Capitalism is an economic, social and political system where private individuals control a country’s trade and business. Capitalism flourishes because it celebrates the worst of the human condition: greed, self-interest and ego. It also recognizes the advantages of competition and market forces. This leads to a great tension between what is good for the capitalist and what is good for everyone else and the country.
In the United States this tension has resolved in favor of the capitalist time and again. Money talks. As a result of the capitalist wanting to maximize profits for themselves, we get poor wages and often are forced to work in unsafe conditions; all while they plunder the land and resources of our country and pollute our air, land and water.
Of late, when workers try to organize or ask for a wage increase, the capitalist threatens to move their operations to another country. In fact, hundreds of U.S. companies have moved, simply to maximize profit for themselves, all the while putting Americans out of work. Clearly, what is good for the capitalist is not good for the country or its workforce.
So how is this resolved?
Socialism is not the answer, because giving the government control of business is a losing proposition. Instead, we need to examine what socialism is trying to accomplish for workers, and find a way to protect our country and its workers within our democratic values.
This is where the tenets of the Pro American Party shine. They create stability and security in a system that currently has neither. They also create an economic floor for workers that allow them the dignity of working and paying their own way in our society. In so doing it creates the forces required to make business work in a way that is in the best interests of our country. Importantly in this regard, it also protects businesses from unfair competition from abroad. In short, the PAP protects workers, increases economic security, protects U.S. business and serves to unite the country.
I encourage you to read all 12 tenets that have been discussed to date, but in the meantime, here are some highlights of how the Pro American Party resolves the tension between the capitalist and the country.
Tenet #1 – Requires businesses who sell their products or services to Americans to employ Americans. It also provides for a very low tax rate for those companies that comply, while punishing companies that do not.
Tenet #2 – Abolishes welfare, but creates guaranteed jobs at a fair wage. Abolishes corporate welfare, but reduces corporate taxes. By guaranteeing a minimum wage of $12 an hour, it forces business to match that rate or be unable to attract workers.
Tenet #3 – Endorses the scientific method as a fair way to determine facts. As per our constitution, does not endorse religion, but allows our citizens to believe in whatever God they choose.
Tenet #4 – Creates in-country production requirements for all products deemed to have a connection to national security. This will bring manufacturing back to our country.
Tenet #5 – Establishes a requirement for a balanced budget and revises the tax system. Changes the way budgets are established.
Tenet #6 – Ensures our military will remain the best in the world.
Tenet #7 – Creates a requirement for all Americans to give 2 years of service to their country after graduating high school or reaching the age of 18. There are many ways to complete this service requirement. Once this service requirement is complete the recipient will be eligible for up to 2 years of free college or trade school education. Those who complete their 2 years of education with at least a C average are then eligible for an additional two years of college without cost.
Tenet #8 – Requires the title of all laws passed by Congress to truly reflect their impact. Creates a non-partisan group to evaluate all laws and to publish their findings prior to a law being enacted.
Tenet #9 – Creates a yearly survey of all businesses and determines the educational, vocational and other skill requirements of businesses and broadcasts that information to all school districts in the country.
Tenet #10 – Punishes businesses that pollute our environment. Creates a fund, paid by business, to correct pollution problems.
Tenet #11 – Protects our military veterans and their physical and emotional health. Provides a higher hourly wage for all veterans…for the rest of their lives. Provides additional death payments for the spouses/families of veterans who die in the line of duty.
Tenet #12 – Eliminates high crime/high unemployment areas by bringing together business and government resources.
The relationship between criminality and employment is a “catch-22” situation. Communities known as high crime areas are also high in criminality. So employment would help lower the crime rate. But at the same time these communities are unattractive to investors because they are high crime areas, so no jobs will be created. And so the cycle continues.
This type of intervention is necessary if we are to eliminate historically high crime areas and allow them to be transformed into cohesive neighborhoods where it is safe for both business and people to work and live.
