The Washington Outsider

Iraqis Versus Kurds: No Common Good

10/30/2017

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With the Islamic State dispersing, and yet to metastasize into a deeply entrenched guerrilla campaign, the Iraqi national government has been able to take up arms against a different insurgency.  Because Sunni-Shia tensions have yet reemerge as the driving force behind the crescendoing, perpetual Iraqi Civil War, Iraq’s political and military leadership have been able to shift their attention to the Kurdish secession effort.  Having Kurdish populations of their own and claims to pieces of the traditional Kurdish homeland, Turkey, Iran, and Syria share a common interest in suppressing Kurdish independence.  Like the Islamic State, the Kurdish territories are one of the few interests these neighbors have in common.  
 
Confronted by overwhelming opposition from Iraq, Iran, Turkey, and the United States, the Kurds have been forced to retreat from independence.  Iraqi forces advanced in US tanks with US arms at the direction of Iranian military advisers when the Kurds were pushed from the city of Kirkuk and the surrounding area.  The spectacle certainty demonstrated the international backing the Iraqi central government has against Kurdish forces.  The Kurdish push for independence will not, however, end with the resignation of Kurdish President Massoud Barzani and the loss of Kurdish independence.  It was, after all, the Kurdish Peshmerga who secured Kirkuk from ISIS when the Iraqi military shamefully abandoned their posts in advance of a massive Islamic State offensive.

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Democracy Understood: Catalan Secession Tests The Limits of Democracy

10/27/2017

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Civil unrest is normal, and therefore expected, in any democratic nation where political factions disagree with government actions and feel public officials have failed to adequately address their grievances.  Dissent is a healthy part of any democracy.  Civil War, however, has become a rare occurrence in the stable democracies of the West.  Civil war and sectarian strive have become things observed in ill-democratic and non-democratic nations where populations are primed to rise up against their self-serving, corrupt oppressors.  With that in mind, Catalan’s vote to secede from Spain is a very unexpected occurrence.  The history of Catalan explains why Catalan wants to be an independent state, but its actual attempt to secede and the backlash are surreal.  
 
The strength of democracy is its ability to respond to the changing needs of the population.  When governments no longer responds to the needs of the Peoples they govern, they become self-serving, dysfunctional, and oppressive then eventually collapse.  Through proper representation, true democracies have the potential to more readily change with the shifting interests of their Peoples.  Clearly, the People of Catalan no longer feel their interests align with the other Spanish Peoples’ interests.  Based on an unofficial vote, which appears to align with the true sentiments of the Catalans, the session effort is democratic in nature.  As such, the effort by the Spanish government to stop the secession would seem to violate democratic principles, but the story is far more complicated than that.

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China’s President Xi Jinping: The Man Who Would Be The Communist King

10/25/2017

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China’s Communist government has elevated current Chinese President President Xi Jinping to near the status of Mao Zedong.  “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” will be given the rare honor of appearing in the Communist Party’s Constitution.  After five years of leadership, a near total collapse of China’s financial system, conflict in the South China Sea as well as the East China Sea due to the aggression of Jinping’s government, and a number of other issues, Jinping’s leadership does not appear worthy of the distinction bestowed upon it.  Xi is seen as a man of the People, yet his accomplishments are far from revolutionary.  If one believes China needs a strong and revolutionary figure, however, the decision to mold Xi Jinping into that of a Mao Zedong-like figure makes sense.  
 
Even though China’s rise as a global economic and geopolitical power continues, Beijing faces serious issues.  China’s economy, which empowered China on the global stage, may not be able to sustain the massive growth it needs to solidify China’s global power.  It may also lack the durability of its less-export dependent competitors.  To boot, China’s rise has meant increased responsibly on the global stage, yet Beijing has chosen to act increasingly aggressively toward its neighbors and increasingly oppressive toward its people, thus cultivating political instability and security threats.  China’s military buildup in the South China Sea and Great Purge under Xi Jinping serves as evidence of Beijing’s insecurity.  In response, Beijing has sought to create a leader capable of securing the Party’s power.

