What’s Better and Greater, Honor and Duty to each other, or Self-Interest?

Brazil will be hosting the World Cup and also the Olympics. But this is a bittersweet event for many marginalized Brazilians. The recent events in Brazil, where hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets to protest economic inequities, and misplaced priorities by the government or to protest corruption, made me think about what is going on here in our own country, state, or city.

Many of the protesters’ signs read:

“What a Coincidence – No Police, No Violence!”
“We are not vandals, we are the future of our country!”
“We are not against Selecao (the National Soccer team); we are against Corrupcao (Corruption).”

Picture – From Left:

To the Elected Leaders, where is the Respect and the Fair Play;
Copa Fifa (World Cup) $33 Billion;
Olympics – $26 Billion;
Corruption – $50 Billion
Monthly Wages = R$678 Reais (US$300);
And you still believe this (“the protests”) is because of the R$.20 (.09 cent) bus fare increase.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO of BRAZIL PROTESTS.

Creating and building a Nation VS Diminishing a Nation

“Past Guiding Principles and Values VS Current Practices”

I reflected on our Founding Fathers, and what it took, and continues to take to create and maintain a Nation, and move towards “A More Perfect Union”.

One-Percent of our population serves in our military. Throughout America’s history, we expect this One-Percent of our men and women who serve in our US Military to place themselves in harm’s way, and to be 100% ready to lose their life, limb, mental ability or time away from loved ones and friends, and to make the Ultimate Sacrifice . . . immortalized in the words of “All gave Some; Some gave All”.

And yet, we cringe at the idea of expecting a different kind of One-Percent from contributing a greater share, which it seems would be fairer. And any plans, ideas or discussions as to how to raise revenue and do this are considered or labeled Un-American. And yet our US Constitution states,

“Article 1, Section 8: The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States.”

Creating and Building a Nation	Diminishing a Nation!
We Mutually Pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and our Sacred Honor!	My Accountant says I should not pledge anything, because then I might be liable for it! But I pledge to repatriate off-shored income if I can limit my exposure, to say, “ZERO!”, of if a tax evasion shelter, a penalty only a fraction of the gain.(Tax me if you Can!” – Frontline)
I regret that I have but One Life to Give for My Country!	I don’t want to live with regrets, so I want to limit my contributions to: an Effective Rate of ZERO; “Ok, Ok, that is not going to fly – although for some yes”, I want to limit my contribution to 15-18% Flat Rate (“I hope the People don’t realize, that Equal percents does not mean Fairness); or Limited to a “9-9-9” Consumption Flat Tax Plan! (“Thank the Lord, it was not a “6-6-6”, although it sounds like a bad/plan”.)
Benjamin Franklin – Did not know whether the Sun was Rising or Setting on the Thirteen Colonies, as they debated the drafting of the US Constitution… “But now at length I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun!”	Limiting our contributions, away from “a More Perfect Union” ensures that the Sun is Setting on the USA, and you can enjoy this sunset from your home’s porch, if you have one, or better yet, if you are at least fortunate to have a home, or some form of shelter.“We all pay a price for the foreclosure crisis”
We must, indeed, all hang together, or most assuredly we shall all hang separately!	This does not mean the Gang of:________ (insert here)
Give Me Liberty or Give Me Death!	Give me my unfunded Tax Cuts, or the Unfunded Wars that add to the Deficit, or Give me my Unfunded Pensions!
I have not Yet Began to Fight!	I have began and continued my Capital Flight!But, I Have Not Yet Used up my Artificially Created Non-cash Deductions that Have No Relationship to, and these deductions are Greater than My Actual Investments!
The Prophet – “Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy? . . . A Republic, if you can keep it”Also, if you can keep it, You can have this Homeland!	The Profit – We will foreclose on your Home and Land!The nation’s biggest banks wrongfully foreclosed on more than 700 military members during the housing crisis and seized homes from roughly two dozen other borrowers who were current on their mortgage payments, findings that eclipse earlier estimates of the improper evictions.Bank of America Lied to Homeowners and Rewarded Foreclosures, Former Employees Say.
Go West Young Man!	Go East Young Man, beyond our Eastern Coast, and Look for a Future there! . . . or continue going West, until you get to the East.
The Only Thing We Have To Fear is Fear Itself!	I Fear contributing a greater Fair Share!
Plant a Victory Garden!	What Other Plant Can We Off-shore, so management has something to Celebrate!
Buy Buy USA Savings Bonds!	Bye Bye Savings Bonds, and 401K plans and all other assets!
America Love it or Leave It (fixed)!	America Bankrupt the People through Unfunded Tax Cuts, Unfunded Wars, Unfunded Pension Plans; or Leave it in Tatters !
Ask Not What Your Country Can Do For You, But What You Can do For Your Country!	What has America Done For Me Lately?
We will Build a Foundation Brick by Brick	We will Dismantle our Foundation BRIC by BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) and by off-shoring and out-sourcing there and everywhere else.
Live the American Dream, for a Better Future	Leave Americans Dreaming and a Bitter Future!
I am my Brother’s Keeper!	I keep what is my Brother’s and my neighbors . . . I love this system!
The Louisiana, Gadsden, Florida, and Alaskan Purchases!	The Foreclosures on Americans!
MLK – I have A Dream!	I have a nightmare, but I am awake.
The Marine Corps, and our US Military, in general, provides the enemy the maximum opportunity to die for his country!	Our Borrowed Spending with No Revenue inflows and reduced critical infrastructural investment, provides the enemy the maximum opportunity to buy for his country our foreclosed properties, or our citizens to be the modern indentured servants through the slavery of debt.

Thomas Jefferson said, “Honor, Justice, and Humanity forbid us to tamely surrender that freedom which we received from our gallant ancestors, and which our innocent posterity has a right to receive from us.”

I think this is as true today as it was in the time of Thomas Jefferson, which in my opinion, should add greater clarity to the question or belief “that Honor and Duty is Greater than Self Interest, specially of the self-interest type that only adds to the individual at the expense of society!”

Francisco “Paco” Barragan

My opinions only and not those of any group

Inge

Posted June 21, 2013 at 3:11 PM

It’s interesting to see other countries are in the trouble as we are in America. The main media doesn’t really cover it though…except for a blip across the bottom of the screen. I think your opinion is shared by many…however, there is a lot of finger pointing as to exactly who is responsible for this mess. I say its Wall Street and our elected leaders.

Ron & Anna Winship

Posted June 21, 2013 at 8:44 PM

*Watch more BBC Inge! You can see the rioting in Brazil and Turkey. You can watch the war in Syria and you can see Barbra Streisand protest Orthodox Jewish treatment of women in Israel.