The Constitution of India is the world’s longest.  It consists of 145,000 words (the U.S. Constitution has 4,000), has 488 articles, 8 schedules and 22 parts.  It guarantees 1,109 castes and 775 aboriginal tribes’ representation by allotting them twenty-five percent of the seats in the national parliament as well as granting them twenty-five percent of the government jobs. It honors the various religions to the extent that Muslims may have multiple wives, but Hindus may not.  Complex but at the same time, it is “less intrusive than the American one with its litigation-fueled undermining of meritocracy in the private sector”.

While such numbers are interesting, the recent article by Christopher Caldwell in the Claremont Review of Books takes us behind the numbers and examines the political forces which have propelled India since unification and independence.  At independence India was for all practical purposes a one-party state but dynasties rise and fall and the tale of each successive dynasty is laid out in a manner that is easy to understand. Today India is led by Narendra Modi, the son of railroad tea seller.  He is a member of a “backward” caste and like Trump, despised by the nations traditional political elite.  Called a demagogue, populist or reactionary, he does not care for the rights of gays or women and is charged with fanning the emotions of the majority Hindu populations who can be compared to the white, heterosexual males of the U.S..  Yet for someone who has been in power nine years, his positive rating is about 78%.

This article is a must for anyone seeking to understand the nation of India.  Traditionally neutral, India has no problem buying fuel from Putin at a cheap rate.  At the same time, India shares a 2,100 mile border with China and a 2,065 mile border with Pakistan, both nuclear powers who see India as a potential and real enemy. Despite these challenges, India is moving in a way that seeks to maintain the best of its culture while picking and choosing from the West. 

India can become a major power, but it faces challenges on many fronts.  This article will help the reader better understand the forces that are in play in the world’s most populist nation.

https://claremontreviewofbooks.com/indias-uprising/

History has shown us time and time again, that economies which are centrally planned fail and that economies which offer freedom of choice and competition provide not only wealth, but long term stability.  We may expect that this lesson will be repeatedly ignored by Marxists and their ilk, but it is shocking to see it ignored by leaders of what use to be called, “the free world” (a term which we have not heard since the fall of the Soviet Union).  Perhaps it is time for the leaders of the Western world to go back to school and take some lessons on basic economics.

At the current time, one in seven workers in the United States earns their living by being connected to the auto industry.  One in seven, that is about 14%. In Europe, the auto industry provides employment for just over 6% of all workers and about 8.5% of all manufacturing jobs.  Those numbers represent a huge portion of the tax revenues of the U.S. and European economies. Economies which have successfully lifted millions out of poverty around the world by offering competition and choice.  Yet we see today central governments attempting to mandate a product which can only be sustained at this point by huge amounts of corporate welfare and adjustments to wealth distribution. This product offers a developing technology and while it may in the future become viable, those same central governments are not creating the infrastructure to sustain the product they see as the wave of the future.

Consider these facts:

• Ford announced that it will lose $3,000,000,000 (billion) on EVs in 2023
• Ford spends $220,000 to produce each Rivian electric pick up truck which it then sells for $81,000
• Ford plans to make 2 million electric cards every year by 2025, but,
  • Ford only sold 61,575 in 2022
  • In February 2023 it sold 3,624 EVs
• GM loses up to $9,000 for each electric Bolt, it’s “affordable” EV
• GM plans to sell 1 million electric cars by 2025, but is sold less than 40,000 in 2022

How would you like to be the marketing and sales manager facing those sales goals?

Additionally, with high interest rates, a slowing economy and what looks like major job layoffs and a possible recession, the centralized planning from government faces a daunting task.   

If anyone is in doubt as to the impact this war will have on employment, loss of taxes and basic freedom, one need only think back to the last time one in seven workers were involved in another “wave of the future”, that being the implementation of “Obamacare”.  Since then, we have seen hospitals close, many doctors leaving the health care industry, premiums increase and for the first time, a decrease in the life expectancy of certain portions of the citizens it was designed to serve.

If a product is truly good, it does not have to be mandated.

In a post dated 8/22/2022 entitled “Trust Deficit”, I wrote that there seems to be an increasing gap between those who govern us and we the people.  Unfortunately, this gap appears to be growing as the belief of those who govern in their ability to fool us only gets stronger.

