Not socialism, not even capitalism…why not try smartism (@commentisfree)

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Kazeem Olalekan 

I read with interest the piece by Victoria Bekiempis Comment is free America of the Guardian. The key thrust of the piece is that America is binging on the psychoactive prescription drugs because of its social policy. She said:

There are a couple of potential explanations. To begin, Americans live super high-strung lives, but without significant rewards that could potential justify these stress levels….the proportion of employed people working 50 or more hours weekly has skyrocketed since 1977…the US is one of a handful of countries that doesn’t enforce weekly time off, paid annual leave, or paid maternity leave. A lot of this work is not compensated.

She observed that a lot of this work ‘is not necessarily making people richer’. Her piece cut across why we work. What use is a level of work which sacrifices the joy of living the good life – free from escapist stimulants? Work has an intrinsic good but we must ask ourselves: why we are working? The answer will determine what benefit we gets from it. Like with most things in life, a balance is essential and doing what your body can cope with. Determining one’s level of work in absolute (how much can my body honestly take) not relative (I will do less because my colleague is doing less) terms is important. This, I feel, is essential for psychological welfare.

So there you have it:

The American way of life sounds like it is sick, and drug overuse and abuse might be a symptom of this illness – what happens when existential entrapment and chemical escapism intersect.

- Victoria Bekiempis

This talk of social policy play straight into the hands of those arguing that America is crawling towards the European model. I know there are pluses and minuses of both system and a position where we can pick what is good and ditch what is rubbish can only be a good thing.

I can even map the the attitude to work crudely in the following way:

American model: Demands absolutist attitude towards work, and

European model: Demands the relativist attitude to work.

On the one hand, you want to encourage hard work, but not to an extent that it is detrimental to individual health. On the other hand, you want everyone to do their share of the work to lighten the load.

In reality, there will be those who can do more and those who cannot. The real test lies in the honesty of an individual with regards to how much they can really do. Being honest means you do enough – not too much, not too little! That is sometimes difficult to judge.

A smart system will not reward the work in itself but the honesty that brought it about. That is neither socialism nor capitalism. That is smartism.

A point of view

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…but in becoming the first black person to be elected into the white house, Obama has already demonstrated an extraordinary capacity to disregard and overturn precedents. And if he is re-elected this autumn, he may yet surprise us all again…he may even surprise the bankers.

- David Cannadine – A point of view 17 Feb 2012 (Bankers in America)

 

Now to the simple matter of who he is going to face in the forthcoming context. Would it be Romney? Would it be Santorum? Or would it be Gingrich? Which is better? There is only one way to find out —– F I G H T by Harry Hill

What a lot of boloney! #tcot #p2

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Lester opened his lunch sack and exclaimed: “Not boloney sandwiches again! This is the third time this week I had boloney sandwiches – I hate boloney sandwiches”

- Barry C Black (link)

Like Lester, I hate boloney sandwiches and I have had three helpings of boloney sandwiches in one month! Consider this interview on the BBC Today program on the 3rd of November which asks whether president Obama has ‘lost the plot’? The charge according to Mr Ed Rogers is this “I think Obama is not a very effective leader. He is a thinker and a ditherer to a fault” You can think as much as you like Ed but that is boloney number one and you know it! When has being a thinker: relying on intellect not instinct become an handicap? As to the ditherer accusation, maybe you need to listen to Jared Berntein former economic adviser to the  Vice President Biden who worked closely with Obama (in the same interview): “He certainly doesn’t reach snap decision, he is a deliberative guy but when you put the facts in front of him he’ll come to an economic conclusion relatively quickly. I think what sometimes looks like an excessive deliberative process has more to do with the politics. The president might come to a decision…quickly, then you’ve got to navigate this congress…which is a tough road block”

And I’ll tell you…it’s three things about what Ed said that I have fundamental problems with: 1. That being a thinker makes you an ineffective leader  2. That Obama appears to be deliberative because he is ineffective rather than because of the road block that is orchestrated by factions of the Republican party and  finally 3. the eh eh what is the third one…..let see…1. thinker 2. deliberative and the eh eh em….the third item I have a problem with is em thinker, deliberative and lets see…I can’t the third one….I can’t sorry…Oops! (link). And that is my point exactly…I’ll explain:

With all the wills in the world you cannot expect your commander-in-chief to be passionate about every single item we are passionate about. He is human after all. What we are entitled to expect is that he takes the issue we care about seriously enough. When Rick Perry cannot remember the third agency of government he will do away with, it struck me that he is not as passionate about the subject as he is trying to portray. He couldn’t even master the brief. I don’t expect him to be passionate about everything – no one can and that is not my criticism. My criticism is that in the absence of passion for the subject, I expect my commander-in-chief to weigh up all the facts objectively and think. Have we not had enough of people that shoot first and ask questions later? Why are we in this mess? That was my second helpings of boloney sandwich this month.

