Unregulated Capitalism Harms The Country These Six Ways

Unregulated Capitalism Harms The Country These Six Ways
By Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org

NOTE: HTML version of this message, with more links, is at http://www.loveallpeople.org/unregulatedcapitalism.html

BACKGROUND

Unregulated profit-seeking corporations cannot be trusted to protect the Public, because their main objective is to make profits, not to be a do-gooder for the Public. Whenever profit-making conflicts with the Public interest, profit-making wins! Thus they become Predators on the Public, not Protectors of the Public.

This is not a radical idea, but an obvious fact, if you think about it. Profit-seeking corporations exist to make a profit, and the more profit, the better. Anything which increases profits is good for them; and anything which decreases profits is bad. So they try to do whatever is necessary to make profits. This is the essence of Laissez-faire Capitalism: that profit-seeking corporations should be left alone to do whatever they choose to do in order to make profits.

Employees get paid to help the company make a profit, not to be a do-gooder for the general Public. Just suppose a local manager decided to give away $1,000,000 of the company's money to build a playground for the neighborhood children. "The kids need the playground!," he says. Unless this playgound were part of some co-ordinated Public Relations effort, intended ultimately to produce greater profit, the employee would probably be fired, and replaced by someone with a better profit-making attitude.

Suppose an auto manufacturer had some kind of a safety problem, perhaps gas tanks that sometimes exploded on impact. And suppose it would cost a hundred million dollars to fix the problem, but it would only cost ten million to let the problem continue, and pay off the victims who sued and won. What do you suppose the company would do? It would let the problem continue, of course! Deny that a problem exists, claim it was the user's fault, and pay off damages only when forced to do so. These kinds of decisions happen all the time. Why do you suppose the corporations are so eager to get "Tort Reform?" To limit their payoffs for damages, of course! So their profits aren't hurt so much! "To hell with the Public," they think. "They should be more careful!"

And if the Management of a profit-seeking corporation ever did choose the Public interest over a higher profit (unless it were forced to do so by some kind of government regulation), then that corporation would be violating its financial duty to its stockholders. And the stockholders would be entitled to replace the do-gooder Management with a profit-oriented Management.

UNREGULATED CAPITALISM HARMS THE COUNTRY THESE SIX WAYS

We are talking mainly about the larger, publicly-traded, profit-seeking corporations like those whose stocks are traded on the stock exchanges. But the same ideas can apply to any unregulated profit-seeking corporation, even the smaller ones and the private ones.

We recognize that profit-seeking corporations can be a great force for good in the world, creating and providing wonderful goods and services that would be unavailable by any other means. But we also recognize that if they are unregulated, they harm the public these six ways. An unregulated corporation is like a loose elephant in your neighborhood. Who can stop it from trampling over whatever it chooses?

1. NOT PAY TAXES -In order to maximize profits, they always seek to avoid or minimize their taxes.

2. ELIMINATE COMPETITION -In order to maximize profits, they always seek to eliminate or control their competition.

3. CUT WAGES AND SALARIES - In order to maximize profits, they always seek to reduce their labor costs.

4. DISREGARD THE ENVIRONMENT - In order to maximize profits, they always seek to avoid all environmental restraints.

5. SELL DANGEROUS, HARMFUL PRODUCTS - In order to maximize profits, they are tempted to sell dangerous or harmful products.

6. CONTINUOUSLY SEEK GREATER PRIVATIZATION AND DEREGULATION - Pretending to be "efficient," they transfer ownership and economic control from the Public to the Big Investors. And if Corporate Greed totally overwhelms their morality, who will protect the Public from their rampaging excesses?

Please also see "The Twin Frauds Of Privatization And Deregulation" at => http://www.loveallpeople.org/twinfrauds.html

SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

We need profit-seeking corporations because they are very efficient and very innovative. They are quick to provide products and services to fill needs, if the profit is there. They can do great things very quickly. But they cannot be trusted to protect the Public, if it hurts their profits to do so. And it is unreasonable to expect that they should - unless they are somehow compelled to do it. But we cannot allow them simply to run loose, like rampaging elephants, trampling down whatever is in their path.

