The Legal and Organized Political Power

The components of national power of the state, qualitative and quantitative factors of economic, political, social and military power are needed to interpret the same state as a dynamic social relationship, which necessarily interacts with all facets of social behavior.

The combination of these optical multidisciplinary appreciate the history and present of nations, as part of social and institutional contents of the country, under the deposit of state powers in the government figure, defines the policies to follow. This statement is of particular importance as it cannot be separated from the external to internal power, and in many ways, the way state acts have to do with the image it has of himself, that reaching out and that others have of it.

Schematically, the assertion that the national and international power means "... The power or ability of the subjects of international society to impose its own will on others, based on the preparation of its population, as well as the quantity, quality and use of resources at their disposal, in determining the degree of organization and development they have attained in all spheres: political, economic, legal, social, cultural, scientific, technical, military, etc.. as well as the objectives of its foreign policy, and supported by the ability of its armed forces and the complexity of their arms. Therefore, power is a complex global power that determines the specific weight of each actors of contemporary international society.

The ability and willingness to exercise ( power) reflects the degree of cohesion and direction in national policy and have given concrete expression in the international arena. In this perspective is the conceptualization of Raymond Aron, external action is not only diplomacy, in the narrowest sense of the term... but also influences or pressures, voluntary or otherwise, brought by the country on other countries, both because of what it is, and because of what he does, and both its multinational companies as their diplomats.

National Power reflects possibilities and limitations in it. National Power flows from state power, the exercise of delegated to the nation state, which has the power to establish and implement the political-legal process. Thus, the State, such as monopolizing the use of force, avoiding anarchic violence between individuals and gives the government the means to enforce the institutional comprehensiveness of the National Power is the result of the agglutination of all means available to the nation: political, economic, social (psychosocial) and military. National Power serves the domestic and foreign policy externally is surety instrument of sovereignty, aimed to conquer and preserve national objectives relating to international relations.

These are called the sovereign independence of states, the absence of a higher power, the detachment from all external brake, which attaches to relations between states his peculiar sense of anarchy. There are three powerful imperatives: the prestige, fear and interest, as it is natural that the weak law is dominated by the strong. Power has formed an indissoluble part of the study of relations between states and ways in which power became the main catalyst for the evolution in the forms of political organization.

Without explaining the power it cannot be explained the historical evolution of the social community clustered in the political, from the primitive commune to the supranational schemes today. Hence the use of power in relations between states was analyzed also as a synonym of "power politics", generally from the perspective of "realpolitik". The power in international relations is the ability of a nation to use its tangible and intangible resources, so that they can affect the behavior of other nations.

According to a more specialized, the politics of power are a system of international relations in which groups regard themselves, as the ultimate goals, employ at least vital purposes, the most effective means at their disposal and are measured according to their weight in case of conflict.

Power politics generally are interpreted from the perspective of interstate and as sources of power have their own internal conditions of which becomes its capacity. Hence, National Power, Foreign Policy and Political Power as communicating vessels are the sources of power and capacity.

Thus we can summarize these power politics as a means to achieve the purposes of the nation, and also view internal policies (or domestic), and in foreign policy, because in all these are seeking for power.

The effectiveness of power and significance of their policies is measuring and valuing power, played by objective basis for defining and quantifying multidisciplinary sectors, e.g. - In the effective and efficient use of national power. While power is a relative term, the capabilities are not.

Often it is stated that the power of a nation is simply the sum total of their abilities but always entails power capabilities, is also related to other dimensions. It is important that, while the skills can be delimited objectively, the power must be assessed in every case in terms of psychological and subtle relationship.

In the same vein, Kissinger said that "most of history has shown a synthesis of military, political and economic, which has generally proven to be symmetrical. The sheer will is not enough to the satisfaction of interests; you need the ability to do so. In this summarizes the genesis of power: to prioritize the satisfaction of the interests that man needs to use available means and resources and ensure that they can impose their will, so you can secure control over the obstructions to the achievement of their interests reflecting the possibilities and limitations of National Power.

So does the ability by the end of this century and millennium, a financial institution charged with the uncompromising defense of the principles of neoliberal and monetarism emerged from the Chicago school in the eighties, the World Bank, the state role revalues and emphasizes the full use of state capacities, under the sign of efficiency.

An effective state is essential to have the goods and services - and the rules and institutions-that allow markets to flourish and people to lead healthier and happier life. Experience taught us that the state is central to the process of economic and social development, but not as a direct provider of growth but as a partner, catalyst and initiator of this process. The world is changing and with it also changes our ideas about the role of government in economic and social development.

