As Frankly Francis says, “Enjoy the moments as they come because there is no rewind button.”

As Marv Levy says, “Where would you rather be than right here, right now?”

We are in a very unique position geographically, economically, historically and politically.  Perhaps never before in recorded history has a nation had at its disposal what we have today.

For the most part, it has been handed to us.

Seriously, as far as life as we know it on this planet goes, we have hit the big lottery.

So through apathy and sloth, will we waste what we have been given?  Or will we further multiply it?

Social evolution is a non-linear pathway – we tend to get distracted along the way.  What can safely be said is that humanity has yet to achieve its full potential.

I have an idea that in the long run, our Founding Fathers will be thought of more as practical philosophers rather than as revolutionaries.  How they embraced the potential of mankind is really remarkable, especially in the context of the time that they lived in.

Indulge me and re-read these words:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Now over 230 years old, what powerful and well chosen words these are.

How symbiotic…first, amongst each other, we are all equal.  Because of that, I have the absolute right to my own life.  And given that, I have the liberty to live and pursue my own pathway.

Or in regressive terms, I cannot pursue my own happiness if I do not have liberty… and I cannot have liberty if I do not have the right to my life…and I cannot have the right to my own life unless we are all equal.

It all fits.

And it remains revolutionary to this very day.

But that’s not the intriguing part for me.  The intriguing part is the glossed over, subtle and almost hidden words “among these.”

“Among These” expands our individual rights beyond the enumerated “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

What else does this include?  Have you ever speculated?

Could it really, actually play out like this?

I may choose to do whatever I want, so long as I am not infringing on anyone else’s right to do what they want.  Simply put, my right to throw a punch ends at your nose.  However, if you stick your nose into my business, well then you face the consequences.

I believe that it is our unique individuality that needs to be maximized during the brief time allotted to us.  Fight the Power Brothers and Sisters.  And teach your children too.

Frankly,

Francis

From where I stand, this has more of the feel of a depression rather than a recession.

The government’s specious argument is that we can spend our way into prosperity.

We’ve been waltzing in chains.

And the Republicans are equally complicit with the Democrats in this sad dance.  Ironically, if you think about it, when each blames the other it turns out that they both are right…

I must admit to having a certain fascination with the intrigues of the study of economics, but I don’t want to take you down the pathways of formulas and advanced theory.  That stuff does have its purpose and place, but as I see it, economics is pretty simple and straight forward.

For example, if you want something, you have to pay for it.  Perhaps you can borrow the money to pay for that something, but then you have to pay that money back (plus interest) while meeting your regular obligations.  It works the same for you as an individual as it does for every business and every government.  So you can jazz economic theory all you want, but it actually is always relatively simple.  I’m going to do my best to keep it that way.

Food Stamps
40 million out of approximately 309 million Americans are receiving food stamp benefits.  Do the math – that’s about one in 7.67 people relying on the government to eat.  In the land of the most prosperous nation it has come to this…

Unemployment
We’ve lost 8.4 million jobs during the last few years.  We certainly are not robustly adding jobs presently and all factors indicate that job growth will be at best stagnant for the foreseeable future.

The government calculates the percentage of unemployment without including the unemployed workers who have run out of unemployment benefits.  The true unemployment rate is in the range of 17% and rising.

Foreclosures
Nobody knows what their home is worth.  And nobody is really going to know until the foreclosure mill shuts down.  Based on the number of existing and projected foreclosures, the actual process could easily take six plus years.

Real estate is most likely not as valuable as we would like to think.

Stock Values
Stock prices are like beauty – it’s an eye of the beholder thing.  One key factor in stock value is the ratio of the earnings of the company per share to the cost of a share.  This is the Price-Earnings ratio (PE).  So if a share of stock costs five dollars and the company earns a dollar per share in a year, the PE ratio is 5:1.  In that scenario one could expect to recoup one’s investment in five years through earnings alone.  Today, PE ratios routinely amount to at least a 15 year payback period.  That’s not investing in business; it’s pretty much holding a mortgage.

I expect the stock market value to decline, perhaps considerably in the near future.