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Government Should Reduce Taxes On Innovation, Not Corporations or The Wealthy

10/23/2017

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The Republican tax reform effort under the leadership of President Donald Trump has the expressed goal of stimulating business and economic growth.  By putting more money into the hands of American taxpayers, Republicans hope to fuel increased consumer spending.  Increased consumption should, in turn, lead to job creation  By lowering the corporate tax rate and revamping the corporate tax code, they hope to encourage renewed investment in the US economy and workforce.  In many respects, the Republican approach is the traditional approach government has continually relied upon to help stimulate the economy.  It is the same approach that has continually failed to meet expectations, because it is an approach that does not recognize the reality of the situation in the United States.
 
The stimulus package of the Obama Administration and the two stimulus packages of the George W. Bush Administration demonstrate the limited capacity of the government to build the economy.  With tax reform and other policy shifts in sight, there is an opportunity to restructure the economy to help the areas of the economy most important to job creation and business development.  Reducing regulation, slashing taxes, and ending tariff-free trade will not, however, be enough to accelerate and sustain economic growth.  Ultimately, an economy must provide for the needs of the population it serves or it cannot be sustained.  Today, it does not.  Thanks to a widening income gap and a growing number of poor, an increasing amount of wealth is being concentrated into the hands of a shrinking minority. 

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The Republican Tax Reform Effort: Sound, Conservative Economic Polices or Special Interest Priorities?

10/20/2017

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Republicans have paved the way for major reforms to the US tax system without Democratic input by passing their fiscal-year 2018 Budget along partisan lines.  Although Congress sets only the 30 to 40% of the US Federal Budget that is discretionary spending through the appropriations process, it does play an oversized role in setting public policy priorities, which have huge impacts on the American People and the US Economy.  In this particular case, Republican Senators, minus Rand Paul, have chosen to hypocritically abuse the budgeting process to short-circuit legislative safeguards that ensure meaningful consensus built on minority input and abandon their own cause of fiscal responsibility.  Without any checks and balances standing in their way, the question now is what envisioned Republican tax reforms will actually mean.
 
Today, the US government has the largest budget of any other government with the biggest debt of any nation in history.  Although the US has also had the world’s largest economy for more than a century, it is one of the least taxed economies of the world.  Since the rise of “Reaganomics” under the Reagan Administration, the US has increasingly fueled an explosion of government spending with a mounting supply of the fake asset called debt.  This has enabled more affluent individuals and businesses to exchange their tax bills for IOU’s, which are to be repaid by future generations.  Instead of honestly confronting the fiscal reality of the Federal Budget, GOP tax reform priorities appear to further ease the social responsibility of affluent individuals and businesses who benefit the most from the US economy while placing a greater burden on future generations.  

