January 26, 2017

Phil Beaver works to establish opinion when the-indisputable-facts-of-reality have not been discovered. He seeks to refine his opinion by learning other people’s experiences and observations. The comment box below invites sharing facts, opinion, or concern. (I read, write, and listen to establish my opinion as I pursue the-objective-truth.)
Note:  I often connect words in a phrase with the dash in order to represent an idea. For example, frank-objectivity represents the idea of candidly expressing the-objective-truth without addressing possible error or attempting to balance the expression.

Our Views: Before the recent news that the school for dyslexia students would have custom grading, I adamantly opposed charter schools as an effort to fund Christianity in public schools. Religion is an adult activity and should not be the object of either public education or civic governance.
 
The week, we learned that charter schools spend heavily for administration, lessening childhood learning. Therefore they are not sustainable that way. On the other hand they hire younger, non-union teachers. There are more than economic advantages therein, such as less obsolete social understanding between young teachers and students. We need to move toward assimilating what has been learned. For example, collapse charters into needs for particular children but with state, departmental administration instead a board for each school.
 
Perhaps DeVos can sort it out.

 

Today’s Thought. In other words, take a walk and other care. Sounds good.

  

Obamacare (Winkler). Pay for typical medical services, save tax-free funds for future needs, and enjoy federally-paid catastrophic health-insurance.

 

Cassidy’s (Rantz). I agree. I am disappointed.

 

Kathryn Jean Lopez column. “We can’t live like this forever.” That’s correct. The Church cannot harass women over the duty and responsibility to their viable ova; they alone have that obligation and The Church exercises tyranny when it express a view about a woman's private decision.

 

David Ignatius column.  IMO, the point of your column needs to be reversed:  the global trend is turbulent and most American are grateful Trump stepped forward to be President. His first acts, gathering a team of fantastically successful people for his cabinet, and his first courageous weeks show that he can govern and spit out writers at the same time.

James Gill column.  I hope Cannizzaro is right.

 

Bernard Goldberg column.  Well written: Meryl et. al., sit down and shut up.

However, while you are entitled to your opinion about Meryl as an actress, so is Trump. Her acting does not impress me, either, but then I’m only a person.

Louisiana vs The People (Page 1A).  It seems Gov. John Bel Edwards does everything he can to instill fear in the people so as to coerce the people to increase taxes. The Advocate does its part by obfuscating the facts, for reasons they may know. Perhaps it’s a habit from defending President Obama’s low regard for Louisiana and blaming Gov. Jindal during the years 2008-2016. The data seem to inform me that federal funds decreased $5.8 billion while tax breaks increased $4.5 billion, leaving a $1.3 billion deficit.

In this article, The Advocate uses ratios to obscure dollars. I am unqualified to read the budget, but it is available at doa.la.gov/opb/state-budget.htm . Here’s what I think from spending a couple hours there. All my numbers are in billions of dollars.

For 2007-8, and 2014-5 (projected), Louisiana spent 29.7, and 24.0, respectively. Federal funds were 15.8, and 10.0, respectively. Using the ratios The Advocate presented, I compute that tax breaks were 4.23 and 8.74, respectively. Thus, from 2008 to 2015, tax breaks increased by 4.5 while federal funds decreased by 5.8. That translates to a short-fall of $1.3 billion dollars, but I’m more alarmed by the $5.8 billion lessened federal funds.

I perceive almost daily that Gov. John Bel Edwards is neglecting the people who were hurt by 2016 flooding. For them, he should have been faster to comply with federal requirements for 1) submission of relief applications and 2) plans for disbursement of awarded funds.

 
The mind leaps to Jindal’s bitter resistance to Obama’s use of political force respecting federal outlays---support of the ACA and such. And now, Edwards is flaunting the wrong side of the political divide as though he hopes Mrs. Clinton will win.

