"Do not punish the masses for the sins of the few"

"Do not punish the masses for the sins of the few"

This applies to any and all rights and privileges stated in the Constitution of the United States.

For example “The Right to Bear and Keep Arms”. The Second Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America. There are many more.

Nowhere does the Constitution give the President or the Congress the power to federalize state crimes or enact gun control legislation -- not even in a national emergency. One reads the Constitution in vain for such a delegation of authority by "We, the People" through the several states. Very instructive on this point are the Kentucky Resolutions of 1798 which were written by Thomas Jefferson.

The federal government in 1798 enacted a law making it illegal to criticize a federal official (the Sedition Act). Kentucky and Virginia passed resolutions declaring that the national law was unenforceable in their states.
 These are among the arguments that Jefferson made in the Kentucky resolutions:
...whensoever’s the general government assumes un-delegated powers, its acts are un-authoritative, void, and of no force: ...that the government created by this compact was not made the exclusive or final judge of the extent of the powers delegated to itself;...each party has an equal right to judge for itself, as well of infractions as of the mode and measure of redress.
Jefferson went on to spell out that the only powers to punish crime delegated to the federal government were 1) treason, 2) counterfeiting the securities and current coin of the United States, 3) piracies and 4) offenses against the law of nations. In this context, Jefferson cited the Tenth Amendment as providing a limit to any expansion of authority for punishing crime by the federal government. He quoted it verbatim in the Kentucky resolutions: "the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

Anyone who has observed children will recognize that, ironically, they often demonstrate a more stringent and uncompromising sense of justice than the adults around them. A small child who must divide a piece of cake, for example, will be excruciatingly precise in cutting it lest the "chooser" glom on to a larger slice. Whether the issue is whose turn it is to clear the dishes, take out the trash, or who broke that lamp, young people appeal to an almost innate sense of propriety in demanding they be treated fairly and equitably.

This tendency to rigor is perhaps even more evident when parents must mete out punishments and rewards. To be falsely penalized for something they did not do will stir up the loudest and shrillest of complaints among the innocent offspring.

Too many adults, unfortunately, mildly, meekly, and silently accept such collectivist justice when dealing with social and political issues.

The essence of a moral view of justice entails a recognition that only individuals can be held accountable for the right and wrong they do. Because each of us possesses free will and, thus, the capacity to make choices among alternatives, when we act upon our best (or sometimes worst) judgment, we and we alone are who should reap the benefits of selecting wisely and appropriately...and we and we alone should be the ones to suffer the negative consequences of picking hastily, foolishly, or ignorantly.

If good and evil are to mean anything, our moral autonomy as beings with the capacity for rational behavior must be acknowledged and accepted. Any other basis for determining who is responsible for destructive or constructive outcomes leads to the kind of schizophrenic legal and political realm nipping at our heels today.

This individualistic conception of justice did not always hold sway. Indeed, collectivistic guilt has a long history. In Christian theology, we are all guilty of sin because of the behavior of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. Throughout the past, whole families -- sometimes entire cities -- were held responsible for what fathers or kings might have done. The average citizen of ancient Carthage would have had little influence on the policies of his leaders. Nevertheless, he paid the price of Rome's disfavor when his home was razed and the ground salted.

Our Founding Fathers recognized the inherent injustice in accepting the doctrine of collective guilt, i.e., visiting unto the sons the sins of the father. Article III of the Constitution says that "no Attainder of Treason shall work Corruption of Blood." In other words, the family of a traitor cannot be punished simply because the members are related to the perpetrator.

The bulk of the legal code under which we labor today, however, is rife with violations of this principle. The general collectivization of our culture in the Twentieth Century permeates every crack and crevice of our relationship with the law. Incoherently, our politicians hold individual citizens blameless for many of the negative conditions in their lives (e.g., being poor, homeless, addicted to drugs, sexual promiscuous, or abysmally ignorant) while pointing a narrow finger at us all. "Society" does not provide enough resources (i.e., money) or understanding or opportunities.

But "society" is only an abstraction, a way of describing the relationships, the actions, the beliefs of individuals. Despite what every dictator or tyrant or statist has proclaimed, society as a separate entity does not literally exist apart from and above the separate and distinct individuals who comprise it. Just as the ideas of "right" and "left" have no meaning when divorced from the people involved, so too, "society" loses its coherence when reified (and too often, deified).

