Hate Crimes and Hate Crime Reporting Michigan-MDRC

Hate is a dangerous thing for nations that seek to draw in the most talent and economic development. Whether that is antisemitic, anti-muslim, anti-white, anti-black, anti-gay or any other it takes away from our collective sense of togetherness (You may not agree with everyone but you don't have the right to hate or act on that hate.). There are times and places where different rules apply to different people and we should fix such situations where extremism has come to define legal values and outcomes. 

We have a Constitution and Bill of Rights that supports freedom and that doesn't matter who someone is, how they worship and or their skin color (These are the supreme laws of the land. Not all people believe in them just like they don't value the oaths they take. Good thing they are not the norm.). Laws should always reach, albeit imperfectly, toward a higher moral order and greater unity of purpose. That often starts with recognizing hate, reporting it accurately (for research), investigating it, and holding it to account. Those that can't do that should not be in positions of authority; not in this or any system that strives for justice.

Yet sometimes when such behavior, which normally would be considered dangerous and grotesque is not reported in order to help one's friends, ideologies, clubs, or social groups, we have a lack of authenticity. That in turn becomes a violation of societal trust and again in turn takes away from the performance of the whole (economically and socially). People know intuitively the difference between right and wrong as well as those who talk out the side of their mouths (We are hopefully on the back end on the popularization of hate among some groups. We should always keep a watchful eye least they begin to manipulate the system). Universalizing our values can only bring benefits of unity and greater human capital development through environmental enhancements.

If your wondering what hate is and when to report it you can watch the video below. Selling higher values to those who have positions of authority who support hate is a difficult thing sometimes; especially in power over situations. While such distorted values might not be the norm in most places, they still persist in some and that is a danger to everyone (Think of the next diverse generation and how they may view free pass systems). I could go on and on about a hypothetical story (the thought experiment of a family targeted for 5 years because of the exploitation of hate and authority) of hate but the point is that we have a duty to protect our society from those who are doing wrong and correct when hate manipulates our system.

This is why I support better mechanisms or reporting and holding to account the destructive values that damage our unity (Just in case your wondering my values. I'm a light R who values Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Speech. To me, that is a deeply conservative value that shows a sense of moral conscious and connection to our historical line of development. That is what makes this country great. We can all worship and practice the way we see fit. There are some who sold out those values. January 6th and hometown groups that supported, protected and encouraged hate. I have a moral, religious, and ethical duty to support our democratic and universal values as a society and a people. Not sure how many others feel the same. R, D, or I. Being an American dishwasher is better then selling out one's values. I actually think I mean that on a deep neural level. Moral Sensitives 💁 )

National Debt Rises to $33 Trillion Raising Alarm Bells and Concerns (A few questions?)

The news is all the buzz over debt and its impact on our economy. Debt over the past 2 decades exploded to $33 Trillion (U.S. Treasury) is starting to cause some serious headaches. People are concerned that the cost of that debt and the servicing of that debt could impact other factors in economic and quality of life. Finding a method through the madness is not easy and there people out there with different theories on debt but solutions seem difficult at best to be found.

Cotton Office in New Orleans

Degas 1873

As a representation

of how global economics

influence adaptation

of industries nationally.

The article is just a discussion on some ideas and thoughts. 

The Current State:

The Fiscal Times has a quick snap shot it Deficit Rises to $1.7 Trillion in 2023: CBO

-The federal government revenues were $4.4 trillion from Oct 22' to Sept. 23' year, $455 billion (9%) less than the year before.

-Oct 22' to Sept. 23' year was $6.1 trillion, $141 billion (2%) decline from last year.

-$33 Trillion total national debt.

Consolidation:

From an article in Capital Matters we find that consolidation might help. Inflation Matters

-Debt at 94% of GDP.

-Suggestions long term debt roll over and consolidation (Might be only a short term solution if that long term debt is not worked on.)

Consumer (Business) Debt:

Reason put together an article on Fiscal Control and Inflation that discusses reducing consumer debt.

-Short term negative wealth effects consumer debt reduction lead to slowing demand driven inflation. 

-Can we extend that concept to businesses as well for a higher effect if needed?

Congressional Budget Office has information related to what is has approved and the work it has done. 

A Couple of Studies:

There is a little older study that seems to give some support that increases in debt also raise inflation and the cost and perhaps the size of that debt. Public Debt, Money Supply, and Inflation: A Cross-Country Study There is also a blog article on the difference of impact on demand and supply inflation and Inflation Shocks and Public Debt. Not finding something that definitively answers inflation questions and that may be part of the reason why a comprehensive strategy hasn't been created.

Reducing Debt and Increasing Wealth:

A few questions to ponder that don't have definitive answers because there is complexity in the economic decision and not enough research to fully ferret out cause and effect.

-Does reducing debt decrease inflation and in turn the cost of that debt?  

