**** The flag should never be displayed with the union down, except as a signal of DIRE DISTRESS in instances of EXTREME DANGER to LIFE or PROPERTY ....
Homeless camp near downtown Los Angeles Financial District
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USA: US withdraws from UN Human Rights Council ... Thanx to Ruptly **** This clip is U.S. Ambassador Haley's announcement withdrawing from the UN Human Rights Council, for the full 14 minute announcement, with Secretary of State Pompeo opening, you can click HERE
This posting will be for 3 series of this journal/ blog ... "Poverty & Despair", "Neoliberalism Crisis", and "American Exceptionalism". The focus here will be on the current state of the homelessness problem in America, the wealth distribution gap, and poverty. While I was reading up on the military defense spending increase the other day in The Washington Post, there was a link concerning the recent UN report on poverty in the U.S., I thought it be interesting to make a posting on, at least, a picture of what is going on 2018. But the media focus over the last week was mainly just on the immigration issue, with political highsiding and political party crocodile tears all over it, with hardly anything about this military defense budget that was slipped through on the sly with bipartisan support (both republicans and democrats), of $716 billion, which is on the path to a trillion, after all said and done ... they even gave Trump more than he even asked for, imagine that! I opened above with a short clip of U.S. Ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley, as she announced the withdrawal of the U.S. from the UN Human Rights Council, which also inspired part of the posting's title as far as her talking about "inhumane regimes". Ambassador Haley, also says that it's "patently ridiculous for the United Nations to examine poverty in America" (HuffPost) ... should the U.S. be "exempt" from examination and criticism by our partners?, that's not acting as a team player, and in my view, is undemocratic. Below, the Washington Post link newsread on the UN report on poverty in America ... and yes, some is extreme, especially considering our enormous wealth and reckless spending and waste. Then a video below that with UN special rapporteur for human rights and extreme poverty, Prof. Philip Alston, concerning America's poverty and homelessness, a 27 minute video, but I recommend hearing the man out, he covers the problem very well, concerning what he seen and found in the U.S. ... sometimes it takes an outside view to show us what some of us miss, or became too desensitized to. Below that, a couple links with solutions I picked up ... at the bottom I will add some input of my own.
***** THE WASHINGTON POST: An explosive U.N. report shows America's safety net was failing before Trump's election ... (newsread)
Global Ethics Forum: Extreme Poverty in the United States, with the UN's Philip Alston ... Thanx to Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs
**** SOLUTIONS ****
***** HUFFPOST: 4 Simple Ways to End Homelessness ... (newsread)
***** INTERNATIONAL POLICY DIGEST: Homeless in America: What Will It Take for the Crisis to Abate? ... (newsread)
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Brooklyn/ New York City
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***** PD/ RCJ: "POVERTY & DESPAIR" ... PART'S 7 THRU 1
***** PD/ RCJ: "NEOLIBERALISM CRISIS" ... PART 1
***** PD/ RCJ: "AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM" ... PART'S 10 THRU 1
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Thomas Hudson Pickering/ Ranch Chimp
The upside down flag at the heading is very appropriate, because the U.S. is in dire distress, and the threat of extreme danger to life and property for sure. All we hear is how great the markets are doing on Wall Street daily, how many jobs are created, how much new wealth is being generated, etc. As I write this, more fires are ravishing the west, properties being burnt to the ground (LA Times), flooding and heat waves around the U.S. in other parts (US News), and all the rest that has become so normal these dayz due to global warming (aka climate change). Even the winters are extreme ... even in generally moderate winter places like Portland, OR, homeless dying from extreme winter conditions ... coastal areas along the east coast and gulf coast flooding. The global warming is also going to have a severe economic impact on all of us, not just poor or homeless people, and causing many folks to have to relocate as it is, plus you have all the damage that our tax revenues will have to subsidize, and much that insurance companies will not cover. We are also creating new generations of homeless people, that are now in working class circles and families, the wages are going down, automation and technology is replacing many jobs, while making profits for investors rise, workers rights and organizing is being stomped on and slowly eradicated, government and the political gridlock has been unable to make any significant change, and the wealth gap is growing, regardless of how many bullshit jobs are created. Sure, we are creating a new sort of middle class, much in finance, healthcare, and technologies ... but that is not covering the mass of population enough, nor is it long term sustainable guaranteed, because of how fast we are changing due to technologies ... the distribution of generated wealth is in haywire mode, and way out of balance, even by a capitalist's standards. Between the gentrification and the rise in homeless encampments in our most populated areas, we are being cramped by this new wave of neoliberal capitalism on steroids. The poor and homeless, cant feel they have any dignity alongside these folks, and those professionals and hipsters who do make well financially, cant stand to have to live around those with so little, the contrast is socially disturbing for all. These conditions are being bred and exacerbated in the most importante economic development centers across our country ... being the well being and quality of life in the communities, is taking us socially, and even economically in a direction that cant work well, without some government intervention, some kind of control.
