In addition, you might want to review the description of this course:

https://berkshireolli.org/F101ReframingtheQuestionsW25

See the readings posted in this section as pdfs or links.

... this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom— ... government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

I have written two posts on this topic of "Borders Without Walls"

(1) https://michaelforbeswilcox.substack.com/p/borders-without-walls

(2) https://michaelforbeswilcox.substack.com/p/more-thoughts-on-immigration

https://berkshireolli.org/event-4884303

the link there to the maps is still operative

We will also discuss schismogenesis.

Trump's victory attests to the breakdown of close community ties, leading to the rise of tribalism and identity politics. "Drill, baby, drill!"

Perhaps we have forgotten the lessons that could have been taken from that experience.

Resistance takes many forms. It seems likely that opposition to Trump 2.0 will look much different than [sic] it did in Trump’s first term. This time, the resistance may be characterized by long-term, hyperlocal, cross-class organizing that ditches the old markers of left and right. I have always believed that a passion for wild nature transcends political labels. Americans’ desire to preserve this country’s natural heritage isn’t transpartisan so much as it’s prepartisan: An affinity for nature comes before ideological identity. Now more than ever, those of us who care about protecting wildlands and climate stability must find common cause with people who don’t call themselves environmentalists but still share that passion—even when we disagree on much else.

The Case for Reparations

Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy. Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole.

By Ta-Nehisi Coates

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/06/the-case-for-reparations/361631/?gift=0-qYca5Vu1wwcuj6dsHF9ExzavSqhKgRo78Qv7lQ9yk&utm_source=copy-link&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=share

One of the links given takes you to my thoughts on a related topic: https://www.mfw.us/blog/2021/10/09/the-origins-of-critical-race-theory/

Simon Winchester's book "Land" was mentioned in our first class. In it, he devotes a large section on New Zealand and how land stolen from the indigenous Maori is being returned.

All three essays in the book are fascinating to me, partly because all three men pictured are relatives of mine; partly because two of them were joined by another man from Stockbridge to form a trio on the Supreme Court.

But mostly because it provides a behind-the-scenes view of 19th-century history, including the nomination of Abraham Lincoln to be President and the codification of laws as we now know them.

Clearly, this all deserves a larger write-up, which I will attempt to do if I live long enough.

I will be offering an OLLI course in the summer to discuss the book pictured.

"For the love of money is the root of all evil; and while some have coveted after it, they have erred from the faith and pierced themselves through with many sorrows." (King James Version)

1 Timothy 6:10

"I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, 'Who then can be saved?' Jesus looked at them and said, 'With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'^[Matthew 19:23–26 Parallel versions appear in Mark 10:24–27, and Luke 18:24–27^]

This was a response to a young rich man who had asked Jesus what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus replied that he should keep the commandments, which the man replied that he had done so. Jesus responded, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." The young man became sad and was unwilling to do that. Jesus then spoke that response, leaving his disciples astonished.

[from Wilipedia]

Sustainability and reciprocity. Respect and gratitude rather than exploitation. Contrasting all of that with our capitalistic consumption-driven economy.

Warning: it is long and dense.

https://johnganz.substack.com/p/mailbag-no-3

If you are not confused, this should help: https://tinyurl.com/OLLIW25AW

"Alfani’s observation that the rich as a group have no clear social function is borne out by the fact that, in the Musk era, they have reacted to populist pressures largely by justifying their fortunes as individuals."

Although opinions about what makes a good tax system will vary, there is general consensus that these five basic conditions should be maximized to the greatest extent possible.

1. Fairness, or equity, means that everybody should pay a fair share of taxes. There are two important concepts of equity: horizontal equity and vertical equity.

• Horizontal equity means that taxpayers in similar financial condition should pay similar amounts in taxes.

• Vertical equity is just as important, however. Vertical equity means that taxpayers who are better off should pay at least the same proportion of income in taxes as those who are less well off. Vertical equity involves classifying taxes as regressive, proportional, or progressive.

  • Regressive tax: A tax is regressive if those with low incomes pay a larger share of income in taxes than those with higher incomes. Almost any tax on necessities, such as food purchased at a grocery store, is regressive because lower income people must spend a larger share of their income on these necessities. Oklahoma’s sales tax is one example.

  • Proportional tax: A tax is proportional if all taxpayers pay the same share of income in taxes. No taxes are truly proportional. Property taxes often come closest since there is typically a close relationship between a household’s income and the value of the property in which they live. Corporate income taxes often approach proportional because one rate applies to most corporate income.

  • Progressive tax: A progressive tax requires higher-income individuals to pay a higher share of their income in taxes. The philosophy behind progressive taxes is that higher income people can afford and should be expected to provide a bigger share of public services than those who are less able to pay. The federal income tax is the best example of a progressive tax; the Internal Revenue Service reports that the top one percent of taxpayers by income paid 37 percent of federal income taxes in 2016.

