WHO’s in CHARGE?

BAMBOOZLED -- that’s the old word for being misled; scammed; fooled; lied to.  A perfect word to describe what the Republicans in Congress did with healthcare reform.

Their radical agenda is not in favor of healthcare reform or any other governmental “help” for anyone who may need a helping hand.  These extremists believe that nothing can be done well by government and that reform of anything can only be done by private entities like insurance companies, drug companies, banks, contractors, big corporations, etc., with the requisite help from  government to give them robust tax cuts, special privileges, tax breaks, lucrative contracts, and de-regulation so they can bilk the public every which way. 

So, are you being bamboozled?  Of course you are!  Consider this: the extremist Republicans have spent the last 30 years at least (and a whole lot longer actually) trying to divert your attention away from the real robber-barons, the real gougers, the real power-brokers, the real controllers of your lives.  By making “big government” the bogey-man and the nexus of control, they are clearly attempting to mislead us into believing that they are right about privatizing everything possible. 

But hold on a minute… have you forgotten the following:

• The health insurance companies that controlled you through provisions disallowing coverage if you had a pre-existing condition or got sick; that raised your premiums and co-pays every time you turned around; that made millions off the restrictions they imposed?
• The Wall Street firms that have forgotten whom they serve - the public - and have served up cooked-up investment instruments that have taken you to the cleaners, while they pay their employees and CEOs outrageous salary enhancements and bonuses?
  
• And while we’re on that subject, who in Congress is trying to prevent legislation that will curb Wall Street abuses of power?  That’s right - the extremist Republicans who want their friends on Wall Street to prosper (at your expense) so they can reap the rewards in their campaign coffers.  Oh-- and who helped them to do that very thing? - oh yes: the Supreme Court led by the right-wing justices who care nothing for the power of, by and for the people.
  
• Did you get Madoffed?  Bernied that is.  Well, lots of people did, and there are more Madoffs out there just waiting to feed on your gullibility and vulnerability.  Will right-wing Republicans protect you against them?  Not on your life.  They want you to believe instead that all the bad guys work in the federal bureaucracy!
  
• Carrying a credit card debt are you?  Gosh, another way for big banks to get your money with their outrageous charges and high interest rates, and their “minimum payment” scam.  Who did it take to pass legislation to take some control of these buzzards?  Democrats, not Republicans.
  
• Dealt with any big corporations lately?  After you get through the phone maze,  do they solve your problems?  How about car manufacturers?  Ever had a problem with a car - like a stuck accelerator - where the first response is to blame your way of driving?
  

We could go on like this, but let’s conclude with a pseudo-tribute to the huge lobbying contingent on Capitol Hill and in every capital city in this country.  Who’s in charge: the legislators?  OR, those who pay them, court them, manage their legislation?  The extremists desperately want you to believe that government is the problem instead of the solution, but right here we have the real story of power. 

While you are being distracted (bamboozled) by the Republican extremists to look to government as the problem, as the usurper of power and rights, here are the real culprits that the radical right profits from repeatedly.  They don’t want you to understand that too many of the banks, the corporations, the insurance companies, the brokers on Wall Street -- all of whom are represented by lobbyists in Washington (and elsewhere) - are the core of perverted power who are not in business for the good of society, but for their corporate and individual welfare.  These are the people in charge, and you don’t have a chance against them, unless that government you are being asked to despise, privatize and destroy acts to protect you through legislation, regulation, and policies that support “we the people.”
If you think I’m off the beam here, then ask yourself this question: when is the last time YOU were asked by a legislator what you wanted in a piece of legislation, like Mitch McConnell just did with wall street mucky-mucks?  Who’s really in charge?  Who’s protecting you? The Tea Party maybe?  As the blog Think Progress reported: "Despite… attempts to make the 'movement' appear organic, the principle organizers of the local events are actually the lobbyist-run think tanks ‘Americans for Prosperity’ and ‘FreedomWorks.’ The two groups are heavily staffed and well funded."

Stop being misled.  Stop being diverted.  Stop being bamboozled.  Choose to vote against those extremist Republicans, Tea partiers and Conservatives who want to blind you to the real takeover of your freedoms, your rights, and your power by the private sector robber-barons and their well-paid lobbyists.

I.M. PUBLIUS II

Moderate or Radical?

Are you a moderate or a radical?  Strange question?  Yes, but very revealing, especially in our present-day politicized environment.  Most of you would answer “moderate”, I’m willing to bet, but are you really?  Would you, as a moderate vote for someone who:

-- wants to gut Social Security for all those under age 55
-- will vote to allow private investment accounts for social security benefits
-- wants to privatize, promote vouchers, or completely change Medicare benefits
-- wants to get rid of Medicaid for the poor
-- wants to continue wars in Afghanistan and Iraq until we can be “victorious,” and wants a new war with Iran to be our primary response to them
-- opposes government-run programs and therefore, to be consistent, must work to privatize (out-source by contract) the Post Office, Border Guards, our Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard, first responders, prison guards, national institutes of health, etc., etc. (all government-run)
-- will vote to stop tax cuts for the rich and big corporations, and work to give them bigger tax breaks than ever before
-- supports the ability of corporate entities to control all aspects of our society and government (recently enhanced by the Supreme Court)
-- enables terrorism’s recruiting by favoring torture
-- believes that government cannot help to create jobs; that only the private sector can

These are all radical ideas either proposed by Republicans, conservatives, or Tea baggers.  If you are a true moderate, be careful!  The Republican Radicals are out to bamboozle you, because these are the radical ideas that are already being proposed in actual legislation, in the Tea baggers’ “Contract From America,” and in other “contracts” and proposals from these same non-moderates.  Your votes have consequences:  you will reap all of these radical changes if you vote for radicals who masquerade as moderates and independents!