In addition to supplying a (poor) rationale for the plethora of social programs dragging us down -- from Social Security and Medicare to business subsidies and disaster relief -- the notion of collective responsibility, obligation, or guilt obliterates proper understanding and application of justice and equity by punishing the innocent majority for the transgressions of the criminal few.

Most regulations, laws, and prohibitions are propounded by pointing out that certain abuses have occurred in the past. Thus, because certain people have engaged in improper behavior, everyone must be presumed to be a potential criminal and have his choices and actions inspected, constrained, or curtailed. Such legal machinations act as a kind of prior restraint. They sanction the notion that the agents of the government must, in essence, punish citizens -- for potential improprieties -- beforehand by means of dictates, fees, or restrictions on what they do and/or how they do it.

But an implicit assumption of guilt -- before you have even acted -- violates the constitutionally recognized principle that you can only be punished after you have actually done something wrong. Even then, the legal system must assume the innocence of the accused. The courts must prove you are guilty. To make you prove you are innocent -- as most regulations on business and individuals do -- is rank injustice. To add insult to the injury, many of the laws strangling us today are based on some group's notion of morality regardless of whether or not you have actually violated anyone's rights (for example, with consensual "crimes" such as prostitution, drug use, and gambling).

Affirmative action policies punish those who were never racist for the sins of those long dead, an indirect "corruption of blood." Business regulations assume that only state scrutiny prevents all entrepreneurs from being polluters, swindlers, and cheaters. Sexual harassment and anti-discrimination laws (whether for sex, race, ethnic background, age, or disability) squeeze us all into narrow-minded compartments of barely suppressed bigotry held in check only by the good graces of the bureaucrats.

Tens of thousands of gun (i.e., people) control laws treat peaceful, rights-respecting individuals as criminals held at bay only because they must jump through arbitrary, unconstitutional hoops that disarm and endanger millions while leaving the field unchallenged to the rapists, robbers, and burglars.

The "rule of law" has morphed into the "rule of men." Politicians, regulators, and law enforcement agents see us today as blank, faceless, and interchangeable segments of whatever particular group they have focused upon. No longer are we treated as distinct individuals. Instead we are lumped together, punished for no sin of our own, treated not as innocent individuals, but as untrustworthy villains-by-proxy.
The Constitution has been turned on its head. Instead of the individual at the pinnacle of the pyramid, today he is crushed by the weight of the masses who take precedence in their anonymity over his unique and individual life and personality. Instead of the individual being able to do anything not prohibited and the state only that which is permitted, in modern society, the abstract (and literally nonexistent) state has virtually carte blanche to chase after every whim. The true, fundamental component of our culture -- a single, real, breathing person -- is bound and chained, able to choose only from a narrower and narrower range of what is allowed him as a privilege, not a right.
As mentioned, the very notion of "rights" has itself been both bloated and choked. On the one hand, "rights" to health care, housing, food, education and on and on are manufactured out of thin air. On the other hand, property rights -- the foundation for implementing the right to your own existence -- is suppressed by the rampant moral inflation of bogus rights. Coupled with both malign neglect and direct attacks upon property, we drift without legal anchor or direction.
To restore freedom, we must reclaim the moral initiative. We must re-consecrate respect for justice as a trait of the individual, not the collective. We must hold as sacrosanct our right to earn and hold property, to direct its use, and to wield it as a shield against malefactors. We must proclaim our right as free, autonomous, and sovereign individuals to do what we want, say what we will, and build our lives without the permission, sanction, or approval of any group. As long as we respect the same rights of all others, we should and must never be punished for the transgressions of the few.

Compiled by: Yj Draiman

American Workers lose jobs to foreign companies is our fault

American Workers lose jobs to foreign companies is our fault

We lost our manufacturing base, but the loss was the result of a number of factors.   1) After WW2 we in 1946 rebuilt the factories that were destroyed in the war.    We did so with modern Tech while at home we made due with what we had.  2) We fostered the growth of corrupt labor unions.   These labor unions fought the rebuilding and modernization of the plants, 3) The University of Chicago credo - 'what is the bottom line' took hold, and essential research and development was eliminated and 4) Nafta and globalization.  