While no system of taxes is perfect, it is important to seek horizontal equity because taxpayers must believe they are treated equally. It is just as important to seek vertical equity so government does not become a burden to low-income residents.

2. Adequacy means that taxes must provide enough revenue to meet the basic needs of society. A tax system meets the test of adequacy if it provides enough revenue to meet the demand for public services, if revenue growth each year is enough to fund the growth in cost of services, and if there is enough economic activity of the type being taxed so rates can be kept relatively low.

3. Simplicity means that taxpayers can avoid a maze of taxes, forms and filing requirements.  A simpler tax system helps taxpayers better understand the system and reduces the costs of compliance.

4. Transparency means that taxpayers and leaders can easily find information about the tax system and how tax money is used.  With a transparent tax system, we know who is being taxed, how much they are paying, and what is being done with the money. We also can find out who (in broad terms) pays the tax and who benefits from tax exemptions, deductions, and credits.

5. Administrative ease means that the tax system is not too complicated or costly for either taxpayers or tax collectors. Rules are well known and fairly simple; forms are not too complicated; the state can tell if taxes are paid on time and correctly, and the state can conduct audits in a fair and efficient manner. The cost of collecting a tax should be very small in relation to the amount collected.

--------------------

This rendition* is a good representation of what I have learned over the years in both my studies of economics and in my days as a political activist.

A complementary concept is that government should not be viewed as a vending machine. Fees instead of taxes for public goods are inherently unfair.

• taken from https://okpolicy.org/resources/online-budget-guide/revenues/an-overview-of-our-tax-system/characteristics-of-an-effective-tax-system/

It is a rather downbeat assessment of the situation in Britain, but many of his observations apply to any capitalistic society.

This reading, like all others, is optional. You may find it of interest if you need more reasons to dislike capitalism. He offers a wishlist of possible ways to ameliorate capitalism's evils, but he doesn't seem to hold out much hope that they will be implemented.

This makes for an interesting comparison of where the different regulations fall on the Community to Individual Spectrum.

1) it offers a glimmer of hope in these dark times

2) it reminds me of George Lakoff's warning in my title above

I'll post comments on the second separately.

1) people who are influenced by facts and science

2} people who put their trust in authorities they admire

Folks at opposite ends of this spectrum end up talking past each other. Those who are fact-based feel that if they present enough "evidence" they will convince the others of their way of thinking.

Lakoff says this is a mistaken way of thinking, and that instead, it is necessary to understand and discuss underlying values.

Those who look to a trusted authority (he likens it to a family in which the Father is the ultimate arbiter) are more comfortable being told what the think or do by someone in whom they have faith.

In the current environment, most people are dissatisfied with the state of things.

The factoid types read through a piece such as the one by David Frum and wonder how there can be so many stupid people in the world. After all, shit happens, and we do the best we can.

The faith-based folks are offered conspiracy theories and scapegoats. This gives them great comfort because it identifies the people who have deliberately messed things up, and it offers simple solutions.

Unfortunately, simplistic solutions do not work well in a complex world. Firing a bunch of federal employees, for example, has a miniscule effect of the federal budget but threatens to destroy the functioning of many government services.

Ironically, it has been pointed out, the so-called Red States have the most to lose. Paul Krugman, in one of his recent posts, repeats the old joke that economists use: "The only thing difficult to predict is the future." And like a good economist, he does not put a prediction and a date in the same sentence, but he does seem to believe it's only a matter of time before things fall apart.

and America's decline. "Make American Irrelevant Again" -- Matthew 20:16 = "So the last shall be first, and the first last..."

____________________________________________

... if Merz’s remarks are an indication of where Europe is heading, Trump may have missed his window for betraying Ukraine and delivering it to the Russians.

t’s terrible watching the United States degenerate into Putin-loving thuggery. But there may be some compensation: our degradation encourages the remaining good guys to step up to the plate.

I never thought I'd live to see this day. In fact, I never thought about this happening because it is too far from any reality I was familiar with.

Remember when Russia was our enemy, and was afraid of us? I once had a long private talk with Sergei Khrushchev when he was teaching at Brown, just before he became an American citizen. He had accompanied his father on his famous tour of the United States, and Sergei had a lot of amusing anecdotes. But the bottom line was that Nikita's threats and bluster were all to cover up his knowledge that the US was far superior in every way to the Russian Empire (alias the Soviet Union).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sergei_Khrushchev

And here is tRump, grasping defeat from the jaws of victory.

It Was an Ambush

Today marked one of the grimmest days in the history of American diplomacy.

By Tom Nichols

conclusion:

Friday, February 28, 2025, will go into the history books as one of the grimmest days in American diplomacy, the beginning of a long-term disaster that every American, every U.S. ally, and anyone who cares about the future of democracy will have to endure. With the White House’s betrayal of Ukraine capping a month of authoritarian chaos in America, Putin, along with other dictators around the world, can finally look at Trump with confidence and think: one of us.