Government Ethics
The government, through its incessant and growing meddling with the economy, is substantially the reason for the housing bubble burst, which cascaded into the failures in the investment and banking sectors.  Of course, We the People “bailed out” the business friends of the politicians.  The complicity between government and business in this matter is at the least criminal to me.

Government Presence in the Economy
Back in 1900 government spent less than 5% of the gross domestic product (GDP).   OMB projects that the government will take 24.6% of the economy this year.

USA Today recently reported that federal employees earn twice as much in pay and benefits as employees in the private sector.  Government employees at the state and local levels earn substantially more than private sector employees as well.

The federal government is the largest employer in America.

Studies indicate that at least 40% of our income goes to pay direct and indirect taxes (income, property, sales, excise, etc.).

Budget Deficits
The government will roll some mega deficits in the foreseeable future.  There’s no end in sight.

National Debt
Dividing the national debt by the number of Americans, each of us is presently responsible for $43,000.

But when you factor present unfunded liabilities for social benefits (Social Security, Medicare, etc.), it turns out that the real liability that we each face is about $355,000.  For a family of four that is $1.4 million.

Sidebar: The mandated health care law will substantially add to this number while most likely reducing the availability and quality of care.

The Worst Good News
We, as a nation, have a lot of national treasure and assets.  Greece is selling its islands in order to pay down its debt.  How much would the Statue of Liberty be worth?

Seriously, it is a means (as horrible as it would be) of honoring our debts and the obligations we have committed to.  Of course future generations may legitimately feel robbed by us.

The Good News
We are still a very talented and innovative people.  New advancements in technology in all fields of study are becoming exponential.  Never, ever count the American people out.

Summary

• Number of people on food stamps increasing
• Percentage of true unemployment is rising towards the Great Depression levels
• Foreclosures will continue to be significant for years ahead.  Home values will likely fall
• The stock market remains too pricy and will likely lose value.  The bond market will follow
• Government will spend (a lot) more than it receives in the foreseeable future
• The national debt is massive and will continue to grow
• The government threw We the People under the bus in bailing out their good time business buddies
• Government intrusiveness into the economy (and every facet of our lives) will continue to grow

Likely Outcome
I anticipate that the government, caught in the web of its own making, will stay the course.

My Bet
Somewhere down the road, rather than change the entitlement system, government will hyper inflate the money supply, which will devalue the purchasing power of the dollar.  Everybody will get the amount they were told they would get, but it will buy a lot less.

Frankly,

Francis

Reference:

Food Stamp Program:

http://www.fns.usda.gov/pd/34SNAPmonthly.htm

The national debt clock:

http://www.usdebtclock.org/

The Economy in Pictures:

http://www.campaignforliberty.com/article.php?view=1052

Comparative earnings of the government and private sector:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/income/2010-08-10-1Afedpay10_ST_N.htm

Analysis of the American economy from Germany’s leading news magazine, Der Spiegel:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,712496,00.html

Historically, the end of great cultures and civilizations is marked by a large government imposing taxes and regulations in abundance.  For an excellent and informative reference:

“For Good and Evil: The Impact of Taxes on the Course of Civilization” by Charles Adams

For an alternative view:

“Why Government Doesn’t Work” by Harry Browne

It Begins
I’d like to think that I’ve always been a bit of a romantic, but in high school, I devoted myself to playing in a band for the purpose of lots of sex & drugs & rock-n-roll.  Let me be brutally honest – it worked beyond my wildest expectations!  In fact, it worked so well, by the time I was 18, I was kind of tired of the whole thing…

It Continues
So, I’ve just about graduated from high school and I go to this superb outdoor concert with my girlfriend at the time.  Great bands and great times to be had except that my girlfriend really does not want to be there and really wants to leave.  In fact she’s making me so miserable that leaving is the best alternative.  So we go.

Then It Happens
On the way out, as I’m walking a little behind my soon to be ex-girlfriend, I see a vision of female beauty approaching me:

Tall, blonde, short-shorts (that’s what we called ‘em at the time), tube top, dangling earrings, calf-laced platform shoes…yeah, that’s the way it was.