The answer is GOVERNMENT REGULATION! Yes, Government Regulation of profit-seeking corporations. Reasonable regulations, applied fairly, so that all the companies are in the same boat and nobody gets any special advantage. This is not difficult to do, but it does require some effort. And it requires going against the current right-wing Republican policies of Laissez-faire Capitalism: that profit-seeking corporations should be left alone to do whatever they choose to do in order to make profits.

Blessings to you. May God help us all.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org

All of our original content on all of our web pages is in the Public Domain. You may link to these pages by any means you choose, including "framing."

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"Come Up From The Fields, Father,"(with free MP3) - An Anti-War Poem By Walt Whitman - A Civil War mother learns of the death of her only son.

"Come Up From The Fields, Father,"(with free MP3)
An Anti-War Poem By Walt Whitman
A Civil War mother learns of the death of her only son.

A Service Of http://www.LoveAllPeople.org - Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director

HTML version of this page, with active links AND PROPER FORMATTING, at =>http://www.loveallpeople.org/comeupfromthefieldsfather.html

Reading by Rev. Bill McGinnis

Download Our Free, Legal, Public Domain "Speaking-Voice" MP3 file of this poem located at http://www.favoritereadings.com/comeupfromthefieldsfather2.mp3

Come up from the Fields, FatherWalt Whitman (1819-1892), Leaves of Grass, 1900.

1COME up from the fields, father, here's a letter from our Pete; And come to the front door, mother, here's a letter from thy dear son.

2Lo, 'tis autumn; Lo, where the trees, deeper green, yellower and redder, Cool and sweeten Ohio's villages, with leaves fluttering in the moderate wind;Where apples ripe in the orchards hang, and grapes on the trellis'd vines; (Smell you the smell of the grapes on the vines? Smell you the buckwheat, where the bees were lately buzzing?) Above all, lo, the sky, so calm, so transparent after the rain, and with wondrous clouds; Below, too, all calm, all vital and beautiful, and the farm prospers well.

3Down in the fields all prospers well; But now from the fields come, father, come at the daughter's call; And come to the entry, mother, to the front door come, right away. Fast as she can she hurries, something ominous, her steps trembling; She does not tarry to smoothe her hair, nor adjust her cap. Open the envelope quickly; O this is not our son's writing, yet his name is sign'd; O a strange hand writes for our dear son. O stricken mother's soul! All swims before her eyes,flashes with black, she catches the main words only; Sentences broken, "gun-shot wound in the breast, cavalry skirmish, taken to hospital, At present low, but will soon be better."

4Ah, now, the single figure to me, Amid all teeming and wealthy Ohio, with all its cities and farms, Sickly white in the face, and dull in the head, very faint, By the jamb of a door leans. "Grieve not so, dear mother," (the just-grown daughter speaks through her sobs; The little sisters huddle around, speechless and dismay'd;) "See, dearest mother, the letter says Pete willsoon be better."

5Alas, poor boy, he will never be better, (nor may-be needs to be better, that brave and simple soul;) While they stand at home at the door, he is dead already; The only son is dead. But the mother needs to be better; She, with thin form, presently drest in black; By day her meals untouch'd, then at night fitfully sleeping, often waking, In the midnight waking, weeping, longing with one deep longing, O that she might withdraw unnoticed, silent from life, escape and withdraw, To follow, to seek, to be with her dear dead son.

# # # Provided by Rev. Bill McGinnisPublic Domain

Download Our Free, Legal, Public Domain "Speaking-Voice" MP3 file of this poem located at http://www.favoritereadings.com/comeupfromthefieldsfather2.mp3 Find more readings and more authors at our website => http://FavoriteReadings.com

Blessings to you. May God help us all.

Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org

All of our original content on all of our web pages is in the Public Domain. You may link to these pages by any means you choose, including "framing."
.

HTML version of this page, with more active links, at =>http://www.loveallpeople.org/comeupfromthefieldsfather.html
We are http://LoveAllPeople.org

Publisher Releases Free All-Purpose Agreement Form, Suitable For Simple Agreements Between Any Two Persons.

