Higher and Higher
COMMON GROUND***COMMON GOOD***COMMON SENSE
***COMMON PURPOSE***COMMON CORE VALUES
TO GET BACK TO THE MOTHER-SHIP...HERE IS THAT ADDRESS
http://spirit-in-sky-paul-1.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-america-dream-of-every-boy.html
(Cut and paste the address above, and you will get back home.)
THIS SPACE RESERVED STRICTLY FOR POLITICAL JUNKIES
***************************************************************
GIVE YOUR ATTENTION to the interesting style of the page heading. Do you
NOT find it a bit un-settling; the DOUBLE-MEANING of the PS... PALM SPRINGS/PAUL SERVELLE...hm-m...
(With this post, Sky Papa jumps forward to Monday (tomorrow).
NOT THIS TIME
Don’t give into fear and lies; now is the time for real solutions
to a real problems.
Republicans and most Democrats led us into Iraq with nothing
but a bunch of lies and scare tactics. Those same Republicans and Democrats are lying and trying to scare us again. This time it is a bunch of lies and scare tactics about the economy.
Americans of all political leanings must unite and shout out loud,
NOT THIS TIME. We can’t stand by and just let this happen again.
Two thirds of all Americans believe we went into Iraq without honest discussion about why?
We were spending $10,000,000,000.00 each month on Iraq. NOW
more than a decade later, the thousands of lives and immeasurable loss to tens of thousands of our finest men and women in uniform and their families reflect only the most visible consequences of this wrong response to the wrong problem.
Please, America, do not stand by and let us again be stampeded into another tragic wrong response to the wrong problem.
You don’t need a Ph.D. in economics or a seat on Wall Street to understand what is really going on. Over the past four decades, all efforts to check the excesses of greed on Wall Street were turned back. It was believed as getting in the way of free enterprise and free markets. The results from this almost total lack of over-sight were huge wind-fall gains in the hundreds of millions of dollars for a few and growing problem for the many.
After squeezing the housing and credit markets dry, the CEOs gathered up their multi-million dollar bonuses and began their exit from the scene of their deeds. They have left quite a mess in their wake.
At one time, there were five “old money” major financial institutions that served as willing hosts over the past decade to the financial wheeling and dealings that supported Wall Street. These “blue-bloods” of Wall Street are now down to only two. These two hold most of the worthless paper we hear so much about.
And, make no mistake, it is worthless. The link to anything real, like homes, or pork bellies or whatever that is tangible, was severed years ago when “derivatives” were created. It is these financial instruments called derivatives that are left and they have no value.
What happens if tax payers don’t bail-out these two firms that are the financial industries; they will have to write-off their losses. And, begin again. That still leads the rest of us with some major financial problems of our own.
American households are desperate for liquidity…they need CASH. Households are the source of consumer spending that accounts for over 2/3 of GDP. Plans should focus on the quickest ways to get cash into their hands. It worked wonders in the post great depression period and can work wonders now as well.
In summary, don’t be frightened into going along with the wrong answer to the wrong problem. Keep our eye on getting help to those who need it the most. It will reward not only our economy but also our souls.
(1st post this ESSAY Jan. 28, 2012.)
SOMETHINGS NEVER CHANGE
CAPITALISM IS A MORAL SYSTEM; IS NOW AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN
Robust expressions of belonging to a community are critical to a full flowering of Democracy. Capitalism, on the other hand, promotes the virtues of individualism.
A working Democracy and an adherence to the practices of Capitalism are not sustainable and are, therefore, in practice, mutually exclusive pursuits.
Again and again, Adam Smith, in his book "The Wealth of Nations", warned of the collusive nature of business interests, which may form cabals or monopolies, fixing the highest price "which can be squeezed out of the buyers".
Smith also warned that a true 'laissez-faire' based economy would quickly become a conspiracy of businesses and industry against consumers, with the former scheming to influence politics and legislation.
Smith states that the interest of manufacturers and merchants "...in any particular branch of trade or manufactures, is always in some respects different from, and even opposite to, that of the public..."
ECONOMICS 101, where did we go so terribly wrong!
(1st post this ESSAY Jan. 27, 2012.)
