January 25, 2018

Phil Beaver seeks to collaborate on the-objective-truth, which can only be discovered. The comment box below invites readers to write.

"Civic" refers to citizens who collaborate for responsible freedom more than for the city.

A personal paraphrase of the June 21, 1788 preamble:  We the civic citizens of nine of the thirteen United States commit-to and trust-in the purpose and goals stated herein --- integrity, justice, collaboration, defense, prosperity, liberty, and perpetuity --- and to cultivate limited services to us by the USA. I am willing to collaborate with other citizens on this paraphrase, yet may settle on and would always preserve the original text.   

Our Views (theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/our_views/article_aa1a9730-007f-11e8-b07c-b3a4948e5a2f.html)

This reads like a surrogate for Gov. Edwards’ capitulation message, with the caveat, “I took my head out of the sand and realize big changes happened while I pursued social democracy.” I wish he’d resign.

  

But I’m more concerned about the strange statement, “With proper funding, education can move the state forward.” It seems like a dropped in thought---a cover for substance for Edwards’ threats. What funding? What education? I think education should be revamped if the objective is to “move the state forward.” Let’s compete with Norway, not Tennessee (my birth state) or New York, also important to me. Louisiana can lead the other states in a much needed reform.

  

In the first place, “human rights” is a bogus, social-democracy issue. We live in the American republic, which, hopefully, will never be a democracy of any kind. What might that mean to the individual?

  

Putting aside conflict for dominant opinion or dominant emotion, education about the-objective-truth is needed at the leadership level in the state, for example for the administration, the legislature, and the judiciary. Focus on racialism and church are killing the state. While the rest of the world (each nation perhaps erroneously) advances civic morality as well as prosperity, Baton Rouge debates decisions to favor one skin color or another! Our colleges teach biased histories rather than comprehensive human progress.

Adult education may focus on the human authority to control personal energy for private benefits rather than to discover, nourish, and suffer appetites and abuses. Child education may focus on coaching so as to acquire the thirst for personal understanding, independent knowledge, and intent to live a full life of responsible self-discovery. Higher education may focus on efficient choice of a starting career that 1) serves the people and 2) is a good vehicle on which the individual may earn his or her living---ultimately, in order to satisfy the thirst for knowledge and understanding so as to discover his or her person.

Correct me any way you want: I want to learn better ideas.

But why doesn’t this kind of thinking come from The Advocate? Are the people who control The Advocate civic citizens, dissidents, or passive aliens to the American republic?

Today’s thought, G.E. Dean (Psalms 37:4-5 CJB)

The proposal to spend $350 million for unwanted widening when $40 million in correction of traffic-design flaws is available would seem shockingly stupid were it not coming from Gov. John Bel Edwards.

I remember Edwards and Kip Holden claiming credit for getting those corrections approved for federal funds. “Shawn Wilson, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development, says it could cost roughly $18 million to $25 million to build a new Washington Street exit on the left side of I-10, and that project could get started in late 2017 or early 2018.” businessreport.com/article/louisiana-receives-federal-grant-funds-ease-10-congestions It’s early 2018.

Saving $310 million seems a good sales pitch to motivate poor Edwards to cave to neighbors who do not want the widening at this time: theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_7b041bd4-fc69-11e7-90ae-6744e7ab2973.html.

Thank you, Mr. Brown. Gov. Edwards, please resign.

Letters

Edwards’ $350 million shot down (Brown) (theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/letters/article_8893d1e8-012a-11e8-9d05-bb511bd567e7.html)

The proposal to spend $350 million for unwanted widening when $40 million in correction of traffic-design flaws is available would seem shockingly stupid were it not coming from Gov. John Bel Edwards.

I remember Edwards and Kip Holden claiming credit for getting those corrections approved for federal funds. “Shawn Wilson, secretary of the state Department of Transportation and Development, says it could cost roughly $18 million to $25 million to build a new Washington Street exit on the left side of I-10, and that project could get started in late 2017 or early 2018.” businessreport.com/article/louisiana-receives-federal-grant-funds-ease-10-congestions It’s early 2018.

