Freedom and Independence - Intrinsic or Extrinsic Values?

The following are my own thoughts on the concepts of freedom and independence. I am not a philosopher (at least, not of any note), nor am I an "expert" on any particular subject. I am, however, a functioning, sentient, thinking being - as are most people who are capable of operating a computer. Today's question is: Are the values of freedom and independence intrinsic or extrinsic values? (Which brings up two adjunct questions: 1. if they are either - or both - are they equally valued by individuals around the world and 2. if they are not universal values how are they regionally divided?

FREEDOM
The dictionary defines freedom as: "1 : the quality or state of being free: as a : the absence of necessity, coercion, or constraint in choice or action b : liberation from slavery or restraint or from the power of another c : the capacity to exercise choice; free will". Freedom is an intrinsic value in that it does have worth in and of itself, and there can be no price tag upon a philosophical construct. I believe that - from infancy - human beings have a desire to exercise freedom. I also believe that from the moment of birth, our social environment does everything it can to prevent us from being truly free. We are "free" only so long as we function within certain, written and unwritten social guidelines, unless we live alone... on an otherwise deserted island. Living within a society requires that we learn the culture and customs of that society, and our indoctrination begins shortly after birth. Many of these customs have become rules, which our society calls laws. For breaking a written rule/law there are prescribed punishments which vary depending upon the socially perceived seriousness of the offense. How free do you feel?

INDEPENDENCE
Independence is defined as - "The state or quality of being independent; freedom from dependence; exemption from reliance on, or control by, others; self-subsistence or maintenance; direction of one's own affairs without interference." Once upon a time, Americans were highly independent, both individually and as a national body. There was a certain, limited amount of interdependence - from the time of the pilgrims until the mid-20th century. During colonial era, time were hard and resources were limited. Settlements were small and necessarily close-knit, and the need for interdependence was high in the areas of food production and settlement security. Neighbors helped neighbors... not because of some mandate from the King or some appointed Governor, but because they "were all in it together", and individual successes were the keystone to group successes, and there was safety in numbers. This social kinship continued through the American Revolution, the American Civil War (naturally restricted to being kept within the geographical boundaries of the land areas [North-South]occupied by the combatants). As the country expanded westward during the 1800's and western territories were populated by pioneers, the established eastern states were considered the production centers of the U.S.A., a distinction they maintained until the 20th century. Unfortunately, the latter half of the 20th century was when things began to change. For the most-part, through the 1950's neighbors still watched out for neighbors, although some deterioration of this cultural trait was beginning to be felt in the major metropolitan areas, like New York, Atlanta, Detroit Dallas and Chicago. If the Jones kid was being a little jerk, Mister or Missus Smith would "give him what for", and then insure that his parents were informed at the earliest possible time. People still went to town and left the windows of their home open in the summer, and didn't make a habit of locking their doors at any time of the day or night. Rarely would an automobile be found locked. Why? Because they knew that somebody in the neighborhood was paying attention to what went on, and that person wasn't the least worried about "getting involved". The moral and social decay within the US began in the 1960's with the "drug culture". Suddenly many people either didn't know their neighbors, or knew them too well and opted not to associate with them. The trust was lost - only to be replaced by suspicion and fear. And, with the loss of trust, the neighborly bond was also broken. What was good, and had worked so well for the neighborhood, was replaced by the "ME generation". The question went from "What can I do to help you?" to "What's in it for me if I help you?" Nonetheless, I still believe that human beings are born with a desire for independence, but in many cases that person is ridiculed by their peers - "Whatchoo mean you wanna J.O.B.? Fool, you can be supported by the gubmint and not have to hit a lick!". In many other
instances people are born into a "welfare family" and lose whatever ambitions they may have had to become independent. Today, the welfare community grows by leaps and bounds, as the tax base supported by those who are employed - and actually work for a living - shrinks. Can you understand how eventually we will wind up with many more "grasshoppers" than the "ants" can support? Yet our government continues to spend tax money supporting the indolent, thereby forcing us ever closer to becoming a socialist country. Socialism works... until you run out of other people's money. Are you truly independent... or are you a part of the problem?

We cannot call ourselves "independent" when we desire, request and expect the government to take care of all our needs.

Our freedoms and our independence are being leeched away, and the general population doesn't even seem to notice... or perhaps they just don't care. Either condition is deplorable.