TODAY’S OXYMORON: THE WISE-MEN OF WALL STREET
(1st posted 9/24/2008 11:14 AM PDT on MyDesert.com)
Repeat post Jan. 26, 2012)
{I am: Paul J. Servelle. I offer-up these explanatory comments,
this evening 1/26/2012. Although written some 40 months ago, it
seems to me that the conditions described THEN are essentially
unchanged as those NOW confronting our Nation. One might even
suggest they are eerily similar.}
The only way we can avoid total darkness from sweeping across the globe,
we are told by the wise-men of Wall Street,is for tax-payers to hand-over
a trillion dollars with no questions asked.
The appearance of ‘the three-wise men of finance’ before congressional
committees this week has an eerie resemblance to “The War of the Worlds”.
Seldom has such hysteria been generated over such nonsense.
Common sense, coming mostly from Americans on Main Street, is recognizing
the ridiculousness of these claims. Instead, common sense argues that the
real crisis is to be found outside the halls of Wall Street. It is to be
found in the realities of problems confronting real people across the country.
Real problems are to be found in: (1) the growing numbers of delinquencies
and foreclosures: (2) the increasing levels of unemployment; (3) the stag-
nation in GDP; and (4) the decline in consumer confidence.
Most Americans already understand what most policy-makers do not. Real
problems demand ‘real’ solutions. The most urgent step necessary to stem
the crisis is to get cash into the hands of consumers. (Consumer spending
being about 70 percent of GDP.)
The source of the Main Street crisis is housing; the solution of the crisis
on Main Street is housing as well. Households urgently need liquidity. The
quickest and best fix is a moratorium on mortgage payments.
Congress should place an immediate 90 day moratorium on all mortgage payments
coming due across the country. This single action would have the immediate beneficial consequences.
First, it would inject liquidity into the system when and where it is so
desperately needed. Second, consumers would immediately begin a spree of
spending that would induce secondary and tertiary rounds of additional
spending.
This spending in turn would induce production and jobs; the classic
'pump-priming' effects of Keynesian economics that produced prosperity in the
1960s. Ultimately, it needs to be remembered that borrowing and investment
follow, not lead, consumer spending.
CONSENSUS CAPITALISM
Middle of the road voters need a new economic paradigm.
The old choices:
more or less government
tax the rich or give them bigger tax breaks; and
“grab-what-you-can-capitalism”
These are 'Quick-fixes’ and they never did work. And, in a
quick-fix nation (like our own) doing something to fix the
economy is problematic.
OK folks, here’s the problem with the economy
Putting aside speculation on the weather, perhaps the most
talked about and least understood topic of discussion among
ordinary Americans is the economy.
One’s perspective is a direct reflection of one’s circumstance.
As Ronnie Reagan famously remarked, “A recession is when
your neighbor is unemployed; a depression is when you are!”
Of course, if the number of unemployed in the neighborhood
increases, other area homeowners are the first to notice.
Cosmetic yard maintenance is the first sign. Economic anxiety
heightens along with weeds left unattended.
Consumer confidence data attempts to track changes in the level
of anxiety about which direction the economy is headed; anxiety
increases as the economy heads south.
Here-in is the real trouble.
Increasing anxiety generates behaviors that cause…
the economy to go further south.
(1st post this Essay Jan. 26, 2012)
AS PART OF MY PLEDGE TO HAVE FULL-DISCLOSURE & TRANSPARENCY DURING THIS CAMPAIGN,
ABOVE IS MY CURRENT HEALTH REGIME. (I VISITED DR. FORELAND today 1/25/2012.)
YIKESssss...IS SKY PAPA waiting for an INVITATION to join in the...RACE for
the congressional office in the 36th CD...now Occupied by One PERCENT (by WHATZ her LAST NAME NOW; Hint: rhymes with BACK. Like, 'Oh,my aching ...')
JUST FIVE WEEKS to gather up FOLKS (the other 99%) to SUPPORT a NPP candidate (Hey,
that COULD BE ME!!!)
WHILE LOOKING for a decidedly 'Older-gentleman' wearing 'TWO RED tennis-shoes'
WHO is HUNTING for YOU to sign HIS PETITION,
HERE is something for you to consider:
SKY PAPA is dedicated to reaching out to his fellow Americans to bring about fundamental change in the ways things are done in Washington, D.C.