I distinctly remember saying to myself, “I should not be leaving, I should be staying to meet this woman.”  And let me be very clear here, she was a woman, I was still a boy.

I left with my unhappy girlfriend.  So it goes…

Fast Forward
So now I’ve graduated from high school.  It’s 1975 for those who care about carbon dating.  My close friend, Cocaine Corey, suggests that I go to Hairstyling School.  The movie “Shampoo” had just been released (starring Warren Beatty & Goldie Hawn) and Beatty was having a pretty good time.  Seemed like a great idea, so it’s off to become a Cosmetologist.

It Really Happens
First day of Hairstyling School.  I’m surrounded by a lot of very hip people older than myself.  Intimidation is taking its toll on me.  I settle into my chair, but realize that I forgot something, so I leave the room.

At the doorway…right smack dab in the middle of the doorway…I mean, at the exact center of the doorway, I literally walk right into (you may have guessed it) my blonde Goddess from the aborted rock concert a few months before.  The impact is so strong, we literally almost knock each other unconscious.  Not only am I seeing stars, but I’m seeing stars.

She Likes Me
The blonde Goddess, who happens to be a couple of years my senior and maybe not as smart as she should be in picking a guy, actually falls for me and within a few months we are engaged.  About one year later to the day we are married.  A little more than one year after that our first child is born.  Guess we were really stupid or just really in love…

Then...

She Still Likes Me
35 years later.  3 daughters and a few grandchildren.  We are still living life’s adventures together.  I tell her she has been punished enough by my presence, but she still lets me in the house.

...and now

Like everyone, we’ve had our share of ups and downs, but I would not walk this planet with anyone else.

Frankly,

Francis

P.S.  I dropped out of Hairstyling School – I had no talent for it.  But I ended up with a whole lot more than a certificate and a vocation!

I have never attended one of my own graduations.  I intend to keep it that way.  Pomp & Circumstance does have its place amongst us and I respect that for others.

I had what you might call a less than wholesome attitude in high school.  I wanted to live.  I wanted to experience things.  And authority and rules were needlessly restrictive.

You know what it was about?  It was playing in a rock-n-roll band and enjoying to the fullest all that went along with that.  I never got caught up in school spirit.  I was doing time when it came to that place…

Hence, I decided to my skip my graduation.  I took a nap during its scheduled time.  Never regretted it.

Fast forward a couple of decades.  Number Two daughter (I refer to my children by their birth order rather than by their names) was graduating from the very same high school.  It meant that I had to go to the graduation ceremony.  I really did want to attend her graduation, but I still wasn’t too keen on being back at my old alma mater.

Grad ceremony time and, well, I’m getting though it just fine.   As she stepped up to the podium, I noticed that the Valedictorian had colored a rainbow on her headgear.

She took a moment to make the standard acknowledgements and opening remarks.

She then launched into a searing harangue about how mean and awful her fellow classmates were to her and to each other.  Accusations of cliques and cruelty shot from her lips like bullets from an AK-47.

She was clearly deviating from her pre-approved speech.  The school board members and faculty were squirming in their chairs behind her.

Then, to my wonder and amazement, she topped it all off by formally outing herself!  Yep, she played that card in front of a full house.  Remember the mention of the rainbow earlier?

Graduates were openly yelling and taunting her.  Parents were saying very nasty things loudly.  The school officials looked ready for retirement.

Bedlam and anarchy all around me.  Chaos.

Truth being stranger than fiction in front of my eyes.

I was ecstatic!  I think I yelled “You Go Girl!” Frankly Francis sidebar: please place the phrase in the time context that it was delivered in – prior to this millennium.

It was the best graduation I’ve ever witnessed!

However, cinematically, the best commencement address I’ve ever heard was delivered by Rodney Dangerfield in the movie “Back to School.”  It went something like this:

“Thank you, Dean Martin, President Sinclair…and members of the graduating class.  I have only one thing to say to you today…it’s a jungle out there.

You gotta look out for number one.  But don’t step in number two.