Government and Private Sectors Need Each Other

Recently, I read an opinion letter in my local newspaper that suggested one might think that Washington has given up on America.  The author alleged that government spending cannot fix our economic woes, only private enterprise, private investment and private industry jobs can fix the recession. No more tax and spend;  he opined, “ If a measure increases the government’s budget, vote it down.” A-a-ah, simplicity itself!
Does this mean we should oppose all measures that increase government jobs -- like those of military personnel, police and firemen, and how about all those Doctors and Nurses in the VA system, post office workers, or border guards?  Has the author forgotten that governments, from the federal to the local level, are major employers, and without their support, we would be in dire straits, because sometimes government must take the lead to solve national problems or to provide extensive services?
This problem of recovery is not that simple, unfortunately.  First of all, government can definitely help to create a supportive environment for the creation of private enterprise, investment and new jobs.  In my opinion, that is what has happened through the auspices of President Obama and supportive Democrats (and a few Republicans) in Congress who have created an environment in which small businesses and larger enterprises have the opportunity to create a lasting recovery.  And guess what?  To a great extent, recovery is already evident.   Unfortunately, many private sector banks aren’t cooperating in this recovery effort by increased lending, and thus the private sector is not hiring as it should.  In this case,  government is less of a problem than certain avaricious big banks! 
Secondly, some of the most effective programs and measures are those that combine the resources of government and the private sector.  For example, many government programs that utilize and encourage volunteerism in various areas of need -- like Peace Corps, AmeriCorps, Vista, Older American Programs, Teacher Corps, Health Corps, and more -- have proven beyond a doubt that both government funding and private enterprise can cooperate to tackle problems of health, jobs, education, special needs of children--all at minimal expense for the U.S. Treasury. 
Third, putting all responsibility in the hands of private enterprise and private industry makes the same mistake as those who believe that government can solve all our problems alone.  Neither sector has all the answers; neither sector has enough resources on its own; neither sector can be fully trusted to act in a way that serves all the people who need service or help.  Simply saying that private enterprise will solve our problems is to forget that the private sector has another overriding interest: the profit motive.  Corporations like Enron, Halliburton and Toyota,  some banks and investment firms,  health insurers like Anthem Blue Cross in California do not necessarily have consumers’ interests at heart, and will not invest or initiate anything unless it pays off for them.  For instance, some have no compunction about taking tax-break or recovery money and raising rates, paying outrageous bonuses, hiring part-time workers with no health benefits, or making inferior products in order to save money and make more profit. 
We don’t need any more simplistic views of government and private enterprise.  We don’t need any more banal slogans and labeling that push simplicity into simplistic ideas.  We do need realistic and effective ways to assure that government and private enterprise work together for the benefit of our people and our society, and to make sure that both sectors are strongly challenged to initiate effective and efficient ways to solve problems and to provide services without overburdening our taxpayers and consumers.

Who Is PUBLIUS?

Publius, of course, as many of you know, is the pseudonym that the writers of the Federalist Papers used when writing to the people of New York State initially (and a broader audience later) explaining and defending the provisions of the new Constitution of the United States of America (as opposed to the Articles of Confederation). 
It was not unusual for essayists in the 18th century to use a well-chosen pen name (often having associations with the Roman Republic) in order to gain a hearing and readership for their views.  It also provided a convenient cover against potential charges of libel, and provided an extra meaning which extended and expanded the writer’s explicit arguments.
When the Congress, under the Articles of Confederation, resolved on September 28, 1787 to refer the proposed new Constitution to the states to be voted on in convention, there began one of the greatest debates in American history.  It basically lasted from 1787-1788 and was of brief duration in some states, but it certainly produced speeches and writings that had unique importance to the future of our country.
Probably the most remarkable of the writings were those that appeared as a long series of letters in the New York newspapers between October 27, 1787 and April 4, 1788, under the pen name of Publius, a pseudonym used by the authors: Alexander Hamilton, John Jay and James Madison.  By March 22, 1788, the essays that had appeared to that point were published as a single volume and by May 28th a second volume followed which incorporated essays 78-85 which had not appeared before this.  The title given the volumes was, of course, The Federalist Papers which rankled those who remained loyal to the Articles of Confederation and to the idea that the states were the core of power and that a confederated government was essentially the agent of the states.  In contrast, the Publius writers argued for a stronger central government and a stronger union than was apparent in a confederation or groupings of small confederations of states.

In an essay titled “The Paradox of Democracy” written for the  2008 National Paideia Conference, Terry Roberts gave us as good an answer as any to the question: who was the original Publius?

