Today, the FBI arrested nine people from the Hutaree Christian Militia — soldiers of Christ.  These people are obviously crazy and religious — sorry — redundant.

What is the difference between these nuts and any other terrorist group?  Nothing:  They train with weapons.  They are angry.  They are religious.  They are nuts.  Let’s just call them Christian Terrorist.

America is Doomed.

Pretty much anything can be accomplish politically if you are rich — like buying the opposition.  Or buy whatever national images the rich want to promote.  Buying elections — no problem.  Rigging voting machines — easy, easy.  Also, the rich can convince people to work against their own best interest — desperate people do just about anything.  Ironically, the poor love working for the rich; they are happy to be working — and surviving for job another day.

There have been recent example of Tea Party members who are unemployed, receiving government assistance to survive, and working for the rich, advocating less government and taxes at Tea Party meetings.  Did you ever wonder why so many people are at the Tea Party rallies — don’t they have jobs?  Going to the Tea Party is their job.   Plus, there are organizations like FreedomWorks — funded by rich people — who literally  hire the poor to destroy the poor.  People will do pretty much anything to survive even if they are working against their own best interest. Using the poor to destroy the poor is a form of wage slavery, and as America loves to call it — good business. People are so dependent on the system to survive they help the people who are destroying the system.

California has a ballot initiative process that allows propositions to be placed on ballots — just need signatures from about 5% of the number who voted in the last gubernatorial election.  This resulted in the famous Prop 13 which restricted the amount of property taxes.  However, this system has largely been taken over by the rich.  Turns out, you can hire professional signature gatherers — poor people — and put just about anything on the ballot.  They can be worded confusingly and manipulatively to make it very difficult for people to understand.  They can even place something with populist interest to obfuscate the underlying purpose of the measure.  It only costs about $3 million to get any proposition on the ballot.  Non-presidential elections are a particularly good time to place propositions on the ballots when low voter turnout occurs — cost less to get a proposition passed with less voters.  On the upcoming California ballot, Mercury Insurance — owned by AIG — has singularly sponsored a ballot measure where they will reap gigantic profits; it is actually a very small investment with a gigantic reward.  Companies like this don’t even have to think about it very long with such a big risk-reward ratio.

Pointing out how the system is rigged for the rich is nothing new but the fact they are literally using the poor to work against their own interest is noteworthy.  No wonder the rich don’t want to educate the masses.  If they ever got educated, America would change; but, that is not going to happen.

Don’t think for a minute that the rich care anything about America.  They are willing to take or make their fortune in any place in the world.  They could care less what happens to America or the people here.  Right now, America is a great place to financially rape people.  Eventually, they will move on to greener pastures.

America is Doomed.

With the financial crisis, states are imposing taxes on all sorts of services: haircuts, bowling, etc.  — you name it. The barber lobbyists is not so powerful.  Sadly, America does not understand how to actually collect taxes in a fair and equitable way.    Most taxes are collected from the bottom 95% of the population — this is why haircuts are being taxed, instead of taxing high incomes.  Almost all income gains have gone to the top 5% in the last twenty years.   This type of taxation is regressive — penalizing the poorest the most and the richest the least.   This is why America is going to collapse.

Taxes should mostly be about taxing income.  There should be no taxes on basic levels of incomes — money needed to support a basic life style.  Let’s say four times current poverty level.  Above that, income taxers should be graduated with levels above 10 times poverty level taxed very heavily.  Middle class would be defined as 5 to 10 times poverty levels. There should be no deductions at all but to avoid taxation, money could be placed in a business.  In turn, businesses could hire employees or expand the business to avoid taxes.  However, profits held in the business would be taxed like income for people.  Over time, the levels of taxes could be adjusted: up to some basic income level there would be no taxes, graduated above that.

If taxing income was insufficient, the country could tax other goods and services.  First,  all goods and services would be placed into basically two categories — essential and non-essential.  For the essential ones, there should be no taxes at all.  For the non-essential category, let them be taxed.  For example, fruits and vegetables would not be taxed but soft drinks and junk food would be heavily taxed.  There would be no tax for basic transportation, bus fairs, etc.  but  luxury cars and boats would be heavily taxed.   Basic apartments and houses of appropriate size would not be taxed but larger, extravagant places would be.

In today’s America goods and services are taxed in order to disproportionately tax poor and middle class people.    Since Reagan, when taxes were reduced from 70% to 28%, the country has avoided taxing income properly.  This is basically the root of the current fiscal and economic problems in America.  It can all be traced right back to Reagan.  Reagan also busted unions which began a precipitous slide of income, particularly among the middle class.  Ultimately, this resulted in the collapse of the middle class which continues to this day.

With such a tax policy, greed would be self-correcting.  If people made too much money, it would be taxed to help people who made less.  Over time, people would gravitate to jobs they enjoyed because basic income could be made in all sorts of jobs.   Education would be free and people could be trained in needed areas. If fewer people wanted to be plumbers then plumbers would pay more.  If more people wanted to be doctors then doctors would earn less.   It would all be self-correcting, unlike the current greed-based economy which is not self-correcting — in fact, it just gets worse as fewer and fewer own more and more.

Since America is controlled by the greedy, privileged, and powerful, there will likely be no changes in taxing — certainly not taxing the rich properly.  Instead, states will add their taxes on haircuts and bowling, cuts essential services, and conclude that ordinary Americans are not worth saving.  There is only one possible outcome to such a policy.

America is Doomed.