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Rape As a Political Weapon

Politically motivated sexual violence directed against women is an issue that is seldom the subject of widespread media coverage yet it profoundly affects millions of women in communities worldwide. Organized rape is a tactic used to denigrate and repress political prisoners and victims of war and it is often under reported due to the stigma attached to being a victim of this crime in many parts of the world. Rather than existing as a side effect of war, in countries such as Darfur, Pakistan, Peru, Serbia and Rwanda mass rape has been systematically used as a tool for ethnic cleansing, to spread HIV, extract information and to terrorize rival tribes, movements and dissidents.

In the Rwandan genocide of 1994 is it calculated that approximately half a million women were raped by the Hutu militia in an effort to ethnically cleanse the Tutsi minority. It is estimated that seventy percent of the survivors are living with HIV/AIDS today and this legacy has had a devastating effect on the populace. In Serbia rape camps were used as a methodical instrument of ethnic cleansing to demoralise and disperse the Muslim and Croat population, the Karadzic leadership used a sports complex in the town of Foca to systematically rape women from these communities for two months in 1992. In Sierra Leone the United Nations reports the widespread institutional abduction of girls and women by militias for rape and sexual slavery. In rural India sexual violence has been used to suppress poor communities who defy the elite to demand land rights and higher wages, it has also been used by the police to silence activists who uncover corruption. In Tibet, China has orchestrated unsanctioned mass sterilization and organized rape against Tibetan women, imprisoned female political activists and nuns are repeatedly sexually assaulted as a tactic to break the spirit of the dissident community. In Iran there is a 30 year documented history of sexual violence used as a torture method to humiliate prisoners and victims often remain silent due to the cultural stigma attached to speaking about such incidents. In some cases both children and women are reported to have been raped in front of their husbands, relatives and communities as a barbaric strategy to quash resistance and break down society to achieve military aims.

The true scope of the problem can only be estimated as rape is often used as a precursor to murder in many cases. For the most part sexual assault goes unpunished due to the attitude of indifference towards many forms of violence against women and the implicit acceptance of rape as an unavoidable consequence of war. Victims are often afraid of reprisals if they pursue prosecution and in many parts of the world legislation omits rape in times of war as a prosecutable offence. Unfortunately some peace pacts provide amnesty for the perpetrators and in many cultures a woman who has been raped is considered "unmarriageable" or may be rejected from her community if she is known to be a victim. As a result these crimes frequently go unreported and accurate figures of how pervasive the problem is are often difficult to obtain.

Only now are some countries taking steps to ensure women's rights are protected in conflict zones. Two weeks ago the Philippine government enacted legislation which calls for specialized training to be provided to military, police and civilians to protect women during armed conflicts and post-conflict reconstruction. The new legislation promotes the participation of women in the peacekeeping and conflict resolution process and also calls for a monitoring and reporting system to ensure that violations of women's rights are evaluated and dealt with accordingly.

Recently the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) declared that rape is a form of genocide, The commission stated that "sexual assault formed an integral part of the process of destroying the Tutsi ethnic group and that the rape systematic and had been perpetrated against Tutsi women only, manifesting the specific intent required for those acts to constitute genocide" The tribunal set a precedent in designating rape as a war crime rather than a "trophy of war," to date it has completed 21 trials and convicted 29 accused persons whilst another 11 trials are in currently in progress.

As the issue becomes more accurately documented there is hope that awareness will breed action in the international community. Activists are terming this form of violence against women "sexual terrorism" and the United Nations Secretary General praised the ICTR's recognition of this issue, stating "in a number of contemporary conflicts, sexual violence has taken on particularly brutal dimensions, sometimes as a means of pursuing military, political, social and economic objectives." Hopefully more initiatives will be taken to help evaluate vulnerable communities and take steps to prevent sexual violence against women in conflict zones in the future.

by Naomi Pattirane

About the Author

Naomi Pattirane is an Indonesian American human rights journalist and activist. She is the founder and editor of the online magazine World Women International and an author of slipstream fiction. Her work has been featured on the United Nations site Stop Rape Now to promote action against sexual violence in conflict zones

http://www.worldwomeninternational.com

Support the United Nations campaign against sexual violence in conflict http://www.stoprapenow.org/

Creating a Global Political Party

Part I - Current Trends

As we become more globalized, is it time that the citizens of the world created a worldwide political party? Such parties exist in Europe, for example, under the umbrella of the EU. There are loose associations between the European wide Christian Democratic parties, Socialist parties and Green Parties. But there is no real sense of a truly international party, it is more like an association of like minded parties, but the membership is definitely national.