 
“Publius Valerius Publicola (died 503 BC) was a Roman consul, who with Lucius Junius Brutus governed Rome in 509 BC, traditionally considered the first year of the Roman Republic. According to Livy and Plutarch, the death of Brutus left Publius the sole consul of the new Republic, and the people feared that he was preparing to seize monarchical power. To calm the populace, Publius ceased construction on his new, ostentatious home and introduced two laws to protect their liberties: one providing citizens with the right of appeal when condemned in a court of law, and the second enacting that whosoever should attempt to make himself a king might be slain by any man at any time (this the law that would eventually be used to justify the assassination of Julius Caesar).  Like Washington, who would resist the temptation of absolute power in our own country, Publius was a founding leader who refused the role of Caesar and, in so doing, proved that the government could function without one.
“In part, then, Hamilton chose Publius as the Federalist pen name, intending to disarm those who would accuse him and his conspirators of the personal consolidation of power. But he also chose it because the Roman’s last name, “Publicola,” famously meant “of the people,” something that a surprising number of the original readers of the Federalist Papers would have known. Thus, we might legitimately say that in 1788 Hamilton and Madison intended the shadowy Publius to mean the man—or mind—of the people.”

Without being presumptuous, the first aim of this blog is to speak as though “I am Publius too” (I.M. Publius II).  That is, to bring to the people, as much as possible, those concerns and issues that are "of the people,” affecting the people and the commonweal of this society.

Two concerns dealt with in the Federalist Papers are of primary effect upon some of the issues and concerns that I plan to present and upon which I shall endeavor to comment.
The first has to do with the fact that the first forty-six letters, more than half of the total essays, are concerned with the need for a strong central government.  That is what the new Constitution brought to the table, and that is what the writers mostly defended in their attempt to secure support for the ratification of the new Constitution.  For the writers, a more perfect union, that is to say, a stronger union could be counted on to secure internal tranquility, stability and order, and to provide for the common defense.  In other words, at the same time that the sovereignty of the people was preserved, a stronger union (or central federal government) was an important step toward a society in which Americans could hope to lead a free and secure life.

Thus, one of the themes that will re-occur throughout the posts on this blog is that a strong central federal government should not constantly be demeaned by those who favor private enterprise and states’ rights as an alternative to what they like to call “government bureaucracy.”  A strong central government (which for the Publius writers generally meant the legislative branch, but included the Executive and the Judiciary) is often essential to the solving of national problems, and indeed is called for explicitly in terms of certain functions:
“To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the United States;

To borrow Money on the credit of the United States; 

To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States; 

To establish a uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States; 

To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures; 

To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States; 

To establish Post Offices and post Roads; 

To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts; 

To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court; 

To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations; 

To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make Rules concerning Captures on Land and Water; 

To raise and support Armies, To provide and maintain a Navy; 

To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces; 

To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions; 

To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
“To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.”

 
That latter paragraph gives to that oft-demeaned “federal bureaucracy” the same power and authority as any part of the central government.  Those who deplore a strong central federal government must struggle with their apparent anti-constitutional viewpoint.

The second emphasis from the Federalist authors should give pause to those who advocate laissez-faire or unregulated power to corporate entities, other groups and organizations, including both the public and private sectors of society.  I am speaking of the authors’ view of the nature of human beings. The following discussion is based on the very helpful Editor’s Introduction to a 1961 edition of the Federalist written by Benjamin Fletcher Wright, long a professor at University of Texas-Austin.

 
There are scores of references in The Federalist to the motives that cause men to act as they do, and a variety of terms express this, including: springs, impulses, inclinations, inducements, dispositions, propensities, humours.  While Publius does not seem to believe that all these motives always lead to actions that are evil or harmful, he seems to assume that in the nature of man “antagonistic and immediate interests  have greater efficacy than true interests and motives of reason and virtue.” 

In other words, man’s motives seem to be related to passion versus reason and virtue, and to selfish immediate interests versus true or long-term interests.  While not accepting of the supposition of universal venality in human nature, he says in number 76 that “the acceptance of universal rectitude” is equally in error.
The greater part of his arguments about human nature in politics comes down to an evident conviction from history that there is more force in the passions and interests that tend toward antagonism and self-seeking than in those that make for friendly relations and the common good.  In the earlier letters, Publius reiterates that the reason for a strong union (central government) is that” man is not calmly rational or abounding with unfailing generous love for his fellow beings, but is rather passionate, jealous, and selfish”, which in terms of certain national and international issues, can lead to struggles, and even to war.

While there are some exceptions, the general principle or belief that supports the form and structure of the proposed plan of government, with its built-in checks and balances, is that no man can be trusted with unlimited power.
In various essays to come on this blog, it will be evident that this view of human nature will inform many of the arguments made for appropriate trust and mistrust, effective regulation and pragmatic de-regulation, as well as enlightened cooperation between the private and public sectors of society, in terms of their handling of power and societal problem-solving.
My first post on this blog is, in fact, an appeal to a more realistic view of both the public governmental sector and of the private sector that some, in my opinion, would err in trusting more implicitly.