Google is having problems with China but they are hardly alone.  China has consistently outsmarted America — certainly American business.  After decades of being America’s low cost manufacturer, China is not so interested in foreign companies coming in and taking over.    China is happy with taking American jobs which is providing employment for the Chinese but they are not about to let American companies take over their country, even a little bit of it.  China has played the West as fools.   Americans buy Chinese products by the boatload — it is estimated that 80% of what Walmart sells comes from China.  This stupid approach to providing low cost goods to Americans has been shown to be a bankrupt idea with films like Walmart — The High Cost of Low Prices.

The balance of payments favors China over America — China exports lots more goods than imports.  China has no problem imposing high tariffs or making it harder for US companies to sell products in China.

Now the next shoe has dropped with China clamping down on foreign companies.  Sure, send us your jobs but keep your American-style capitalism.  China sees capitalism in a much different way.  They let people innovate and succeed, but the government is watching to make sure things don’t get out of hand.  When they do the government jumps in and manages the situation.  In America this managing is called ‘government takeover’ because Republicans want to protect profits over people.   China privileges their population over business interests.  They realize that a failed population cannot be compensated by a high stock price.  China realized that there is no country without a successful population.

China is also willing to play hard ball with foreign companies.  They will take their designs and produce their products.  They will then tell the foreign companies to get the hell out of the country.  They will crush patents and copyright laws in the interest of their country.  In America business will use such laws to produce drugs that the citizens can’t afford — they will even patent DNA which is just about the most public thing there is.    America is pro-business and China is pro-people.  And here’s the big news — China is winning and will continue to win — they are even winning at business.

China is also started to slow down purchasing America debt and if China ever decided to dump it all, it would push American’s financial system off a cliff.  China knows this and many in America knows this also.  Americans may complain about the Chinese currency being undervalued but they are not going to do anything about it.  Thus, China will continue screwing Americans for the benefit of their citizens.   This is how government should behave. But America is so in love with their stupid ideas about capitalism and free trade, they are willing to sacrifice their citizens.  China loves free trade, but only the part where China wins and everybody else loses.

Certainly China is not perfect and they do censor and control free speech and crush dissent.  But, let’s also give them credit for crushing American style capitalism and American companies who practice destructive business approaches.   Over time China will embrace more freedom of speech to their citizens — this already has improved.   America will champion freedom of speech while taking away economic freedoms for the 95% at the bottom.  Exactly how much freedom can there be in America when 20+% of the people cannot even support themselves.  Sure — they can say what they want but nobody is listening — ordinary Americans are without homes, jobs, and economic opportunity.

I like that China is sticking it to American businesses.  Maybe Republicans who run these businesses will understand how Democrats feel about their Republicans’ handed approaches to ordinary Americans.  China owns lots of America debt, spend much smaller amounts on their military, does not have troops throughout the world, and will eventually crush America.  While America is scaling back space exploration, China is spending more.   While America schools are declining, China’s schools are being recognized as the top in the world.    While American students reading and math scores decline, Chinese students are increasing.  Top US universities go to China to give full scholarships to Chinese students.  Yes, I give the advantage to China.

America is Doomed.

The Times reports on Mr. Tom Grimes who is an activist for the Tea Party.  After being laid off, he went to his Democratic Congressman to get help getting on government health care.  Later he returned to protest against health care reform.  Of course, this is hypocrisy but not particularly surprising.   Sarah Palin’s son is on government health care and she is opposed to health care reform.  ALL Republicans (and some Democrats) who voted against health care reform are on government health care — also, opposed to health care reform.   All Seniors — the only age demographic which is majority Republicans — which are on government Medicare and  opposed to health care reform are also hypocrites.

In addition to being hypocrites, these people subscribe to the fundamental tenet that “I’ve got mind, screw the rest of you.”.  This is what is behind the Tea Party, Republicans, and generally every aspect of conservative thinking in America today.  It confirms the selfish, greedy mantra of vast numbers of Americans.  The fact that health care reform passed — even in its limited fashion — is testimony to just how messed up today’s America is.   Over 20% of Americans report they cannot support themselves on their present salaries, even if they are holding multiple jobs.  Likewise, millions and millions have no access to health care.  A study today showed that 30% of Latinos, 20% of African-Americans, and 10% of Whites do not have health care.

This is the reason Whites are predominately the membership of the Tea Party and the Republican Party.  They see their influence fading away in America and they are scared, really scared.  Health care reform was championed by a black President, a female Speaker, and Mormon Majority Leader.  This is triply scaring to the white, religious right.  Their numbers are shrinking with only 23% of Americans saying they are Republicans.  Republicans are not even a national party anymore — there are virtually no Republicans in the North East and their numbers are dwindling in the West.  Most Republicans are in the South and those large, empty states.  The Democrats control the biggest states in the country — California and New York.  Even Republican Texas is fearful about the change in demographics as the Latino population increases — Texas will gain three seats in the 2010 census, mostly due to Latino increases.  And 85% of Latinos support health care.

America still does not have a consensus that we are all in this mess together — it will come eventually.  Unemployment will continue to get worse.  More jobs will be outsources.  More jobs will simply be lost to the lack of middle class spending in a vicious circle of decline.  Ultimately, there will be a trade war with China, Japan, and others in order to reclaim jobs.  This year social security is paying out more money than it receives.  The national debt will continue to grow until the country is bankrupt.  The currency will be reissued when America defaults on its national debt.  Socialism hasn’t yet come to America but it is sailing this way.

Then, of course, there is  Tom Grimes — financial consultant — who is hardly competent with financial matters.  He continues to work against his best interests because he is scared.  He never expected to be without a job and never thought he would have to rely on the government to survive.  He has no problem with hypocrisy as he works literally for the people that destroyed his life — he is willing to do whatever is necessary.   Unfortunately, Tom, and millions more working people in the Tea/Republican Party continue to work against their own best interest.

America is Doomed.