Saving $310 million seems a good sales pitch to motivate poor Edwards to cave to neighbors who do not want the widening at this time: theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_7b041bd4-fc69-11e7-90ae-6744e7ab2973.html.

Thank you, Mr. Brown. Gov. Edwards, please resign.

Consolidation of cancer services (DuPont) (theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/opinion/letters/article_dbdf7b54-0134-11e8-ba40-37adbc5037c8.html)

It seems consolidation would save overhead costs. I do not understand the complaint.

Columns

Clowns (Cal Thomas) (news-herald.com/opinion/20180122/blame-us-for-government-shutdown-cal-thomas)

"[Regarding the shutdown] the blame must be placed squarely where it belongs. It is “we the people” who send these people here.” Thomas egregiously slights civic citizens.

“The Founders wanted limited government so that the people could be unlimited in pursuing their aspirations, consistent with their abilities and desire to take reasonable risks.”

Up to this point, Thomas seems to be cutting and pasting old columns, and from there on, this column becomes silly---like the work of a clown.

  

It makes less sense to speak for “the founders” than to speak for God. At least the listener is thinking of his or her personal God, when the speaker invokes God: no speaker-listener pair has the same God, but neither one takes the other’s speech for God seriously, so they depart in peace never knowing what each other tried to say. However, the founders can and should be specified.

"The founders" may cover colonial/state/USA leaders at least from 1765 until 1792. When speaking of We the People of the United States, I refer to the Signers, the 2/3 of delegates who signed the 1787 draft constitution for the USA---39 delegates from 12 states.

  

But Thomas’s egregious offense is use of the sloppy phrase “we the people.” The preamble is an agreement that separates the willing (civic citizens) from the dissidents. Civic citizens know and want the American republic. It offers them private liberty with civic morality, whereas social democracy and the like promise chaos. Henceforth, Thomas and other writers for the press may employ “We the People of the United States,” as a matter of appreciation for civic citizens, who consider, adopt, and uphold agreement in the preamble. (Spread the word.)

  

If, beginning on June 21, 1788 (when the people’s representatives of nine states established the USA), writers for the press had promoted the agreement that is offered in the preamble, these 230 years later, Thomas might be a journalist instead of a mere writer, plying his trade for incommensurate bucks.

However, the era of social-democracy disruption is at its nadir and a civic culture is on the ascent in the USA.

God is luck (Richard Cohen) (dailylocal.com/article/DL/20180122/NEWS/180129958)

When I hear in civic conversation, “God is love,” I ask (thanks to my friend Hector Presedo), “Are you sure?”

I did not expect to read, “God is luck,” or quoting, “I sometimes think of luck as a secular way of thinking of God.” I read that by Cohen, perceive it in Obama and Letterman, but do not perceive Trump as that careless with meanings. Obama’s watchword is audacity, which in practice is arrogance against the law and the American republic.

President Trump seems confidently humble. He outlines what he hopes for; then follows with a serene, “We’ll see how it turns out.”

I would never have fashioned Trump’s way of practicing Matthew 7:6 and don’t know that that is what he is doing when he confronts lies with lies. However, I think his presidential rebukes are appropriate, and his Twitter posts are civic rebukes. The person who has been rebuked might ponder Matthew 7:6. Cohen can find it in the Complete Jewish Bible, CJB.

Other forums

facebook.com/groups/classicalsociologicaltheory/permalink/1874242216235996/

Jan 24. Kat M, After your certitude about democracy being the perfect political system I was surprised by your questions: "How do we decide what and who we should be? How do we arrive at our personal values?" Only the individual has the authority to responsibly make these determinations, so the political system may grant him or her the opportunity to so so---the necessary comprehensive safety and security. In other words, both temporal government and institutional religion may stand-by during the civic individual's brief lifetime.

America is a republic. It's constitutional institutions---legislative, administrative, and judicial---are designed to prevent democracy and assure statutory law. When I took civics in grammar school, I learned this and the main point about it was the Electoral College, by which the President of the USA is elected; citizens vote, but their votes are not equal. Five decades later, many Americans do not realize America is a republic by law; even Hillary Clinton laments this reality.