The democracies of the world have been able to reach very high levels of prosperity, especially since the end of the Second World War, but unfortunately the prosperity of the non-democratic countries has lagged tremendously. The most blatant examples are in Latin America and Eastern Europe. Countries like Argentina, Mexico, Ukraine or even Russia, when one takes into consideration the amount of natural and human resources; the only explanation for the gap in development with other nations is political.

Many have wondered at the tremendous economic success of the United States. Students from the United States are certainly no where near the top of the any ranking of curriculum.

The Washington Post reported "The scores from the 2006 Program for International Student Assessment showed that U.S. 15-year-olds trailed their peers from many industrialized countries. The average science score of U.S. students lagged behind those in 16 of 30 countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, a Paris-based group that represents the world's richest countries. The U.S. students were further behind in math, trailing counterparts in 23 countries."

Clearly people in the United States are not better prepared than there counterparts, nor more talented. The secret to the incredible and enduring prosperity of the United States is very simple but often overlooked. The key to American prosperity is the tremendously strong, almost sacred democratic institutions that have guaranteed the supremacy of constitutional rights of those of any person or party. The United Kingdom demonstrated the superiority of these institutions in the nineteenth century as the United States had done in the 20th. And as these two nations spread their ideals through Western Europe and Japan and Korea, prosperity has followed.

It is no surprise, that when the United States denied some groups within its borders the full value of these democratic rights, the economic prosperity of these groups lagged substantially behind the majority. In the Great Britain, the example of Ireland stands out. Where and when legal rights where denied, Ireland remained economically backward. Curiously, now that Republic of Ireland is a full member of the EU, and a strongly democratic country, its per capita GDP is actually significantly higher than that of the United Kingdom.

But there has never been the need or the desire to carry these values into the international arena. What was sacred at home was not considered crucial when dealing with foreign countries. In the case of the United States, suffice to look at our relationship with Iran, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Argentina, Chile, Vietnam, Guatemala or Nicaragua to see how little it valued sound democratic principles when dealing abroad. The example of Iran is particularly interesting, as the United States continually disregarded the democratic movements in Iran. Imagine Iran today if the United States had supported the same values in Iran that it does at home?

The Israeli example is perhaps the most blatant. Palestinians are not considered worthy of the same rights as Jews or Americans, all in an effort to safeguard Israeli prosperity. It seems the lesson is never learned, the key to security is prosperity, and the key to prosperity is sound democratic institutions.

More than any other media, the internet has given citizens of the world the possibility to freely communicate with each others and share information, data and media. One of the major benefits of the emergence of the English language as the 'de facto' international language is that joined with the internet, we have now practically overcome almost all the political and economic barriers to people communicating with each other. Basic english skills and access to a PC and the internet, and you can communicate with the world. Isn't it time that we began to use the internet to give the whole world, what until now, only the privileged few enjoyed.

The economics behind creating a world political party are miniscule. With a few thousand US Dollars, a robust website with an email and chat platform could be created. Leave the marketing to the buzz. If the message is the right, viral marketing will take the parties platform to all ends of the earth, and create a vital force to change the word, for practically nothing.

What do most of the people want in the world? The Financial Times will tell you they want mobile phones or BMW's. But the truth is, most people want a safe, clean, comfortable place to live with running water, food, clothes, safe and accessible education for their children and healthcare. Imagine a world political party that said the number one priority for all the world is that everyone has these things. Before one more fighter plane is built, before one more Mercedes rolls off the assembly line, every human deserves a clean bed, food, clothes, medical care, and education for their children. Maybe in the past it was difficult to imagine the world as one family; the obstacles between countries and peoples were tremendous. But now we are truly one.

Can you imagine a family, living in a beautiful house, where some members sleep in the bushes, some on the floor in the kitchen while others sleep comfortably in the master bedroom under clean cotton sheets? We are finally realizing that we really all are part of the same family. And with the same intensity that we use to organize and support world athletic tournaments, it is time we began organizing a world political party.

Part II - Structure

Considering the ease at which a world political party could be created with the Internet and the widespread knowledge of English, an important question must be asked and resolved before even ideology is discussed and that is how the party should be structured and how it will intervene in national politics.

One absolutely critical point is that in the party constitution, which will cover the structure and actions of the party, as well as the ideology, it must be made absolutely clear that the party will always act within the laws of the country it is acting in. This could and will be a major point of contention, but it is not negotiable. The viability of the party is based on the fact that it will never support violence in the pursuit of political power and will always act within the legal boundaries of the country where it is operating.

