Leona Helmsley’s Dog ‘Trouble', RIP
Last week, Leona Helmsley’s dog “Trouble” passed away. Leona had given Twelve Million dollars to the Dog in her will; the Trouble had the distinction of being world’s richest dog. This brought out the memory of the following infamous saying of Leona.
In Leona’s tax evasion trial, her house keeper had testified that in answer to her question ‘You must pay a lot of taxes’, Leona saying ‘We don’t pay taxes, only the little people do’.
Leona must be a role model for the right wing Tea Party, although unlike their order giver Glenn Beck, most of them could only dream of having her dog’s fortune. Over the last 30 years, the top one percent have quadrupled their wealth where as Ninety percent below have been losers of their wealth. Tea Party is working hard to squeeze more out of the ninety percent of Americans, and making it difficult for Americans to get world class education.
Unlike Parliamentary democracies where simple majority has executive and financial powers, American democracy is based on compromises between parties and with no compromise attitude of Tea party, we will have an impasse. Look at the vicious circle! If we don’t have a one party rule, we will continue to have the shutdown of government because of no compromise policy. That will ensure government failing. The voting public will vote out the party in power. Will the new opposition pay back the former opposition in the same way ensuring repeat of the same? Who is the loser in this game? Is it not the public?
American Innovativeness has been a beacon to the world because of opportunity it provides to its citizens to get education and the fact that researchers and innovators from all over the world compete in the institutions of Higher Education here. If that opportunity is on a downward path, it will no longer be the keeper of largest number of patents in the world.
So often you hear politicians say I want my country back. The world and the economy have changed so much. You will not have late 1940s scenario back ever. George Bush’s trickle down economic policy has now worked and has taken so much oxygen out of the system that it would not be easy to restore the growth that we once had. There is no silver bullet.
Ultimately, the voters of our great democracy will have to use their power to control their destiny. Regardless of brainwashing attempted through ‘Anger show of Right Wing Radio’, the independent public will have to ask themselves, “Don’t I deserve to have a voice as much as Top one percent wealthy people do?” And make that as the basis of their vote. Simply, as in last week’s CNN poll confirm their belief known that more than two third of Americans believe that elections are for sale is not enough. So next time when you hear a Rush Limbaugh exhorting you to bring the country down so that his promoters have a better chance of controlling your future by capitalizing on voter anger at election time, say it out loud that his agenda is not in the national interest.
The national heroes have to change. It is time to let the Tea Party know that their hero Leona Helmsley is not a role model for America of today. Just because some fast talking salesperson can build a real estate empire due to real estate bubble does not make then national hero. The true heroes are the innovators who invest new technologies, the researchers who discover new processes, new cures, and new solutions. Our schools have to drive young children to compete and see a prestige that comes from being an innovator. The nation has to support this. Just getting elected and reelected to Congress with the use of sound bites and bumper stickers will not get us greatness. The road to greatness is through education.
And Trouble was a much better living being than his master Leona, Tea Party logic notwithstanding. Trouble did not hurt other living beings.
Trouble, may you Rest in Peace.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Are you a liberal or conservative or neither?
Are you a Liberal or Conservative, or do you think these terms are means to make political gains?
Are you a Liberal or Conservative is a question that is often asked? After all if you declare yourself a champion of one cause, you can show that you are an activist of one cause and you have a readymade support group, and a group to hate. Do you really think that inciting hate does not pay? Just follow Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter. The rhetoric will get you charged up if you do not think deep enough.
But a majority of self styled Tea Party conservatives that hate any Government role either are ignorant that Medicare is a Government program or would not part with it. Will Tea Party conservatives hate Government less for giving them access to health insurance when all almost all aging citizens have pre existing conditions and private insurers don’t want them? Well, publically Tea party won’t tone down the rhetoric, although they appreciate having it and knowing they would not have it had it not been for the Government. The same hold for instituting Social Security Programs. Well then why would anyone want FDR tagged with the “Liberal”, intended to be a derogatory word? Try Limbaugh, Coulter, Crawley and Hannity to not use this word in a derogatory way. That will put them out of their multimillion dollar business. So those supporting and creating public oversight in creating safety net for senior citizens are liberal or conservative? This issue of opposing the creators of the safety net while needing and wanting it for them will never be in the hate mongering talking points.
Whereas best of productivity is driven by competition, is competitiveness liberal or conservative driven? Should the ability to innovate rest in the hands of few or the opportunity should be open to all. Is opportunity liberal or conservative?
Is Education liberal or conservative? Watching the political scene, it is being portrayed as liberal. Come on! Is Education derogatory? If the Hate Mongering machine has to get higher media rating, they must denounce Education. How else can you drive them to show up in your rally and support those working against their interest? Your biggest enemy is Education because it teaches logic. Go turn them against Teachers, and you will have an army of followers who would think that education makes them “Elite” which is synonymous with liberal, which you all have worked hard to project as derogatory or one that makes you lose elections.