And so, to all you graduates…as you go out into the world my advice to you is…don’t go!  It’s rough out there.  Move back with your parents.  Let them worry about it.”

That pretty much calls it the way it is.

Frankly,

Francis

BP & The Feds

Watching BP dance like a puppet on a string makes me more concerned about the relationship of government and big business.  It’s all a little too choreographed…

Judge Andrew Napolitano reported on Fox News (FYI, I’m no fan of Fox or any other blatantly biased news agency) that Louisiana approved BP to drill at a depth of 500 feet, but the federal government insisted that drilling be done at 5,000 feet.  Oh yeah, that and the deal the feds made (after the Exxon Valdez spill) limiting future legal liability to $75 million for environmental accidents.

If true, that’s a bit of an oil slick for all concerned.  Of course, we, the people, are screwed either way.

Libertarianism Going Mainstream?

Fox (did I mention that I’m no fan of Fox News?) is now airing a libertarian based show hosted by the aforementioned Napolitano.  I never, ever thought I would live to see this day.

Back in the early 80’s when I would mention that I felt an affinity for libertarian philosophy, those that knew what I was talking about would pretty much just laugh at me.  When I gave the explanation of libertarian philosophy to those who didn’t know about it, they would pretty much laugh at me too.

Thus, I have been a big maker of mirth during the last three decades.

Pro Politicians & Political Parties

I am so done with professional politicians and the political parties that they associate with.  Same Old, Same Old, ad nauseum.  Government of the politicians, for the politicians, and by the politicians.

I’d like to vote for the politician who refused to take corporate/special interest (better phrased selfish interest) money, a politician that had no interest in a career in politics, a politician not for sale.

Why do I feel like Diogenes with his lamp looking for an honest man?

Can We Talk?

And furthermore, while Americans have always been a rather contentious and cantankerous lot, I believe that we are in a time when unity may be more important than ever.

We sure could use some open dialogue in this country.

The Economy

I think that there is a very strong possibility that the economy is in a lot worse shape than we are being led to believe.  I’ve been looking at the numbers a little more closely and I don’t like what I see.  I do hope I am wrong.

Additionally, the stock market, as a whole, still seems pricy to me.  I am not comfortable with the typical price-earnings (PE) ratio these days.  This is business risk, not mortgage holding.

Can We Be Done With The Bailout?

I guess I haven’t gotten over the Bailout…seems to me that the systemic risk was a manufactured hysteria (not dissimilar from the terrorist threat routine) to cover government’s basic failure to properly regulate and enforce its own rules.

The idea of giving money to loser parasites so that they can keep their cushy jobs, and do this to us all over again in the future is repugnant to me.

And they did this in plain sight.  Right in front of us.  I have to admit that they are pretty, pretty slick.

War, What Is It Good For?

Were we not in Afghanistan to hunt down Bin Laden and serve him up some American justice?  I believe that our presence there is the longest military engagement in our history.  Yikes!  Seriously, Yikes!

I lived through, opposed and protested against the Vietnam War.  In a relatively meaningless gesture, I even burned my draft card.  I reckon I’m going to have to find my peace signs, beads, incense, and bell-bottom jeans to get out on the front lines once again…if I could only remember where I hid the hookah.

Don’t even get me started on Iraq.

Imperialism

Why do we devote so much of our resources to imperialism when we have more serious human need problems here at home?  If we know so much that we are compelled to police and rule the world, why are we not doing a better job within our own country?  Sentient non- Americans must wonder at our hypocrisy, unless it serves them as well.

Terrorism

Just as the “War on Drugs” fuels the very problem it fights against, the “War on Terrorism” actually produces terrorism.  As in my thoughts above, by removing our overwhelming presence from foreign lands, we will also reduce the threat of terrorism.  That’d be some good blowback for a change.

Give Me That Old Time Religion

My biggest fear for our longevity on this planet is the combination of government & organized religion.  That’s some toxic stew.

In Conclusion

This is how I see things:  We live in a wonderful time and I am blessed to have the life I do.  I must confess that the foregoing is completely rooted in my idealistic hopes for things to be.  Because as good as it is, it really could and should be better.