The party will be virtual on the international level, but on the national level it will have a structure similar to other political parties in the nation in which it acts. The website will be the hub of international activity. Members will sign up, have a message board, forum, virtual conventions twice a year, as well as volunteer and paid positions. The key to the structure of the website and the party in general is transparency. All monies coming in as well as going out will be made public on the website. Monthly statements will be made public. Initially, there will be a 6 person representation from each country elected to a international physical conventions of the party, which will take place twice a year. Considering that there are more or less 200 countries in the world and that each would have 6 representatives, there would be roughly a 1200 person World Congress. This World Congress will elect a 12 person Executive Committee, with no more than one person eligible per country. The entire world membership will elect the Chairperson of the Executive Committee which will be one of the members of the Executive Committee.

Once this has been completed at the World Congress, work will begin on drafting a constitution that will be ratified at the following physical World Congress. This is potentially the most challenging moment for the party. The Constitution will not only serve as overriding rule of law for the party, it will also become the keystone for the world constitution that will govern the New World Government. The six month debate the will ensue must be of the highest order, and as widespread among members as possible.

Once this constitution is drawn up and ratified, work can begin on bringing the local parties to power. While the ideological basis for the party will be discussed in the next article, it is important nonetheless to discuss the overriding goal of the party, and that is to create a one world government, bound by its own law to protect all member states and citizens. The most likely framework is a governance body that begins with a limited number of members, and grows slowly outward. This must be considered when drafting the initial constitution. All language, attitudes and spirit must be inclusive of those nations not operating under the charter.

The parties operating in each nation must work on all levels, national, regional and local, to gain political power. Once that political power is acquired, it must be used for two purposes: first two pursue policies that promote the values and ideals of the World Constitution, and second to bring the host nation under the charter of the New World Government. This pursuit must always follow the laws of the host nation and never, under any circumstances, promote or support any violent act.

While this may seem far fetched to discuss before even a website is started, we must not underestimate the speed at which these types of endeavors can progress with modern dissemination methods. This will be the first truly worldwide movement. No matter who gains leadership or protagonism within the party, the key to the success of the party is that it never becomes associated with one particular country, area, organization or culture. All people in leadership levels must act in the interest of the whole. Language, actions, or policies that are exclusive must be avoided.

First and foremost we are human beings. Within the context of the party, we will want to avoid any behavior or policies that are exclusive of anyone due to their gender, race, ethnicity, sexual identity, the language the speak or don't speak, financial position or any other reason. One of the fundamental reasons for the founding of the party is to stop those types of behaviors at least in as much as they hinder many humans from acquiring the very basic necessities of life.

A possible name for the party is the World People's Party, or WPP. And the congress's could be called the World People's Congress and the new government could be called the New World Body. These are simply suggestions; all would have to be voted on at the first World Congress. But in order to act sometimes it is important to have name.

Finally, the call action. For this to get off the ground, one donor must be found to fund the building of the website (programming, design, creative pieces, email service, and initial ad campaign). Depending on the donor, this could range from $10,000 at a minimum, to $10,000,000 at a maximum. The difference in quantities will be reflected in the speed of the campaign and the assurance of success. A $10,000 start could fail before it ever got off the ground, with $10,000,000 success is assured. Anywhere in the middle ands speed and success of the campaign is more or less certain. Before anything can be started, an international organization would have to be founded, to administer monies, payments, charters etc.

So we have the goal, it is time to get started, and have one person initialize funding, create the organization, and get the website and message out there. The rest the people will handle.

Part III - Ideology and Platforms

Three major challenges confront the world today, poverty, corruption, and sustainable growth. The first two particularly pertain to the underdeveloped and developing world. Poverty and corruption today is primarily a circumstance of undemocratic and corrupt government. With current technological advances, a government that works for the people, in their best interest, will quickly be able to raise standards of living. Poverty and corruption work hand-in-hand. Prosperity means strong democratic institutions, institutions that will put the government at the service of the people, not at the service of self-serving politicians and oligarchs who only pursue personal wealth and power through government service.

Sustainable growth is something that is equally difficult for all, developing countries as well as developed countries. Coordinating our consumption of raw materials as well as manufactured goods is vital to sustainable prosperity. Only a universal plan, free of greed and corruption, will be able to administer the world's resources in a responsible and sustainable way.

Many believe the environment will not be able to sustain a growing world population and economy. Clearly the earth's resources are strained, but there is also another threat looming that could be a more imminent danger. The possibility that the world is reaching peak oil has been openly debated. It is not clear how close that point is, but when it is reached, the price increases that will occur on the downside of the graph as our oil reserves go from their high points towards depletion will be tremendous. Though we do not know when this will occur, there is a possibility that it could occur within the next 10 years, and it is very likely to occur with the next 50 years.

