Would you please consider an idea for improving the political intelligence of Americans? nnSurveys by the news media have repeatedly shown that a majority of Americans are too ignorant to vote intelligently. Research by political scientists has repeatedly shown that a majority of Americans can not give rational explanations for their opinions. Comedians routinely get laughs by interviewing people standing in line to vote. And a recent survey by the Woodrow Wilson Foundation showed that a majority of Americans cannot even pass the citizenship test that legal aliens are required to pass before becoming a citizen. So something needs to be done.
Well, a big improvement could be accomplished by creating an annual one week town meeting for an entire country via state and local newspapers. To maximize the supply and demand curves for newspapers during the week, Congress must reschedule Presidents Day — or create a new paid vacation day for government employees —- so it will be scheduled on the Monday closest in the calendar to the percentage for our country’s average rate of taxation. (29% = April 15 for 2019. Any changes in our taxes or economy would be handled by scheduling each Taxpayers Holiday 20 years in advance.) This new holiday will make most taxpayers madder than an unregulated firecracker. That will produce an annual surge in supply and demand for newspaper audits and analyses of our federal, state and local governments during the week of the holiday. Just like annual surges in supply and demand for firecrackers with the 4th of July and turkeys for Thanksgiving and children’s toys for Christmas and alcohol for New Year’s Eve. The demand curves could be further increased by every newspaper creating a Whistle Blower of the Year Award. That should also create both more whistle blowers and more protection for whistle blowers. Then every state should reschedule their primary elections for Congress so they happen after the new holiday. That will enable voters to study the audits and analyses right before they vote in their primary elections. And it should make it profitable for the newspapers to republish their one week series of audits and analyses in ebooks or print on demand paperback books so people can buy an annual textbook on their government of the people, etc. Then the voters can vote more intelligently in November. Moreover, the combination of annual textbooks and the divide and conquer investigative journalism of Congress will stimulate the voters to force their representatives to end the regulatory capture of agencies like the SEC and the CFPB.
For information on how a Taxpayers Holiday will make it more exciting for children to study American History, please go to my website (skrauter dot org). This improvement should gradually increase the percentage of Americans who can pass the citizenship test for becoming an American.
In the 10/15/19 TPP, “Striking GM Workers Lose Company-Sponsored Health Coverage” stated that the union was going to pick up the COBRA payments to keep union members insured while the strike goes on. And I got to thinking, if you take the health coverage away from firms in their dealing with unions, much of their leverage is taken away. And negotiating could focus on the other issues, such as safety, hours, treatment of new hires as relating to existing employees. More like in Europe.
COBRA payments are much higher than the normal health insurance payments, so GM was definitely playing “hardball” with the employees. [Editor’s Note: After the story was written, GM relented and kept the insurance coverage during the strike.] Fast forward to Medicare for All. That would level the playing field for companies and workers. But then the question is “How would we pay for it?” I would suggest that any employee that currently has health insurance through their company would immediately see more money in their paycheck, unless the company picked up that expense (read high-level executives). And if you are an employee that gets company-sponsored health care, then the company negotiated the plan (so much for free choice of a plan) and since they almost always pass that cost on to the employee, there is little incentive for the company to get the “best” for the employees.
That does leave the employees that can’t get insurance through their employer. And that is a lot of employees. And some method needs to be devised so that those employers who have worked the system to avoid providing health insurance assist in the cost of universal health care through Medicare for All.
And remember, Medicare DOES NOT tell people who they can see, but functions as the accountant between the health industry and the people. This is NOT a Medicare Advantage Plan, but straight Medicare.
BARRIE EICHHORN, West Chester, Pa.
There was a time in our evolutional history that our neighbors “across the pond” deemed we were “fickle Americans.” but they should now know we’ve advanced to “outrightly corrupt, and arrogantly stupid.” As I ready to celebrate my 85th year of longevity, reflecting on my service to my country during the Korean War (1952-55, US Navy) and my community as a firefighter for roughly 28 years, did I ever envision that I would be spending the waning years of my life living in one of the “most corrupted nations” within the Westernized world.
