The Axiom Of Realistic Expectations Individuals Demonstrate Valid Behavior
By Having Realistic Expectations
For Themselves, Their Lives, And Others
I was talking to a friend about capitalism the other day, and her opinion is one that more and more Americans share: The only thing capitalism does well is produce greed, selfishness, materialism, and ultimately violence. It puts the good of one over the good of many, destroys cultures and the environment, and is incarnated by the likes of Bernie Madoff and Kenneth Lay.
I wrung my hands under the table as I tried to keep my head from exploding.
I wanted to remind her of all of the violence inflicted by communism: the estimated 73 million (and counting) killed in the People's Republic of China, the 59 million taken by the Soviet Union ("Communist Body Count"). I wanted to tell her that resources (water, food, land, gas, health care) are limited, and if you divide them by "need," someone (i.e. a government official or committee) who doesn't know you or your situation will be in charge of determining what you "need." I wanted to impress upon her the value of incentive. I wanted to make her understand that free markets are essential to producing free people.
However, I also wanted her to enjoy her evening, so I kept my mouth shut. But for those of you out there who are interested in debating this topic, here are some of my thoughts on capitalism:
First off, it is incorrect to hold up criminals, such as Bernie Madoff and Kenneth Lay, as examples of capitalism gone awry. Greed is a part of human nature, and thus there will always be a few bad apples who manipulate others (or the system) in order to take what does not belong to them. In America, we have laws prohibiting and punishing this type of behavior because it is not in keeping with our values or our underlying economic system. These criminals are not capitalists, and severely regulating or completely abolishing the private sector will not stop them because bad people always find a means to their ends and whether you live in a capitalist, socialist, or communist society, there have been/are/will be corrupt government officials. The trick is never to give governing bodies too much power so that when corruption occurs, the majority of power still remains in the hands of the people.
Capitalism is not about stealing, swindling, or screwing the little guy. On the contrary, capitalism is about the creation and exchange of value: It is about the individual improving his or her own situation by producing something of worth that improves the lives of others. True capitalism increases the good of the whole by creating incentive for the individual to increase his or her own good. Notice the keyword "incentive." Without incentive, specifically the incentive of physical and intellectual property rights, people are less willing to work. Capitalism is not about selfishness; it is about inspiring creativity, production, and innovation.
Unfortunately, when capitalist countries such as ours become extremely wealthy, there is the tendency to forget about creating value and focus only on consumption. Consumerism leads to materialism, fiscal irresponsibility, and in my opinion, a sense of entitlement. If we do not refocus ourselves, take responsibility for our financial well-being, and instill a work ethic in our children, our economy and our country will not be as strong as it could be.
Another problem that can occur in capitalist systems is businesses valuing short-term gains (this quarter's profits) over long-term benefits (employee retention, sustainability). This makes absolutely no sense because if you mistreat your employees or completely destroy your surrounding environment, you decrease the likelihood of your business's long-term success. The founders of FLOW, John Mackey, CEO of Whole Foods Market, and Michael Strong, perfectly capture these ideas in their "multiple stakeholder relationship (MSR) business model," the "organizational foundation" of the economic ideal they call "Conscious Capitalism." ("C3: Catalyzing Conscious Capitalism")
Sir Winston Churchill claimed, "It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried." (Another of my Churchill favorites: "The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.") Personally, I believe that capitalism is the worst form of economic system except all the others that have been tried. Yes, it has its flaws (it involves people), but it produces more good and freedom than anything else, both past and present.
Ellie Sherise
Co-Creator of Magna Sententia
Co-Author of Magna Sententia: The Logical Cure for Our Society
The Axiom Of Realistic Expectations Individuals Demonstrate Valid Behavior
By Having Realistic Expectations
For Themselves, Their Lives, And Others
Last Sunday in Lakewood, Washington, four police officers sitting in a coffee shop were gunned down in cold blood. The victims were: "Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39; Officer Ronald Owens, 37; Officer Tina Griswold, 40; and Officer Greg Richards, 42." ("Police: Suspect Dead; Had Slain Cop's Gun") They each had at least eight years of law enforcement experience. "All of them were parents."
Thankfully, after an immense manhunt, Maurice Clemmons, 37, the man responsible for the killings, was finally found on Tuesday morning near a "parked stolen car that was unoccupied but running" by a "seven-year veteran" police officer. When Clemmons would not show his hands to the officer and "started to run around the car," the officer was forced to protect himself, shooting and killing Clemmons.
On the surface, senseless violence such as this makes you wonder about the world. The details of this tragedy, however, are enough to infuriate anyone: Clemmons had talked about killing police before he acted, but no one took him seriously. Worse, "authorities have arrested at least three people on suspicion of aiding Clemmons after the shooting." These individuals allegedly "provided [him with] medical aid, housing, a cell phone and money," in addition to "trying to get him out of the state" and "call[ing] in false leads to divert investigators." How anyone could not only neglect to turn in this piece of garbage, but actually help him escape is beyond us.