While the deterioration of the environment is obviously a tremendous danger to the continued progress of humanity, the problem of peak oil could actually be more dangerous in the short term. So much of our current prosperity is based on oil and the economic growth that oil offers, that once it becomes prohibitively expensive, the world may have difficulty supplying basic needs to a population that grew so rapidly from abundant cheap energy.

The entire current world infrastructure, as well as the financial system is based on cheap oil. Once we begin the downward slope from peak, not only could we face real problems to feed and house the world population, there is also the danger of war over the ever declining supplies of oil.

The people of the world must unite under a group of institutions that will be given power by the nations of the world to administer the resources of the world, insure the basic human rights of the world's citizens, and be the arbiter of international relations.

Human rights are clearly the right to expression, basic private property, the right to work, the right to a clean safe home, the right to eat, the right to health care, and right that all children be given a complete education. Today this is possible. It may not have been possible even 25 years ago, but with advances in technology we can give every human these basic elements of life. It will not happen overnight, but with a concerted global effort, it is conceivable to achieve within ten years. How would this be paid for? Where would the resources come from?

All persons have the right to basic private property, which means a home, transportation, private belongings, investments, money, etc. But the ownerships of the world's natural resources must be property of all citizens of the world. This may be extremely difficult to implement in the short term, but the consequences of not doing this could be fatal for human culture. Initially, all nation states should take control of basic natural resources, water, wood, oceans, oil, minerals etc. The shareholders of the entities that now own these resources would be compensated. Once these resources were under control of nation states, a 10% tax would be placed on the international commerce of these natural resources to pay for the infrastructure needed in developing countries, this tax plus their own revenue generated from the sale of these resources would pay for the building of homes, hospitals, infrastructure, schools, universities etc.

The second source of revenue for the international governing body would be a membership tax on all nations that enter the international organization. This tax would be a 50% tax on military spending. This would generate revenue and drastically reduce the amount of world military spending. These would be the only sources of revenue for the world governing body. Any military operations would be carried out by the militaries of member nations. As the party begins to win control of nations, these nations would enter the world governing body by parliamentary vote or referendum, much the same as has occurred with the EU.

Another source of revenue to fund the development of infrastructure across the world would be the creation of a new world currency. This new currency will be backed by the world's natural resources. All national debts would be dissolved and reimbursed by the new currency. The freed tax revenue would be dedicated achieving the basic rights of men; food, housing, work, health care and education in the developing world, as well as creating a new, clean energy source and infrastructure in the developed world that can be quickly transferred to developing nations. New communities and energy sources will be created under a clean, sustainable, peaceful model.

The world governing body and world constitution will detail the legislative procedures to enact and realize the core values of the world constitution. War, corruption, oppression, and the unsustainable dissipation of the world's natural resources will not be tolerated in member nations. In exchange for the immense resources that the world governing body will allocate, completely transparent democratic institutions must rule all member nations, above all person or party.

The world governing body will leave the vast majority of culture governance to national and regional governments. World holidays will be created, as well as educational databases, exhibitions and international budgets for the promotion of the great world traditions. There will be a complete and total separation of the world governing body from any religious affiliation whatsoever.

To summarize the ideological foundation of the world governing body, life, freedom, peace, democracy and sustainability. Once these have been reasonably assured for all humans, a new age of peace, harmony and sanity will prevail.

Robert Bonomo is a journalist, blogger and internet marketer. He has recently published a novel, Cactus Land, available on Amazon. PURCHASE CACTUS LAND ON AMAZON.

He also has a blog, Cactus Land, and works as an internet marketing consultant. See Professional Services Link on his blog for details. Read Robert's blog CACTUS LAND BLOG.

The Public Sector, Our Grandkids, and The Failure Of Our Political Class

An article by Mark Shields entitled, "The Public Sector And My Grandchildren," appeared in the December 26, 2010 issue of the St. Petersburg Times. In the article, Mr. Shields tries to make the case that government at all levels has and will make sure that his grandchildren have a better life as a result of government, and the politicians running that government, are on the case, effective, and looking out for their well being. To prove his point, he lists out what he perceives to be the good that government and politicians bestow on us everyday.

All Americans should certainly respect Mr. Shield's perspective that government and politicians are dong a good job. If that is his opinion and feels that his grandkids will have a better life as a result, then he probably sleeps better at night than many of us. However, using Mr. Shields' own examples, many of us end up with a diametrically opposite view, namely that government and the current political class that operates it will not create a better future for our grandkids:

- Mr. Shields asserts that his grandkids "will get an excellent education at superior public schools." What is interesting is that in the same section of the same paper on the same day, another article shows that United States teenagers, the vast majority of which went to these same public schools, ranked 31st relative to other nations when it comes 15 year olds performing at the advanced level in math proficiency. Only 6% of U.S. students perform at the advanced level compared to 28% of students in Taiwan that perform at advanced level in math proficiency. The top ten nations all had at least 15% of their kids performing at the highest levels compared to our meager 6%.