***** THE WASHINGTON POST: U.S. military budget inches closer to $1 trillion mark, as concerns over federal deficit grows ... (newsread)
As far as the new military spending, this is also out of control, although they are also looking at global dominance in this race we are in against China and the east it seems. The Republican Tax Bill alone, is going to even drain us more trillions, after all said and done (CleanTechnica), and I would bet even more than the estimated $1.4 trillion or whatever. We have needs as a country and society, even if you just cut back a small fraction of the billions we spend on defense and corporations, we could do much for our infrastructure, education, poverty and much else, just a fraction of it ... none of these in the top class will lose a thing, they will still thrive and do well. Even from a staunch capitalist and business perspective, it is healthy to do, for society as well as business. Also, who's currency is going to dominate the globe too ... the Yuan or the Dollar? Who's military will be supreme boss, the east or the west? The banks and corporations of the west and America, had no problem pushing us into this race over the last half century, they drafted the trade, they pushed the east to do business like us, and manipulated all our business and trade, while draining our capital/ assets. They love doing business in a place like China too, and we love the cheap prices to over- consume ... yet when they go in to China to do business, the Chinese government makes sure they have some ownership in the majority of business too ... while our government, takes the pure neoliberal route and lets most of the same investors and corporations own all here. As a result, China has not only made a great bundle, but being the People's Republic, focused long ago on their infrastructure, even bringing 800 million of their people out of extreme poverty, which is historic (Business Standard News) ... while the U.S. apparently is doing just the opposite, eh? ... and China is a communist country at that. The tax giveaway we just pushed through here in America, will just even put us deeper in a hole financially, and America's credit card is already maxed out, looking at how much we owe, we cant even make a damn past due payment, and they pull this tax stunt in our Congress? ... with the deficit hawk Republicans leading the charge? None of these corporations care about what happens to our country, as long as they get their wish, when we have nothing left, they will walk. The corporations and oligarchs that control us, want to make China like us, bottom line ... they like China where they have them now, but wont be happy until they control them totally. Now we hear that we need to worry about China? ... these corporations, including our legislative branch, made China the power they are. No, our worst enemy are those who are controlling our government with a different form of communism ... corporate communism.
Of course, the reason Ambassador Haley announced the U.S. decision to pull out of the UN Human Rights Council, is because of the hypocrisy, and all the violators of human rights that are on the council. Secretary of State Pompeo made a nice little opening intro as well, about how the U.S. leads the world as far as being humane and human rights, etc. I dont think that they see some of the hypocrisy in what they say though ... I mean, let's come clean for a change. Sure, some of these countries are horrible, and I agree with much, and they should not be considered as supporters of human rights ... maybe that is why they were invited on the council, in the hope that they will be inspired to change. But listening to Pompeo and Haley can almost bring tears of stars and stripes to your eyes ... sounding like we (U.S.) are the pinnacle of humane love, human rights, freedom, etc, of the globe. Are they just full of shit on purpose, or do they really not see what their policies are doing to this country, along with others in our Congress? Professor Alston above in the video sums up the cycle of creating generational poverty this country promotes perfectly. What are we doing about making affordable housing and health care? What are we doing about the endless cycle of incarceration, and penalizing and criminalizing those that are poor as a result of our policies and neglect? After all, all from the emergency rooms to prisons that Prof. Alston talks about is created to keep the poor in the cycle and make them a commodity of sort, to make profits for the top, off the lowest classes and underprivileged in our society. As Alston said, this can be cleaned up fast and simple, it's just a matter of government doing what they should be doing, and the costs savings while cleaning this up would be substantial. I, like Alston, believe that capitalism worx to an extent, but it must have socialism included to maximize the benefits to the wealth as well as the lower populations of society ... and it is good for business, any way you slice it. I think the younger generations are getting the picture well, and look forward to a change of thought to come, with them leading the way. It is remarkable how many in poverty and despair in our country, living in dire conditions and encampments, still hold on to the American flag and fly it, and it does belong to the people (all). Yet, so many of those corporate/ banking entities ratholing all the wealth, disrespect what our flag stands for and trample on our Constitution, while making a bloody damn mockery of our legislative and judicial branches ... some of which in my view, should be criminally charged/ indicted, tried, and imprisoned.
Word Out ....
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Homeless encampment along Santa Ana River Trail, Orange County, CA
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***** RANCH CHIMP JOURNAL "WELCOME" POST
***** RCJ MUSIC/ ART'S HONOUR ROLL SOCIETY (my hand- selected music/ arts picks)
***** "THE RESISTANCE | PERILS OF THE POWER POSSE" ... ( a 2 part futuristic Ranch Chimp Journal dream to dream on )
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