Browsing: Opinions

   A  kleptocracy is a system of government in which those holding political power use public office to enrich themselves, their political allies, and wealthy supporters rather than serving the public interest. The word originates from the Greek words klepto (to steal) and kratos (rule or power), meaning “rule by thieves.” Critics argue that when political influence becomes a commodity available primarily to the wealthy, democracy gradually begins to resemble a kleptocracy.

   Thunderous applause echoed through the San Francisco Opera House on June 26th, 1945, as diplomats signed the United Nations Charter. It was hailed as a victory over war itself. Eighty-one years later, the UN has many accomplishments to celebrate. But the Charter’s opening pledge to save “succeeding generations from the scourge of war” remains painfully unfulfilled.

   Reading James Baldwin’s 1964 weighty but buoyant tome, “Nothing Personal,” struck like lightning as he shredded the myths that blind. Buoyant because it is replete with lightning strikes illuminating the coarse world created by myths, or lies; buoyant because it lights the way forward, in a scant 60 pages, to a human world.

       America’s greatest national security threats are not limited to foreign armies, cyberattacks, or nuclear weapons. Two dangers are quietly converging from within: a mounting national debt,  and the gradual weakening of the constitutional balance among the branches of government. Together, these forces threaten America’s economic independence, democratic safeguards, and long-term sovereignty.

    In a 1 June New York Times essay, Senator Bernie Sanders proposed a more novel plan that would also ensure oversight and provide compensation for the use of the public asset. Sanders plans to introduce legislation that would establish an American AI Sovereign Wealth Fund, which will impose a one-time 50% equity tax on AI companies that would be paid in corporate stock. A federal commission would then control half of the voting shares in each company, thus ensuring public input.

    “The American Dream is Back,” President Trump boasted during his July 4, 2026, speech on the National Mall. This is the same man who said, “I love the inflation,” as he constantly assures us that affordability is a Democratic hoax. Trump no longer even pretends to give lip service to addressing the economic issues he ran – and won – on in 2024. As the New York Times just reported, Trump’s wealth has increased by over two billion dollars in the 15 months since he returned to office again. And much of this newfound wealth came from crypto-currency transactions that he directed the SEC to ignore.

       In short, the actual American Revolution was nonviolent for the most part, with the exception of some incidents of hanging effigies of tax collectors acting on behalf of the British crown.