I never said I didn’t have opinions. I have expressed a number of views over my first year of writing the OpEdge blog. I think I have expressed these views explicitly and without rhetorical manipulations and that I have proven my points with facts and reason.
So without further ado, here are the ideas that I have been promoting on OpEdge since I began the blog on August 5, 2009. Call it my personal agenda.
First, my views on current events, all of which I believe are proven truths as matters of fact:
- Since the ascension of Ronald Regan to the presidency 30 years ago, the United States has experienced a net transfer of wealth and income up the economic ladder from the poor and middle class to the wealthy.
- It takes money to provide basic government services that we expect as residents of a post-industrial nation, and that means we have to raise taxes.
- The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have been huge failures and financial sinkholes and would never have been fought if the Bush II Administration had not knowingly deceived the American public.
- Social Security is financially strong but endangered by right-wingers who do not want the federal government to pay the Social Security Trust fund what it has borrowed from the fund for the past 30 years.
- The United States does not always have the right answer to social and economic problems and we could learn a lot by looking at the educational, public transportation, healthcare and other public services systems in Western Europe.
Two political and social views about which I did not get around to writing this past year are a woman’s right to an abortion and the right of gays to get a government-sanctioned marriage. Sometime soon I will demonstrate my support for both those basic rights with detailed analyses.
Now for some broader, more philosophical ideas that I have expressed over the past year. Of the four on this list, the first two are proven scientific theories, while the last two represent my subjective take on the lessons of human and natural history.
- The overwhelming preponderance of scientific evidence concludes that global warming is occurring and that the actions of human beings are accelerating its pace.
- Darwinism provides an accurate explanation of the origins of life in general and human beings in particular.
- Nations thrive when there is a relatively equitable distribution of wealth among people and a large middle class, and decline when money begins to collect at the top of the wealth and income ladder.
- To survive as a species, humans must reduce our population and I prefer that the means by which we decrease our numbers involve birth control and planning, and should not involve famine, war and pandemics.
Again, these are not my only beliefs, just the ones that I discussed on OpEdge this past year. It will be interesting to see how different the list is when (and if) I do a 12-month review in the dog days of August 2011.
Took me time to read all of the feedback, but I actually loved the article. It proved to be very helpful to me and I am sure to all of the commenters right here! It’s at all times good when you can’t only learn, but additionally entertained! I’m certain you had pleasure writing this article.
I found this page through Facebook (my friend posted it). After reading it, I clicked Like and shared it myseld. More power.
I bookmarked this guestbook. Thank you for good task!
You have listed a multiplicity of ideas and finanacial solutions that will help drag our financial problems kicking and screaming out of this sink hole we are in. Of course the upper class will have to come along screaming and dragging their collective feet to maintain the riches they have “earned” by the sweat and illegal planning that has taken place since the advent of “the rich just keep on stealing.”