Talking about Obama, I wonder what his position was on the bombing in Libya? “OK Libya…I do not agree with the way he handled it for the following reason…Uh, nope that’s, that’s a different one” (link). Different Libya? Different question? or are we playing Mastermind (by the Two Ronnies – link)? The point is I want a honest commander-in-chief who will be able to say look, I am tired, I cannot answer that question at the moment. Let me think about it. Or are politician supposed to answer even when they don’t know what they are talking about? And that is my third helping of boloney sandwiches in the space of a month!

I will have to return to my friend Lester:

Lester responded: “I am not married, I made these sandwiches myself”

My sisters and brothers; most of the boloney we find in our lives, we put there ourselves.

- Barry C Black (link)

Class War? Are you kidding me?

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openlta Kazeem Olalekan
#news Obama’s millionaire tax is class war, say Republicans bit.ly/nGn4Ir
19 Sep

The fact that the US Republican leaders have accused president Obama of “class warfare” is rather rich. Who cares anyway about the futility of a class warfare? It is rhetoric like this that makes me want to jump and shout ‘roforofo fight’ (1, 2).

A lot of people, most of whom have nothing to do with causing this financial crises, are being asked to carry a disproportionate share of the burden. And all you can say is class war! Look, why don’t we (Democrats, Republicans and fully paid up citizens of this world) just work together to clear this mess and you can hold on to your class – see if I care.

The kind of class war I want to be fighting is that which can be found in comedy:

“…I have a ‘yamaha’ organ, a tv and a new video…although I don’t know how to work it…”

No use to me then! I bet you think the sun shines out of your trousers, Sir Ramsbottom or is it Sir Republican?!

A dark day: In memory of 9/11 victims

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pics

My tribute to the 9/11 innocent lives lost a decade ago.

May your souls rest in perfect peace.

“Today, we gather to be reassured that God hears the lamenting and bitter weeping of Mother America because so many of her children are no more. Let us now seek that assurance in prayer for the healing of our grief stricken hearts, for the souls and sacred memory of those who have been lost. Let us also pray for divine wisdom as our leaders consider the necessary actions for national security, wisdom of the grace of God that as we act, we not become the evil we deplore.”
- Rev. Nathan Baxter, Dean of Washington National Cathedral from here

This parrot is deceased!

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openlta Kazeem Olalekan

#news Part of Health Reform Ruled Unconstitutional bit.ly/q1a0km

The toing and froing of the healthcare reform (hcr) debate which, for most of us anyway, appear settled reminds me of the famous ‘Dead Parrot’ sketch by Monty Python. In the immutable words of John Cleese: “I know a dead parrot when I see one and I am looking at one right now”. According to Carl Tobias, professor at the University of Richmond School of Law, "There needs to be a pronouncement that’s nationwide. It would be almost impossible to implement it if we have splintered decisions from different geographic circuits. The Supreme Court may feel now it has to take it."

Whilst the actors in the #hcr drama play the toing and froing game of ping-pong, I ask the reader to enjoy this classic sketch:

Will the real Americans please stand up…please stand up!!

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“…When the country is booming, it doesn’t matter. There will always be some rich people (I am happy to say you have a few of those in your great country) with a big hearts to help the down trodden, the uninsured . But when the financial juices dry up, charity will always begin at home.”

Kazeem Olalekan from my original letter to Americans

May I have your attention please? May I have your attention please? The above quote is from my initial letter to Americans. I was highlighting how glad I was to know that your great country have big hearted rich people, who will act in the interest of the nation in a national crisis. The crisis doesn’t get any bigger than the current national financial debt problems. These real Americans come in all shades and colours and I am not talking about Bernie Madoff.

See how Bill and Melinda Gate’s, through their foundation, gave over $28 billion to charity (1). Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their own unique ways, have contributed significantly to making information freely available and contributed significantly to the technology eco-system. There is of course Steve Jobs and others.

Robert Reich sum up the problem with the economy in less than 2 minutes here (2). The supper rich has more than 40% of the entire national wealth. Tax rate have decreased from over 70% before 1980 to 35%. Taking into consideration the capital gains, the richest 400 Americans pay just over 17% in tax. Why do some politicians (notably the Tea Party collectives) feel they need to fight to protect any targeted tax increases on super rich (in conjunction with spending cuts) to fix the tax deficits? Even the French Rich have come out saying: “Tax us More” (3).

So when Warren Buffett calls for higher taxes for US super-rich (4), you don’t get more American than this great man himself.

“While the poor and middle class fight for us in Afghanistan, and while most Americans struggle to make ends meet, we mega-rich continue to get our extraordinary tax breaks”

“The 400 of us [here] pay a lower part of our income in taxes than our receptionists do, or our cleaning ladies, for that matter. If you’re in the luckiest 1 per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent”

Mr Buffett, who runs the investment group Berkshire Hathaway and is widely regarded as the world’s most successful investor, said that he was a Democrat because Republicans are more likely to think: "I’m making $80 million a year – God must have intended me to have a lower tax rate." (5)

Warren Buffett

So, I ask: Will the real Americans please stand up?