Marrying economic opportunity to high crime areas, when accomplished, eliminates the isolation of high poverty neighborhoods from the legitimate job market. For the youth in the neighborhood, knowing legitimate jobs are available will increase their motivation to go to school. Once they can see a real connection between education and financial success high school becomes more attractive. And of course, more attractive jobs means less crime.
The Pro American Party believes that all Americans deserve to be able to work. This is true whether they have a criminal record or not. The issue of criminality is a complex one and needs to be viewed from multiple lens. This post intends to examine some of the many factors that cause persons to resort to criminality and will attempt to get you to agree that if we can change those factors we can reduce crime. Because of the complexity of this issue we will devote this post and two or three more posts to the topic before we move on.
Remember the book “The Scarlet Letter?” Without telling you, this book wrote about labeling theory. Labeling theory is the idea that once someone is labeled in a certain way, let’s say “felon” for instance, people will look at them that way forever. In fact, even the person who has acquired the label will end up acting in accordance with the label given. Labeling theory predicts that those who think of themselves as felons will act as felons. Being turned down for a job because of their record, simply reinforces the ‘felon’ label and encourages them to act in the way that is expected of them. If you are a felon looking for work, but can’t find it and everyone tells you it is because of your criminal record…what is left? For many, committing a crime to get the money needed to survive seems the only choice. As an aside, for those young parents out there, if you want to help your children get a good start in life, begin calling them kind and thoughtful and sweet and smart.
It really could not be otherwise. One of the most important factors in determining whether someone gets involved in criminality is whether their friends are. If their friends are involved in a gang, they almost certainly will be too. And youth gangs are a big source of crime and most live in this environment. Add to that poverty, impulsiveness, drugs and a lack of proper parental oversight and the results will be stacked in your favor for producing a criminal time and again. Toss in a belief that school is a waste of time and you’ll really stack the deck in your favor.
People adopting this culture of poverty do not participate in community life or join political parties; they make little use of banks, hospitals and the like. According to Lewis the culture of poverty perpetuates poverty: It “tends to perpetuate itself from generation to generation because of its effect on children. By the time slum children are aged six or seven, they have usually absorbed the basic values and attitudes of their subculture and are not psychologically geared to take full advantage of changing conditions or increased opportunities which may occur in their lifetime.”
This is where the Pro American Party’s tenet #2 comes in. Tenet #2 opens the door for full employment, health care and economic stability. For many it will be the first time in their lives that this opportunity will have presented itself. It is both our hope and belief that this opportunity, over time, will help to minimize the ‘culture of poverty’ because in addition to a job, it will allow hope for a brighter future to rise again.
They have been providing training and leadership in law enforcement circles since 1940. Their stated goal is to raise the level of professionalism in law enforcement, making them a perfect choice for this task. The NSA’s Center for Public Safety will take the lead in this effort.
Founded in 1893, the association’s goals are to advance the science and art of police services; to foster police cooperation and the exchange of information and experience among police administrators throughout the world; to bring about recruitment and training in the police profession of qualified persons; and to encourage adherence of all police officers to high professional standards of performance and conduct. Within the IACP, the Training and Professional Services Division will be the lead division.
For those of you with an understanding and knowledge of the origins of law enforcement in the United States you will know that unlike virtually any other country, our nation made a determination, from the very beginning, to have local control of their police forces. There is nothing in this initiative that would change that. Individual cities and departments can opt in or out of this training as they choose. This initiative is limited to training and in no way affects the control or authority over or of any department.
Those citizens who have chosen to enter the military will have exposed themselves to the dangers and horrors of war; perhaps the most meaningful way possible to honor our country.
Second, honorably discharged military members who served during a time of war who transition to non-military government jobs will receive three dollars an hour more than their cohorts, for the rest of their lives.
The VA will continue to exist and will focus on finding ways to help veterans with PTSD and other service-related physical and mental injuries.
If I Had The Power 