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[caption id="attachment_2203" align="aligncenter" width="630"]
Daniel Hanning of The Other Shoe[/caption].
Welcome back My Dear Readers to The Other Shoe. As well, welcome to Part Two of my celebration of my 400th article here at The Other Shoe. Yesterday I shared with all of you my very first articles published here at The Other Shoe. Today marks Part Two of my multi-part celebration of this milestone in publishing. Today I share with you, My Dear Readers, a subject dear to my heart and quite important to our modern society.
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Over the past four years I have made the growing financial inequality, in America, the focus of many articles. I do so with reason. Reason that inequality affects us all. Growing financial inequality hampers growth. This lack of growth in commercial and industrial sectors results in a lack of growth in our social development and growth in arts and sciences. The net result is other countries, like China and Japan, produce students that out score, out pace and out produce our youth.
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Even today we see China sending probes to the moon, in preparation for manned missions to the moon. In Japan we see the development of a solar energy project that dwarfs those in America. Japan’s project will place solar cells in space and transmit this energy directly to ground based stations. Technology of this magnitude is not possible in a nation with growing illiteracy, and plummeting test scores, as is the case in America today.
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You see, inequality is not just about serving the least among us. It ripples throughout our economy, our scientific infrastructure, and hampers potential. This is the point that most Americans fail to understand, yet I do not blame my fellow Americans. There is an old saying in information technology; ‘Garbage in, garbage out.”
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Meaning; that if all you input is ‘garbage’; rhetoric, hyperbole, bigotry, prejudice, dividing tactics, and falsehoods created out of whole cloth meant merely to serve momentary political and/or social gains? The resulting output of that given society is ‘garbage’; garbage technology, a poorly educated work force, a society bent on creating division where none exists, and an under performing scientific community and industrial infrastructure. It is as simple and 2 + 2 = 4.
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My Dear Readers, this is the why of my drilling down on the subject of financial inequality in America. Not only is it immoral, from a sociological standpoint, this overt greed… this avarice has another hidden result. ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’
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America is better, America deserves better… America can do better! When our society lifts from the bottom up? We lift millions out of poverty, we greatly improve the standard of living for all, and we improve the quality of education resulting in improved technology and productivity. This is the salient point that the counter-culture of the ‘far right’ misses, and robs us all. Robs us as individuals, robs us as a nation, and robs us as a species!
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My Dear Readers, for many of you the light is going on in your heads. [If we were in a cartoon from the 50’s & 60’s, a little light bulb would appear over your head.] Understanding is dawning and many of you understand why I harp on this subject. Hyperbole damages our society. Hyper-partisanship damages our nation, our potential, and our children. The damage that is being done, is not limited to our generation. Like a disease or an infection it spreads from one generation to the next. ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’
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It is with this in our minds, I share with you My Dear Readers several articles addressing this financial inequality in America.
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- Pope Francis Strikes AGAIN : “My how America and Americans have strayed in just one generation. How we have not only left behind the belief systems that made our parents great. Not only have we discarded the accurate measure of a man’s worth. We have not just turned our backs, to these ideals; we have literally embraced that which we were warned against. If you do not believe me? Read how Pope Francis communicates this same ideal.
“Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades.”[1] America has become grossly preoccupied with; material wealth, personal possessions, exponentially increasing wealth yearly, competition with ‘The Joneses’ (of the Kardasians), painting the ‘Have-Nots’ as leeches on society (aka ‘The War on the Poor’), it is nothing less than a war on ourselves. A ‘new’ counter-culture’ has come to fruition in America, and unlike the counter-culture of the 60’s that advocated “Peace & Love” this ‘Counter Culture’ advocates; division, bigotry, anger, hatred of ‘them’, greed and the idolatry of money! With opened eyes one can quickly see the negative effects this idolatry on our society, on our children, on our culture and on our nation. Pope Francis is correct for I can see it in my own life; “and the desire to do good, fades.”
- Avarice in America : “Another voice, in a growing chorus, seeking to make everyone (yet, mostly Americans) of the severe damage an era of greed has wrought upon our great nation. If you are a frequent reader of this blog, then you will know that America’s Avarice is often a topic of my writing. I have, also, made everyone aware that our newest Pontiff, Pope Francis, has frequently made avarice and inequality topics of his dictums, speeches and press releases. Seriously, one would have to be burying their head in the sand most days, and deaf the rest, not to hear the growing cries against avarice and for equality.
“The great danger in today’s world, pervaded as it is by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience.”[2] Pope Francis Evangellii Gaudium 11/24/13
“The great danger…” You see, My Dear Readers, the Pope is not speaking of just a spiritual danger, he speaks to a societal danger, a national danger. Many of the Pope’s detractors choose to demonize the Pope, to mischaracterize his words and intent. However, one need go no further than his own words to divine intent. "The great danger… is a complacent yet covetous heart… feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures… and a blunter conscience.” The Pope’s intent is clear and unequivocal. The greater good… OUR society… OUR nation… the people of earth are the focus of his words. The betterment of our society, his goal.
How corrupt must one be,
to twist and taint words like these?
Daniel Hanning
- The 50th Anniversary of the War on Poverty : “The Census Bureau today released data indicating that the overall poverty rate in 2011 was 15.0 percent – This represents 46.2 million people living in poverty in 2011.
Median household income was $50,054 in 2011, which is a statistically significant decrease of 1.5 percent from 2010.
Today’s data indicate that there were 16.1 million children (persons under 18) living in poverty in 2011, The child poverty rate was 21.9 percent.
[caption id="attachment_2096" align="aligncenter" width="619"]Poverty Rate All Persons by Age 2000-2011[/caption]
- Poverty Rate of All Persons by Age 2000-2011
For African-American children, the poverty rate reported today was 37.4 percent for 2011. The rate for Hispanic children was 34.1 percent. For non-Hispanic, White children the rate was 12.5 percent.