I hope it is a wake-up call that using your vote to choose sides in the struggle to buy 50% plus one vote must end. A civic people must come out of their closet of egocentric wealth-building and take charge of public-integrity rather than counting on the religion-government-partnership that was foisted on us with the Magna Carta. Also, the poor must take the time to decide what he or she needs rather than what some organization wants, especially the AMO movements.

I think 2/3 of the people would like reform to a civic culture, and it’s time has come. The need for broadly-defined-civic-safety&security rather than dominant opinion has arrived. Especially, 5 to 4 “supreme” opinion cannot rise to the morality of a civic people.

Come out; come out; [civic people] don’t wait. They never told you the price that you pay;
for things that you might have done. (Billy Joel).

Charles Foster Kane · Dry Prong, Louisiana:

Thank you for generous questions. I’ll respond first to the “2/3” cultural faction. In the process, I may answer your other questions. If not, tell me. Also, there are details at “And now Security 11/14/16,” just now the URL found on Google search. (I need to update the essay to include President Trump’s great statements. In particular, he unlocked my aversions against both “together” and “solidarity” by asking us to focus on blood color rather than skin color.)

The 2/3 is a historical reference to the signers of the 1787 draft constitution for the USA: 70% of delegates from 12/13 states or 2/3. The 1/3 who did not sign included dissidents for reasons they understood. Some dissidents did not like the preamble's subject, We the People of the United States, preferring the states rather than the people. Another major faction did not like a constitution with no reference to God or His son Jesus Christ.

The preamble’s subject has been abused, first by special font for "We the People." Perhaps an act of pride obscures the subject: the civic people in their states---“civic” because they willingly behave according to the preamble. Second, Protestants, 99% of the free population in 1790, falsely labeled the preamble "secular" whereas it is neutral to religion, at most areligious. Lastly, past generations have left it to us to understand, practice, and promote the civic agreement that is stated in the preamble.

The subject of the preamble is a totality. It perhaps erroneously leaves no room for dissidents, criminals, evils, and other aliens to a voluntary agreement. Being a utopian subject, it is easy for citizens to discount the possibility of attaining the civic morality proposed in the preamble. Utopia is a nice goal, but a civic people need a more practicable agreement. People need to understand the choice: civic or dissidence.

We promote a civic people or a civic culture, which uses the preamble to coordinate civic issues. Real-no-harm factions flourish in a civic culture to the extent that people support the associations. Thus, every religious institution that observes statutory law flourishes in a civic culture.

We propose to empower people who want a civic culture to recognize and appreciate each other regardless of private interests, such as religion, fine arts, sports, etc. In 2017, the USA is unfortunately divided by religion, racism and politics rather than dissidence against the neglected preamble. The preamble proposes public-integrity. In public-integrity, citizens iteratively collaborate for broadly-defined-civic-safety-and-security, hereafter Security.

We propose to publically promote a civic people so as to encourage by example the dissidents to reform---including all but the evils as “the people.” We advocate for A Civic People of the United States, hoping to asymptotically approach We the People of the United States. Based on observable Security, we think 2/3 already want We the Civic People of the United States.

I agree. My acknowledgements page lists about 50 people, and most of them are incredulous. Only one elected official has shown enduring interest by actually exchanging emails. Most people build a brick wall by falsely labeling me atheist. The goal of 2/3 participation by September 17, 2017 seems impossible. But that is not so once the time has not passed.

You can be the person that springs my focus on the ideas into the public appeal for voluntary participation I count on. I reject coercion and force and always will. Unlike Thomas Jefferson, I make no oath: I reject tyranny over people’s thoughts.

Infrastructure (Page 3A). For federal money, a new I-10 bridge is essential for the USA, urgent for Louisiana, and essential to surrounding parishes and industries. Gov. John Bel Edwards’s excuses are an abomination on par with his failures to work hard for relief to flood victims.