Fundamental change:
to replace derisiveness with cooperation.
Fundamental change:
to seek common ground rather than focusing on our differences.
Fundamental change:
to build bridges to all people, both in this country and abroad, not tear them down,
Fundamental change:
to use diplomacy first but have a thoughtful Plan B.
Fundamental change:
to encourage behavior that will be good for the environment.
Fundamental change:
to make access to real health care reform a reality not a slogan.
SKY PAPA BELIEVES HE JUST MADE HIS FIRST PLEDGE TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS 36th CD.
BELIEVE IT!!!
REMEMBERING SONNY
GOAL: TO FIND A GOVERNING MAJORITY
American presidential politics: what will it take to once again have a President elected with a governing “majority”?
Which Presidents had it; and why?
Reagan had it…personality
Nixon had it…polarizing of Vietnam
FDR had it…government leads
LBJ had it…but lost it
Ike had it…slow and steady
Politics revolves around the art of compromise. Any middle child knows that living in community involves finding ways to balance needs and make things work rather than demanding to get one's way. Our political system has tried to kill the idea of compromise because many now believe those who disagree to be idiots, godless or downright evil. It boils down to this, why compromise with people who are foolish or evil?
Politics involves the art of compromise. The political news media and recent campaigns have little use for non-polarizing language. Is political cooperation dead? I hope not
Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of many of England's Orthodox Jews, identifies a negative phenomenon he calls "narrow casting." Sacks explains that those who narrow cast use communication technologies such as the internet or talk radio to address only people who agree with the message being presented. This high tech preaching to the choir polarizes the audience because interaction with those who disagree is purely voluntary.
Narrow casting radicalizes the audience, reduces the sense of a broader community and often does so by demonizing those not listening to a given radio program or viewing a politically charged web page. Benjamin Barber explains that modern technology has made it easier for groups such as neo-Nazi's to target an audience without having to engage in debate over their material. Modern communication devices allow any group to tailor their message only to like-minded people
6 Planks for the Unity Movement
If each of us assumes that we are not the sole repository of governmental wisdom, then the appeal of centrism grows. I have tried to put together a 6 plank platform that reflects the combined wisdom of conservatives, liberals and moderates. Therefore, it is likely either to please no one or to be productive and give voters something around which to rally.
1. Return to Pay as You Go: All non-emergency spending increases or tax cuts need to be paid for by corresponding tax increases or spending cuts. This will force the legislative branch and voters alike to discuss what are and are not national priorities.
2. Set a Goal to Balance the Budget: During recessions this may be difficult to achieve, but if the national debt grows at 3% per year and the economy at 4% per year it is sustainable. In good years, a balanced budget or surplus would allow for shoring up Social Security and Medicare while giving the nation greater control over long term interest rates. Low interest rates are key because affordable capital is important to a capitalist society.
3. Use Market Forces and Tort Reform to Better Control Health Costs: Allowing for prescription drugs from Canada to compete with the same drugs in the U.S. will let the free market push drug costs down. Also, Medicare, Medicaid and the U.S. military can negotiate harder for lower drug prices. Such lower prices are good for almost every sector of the society. An attorney I know always says, "Everyone loves tort reform until they have been wronged." He is correct, but still some moderate form of tort reform is needed so long as it has a safeguard against allowing corporations to literally get off cheap for despicable deeds.
4. Increase Government Investment in People: Under pay as you go rules, this would require cuts in inefficient government in order to pay for government programs such as an expanded Pell Grant program, a more robust Peace Corps and an effective dose of preventative medicine. A leaner government can do things to enhance U.S. competitiveness in a global market.
5. Require Competency for Government Appointments: The days of patronage will never end. The days of appointing horse breeders to run FEMA need to end. Basic competency is a reasonable thing to ask of government officials.
6. Develop an Energy Policy that Addresses Green Concerns and National Security Issues: Finding a way to cut foreign oil consumption through more efficient cars and new forms of fuel is more than sane. Somehow it has not been a political priority since 2001. That needs to change.
