Author: Ladmann

Unworthy Leadership

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Political differences are to be expected and welcomed in a democratic/republican government and society. Given that fundamental expectation, one would expect that voters would elect leadership with integrity, ethics, humility, adhering to truth/facts, and requiring respect for others, while disagreeing with political/philosophic positions.

Unfortunately, Trump and MAGA do not promote any of these desired traits. Apparently 50% of voters select these diminished personalities based on power, greed and divisive cultural desires. Unfortunately, history is replete with this activity and its result. As Anicius Boethius first wrote in the 600 AD century.

“And yet wealth cannot extinguish insatiable greed, nor has power ever made him master of himself whom vicious lusts kept bound in indissoluble fetters; dignity conferred on the wicked not only fails to make them worthy, but contrarily reveals and displays their unworthiness…” [1]

 

 

[1] Anicius Boethius (480-525 AD); The Consolation of Philosophy. Mint Editions 2021. (This edition of The Consolation of Philosophy was first published in 1882. Page 52.

Who Holds The Power?

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Who Holds the Power?

 

“…In all societies for which there was any kind of historical record, political power and wealth tended to go hand in hand; and a few people invariably accumulated more wealth and power than the others. The central problem of American politics was [is] to make political use of the aristocracy while still controlling its influence, to design governments and then use governments authority to assure that the energies of the elite flowed toward public ends. One way to assure that this did not happen, indeed one way to assure domination by a plutocracy [1] or oligarchy, was to pretend that aristocracy [2] had become extinct in America.” [3]

It is obvious that plutocratic influences thrive in the US today and potentially impact our society in a detrimental way.

The present state of our political parties, social media, technology, accumulation of wealth, and elections provides subsistence feeding the power of the ruling class. It may be creating “…a hell of a mess in every direction.” [4]

 

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plutocracy

[2] Aristocracy – Wikipedia

[3] Passionate Sage The Character and Legacy of John Adams. Ellis, Joseph, J.  W. W. Norton & Company, New York and London. 1993. Page 160 – 161.

[4] Paul Volcker, at 91, Sees ‘a Hell of a Mess in Every Direction’ – The New York Times

It Can’t Happen Here?

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It Can’t Happen Here?

 

When it comes to the election of a US President in 2024, I “…could not explain his [Donald J. Trust, I mean Trump] power of bewitching large audiences. The [former President] was vulgar, almost illiterate, a public liar easily detected, and in his ‘ideas’ almost idiotic, while his celebrated piety was that of a traveling salesman for church furniture, and his yet more celebrated humor the sly cynicism of a country store…[Trump] was [is] an actor of genius. There was [is] no more overwhelming actor on the stage, in the motion pictures, nor even in the pulpit. He would whirl arms, bang tables, glare from mad eyes, vomit biblical wrath from a gaping mouth; but he would also coo like a nursing mother, beseech like an aching lover, and in between tricks would coldly and almost contemptuously jab his crowds with figures and facts — figures and facts that were inescapable even when, as often happened, they were entirely incorrect.” [1]

 Again, history repeats itself. Or will the citizens/voters realize that history is replete with small narcissistic, autocratic, wannabe macho men who can entertain in a circus tent but whose leadership ends badly for the country and its citizens.

Will It Happen Here?

 

[1] It Can’t Happen Here; Sinclair Lewis, Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1935. Pg. 86-87.

 

Our Elections and Shared beliefs; Or Lack Thereof

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Much has been written and discussed regarding our toxic and misinformed election process. Misinformed from the perspective of promoting the false narrative that elections are “stolen” only when you lose! The stupidity of those statements rises from the basics that assume 100% of the voters were compromised, 50% on either side. Additionally, ignoring the results of down ballot races. Why such a lack of respect for the process?

“Democratic elections usually work only within populations that have some prior common bond, such as shared religious beliefs or national myths. They are a method to settle disagreements among people who already agree on the basics.” [1]

 It is obvious that as citizens, we do not agree on or accept the basics. “In such cases, holding democratic elections is hardly a cure-all, because the opposing parties have no reason to respect the results.” [2]

 

 

[1] Harari, Noah Yuval; Homo Deus, A Brief History of Tomorrow: Harper Collins Publishers, 2017. New York, NY. Pg. 251.

[2] Ibid. Pg. 252.

 

Trumpism; The Modern Covenant?

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Donald Trump, the Republican Party, Trumpism and their followers represent “the modern covenant”. 1 Adherents to this covenant behave in a manner that “humans agree to give up meaning in exchange for power.” 2

Give up on the meaning of what? They’re giving up on the meaning of democracy and respect. In particular, they have jettisoned any element of respect for themselves as well as for others.

This Republican party, Trumpism, and the MAGA movement means “complying with it could easily result in a dark world, devoid of ethics, aesthetics, and compassion.” 3

 

  1. Harari, Noah Yuval; Homo Deus, A Brief History of Tomorrow: Harper Collins Publishers, 2017. New York, NY. Pg. 200.
  2. Ibid.
  3. Ibid, pg. 220.

Government Regulation Does Not Fly; nor should it.

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Another example of lack of productive government regulation is the Federal Aviation Administration [FAA]. You might believe that traveling at 30,000 feet above the earth deserves some guidance. You would think that maintaining the best quality personnel, technology and funding would be minimum expectations.

How does the FAA measure up?

  • Air Missions system [NOTAM] was installed 30 years ago with no upgrades planned for another 6 years. [i]
  • FAA’s NextGen Project is 10 years behind schedule.
  • No funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act passed by Congress 2 years ago.
  • 77% of critical air traffic control facilities are staffed below FAA’s 85% threshold. [85%??????]
  • 22% of total air traffic controllers are trainees. [ii]

So much for the government benefit of technology, personnel, and funding.