Last but not least, Clemmons, "an ex-convict with a long rap sheet in Washington and Arkansas," should have been in jail. In 2000, at 27, he was in Arkansas serving a 95-year sentence he had received at only 16 for "robbery, burglary, theft and taking a gun to school." ("Suspect In Police Shootings Pledged To Turn Life Around") At that time, Clemmons told then Gov. Mike Huckabee in a statement, "'I have never done anything good for God, but I've prayed for Him to grant me in His compassion the grace to make a start.' [. . .] 'Now, I'm humbly appealing to you for a brand new start.'" Huckabee commuted his sentence, and he was released. "He was back in prison by September 2001."
After relocating to Washington in 2004, Clemmons still did not clean up his act. He was "recently charged in the assault of a police officer and rape of a child. [. . .] He spent several months in jail and was released on $150,000 bail Tuesday, days before the shootings." This is just one more heartbreaking illustration of the devastating effects of releasing dangerous criminals before they have served their time.
Our hearts go out to the slain officers' families, fellow officers, and friends.
Anna and Ellie Sherise
Creators of Magna Sententia
Authors of Magna Sententia: The Logical Cure for Our Society
The Axiom Of Realistic Expectations Individuals Demonstrate Valid Behavior
By Having Realistic Expectations
For Themselves, Their Lives, And Others
Frequently, when society learns of brutal violence and crime, such as the Columbine High School Massacre, there is considerable outcry for the creation of new laws to stop tragedies like these from happening again. This reaction is completely understandable because it is quite unsettling to accept that there are individuals out there who would and do actually commit such atrocities, and we want to make sure that no one else ever does anything so horrible.
We reach the conclusion that with more laws, crime will be prevented. Unfortunately, most of the time, there are already sufficient laws in place outlawing these disturbing criminal acts, which are committed in spite of the law. Therefore, instead of creating new laws, what our society must do in order to prevent these ghastly crimes is institute harsher punishments, specifically capital punishment, more often.
We need to face the fact that there are some crimes so egregious, so ruthless, that their perpetrators do not deserve the opportunity for rehabilitation, starting with those found guilty of sexual assault.
Currently flooding the news is the case of Phillip Garrido: "Phillip Garrido and his wife, Nancy, will face 29 felony counts after being accused of kidnapping Jaycee Lee Dugard when she was 11 and keeping her in their backyard since 1991." ("Couple Faces 29 Felony Counts, Life In Jail In Kidnapping") Their charges include "kidnapping someone under 14 years of age, kidnapping for sexual purposes, forcible rape and forcible lewd acts on a child. The maximum penalty for both defendants would be life imprisonment."
What makes this case so horrendous is that Phillip Garrido had already been convicted for kidnapping and raping Katie Calloway Hall in November of 1976, "but was released after serving just over 10 years of a 50-year sentence. He was labeled a sex offender and put on lifetime parole." ("Garrido Victim: 'He Had Me For 8 Hours. He Had Her For 18 Years'")
Sadly, Hall's terror lasted a lot longer than the 10 years of Garrido's incarceration:
"For years, I walked around like a zombie," she said. "I had to tell everyone I met what had happened to me -- because I didn't feel like myself. It was as if I had to explain why I wasn't 'normal.'" For her, that's the biggest pain Garrido put her through. "I was a good person. I lived right, and treated others well," she said. "He changed my life in an instant. I don't feel like I can ever be that person again. Being victimized is something that only a victim can understand. I hate that he did this to me, and I doubt I'll ever get over it."
Why does our society give sex offenders a second chance? How many times does an innocent victim have to die or suffer through years of captivity before we start saying enough is enough? Haven't we learned our lesson by now?
Jessica Lundsford's murderer, John Evander Couey, was a registered sex offender before he kidnapped her from her bed, raped and held her for three days, and buried her alive.
Dru Sjodin's murderer, Alfonso Rodriguez, Jr., was a registered sex offender before he kidnapped her, raped her, stabbed her, and left her dead, face down in a ravine.
Elizabeth Smart's abductor, Brian David Mitchell, was "found guilty of exposing himself to a child" at 16 and later accused by his second wife of sexually assaulting her daughter and their 3-year-old son before he kidnapped Elizabeth, raping and holding her for nine months. (About.com: "Brian David Mitchell")
Dylan Groene's murderer and Shasta Groene's abductor, Joseph Edward Duncan III, was sent to a juvenile home as a teenager for "[raping] a 9-year-old boy at gunpoint," where he told his therapist "he estimated that he had raped 13 younger boys by the time he was 16." (Wikipedia: "Joseph E. Duncan III") He continued to be in and out of jail before he beat Shasta and Dylan's mother, older brother, and mother's fiancé to death with a hammer, kidnapped the children, raped and held them for six weeks, and killed Dylan.