The sum of these factors resulted in the loss of America in its manufactured products.    It also meant that innovation replaced hard research and more importantly it allowed foreign manufacturers to compete on equal terms with home industries.  Finally, domestic taxes and political policies broke the camel's back.    

In the late 60's the Town of Manistee Michigan offered 1% financing for 150% of the cost of locating a plant in the town, and offered a site for locating the plant was ideal.     Due to my work with Jackson Realty, I was asked to attempt to market the property.    Every company I contacted had one word to say to me - no!!!!     The reason was that the Michigan Governor, Soapy Williams, was in the pocket of labor unions and they felt that labor costs would create such an hostile environment that paying top dollar for the real estate and top dollar for the financing was cheaper than a bargain  price and 1% financing in the State of Michigan.   

Toyota does not have the UAW imposed restrictions or pay scale, nor does it have the tax the rich 'cline' that is so common in the 'rust belt.'     It thus, has the ability to produce a vehicle that is competitive in price and quality that earns the company a profit and allows the public to afford the vehicle.   

This is not to say that you have to do a 'tag' day for GM.    They still make 10-20% on some models of their vehicles; however, they have the residual of all the evils that they tolerated in the last half of the 20th Century.     Toyota has fresh plant, younger workers, and no 'tail.'  

The University of Chicago attitude - bottom line - is still the credo of the American population and no matter what we do to compete, if we do not recognize that basic research is not an expendable commodity we are going to continue to fall behind.  

American workers are also losing service jobs to other countries – via the telephone lines and the internet. Microsoft, HP, Dell and others are utilizing other nations and their workers to provide Americans with customer support.

The question is where and when does it all end. 

It is time for the American worker to utilize our knowledge and infrastructure to produce an efficient quality product with good endurance and quality control. We have the knowledge, we have the capability and resources, all we need is the will power and determination and nothing will stand in our way of accomplishing these tasks.

We now have at least one of the opportunities among many is the renewable energy industry – let us not miss the boat.

We can turn around the automobile industry, utilizing the new demand for fuel efficient automobiles and alternative fuels, all we have to do is work together cohesively for a common goal. (Workers, union and management) These apply to many other American industries.

What happened to our pride “MADE IN THE USA?”

YJay Draiman

Northridge, CA

Rebuilding Trust in Our Government (R)

Rebuilding Trust in Our Government (R)

One of Americas statesmen stated “government is not the solution to our problem; government is the problem.” His presidency ushered in an era of disdain for government and a widespread cynicism that government could be effective in addressing our challenges.
Today, as we confront a crisis that has shaken confidence in our financial system and economy, we have an opportunity to restore public trust and confidence in the legitimate role of government. Indeed, to effectively tackle our economic challenges and to implement the reforms we need in our healthcare, education, energy, and environmental policies, our government will need to garner strong public support.
However, rebuilding public trust will not happen in the face of a pervasive perception that government is not transparent and accountable, cronyism is rampant, and public officials are more interested in helping themselves than in serving the public good.
Taking strong, swift, and decisive action to address abuses and begin to rebuild public trust should be the first priority for our city, state and federal government in the new legislative session.
Create a Task Force on Public Integrity with a mission to develop a comprehensive proposal for ethics and lobbying reform in our city and state. Which addresses reforms in three areas: (1) strengthening enforcement of ethics, campaign finance, and lobbying laws; (2) strengthening civil and criminal penalties for abuses; and (3) improving awareness and education for public officials.
Reinforce honesty, integrity and transparency by government officials as the core requirement to be and stay in office, any violations of these core tenets will cause the removal of the public official and the loss of “all benefits” retroactive. I think we should consider putting public official on a base salary plus commission based on performance.
While the many of our elected officials and government employees are honest, dedicated public servants, the actions of a few create a dark cloud over all.
Taking strong, swift, and decisive action to address these abuses and begin to rebuild public trust should be the first priority for our city, state and federal government in the new legislative session.

“The benchmark of a civilized society is the quality of its justice”

Compiled by: YJ Draiman for Mayor of LA - 2013

PS

We need honest government with integrity.

“Good leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion”

Public confidence in the integrity of the Government is indispensable to faith in democracy; and when we lose faith in the system, we have lost faith in everything we fight and spend for.