(I shortened this posting substantially, so I could turn my attention to a more serious issue facing America. Don't touch your dial... )

"Work" Is A Four Letter Word... For Some People

For others work is something they thrive upon, and for the vast majority it is something they do because it allows them to acquire those things upon which they put the label of "important". Work is what built our country. We didn't become the most advanced country in the world by sitting around doing nothing!

Those who thrive upon work put in extremely long hours - ten, twelve or more hours comprise their average workday - and many even take work home so they can continue to be productive on their days off. We call these people "workaholics". Some do it in hopes of getting a raise, a bonus, or a promotion. Some do it simply because they love what they do. They don't consider it work, per se... for them it's more of a paid hobby or a compensated entertainment.

However, the majority of working people hold down jobs. A job is more like something that one has to do (and most people are in jobs they can barely tolerate, much less enjoy) in order to do other things which they do enjoy. Among these enjoyable activities are things like eating, living indoors, providing for one's family, owning reliable transportation, meeting one's financial obligations, and being able to acquire the occasional "nice to have" item that does nothing more than please the owner. Although it may be drudgery to most, those who work jobs are the backbone of our country. There are a very limited number of executive positions in industry, and significantly more positions in various levels of management. But, for every executive and management position there are probably 100 or more jobs. Jobs are our economy!

The third category is what I lovingly refer to as the entitlement whores. These are the 4th and 5th generation welfare recipients, who do nothing except breed (to increase the size of their welfare check), and take up space on our planet. Prior to the Great Depression of the late 1920s and 1930s there was no such thing in the United States as "welfare". Everybody was entitled to the fruits of their labors - that, and nothing more. If you were down on your luck, relatives, friends and neighbors would do what they could to assist you in righting yourself again. Not by showering you with money... but by helping you to get productive and back on your feet again. Since the 1950s AFDC (Aid For Dependent Children) has become a family business for many Americans, passed on from one generation to the next. When money gets tight, just pop out a couple of more kids and you'll get a nice raise! That Gubmint housing doesn't cost much, and the Gubmint cheese is free. And you can trade most of those food stamps for liquor, cigarettes, and drugs. How sweet it is to live on somebody else's money!

How would I change the welfare system?
1. The first thing I would do would be to place limits on welfare for anybody who was physically and mentally capable of holding a job in a competitive working environment - much like unemployment compensation. Welfare would last no longer than 18 months, during which time job training and job placement assistance would be provided. Failure to complete training, or to accept a job offer would result in immediate termination of all welfare benefits. If living off the system isn't beneath you, then neither is a job shoveling manure.

2. Welfare would only be available once in a lifetime - unless, as verified by a state contracted physician, an incapacitating physical or mental injury developed. If they quit their job or get fired, they need to find another job before they get too hungry.

3. Arrest and conviction for any felony-level crime, posession or use of narcotics, DUII, or public intoxication would result in immediate termination of all welfare benefits.

4. Breeding is not considered a career. The first child may be on the system, but the second child would reduce the AFDC benefit by 33%, the third child would result in Child Protective Services removing all the children from the home and placing them in Foster Care. Parental rights would be terminated until such time as the parent finds employment suitable for sustaining a family of that size. The parent will be ineligible for further welfare benefits for life - unless, as verified by a state contracted physician, an incapacitating physical or mental injury developed.

My position is this: if you are capable of working and aren't working, then get a job! Don't expect the taxes, paid by those who work for a living, to support you! You aren't entitled to anything, except an opportunity to earn your way. I've been a taxpayer since I was 14 years old.

If you think I'm wrong about this, feel free to tell me why - but don't bother me with a bunch of whiny, emotional crap.

Automotive Industry Bailout? The UAW Should Bail Out!

We have the UAW to thank for the decreasing revenues of the Big 3 U.S. automakers. Some illiterate Bozo pushing a broom in a Detroit auto plant is making $20+ per hour! Here's a breakdown of actual labor costs per hour at the Big 3, this is for hourly workers only, and does not include extremely overcompensated white-collar salaries -

Labor cost per hour, wages and benefits for hourly workers, 2006. (Correction to the below information: I have just discovered on Nov 19, 2008 that, since 2006, the average laborer's compensation package for American owned automobile manufacturers has increased to slightly over $81 per hour! Therefore the following figures for the "Big 3" are about 12% low.)


