The Case for A Universal Healthcare Option funded by Profit Sharing

My Ideal Political Party for 2020 and Beyond by the Ancient Texan

California 2084 a novel by Roe

The year, 2084. California and the NE is a separate country. Texas in partnership with Mexico is also a separate country. China's economy is four times larger than the States, the diminished country after the split. The States are spiraling toward bankruptcy in an attempt to maintain its military superiority.

In the world, ninety percent of all goods and services are made by AI and robots.  Wealth inequality in the States and much of the world is extreme.  In the States, he rich live in walled cities behind razor wire and electric fences.  The poor fill the countryside. 

In California, a socialist state deals with AI by taxing it and spending the taxes to insure a decent life for all of its residents. California has seven levels of wealth, the highest limited to 10x the income of the poorest level.  Healthcare, childcare, education, food and retirement is furnished by the state via taxes on AI.  Working is a privilege.  Bureaucracy controls everything for the individual. 

Texas a libertarian stronghold is the world leader in renewable power and deals with automation in a different way.  It requires its college and high school graduates to work a decade in a government financed "Youth Services" to absorb its extra workforce. Youth Services assist with education, caring for the old, etc.  They export their lifestyle and products to Latin America.

Jane Galt, a brilliant software developer is assigned a mundane job in the Equivalence Department in California.  For seven years, Jane works on the side to develop Lisa, an advanced AI program. The Chinese notice Jane and her prodigy and she becomes a cult figure in China before the States realize the military potential of Lisa.  When the States try to con Jane into a job to build an economic model to save the World Economy in a ruse to get control of Lisa, Jane becomes an unlikely hero. When the military in the States make a move to control Lisa,   Lisa shuts down the Missile Defense System to save herself.  Jane in trying to save herself, Lisa, and eventually Texas from being swallowed by the States military machine, she becomes the leader of the resistance.

As the states become desperate,  Jane is hunted down by autonomous killing machines used by the States to fight its wars.  Lisa and the resistance make a desperate last ditch effort to save Jane and their way of life.

California 2084 Part 1

California 2084 Part 2

California 2084 Part 3 

California 2084 Part 4  - in progress (let me know if you can't wait and I will let you read it as I type). 

Gun Violence is the Canary in the Cage - 2018 by the Ancient Texan

Children of Syria

The Good and Bad of the Republican Tax Plan by the Ancient Texan

Until Death Do Us Part: America and the 2nd Amendment by the Ancient Texan

Don't call them addicts, please, by the Ancient Texan

Healthcare for the Poor 101 by the Ancient Texan

Is capitalism still useful in America, by the Ancient Texan

As artifical intelligence and robots begin to eliminate more jobs, as our infrastructure crumbles, as our education becomes available only to the rich, as racism continues unabated, as hate enters our politics, etc., do we have confidence in capitalism to address these problems?

American's Political and Social Religions

Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people.

When I look around America, the land that held so many promises when I was a child, I see several dominant "political and social" religions, most of which have grown stronger as I have evolved into an oldish man:

America-is-the-land-of-opportunity Religion. LOOR

The Liberal Democratic Religion LDR

The Conservative Republican Religion CRR

The Trickle-Down Religion TDR

The Progressive Trickle-Up Religion PTUR

The Materialist Religion MR
and finally, but not least
The Religion of Science RoS

There are several religions under each of these religions, for instance, the traditional Christian and Mormon Religion seems to fall under the Conservative Republican Religion (CRR).  The Muslim Religion is still struggling for its place, but may become the first secular religion to fall under the Progressive Trickle-Up Religion.

The hierarchy I have assumed with traditional religions falling under the New American Religions is done because I see our faith stronger in these political manifestations of religion than I do in the traditional religions.  The political parties do not look for guidance from the traditional religions, but instead the traditional religions more or less spend their time justifying the behavior of the political leaders of our country that espouse their religion.  Perhaps you see it differently.

There is an integral philosophy that sees the growth of humanity evolving from survival and mythologically based religions, through traditional religions to the individual to the collective acceptance of all.  Each religion serves a useful purpose in the evolution of humanity and all are valuable to the extent that belief in them is helpful to the followers of the religion.  They all represent a point of view that emphasises certain truths and beliefs at the expense of other points of view.  In reality, man is barely capable of recognizing that their beliefs are simply a story to explain the world to their mind that is being flooded with sensory perceptions and ancient survival instincts.  I realize that may be a radical thought that does not fit with your view, your story of the world -- and that is okay with me -- I am not here to advocate my story over yours.