As citizens of this democracy, you are the rulers and the ruled, the law-givers and the law-abiding, the beginning and the end.  

English as the official language of The USA

English as the official language of The USA

As far as I know the official language of the United States is ENGLISH. (defacto)
I am astounded at how far our government and various Utility companies and others have distorted and resorted to abolish/modify English as our language.
When I contact various companies and utilities, I am given a choice to punch a button for English or Spanish.
English should not be a choice, it should be mandatory.
In some stores you cannot even find literature in English, only in Spanish.
Any company/Organization who does not default to English automatically should be boy cut from doing business with.
Any one who wants to live in this country legally and benefit (any benefit whatsoever) from our system, must speak, read and write English or be deported.
When you travel around the world, no country has subrogated their language to any other foreign language, why should we.
We should demand from our government – Federal, State, and County and any local governments and agencies throughout the United States to implement that strategy or be thrown out of office
Immigrants prior to naturalization must show by law the understanding of the ENGLISH language
English literacy requirement as a component in the naturalization
of aliens within the United States. Surprisingly, such a requirement
2
Has existed in statutory form for less than 100 years, having first been enacted in 1906.
Currently, federal law (8 U.S.C. Section 1423) provides that:
(a) No person except as otherwise provided in this
subchapter shall hereafter be naturalized as a citizen of the United States upon his own application who cannot demonstrate — (1) an understanding of the English language, including an ability to read, write,
and speak words in ordinary usage in the English language:

YJ Draiman, Northridge, CA

"The Committee to maintain English as our official language"
The English language shall be the official language of the United States. As the official language, the English language shall be used for all public acts including every order, resolution, vote, or election, and for all records and judicial proceedings of the Government of the United States and the governments of the several States.

Alternative Education - Values

Alternative Education - Values

Each one of us must identify the values we want to live by. We need to take the time to know ourselves and penetrate layers of conditioning to arrive at our true selves

Value education is education in values and education towards the inculcation of values. Implicit in this definition is the conviction that value education is a universal phenomenon intrinsic to all learning and education, whether at home or in an institution. It is not. Neither teaches us to be critical thinkers or to regard ourselves as proactive beings in relation to ourselves, our community and humanity at large. Unwittingly and through habit we accept most things handed out to us by the media, the government and the polity. Unfortunately when there is so much talk about individual capabilities and potentialities, there is so little confidence on the part of the individual about his own power to make a difference. Our educational system is of little help. We are not trained to be proactive thinkers because we are told so little of the life values that are the basis for creative thinking.

What really is education? It is not literacy, nor information. Education is a systematic attempt towards human learning. All learning is subjective and self-related. Educational activity starts with the individual—who am I? Where am I going? Where have I come from? It is only with an understanding of the Self that we can begin to understand our relationships with others and the environment.

Knowledge should not be made remote from individual reality and irrelevant to the individual. Knowledge can never be 'learned'. Knowledge is the fruit of experience and experience is the sensation of the individual. Individual experience is an internal happening and is the function of awareness. And one of the processes of knowing ourselves, of raising our awareness, is to be able to identify and clarify our values. Education in values is essential in helping each one of us directly encounter the values that we hold, understand them completely, so that we may order our relationships to the environment that lies outside us. Once we are clear about values we shall be better able to sift and control information of the natural world, make wise choices and be creative in our mental processes.

'Know thyself' is what each of us needs to do; yet modern life moves at such a pace that we seldom take the time to examine ourselves. We become strangers to our own selves. We follow the dictates of others blindly. Why should any debate be left to a few 'experts'? Why is not critical thinking an integral part of everyday life? It must be so if we are to create a sane society.

For this to happen we must be equipped to examine our values. These are our internal guideposts. Much of the great literature of the world—from Bhagavad Gita to Socrates to Hamlet—has dwelled on value choices and moral dilemmas that are bound to occur when your values are clearly defined. Values do conflict. Making value choices is not easy, but it is this very thing we must confront and make part of our lives if we are to be truly creative human beings. Moral dilemmas are only possible for those who have strongly held principles and it is through these moral dilemmas that new and revolutionary thought processes emerge and character develops.

