-hold-80-billion-people-799394-20231031

5.  Most of the top Democrats in DC oppose the Far-Right Trump Crew in the USA, but back the Far-Right Extremist Netanyahu in Israel.  That's idiocy.

...............

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

There is no Planet B

It's nothing but fantasy to believe any significant number of us on Earth will be moving to Mars.  The people planning and working toward a human colony on Mars (or anywhere else) are NOT thinking about transporting eight billion people to another planet.  Such a task would be impossible, and completely so.

Most likely, what is being sought is to eventually establish a small colony of people with special skills.  Over time, those colonists would reproduce more humans; and that's how our species would leave Earth.  Even those people, though, would have a rough time.  They might not even survive.  Here's why---

1.  Although the temperature on Mars can get up to 70 degrees F, that rarely happens.  The average temperature on Mars is about minus 80 degrees F.  Most of the time, temperatures range from minus 14 degrees F to minus 120 degrees F.

2.  Large, regional dust storms on Mars often last for weeks.  The winds of such storms are up to seventy miles per hour.  Once in awhile, dust storms are not just regional.  Instead, they are planet-wide.  Try to imagine being in such a situation.

3.  Because of the above points - and much more - most of the time colonists would be inside some structure or another.  Yes, they probably would have some version of A.I.' s  "augmented reality" gizmo to aid in avoiding cabin fever; however, I suspect that only can take a person so far.  After that, no one knows what might happen to a person's mind.

4.  Whether indoors, or outdoors in a pressurized & oxygenized suit, there is no room for error.  Chances are, if you make only one mistake related to air pressure, oxygen, storms, etc., you're dead.

BOTTOM LINE---

I've seen comments online which go something like this:  if we totally wreck Earth, we'll just move to Mars or somewhere else in the solar system.  No, we won't.  For about 99.99999% of us, there is no Planet B.  ASAP, we must stop "wrecking" Mother Earth, and start rehabilitating Her.  If we are to survive and thrive, there's no other reasonable option.  We must (more and more) show our appreciation of the magnificent gift of Earth we've been given.  It's not too late to begin treating the natural world as sacred.

.......................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care

Brief review of some of the idiocy being promulgated primarily by various politicians

Politics is basically a flawed profession.  Why?  It often enables too much corruption, lying, and deceit.  It plays to the dark side of individuals who seek power above all else.  Finally, it too often utilizes propaganda which benefits Oligarchs/Plutocrats at the expense of Main Street.  While it's true we (all around the world) do have some politicians who are honest and ethical, unfortunately it seems they are far and few between, or perhaps reticent to speak out against the characteristics described above.

By any measure of common sense, I would think the scenarios below - brought about by various "Leaders" - are idiotic---

A Few Examples

1.  The current Israeli Leadership still is bombing/attacking structures in Gaza where CHILDREN are being sheltered, thus killing or maiming some of those innocent children.  Israel apparently believes such action is justified because Hamas people supposedly are in the same schools, houses, refugee shelters, etc.  These war crimes are being aided by munitions from the USA.

2.  The Biden Administration and probably most Republicans seem to believe Israel is NOT committing war crimes.  I believe most of the world (including me) disagrees.  The reasons for such disagreement should be blatantly obvious.  Yes, Hamas also commits war crimes; however, that's not an ethical justification for doing the same.  There is no justification whatsoever for war crimes.

3.  ALL governments which produce and maintain (or host) nuclear weapons are dangerous idiots.  Past posts on this blog have explained why.  Here's only one of them:

Public Awareness of ‘Nuclear Winter’ is Too Low Given Current Risks

Here's another:

The Ecological Ignorance of U.S. Presidents REDUX

4.  Due to adherence to the secular "religion" of neoliberalism (the Market will handle any problems), most humans on Earth now have PFAS (the "forever chemicals"), micro- and nano-plastics, and other toxic substances in their blood.  PFAS, in particular, have been linked to various health problems (including cancer) and the altering of reproductive hormones, as well as other hormones.  This all has been reported in scientific studies published in professional journals.