The article also broke down the United States performance state-by-state, which may help explain Mr. Shields' high opinion of our public schools. However, the very best state, Massachusetts, only has 12% of its 15 year olds at high proficiency in math, trailing seventeen nations. In fact, only two states had a proficiency at least 10%, the other 48 states were in the single digit range.

Continuing along this same theme, recent news reports showed that the United States trails trails dozens of nations in math, reading, and science and the Defense Department recently reported that almost a quarter (23%) of potential enlistees cannot pass the basic reading and math entrance examinations. A May 11, 2010 Associated Press article stated that about a third of incoming U.S. college students need to take at least one remedial course, according to the U.S. Department of Education. The results of a survey that was published in the July 16, 2010 issue of The Week magazine showed that 26% of Americans did not know that the United States won it's independence from England, with some people in that 26% naming Mexico, France and China. I am sorry I do not share Mr.Shields view of our public schools but based on hard results and experiences, they are anything but superior.

- Mr. Shields maintains that our national safety and defense is protected by the brave men and women of our armed forces, an assertion no one cannot disagree with. However, an important follow on question is needed: at what cost? The Defense Department budget is now in excess of over $800 billion or so, more than 20% of the entire Federal budget. We have hundreds of thousands of U.S. troops stationed all over the world, many serving a purpose that no longer exists. We have tens of thousands of troops in Europe to protect against a Communist military strike. However, that potential is now zero but we spend billions of dollars a year guarding against it.

We have tens of thousands of troops in Japan to guard against what? No one seems to have any idea but it is still billions of dollars wasted. We have almost 30,000 troops in South Korea, despite the fact that a vibrant South Korean economy is strong enough to provide the men and resources to protect itself. More billions of dollars wasted. We still have 50,000 troops in Iraq despite the fact the current President campaigned to get them all out long ago. More billions of dollars wasted annually.

Yes, Mr. Shields, we are thankful for the brave men and women in our armed forces. We are not thankful for the politicians that refuse to stop fighting the wrong and/or non-existent threats and potentially bankrupting the nation in the process with an over sized and inefficient military budget process.

- Most would agree with Mr. Shields that the air with breathe and the water we drink is cleaner and healthier than it probably was several decades ago. This is probably one of the few Federal government areas, pollution control and monitoring, where discernible progress has been made over the past several decades.

However, just how good is the EPA from a pollution mitigation perspective? An April 16, 2010 article in Newsweek magazine asserted that over 720 U.S. companies have been in "continuous violation" of air pollution laws for years. Does not sound like the government is really do all that great of a job if hundreds of air pollution violators can go unpunished for years.

And what about the BP oil spill disaster earlier this year? The government was caught totally unprepared to cope with such massive water pollution. Government employees responsible for oil rig safety have been shown to be preoccupied searching for pornography on their government computers, they did not conduct the required number of safety inspections, many of them admitted to drug addiction habits and usage while on the job, and many were so preoccupied with getting a private sector oil industry job that they may have been derelict in their safety job requirements. As a result of this faulty government oversight, we now have a likely ecological disaster for years to come that may have an impact on Mr. Shields' grandkids down the road from a food safety and recreation perspective.

- Most Americans would probably agree that current government employees and politicians do accomplish many worthwhile activities such as food safety, building safety, air travel safety, libraries, police protection and fire protection. However, they are supposed to to these kinds of activities, they should not be singled out for extraordinary commendations for simply doing their jobs.

- Most would also agree on many other points brought out in the article but Mr. Shields gives government credit for acts that took effect long ago. Ending segregation, passing ant-discrimination laws, maintaining copyright and patent processes, etc. were all done by past generations of government and politicians, not today's political class. This is what today's government and political class has given us