Value conflicts are the strongest test of character. Yet, today, moral dilemmas are considered a waste of time, a domain for 'losers'. Ultimately we declare all value assertions unscientific and relative, hence dispensable. We do not realize that value conflict is healthy, necessary and by eliminating it we are also erasing all conviction. Confucius once said: "If a man carefully cultivates values in his conduct, he may still err a little but he won't be far from the standard of truth."

It is time to clarify these values that we speak of. It is up to each one of us to determine the society we will create by deciding upon the values we will emphasize today. But first, let us be clear about the categories of values. These are three-universal, cultural or ethnic and individual or personal values.

UNIVERSAL VALUES

Freedom consists not in refusing to recognize anything above us, but in respecting something which is above us; for by respecting it, we raise ourselves to it, and, by our very acknowledgement, prove that we bear within ourselves what is higher, and are worthy to be on a level with it.
—Goethe

Universal values reveal the essence of the human condition. These arise out of the fundamental questions-Who am I? What is my essence? Who am I when I remove myself from my social and cultural environment? Is there anything in me that cannot be explained by heredity, environment and society?

It is universal values that indicate the essence of the human condition. It is through universal values that we link ourselves with humanity and the cosmos; it is through these that all barriers of time, place and ethnicity are eliminated.

These values are not manifest. They must be experienced, as one experiences a sunrise, the beauty of a flower, as one experiences joy, pleasure, bliss, awe, serenity. These values cannot be contained by words. That the Upanishads and the Bible have remained relevant today as they were centuries ago, tells us that at the core, there are some constants in human condition, that time has not changed. That we are still moved by the wonder of the Taj Mahal, the music of Mozart, the life of Hamlet, the perennial philosophy of the Bhagavad Gita speaks volumes about the mystery and timelessness of universal values.

Universal values can be experienced as life, joy, brotherhood, love, compassion, service, bliss, truth and eternity.

CULTURAL VALUES

If you see in any given situation only what everybody else can see, you can be said to be so much a representative of your culture that you are a victim of it.
—S.I. Hayakawa Cultural values are the social values of the day. They are specific to time and place and can be used just as much as misused. These values are concerned with right and wrong, good and bad, customs and behavior. They are meant to maintain social order.

Cultural values are speculative and there is nothing wrong with speculating. But it becomes wrong when speculation becomes 'truth', when opinion becomes 'fact' and when prejudice becomes the 'cause'. When cultural values are elevated to the status of universal values, there is the risk of intolerance, oppression, demagoguery, brutality and aggression. A cultural value may serve a function in a particular situation and circumstance, but in no way can it be seen as the only or the best way of doing things. A spoon can serve the function of lifting food but so can a fork, a knife, a spatula or bare fingers. A cultural value similarly has limited relevance and the fact that it serves a particular function in a given society does not imply that it is the only or best way of doing so.

When seen in this light, cultural values have the advantage of becoming a source of insight into a time and society. Creative development of ideas often emerges out of an interaction of different cultural values and an understanding and respect for differences. Much of what we find exciting and interesting has in fact come from a meeting of cultures. The Renaissance came about from a meeting of the ancient Greek and medieval European cultures. Jazz is African-European music and the American Transcendentalists studied the Indian Vedas and Upanishads. The East heavily influenced writers such as Aldous Huxley, Somerset Maugham and Carl Jung. Gandhi drew inspiration from Tolstoy, and Martin Luther King Jr. was in turn, deeply affected by Gandhi.

If all one knows is one's own culture, there is narcissism. The study of other cultures gives us a wider frame of reference. And the study of other cultures is through its sacred (poetic, mythic, religious) traditions and not only through studying history.

Cultural values are reflected in language, ethics, social hierarchy, aesthetics, education, law, economics, philosophy and social institutions of every kind.

INDIVIDUAL VALUES
That civilization perishes in which the individual thwarts the revelation of the universal.
—Rabindranath Tagore

Individual values are our private principles, the result of individual personality and individual experiences. Parents, teachers and one's peer group shape individual values. Personal values determine the differing reactions of people to similar events. A crisis may dim one person's enthusiasm and land him in depression, while another may be propelled into greater action.

Individual values are reflected in individual goals, vows, relationships, commitments and personal preferences. These are often colored by memories of the past and therefore there are differences in the meaning attributed to a common experience. To one person children denote happiness and strength, to another they may denote bondage. Individual values are malleable, often contained in a time and memory warp. They can transform themselves into universal values when you practice awareness and living in the moment.

