Preserving American Values

Our nation stands under attack … not from without but from within. American values, our politics, and our culture have been corrupted.

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about

Websites: www.westillholdthesetruths.weebly.com; www.preservingamericanvalues.com; www.thepracticalbuddhist.com. A graduate of Brown U. and U. of Chicago Law School, I’ve had a varied career as a legal aid lawyer, survey researcher, nonprofit executive, management consultant, composer, teacher, and author. I have authored 7 books on topics as varied as Buddhism, child rearing, and politics, the latter of which received a pre-publication endorsement from James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic. My Buddhist blog was selected as one of the top 50 Buddhist blogs on the web.

Category: Politics

  • How Democrats Lost an Election They Should Have Won

    Despite the low popularity of President Obama and people’s concerns about the economy, this was an election Democrats should have won big … that is, if the campaign had been run well.  But as so often has been the case, the Democrats did not run a good campaign.  What would have been a good campaign? 1.  Use…

  • The Mendaciousness of the Responsibility Game

    We are brought up in this society to think that we have control over our lives. That if we do this or do that, if we work hard enough, if we go to college, etc., that the desired results will materialize for us. And if things don’t work out, it is our fault. In its…

  • When Legislators Flout the Law

    First a question.  Do you think that part of the oath that a legislator (federal or state) takes upon being sworn into office includes “upholding the law?”  The answer, shockingly, is no.  Congressmen, for example, swear to uphold the constitution, but there’s nothing about upholding the law.  Neither is upholding the law part of their defined responsibilities. I guess…

  • Income Inequality Per Se Is Not the Problem

    In an ideal world, at least in my mind, you would not have the extremes of rich and poor.  But people have different intelligence levels, different talents, and different aptitudes which, even with all other things being equal, would translate themselves in the real world to significant disparities in earning opportunities.  Add to that that all other…

  • What Are We Celebrating on July 4th?

    July 4th … Independence Day … is fraught with symbolism.  It is the beginning of American exceptionalism, the beginning of America taking its place on the world’s stage, the beginning of freedom and prosperity for Americans.  It is a moment for us to pause, and so many years I write a post about July 4th. There is…

  • Our Political System Has Failed Us

    The health of our democracy depends on three components, among others.  The first is an informed electorate which has the responsibility of electing those who will both represent  it and help lead the country.  The second is leaders who both represent their constituencies and act for the greater good of the country.  The third is an electorate and leaders…

  • How to Prevent the Next Financial Collapse

    The newest scheme that the financial industry has devised to avoid transparency is something called a “deep pool.” Apparently these trading pools have popped up all over the place.  According to the New York Times, on some recent days as much as 40% of trades occurred in such pools, which are totally unregulated and secret.  This has given…

  • The Rise and Fall of the American Republic

    Over the past 30 years, we have been witnessing the slow demise of the American Republic.  I don’t mean that the United States will cease to exist, or that we will be conquered by some external power.  What I mean is that the principles on which this nation was founded and the philosophy that fostered the continued…

  • When Ego Drives Politics, Can There Be Any Hope?

    We can rant all we want about the insufferable and destructive attitude and policies of the Tea Party and its fellow travelers, but truth be told, virtually all politicians are sorely lacking.   A politician should be first and foremost a public servant … there should be no greater interest than to serve the interests of…

  • Media and the Polarization of America

    We have become so accustomed to the extreme polarization of our country that began in earnest during Clinton’s second term and has gone off the deep end during the past few years with the creation and ascendency of the Republican Tea Party movement, that it’s hard to remember that there was a time not that…