-Would allocating more (unknown percentage) reduce resources in the short run but increase resources in the mid and long term? 

-Does consolidation, adjustment of spending to reduce debt, and reallocation of "saved" resources to net positive industry-government investment (i.e. innovative transactional clusters) impact total national and personal wealth (perpetual sustainable economy)?

-Can industry innovation, human capital development (broad based and biased free) and technology integration create centralization to the highest value of the supply chain in a way that increases wages, profits, and net wealth positives?

-Could a review of the effectiveness and positive benefits/detractors of government programs save 10-15% of government cost while not radically reducing outcomes?

-Is debt a hindrance to transactional costs and in turn reduce the greasing of underlining economic mechanics of growth?

No definitive solutions here yet but a few ideas to ponder. What do you think?

Steve Scalise Drops GOP Bid for Speaker of House

Steve Scalise drops out because he can't get the full vote form fellow GOP members. Some are arguing whether there are anyone who can take on this role. What we do have to ask ourselves are we dealing with one or two parties within the same party? We have to watch how people group up in their votes and what they are requesting from leadership. Either way we need a fully functioning government to make decisions during tricky times. It is best to set non essential issues to the side and find someone who can get the votes to ensure we can function at fuller/full capacity.

27 American's Killed in Hamas Israel War

American lives are precious, all lives are precious, there is no religion or value system that can justify the loss of the innocent. I pray for the return, safekeeping and evacuation of any American still in harm's way. May we someday find a way to create lasting peace in the Middle East. This is a difficult and dangerous situation for so many people. My heart goes out to those who are under extreme duress and danger. Our prayers are with you and your families. 😪

Gen. Eric Smith Discusses Priorities Such As Talent Development

General Eric Smith discusses changes he would like to implement in the Marine Corps. Matching advanced technology to individual Marine ethos will likely develop capacity. Supply lines and the way in which we innovate industries is also likely to encourage new breakthroughs in capabilities. The nature of warfare has changed and adaptation is likely going to be highly important. Priorities the Next 4 Years

Society has a responsibility to support our military and military vets to encourage recruitment, retention and excellence.

Inflation Increases .4% in September 2023: Consumer Price Index

September's Consumer Price Index came out. You can read more in September Consumer Price Index. Yahoo finance also has a discussion in Yahoo Inflation Consumer Prices. Paying attention to see what happens to inflation and its impact on the economy. The goal right now is to bring it down and I'm still wondering if there are alternative methods to drop it. 

-The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) rose 0.4 percent in September

-Over the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.7 percent before seasonal adjustment.

-The all items index increased 3.7 percent for the 12 months ending September.

-The all items less food and energy index rose 4.1 percent over the last 12 months.

John Rawls' A Theory of Justice: Is it Important to Encourage Justice in Society?

 Philosophy is an important part of our lives and impacts much in our world. Justice and injustice is something that we discuss regularly and has many different viewpoints in arguments. John Rawls discusses what is fairness and uses the thought experiment of veil of ignorance where one doesn't know what race, religion, wealth, or role one is in society and how they would make decisions. If one did not know how one was born they would in essence want more equality in liberty, fair opportunity, and fair treatment because they don't want to gamble with their lifetimes.

Thinking along those lines we know that society grows best when there are reasonable differences but those differences are based on individual merit and not on extraneous factors that one cannot control (the veil of ignorance). For example, one earns more because they learned new skills or invented something new would not be injustice. This is also one reason why we have Bill of Rights, Constitution and other artifacts that try and encourage a sense of justice that increases the most motivation for people to strive and gain so society can benefit from their efforts. 

Sometimes they don't work out as it should on a granular level and that is where corrections could be found so as to improve the systems society relies on to maintain a sense of justice. I believe that it is a moral responsibility of society to encourage what is good and discourage what is dishonest or destructive (i.e. rewarding poor or dishonest behaviors that becomes normalized and drags down the performance of the whole.). Supporting justice fosters greater economic engagement and outcomes that helps all of society in a way that creates widespread benefits.

Outside of Rawl's theory we have cultural symbolism that are designed to deal with intentional injustices (It has some form of it tens of thousands of years ago and carries through to today. There are deep psychological and sociological reasons why these beliefs persist.). When such injustices occur and there are no ways to correct, most societies symbolize a great judgement in the hereafter. Almost every society, religion, and philosophical system has some form of it and its part of our collective unconscious because it is embedded into our human experience.

Encouraging justice and correcting injustice should be part of every justice system and is central to its purpose in society and in alignment with our cultural assumptions. It would be neglectful of one's duty to not make improvements where deficiencies are found or injustices have occurred. Even where we may feel we are doing well, we can often find room for improvement. When we feel we don't have room for improvement, that is when the intent of injustice creeps in and begins to erode the whole. The simple act of striving is what makes society a better place from generation to generation.