Children living in female-headed families with no spouse present had a poverty rate of 47.6 percent, over four times the rate of children in married-couple families (10.9 percent).
The poverty rate for people age 65 and over was 8.7 percent
In 2011, 6.6 percent of all people, or 20.4 million people, lived in deep poverty / However, America has failed, and lost the fifty-year ‘War on Poverty’. I write this article for publication on January 8th, 2014 the fiftieth Anniversary of President L.B.J.’s State of the Union Address January 8th, 1964. At the time of this speech, the Poverty Rate in America flirted around 19%. It was higher in some southern states, and in all large urban cities. These are statistics, and it is unfortunate that the only way all too many Americans will ever ‘see’ the poverty that surrounds them, is via statistics. So few of you, My Dear Readers, will ever drive through the Deep South, through a deeply impoverished neighborhood, to ‘see’, with your own eyes, deep poverty. To witness, with your own eyes, a ‘Hooverville’ outside one of America’s major cities like the one I see outside of Long Beach. I believe, that in seeing this personally, one can understand the drain on our society. One can imagine, even begin to understand, just how this level of poverty can (and does) damage our ability to; advance, create, improve and catapult our society forward. It is only through understanding that one can begin to release the grip of greed and avarice and to embrace the selfless desire to lift our society, our nation, from the bottom up!
- Growing Financial Inequality in 2014 : “Flooded and inundated with the drumbeat of outdated, but all too effective rhetoric, a growing number of Americans are putting reason and their own gut-feelings aside to fall prey to the same nation-dividing rhetoric. These honest, hard working, God-Loving Americans are haunted (daily… hourly) by certain media outlet’s drumbeat of tried-and-true rhetoric. “The poor are not poor because they own; HDTVs, Microwaves, Cellular Phones, computers and Air Conditioning.” “Unemployment is a crutch for the poor… those on unemployment sit at home and watch their HDTVs and refuse to work” “Food stamps is just another crutch and another way to get Americans hooked on the ‘crack of the Democrat party’, and there is not ‘War on the Poor’ the real war is against the wealthy.” You see, I do understand the forces with which I am at war. I completely understand the rhetoric designed to divide that is used by the advocates of the status-quo. I do not live under some mistaken illusion that these forces do not exist, nor am I mistakenly deluded into thinking that they will not relent without a bloody battle. I stand ready to die for what I believe, and what I know Pope Francis believes, too. I have no intent to relent, no desire to expire; nothing will ever separate me from this cause… short of victory. What does ‘victory’ look like? Growing equality and lessening inequality. Our victory will be decisive, and will reach to all corners of the globe. Victory will come (when it does) to all societies, to all religions, to all nations, to all peoples. Know this, the battle has been joined, the lines are drawn, the sides are clear and victory is certain. It is with this conviction that I write. Remember; ‘Garbage in, garbage out.’
- Why Must Congress Cut Food Stamps… NOW? : “When LBJ took over the Presidency from our slain President Kennedy, he did not ride on his laurels or those of his running mate. On January 8th, 1964 (I would have been six) Lyndon Baines Johnson changed America by announcing the beginning of the ‘War On Poverty’ This war was joined by legislation such as the; ‘Social Security Amendments of 1965’’’, ‘Food Stamp Act of 1964’, ‘Economic Opportunity Act of 1964’’, and ‘Elementary and Secondary Education Act’’. These laws were passed, all of them, with (what we cannot seem to do for the life of US) Bi-Partisan support! In the House of Representatives and the Untied States Senate these pieces of legislation received wide Bi-Partisan support. The major reason why the strong, and across party lines, support? Yet, today we are backsliding into growing poverty. To me… to the WORLD is it not ‘more heinous’ to allow poverty to return once knowing the disease-like effects. What guilt must we all bear for allowing America to back-slide into a impoverished state that we know is detrimental to; our people, our society, our engines of; science, industry, and technology? History will judge us harshly! My voice will echo throughout time, and it will be known that in this time and place I did fight for the betterment of my fellow man and my nation.
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I could go one for hours more, and share at least four to five more articles in this genre. I will continue to write, often, on this topic because I understand. I understand that the return of the impoverished state is a return to a time of; lower productivity, lesser developments in science and technology, decreased status in the international community, and a breakdown of our society resulting in the decay of our nation. Today, I have (again) drawn the lines between overt greed and avarice and decay of our scientific and technological advancements. Between those that support and advocate greed and avarice and those that warn of the horrific affects this greed and avarice have on; our people, our society, and our nation. Make no mistake; the voices of right shall prevail over the voices of might.
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[caption id="attachment_2097" align="aligncenter" width="630"]Poverty Rates by Age 1959 to 2011 United States[/caption]
- Poverty Rates by Age 1959 - 2011 in United States
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When history is written, and it most assuredly will be, which side will you be numbered? How will Americans of the 22nd and 23rd centuries remember…? YOU?
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I simply must rest. My pain is extreme… my head throbbing with pain, my neck and back gripped in throws of pain. I lament that I cannot go on longer… go further… explain… … … better?
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Thank you for coming here, today, and being a part of this celebration. A celebration of the publication of my 400th article, right here at @ The Other Shoe.
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As always I am deeply honored that you come here and read me work.
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Thank YOU!
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http://www.ebay.com/usr/enzomatrixlt
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[caption id="attachment_2296" align="aligncenter" width="630"]The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning 2/2014[/caption]
- The Other Shoe's Daniel Hanning February 2014
[…] 400th Article at The Other Shoe – Part Two : “You see, inequality is not just about serving the least among us. It ripples throughout our […]
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