How often do we find that the government, at any level, introduces a program designed with the (hopefully) best of intentions only to see it flounder on the shores of reality?  The response?  “Let’s form a study group to find out what can be done”, or “we need to fund the program so we can realize it’s full potential”, etc. Often, the correct response would be, “Man, did we screw that one up, how do we stop the program and not waste any more money”.

The attached article by Andy Kessler gives examples of how those in authority never admit (do they realize?) that their actions and programs are the cause of problems.  A famous politician once said “you never want a serious crisis to go to waste”, meaning that each crisis is an opportunity to fool the public into thinking the reacting politician is a hero.  Of course, he/she is a hero on your dime; they may even claim that the solution is “free”, but never fear, there will be enough people out there to give credit where no credit is due.

I am beginning to doubt the statement by Abraham Lincoln that, “you can fool some of the people some of the time and all of the people some of the time, but not all of the people all of the time.”  Even in the age of digital video and real time reporting, we see and hear our political leaders lie and insult our intelligence with a smile and shock when the proof is presented.  They must realize that at the least fooling all of the people some of the time is the acceptable standard.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/from-zero-to-hero-biden-inflation-fed-fdic-svb-deposit-insurance-bailout-interest-rates-oil-gas-willow-643b9f2d?page=1

We seem to be living in a time when the only people who are held to account are private individuals who play by the rules.  These are the people who go to work, raise a family, pay their taxes, make sure they get all the licenses and permits they need to drive a car, purchase a gun, upgrade the electrical in their homes, etc.  Heaven forbid if some line on their increasingly incomprehensible tax form should be incorrect, the heavy hand of the IRS shall land upon them.  Drive your car with a yearly license sticker that is out of date?  Get a ticket!  Park too far from the curb? Get a ticket! Use a gas powered lawnmower? You are personally destroying the planet. The list goes on and on how government agencies/bureaus/districts, etc. lay down rules and regulations that the average man or woman on the street must abide by or face the consequences. 

On the other hand, we see:

• Bums (is that term still used?) who boldly steal hundreds of dollars of merchandise from a shop, yet they walk free as it is not worth the time to capture them.  Don’t worry, the cost will be passed onto those who play by the rules. 
• We see government official perjure themselves in front of Congress but they pay no penalty.  Hey, he only did it once that we know of.
• The IRS targets certain groups as you do not like their politics, but when the leaders are caught, they are allowed to retire with their pensions. Trust us, it will not happen again.
• Bank failures?  There are calls to lock up the bankers but what about the multiple government agencies who failed to act on the problem in a timely manner?  Don’t worry, the cost will be passed onto those who play by the rules.

Everywhere we see systemic failure but the buck only seems to stop at one door, the average person who plays by the rules. The two articles attached should make us all sit up and take notice.  What is wrong with our system?  How have we managed to get so far off track that such degrees of stupidity, greed, lack of honesty and incompetence are viewed as just another normal day.

I have often heard that you cannot change the system and that is just how it works.  I have also heard that it is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.  I must admit I prefer the latter of the two and that means that each of us, every day, must demand and battle for what we know is right: for honesty, excellence, justice and the value of merit and honor.  We may not make much of a difference in the big picture, but each of us must use each day to hold back the forces which degrade our standards and our possibility for the future. Great societies are built on ideals and doomed societies are destroyed by the acceptance of sloth, lies, deceit, and greed.   

https://www.wsj.com/articles/careless-supervision-sank-svb-fdic-federal-reserve-dodd-frank-act-bank-policy-instittue-bailout-treasury-cro-7340e6ad?mod=opinion_lead_pos7

There are some simple truths in life which are extremely unpalatable to some people.  These truths have been proven over the centuries as leading to better adjusted individuals, a stronger society, increased wealth, and less violence.  They include such concepts as:

• Get an education.
• Get married.
• Do not have children before you are married.
• A child needs both a mother and a father.

Somehow, despite the failures of societies which ignore these rules, there are those who preach that “this time it will be different”.  It never is, but there is not much that you can do with slow learners who are “believers”.

