Dear Ger
Last night, Cynthia and I read your autobiographical subsection titled "The Conundrum of Wealth and Philanthropy."
In this mini-chapter, you mentioned - for the second time - that you don't believe the problem of human poverty will ever be solved.
I hope you are wrong... and I think you are wrong.
I can argue on behalf of resolving poverty in a number of ways, but I'm going to focus on one very specific way that will perhaps appeal to your "inner accountant."
I have always been a big fan of Senator Corey Booker - not only because I find him a likable guy, but because he has chosen to live in a part of inner city Newark, New Jersey, where he regularly hears shots ring out.
Booker's Wikipedia Page: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cory_Booker
Cory's choice of inner city residence tells me that "the blandishments of wealth" have not caused him to flee his constituency, which in a world of gated communities, political/informational silos, and Xanadu pleasure-seekers, I find admirable indeed.
Enough prelude.
For decades, Corey has been a proponent of what he calls his "Baby Bonds."
Basically, "Baby Bonds" (another such bill was recently rewritten in renewed hope of pushing it through Congress) capitalizes on "the miracle of compound interest."
Keeping in mind that it now costs $65,000 a year to keep Americans in state prisons, the essence of Booker "Baby Bonds" is that each American child, as soon as s/he is born, will be the recipient of $1000 (or $2000, or 3 or 4 or 6) deposited into his (or her) "dedicated baby bill account," and subsequently, the same amount will be deposited on every child's birthday until age 18, when the accumulated money, plus interest, will begin distribution (as I see it) for educational or instructional purposes only.
Notably, it has been suggested that "A Republican is someone who cannot really enjoy their food unless they know someone else is going hungry."
Or, as Illinois Senator Dick Durbin put it: "The motto of the Republican Party is 'We are all in this... alone.'"
Everyone - including those of us blessed with charmed upbringings, excellent Catholic education, and formative influences that compel us to do good - are fundamentally influenced by the spirit of our times.
David Brooks has pointed out that Trump "is making the world safe for gangsters."
And those gangsters don't give a flying fuck if ecosystems break down beyond repair, if only they can stuff one more un-needed dollar in their pocket, perhaps by selling young girls into sexual bondage, or scheming to defraud people like His Malignancy's Trump University.
Yes, there will still be some bad eggs.
Cory's choice of inner city residence tells me that "the blandishments of wealth" have not caused him to flee his constituency, which in a world of gated communities, political/informational silos, and Xanadu pleasure-seekers, I find admirable indeed.
Enough prelude.
For decades, Corey has been a proponent of what he calls his "Baby Bonds."
Basically, "Baby Bonds" (another such bill was recently rewritten in renewed hope of pushing it through Congress) capitalizes on "the miracle of compound interest."
American States Are Quietly Embracing the "Baby Bonds" Revolution to Fight Inequality
Keeping in mind that it now costs $65,000 a year to keep Americans in state prisons, the essence of Booker "Baby Bonds" is that each American child, as soon as s/he is born, will be the recipient of $1000 (or $2000, or 3 or 4 or 6) deposited into his (or her) "dedicated baby bill account," and subsequently, the same amount will be deposited on every child's birthday until age 18, when the accumulated money, plus interest, will begin distribution (as I see it) for educational or instructional purposes only.
AI Overview: The cost to keep a person in prison in the U.S. varies significantly depending on the facility, with the federal system averaging about $44,090 per inmate per year in 2023. State prison costs have a much wider range, with the median annual spending around $65,000 in 2021.
Or, when the "Baby Bonds" mature, each grown-up baby can keep the cash with the proviso that it not be touched until they have performed two years of government service - either in the War Corps, or in a new and expanded Peace Corps (which, in addition to the traditional Peace Corps, would include organizations like Americorps and Teach America).
One way or another, each baby's mature treasure chest will ensure that every American child has a nest egg for the express purpose of acquiring marketable skills.
And when every American has become a desirable workplace candidate, we will have gone a long way (and at minimum cost) to ensure that, with very few exceptions, "everyone prospers."
There will be tooth-and-nail opposition to any such proposal.
Or, when the "Baby Bonds" mature, each grown-up baby can keep the cash with the proviso that it not be touched until they have performed two years of government service - either in the War Corps, or in a new and expanded Peace Corps (which, in addition to the traditional Peace Corps, would include organizations like Americorps and Teach America).
One way or another, each baby's mature treasure chest will ensure that every American child has a nest egg for the express purpose of acquiring marketable skills.
And when every American has become a desirable workplace candidate, we will have gone a long way (and at minimum cost) to ensure that, with very few exceptions, "everyone prospers."
There will be tooth-and-nail opposition to any such proposal.
Why?
There is a central mean-spiritedness, if not malice, lurking deep in the American character. Most Americans (rather like the 90% of your wealthy clients who "keep it all" for themselves) are contemptuous of n'er-do-well, parasitic slackers because misguided "Christian" self-righteousness and self-centered superciliousness, make them feel superior - a variation of "We're #1."
There is a central mean-spiritedness, if not malice, lurking deep in the American character. Most Americans (rather like the 90% of your wealthy clients who "keep it all" for themselves) are contemptuous of n'er-do-well, parasitic slackers because misguided "Christian" self-righteousness and self-centered superciliousness, make them feel superior - a variation of "We're #1."
Notably, it has been suggested that "A Republican is someone who cannot really enjoy their food unless they know someone else is going hungry."