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    • Governance >
      • Retooling the Grand Strategy of the International Community >
        • Recalibrating Our Foreign Policy Vision for a New Middle East
        • How the US Should Engage Political Revolt in the Middle East
      • The Fundamentals of Proper Government in the Middle East and North Africa
      • Implementation of Public Policy: Issues of Theory and Practice >
        • What Are Commonsense Regulations?
        • Should Public Health Be a Priority to the Governments of the World?
        • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
        • Is National Security More Important Than Civil Rights?
        • Should the Government's First Priority Be to Protect Secrets or to Proactively Give Citizens Information?
      • The Sequestered US Government Needs a Therapist
    • Democracy >
      • An Essay on the Role of Government: Why Each Generation Must Define Democracy for Itself
      • Democracy and the Narrowing Power Elite
      • Assessing the Limits of Democracy
      • Do Americans value freedom?
      • Belittling Our Political Leaders
      • Defining "Liberal" and "Conservative"
      • Framing Issues Properly is an Important Political Tool >
        • Assessing US Elections Part I: Framing Issues Properly is an Important Political Tool
        • Assessing US Elections Part II: Focusing on the Economic Frame
        • Assessing US Elections Part III: Looking at the National Security and Military Frame
        • Assessing US Elections Part IV: Focusing on the Foreign Policy Frame
        • Assessing US Elections Part V: Evaluating Presidential Candidates
        • The Bipolar Nature of US Politics: Pros and Cons
      • Voting in Mid-term Elections: The Importance of the Congressional Vote
      • The Role of the Media in Politics >
        • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
      • How the People Are Lost in the Extremes of 'Right' and 'Left' in Politics
      • Should One's Faith Influence a Citizen's Vote?
      • Should the U.S. Government Help Fund Election Campaigns?
      • On Defunding Political Science Research
    • Worldview >
      • Justice for All: The Case for Legal, Social, Economic, and Personal Justice
      • Why Hardliner Thinking in the NSA and CIA is Doing Damage
      • On the Baby Boomer’s Self-Centeredness
      • The Case for Personal Responsibility
      • What Modern Day Revolutionaries Need to Learn from Leader's like Mandela
      • Rising Western Acceptance of LGBT Primes Culture Clash
      • The Need for Wisdom Beyond the Numbers
      • Perceptions of the United States
      • How Honesty Relates to the Great Recession
      • Why the Middle Class and Rich Need to Support Their Long-term Interests
      • The Aristocratic Republic of the United States of America
      • Discussing the Need for Community Support
      • Why New Forms of Capitalism and Socialism Will Compliment Each Other
      • The Reason We Need to Understand What it is to Be Poor in America
      • Why the World Needs to Reinvest in America
      • Why Are We Against Terrorism?
      • Why Does Terrorism Exist?
      • US Influence: The Value of American Citizenship Around the World
      • Responding to "the Soldier as Sacrficial Victim"
    • Human Nature >
      • How comfort defines us as people >
        • Is Suicide a Cowardly Way Out?
      • Defense Against the Dark Arts of Manipulators
      • Defining Abuse >
        • On the Willing Victim of Abuse
        • How to Understand Abuse Victims
        • Recognizing Abuse
      • The Role of Substitution in Decision Making
      • Trying to Understand PTSD and Other Trauma-induced Mental Health Issues
      • Exploring Human Emotion >
        • Mental Illness is Not the Cause of Anger and Violence >
          • Trying to Understand the Boston Marathon Bombing and Other Violent Crimes
          • Getting into the Twisted Mind of the Tucson Murder
      • Describing the Mind as Modes of Thought >
        • It’s Just Sex?
      • Relationships, or Arrangement
      • Understanding the Effects of Groupthink in the Workplace
      • Relating Circular, Inductive, and Deductive Reasoning to the Scientific Method and Religion
      • What is a Redneck? Understanding Different Cultures and Thinking
    • Economics >
      • The Need for Greater Economic Leverage >
        • Evaluating NAFTA and TPP
        • Undercutting Logistics with the Underpaid Independent Contractor
        • Unions: Hindrance or Essential to Free Markets
        • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
        • Haitians Sue the UN for Failure to Help With Cholera
        • Looking at How Corn-based Ethanol and Other Alternative Energy Subsidies Stack Up
      • Empowering the Sovereign Nation-State by Rethinking Trade Policy >
        • Irish Sovereignty Lost Before Bailout
        • Why Sudan's Greatest Long-Term Hurdle is Our Lowest-bidder Economy
        • Reduce US Imports by Buying American Made Products
      • Ending the need for government support and tackling poverty