In a fairly recent article Professor Peter Berger, who writes “Poor Elijah’s Almanack,” cited the fact that what “We” as a nation are missing is “accountability, shame, guilt and humility,” and I absolutely concur with his sentiments. These four characterizations are the essence of our becoming an outright plutocracy as well as a Red State/Blue State divided nation whose ideological hatred for the “others” amongst us are leading to pernicious outcomes, a loss of our humanity, as well as the threat of our civilization itself.
The continued exposure of corrupt politicians like Republican Rep. Chris Collins, the staunch supporter of Donald J. Trump from New York, as well as his son leads one to conclude that those involved with “politics” today (2019) must have a “criminal mindset” to be involved.
“We” are unfortunately at a point in our evolutionary status where nothing short of a revolutionary movement shall bring forth the essential changes to get our Democracy back.
FRANK ROHRIG, Milford, Conn.
Mark Gelbart, in his letter, “Cole is an anti-Semite” [10/15/19 TPP], goes to great lengths to pretend that Palestinians don’t exist: “… no such thing as a Palestinian people;” “so-called Palestinians …” He prefers to lump them in with all other Arabs. And yes, a lot of Palestinians are Arabs (Muslim and Christian), but they still distinguish themselves from other Arabs, just like the Jordanians, Lebanese, Egyptians are allowed to have their own distinction.
It would serve Gelbart’s purpose to dismiss the Palestinians entirely, pretend they don’t exist, so that, when Israel finally succeeds in totally ethnically cleansing them (as was the plan from the very beginning), it could be claimed that they didn’t even exist.
The problem is that those Palestinians cling to their homeland and just don’t want to disappear, despite all the efforts by the Israeli government to make them do so. Israel hadn’t counted on the sumud (steadfastness) of the Palestinian people, and has had to take extreme measures to make them go away.
There are so many lies and hasbara (propaganda) in Gelbart’s letter. As Netanyahu is quoted as saying in “Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s Public Relations War in the US”: “It doesn’t matter if justice is on your side. You have to depict your position as just.”
DORIS RAUSCH, Columbia, Md.
David Quintero [“Misogyny and Religion,” Letters, 10/15/19 TPP] seems to think that God (via religion) is responsible for misogyny and white supremacy and quotes I Timothy 2:11-15 to prove it.
One can see how he would draw that conclusion from these verses if one reads only them. This is one of those problems that can come up if one doesn’t consider who is being addressed in a book or epistle and doesn’t know any more than the verse addressed/quoted.
Paul is talking here about how people are to behave in the church. Remember, he is talking to early Christian believers who come from various cultures and backgrounds, i.e., the Gentiles (not Jewish). So he has to tell them how to set this up. I and II Corinthians and I and II Timothy have a lot to say about how men and women are to behave, not just women. They all are to be considerate, “sober” and godly, not otherwise, that he also lays out. These books are correcting errors.
He doesn’t say women should never talk, just they should know when, where and how. Men are corrected on this, too.
A thorough reading of all Paul’s epistles are edifying for all in the church for all the ages. Now knowing and heeding these scriptures are the course of even our current evils.
CHERYL LOVELY, Presque Isle, Maine
Is there anyone out there living in reality that still believes that our illustrious president is a self-proclaimed “stable genius” who professes to have “great and unmatched wisdom”? Look, the guy is a lunatic! He lets Turkey invade Syria with the caveat that if they don’t do it the right way, h will destroy Turkey’s economy in retaliation. What sense does that make? Trump is a complete fool!
MIKE EKLUND, Mercer, Wis.
We’ve seen Trump’s ploy for three years: He names others with disparaging words that actually pertain to himself. He called Ted Cruz “lying,” yet it’s Trump who’s told us more than 13,000 lies while in office. He called Hillary “crooked,” yet he’s the one receiving bribes from supplicants patronizing his hotels. Now, the president who gave classified secrets to the Russian ambassador during his first week in office, the commander-in-chief who dismissed our country’s intelligence agencies in favor of publicly defending Putin in Helsinki, has called whistleblowers and the congressional investigation chairman a “traitor.”
Asking foreign countries to discredit a political opponent illegally corrupts our elections. Conditioning our foreign policy with Ukraine on such political “favors” corrupts our national integrity. Withholding military aid from Ukraine defending itself against Russian incursion actually aids our enemy. That is treason.
Republican senators must choose: defend the traitor or defend the rule of law.
BRUCE JOFFE, Piedmont, Calif.
From The Progressive Populist, November 15, 2019
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