Talk about Globalism: Blackwater or as it has called itself since 2011, Academi, is now a division of Constellis Holdings based in Reston, Virginia. Marketing Description of Services: “integrated security and technical operations, domestic and international training, security assessment and analysis, risk mitigation, and technology solutions.” In plain words: Runs an army for the United Arab Emirates using recruits from Latin America, Sudan and elsewhere to prosecute the Saudi led war in Yemen with a wink and support from the . . .
Category: Politics
51st State
It is time for Puerto Rico to become our 51st state. The People: With 3.337 million people (2017) Puerto Rico has a larger population than 21 states and a density higher than all 50. As a state it would fall approximately between Connecticut and Iowa. The largest city is San Juan, the island’s capital. It has a population of 395,326 (2010), making it the 48th largest city in the U.S. History: Prior to Columbus’s discovery in 1493 on his second voyage . . .
Nationalism or Globalism
Globalism: Goods, capital and people should be able to move freely across borders. Versus Nationalism : Asserting sovereign control over one’s country. Nationalism is at the core of Brexit and the US election of 2016. A troubling aspect of this nationalism is its penchant for xenophobia and for ethnic and religious exclusion. It panders to fear of threats to linguistic, religious and cultural norms and wants to weaken global structures such as the World Trade Organization, NATO, the United Nations . . .
Big Enough?
How much is enough? Let’s face it as a species we misbehave. We require the police to maintain daily decorum and using history as a predictor, we need a military just in case. The DoD request for 2019 for $716 Billion says they need more: “To address the scope and pace of our competitors’ and adversaries’ ambitions and capabilities, we must invest in modernization of key capabilities through sustained, predictable budgets. Our backlog of deferred readiness, procurement, and modernization requirements . . .
Blended Cultures
We are not replacing ourselves. But,we need more workers. Maybe immigrants could help? The National Center for Health Statistics has calculated the US birth rate for 2017 at 60.2 per 1000 women between 15 and 44 or 1.76 lifetime per woman (3% lower than 2016). This extends the 47 year US sub-replacement trend. This means that as older generations age out of the workforce, there will be an increasingly skewed ratio of retirees to working Americans. A thoughtful immigration policy . . .
Profiles in Courage
Where is Courage? Commander Chief of Staff Migrant Mother Afraid of: Others Reporters Competition Criticism Being ignored Medal festooned General afraid of: The Commander (See left) Afraid of: Violence at Home Abject Poverty Childish bragging, petty feuds, and incoherent strategies “Honor, this is the bedrock of our character” But has the courage to risk everything for her kids Yes, it’s obvious. We need to stop this silent coup with a course correction!
We Win You Lose
America First – good for the bully maybe not the citizens. Hello Congress!! America First (or we win you lose): NAFTA, Eurozone, TPP, G7, UN Human Rights Council: all multilateral groups. The commander doesn’t like them because It is easier to sqeeze one on one – otherwise they tend to gang up. USA, with less than 5% of world’s people, does not have the proportionate influence it had seventy-two years ago after World War II. The U.N. was established in . . .
Borrow and Pay
When to Borrow? When to Pay Off? US Government Debt: Treasury Bills, notes and bonds are fixed income, considered safe investments with relatively low interest rates. The current National Debt of $15.5 trillion equates to a debt-to-GDP ratio around 81 percent based on the most recent second quarter GDP of $19,2 trillion. According to the World Bank the tipping point is 77 percent (the point at which debt begins to have an adverse effect on economic growth) – we have . . .
Are we in the way?
Innocent or obese civilians can frustrate an agenda. Not if the commander has anything to say. Bombs Away: On March 20, 2018 the Senate narrowly voted to defeat a resolution to block sales of laser guided bomb systems to Saudi Arabia presented by Rand Paul (R-KY) and Chris Murphy (D-CT). The CEO of Raytheon (maker of the armaments) met with US officials prior to the vote to encourage the continued sales and was delighted by the vote outcome (a big . . .
Commander of Fear
Fear of: Competition Russian Dictator Mockery Adulation Lost Others There is a pattern! The commander thinks that the rest of the world is kicking our trade butt with their cruel competition. How are they getting away with this perfidy: Hard work? Sacrifice? Survival instinct? The message that we are taking a beating and the “playing field needs to be leveled” is coming from fear stirred up by the commander telling us we are losers. What about the unconscionable shelling of . . .