      • Income inequality: understanding the limitations and psychology of disadvantage
      • Looking at the Future of American Jobs >
        • On Questioning the Need to Address Economic Disparity
        • Minimum Wage is Not the Problem
        • Responding to the "Blip"
        • Why Education Is Not The Civil Rights Issue Of The Twenty-First Century
      • Considering the Impact of the Capital Gains Tax Deduction
      • Embracing a Capitalist Mindset >
        • Capitalism Versus Socialism
        • The Negatives of Socialism
      • Stealing Intellectual Property
      • Changing Business Models: From Enduring Entities to Cash Cows
      • Consumer and Investor Evolution in the Great Recession of 2008-09
      • Dealing with the Issues Surrounding the Patenting of Self-replicating Technologies
      • Is Technology Threatening Jobs?
    • Education >
      • The Role of Education in Creating a More Dynamic Workforce
      • Primary Education in America and the Changing Needs of Society
      • The Greatness of the American Education System
      • Ideas for Improving the United States Education System
      • Are Teachers Treated as Professionals?
      • Is Engaging Parents in Their Children's Education a Major Factor in Turning Around Low-performing Schools?
      • Should Grants Be Awarded to School Districts that Try Innovative Methods to Improve Student Achievement?
    • US Constitution >
      • On Reading the US Constitution
      • The Senate should not do more to limit the powers of the Judicial Branch
      • On the DOJ Justifying the “targeted Killings” of US Citizens
      • Corporations Do Not Have the Same Rights as US Citizens >
        • Corporate America Pleads the First
      • Discussing the Constitutionality of Per Capita Taxes
      • Was the California Supreme Court Right in Legalizing Gay Marriage?
      • Should the Bible Continue to Be Used for Swearing-in Ceremonies and in Courtrooms?
      • Should Religious Student Clubs Be Allowed in Public Schools?
      • Should the Government Control Talk Radio to Make it More "balanced"?
      • The Second Amendment: Not Outdated >
        • Are We Losing Our Second Amendment Rights
      • Eminent Domain Used Against Banks
      • Should a Woman Have the Right to Choose Abortion? >
        • Should Fathers Be Able to Opt Out of Parenthood?
      • Should Smoking Be Allowed in Public Places?
      • Is Teen Driving a Right or a Privilege?
      • Should US Companies Be Required to Provide Equal Pay to Women and Men?
      • Is eighteen too young to vote?
      • First Amendment Rights: The Priviledge of The Press
      • Do Mandatory Seat Belt Laws Violate Individual Rights?
      • Should cell phone use be banned while driving?
      • Dealing with the link between video game violence and children's behavior
      • Should police have to submit to routine drug and alcohol testing?
      • Public schools should not impose mandatory drug testing on students
      • Are High Taxes on Cigarettes Proper?
      • Should pharmacists be required to violate their religious beliefs and dispense the "Morning After Pill?"
      • Should school counselors uphold patient privacy or report students who become unstable?
  • For the record
    • Ongoing Issues >
      • Red Dawn in Ukraine: Understanding the Actions of Russia >
        • On Russia’s Coercion of Ukraine
        • The Russian Annexation of Crimea in the Eyes of the World
        • Putin Has Overplayed His Hand With Crimea
        • Ukraine in Terms of Resovereignization
        • Avoiding a Conflict Between America and Russia Over Ukraine
        • What Drives the World’s Interest in Russia’s Actions in Ukraine
      • China’s Aggressive Pursuit of Interests Demands a Global Response
      • Iran Makes a Deal: A Start to a Long-term Diplomatic Effort to Denuclearize Iran >
        • On the Future of a Nuclear Negotiations with Iran
      • America's Sphere of Influence: Retaking South-East Asia >
        • Power in Asia: Looking at the Power Shift in Japan
        • The China Paradox: Why America is Worried About China
      • Assessing US Support of Israel >
        • Tread Softly Israel for a Heavy Step May Be Your Undoing
      • Understanding the Dysfunctional Nature of the US-Pakistani Relationship
      • Recognizing the True Threat Behind the Current Unrest in the Middle East >
        • Reacting to the Escalating Crackdown in Syria
      • Assessing the Threat of North Korea >
        • Answering North Korea's Call for Food Aid: Breaking the Vicious Cycle Forced Upon Us by a Warring Nation
        • Dealing with the Restarting of the Korean War
        • North Korea Attacks South Korea
      • Dealing with the Ill-effects of Climate Change
      • Racial Inequality and Oppression Do Truly Exist in Today's Society
      • Should energy independence be a high priority in the US?
      • An overview of world wide Human Rights violations
      • Nuclear Threat from Pakistan
      • Return of The Cold War?
    • World >
      • Coverage of FIFA World Cup is a Chance to Focus on Poverty >
        • The FIFA World Cup Offers Benefits for More Than Brazilian Soccer Fans