As I age, I am more cognizant of what I don’t know.  I am more aware that there is no utopian solution to anything.  And I would very much like to think that I am more open to understanding differing points of view.  I welcome all discussion.

Frankly,

Francis

the freedom of man and mind, is nothing but a dream.

They are right. It is the American dream”

– Archibald McLeish

I whole heartedly buy into that, but this is not a political dialogue.  I am so weary of the professional politicians and their political parties.  Weary to the bone.

This is me, as an individual talking to you, as an individual, about the direction that our lives could and should take as we revolve around the sun together.

Our Founding Fathers were not just revolutionaries in their fight for independence from England – they were more revolutionary in their view of people and the possibilities of what human life could be under the inalienable natural laws of the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

They thought that we could personally and socially become something better through individual freedom, coupled with personal responsibility.  The Declaration of Independence is a remarkable document in this regard.  And the philosophy extolled to maximize society by maximizing the individual is truly radical in its historical context.

The world watched (with motives on both sides of the coin) as “The Noble Experiment” of the American Republic unfolded.

As America prospered, history is replete with the failures of governments built around the collective good.  Fascism, communism, totalitarianism, and socialism have all either outright failed or have not been able to match what we have done in the good old US of A.  Centralized governments have not made an impressive case for themselves in terms of results.

That is because we are not an ant colony.  We are humans.  Pardon the Star Trek reference, but we are not yet Borg.  And resistance is not necessarily futile.  Frankly Francis says, “Fight the Power!”

We are each endowed with our own unique character and abilities.  I celebrate that.

I believe that society should be based around individual freedom.  In fact, I would go so far as to assert that the primary purpose of society is to ensure the rights and liberty of the individual.

From my point of view, we have gone astray in two different ways:

The first is that we, the people, have allowed government to exceed its authority.  Enough said on that.

The second is that we continue to make efforts to legislate morality, or at the very least, attempt to impose our own personal beliefs on the life style choices that others live by.

Tyranny of the Majority oppresses people.  Oppression always produces less, never more.

This results in some pretty serious blowback, as in how alcohol prohibition gave us the lasting gift of major organized crime or how the manipulated fear of Commies in our midst, placed upon us through McCarthyism, resulted in untold loss of art, creativity and productivity.

And if we go further back, do you remember the murders perpetrated by the good citizens of Salem?

H.L. Mencken said that Puritanism is “The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy.”

Amen, Brother Mencken.

Health Nazis continue in their vigilant quest to eliminate cigarettes, while they work on weight standards, which will soon be followed by their fitness standards, because they somehow know better than the rest of us how we should each live our lives.

Of course, this could inevitably lead to the right amount of time spent watching TV or on the Internet…all to be appropriately taxed, of course.  And never mind that those taxes will never be used to help curb the supposed infraction of proper living – those taxes paid for by the sinners actually reduce the taxes that the moral busybodies would otherwise pay.

If we can’t legislate morality in others, we try to do it through taxation, through so called “Sin Taxes.”  We should immediately stop trying to socially manipulate others through taxation.  That is tyranny in its worst form.

And here, I would remind you of the words of C.S. Lewis, “Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron’s cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their consciences.”

For myself, I believe that humankind will socially evolve (if we don’t kill each other first) along the ideas that this nation was founded upon…eventually.  America is on the opposite course right now and it may well be too late to do anything about it.

But if not our America, it will be another culture in the future, this I know in my heart.

In closing, the words of John Lennon, “You may say that I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one.  I hope some day you’ll join me, and the world will live as one.”

And what a world that will be.

Frankly,

Francis

I abhor discrimination in any form.  It is insidious – the social and economic costs are enormous.  The lives that are diminished because of it reflect the real loss that our society endures.  It is just plain common sense that we all lose out when we deny opportunity to those willing to take it.

Gay people cannot serve in America’s military.  I’ve never understood the argument that someone’s sexual orientation affects their ability to do a job.  I do understand that homophobic attitudes certainly impair the ability of gays to function in any capacity.

