We've Been Played

This past week marked the tenth anniversary of this blog.  In ten years, although there have been many changes, some things have remained consistent.  This blog continues to be about politics and religion.  The politics of this country continue to be a source of division, and the only unity in religious direction of this country seems to be the direction away from our Creator.

I had a "light bulb moment" this week regarding our political parties.  Both parties have a targeted audience to which they appeal and a targeted audience on which they cast blame.  That seems obvious, of course, but I've discovered the underlying foundation in which the candidates of both parties play the people.  There are a few simple facts that we all know.  The population of inner cities tend to be primarily black, poor, and democrat.  The population of rural America tends to be primarily white, often bigoted, and republican.  Both stereotypes are not always true, but the generalization is all the political folks need to keep the wheels turning.  So, we've got the foundation for the racial division that makes headlines.

The next obvious division is between business owners and the "working class" formerly known as employees.  Business owners used to be part of the working middle class!  Some still are, but they are becoming few in number.  What has served to divide the inner city and sparsely populated rural America is now used to divide suburbs and mainstreet America.  The real difference in this, is a mindset that the politicians play on.  Politicians are powerful employees that want to not only maintain their benefits package, but to increase it at the employers expense, a.k.a.  "we the people."  What used to be business men and farmers taking a few years to serve in Washington and going back to their businesses, land, and facing their constituents has turned into career politicians, and they have virtually no sense of business, production, or economics.

There is a different mindset to get up knowing there is no time clock and no hourly wage or salary.  Self-employment has to produce a finished product.  There is no A for effort.  There is F, not only for fail, but also for incomplete!  Business owners take risks, hourly workers can't imagine, or aren't willing to take.  On the other hand, good employees are essential to a business.  There used to be a real security in being a good employee, on  someone else's clock, but that security no longer exists.  Business owners, on start up, put in hours that cannot be compensated for, on an hourly scale.  Business owners do not start their business with six and seven digit salaries.  There are also many hard working people who are underpaid, but for the most part, those workers are in health care and child care, not factories or technical trade.  There are many employees who make far from minimum wage, without the headaches of business ownership or management.

Now, what the politicians do; is get  these two groups all fired up based upon the extreme foundation already established.  The democrats are told if they are not making what the boss is making, they are being oppressed by rich republicans.  The republicans are told democrats want to live off their hard work and take their savings and businesses.  The reality is, the political machine is regulating businesses into bankruptcy and insolvency, while creating higher costs for what's left of the middle class and the underemployed.  They do all this while blaming partisan politics for no job creation.   Entrepreneurs create jobs, when they are not regulated into forfeiture.  Skilled labor is the backbone of the economy, but skilled labor is only needed when the population needs what skilled labor produces.  There is not a business in the world that can exist, only to pay employees and provide benefits.  The only entity that does that is our government . . .

What our political process has done is create a symbiotic "imbalance" placing the burden of taxation without the tax breaks of the wealthy or tax credits of the poor, on the dramatically reduced population of what's left of the middle class.  Much of the middle class that produced a strong economy was comprised of independent business owners and family companies.  This single move that began noticeably in the early 80s has culminated now to the point, Americans literally loathe the "other party" and blame each other economically.  Sadly, our leaders knew the root to plant and cultivate, that would divide the people.  Even sadder, we have been willing participants.  Well played Washington, well played.

For the love of money is the root of all evil . . .



  

Business As Usual

In driving through the nearest town this past week, I couldn't help but notice the vacant storefronts and for sale signs.  The appearance of "business as usual" is still present, but the reality is a much different perspective.  I remember watching the town near the first homestead, die under the DREAM initiative, and now, a six year history here with a gradual slow decline of this smaller town.  The first town is struggling so much, the Chinese buffets and Mexican restaurants are closing.  The square appears to be at about half capacity for businesses, with many of them being offices rather than retail.  I've spoken with men who began their businesses forty or more years ago, and they resignedly shake their head as they tell me, their hopes of children inheriting their business are simply gone.  When they retire, the business will simply be sold or shuttered.  These men did, however; provide well for their families and employment in the community at one time, but there is no longer a future for local, independent family owned business in America.

The change has been so gradual, we apparently didn't realize what was actually happening.  As a very small child, I remember the downtowns were thriving.  My grandma referred to the main retail business street as "The Avenue."  I was still a child when the malls were built.  I didn't notice at the time, we stopped going to The Avenue as much, and since we lived in the country, our small town "down town" became just a pit stop for odds and ends.  Major shopping was done in the city . . . at the mall.  I'm not really much of a shopper, so I failed to realize the malls were declining until we were shopping for rings at the beginning of this new millenium.  So many places in the mall were vacant, and there were recliners in the middle for the walkers to gather and take a break!  It then dawned upon me that mini-malls had become the convenient trend for stylish retail, and Wal-Mart Supercenters for economical shopping.

In relocation through the summer of 2005, I spent a quite a bit of time on the road, seeing a great deal of road construction.  In all the highway construction, looming in the background were shuttered malls and dormant businesses.  So many businesses were already gone, so many buildings standing vacant, while the plan seemed to already be in place, to divert access to the businesses that were left.  Independence was foundational in the building of America, or so we've been told.  As the years have continued many local independents did not withstand the great recession, which I have termed "the great repression."  These independent business people didn't receive any bailouts.  As the news has reported recovery, I simply do not see it.  Of course, there were jobs created for a time, such as more highway construction and signs, but the only promise that appears to have been created to be lasting is the loss of independent business on the American landscape.

While this economic collapse has been gradual and seemingly isolated, it has spread and continues to spread.  Detroit didn't come back.  Ohio's unemployment rate is still staggering.  The statistics are terribly skewed when it comes to those actively seeking employment and those who have simply given up and sought assistance or taken early retirement.  There are ads everywhere to apply for disability.  Our nation isn't building business and this country is not making products.

The primary employers in this country are government, health care, and Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart has replaced General Motors as a primary employer.  I was married to a General Motors employee several years ago and I remember our standard of living.  Wal-Mart does not offer that same opportunity to the majority of it's employees.  There is much busy-ness and great chasing, but a drive down main street USA gives clear indication the American standard is far from business as usual.

But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.  prophecy of Holy Scripture