Capitalistic Democracy

The twin pillars of strength in this Country has been Democracy and Capitalism. A prime tenet of Capitalism has been a belief in the free market system. A lesser recognized but no less important tenet is the process of decision making in a free market system. This process contemplates that capital will follow profit and successful decisions in the marketplace. The more profitable that decisions made by management of a company prove to be, the more that shareholders will seek its stock. Recent history of corporate decisions and shareholder selection of companies belie these generally accepted tenets.

The market economy in this country appear to have created a class of management that perceives that it is entitled to significant compensation without regard to success It achieves this status because shareholders have too often been silent dupes in the world of high finance. Most corporate management have little fear of its shareholders and their decisions are not made on actions that will lead to long term profitability of a company but in the short term benefit of the company management. This result is most evident in insurance industry, the finance and banking industry and the American automobile industry where historic institutions have been run into bankruptcy while management employees seek million dollar bonuses.

Many commentators complain that government bailouts constitute a road to socialism. They seem to overlook the corporate management that lead the American economy to the brink of insolvency.

Boaters Demonstrate True Community Spirit

While traveling down the inter-coastal waterway from St Petersburg to Clearwater Florida this past weekend I passed several dozen other boaters. On every occasion we exchanged waves. This pattern was consistent with virtually every time I am on the water. Friendly acknowledgement among boaters is a cultural routine meant to express appreciation of each other and the nature in which we have had the fortune to enjoy. A simply wave generates a feeling of community and well being.

I contrast this boating attitude with the typical response of drivers on the interstate or local roads. At best, drivers show a studious indifference to other drivers on the road. At worst, drivers demonstrate hostility and on occasion road rage to fellow drivers. There is little sense of community or harmony after a road trip. Few drivers feel a shared sense of community spirit. More likely is that driving generates a sense of isolation.

Our modern lives tend to fill with stress. Too often we isolate ourselves from our neighbors and even co-workers. On a day to day basis we seldom feel a sense of community with those we come in contact. Perhaps if we could translate the attitude we demonstrate when boating to all aspects of our lives, we could find more daily peace and harmony. Alternatively, find a way to get out on a boat regularly. It does wonders for one’s peace of mind.

Why Do We Need to Rely on Comedians To Tell the Truth?

In the world of talking heads on television news there is seldom an insightful analysis of the information presented. Presentations by representatives of a political point of view on “news programs” provide attractive "talking points" but offer even less analysis. Ironically, comedic shows seem too often be the best source of truly independent commentary. Will Rogers set the standard at the turn of the 20^th century. Saturday Night Live, The Daily Show with John Stewart, The Colbert Report, or Jib Jam are setting the tone for the 21^st Century.

Many commentators have expressed concern that many college students use these comedic programs as the sole source of their news. Rather than concern, we may wish to applaud the discretion of such youth. They recognize several important facts.

We should never become so important that we lose the ability to laugh at ourselves.

There are few universal truths.

The greater the purported certainty of a claim, the less likely it is actual certain.

There are always more than one side to every position. One of the best ways to understand a position is to evaluate the point in which it becomes absurd.

This country is currently facing one of the greatest economic crisis of our lifetimes. Unemployment is rapidly increasing. Bankruptcies and foreclosures have dramatically increased. Our trade deficit for the has caused the transfer of core assets of this country for decades. Our budget deficit has grown exponentially. Our ability to fund any government function can exist only if China continues to buy our debt. China of course is our primary economic and military rival. In this crisis Democrats and Republicans both assert the need for bipartisan solutions. When forced to debate the issues, however, both elected leaders of both parties resorted to party line votes with finger pointing across the aisle that the other was not willing to share their toys. When such serious leadership seems to have such limitations, maybe common sense suggests that we listen to our comics.