Under President Clinton, in order to compromise the rules regarding gays, the policy for all sides of the issue became, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”  This is patently unfair.  A person’s sexual orientation should not be a matter that needs to be revealed or hidden.

Yet, somehow this is still an issue.  We need to get past it.

As a veteran of the US Air Force, I can say this… I was always proud to serve beside anyone else (gay or straight, black or white, believer or non-believer, etc.) who took the oath of serving in the military as seriously as I did.  Can’t think of anyone I served with who didn’t feel the same general way.

And for those of you still clinging to the foolish concept that being gay is a choice, then I pose the following: If you believe being gay is choice, then you, yourself, should have the ability to choose to feel the same way emotionally and sexually to members of your own gender as you do about the other gender.  If you cannot honestly do this, then you are on the road of awareness headed towards reality.  On the other hand, if you can honestly do this, you probably have a suspicion that you may have been programmed bi-sexual.

However, the foregoing test is irrelevant when it comes to anyone’s rights as an American.  It is important for all of us that gay people have the same rights as straight people because, ponder this, when anyone’s rights are infringed, everyone’s rights are infringed.

To the Gay Community, my apologies as you continue to face this discrimination, along with the other needless indignities you still endure.  May it end soon.

Frankly,

Francis

I want to be as good as my dog thinks I am

The Set-Up

Emma, our resident feline (aka Mrs. Peal) is really a pain to winter with.  She loves being outdoors, but does not like to go out in the snow.  A few years ago, we decided, before the complete winter lock down, that we would get a kitten to occupy our soon to be cabin fevered cat.

As is typical of most of our planning and execution, we came home instead with a dog…a male Chihuahua puppy to be more precise.

Thus, for better or worse, Martini (Tini) Oliver joined our clan.

We’ve not had much dog experience, and what we have had has not been all that good.  So it was with certain trepidation that we began our life together.

The Early Days

Martini Oliver

He beached himself on a step as a puppy.  That was it for stairs.  We put in a small ramp in the foyer so he could get around the first floor of the house, as he firmly decided he wasn’t going up or down steps.

He flat out refused to wear a collar.  In fact, he became a lawn ornament when a collar was placed on him.

He loved to go for walks, as long as I carried him…

…and that became harder and harder as he seemed to continually put on weight.

He became a 14 pound pork roast with stick legs.  Tini moved up to the heavyweight division.

I began referring to him as “My Last Meal.”

His Owner Gets Smarter

Tini now will go up a few steps, but still refuses to go down.

He will now wear a collar.  He ultimately fell for the line “only the best dogs get pretty necklaces.”  Turns out dogs are as gullible as men!

We go for walks where Tini actually walks…

And we are seriously working on the weight thing.

The Big Picture

By Canine standards, he’s not much of a dog, but he’s my dog.

Animal Planet did a show on the 10 breeds of dogs most removed from the wolf – of course, the Chihuahua (pronounced ”che-hoo-a-hoo-a” by my Vet & his staff when they think I can’t hear) came in first place – the dog furthest from the wolf.  No mystery where that was going…

Tini is an excellent early warning system.  For whatever value a security system has, Tini maximizes it.  And very economical – low input, low output.

His teeth are small – I refer to them as “The Tiny Daggers of Death.”

If holding on to something in his mouth meant anything, he would rule the world.  In human terms, he could only hope to get to a capillary – veins and arteries are out of the question.

Tini’s Got Shotgun

He loves car rides.  I mean he really, really loves to ride in the car.  In dog terms, an hour in the car for Tini could be the equivalent of a day at the amusement park.

That he likes car rides suits me just fine, as driving continues to be one of my personal pleasures.

And This All Leads To…

When I come home (or often, even upon entering the room), Tini reacts like it is the best thing that ever happened.  Circles and wiggles all over the place!

So, yes, I aspire to be as good as Tini (as psychotic as he is) thinks I am.  I’d sure hate to let the little guy down.