Ford: $70.51 ($141,020 per year)


GM: $73.26 ($146,520 per year)


Chrysler: $75.86 ($151,720 per year)


Toyota, Honda, Nissan (in U.S.): $48.00 ($96,000 per year)
(source: Forbes)

Is it any wonder that American auto manufacturers cannot compete in the open market? They're being strangled by labor costs! That, coupled with the fact that, across the board, Chrysler, Ford and GM produce an inferior product, when compared to the quality and durability of competing Japanese imports.


As credit availability has tightened - to the point that it should always have maintained - consumer spending has slowed to a crawl. As a result, major U.S. automakers have seen their profits fall. Severe adjustments must be made in order to bring this industry back from the brink of extinction.

1. American auto manufacturers must return to the business of building a durable product. It seems that competitors in foreign countries produce products that can last for years with little need for maintenance. Many American made vehicles often have major mechanical problems within the first year or two of usage. In order to remain competitive in an emerging global market, the auto industry must produce vehicles that are more reliable and can attain optimum gas mileage.

2. Our auto industry must not continue to give in to the crushing demands of the auto workers union. A key advantage that foreign auto makers have is they do not have to pay outlandish wages and benefits when they can simply expand or relocate to areas that do not bow to union pressures. Foreign auto makers have consistently surpassed their American counterparts in production and profitability. It is now time that the auto behemoths stand up to the unions and demand their employees work for a fair wage and competitive benefits without jeopardizing the life of the company. How does it profit the unemployed worker to say, "I used to work for Chrysler (or Ford, or GM) when they were in business." Or the underemployed worker to ask, "Would you like fries with that, sir?"

3. They need to control spending at all levels of the corporation. Many auto executives revel in lavish luxury compensation packages, fail-safe "Golden Parachutes," and outlandish bonus incentives. The only people deserving of a Golden Parachute are those who save a failing corporation, not those who failed to save it! This is true for ALL industries, not just automotive.

The average UAW worker with a high school diploma earns 57.6% more total compensation than the average university professor with a PhD (who earns about $93,000 per year), and 52.6% more than the average worker at Toyota, Honda or Nissan.

The true bailout won't come about until the UAW either renegotiates the contracts to a reasonable level of compensation, or the UAW is eliminated as the bargaining entity for those employed within the automotive manufacturing industry.

I could be wrong .............................. but I'm NOT!

A Sense of Entitlement Will Get You in Serious Trouble!

Our younger generation (anybody born after about 1978) seem to have an innate sense of entitlement. They are entitled to everything they want, and they want it now. Understanding this attitude goes a long way toward explaining the extremely high credit card debt in the U.S., and the significant defaulting against student loans and mortgages. Here's what you are entitled to:

1. Everything you earn through personal labor or achievement.
2. An opportunity to apply your talents and abilities. (You may have to create that opportunity yourself)
3. Making those payments with which you voluntarily chose to encumber yourself.
4. Unemployment compensation if you have not lost your job "for cause".
5. Oddly enough, you are entitled to obligating yourself for the largest mortgage you could ever hope to afford ... only to discover down the road, that your hopes were well outside the realm of reality.
   

What are you not entitled to? Anything not covered by the above five items. This means that:

1. You are not entitled to welfare or Medicare, although it is provided to many - a few of whom may even be deserving of it. These are the two most abused public services our government provides. (They are almost as abused as are the salaries and perks our lawmakers have voted for ... for themselves.)
2. You are not entitled to a credit card. Especially a credit card for which you have no idea of making the payments as required.
3. You are not entitled to stand on the street corners begging for money that other people had to earn! (You could, however, do the rest of us a favor by placing yourself directly in front of rapidly moving traffic without warning.)
4. You are not entitled to physically accost another human being, or use a weapon in order to relieve them of the burdensome contents of their wallet, purse, vehicle, or home. (Bear in mind that such actions could, at any point in time, prove to be a life-ending experience for you)
   

And for you young people who are not yet able to work - you are not entitled to a cell phone, a computer, or anything else that jeopardizes your parents budget. Don't embarrass them by asking - they have other things to do with their hard-earned cash. Things like housing, feeding and clothing you and the rest of the family. Dad and/or Mom has to buy gas to get to work, and automobile insurance in case something untoward should happen during that daily drive. They pay for every drop of water you use and every electrical device you turn on (and leave on) unnecessarily. Get a paper route, do yard work for neighbors, develop your entrepreneurial skills ... learn the meaning of the word EARN, and then buy your own cell phone and pay for the service. There's no such thing as a 'free lunch' in this life - unless, that is, you get elected to public office. Then those who really work for a living are charged with supporting you.