America became the World’s top Superpower during the Second World War because of its Industrial production. Was it liberal idea or conservative? At the time of the war, it was neither, but now Industrial Production is liberal and Outsourcing is conservative if political money draw were to decide this. June 9, 2011 CNN poll sites two third Americans say elections are for sale. Is there truth to this? I think so, what do you think? With corporations sitting on record cash, would it not be possible to throw some at the hate mongering media to spread education and logic killing hate that will make billionaires out of millionaires while those who came out at the Hate rallies without education that creates skills. But is that conservative? I don’t think so. It is money making gimmick through Radio Talk and TV shows.
The world today is much more competitive than post WWII. The economy is truly global. We are up against economies such as China, Germany and Japan which have much more support and planning from their Governments. There has to be short term and long term plan to beat the competition. Besides, our strategic interest has to be protected and that is why, we cannot be a nation with no technical knowhow and capacity of Manufacturing. This is not about labels that politicians and their hires commentators pin on their opponents.
So are you liberal or conservative? My answer is I am a pragmatic. I wish we could have a culture of not being labeled.
Are you a Liberal or Conservative is a question that is often asked? After all if you declare yourself a champion of one cause, you can show that you are an activist of one cause and you have a readymade support group, and a group to hate. Do you really think that inciting hate does not pay? Just follow Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck and Ann Coulter. The rhetoric will get you charged up if you do not think deep enough.
But a majority of self styled Tea Party conservatives that hate any Government role either are ignorant that Medicare is a Government program or would not part with it. Will Tea Party conservatives hate Government less for giving them access to health insurance when all almost all aging citizens have pre existing conditions and private insurers don’t want them? Well, publically Tea party won’t tone down the rhetoric, although they appreciate having it and knowing they would not have it had it not been for the Government. The same hold for instituting Social Security Programs. Well then why would anyone want FDR tagged with the “Liberal”, intended to be a derogatory word? Try Limbaugh, Coulter, Crawley and Hannity to not use this word in a derogatory way. That will put them out of their multimillion dollar business. So those supporting and creating public oversight in creating safety net for senior citizens are liberal or conservative? This issue of opposing the creators of the safety net while needing and wanting it for them will never be in the hate mongering talking points.
Whereas best of productivity is driven by competition, is competitiveness liberal or conservative driven? Should the ability to innovate rest in the hands of few or the opportunity should be open to all. Is opportunity liberal or conservative?
Is Education liberal or conservative? Watching the political scene, it is being portrayed as liberal. Come on! Is Education derogatory? If the Hate Mongering machine has to get higher media rating, they must denounce Education. How else can you drive them to show up in your rally and support those working against their interest? Your biggest enemy is Education because it teaches logic. Go turn them against Teachers, and you will have an army of followers who would think that education makes them “Elite” which is synonymous with liberal, which you all have worked hard to project as derogatory or one that makes you lose elections.
America became the World’s top Superpower during the Second World War because of its Industrial production. Was it liberal idea or conservative? At the time of the war, it was neither, but now Industrial Production is liberal and Outsourcing is conservative if political money draw were to decide this. June 9, 2011 CNN poll sites two third Americans say elections are for sale. Is there truth to this? I think so, what do you think? With corporations sitting on record cash, would it not be possible to throw some at the hate mongering media to spread education and logic killing hate that will make billionaires out of millionaires while those who came out at the Hate rallies without education that creates skills. But is that conservative? I don’t think so. It is money making gimmick through Radio Talk and TV shows.
The world today is much more competitive than post WWII. The economy is truly global. We are up against economies such as China, Germany and Japan which have much more support and planning from their Governments. There has to be short term and long term plan to beat the competition. Besides, our strategic interest has to be protected and that is why, we cannot be a nation with no technical knowhow and capacity of Manufacturing. This is not about labels that politicians and their hires commentators pin on their opponents.
So are you liberal or conservative? My answer is I am a pragmatic. I wish we could have a culture of not being labeled.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Welcome to The Sharma Post: Now look at American Manufacturing Loss
Welcome to The Sharma Post,
As an American Manufacturing Engineering Manager in its Glory days, I feel compelled to share my perspective of what we were, where we are and where can we end up as a nation, if the trends continue. It is not enough to discover a process, if we can not produce goods and have them under more disruptive scenarios. Our Energy policy only gives us lack of renewable energy which will not make us energy independent.The great military industrial complex of ours gave us new technologies, which made us the leader in innovation. Since we had manufacturing infrastructure, we became the best equipped super power. It is critical that the scenarios for following the path without manufacturing abilities are analysed by the nation.
I intend to bring out these projected scenarios, that will show us our future, as well as tell you, why we are being pushed in that direction, in my articles on this blog very soon.
Dan Sharma
As an American Manufacturing Engineering Manager in its Glory days, I feel compelled to share my perspective of what we were, where we are and where can we end up as a nation, if the trends continue. It is not enough to discover a process, if we can not produce goods and have them under more disruptive scenarios. Our Energy policy only gives us lack of renewable energy which will not make us energy independent.The great military industrial complex of ours gave us new technologies, which made us the leader in innovation. Since we had manufacturing infrastructure, we became the best equipped super power. It is critical that the scenarios for following the path without manufacturing abilities are analysed by the nation.
I intend to bring out these projected scenarios, that will show us our future, as well as tell you, why we are being pushed in that direction, in my articles on this blog very soon.
Dan Sharma
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