A political process that is riddled with earmarks and the corruption of money from unions, PACs, and corporations, money that overwhelms the needs and desires of ordinary American citizens.
Gerrymandered Congressional districts and primary processes designed to do what is best for the major political powers and the political incumbents, regardless of what is best for the voters in those Congressional districts.
Dozens of SEC employees that have been shown to be totally preoccupied with on-the-job Internet pornography searching as the financial infrastructure of the country melted down into the Great Recession.
A Federal Reserve Board, a Treasury Department, Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, HUD, FHA, numerous Senate and House Of Representatives committees and subcommittees and droves of government economists that never saw the coming of the Great Recession until it hit them in the face, resulting in high levels of unemployment, the destruction of retirement wealth for millions of Americans, and the systemic destruction of the housing and mortgage industry.
A failure when it comes to the war on drugs as a violent, lawless state, consumed by the drug cartels, evolves just south of our borders.
A failure when it comes to developing a comprehensive and rationale energy policy, more than thirty years after the oil crises of the 1970s showed how much such a policy was needed.
A failure when it comes to national security, resulting in over three thousand civilian deaths on 9-11, years after such a threat was obvious from terrorism due to the first World Trade Center bombing, the African embassy bombings, and the U.S.S. Cole attack.
A failure when it comes to secure borders and a rationale immigration policy.
Extremely high taxation rates, rates that inhibit freedom of choice in this country. When a citizen is paying over 40% of their earnings to all levels of government in taxes and fees, the ability to start a new business, send one's kids to better schools, save for retirement, contribute to a favorite charity, etc. is severely limited. There cannot be political freedom without financial freedom and Mr. Shields' grandkids are heading into a future in this country where freedom is more or less a distant memory.
And worse of all, especially when it comes to Mr. Shields' grandkids, an ever growing and ever dangerous national debt has been thrust upon their future. Before his two grandkids hit second grade, they already are responsible for over $42,000 of the Federal government's national debt (dividing the $13 TRILLION of national debt by the 308 million or so current U.S.citizens). It does not matter how safe the Federal government makes our food or our drugs or our air safety. Unless skyrocketing the national debt is tamed, all other government functions become moot. At the point where the financials of the nation collapses, I am sure that patent protection and copyright protection and the like will not be pressing issues.

And what is our government and political class doing about all of these crises? Apparently not much. Consider a quote from President Obama that appeared in the August 10, 2009 edition of the New York Times: "I've got a lot on my plate and it's very important for us to sequence these big initiatives in a way where they don't all just crash at the same time." Obviously, those running the country now do not see any great urgency if they plan to tackle the major issues one at a time. Unfortunately, for Mr. Shields' grandkids, and the rest of us, these problems will get worse and worse before the political class ever gets to them, reducing our freedom and financial stability going forward.

We have truly entered into an era, of what David Brooks called in a recent New York Times article, of "immobile government." An era where incompetence, bureaucracy, and partisan politics results in a public sector whose successes get fewer and less impactful going forward. This is not due to the hard working government employees but to the insular and out-of touch political class that leads them. So, with all due respect to Mr. Shields position, I am less thankful "what government does for those whom we love." I am more scared by what government does not do or does wastefully or inefficiently for those whom we love.

Walter "Bruno" Korschek is the author of the book, "Love My Country, Loathe My Government - Fifty First Steps To Restoring Our Freedom and Destroying The American Political Class," which is available at http://www.loathemygovernment.com and online at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Our daily dialog on freedom in America can be joined at http://www.loathemygovernment.blogspot.com.

Political Equality - Marching vs Lobbying?

In Capitalist America everything seems to be "for sale," but what about the Government? In 2006, according to The Center For Responsive Politics, corporations, labor unions, and other organizations spent $2.6 billion to"lobby" Congress and all other federal agencies.

Who spent the most money trying to convince law makers to support their cause? Exxon Mobil, the oil and gas giant came in No. 8, handing out more than $14.5 million. "Big tobacco's" Altria Group (formerly Phillip Morris) was No. 14, spending about $13 million. The No.1 spender was the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a pro-business group who spent $73 million on government lobbying. The great Dale Carnegie once said "in order to get anybody to do anything, you have to give them what they want," and it seems like the government wants - MONEY!

Black Americans wanted equal rights and so we marched, protested and made so much noise - we got the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Fast forward forty three years, and if we see any racial injustices, again we march, protest and make political noise to protect our people. However, just like after watching a horror movie so many times, since you know what's coming you are no longer scared.

The political noise of protesting and marching is beginning to fall on deaf ears in Congress and with the President. Not to mention, since they have seen the "Black Americans Marching Movie" so many times they are probably no longer scared either. But that does not that mean we should stop marching. No, I think we must continue to march and protest whenever we witness injustice, but if we truly want to get Congress and the President to do anything we must speak their language and give them what they want - The Almighty Dollar!

As stated above, corporations spend millions to persuade congress and other elected officials to support their financial causes, but ethnic organizations are also playing the lobby game. According to Fortune magazine, the most powerful ethnic special interest group is the Jewish organization called the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).