        • FIFA Can Bring Brazilians Together as a Nation
      • Being Prepared for Any Potential Dangers at the FIFA World Cup Games
      • Treading Softly on the Politicizing of the 2014 Sochi Olympics Over Gay Rights
      • Why NATO Operations in Libya Lack a Well-defined Mission
      • China Hijacks the Web
      • Lessons from the Great Japanese Earthquake of 2011
      • A Modernizing Cuba Offers an Opportunity for Capitalists
      • The Seeds of Democracy Take Root in the Middle East
      • The Rebirth of Democracy in Tunisia
      • What May Come from the Hurt Revolution in Libya
      • Responding to the Violence of Qaddafi and Other Besieged Leaders
      • Embracing the Rise of a Democratic Egypt
      • Protests in Afghanistan Turn Deadly for Coalition Forces and UN Personnel
      • Haiti: Another Failing Humanitarian Investment
      • What Karzai Can Learn from Calderon
      • START II: A Necessary, Easy Success that Nearly Failed
      • Why Does the U.S. Government Support Independence for the Breakaway Serb Territory of Kosovo but Oppose Independence for the Breakaway Georgian Territories of Abkhazia and South Ossetia?
      • Iraq's Electric Issues: When Human Wants Trump Economic Sense
      • The International Community Reacts to Wikileaks: We May Be Moving Toward a Third World War in Cyberspace
      • On Climate Gate
      • Assessing Obama's Afghanistan War strategy
      • 2009 Iranian Presidential Election: The Fallout
      • Resolving Sri Lankan Conflict through Free Media
      • What are the Global Consequences of Russia's Invasion of Georgia
      • The War in Iraq: an assessment of President Bush's surge strategy
      • Drug War: Actions of Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador in terms of Resovereignization
      • Is the Iraq Refugee Crisis America's Responsibility?
      • US support for a united Kosovo, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: why?
      • Should the US withdraw from Iraq?
      • Setting a Timetable for Troop Withdrawal from Iraq is a Terrible Mistake
      • War on Terrorism is needed
    • Law and Order >
      • Rape in the US Military
      • Ethics of Force-feeding Guantanamo Bay Detainees
      • Reacting to the Aftermath of the Tucson Massacre
    • Economy >
      • Affordability Drives Fear of Obamacare and the Individual Mandate
      • Is the Economy Built for a Job's Recovery?
      • Gutting Healthcare Reform of the Individual Mandate
      • Arizona Budget Cuts Lead to Lethal Healthcare Rationing:
      • Shameful Collection Practices of American Banks
      • The Fed Reveals it Actually Undertook an International Bailout
      • Thoughts on French Budgetary Reforms
      • Seniors Start Businesses
      • The Case for Slimming Down the US Military to Make it Better
      • Looking at the Obama Administration's New Approach to Economic Policy
      • Should the Government Regulate the Credit Card Industry?
      • The Big Three's Big Chance
      • The Unhealthy Tone of the Healthcare Reform Debate
      • Should the federal government offer a bailout for home owners?
      • Environmentalists: Do They Do More Good Than More Harm?
      • Responding to Scott Walker's Contribution to the War on Unions
    • US Government >
      • America Needs to Focus on the Impending Fiscal Crisis
      • Reacting to the Bush Era-tax Cut Extension Deal
      • Quitting the Obama Revolution: The Fickle Nature of American Politics
      • John Boehner's Circus
      • Is the Fed Putting Itself in Jeopardy?
      • Wikileaks Goes After the US State Department
      • Discussing the Political Environment Surrounding the 2011 Budget Debate
      • What the Democrats Can Do to Ensure a GOP Year in 2012
      • What the 2010 Midterm Actually Said
      • Congresswoman Kathy Dahlkemper
      • Democrats Minus Nancy Pelosi Equals Opportunity
      • Terrorists Go Postal: The Terrorism Threat Reexamined
      • Victory in the 2008 Election: Reaction to Barack Obama'a Win >
        • Expectations for Barack Obama
      • President Obama's first one hundred days
      • John McCain's Negative Campaign
      • Reasons People did not Elect John Mccain
      • History judges the George W. Bush Administration
      • Should the next US President focus on domestic issues?
      • President Bush, should he resign or be impeached
      • Should the Ban on Government Sponsored Assassinations be Repealed
    • Off Topic >
      • A Face of America’s Greatest Generation
      • A Story About a Man Who Made the World a Better Place
      • Making the World a Better Place
      • The Bipolar Ethical Nature of Google
      • Learning Computer Plays Jeopardy
      • Verifying Medicine is the Real Thing
      • Taking a Practical Step Forward in Optical Computing Using Slow Light
      • Scientists Take a Closer Look at How Lithium Batteries Work
      • Remarking on the First Blizzard of the 2010-2011 Winter Season
      • Driving in the Snow: Acceleration is the Key
      • How People in Northwest PA Are Coping with the Increasing Cost of Oil
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