***COMMON PURPOSE***COMMON CORE VALUES
TO GET BACK TO THE MOTHER-SHIP...HERE IS THAT ADDRESS
http://spirit-in-sky-paul-1.blogspot.com/2011/06/in-america-dream-of-every-boy.html
(Cut and paste the address above, and you will get back home.)
THIS SPACE RESERVED STRICTLY FOR POLITICAL JUNKIES
***************************************************************
GIVE YOUR ATTENTION to the interesting style of the page heading. Do you
NOT find it a bit un-settling; the DOUBLE-MEANING of the PS... PALM SPRINGS/PAUL SERVELLE...hm-m...
(With this post, Sky Papa jumps forward to Monday (tomorrow).
NOT THIS TIME
Don’t give into fear and lies; now is the time for real solutions
to a real problems.
Republicans and most Democrats led us into Iraq with nothing
but a bunch of lies and scare tactics. Those same Republicans and Democrats are lying and trying to scare us again. This time it is a bunch of lies and scare tactics about the economy.
Americans of all political leanings must unite and shout out loud,
NOT THIS TIME. We can’t stand by and just let this happen again.
Two thirds of all Americans believe we went into Iraq without honest discussion about why?
We were spending $10,000,000,000.00 each month on Iraq. NOW
more than a decade later, the thousands of lives and immeasurable loss to tens of thousands of our finest men and women in uniform and their families reflect only the most visible consequences of this wrong response to the wrong problem.
Please, America, do not stand by and let us again be stampeded into another tragic wrong response to the wrong problem.
You don’t need a Ph.D. in economics or a seat on Wall Street to understand what is really going on. Over the past four decades, all efforts to check the excesses of greed on Wall Street were turned back. It was believed as getting in the way of free enterprise and free markets. The results from this almost total lack of over-sight were huge wind-fall gains in the hundreds of millions of dollars for a few and growing problem for the many.
After squeezing the housing and credit markets dry, the CEOs gathered up their multi-million dollar bonuses and began their exit from the scene of their deeds. They have left quite a mess in their wake.
At one time, there were five “old money” major financial institutions that served as willing hosts over the past decade to the financial wheeling and dealings that supported Wall Street. These “blue-bloods” of Wall Street are now down to only two. These two hold most of the worthless paper we hear so much about.
And, make no mistake, it is worthless. The link to anything real, like homes, or pork bellies or whatever that is tangible, was severed years ago when “derivatives” were created. It is these financial instruments called derivatives that are left and they have no value.
What happens if tax payers don’t bail-out these two firms that are the financial industries; they will have to write-off their losses. And, begin again. That still leads the rest of us with some major financial problems of our own.
American households are desperate for liquidity…they need CASH. Households are the source of consumer spending that accounts for over 2/3 of GDP. Plans should focus on the quickest ways to get cash into their hands. It worked wonders in the post great depression period and can work wonders now as well.
In summary, don’t be frightened into going along with the wrong answer to the wrong problem. Keep our eye on getting help to those who need it the most. It will reward not only our economy but also our souls.
(1st post this ESSAY Jan. 28, 2012.)
SOMETHINGS NEVER CHANGE
CAPITALISM IS A MORAL SYSTEM; IS NOW AND ALWAYS HAS BEEN
Robust expressions of belonging to a community are critical to a full flowering of Democracy. Capitalism, on the other hand, promotes the virtues of individualism.
A working Democracy and an adherence to the practices of Capitalism are not sustainable and are, therefore, in practice, mutually exclusive pursuits.
Again and again, Adam Smith, in his book "The Wealth of Nations", warned of the collusive nature of business interests, which may form cabals or monopolies, fixing the highest price "which can be squeezed out of the buyers".
Smith also warned that a true 'laissez-faire' based economy would quickly become a conspiracy of businesses and industry against consumers, with the former scheming to influence politics and legislation.
Smith states that the interest of manufacturers and merchants "...in any particular branch of trade or manufactures, is always in some respects different from, and even opposite to, that of the public..."
ECONOMICS 101, where did we go so terribly wrong!
(1st post this ESSAY Jan. 27, 2012.)