All the above is part of Ecological Overshoot, the main cause of our current Meta-Crisis.  Too many politicians everywhere seem to NOT be paying enough attention to this complex issue.  Those who are appear to be focused on only one of the symptoms of Overshoot:  Climate Change.  Other interconnected symptoms - biodiversity loss, soil degradation, toxic pollution, water availability problems, shrinking forests, overharvesting of fish, etc. - receive scant concern.

So, What Can Be Done?

A common sense response to the above-described human predicament would be to vote politicians out-of-office who promote the idiocy.  Exercise some due diligence and vote into office those people who at least favor the elimination of Eco-Overshoot.

Given the power of Edward Bernays style Propaganda and how dogmatic most voters seem to be, the above response doesn't appear to be likely.  But here's the thing:  NO ONE can predict the future with 100% accuracy every time.  In other words, we should not quit promoting common sense just because the implementation of it seems unlikely.  History shows that many proposed scenarios which were deemed to be "hopeless" eventually took root and came to fruition.  Such is especially true in the political arena.  Without "hope" for a better future, we're just marking time.

....................

Not only my opinion.  Happy Trails

KUDOS to Joe Biden, and What's Next

A Few Quick Notes

I had the feeling he badly wanted "The Last Hurrah"; however, he made the decision to do what's best for the country instead.  Sincere congrats to you, Mr. President.

I have not been in favor of Biden in any elected position for years, and certainly not Trump either.  The reasons Trump is a no-go should be obvious to anyone.  Even though apparently they're not obvious to some people, they will not be repeated at this time.  For about eight years, I've gone over them in detail on this blog.

The reasoning regarding Biden is partly due to the following:

    a)  his Gaza policy is unforgivable;

    b)  his foreign policy in general seems to be based on the concept of the "American Empire", the USA policing the world;

    c)  his economic policy (like that of just about every other politician in DC) is an ecological disaster; and,

    d)  his health seems to not be up to the demands of the Presidency.

The main reason, though, I'm not for Biden is this:  he (like most other national politicians) apparently still believes infinite economic growth will have no serious consequences on a finite planet.  Plus, it looks as though he (and many others) fails to recognize that Going Green while continuing to pursue infinite, exponential Growth is an oxymoron.  He's in a big club regarding those items.

Nevertheless, I salute President Biden for gracefully bowing out of the 2024 election.  It's best for him, his Party, and the country.

Bottom Line

Ecological Overshoot is the primary cause of our ongoing Meta-Crisis, and such overshoot is enabled by our current, neoliberal, mainstream economic system.  Unfortunately, perhaps 90-99% of our national politicians support such a system.  It's like a secular religion to them, and they refuse to consider other options.  They appear to be ecologically illiterate, energy blind, and minerals blind as well.  This means whoever replaces Biden as the Democratic Party candidate most likely will not challenge the current economic system, will not see the significance of Ecological Overshoot, and will be blind to the energy and minerals problems we'll be facing probably within ten years or so.

If we are to survive and thrive as a species not just which energy we use for fuel must change, but everything must change--- our economics, our lifestyles, our relation to Nature, our ethics, our relation to other people, and our worldview in general.

........................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Cowboys in Russia, Food, Water, & Geopolitics

The relatively short clip below (from PBS) should be a wake-up call for The Establishment in the USA and elsewhere.  It details much of the content of a new documentary, titled "The Grab".  The new doc delves into how some world Leaders are scrambling - in the shadows - to secure adequate future food and water resources for their people.  One reviewer called the film "an international thriller".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppwlFwcL4iY&list=WL&index=70

Saudi Arabia, Russia, China, Wall Street Hedge Funds, and others are all involved in land (and water) "grabs", and in a fairly surreptitious manner.  Many of these resource acquisitions are occurring in North America and Africa.  The people doing the "grabbing" recognize that the Meta-Crisis is shrinking the availability of crucial resources, particularly water and food. 