Frankly,

Francis

I find it odd how odd America can be.  In terms of a massive, centrally organized national government, we are gaga to emulate the experience of the far older Europeans, but unlike them we continue to have some serious interest in executing criminals…perhaps we just cannot let go of our puritanical past…

…and Frankly Francis, as usual, against the grain, is right where he is accustomed to finding himself: in favor of very limited national government and opposed to the death penalty.  (Note to Self: if all else fails establish the single resident country of FranLand, name myself Ambassador to the U.S. and get full diplomatic immunity – yeah, that should work just fine.)

But if I am murdered, God forbid, please do not execute my killer.  Mind you, I am not saying that I’d be in favor of letting that person walk the streets again.  In that circumstance, I’d like to figure a way for that person to work for the benefit of my heirs…but I digress.

From Webster’s:

Murder – To kill (a person) unlawfully and with malice

Capital Punishment – Penalty of death for a crime

History
Throughout recorded history, governments and religions have freely dispensed the death penalty.  Things, in their often circuitous way, move forward.  In recent times, most of the generally considered civilized world has abolished capital punishment.

Old Testament Religion: The Principle of “An Eye For An Eye”
Pretty simple.  You kill someone; the state kills you in return. Fair is Fair.  You get what you give.  There is ample religious support for this practice and it is very literally still used in parts of the world.

It should be noted that this also requires “stoning” to death your neighbor for adultery or homosexuality, amongst other things.

New Testament Religion: The Principle of “Turn the Other Cheek”
In spite of its idealism, we haven’t gotten there yet.  I’m not thinking that we will be incorporating this into our jurisprudence any time soon.

But considering that in America, we have gotten the church out of the execution business, it leaves the job to the government.

My Principle of “If Something Is Wrong, Then It Is Wrong”
One thing I do really try to stick by though is the idea that if something is wrong, then it cannot be right.

No one should kill.  If murder by the individual is wrong, it is likewise wrong for “we, the people” (the state) to take someone’s life too.

You may find my logic too simple, but it works for me.

If murder is wrong, then it is wrong.  Period.

Some Other Factors Against Capital Punishment
The government does, unwittingly or intentionally on occasion wrongfully accuse a citizen of something that they did not do.  No one should die because of that.

When someone is executed, if it turns out that the individual was innocent, there is no redress – the wrong cannot be made right.

The death penalty has been shown to be used disproportionately against the poor and minorities in its application.  If we are to keep it, then it needs to be applied equally.

It can be argued that life in prison, without parole, is a worse fate.

Killing someone is still (perhaps fortunately) not a “neat” process.  Many executions are messy and are seen as cruel and unusual punishment by a significant number of Americans.

There are conflicting studies on whether capital punishment reduces serious crime, but the conflicting results should cause us to further study the issue.

In Conclusion
There really does not appear to be a definitive answer regarding the use of or the abolishment of the death penalty.  Both sides make compelling arguments.

While always open to better understanding the opposing point of view, I remain against capital punishment and hope that Americans will join the many other people on this planet that have come to the same conclusion.

Frankly,

Francis

I’m waiting in the drive-thru lane, I’m still waiting, I can see myself aging, pigs are flying above my car, Hell is freezing over.  OK, I’m overplaying it, but it seems like an undue amount of time.  And all I want is a black coffee.

I’ve long maintained that the propensity to get “order screwed” in the drive-thru lane is the price that one pays for convenience, but I can’t even get up there to place my order.

Finally, I’m at the window.  The young lady rejects my money and hands me my coffee.  She says that it’s on the house for the wait.  I offer to pay again, but she insists that the manager insists.

Why Thank You, Wendy’s…I’ll be back again.

What a unique experience.  One that I’ve never had before at fast food: understanding of the customer and the desire to mitigate the delay.

Imagine that, it’s almost like they think my time might be valuable.  I’ve had that notion before, but it is affirming when others feel that way as well.

I’d like to think that I’m easy to please, that I’m as understanding and forgiving as the next guy, but I’ve seen the next guy in action on many occasions and it hasn’t been pretty.  And I have had my moments too.

I don’t mean to take my pleasant surprise over the top.  I know it was just a coffee, but it is a response worth noting nonetheless.

Frankly,

Francis