TODAY’S OXYMORON: THE WISE-MEN OF WALL STREET
(1st posted 9/24/2008 11:14 AM PDT on MyDesert.com)
Repeat post Jan. 26, 2012)
{I am: Paul J. Servelle. I offer-up these explanatory comments,
this evening 1/26/2012. Although written some 40 months ago, it
seems to me that the conditions described THEN are essentially
unchanged as those NOW confronting our Nation. One might even
suggest they are eerily similar.}
The only way we can avoid total darkness from sweeping across the globe,
we are told by the wise-men of Wall Street,is for tax-payers to hand-over
a trillion dollars with no questions asked.
The appearance of ‘the three-wise men of finance’ before congressional
committees this week has an eerie resemblance to “The War of the Worlds”.
Seldom has such hysteria been generated over such nonsense.
Common sense, coming mostly from Americans on Main Street, is recognizing
the ridiculousness of these claims. Instead, common sense argues that the
real crisis is to be found outside the halls of Wall Street. It is to be
found in the realities of problems confronting real people across the country.
Real problems are to be found in: (1) the growing numbers of delinquencies
and foreclosures: (2) the increasing levels of unemployment; (3) the stag-
nation in GDP; and (4) the decline in consumer confidence.
Most Americans already understand what most policy-makers do not. Real
problems demand ‘real’ solutions. The most urgent step necessary to stem
the crisis is to get cash into the hands of consumers. (Consumer spending
being about 70 percent of GDP.)
The source of the Main Street crisis is housing; the solution of the crisis
on Main Street is housing as well. Households urgently need liquidity. The
quickest and best fix is a moratorium on mortgage payments.
Congress should place an immediate 90 day moratorium on all mortgage payments
coming due across the country. This single action would have the immediate beneficial consequences.
First, it would inject liquidity into the system when and where it is so
desperately needed. Second, consumers would immediately begin a spree of
spending that would induce secondary and tertiary rounds of additional
spending.
This spending in turn would induce production and jobs; the classic
'pump-priming' effects of Keynesian economics that produced prosperity in the
1960s. Ultimately, it needs to be remembered that borrowing and investment
follow, not lead, consumer spending.
CONSENSUS CAPITALISM
Middle of the road voters need a new economic paradigm.
The old choices:
more or less government
tax the rich or give them bigger tax breaks; and
“grab-what-you-can-capitalism”
These are 'Quick-fixes’ and they never did work. And, in a
quick-fix nation (like our own) doing something to fix the
economy is problematic.
OK folks, here’s the problem with the economy
Putting aside speculation on the weather, perhaps the most
talked about and least understood topic of discussion among
ordinary Americans is the economy.
One’s perspective is a direct reflection of one’s circumstance.
As Ronnie Reagan famously remarked, “A recession is when
your neighbor is unemployed; a depression is when you are!”
Of course, if the number of unemployed in the neighborhood
increases, other area homeowners are the first to notice.
Cosmetic yard maintenance is the first sign. Economic anxiety
heightens along with weeds left unattended.
Consumer confidence data attempts to track changes in the level
of anxiety about which direction the economy is headed; anxiety
increases as the economy heads south.
Here-in is the real trouble.
Increasing anxiety generates behaviors that cause…
the economy to go further south.
(1st post this Essay Jan. 26, 2012)
AS PART OF MY PLEDGE TO HAVE FULL-DISCLOSURE & TRANSPARENCY DURING THIS CAMPAIGN,
ABOVE IS MY CURRENT HEALTH REGIME. (I VISITED DR. FORELAND today 1/25/2012.)
YIKESssss...IS SKY PAPA waiting for an INVITATION to join in the...RACE for
the congressional office in the 36th CD...now Occupied by One PERCENT (by WHATZ her LAST NAME NOW; Hint: rhymes with BACK. Like, 'Oh,my aching ...')
JUST FIVE WEEKS to gather up FOLKS (the other 99%) to SUPPORT a NPP candidate (Hey,
that COULD BE ME!!!)
WHILE LOOKING for a decidedly 'Older-gentleman' wearing 'TWO RED tennis-shoes'
WHO is HUNTING for YOU to sign HIS PETITION,
HERE is something for you to consider:
SKY PAPA is dedicated to reaching out to his fellow Americans to bring about fundamental change in the ways things are done in Washington, D.C.
