We are constantly in debates with the Left, the Progressives and the Democrats on issues large and small. Objectively we have won just about every debate, as has been adjudicated by many sources. Our opponents seem unimpressed by our superior logic and in depth understanding of our economy. They still hold to false positions like Napoleon at Waterloo, believe they are in the right, and continue with their distortions in the face of stinging rebukes.

The historical outcomes of their positions are painfully obvious, but they do not recognize the folly of their thinking, especially as it has led to the enormous debt we have built up through excessive government largess. Something else must be afoot!

Could it be reliance on the old "repeat a lie often enough and it will be believed" propaganda maneuver? If they somehow win with their lies, they gain power with each one, leading us all into the snarls of Socialism, and ultimately into the catastrophe of Communism!

Of the many serious problems with this turn of events, I can call out three:

1) This approach to governance inevitably leads to a totalitarian government led by an anointed party or class of sycophants;

2) The opposition must be permanently stifled, in every known instance by simply killing them off in the millions, or sending them to concentration camps, sometimes for "rehabilitation". Few survive;

3) The general public is left to descend into poverty and starvation, while the upper class lives a charmed and luxurious life. Neither an army of brilliant experts nor massive computers can match the power of the millions of daily incremental decisions easily absorbed in a society organized around capitalism.

That is why the entire group of European Union nations are Democracies, albeit with very high taxes to afford their social programs. They are all in deep trouble financially because of their excessive social emphasis and their immigration policies. There is no balance between government largess and individual duty and entrepreneurship, and they have had to leave their defense largely to us for over 70 years.

We must achieve that balance in America and hold fast to it, while rejecting the lying path others would have us follow.

We are constantly in debates with the Left, the Progressives and the Democrats on issues large and small. Objectively we have won just about every debate, as has been adjudicated by many sources. Our opponents seem unimpressed by our superior logic and in depth understanding of our economy. They still hold to false positions like Napoleon at Waterloo, believe they are in the right, and continue with their distortions in the face of stinging rebukes.

yeah right, any rhetorical nonsense that comes out is followed by a proclamation of "see I'm right", sources not necessary because beliefs and the concept "that everyone knows" rules the day. The right is still trying to support Benghazi with zip.

The historical outcomes of their positions are painfully obvious, but they do not recognize the folly of their thinking, especially as it has led to the enormous debt we have built up through excessive government largess. Something else must be afoot!

Bush lost 20 million jobs, created a $1.3 Trillion deficit from a surplus, lowered taxes which obviously did not work, yet the right sees this as proof of the left blanming Bush for the economy when everyone knows it was Obama destroyed the economy.

Could it be reliance on the old "repeat a lie often enough and it will be believed" propaganda maneuver? If they somehow win with their lies, they gain power with each one, leading us all into the snarls of Socialism, and ultimately into the catastrophe of Communism!

How about the repeat of "no Russian collusion", over and over and over, even though we have seen a lot of evidence that supports Trump campaign staffers working with Russia. Witch hunt, even though we are seeing a lot of charges and guilty pleas on many witches. Fake news over and over, meanwhile we are seeing the fake news narratives the GOP is running with get shot down over and over. Can't you all figure out that lie after lie is pointing to who is running the fake news?

Of the many serious problems with this turn of events, I can call out three:

1) This approach to governance inevitably leads to a totalitarian government led by an anointed party or class of sycophants;
Yeah, look at the president who cares nothing about rule of law or the constitution

2) The opposition must be permanently stifled, in every known instance by simply killing them off in the millions, or sending them to concentration camps, sometimes for "rehabilitation". Few survive;
it starts with using the law to eliminate your dissenters, look at the hundreds of peaceful protestors were arrested when it was six guys doing the damage who never were identified or arrested, yet the DOJ tried to prosecute people who just happened to be there.

3) The general public is left to descend into poverty and starvation, while the upper class lives a charmed and luxurious life. Neither an army of brilliant experts nor massive computers can match the power of the millions of daily incremental decisions easily absorbed in a society organized around capitalism.
excellentpoint, we have tens of millions living below poverty level, those the right refer to as the deadbeat. Wages have been stagnant for more than a decade while upper end management and CEO pay has gone up in huge multiples.

That is why the entire group of European Union nations are Democracies, albeit with very high taxes to afford their social programs. They are all in deep trouble financially because of their excessive social emphasis and their immigration policies. There is no balance between government largess and individual duty and entrepreneurship, and they have had to leave their defense largely to us for over 70 years.

We must achieve that balance in America and hold fast to it, while rejecting the lying path others would have us follow.

can you begin to justify an employee such as a hedge fund manager making a salary and bonus package of over a billion a year? Nobody on this earth is worth even ten million a year as an employee of a corporation that handles billions of dollars of investor's funds. How about a CEO like Fiorina working for EBAY, and taking a $700 million severence bonus as they are laying off 4500 employees? Yeah, this country needs to balance a hugely disproportionate income disparity, because a country that does not have a majority of it's people sharing in the fruits of their labor is not a healthy nation

Corporations and their upper level pay structures are well above my pay grade. So are employment contracts with a golden parachute in case of termination. A long time ago I resolved not to practice the politics of envy, since it does me absolutely no earthly good to do so, and I retired with a decent severance and pension setup, the usual gold watch, and a nice certificate of service after 42 years. Actually, it was a Movado in a standup case.

I had my chances to make a bigger splash, several of them, and so did my father, but I was not the gambling type and neither was he. I opted for the security of a nice check every month and it worked out for the benefit of my family and for me. I earned it. This kind of career and millions like it carry on every year; it requires an education, knowledge of a business, discipline, dedication and a few breaks along the way.

I understand that there are more jobs on the market now than there are unemployed, the catch being lack of something needed on the part of the unemployed. Here in Virginia there are many trade schools where people can learn a trade and be almost guaranteed a job once they graduate, and there are scholarships to help those who cannot afford the course. Then too, the military is a very good place to get paid to learn from a very long list of valued trades, that also have many opportunities in the civilian market.

I should tell you of an experience with the matter of leveling of income in Holland. The unions rose up all together as demanded that the lowest level pay, say for a janitor, should be at least a third of the level for the highest paid, such as a CEO. And everyone else should be graded in between.

A few weeks after this demand was made, with a threat of nationwide strikes to force the issue, the ten largest corporations in Holland, and there are some very large ones like Philips, Ahold, Royal Dutch Shell, AMRO Bank, etc. sent a letter jointly to the government saying if you pass laws honoring this holdup, we will take our corporations to another country, and the 80% of all the workers we employ here in Holland, which was about 60% of all workers, will be out on the street and on the dole.

The government did not act, and the strike did not happen. Incomes were not leveled. These are the facts; I was there; I read that letter.
Ideas have consequences.

I'm glad someone keeps track of CEO and Director pay, because it is too rarified air for me. Workers are in line to get substantial pay raises as the labor shortages in key industries continue to grow as the economy grows. The real fear in the labor market is worker replacement by robots and AI algorithms over the next decade or so. Time to take night classes for a new job. While in IBM in the 60's, we retrained ex-military officers to be business programmers, and it was quite successful, although not without some difficulties. A few could not make it.