It has been said that their is a Jewish conspiracy to take over America, but apparently AIPAC has nothing to hide because their political objectives and successes are all publicly displayed on their website. AIPAC reportedly has 100,000 members and annual budget of $50 million. Their stated purpose is to lobby the Congress of the United States on issues and legislation that are pro-Israel. They maintain a staff of 200 professional lobbyist, researchers, and organizers who have strong political ties to Congress.

Since 1990, AIPAC has spent about $40 million in individual, group and soft money donations to federal candidates and party committees. It's no wonder the United States shares military intelligence and provides foreign military and economic aid to Israel, totaling $2.46 billion in 2007. This is no one-time financial aid package! Israel receives about $3 billion a year in economic and military aid - one of the many political successes accomplished by AIPAC as listed on its website.

Who are the major political organizations that lobby the U.S. Government to protect the interest of Black Americans? Historically, the most famous and influential black organization is the NAACP. With a current membership of about 300,000 Black Americans and an estimated $25 million annual budget, the NAACP focuses on politics, legal cases, and other activities that affect Black Americans. Plagued by social and financial scandals during the 90's, the NAACP was 3.2 million in debt and some questioned the relevancy of the organization.

"I'm concerned that, on the ground, the NAACP is increasingly irrelevant to the issues Black folk face on a daily basis", stated Shavar Jeffries, a black columnist for blackprof.com. Since 1999, the NAACP has spent less than $3 million on lobbying the U.S. government for its legal defense fund, compared to AIPAC's $6.2 million. Currently in 2007 the NAACP has spent a mere $100,000 compared to AIPAC's $1 million. Okay, let's get off the NAACP for now and discover if any other black organizations are playing the lobby game.

Another one of the most powerful black organizations is the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC). The CBC is comprised of forty-three active congress-persons including presidential candidate Barack Obama. Having forty three congress-persons on our team sounds good and we can assume since they are congress-persons they will lobby on our behalf, but with only an average annual budget of $6 million, it may be difficult. The objective of the CBC is to address the legislative concerns of black and minority citizens and it appears to spend most of it's revenue on the various programs and services it provides to Black Americans across the country. No lobbying expenses could be found.

Next up? The National Urban League (NUL) is the nation's oldest and largest community- based movement devoted to empowering African Americans to enter the economic and social mainstream. With over 100 affiliate offices, thousands of volunteers and about a $40 million annual budget, the NUL's economic programs helped more than 270,000 people find jobs, buy homes, expand their own businesses, and save for retirement. And while the NUL does a wonderful job economically empowering Black Americans only $20,000 was spent on lobbying in 2006.

Potentially one of the most powerful black organizations is the National Baptist Convention U.S.A. (NBC). With over 7.5 million members and a $30 million annual budget, this group could really generate some political capital by sheer numbers alone. The NBC is currently lobbying Congress to withdraw soldiers from Iraq and in the past has publicly opposed the nomination of any Federal Judge who would set back the gains of equality of African Americans, and they also supported the Public Safety Ex-Offender Self-Sufficiency Act, which would allow churches to structure a living environment to help ex-criminal offenders become self-sufficient. According to the Center for Responsive Politics there was no data available on lobbying by the NBC.

There are roughly 5.5 million Jewish people in the U.S. (2% of the U.S. population), yet they have effectively been able to influence the federal government by organizing their people to vote in high turnouts, creating respectable political entities like (AIPAC) and spending about $50 million a year on lobbying for Pro-Israel issues. Compare that to the 38 million Black Americans, who spend less than $5 million annually on lobbying.

While Blacks have had huge success in marching and protesting in the United States we must learn how to devise a strategic lobbying plan which will focus on persuading the U.S. government to protect our interest!

Create Wealth, Enjoy Life!

James "Bird" Guess

President & Founder

The Black Economy.com

James "Bird" Guess graduated college with dreams of climbing the corporate ladder and becoming a prominent financial executive. But after only working a year in "Corporate America", James grew bitter of the politics and bureaucracy associated and decided to venture out on his own to become a full-time entrepreneur.

With a repossession and other unpaid debts on his credit, James had a negative net worth. Starting with only $1,000 saved from college, he single-handedly built a quarter million dollar apparel business from the trunk of his car. Shortly thereafter, his business model would transition from retailer to wholesaler of apparel, which generated $750,000 dollars in revenue.

James could now take one step closer toward financial freedom. As an entrepreneur, he has bought and sold over $1.5 million of apparel. He now uses his financial acumen to help individuals, entrepreneurs, businesses and investors create wealth in their lives! James is now the President & Founder of BlacBird Investments LLC. http://www.BlacBirds.com & http://www.theblackeconomy.com, Create Wealth! & Enjoy Life!