The list goes on and on.
America, the price our nation is paying is much too high to give perpetrators of sexual assault a second chance. They should be put to death after their first conviction, not let out on parole, not given the opportunity to ruin more people's lives.
You can now post comments on The Magna Sententia Official Site, and we would truly appreciate hearing your position on this subject. Please give your reasons why you agree or disagree so that as a society, we can begin an open dialogue about this issue and put a stop to such senseless violence.
Anna and Ellie Sherise
Creators of Magna Sententia
Authors of Magna Sententia: The Logical Cure for Our Society
The Axiom Of Realistic Expectations Individuals Demonstrate Valid Behavior
By Having Realistic Expectations
For Themselves, Their Lives, And Others
Convicted of first-degree murder, Quantel Lotts, 23, is in prison for life without parole because when he was 14, he murdered his 17-year-old older stepbrother with a knife. When interviewed for "Teens Locked Up For Life Without A Second Chance," Lotts didn't mention the future he stole from his stepbrother, but rather focused on his own, contesting that his "life without parole" sentence is too harsh: "'They locked me up and threw away the keys.' [. . .] 'They took away all hope for the future.'" He does not seem to have a clue as to the devastating impact of his crime.
True, Lotts did come from an extremely dysfunctional home with negligent parents: "He grew up in a crack house with a mother who used and sold drugs," "he was sexually abused as a child," and "when child welfare officials took [him] from his mother at the age of 8, they noted that he 'smelled of urine and had badly decayed molars as well as numerous scars on his arms, legs and forehead.'" If we had our way, his parents would be in prison for child abuse.
Nevertheless, the fact remains that Lotts murdered his stepbrother: "At a friend's house in St. Francois County, Mo., [Lotts] and his stepbrother Michael Barton started fighting. [Lotts] chased Michael [. . .] with a bow and arrow before an adult stepped in. Not long after, while they snacked, one of the younger children noticed [Lotts] holding a knife and reported him to Michael. 'Let's take this outside,' Michael told [Lotts]. In the yard, their shoving match ended in Michael's death." ("Harsh Crimes, Hard Time: When Juveniles Are Sentenced To Life Without Parole") Moreover, Lotts "turned down an offer to plead to second-degree murder just before his trial began," which would have given him the possibility of parole.
The specifics of Lotts' case aside, the real issue here is whether we as a society should be lenient toward murderers who are juveniles, in particular juveniles who came from bad homes. And the logical answer is absolutely not. There are troubled teens who get into drugs and steal, but when you murder someone, you cross a line. Just ask Maggie Elvey, "a California activist whose husband, Ross, was beaten to death in 1993 by two boys, ages 15 and 16. 'My theory is when Ross can walk the face of the Earth again, that's when [the perpetrators] can get out,' [she] says."
Our laws are meant not only to protect our society, but also to provide justice for victims and their loved ones, and there is no justice when we start making up excuses on a case by case basis for murderers who have taken away the life of another human being. No matter what your age, if you choose to commit murder, you are choosing to pay the consequences. (Magna Sententia's Realistic Expectation One: "The ending always begins at the beginning.")
We feel badly that Lotts had terrible parents, and if we could have helped him when he was younger, we would have. However, as a society, we must keep our eye on the victims of violence, not the perpetrators. There must be justice.
Anna and Ellie Sherise
Creators of Magna Sententia
Authors of Magna Sententia: The Logical Cure for Our Society
The Axiom Of Realistic Expectations Individuals Demonstrate Valid Behavior
By Having Realistic Expectations
For Themselves, Their Lives, And Others
This morning, President "Obama will make himself 'Open for Questions' from regular Americans through a town hall-style meeting with an unusual twist - all of the questions will be submitted via the internet." ("Obama To Hold Digital News Conference") "Already over 70,000 Americans have sent in over 80,000 questions for the president."
You can watch President Obama's "digital news conference" at www.whitehouse.gov or ABCNews.com at 11:30 A.M. ET this morning.
Magna Sententia's Realistic Expectation One states, "The ending always begins at the beginning," and whether you agree with President Obama's policies or not, decisions are currently being made that will affect all of our futures.
Every American needs to stay involved, and this online forum may prove to be a useful way to make your voice heard. Submit your question, vote on other questions, and watch to see if your concerns are answered.
Anna and Ellie Sherise
Creators of Magna Sententia
Authors of Magna Sententia: The Logical Cure for Our Society