Social democrats use phrases like "our democracy," "liberal democracy," "democracy," and republican democracy in a movement to overthrow the constitution. The most important constitutional feature is the preamble, which offers inhabitants a civic agreement: We the People of the United States in order to . . . .

However, the preamble is neglected. The First Congress, in 1789, re-instituted English style legislative deity by hiring Congressional chaplains. The republic has been tainted by religious freedom as Judeo-Christian theism ever since.

Our work, conducted in public library discussions, seeks to establish the preamble as the focus for civic collaboration for private liberty with civic morality, in other words, public integrity or human justice. Justice is discovered through the-objective-truth, which can only be discovered---cannot be rationalized or constructed.

In a civic culture (which does not exist), each newborn may be coached to thirst for the understanding and intent to enter young adulthood with humility so as to develop fidelity to the-objective-truth in his or her life-long journey to self-discovery. Most people learn early the importance of fidelity to other people, but some think crime pays.

Statutory justice (law and law enforcement) evolves as the-objective-truth is discovered. Free enterprise remains the capital system, but crime lessens as dissidents understand by experience and observation. The utopia of no dissidents to human justice is hoped for but not expected.

We work daily to promote this achievable, better way of living. You and Hossain have helped me understand why America is so misunderstood: It is a republic that is under siege by social democracy and worse. Yet civic citizens of the USA are in a political system that could help everyone collaborate for human justice.

S M Ashek Hossain erenIt is an astounding observation. However, with the present epistemology dominated by the Western philosophers democracy is what build a republic, "a state in which supreme power is held by the people and their elected representatives, and which has an elected or nominated president rather than a monarch", or 'A republic (Latin: res publica) is a form of government in which the country is considered a "public matter", not the private concern or property of the rulers. The primary positions of power within a republic are not inherited but are attained through elections expressing the consent of the governed' (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic). It is to be noted that republic has transcended from monarch to president/prime minister through congressman/senator/member of parliament contra to knights and feudal lords loyal to the monarch/emperor/king. The only difference being the people participation to elect those individuals. The two major drawbacks of representative democracies are majority rule and alienation of the people from the policymaking. To fathom the paradox of majority rule, someone must have a clear understanding of justice in its serene form. And to comprehend justice, truth should be discovered. This takes us to objectivity and rationality. Objectivity explains knowledge in relation to reality and rationality enable us to decide in relation to reality. In other words, objectivity allows us to identify truth, rationality enables us to decide and act based on the truth to deliver justice. But there is another paradox about the truth of social justice, which is not necessarily dependent on absolute scientific reality (an apple falls if you throw: on this planet earth) vis-a-vis, diversity is a disease or cure? Hence, through majority rule, minority suffers since both of them realize truth from their own viewpoint and interpret it as either justice delivered or denied!!! The alienation takes place soon you elect a representative and for a specific period of time, they decide, you are no longer needed, people are alienated from their power. Social democracy, on the other hand, tries to address the question of inequality in the society (especially economic inequality) and venture for a better equitable distribution of wealth and offer opportunities for the have-nots. The electoral college is a circuit breaker set to offset the majority rule for a different purpose (to negate the advantage of the candidates originating from a giant state like California or having personal ties with a group of states) and probably twice in the US history it went against the people choice. We have to go for a much deliberate discussion and I am running short of time!

Jan 25. A couple brief points. Wikipedia "Republic" does not explain the USA republic, and I don't think any document but the 1787 draft constitution is worthy of focus to try to understand it. I have spent about 20 years, off and on, trying to understand the first sentence, the preamble, which is a civic agreement that is offered to citizens: the preamble tacitly states, take this agreement and collaborate for civic morality with private liberty or leave it and be dissident to human justice. I think America is divided into thirds respecting justice: civic, passive, and dissident. However, I think the number of Americans who can articulate the meaning of the preamble are few.

