The Profit System Has Failed Us

This is not an ideological diatribe.  This is real.  And this is true:  the profit system has indeed failed us both before and during the Covid-19 pandemic.  It is good to say this straight and clear.

People, now all over the world, are suffering and even dying because of an aggressive virus which has spread seemingly without warning.

Now comes word from PBS's Newshour that America may indeed see actual starvation before the Covid-19 pandemic is over, which may not be for another year to eighteen months.

Is this the America we know?  Is this even a civilized society?

But where does it all start?  Is it not possible, just possible, that it is the desire for power, self-aggrandizement, and wealth which has led to cut-backs in needed items such as protective equipment and ventilators?  For if I, a business owner, want to make the maximum profit, would I tend to look the other way when workers suffer -- especially if my company is big and my workers are anonymous to me?

It is time for us to bid the profit system a well-deserved good-bye.  And as soon as possible.


The title of this post and certain material in it were inspired by "Good-Bye, Profit System," by Eli Siegel.   Definition Press.

Time to Be Deeply Thoughtful

Like many others, I am made busy adapting to new circumstances.  Fortunately, I do not have to deal with job loss or destitution.  The corona virus has shocked and bewildered people around the globe.  The end of this pandemic is not yet in sight.

America finds itself very much in the midst of things.  There is fear.  There is a certain amount of paralysis.  There is simply the unknown.  All are part of the fabric of life these days as persons go about their daily lives with reduced freedom.  There, is too, a feeling of lostness.  Everything can seem different, and not in a good way. 

Leadership in the United States has fallen primarily to the state governors.  Some governors are responsive to the health of their citizens as the first priority.  Others seem more responsive to business concerns.  And so, in this very political time, health itself has been politicized. 

So, where do we go from here?   What do we do constructively, as opposed to simply riding things out?  Is there even an alternative?

I like to think there are answers here, contained in earlier posts.  But to be perhaps clearer and sharper, surely we can begin to admit that the normal way of business is not possible now.  Possibly, someof us  can see that things will never be quite the same again.  For, who can trust that nature will not send us another virus, equally as unpredictable and unpredicted?   And who can believe this government in the future when it attempts to function as a coterie of savants while assuring us nothing untoward will happen?

Without getting too deeply into religion or philosophy, let me say somewhat simply, that now is a time for thoughtfulness of a kind most rarely participate in.  It can be a time of deeper caring for our fellow human beings.  Who can say how much there is to see?  Who can say where is the end of new discoveries?  Who can say when a new period of increasing wisdom might come to an end, if the Divine will simply allow it?

May we stand ready to receive as well as act, to ponder as well as care, to hope as well as love.  And may this happen in a near time. 

Election 2020 At Risk

Under this general title I will be submitting articles here on the general subject of attacks on the Election of 2020.  Details about this year's election are only beginning to emerge.  We as citizens must be ever vigilant, as the forces of darkness -- shall we say -- attempt to do what they have done so often before:  subvert our elections and thereby the democracy itself.

Greg Palast Tells the Sad and Scary Story:
The Danger of Voting By Mail

Information Overload

Your Musical Patriot is handling the torrent of information about the economy and the coronavirus fairly well, but only because the job situation has placed him on paid leave. 

As a paid staffer, I am one of the more fortunate Americans, particularly in my field.  Money, though tight, is not a major worry at the moment.  And the extra time and more flexible schedule  has allowed me to keep abreast of the situation better than most.

Still, there are house-work, and errands, and various tasks which must be dutifully tended to, no matter disheveled hair (though even here I mostly have my act together).  Thus, it becomes a matter of priority.   What is most important for my readers?  This is no minor question.

Yet slowly things become clearer:.  For instance the three-pronged plan beginning to be favored by governors.  First, testing must be increased, second, the physical distancing and stay-home policies must be continued in order to help limit the spread of the disease, and third, tracing the path of the virus from victim to victim must begin immediately.

It is this third program which looms largest, as it involves a huge investment of money for workers, training, facilities, and equipment.

The matter always comes back first to leadership, then to money.  With proper leadership such as that provided by Franklin Roosevelt in the Depression and then World War II, great things can happen.  Without effective leadership, the country bobs, and dives, neither sure of its grounding, nor its course.

Day Whatever

On this late Sunday evening (Day # whatever of the pandemic), my heart goes out to all those affected directly and indirectly by the covid-19 virus.  That such an event never had to be this bad makes it a pan-tragedy.

It is a deep time of sorrow, regret, and plain seriousness for the country and the world.  We are hardly able to see any light at the end of the tunnel.  Perhaps the best which can be said is we might — might — be nearing the end of the beginning.