Fundamental change:
to replace derisiveness with cooperation.
Fundamental change:
to seek common ground rather than focusing on our differences.
Fundamental change:
to build bridges to all people, both in this country and abroad, not tear them down,
Fundamental change:
to use diplomacy first but have a thoughtful Plan B.
Fundamental change:
to encourage behavior that will be good for the environment.
Fundamental change:
to make access to real health care reform a reality not a slogan.
SKY PAPA BELIEVES HE JUST MADE HIS FIRST PLEDGE TO THE PEOPLE OF THIS 36th CD.
BELIEVE IT!!!
REMEMBERING SONNY
GOAL: TO FIND A GOVERNING MAJORITY
American presidential politics: what will it take to once again have a President elected with a governing “majority”?
Which Presidents had it; and why?
Reagan had it…personality
Nixon had it…polarizing of Vietnam
FDR had it…government leads
LBJ had it…but lost it
Ike had it…slow and steady
Politics revolves around the art of compromise. Any middle child knows that living in community involves finding ways to balance needs and make things work rather than demanding to get one's way. Our political system has tried to kill the idea of compromise because many now believe those who disagree to be idiots, godless or downright evil. It boils down to this, why compromise with people who are foolish or evil?
Politics involves the art of compromise. The political news media and recent campaigns have little use for non-polarizing language. Is political cooperation dead? I hope not
Jonathan Sacks, the Chief Rabbi of many of England's Orthodox Jews, identifies a negative phenomenon he calls "narrow casting." Sacks explains that those who narrow cast use communication technologies such as the internet or talk radio to address only people who agree with the message being presented. This high tech preaching to the choir polarizes the audience because interaction with those who disagree is purely voluntary.
Narrow casting radicalizes the audience, reduces the sense of a broader community and often does so by demonizing those not listening to a given radio program or viewing a politically charged web page. Benjamin Barber explains that modern technology has made it easier for groups such as neo-Nazi's to target an audience without having to engage in debate over their material. Modern communication devices allow any group to tailor their message only to like-minded people
6 Planks for the Unity Movement
If each of us assumes that we are not the sole repository of governmental wisdom, then the appeal of centrism grows. I have tried to put together a 6 plank platform that reflects the combined wisdom of conservatives, liberals and moderates. Therefore, it is likely either to please no one or to be productive and give voters something around which to rally.
1. Return to Pay as You Go: All non-emergency spending increases or tax cuts need to be paid for by corresponding tax increases or spending cuts. This will force the legislative branch and voters alike to discuss what are and are not national priorities.
2. Set a Goal to Balance the Budget: During recessions this may be difficult to achieve, but if the national debt grows at 3% per year and the economy at 4% per year it is sustainable. In good years, a balanced budget or surplus would allow for shoring up Social Security and Medicare while giving the nation greater control over long term interest rates. Low interest rates are key because affordable capital is important to a capitalist society.
3. Use Market Forces and Tort Reform to Better Control Health Costs: Allowing for prescription drugs from Canada to compete with the same drugs in the U.S. will let the free market push drug costs down. Also, Medicare, Medicaid and the U.S. military can negotiate harder for lower drug prices. Such lower prices are good for almost every sector of the society. An attorney I know always says, "Everyone loves tort reform until they have been wronged." He is correct, but still some moderate form of tort reform is needed so long as it has a safeguard against allowing corporations to literally get off cheap for despicable deeds.
4. Increase Government Investment in People: Under pay as you go rules, this would require cuts in inefficient government in order to pay for government programs such as an expanded Pell Grant program, a more robust Peace Corps and an effective dose of preventative medicine. A leaner government can do things to enhance U.S. competitiveness in a global market.
5. Require Competency for Government Appointments: The days of patronage will never end. The days of appointing horse breeders to run FEMA need to end. Basic competency is a reasonable thing to ask of government officials.
6. Develop an Energy Policy that Addresses Green Concerns and National Security Issues: Finding a way to cut foreign oil consumption through more efficient cars and new forms of fuel is more than sane. Somehow it has not been a political priority since 2001. That needs to change.
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