At the risk of seeming niggling, I will always recall the Vatican-Edwards-partnership and its importance at this critical time in history. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coyotaje to understand the Central American supply and Rio Grande Valley entry (map, page 7A) of refugees. Also, IMO, it was planned to excuse absence for the presidential inauguration on January 20, 2017. It’s speculation by me about an incredulous audacity.

Teacher reviews (Page 3A). In all endeavors it is best to address the-objective-truth, which requires evidence from the-indisputable-facts-of-reality rather than opinion. Teaching without learning is ruinous and should be discovered and terminated.

Trump calls for the facts (Page 5A). Civic people in sanctuary cities should make certain their city leaders are doing all they can for public integrity. Our DA s and AG work for integrity. If leaders are trying to exercise liberal democracy and other injustices, a civic people may demand Security.

Voter Fraud (Page 8A). It’s not a question of individual cheating. It’s organized ID falsification. Secretaries of state have no information about this cottage industry. Recall convictions of teachers in Atlanta: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2015/04/01/how-and-why-convicted-atlanta-teachers-cheated-on-standardized-tests/?utm_term=.64eca5594823 . I imagine the fear is that an investigation may lead to doubts about the 2012 election. I doubted.

EPA pseudo-science (Page 8A). The press works so hard to be politically correct they often look amateurish. “EPA science” seems an indictment.

The public may be aware that science is a study and the object is physics. Physics is energy, mass, and space-time, from which everything emerges, including mendacity. Mendacity is what happens when researchers start with an assumption and design work to justify the assumption. The result may or may not be labeled pseudo-science. EPA science may fit when the pseudo-science was authorized there.

Force (Page 8A). I formed an opinion from Agathon’s speech in Plato’s Symposium. I paraphrase: appreciation neither imposes nor brooks force and maintains preparedness for resistance. I cannot imagine protecting evil.

Council (Page 2B). Between racism on racism in the council and imposition of the Mayor’s God, Baton Rouge is in deep trouble. Banks withdrew: “It is absolutely and atrocity for two blacks to vie for the same position.” I want to get them to collaborate for public-integrity and am writing the proposal.

quora.com/Is-it-possible-to-recreate-Platos-republic-in-todays-society/answer/Phil-Beaver-1

Is it possible to recreate Plato’s republic in today's society?

Phil Beaver:

I like the prior answers and have followed their advice. The Plato I have read I have studied, and of The Republic I recommend everyone read and comprehend the allegory of the cave or a good commentary on it, perhaps Allegory of the Cave .

 

There seems to be an effort to create such a system, based on “we the capable people.” See A Solution for America's Political Problems-Citizen Power. Someone made me aware of the effort because they found my essay, "And now security 11/14/16." Just now it’s the second URL when you google it with the quotes. My work is to establish We the [Civic] People of the United States, a voluntary practice of the preamble to the constitution for the USA using the-indisputable-facts-of-reality to discover public-integrity. That’s unusual language, but the essay explains it for the person who is willing to collaborate.

 

I have two theories. First, classical liberal thought erroneously concludes that humans inherently tend toward bad behavior. Second, humans are psychologically powerful, and with the discovery we have achieved as of 2017, we could now design an education and coaching system that would, in less than 3 decades time empower each newborn to acquire the understand and intent to live a full life.

The progression is: appreciative detachment from mom and dad, personal autonomy, collaborative association, understanding with which to choose a starting point for service to humankind and personal discovery, fidelity, and continuous pursuit of psychological maturity or perfection of your unique person.

 

Whereas The Republic imagined philosophers wise enough to guide or dictate your path to self discovery, a civic culture offers the broadly-defined-civic-safety&security, hereafter Security, by which each person builds the preferences within fidelity that arrive at the discovery of his or her person. The former is not even desirable, and the latter is what I work to establish.

Phil Beaver does not “know”. Phil trusts and is committed to the-objective-truth of which most is undiscovered and some is understood. Phil Beaver is agent for A Civic People of the United States, a Louisiana, an education non-profit. See online at promotethepreamble.blogspot.com.