February 6, 2009
Alexandria, VA

Rev. Bill McGinnis has today released his "All-Purpose Agreement Form," which is suitable for creating simple legal agreements between any two persons, on any matter. This easy-to-use legal form is completely free of charge and has been placed in the Public Domain, free for all people to use without restriction.

This legal form joins the other legal forms already released by Rev. Bill McGinnis, including a free automobile bill of sale, a free general bill of sale, a free personal loan agreement form, and others.

"Get it in writing, and avoid misunderstandings," says McGinnis. "Too many people encounter conflicts because the details of their agreements with others are assumed, but never written down. This new legal form can solve many of these problems."

You can download the free All-Purpose Agreement Form at http://www.loveallpeople.org/allpurposeagreementform.html . This page also contains links to McGinnis' other free legal forms.

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Establishing Atheism In The Public Schools

It Is Unconstitutional For Our Public Schools To Teach Atheistic Evolution As Unquestioned Truth, Because This Establishes Atheism As Our State Religion, Not Religious Neutrality.

By Rev. Bill McGinnis, Pastor - InternetChurchOfChrist.org Director - LoveAllPeople.org

The HTML version of this message, with more links, is located at +> http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/establishingatheism.html

By Teaching Evolution As Unquestioned Truth, We Officially Deny That God Created Humans; And Thus We Establish Atheism, In Effect, As Our State Religion.

By denying God, we establish no-God, which is Atheism, in violation of the Constitution.

The Theory Of Evolution is, itself, a very powerful religious statement: namely, that God did not create human beings. And if God did not create human beings, then He could not possibly have created the Universe, because human beings are a part of the Universe. Then it becomes very easy to believe that He probably didn't do anything else of importance, and that He probably doesn't even really exist. This is pure Atheism! If we are not created by God, then there might as well be no God, for all the difference He makes.

So, by teaching the theory of evolution as unquestioned truth, we officially deny that God created humans; and thus we establish Atheism, in effect, as our State Religion, in violation of our Constitution.

Amendment I - "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Source: U. S. Constitution

It doesn't really matter if evolution is true or not, as far as the Constitution is concerned. If we teach it as unquestioned truth, we are minimizing the importance of God and thereby promoting Atheism.

If the Constitution prohibits us from teaching that God did create humans, then it certainly must prohibit us from teaching that God did not create humans. If religious neutrality is required, then we must not teach evolution as unquestioned truth. If we do teach evolution as unquestioned truth, we are effectively establishing Atheism as our state religion, in violation of the First Amendment.

A United States Federal Court of Appeals has now ruled ruled that Atheism is, indeed, a religion, under U.S. law. See http://www.google.com/search?&q=atheism+religion+court+rule&btnG=Search for details.

So it is a very small step indeed from teaching evolution as unquestioned truth, to establishing Atheism as our official State Religion. If we present Intelligent Design as a possible alternative to Atheistic Evolution, we avoid this Constitutional problem.

Blessings to you in Jesus Christ our Lord.
Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org

All of our original content on all of our pages is in the Public Domain. Webmasters: you may link to our pages by any means you choose, including "framing."

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Two Methods And Devices For Preventing And Removing Ice Build-Ups On Trees And Power Lines During An Ice Storm

Two Methods And Devices For Preventing And Removing Ice Build-Ups On Trees And Power Lines During An Ice Storm - By Applying Vibration And Jackhammer Strikes To The Trees And Utility Poles

NOTE: The html page of this message, with more links, is located at =>
http://www.loveallpeople.org/preventingandremovingicebuildups.html

By Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director LoveAllPeople.org
These ideas are now in the Public Domain.


February 1, 2009


During this past week, the national news has been filled with stories about ice storms and the serious damage they have caused. People have died and property has been destroyed because of these natural events which we cannot yet control. Although we cannot control the ice storms themselves, we may be somewhat able to control one of the worst effects which they cause: the build-ups of ice on trees and power lines, which frequently results in loss of electrical power.


Here are my suggestions, free for all people to use however they may please . . .


