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Topic 2:  Chapter 11

I am concerned about the mounting Federal debt.  Generalization: Everyone I know says college kids rack up too much debt and this hurts their future, that the debt on credit cards for the average USA citizen is way too high which leaves them no reserve for emergencies, that the debt of foreign countries is so great they can never pay us back all the money they owe, and on and on.  Moreover, the interest we pay on our Federal debt far exceeds any tax rebates our Government can make.  The take home lesson is simple; too much debt is not good.  

So, why the Hell is it OK for the USA to accumulate an astronomical debt that will be transferred to my grandchildren and their children, and on down the road until someone coughs up the money or the country goes broke ?????.  

But, there is a solution;  Chapter 11 bankruptcy (or something equivalent).  It goes like this.  

1. The Federal Government declares bankruptcy while it is still viable and can recover. 
2. The Government would be temporarily restructured by the courts, hopefully in a more viable format.  
3. The debt would be eliminated by (a) declaring it doesn't exist or (b) absconding with all Government bonds as well as a percentage of all savings held by the population.    
4. We might have learned something that would keep the same from recurring again (although I doubt it).  

Far out?  You bet -- but the thought is intriguing and kind of fun.  Besides, no normal mortal would consider doing it anyway so none of us will have to worry about the consequences.  

Topic 3:  Privatization

Nothing that relates to human welfare (such as Medicare or health insurance) should be fully privatized.  Why, you ask?  Because:  

1. Any private company must make a profit or it will cease to exist.  

2. It is the money, not the welfare of the company's clients, that carries the company's first priority.    

3. Because of the profit priority, the consumers will be shortchanged to the full extent that this is legal.  Just look at past history to see that this is so.  

4. All (or most) laws dealing with the relationship between private industry and a welfare program are to prevent the company from doing something bad (i.e., something that is not in the interest of the welfare recipient).  This should tell us something about the advisability of privatizing everything.   

A mistaken generalization of most people is that taxes are bad.  Not so if the taxes buy something we need or want and if this is done reasonably efficiently.  

But private industry can do it more efficiently!  Probably true.  The above is not to say that private industry cannot streamline almost any operation so as to achieve greater efficiency (and profit) as compared to that of our Federal Government.  However, industry should not be allowed to do this alone for the reasons indicated above.  A far better approach (assuming that welfare, and not profit, is the most important consideration) is to let welfare programs be administered by the Federal Government but actuated by private industry -- preferably with consumer feedback (see next paragraph).  Federal control will lead to a greater uniformity than can be achieved by state-oriented programs and state-supported privatization.  

Consumer feedback:  Efficiency as well as honesty can be maximized by allowing the consumer to opt in or out of several competing programs.  Competition is the key ingredient to efficiency.  An example of this is the Federal medical insurance program which is run by the Federal Government but actuated by private industry -- and the recipients have options to move between competing programs once a year.  The same arrangement is in place in the State of Texas University System and probably its State employees as well.  The value here is that the recipients maximize the system by freedom to choose those programs that help them the most.    

Topic 4: Preservation Of Fossil Fuels; Some Perspectives  
 

1.      What are fossil fuels?  Fossil fuels are organic molecules formed from the remains of plant and animal life that have accumulated over the past millions of years.  These accumulations of organic molecules cannot be easily replaced and will be gone within the next several hundred years at our present rate of usage.   

2.    How do we use fossil fuels?  Fossil fuels are used today for:  [a] a source of energy (e.g., gasoline, fuel oil, electricity and heating).  [b] The manufacture of most of the physical items we use (e.g., plastics, solvents, paints, medicines)

3.      Are there any other sources of fossil fuels?  Fossil fuels were derived from organic life and can be replaced by organic life, the most immediately accessible being plants.  Unfortunately, the quantity of fossil fuel that could be derived from plants is limited, especially since most of the best growing lands have been converted into concrete parking lots, roads, and buildings.  There are other reasons as well that would limit the production of fuel from plants. 

4.      How can we conserve fossil fuels?  The easiest way would be to stop using fossil fuels for generating energy such as electricity or the manufacture of fuels for propelling cars, buses and trains.  Energy for these uses can be easily obtained from wind, solar radiation, ocean waves, etc.  The cost factor would be noticeable but not significant, especially when mass production of such energy is realized. 

5.      Other considerations:  [a] It is obvious that conserving fossil fuels will make us less dependent on other countries that have supplies to sell.  [b = pure conjecture] It seems possible to me that the country having the last remaining fossil fuel reserves could dominate the world, at least if it is the kind of world we know today.  [c] If the previous conjecture bears merit, then we should continue buying all of our fossil fuels from other countries thus preserving our own reserves. 

6.      Down the road:  [a] The earth is a finite system and cannot continue in its present throw-away mode forever unless its population conserves and replaces everything it uses.  [b] Supplies of fossil fuels are currently estimated to last another couple of hundred years (±) -- not really a long time considering Homo sapiens have already been occupying the earth for many thousands of years.  [c] In spite of what people say, any cup is empty when its contents are consumed.  The only point of conjecture is how long it will take to empty the cup. 

  Almost all major events in the world have been initiated and then consolidated by a single person.  This even includes major religions.       I believe that the psyche of most people could be determined by looking at their 10 most favorite cartoons.        Very few people will help you if, by so doing, their own welfare may be adversely affected. 

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