Let’s look at a couple of the religions more closely:  The Conservative Republican Religion.  They love their country and have fond memories of a simpler world where traditional rights prevailed.  They see our great days as being behind us and unless we can somehow turn back the clock and restore traditional values:  people go to church, only men have wives, America’s might is right, America is Almost Always Right, Reading, writing and arithmetic should be taught in schools and should be targeted at the gifted, being born in America makes you better than those born on the wrong side of river, America First, and men lead and head up the house and the church.  They believe we should not overtax the rich because they picture someday being the rich.  They usually also believe in the religion that America is the Land of Opportunity.  They see abortion as murder and homosexuality as a sin on the whole.  In general, they hold the America of their youth as being dear and all would be good if we could restore America to those times.  They tend to see man as inherently a sinner and flawed, and that the life we have is fundamentally the one we deserve.  The believe hard work will bring success, although this belief has started to waiver because they believe the liberal religion has mucked up things too much.

The Liberal Democratic Religion sees themselves as evolved, compassionate and caring for all humanity, except possibly those that practice the Conservative Republican Religion.  They believe the potential of humanity is determined primarily by the opportunities individuals are given and that even the hardened criminal needs to be loved with compassion.  They believe in a world where the fruits of our country should be more evenly distributed to all humans, especially those that have lacked opportunity because of lack of opportunity, or good parents, or poor education, or poverty.  (The Progressive Trickle Up religion believes we should be more like the Scandinavian countries, or Denmark, where it is the state’s responsibility to feed, clothe and shelter all men from the bounties generated by our modern technology and industrialization.)  Gays, other religions,other races and immigrants should not only be accepted but their diversity celebrated as a path to making everyone’s life better.

I define righteousness as the belief that one’s religion is more helpful to the world than all other religions.

I believe the condition of America is due to extreme righteousness by the vast majority of Americans.

Do you wonder about my religion?

Benefit of the Doubt for Trump or Just Doubt? Sarine Gas in Syria

In the old days, your opponents gave you the benefit of the doubt, your friends at least trusted your intentions even when they thought your actions or opinions were in doubt.

But look at what just happened to Trump with Syrian.  His followers don't like his actions because it goes against his non interventionist policy he proclaimed on the campaign trail.  His opponents don't trust his intentions and they are afraid of their own conjectures about what he might do next.  There are very few giving him the benefit of the doubt. Should they?

Logically there is a lot to worry about ...and oh the stories we can tell about what could happen next.  But, are the democrats willing to accept that decisive action driven from the heart (I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt) could have a positive effect? Could his prompt action cause North Korea and China to be a slower to act in their corner of the world?  I don't know, nobody does.  But, I’ll give Trump at least a maybe.

Here's another tidbit: there is no third party verification that the gas attack came from Assad.  The rebels that are fighting him of course would have no motivation to pull us into the conflict would they? They wouldn't frame Assad, would they?  And, of course, we can trust Rachel Maddow and Bill O’Reilly to give us the facts with their opinions, of course.  A favorite line of mine on Rachel’s show is “we were unable to confirm this story” but here it comes anyway.   And by confirm, they mean they call the person in the story and ask them if it's true.  Almost never is the story actually from Fox or MSNBC reports but third party newspapers struggling for survival.   Does it remind you more of a theater product or Walter Cronkite?

Of course, there is the bigger picture: Assad has killed a half million of his own people.  Of course, he would point out that they are trying to overthrow the government, which is true.  Of course, as always in the middle east, the rebels are a different religious sect than Assad’s people. Does that mean it's a religious war?

So we have an atrocity committed by someone, perhaps Assad, avenged by Trump by blowing up some buildings on an airfield being used by one side in what might be called a religious war.  Trump, the one offended by the death of the children, isn't he the one trying to block other Syrian children from coming to the U.S. for help?  And how is it that our military chose not to take out Assad’s planes that were sitting on the runway or even the runways themselves.  The runway was in use the next day.  Raytheon which made the $60 million dollars worth of missiles had a good day in the stock market.  Cuts in Meals on Wheels for the elderly proposed by the Republicans should cover most of this cost.  And Rex Tillerson is off to see his Russians buddies this week.  

Theater.  Sound bites. Nonsense.  Do you have doubts?