Another group which tends to ignore reality is called the “bleeding heart brigade”.  They truly want to help people, but just want to take the clean sanitary way of throwing money at a problem in the belief that money in itself can solve a problem.  A prime example of this was the “Great Society” movement during the 1960’s, when poverty was thought to be an outcome a lack of income.  The result of that movement, which has cost the taxpayers of the United States over twenty trillion dollars, was the break up of the traditional Black family, a higher crime rate, a decrease in house ownership in the Black population, etc..  Do not forget that it has also come with another price, a permanent welfare bureaucracy at the Federal, state, and local level with a vested interest in self-preservation.

The link to the article by Steven Malanga points out how past policies have led to a debasement of life in the Black community.  At some point we have to realize that the failed policies of the past have helped to ruin the opportunities for millions of our citizens.  That is not only a financial failure, it is a moral failure and one which cannot be hidden by new programs based on the same policies which have been proven to be worse than worthless; they are criminal.  We see not that poverty is not merely a matter of money, but it is also a failure of recognizing the value of the individual and destroying that individual’s belief in themselves.  It is time for a change.

https://www.city-journal.org/marriage-then-mortgage

At no time in history has so much effort, expense and legal aid been expended to encourage the freedom of choice and education of girls and women.  In order to insure that women have an equal opportunity at education, Constitutional guarantees have been ignored and specific laws enacted to ensure that females have equal access to all aspects of education including sports.  At every level, we see amazing numbers for females, in terms of numbers of degrees awarded (“58 percent of all B.A.s in the 2019-2020 academic year…at least 60% of all master’s degrees, and 54 percent of all PhD’s”).  There are more women attending universities than males and half of the highest universities according to Forbes have women as presidents. These numbers all point to the feminization of our centers of higher learning. How is it that in a world where two-thirds of college administrators are women, women at those very schools are subjected to a steady stream of rhetoric on victimhood and unsafety while demanding “safe spaces”, calming corners, etc.

We should be seeing the strongest and most confident generation of women to ever stride this planet, yet somehow, we do not hear about the successes of women, instead we hear of the “mental crisis among young people”.  Somehow there is a great amount of fear, depression, anxiety, and emotional volatility by those who should be the best and the brightest.

Added to this list of problems, either real or perceived, are various studies which show that there are major differences between men and women and the value of academic excellence.  Whereas studies show that nearly three-quarters of university males believe that free speech is more important that promoting “an inclusive society”, only about forty percent of women believe that was a positive value; building an inclusive society was viewed as more important than free speech.  In effect, the quest for intellectual clarity and the pursuit of excellence is of little value to the majority of female students.  What does this hold for the future in a world that is increasingly competitive?  Does this mean that an individuals perceptions are of paramount importance in the areas of math, physical science, etc.?  We have heard mandatory oaths administered to medical students that rather than promising to do no harm, demand that a medical treatment take into account a patient’s world view. How does that help to fix a broken arm or ease the pain of a heart attack?

That attached article by Heather Mac Donald should make everyone sit up and realize that there is something very wrong with a system that rather than celebrating the achievements of females, leads them to accept a view of the world and actions which is counter-productive and personally demeaning. The sad fact is that it appears that female administrators are creating a system whose chief victims are other females.

https://www.city-journal.org/the-great-feminization-of-the-american-university

Did you know that to mine enough minerals to meet the production needs for all the new batteries, windmills, etc. in going “green”, we will need to open hundreds of new mines.  Yet, it takes an average of sixteen years to open a new mine, not one new mine is being proposed and the mining industry is decreasing it’s investments in new mines.  Yet somehow, for all of the gladhanding of our political class and the stary eyed activists, this one fundamental fact, this one overwhelming need is never discussed.

But it does get better.  Suppose through some miracle, the huge investment cost of all the new mines became available, and suppose that the environmentalist did not file hundreds of lawsuits to stop the mines, the fact remains that given the projected need for batteries and the change in the infrastructure, we would exhaust the world’s supply of copper in one year.  And, no, there is no known replacement for copper.