Or, as Illinois Senator Dick Durbin put it: "The motto of the Republican Party is 'We are all in this... alone.'"
Billionaire Nick Hanauer: "The Top 1% of Americans Have Taken $50 Trillion From the Bottom 90%—And That's Made the U.S. Less Secure"
Everyone - including those of us blessed with charmed upbringings, excellent Catholic education, and formative influences that compel us to do good - are fundamentally influenced by the spirit of our times.
It is not surprising that "rugged individualism" -- in the context of unregulated Capitalism's normalization of winner-take-all, gimmee-gimme, everything-I've-got-is-MINE Yahooism -- has become as toxic, as putrescent, as Donald Trump, in whose criminally piggish Capitalist image we are increasingly re-made.
"The Love Of Money Is The Root Of All Evil" - An Open Invitation To Christian Conservatives
David Brooks has pointed out that Trump "is making the world safe for gangsters."
And those gangsters don't give a flying fuck if ecosystems break down beyond repair, if only they can stuff one more un-needed dollar in their pocket, perhaps by selling young girls into sexual bondage, or scheming to defraud people like His Malignancy's Trump University.
Donald Trump, Felon: Starting With His Trump University Scam And Itemizing His Criminality On Through His First Wife Ivana's Accusation Of Violent, Hair-Tearing Rape
I will digress for a moment to say that IF Trump, like virtually all rich people, had not allowed to buy his way out of a jury trial by paying $25 million dollars to settle the sweeping criminality of Trump University out-of-court -- thus circumventing substantive justice -- he would never have become president, and might still be in prison for his gross malfeasance.
End of digression.
Or, we could simplify the "Baby Bond" process by seeing to it that every citizen provides two or three years of obligatory government service in the War Corps or the new-and-improved Peace Corps. (In Mexico, doctors, engineers, teachers and architects done get the licenses to practice until AFTER they've provided obligatory government service.)
Or, we could simplify the "Baby Bond" process by seeing to it that every citizen provides two or three years of obligatory government service in the War Corps or the new-and-improved Peace Corps. (In Mexico, doctors, engineers, teachers and architects done get the licenses to practice until AFTER they've provided obligatory government service.)
Proposal For Two Years Of Obligatory National Service
So... what do you make of Booker's "Baby Bonds?"
Since it is unusually commonplace for us humans to "overlook the obvious," I will conclude by reminding you that the title of your book is perhaps the key to believing in the "miraculous" transformation of people who have all the cards stacked against them. "Underestimated. Mentallly Ill. Yet Successfull ONe Man's Journey ... Saved By Medication."
Hey, if you can do it...
Pax et amor
Alan
An addendum/aside:
(What follows is an addendum to the main thrust of my proposal.)
Yes, there will still be some bad eggs.
But I have a notable story to tell - a story indicating that the number of incorrigible n'er-do-wells is far fewer than you might think.
I have a Mexican friend who lived as a homeless "gamin" (unparented urchin) on the streets of Vera Cruz, Mexico, and I have another friend who served as district court judge in Orange County, North Carolina where his family (on both sides) tracked back to the Mayflower.
These two fellows knew one another, but I asked them separately to tell me, from their unique experiences in the world, the judge interacting with criminals throughout his workday, and Lino living by his wits from age 9 through 14: "What percentage of people do you think are intrinsically bad?"
If memory serves, they both answered 3%.
I do not know what to do with this remnant, although I am hopeful that modern medicine will, in the not distant future, devise drugs or genetic engineering techniques to bring even these few back into the fold.
It is also true that many of the incorrigible prefer dissolute lives, indulging in drugs and alcohol. Perhaps they can be kept in institutions like the state-operated mental hospital out by Cobb's Hill. (Did you know that our great-uncle Owen feigned lunacy in order to live in this asylum, as the only way to provide for his care in old age?)
If memory serves, they both answered 3%.
I do not know what to do with this remnant, although I am hopeful that modern medicine will, in the not distant future, devise drugs or genetic engineering techniques to bring even these few back into the fold.
It is also true that many of the incorrigible prefer dissolute lives, indulging in drugs and alcohol. Perhaps they can be kept in institutions like the state-operated mental hospital out by Cobb's Hill. (Did you know that our great-uncle Owen feigned lunacy in order to live in this asylum, as the only way to provide for his care in old age?)
But back to the conundrum...
How do we provide for everyone?
After exhausting extreme remedial measures like ECT (a surprisingly effective treatment for many intractable mental diseases), perhaps unusually refractory members of The 3% could be drugged into some simulacrum of satedness just as C.S. Lewis arranged for "three Lords" are ensorcelled into everlasting dreamless sleep at the end "The Dawn Treader."
I am prepared to consider all approaches, including induced medical coma. "AI Overview: A medically induced coma can last from hours to weeks, depending on the condition being treated, with the goal of allowing the brain to heal. While short-term comas for events like severe swelling or seizures often last only 24-48 hours, others can last for longer, sometimes even months or years in severe cases of brain damage."
Or, better yet, we could create some secular semblance of a "religious sisterhood" specializing in the care of "lost souls," just as Sister Seraphim and the School of the Holy Childhood were (and are) dedicated to another irremediably handicapped population.
Or, better yet, we could create some secular semblance of a "religious sisterhood" specializing in the care of "lost souls," just as Sister Seraphim and the School of the Holy Childhood were (and are) dedicated to another irremediably handicapped population.
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