PREVENTING THE ICE BUILD-UPS


It is a fact of Nature that turbulent water will not freeze as quickly as still water will freeze. Depending on the degree of turbulence and other factors, the temperature must sometimes drop far below thirty-two degrees (F) before the water will freeze. Other things being equal, the greater the turbulence, the lower the temperature must be for freezing to occur. The movement of the water molecules inhibits the formation of ice crystals, and freezing of the water is thus retarded.


For more on this subject, please see => http://www.google.com/search?&q=freeze+moving+water


Given these facts, it is reasonable to conclude that ice buildups on trees and power lines during an ice storm could be retarded or totally prevented by somehow making the trees and power lines vibrate, perhaps at the same rate per second that normal electrical power is transmitted.


Here is one way we could accomplish this: Design and build "vibrator boxes," each perhaps about one cubic foot in size, which would contain an electrical motor with a flywheel which is weighted so as to produce a vibration when it spins. Each vibrator box would be mounted on a tree or utility pole. The vibrations from the vibrator box would be transferred to the tree branches and power lines, and ice formation would be inhibited by the vibrations. Sensors would detect the combined presence of water and low temperature, and would turn on the vibrator motors automatically, as needed. Electrical power to operate the motors on power lines would be provided by the power lines themselves, directly connected to the motors.


REMOVING THE ICE BUILD-UPS


To remove any ice build-ups on trees and power lines, we could modify a "cherry picker truck" See => http://www.google.com/search?&q=%22cherry+picker%22&btnG=Search similar to the photo below: http://www.patriot.net/users/bmcgin/cherrypicker.jpg.


We would replace the basket which normally carries the worker, with a large mechanical hand of some sort, connected to a jackhammer. The mechanical hand would then grab hold of the tree or utility pole, and the jackhammer would be turned on. The sharp strikes from the jackhammer would then knock the ice loose from the tree branches and power lines. The worker would control the operation of the boom, the mechanical hand, and the jackhammer, from below on the truck. The truck would be scheduled to go through the neighborboods, hammering trees and utility poles as needed, to remove the ice build-ups.


I hope these ideas may be helpful in some way.



Blessings to you. May God help us all.


Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org

All of our original content on all of our web pages is in the Public Domain. You may link to these pages by any means you choose, including "framing."


We are http://loveallpeople.org/




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Start your day off right by visiting these helpful web pages . . .

"Internet Daily Chapel And Personal Guide" at http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/idc.html



"My Prayers 4 You" - an index of my prayers for you, at http://www.internetchurchofchrist.org/prayerindex.html

"Helping People With Their Cars" at http://www.loveallpeople.org/billmcginnisautomotive.html

"Sitemap Of The Web Pages At LoveAllPeople.org" at http://www.loveallpeople.org/chapellinks.html -

Flight 1549 - Miracle On The Hudson: A Hopeful Metaphor For The USA In 2009

Flight 1549 - Miracle On The Hudson: A Hopeful Metaphor For The USA In 2009

President Barack Obama (Captain Sullenberger) will skillfully guide The United States and its people (the airplane and its passengers) through the present economic and political crisis to a safe landing. President Obama will be ably assisted by the other members of his administration (the Flight Crew), by Congress (the official rescue boats and their official crews), and by his millions of individual strong supporters (the private rescue boats and their crews.)


The Story Of Flight 1549

Yesterday I watched on live TV as the drama of US Airways Flight 1549 unfolded on the screen before me. MSNBC had come in to the story early, just at the point where an airplane had been spotted floating in the Hudson River, where it was normally not supposed to be. People were standing on the wings of the aircraft, where they were normally not supposed to be. And various boats were pulling up close, beginning to rescue people from the plane.This scene was impossible to ignore, so I stayed glued to the television until it was clear that everything was under control. And here is what happened, as I now understand it . . .

A US Airways commercial airliner, with more than 150 people on board, had just taken off from New York's LaGuardia Airport, when it unexpectedly encountered a flock of large-sized birds, reported to be Canada Geese. Some of the birds crashed into the engines, causing both engines to fail suddenly.