We're not talking only about the Eco-Crisis here and the fact that arable, tillable, productive farmland is shrinking and soil is being degraded worldwide.  [Such is true even in well-off countries.]  In addition, groundwater aquifers on productive land are being depleted at unprecedented rates.  It's also multiple-continent supply chain problems, the worldwide financial fragility, social inequity, energy blindness, geopolitical rivalries, sanctions, war, and more which are creating the Food Crisis and the Water Crisis.

In the USA, much of the time it appears that the Powers-That-Be are mostly unconcerned about these matters.  For example, our elected officials seem to have this view:  The Market will handle any upcoming problems.  Human ingenuity will save the day.  As a result, our country has no national water policy and not even any sort of national water strategy.  China, Russia, and some other countries all do.

Natural resources everywhere are in trouble.  Ideology won't save them from disaster, but Science can.  What stands in the way?  Primarily it's myopic politics and politicians who are not comprehensive thinkers.

.....................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

p.s.  Watch the video.  Cowboys in Russia, indeed.

"Rattling The Establishment's Cage: ..."

 For those who may not like (for whatever reason) shopping on Amazon, my latest book is also now available in eBook format here---

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/rattling-the-establishments-cage-scott-c-haley/1145990820;jsessionid=1A939C1289BDBED3AEC564DE17317C1F.prodny_store01-atgap03?ean=2940179599685

and here---

https://books.apple.com/us/book/rattling-the-establishment-s-cage-short-essays-notes/id6535647494

It's also on other venues, such as Everand, Kobo, Tolino, Smashwords, and about six others as well.  On Amazon and Barnes & Noble, you're able to read sample pages.  I haven't had time to check on the other sites, so can't say if they have samples or not.

"The Establishment" is probably a permanent fixture in most societies around the world, and has done some good things.  Too often, though, it misleads or outright lies to us regarding significant issues.  These are things of which we need to be aware if we are to have sustainable and meaningful lives.

......................

Not only my opinion.  Be Informed, & Happy Trails

p.s.  The cover image below is one of my Abstract Expressionist paintings.

Memo to both Main St. & Land Use Planners: this positive, global change is highly likely to occur within 10 years

 Background Info (detailed in several places elsewhere on this blog)

1.  Factory farming of crops and livestock is damaging soil, depleting water supplies, using too much energy, damaging our climate, eliminating small family farms, reducing necessary biodiversity, and polluting the ecosphere (which includes us).

2.  Big Agriculture's Globalization of food production and distribution sounds good, and once in a blue moon even looks good; however, overall it's faltering and turning into a disaster.

3.  Climate change, multiple-continent supply chains, geopolitical rivalries, war, energy shortages, financial sanctions, and the like are all making global production and distribution of food problematic.

4.  One-third of the world's food already is grown on farms less than five acres each.  Source:  https://ourworldindata.org/smallholder-food-production

The Coming Positive Global Change

1.  Whether we plan for it or not, various factors will drive humans to transition from Globalization to Localization (and Regionalization).  All goods, including food, will be involved.  A few places in the world already have made a start.

2.  As much as possible:  food will be grown locally and/or regionally; synthetic, petrochemical herbicides & insecticides will not be used; and big machinery will not be necessary.  Here's how it's done:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc3-3s115mM&list=WL&index=68    If a guy in a wheelchair and his team can do it, anyone can.  Don't miss this short clip.  It's most inspirational, and extremely informative.

3.  If you don't believe this can be done in towns and cities, do a YouTube Search for "urban community gardens", or "urban farming", and you'll be amazed.  In any case, it can be done just outside the city limits (if not smack-dab downtown).

4.  Because of greatly shortened supply chains, much less need for petrochemicals, much less need for fuel-guzzling big machinery, and much less need for packaging & processing, this type of organic farming will GREATLY reduce global energy use.  That's important because within about ten years, we'll be forced to cut way back on energy use.  [See the Nate Hagens interviews on YouTube which deal with Energy Blindness, as well as those on Minerals Blindness.  Simon Michaux and Tom Murphy also are good sources.]

