Threats:
Wage Inequality: When enough people are exploited, when wages are driven down instead of buoyed up, when capitalism leads to desperation to the dependent segment of our population, we flirt with instability, rebellion, and revolution. There is enough wealth in this nation to avoid this if we find a way tin incentivize businesses to increase the wages of the lower tier workers. With the blatantly unequal rise of wages for different classes in America, how can those directing and litigating and legislating how we compensate different levels of society need the excuse to make those annual raises more equal. And with the recent mutation of those annual increases tilted so extremely toward the rich, there is a growing capacity for this remedy. Business people, MBAs, the C Suite, Financial institutions, Boards of Directors, this is your chance to build in institutional structures that tie compensation at the highest levels with those at the middle and bottom, AND correct the imbalance that's manifested itself withing the last 30 years. You're smart motherfuckers. You can figure this out, and for the long term strength of your current hegemony, you better do it now or it's going to come crashing down on not only the underclass, but the rest as well. Your move, power brokers. Do the right thing.
Equal Opportunity: The strength and stability of our nation begs that we optimize the participation of every human being living in our boarders. Every person on the public dole, in prison, unemployed, disenfranchized from productivity for whatever reason is a drag on all of us. What can we do individually and institutionally to bring those outcasts back into the productive side of our economy? The ROI in moving any of those out-groups into the in-group pays off more than any other endeavor to the overall health of our country. What are we doing to neutralize the forces that oppress anyone or allow them to fall into the takers? Drug addicts, prisoners, released prisoners, the sick, physically and mentally disabled, welfare recipients, young single mothers and fathers, the poor, homeless, PTSD victims (vets and non-vets), etc. Getting those individuals the focused assistance they need to return to productivity is worth every single penny over and over. Every person we leave behind will live to haunt the world of our children's future.
National Security: Being a global force for good is a fine tagline for the US Navy, but contributing to the worlds down-trodden both within our borders and around the world is the single best thing we can do to keep America great in the eyes of the world. We can lead or take a back-seat, or we can lead by example. The world, for sure, needs to do their best in their borders, and we can be an inspiration or just another failed experiment.
Corruption Busing: Trust in our institutions, with the apex being our federal government from the very top down, is the single most important need for our long-term stability. Everything we can do to identify and illuminate areas where we need to clean house is necessary. Vigorous, continual, continuous, strenuous and unrelenting pressure to be better is central to continuing as a viable nation. Independent and unbiased journalism is essential, so supporting local, state, and national media that prove themselves to be objective and aggressive is worth every penny. Truth, you sons of bitches, not to further your ideologies. Fuck your ideologies. Facts and science and a clear picture of reality will do more to put us on the right track than your conspiracy theories, right and left wing-nut biases, and the blowhards that get all emotional over the Clinton's, Bush's, and Trump's. Follow the money, subtract your emotions (if you have feelings about people (like Obama or Trump), you're not the right person to act on facts). If you have feelings about America and the Constitution, you're getting closer. If you have feelings for the long-term (3 - 10 generations) of our continued global viability, you're closer still. Avoiding spending on objective study of climate change, gun violence, immigration, government effectiveness, national health, defense, energy, science... is dangerous. If we're not making policy on reality, we're at the mercy of merchants whose goals are their short-term (single or two generation) wealth instead of national long-term resilience and stability. Your choice.
Solutions:
Pick one or more of the items above. Think hard about where you want to contribute some of your energy and resources to bust up the negative parts of any of them or to bolster the forces for good. I like working toward the positive side and let the negative side starve for lack of attention. Promote strong, independent journalism at whatever level. Support organizations that bring people to productivity. Lobby your company to raise your minimum wages -- if you're the CEO, check your greed and find a way to share the wealth to strengthen your company's standing in the world. Whatever your level, throw some support at one of these worthy enterprises and drag some friends along with you.
By the way, one of the solutions is stronger education based on students' needs, especially those students who are poor and whose needs are not being met. Equality in education is a force multiplier.
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