Second, quoting you, "Objectivity explains knowledge in relation to reality and rationality enable us to decide in relation to reality." The-objective-truth exists, and humankind's noble duty to itself is to discover and make best use. Subjectivity begs woe. The-objective-truth does not respond to rationality. However, the-discovered-objective-truth may be rationally studied if it is difficult to understand, but otherwise merely needs to be accepted. For example, seafarers always knew the horizon seemed to have curvature, and rational thought might have helped them take measurements and compute the earth's diameter and thereby convince landlubbers not to fear exploration, perhaps more than 1000 years earlier. In a soft example, lies are inevitably exposed by the-objective-truth; therefore, a citizen who wants to communicate will never lie; liars take themselves out of civic collaboration.

quora.com/Besides-economically-how-does-division-of-labor-have-a-positive-or-negative-impact-on-society-and-individuals

Division of labor may be wonderful, because it empowers appreciation among a civic people. (Everyone being a star physician or a star appointment clerk would not work out.) By civic people I mean those who collaborate for human justice in every connection and transaction, whether direct or indirect, whether foreign or domestic, whether in public or in private, and so on. I am not aware of a civic culture on earth. In a civic culture, most people fill a public need—-product or service—-that is wanted enough to justify a living income including savings for the future. In other words, slavery does not exist, and poverty is low.

Returning to appreciation, I am a chemical engineer and served one company during a thirty-five year career. I was responsible for designing and starting up hazardous compression loops, reactors, shipping containers for hazardous chemicals, rail-road crossings for dangerous chemicals, and many other installations that are vital to the market place. None of my installations can blow up, whereas similar installations before my service could. For this reason, in my present interest (trying to establish civic systems for private liberty with civic morality), no one can belittle me, try as they may. I know that if they knew my story they would appreciate me for what I did and open up to what I am doing.

I see my kind of serenity and good will in the faces of the people who serve me in all the capacities I could not fulfill on my own: my primary care physician, my attorney, my auto mechanic, my locksmith, my battery supplier, my computer guru, my TV installer, my town council woman, my stock broker, my book club leader, my best friend (next to MWW), may daughters, on and on the wonderful list goes. All of them smile when I express, “I appreciate you.” They know I mean it.

There are a couple services wherein I find it difficult to identify a person to whom I could say, “I appreciate you.” There’s the clergy, aloof scholars and professors, writers for the press, and politicians who partner with them. I appreciate entertainers but not the business people who have created a system that alienates them with exorbitance. Any of the living creators I appreciate most I cannot imagine giving my singular appreciation a whit of attraction; would not spontaneously motivate him or her to ask, “Phil, what is your favorite idea?” I feel the same way about capitalists; I am grateful for the responsibility they accept more than for the risks they take, but do not appreciate the business people who taint them and free enterprise with exorbitance.

Exorbitance greatly troubles me. Feeding exorbitance is the bloated stomachs of starving children. Exorbitant-living or rich people can visit people in poverty, think “there but for the grace of God go I,” yet return to a $50 million dollar estate without taking action. If that does not diminish the psychological well-being of the rich person, I am surprised.

I have seen essays that would accuse me of avarice. However, the bloated child perceives no avarice, and I express myself for him or her. Not only that, the child will be fortunate if he or she finds a way to enter the labor force and earn a living—-no time for greed. I feel out of place to say I also feel bad for the rich, yet I do, even if they think me a fool.

Thus, I write of this problem from a detached viewpoint and reach out to economists to propose free enterprise on human appreciation more than exorbitance. I think the key lies in a combination of quality education for every newborn and a population v potential GDP index that allows free enterprise to more closely match viable job functions with adult population.

When artificial intelligence becomes prolific, the rate of human cruel may increase, and a civic culture ought not let that happen.

Mutual, civic appreciation could be wonderful in a culture that keeps in balance jobs v living income including savings, keeping slavery absolutely out and poverty low. Some sort of population control seems essential to the latter point.

Phil Beaver does not “know” the actual-reality. He trusts and is committed to the-objective-truth which can only be discovered. He is agent for A Civic People of the United States, a Louisiana, education non-profit corporation. See online at promotethepreamble.blogspot.com.