5.  Because it uses drip-irrigation in areas where such is required, it also will significantly reduce freshwater depletion.  Currently, world agriculture uses 70% of all water fit for human consumption.  The lion's share of that is gobbled up by Big Ag (Factory Farming), and for the most part, drip-irrigation is not used.

You may be thinking, hey, I'm not a farmer.  Why should I care about any of this?  I would answer, do you like to eat?  😊  If your community or county or State does not start planning for the coming changes in food availability and fresh water availability, then you will be a farmer...a subsistence farmer.

We all need to convince our local authorities  to at least look into these matters.  The probability is extremely high that relatively soon we'll be forced to become a low-energy-use society all around the globe.  The metrics for such a scenario are all there.  Localization will be a massive help, but to avoid chaos, planning for it must start ASAP.

..........................

Not only my opinion.  Be Well

Immunity decision by SCOTUS is worse than the Kelo v. City of New London decision

The Kelo case was almost 25 years ago.  SCOTUS decided a city seizing private land under Eminent Domain and then selling it to a private developer constituted "public use", and thus was permissible.  Yikes!

Yesterday's immunity decision is so egregious and so damaging to the concept of American Government that any attempt by me in describing such would not suffice.  The text at the link below does suffice, and will not be found in the Mainstream Media---

https://www.thenation.com/article/society/trump-immunity-supreme-court/

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Not only my opinion.  p.s.  The dissenters on the Court decision are spot-on.

ADDENDUM to "The Biden-Trump Debate..."

Someone I care about agreed with my last post on the Debate.  Along with agreement, also included was:  but "It's too late!".  My email response is below, slightly edited for this posting. 

September would be too late.  Four months to go until the election is adequate time for other people to mount  a campaign.  But, the point is moot because the DNC and most high-level Dems won't do anything to pressure Joe.  And, of course, the RNC and all high level Repubs seem to care not at all that Don-the-Con is a proven serial liar and a wannabe fascist, so they'll do nothing to dump Trump.

It isn't too late, either, for 99% of voters to vote for Jill Stein (or Marianne Williamson, or a Libertarian candidate, etc.), or to send a message by boycotting the election, but none of that will happen.  

American voters mostly are completely dogmatic, and demonstrate little imagination.  For the last fifty years or so, the USA truly has been dumbed-down.  It's tragic, and a genuine embarrassment.  And so it goes.

Some authorities now even are telling young people, you don't need a college or university education to get a decent job.  Yes, that's true; however - HELLO - getting a job isn't the only reason for going to college.  College/university graduates generally are more well-rounded, more broadly educated, more open-minded, better adapted to the complexity of modern society, and more appreciative of the importance of history, ethics, science, and society than those without such an education.  Those factors should not be ignored when contemplating a career path.  There's much more to life than just a decent job.  Work is important, but it's not the Be-All and End-All of a good life, a meaningful existence.

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Not only my opinion.  Happy Trails

The Biden-Trump Debate made several things crystal clear

https://www.democracynow.org/2024/6/28/democrats_reaction_to_disastrous_debate

1.  Even at this late date, Biden must step aside.  He's not up to the task of beating Trump or being President next year.

2.  Almost every sentence from Trump is a blatant lie.  Worse, it seems likely he actually believes those lies.  He's some sort of mental case.  [Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist, has so stated such multiple times.]

3.  High level Democrats must step up NOW and pressure Biden to bow out.  There are several better qualified people who could run.

4.  High level Republicans must stop backing a serial liar who also is a full-blown, wannabe fascist.

5.  Neither Biden or Trump understands how mainstream economics (neoliberal econ) is ruining our economy for people on Main Street.

6.  Regarding foreign policy (particularly re Gaza), both men are a disaster.

7.  Every Main Street Democrat and Republican must now pressure their respective elected officials to dump Trump and Biden.

8.  Because number 7 above most likely won't happen, every voter must seriously consider either a protest vote in November, or boycotting the whole sham.

9.  Biden is weak and impaired (most likely, so is Trump, but usually he hides it fairly well) and Trump is mentally "off his rocker".

.....................

Not only my opinion.  Take Care