The plans for going “green” also happens to ignore one small fact: the need for energy will only increase.  Before the auto was invented, there was no need for more energy, but once the tires hit the road, the need for energy became apparent.  The same is true for the airplane, the computer, the television, the dishwasher, etc.  Today, the energy needed to operate the “cloud” demands more energy than the entire commercial aircraft fleet of the world.  How much energy will AI require?  Or, is the answer to stop man’s natural instinct to move forward, to find a better way to do a job, to create more opportunities to create a higher standard of living by creating wealth around the world? The poverty rate of the world has decreased due to the availability of greater energy.

The link below to the excellent video of Mark Mills of the Manhattan Project points out those simple facts and many others which show that for all the fuss, fire and proclamations, the current dreams of doing away with fossil fuels is an unreachable dream. Unreachable due to time, costs, mineral availability, and the natural increase in the need for energy as humanity moves forward.  Or is the answer really to move boldly into the fourteenth century as the “green” movement demands?

The legalization of marijuana in California has led a surge in murders, assaults, water theft and corruption in several counties of California.  It is estimated that in one northern California county alone, the cartels have generated nearly fifty-billions dollars ($50,000,000,000) of profits, all of which is untaxed and supported by numerous crimes.  The local authorities are outmanned, out gunned and out lawyered by the cartels, yet the problem is entirely ignored by Governor Newsom and the powers that be in Sacramento.

This video helps to reveal the size and scope of the illegal marijuana industry in only one county of California. 

For many on the Left, Sweden is held up as a model of a successful Socialist state, but one can only do that if one is ignorant of the Swedish model of government.  In the late 1990s in response to a looming national debt and a high level of unemployment, a new Swedish government began to move more government functions to local areas and municipalities and to individual efforts, in other words, away from socialism and more toward capitalism.  This revitalized the economy and created a better functioning economy with greater wealth.  The first major challenge to this model occurred with the influx of immigrants who refused to assimilate into a western model of work, individual initiative, etc. Wide spread welfare fraud was found and a rise in violent crimes across the nation tarnished the Swedish model.

Sweden also, like most western nations, began to feel the impact of a falling birthrate among its’ citizens and the traditional Ponzi scheme of social security was called into questions.  The link below outlines how Sweden saved its social security system through a combination of mandatory public and private savings plans.  As predicted, since the reforms of 1994, the average Swede has average a roughly 10% return on their private accounts and the crisis passed.  Although not perfect, it has worked and even the burden of the immigrants has not negatively impacted the social security system.

We can only hope that the politicians in D.C. will act responsibly and not play politics with the very real threat to our social security system.  They may be counting on massive tax increases at the last minute to save the system, but such an impact on the overall economy will be felt across all age groups.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-sweden-saved-social-security-privatization-insolvency-market-brake-risk-contribution-biden-ef1583d3?page=1

What forces create a philosopher? Is it the way they are raised, or do they have a special innate talent like a composer?  How much does the real world impact their world view?  I remember a story from one of my philosophy professors who when we were discussing Kant’s idea of transcendental idealism, said that after an evening of feasting and drinking, Kant walked home in the rain carrying a birdcage over his head thinking it was an umbrella.  For all of his philosophy, Kant lived in the real world.

Philosophers like the rest of us must face reality.  My  personal favorite, Nietzsche suffered severe bouts of migraine’s, depression, and more but saw them as the price he had to pay for his struggles and his battle of the will. Yet other philosophers seemed, like many of us, to preach one way of life but to live another, more decadent, earthly life.

The attached article brings us the life of Giacomo Leopardi, a little known poet and philosopher whose life and outlook on life was difficult and to say the least, negative.  He somehow manages to make Schopenhauer look like an optimist as he sees life as alterations between boredom and suffering.  The only positive he found was that some art, not all of art, but a very narrow sliver of “genius” art could provide solace for his soul.

The product of a strict upbringing, his brilliant mind lead him to excessive study which in turn twisted his body so that any cardinal pleasure was denied to him.  Crippled, at the will of his tyrannical parents, he slipped further and further into a view of life that was devoid of any positiveness. Whereas Nietzsche stove to embrace the battle of life despite his view of the end, Leopardi accepted his view of life and imposed upon himself a mental austerity that lead to desolation.

I offer the attached article not for your pleasure, but perhaps as a reminder that when the world seems to be crashing in around your ears, your life offers you so much more if only you step forward to grasp it.

https://www.firstthings.com/article/2022/04/nihilism-for-the-ironhearted