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Misconceptions about democracy, socialism

There has been a lot of discussion and assumptions about democracy and socialism that seem to be misunderstood. This led me to review the root causes of our misconceptions. First, Democracy is a Greek word (demokratia) meaning people (demos) and rule or power (kratos). It encompasses the following concept: citizens vote directly on laws and policies for their society. Representative Democracy means citizens vote for representatives who make laws and govern on our behalf. Here in lies the rub: do our representatives make laws for us or corporations? “Corpus” is Latin for ...

Framing the political language of the season

When I hear someone say they are ‘fighting for me,' the first thing I think is well, that’s great, finally! But rather than taking the statement in a strict, literal sense, I might first consider who the source is and what is really going on: it’s eliciting an emotional response, which is the point. It DOES feel good to have protection against an enemy. Hooray! But look at the same phraseology during a heated election season, and upon closer examination you might come to a different conclusion. Let’s look at how messaging — both positive and negative—is currently flying ...

Bruce Blakeman needs more than a victory

LAKEWOOD—Let’s pick up where we left off three weeks ago. No one needs to explain to New York gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman that he and his team need to run hard through the tape on Election Day. They’re doing that. Hence the Oct. 28 whistle-stop tour across the Southern ...

The fragility of human institutions

This is not an uplifting subject to write about. If you are having a bad day, just put it off or forget about reading it. What it deals with is the reality of how fragile and easily broken can be those institutions which frame our lives. Probably the best example is marriage. It can be easily entered into but its lastingness is not a given. Marriage is a fragile human institution which can easily give way to disharmony, discord and divorce. Business organizations, partnerships, and professional associations have all been created to promote human activity and cooperation towards a ...

E-bikes: The “Wild West”

Few things are scarier than driving your car and then suddenly realizing there is an e-bike coming at you heading the wrong way on a one-way street. In eight years as a City Court Judge (2014-2021) handling Vehicle and Traffic tickets, among many other duties, there were no obvious issues with e-bikes and e-scooters. I do not recall a single traffic ticket related to the operation of an e-bike or e-scooter. Now everyday exposes area drivers to encountering e-bikes going against traffic, blowing past red lights and stop signs, randomly alternating between traveling on sidewalks and ...

Changing stories on high gas prices

Mr. Trump’s diesel deal with Putin will force Americans to fund both sides of the Iran war and finance the ongoing slaughter of Ukrainian civilians by Russia. It is blood money that will fund Putin's war economy. Russia in turn will continue to support Iran with intel and weaponry that will be used against U.S. military personnel and assets and our allies in the region. It’s not just (another) massive strategic blunder; It is morally repugnant. Blaming Ukraine for high diesel prices is a talking point straight from the Kremlin. It brings to mind the old Soviet joke “The past is ...