After clarifying our values, we must determine which of the three are most meaningful for us after considering the relative priority of each category, so that we may be able to confront these and understand our own psychological and social conditioning.

>Beyond our ego (sense of self) and identity (sense of belonging to a group) that dictates what we know, think, feel and how we act lies the universal identity. Dissonance between ego and identity can create anxiety and alienation but acting upon universal values will not, for here it is authentic action emanating from an authentic Self. Universal values are at the top of the list. The others have their place but it is through universal values that we experience a sense of oneness with the human race.

Universal values must be our foundation if we are to enjoy a rich, profound and fulfilling life. Our personal and cultural biases limit and distort our perception of the universal wonder that is life. Even as the hands of a clock are powered from the center that remains ever still, so the universal values remain ever at the center of human life, no matter where the hands of time are pointing—past, present or future.

Compiled by: Yj Draiman

I am an American!

I am an American!

I am an American! I am not a republican, democrat, right wing, left wing, conservative, liberal, progressive, socialist, neoconservative, atheist, American Indian, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, redneck, hillbilly, white, black, tan, etc. what have you. I am an American!
If you agree with me I think that’s great. If you do not agree with me I don’t care.
I am your neighbor. I am the one who stands with you against harm, the one who helps you when you are in need, who laughs when you fall, the one who helps you up.
Your suffering is my suffering, your joy mine too. I am your friend. I am an American!
"A unified nation is a strong nation."

Yj Draiman

Reduce the entitlement by politicians

Reduce the entitlement by politicians

"The fact is," says a voter, independent member and elected official of the NC, "Politicians rarely act to curtail their perks unless there's an outcry, and even then they're practiced in burying their heads in the sand until the storm blows over." After he had criticized politicians' perks on the floor of the government, Voter says he was taken aside by a former Official who co-authored about his attacks on the “Entitlement perks."
  If politicians and remuneration committees can't or won't bring Politicians' benefits into line with community standards, only the American public can apply the pressure necessary to effect real change. Here's what concerned experts agree must be done:

·  The present remuneration committees that set the terms and limits of politicians' entitlements must be more representative of the community. "To assess better what benefits politicians should receive, parliaments must ensure that the members of these bodies represent a cross-section of American society," says Voter.

·  Perks like travel allowances and subsidized holidays should be identifiable by way of an annual report. "Government officials list shares and gifts acquired each year with the ethics board of Government Officials' Interests," says Voter, an independent POLITICIAN. "They should add every trip and allowance received at taxpayers' expense."

·  Expense claims by Politicians must be fully substantiated and no money repaid unless they can prove that the expenditure was on genuine electoral business. The same applies to electoral allowances. "This is essential to bring politicians into line with community standards of financial reporting," says Voter.

·  Details of all expenditure on Politicians' perks should be freely available to the public.

·  Politicians must pay for private travel, and "study trips" for Government officials should be scrapped. Administrators must approve only those trips that independent remuneration-committees deem necessary and genuinely in the public interest. Politicians should be banned from taking their families with them on official business unless they can demonstrate it's in the public interest for them to do so. Travel reports should be obligatory.

·  Taxpayer-funded travel to attend politicians' own party meetings should be scrapped.

·  Politicians should be granted a fixed annual car budget. Excess expenditure on cars must be for their own account. "Politicians should make use of a pool system with one car taking two or three Politicians to Government and other functions," says Voter. "That alone would save tens of millions of dollars every year."

·  Ex-Political leaders such as Presidents' perks must be cut back to a level that a genuinely representative committee agrees is reasonable. Our former leaders are entitled to be treated with dignity, but their expenditure of hundreds of thousands of dollars a year on benefits like limousine hire is grossly wasteful. The use of official cars and the offices and staff given to former leaders should be similarly cut back.

·  There must be an immediate independent review of the Politicians' superannuation scheme. Politicians should not receive pension payouts until they have reached the age of 60.

  Write to your city, county, state and federal Politicians, to the media and to the local branch of your taxpayers' association demanding that politicians' benefits be brought into line with community expectations of what's reasonable. Remember, it's your money.

By: YJ Draiman