Yet according to the FAA website, “Today, the major capital programs under development in the FAA are on track…” [iii]

How about privatization of air traffic control [ATC]? Several countries have successfully implemented privatization: Canada [iv], United Kingdom [v], France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand [vi].

 

 

[i] Corrupt software introduced by contractors took down FAA system, officials say (nbcnews.com)

[ii] More Airline Regulations? Regulation, The Cato Review of Business and Government; Fall 2023, Vol. 46, No.3, pg.4.

[iii] Technology | Federal Aviation Administration (faa.gov)

[iv] Q&A: The pros and cons of privatizing air traffic control | AP News

[v] Delta Report 1.29

[vi] Privatization of ATC – The Pros and Cons | (airinsight.com)

Trump As Dictator; Temporarily?

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Trump states he wants to be dictator only on day 1! [1]

Really?

Trump has made clear, and the Republicans, by consent, that they want to undermine our republican institutions by:

  • Attacking our Judicial system and Courts.
  • Praising dictators in other countries who eliminate freedoms.
  • Demeaning, attacking, and insulting judges and juries.
  • Undermining our country’s security by stealing military and nuclear secrets.
  • Attempting to overturn a legal election.
  • Suggesting the execution of a previous Pentagon Joint Chiefs Chairman.
  • Changing state and local voting regulations to make it harder to vote.
  • Demand total immunity from all illegal acts he takes as President.
  • Etc.

Trump has stated, if elected, his presidency will be one of retribution. [2] [3]

Can he reach his goals on only day 1?   BEWARE OF WHAT HE SPEAKS!

[1] Trump: I’ll be a ‘dictator’ only on ‘day one’ (usatoday.com).

[2] Trump zeroes in on a key target of his ‘retribution’ agenda (nbcnews.com).

[3] Karl, Jonathan; “Tired Of Winning”; Dutton, Penguin Random House, L.L.C. 2023.

Time for Multiple Political Parties

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The keys to success in a capitalistic society are winning and profiting. Unfortunately, the slippery slope of winning at any cost undermines any semblance of ethics and morality. The current election and the two-party political system embellish these two fundamentals. Extremes in both parties control the election process, with no regard to reasonable service to the country.

The system is broken, and the current social media landscape attracts and rewards participants who salute the parties/tribe at the expense of truth, ethics and moral character.

Winning elections based on fear, threats of violence, lies and preventing the voting of anyone other than those belonging to your party/tribe may be efficient in the short term, but will lead to losing in the long term.

If you believe I am being extreme, explain otherwise the promotion of an individual and platform based on undermining the Republic and free elections.

Multiple parties will not be successful in our current structure. We need to create election platforms that invite and promote multiple parties and participants. [1] [2]

Time to implement Ranked Choice Voting/Proportional

Multiple Winners [3] IN our Elections.

 

[1] Ranked Choice Voting | Support Better Elections for California (calrcv.org).

[2] Homepage – FairVote.

[3] Drutman, Lee; Breaking The Two-Party Doom Loop, New York, Oxford University Press 2020

The Heritage Foundation Now Lacks an Ethical and Moral Premise

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As a life-long conservative, I agree with many of the Heritage Foundation’s objectives in significantly reducing the size and impact of the administrative state within the executive branch of the US government.

I also agree with the position that the Congress has abdicated its responsibilities in governing including both the Republican and Democratic parties. As a result, the balance of power has significantly shifted to the Executive Branch, creating severe convulsions throughout society and economy with every election.

However, the belief of Mr. Roberts [1] that Biden did not win the 2020 election, because “I think there are unknowns… Is it possible he won? Sure. But can I say definitively that he won? No.” [2], undermines his and The Heritage Foundations platform.

Providing support for Trump and his public goals of autocracy undermines the historical integrity of the Heritage Foundation and their conservative agendas.

Continuing to support autocratic and anti-democratic goals of Trump and others like him undermines your statement that “…Heritage has no influence on the outcome of the election.” [3]

You can be a conservative and still maintain an ethical and moral belief system.

 

 

[1] Current CEO of the Heritage Foundation.

[2] Inside the Heritage Foundation’s Plans for ‘Institutionalizing Trumpism’ – The New York Times (nytimes.com)

[3] Ibid.

The Administrative State Out of Control

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I have previously published my concerns regarding the US administrative state [1]. The amount of control over our behavior continues to increase, which decreases our amount of freedom.

The total number of pages in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) as of 2021 = 188,343 [2]. The number of regulations/personal “restrictions” [3] [4] “…increased to 1,089,462 by 2022.” [5]

“…Executive agencies publish 3,000 to 4,500 new rules per year, and these regulations have a substantial impact on the American economy. Compounding the problem, courts have ratified that presidential power grab by enacting a series of judge-made rules that require federal courts to defer to the decisions of executive agencies.” [6]

 

[1] See my March 2018 article, “Government Regulation = Lawsuits & Loss of Freedom”.

[2] 2022_Cfr_Page_Breakdown.pdf (federalregister.gov)

[3] A new and more sophisticated measure of federal regulation, devised by economists at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center, consists in counting the number of CFR “restrictions” indicated by the keywords “shall,” “must,” “may not,” “required,” and “prohibited.”

[4] Was Trump a Deregulator? | Cato Institute

[5] Ibid.; 2022_Cfr_Page_Breakdown.pdf (federalregister.gov).

[6] Opinion | Overturning ‘Chevron’ Can Help Rebalance the Constitutional Order – The New York Times (nytimes.com)