So then here was a large airplane, full of passengers and loaded with fuel, flying with no power, losing altitude over New York City, with thousands of buildings and millions of people below. It looks like a catastrophe beginning to happen. What can anybody do to stop it?

Well, as it happened, the Captain of that plane was Chesley B. "Sully" Sullenberger, III, perhaps the best-suited person in the world to be in command in this particular situation. As a veteran pilot, with an expert knowledge of Flight Safety Procedures and a strong sense of duty, Sullenberger also possessed the quick-thinking mind and calm, unflappable temperament needed to pull him through this huge crisis. With him was a well-trained, well-experienced flight crew, flying in a well-designed and well-maintained aircraft. Beneath him on the river was a willing fleet of boats nearby, ready and able to spring into action if needed.

Everything then came together perfectly. Sullenberger quickly evaluated the situation and considered his options. The available airports were too far away: he couldn't reach them in time. There was no way he could try to land the plane on a highway: too crowded. There was no huge vacant field in sight, suitable for an emergency landing. Obviously he didn't want to crash into the buildings below. But the Hudson River looked like a possible place to make a successful landing, if he did it just right. And there would be many boats nearby, to help with the rescue.

And he did it just right. He skillfully glided his aircraft into the proper position over the river. Then he gently descended to the river, allowing his forward speed to diminish at just the right rate to achieve touchdown at the lowest possible speed without losing lift and falling like a brick. Then he lowered the aircraft onto the river, with the tail section touching first, so as not to flip the plane over on its nose and rip open the fuselage.

The airplane hit the river at about 140 MPH, bounced twice, then came to a stop, floating and with fuselage intact. No smash-up; no explosion; no fire; nobody killed. So far, so good.

Now it was time for the flight crew and the passengers to do their part, by getting everybody out of the plane before it sank into the frigid water. Somehow, they successfully accomplished this task, with no chaos, no panic, no needless injuries.

And then the rescue boats started to arrive, pulling the grateful passengers on board and trying to warm them up from the frigid water and twenty-degree air. Official Coast Guard and Police boats mingled with private volunteer boats, all joining together in a heroic, successful rescue operation.

Final score: More than 150 people saved from death, with only one person seriously injured but expected to recover. Thousands of other people saved from the injury and death which could have easily happened if the plane had crashed into the city.

The Metaphor Of Flight 1549 And The USA In 2009

Some of us, who believe in "Signs And Wonders" in the Biblical sense, feel that it is no accident that such a vivid major event as Flight 1549 should occur only a few days before the momentous passing of Presidential power to Barack Obama on January 20th. We believe that the story of Flight 1549 can be seen as a metaphor -- a representation of -- The United States Of America in 2009.

In this metaphor, the present-day economic and political crisis in the USA is represented by the crises faced by Flight 1549, losing altitude over New York City. The United States itself is represented by the actual airplane involved, which almost perished but was saved from destruction and is now in need of repairs. The People of the United States are represented by the passengers aboard Flight 1549, who were saved by their outstanding Captain. President-elect Barack Obama is represented by Captain "Sully" Sullenberger, who skillfully commanded Flight 1549 to a safe emergency landing. The other members of the Obama Administration are represented by the other members of the Flight Crew. The Senate and The House of Representatives are represented by the official Coast Guard and Police rescue boats and their crews. And the millions of individual strong supporters of Barack Obama -- people who are willing to work for him and his goals -- are represented by the private boats and their crews.

And the metaphorical prediction for the United States goes like this:
President Barack Obama (Captain Sullenberger) will skillfully guide The United States and its people (the airplane and its passengers) through the present economic and political crisis to a safe landing. President Obama will be ably assisted by the other members of his administration (the Flight Crew), by Congress (the official rescue boats and their official crews), and by his millions of individual strong supporters (the private rescue boats and their crews.)

Blessings to you. May God help us all.

Rev. Bill McGinnis, Director - LoveAllPeople.org

NOTE: HTML version of this message, with active links, is located at http://www.loveallpeople.org/hopefulmetaphor.html