Goodbye October, Hello November ......... 🦅

 

A bridge to a brighter future ......... 🦅

The US GDP has grown by 33.5% in the third quarter of this year, a big increase from the last quarter when the country was in lockdown due to the virus. Before the coronavirus outbreak, politicians, kept bringing up how the US had a long history of prosperity, mobility, and justice for all. But if you delve into their claims more deeply, you will discover that too many people have been left behind, struggling to get by, with little hope for a better future.

Fifty million Americans live on incomes below the federal poverty level, including one in every four children. Most of them have lost hope of upward mobility for themselves or their children. I became angered in the summer of 2018, when I saw a homeless person in Washington, DC using a child to garner pocket change from a passerby. “No one in America,” I said to myself,  “should live without a roof over their head especially a child.”

 Many in the US are struggling to make ends meet because there are growing numbers of people facing the burdens of being underemployed due to shrinking job prospects. Too many workers have two or three part-time jobs with no benefits and little financial security.

Poverty is about power, not scarcity. The richest country in the world should be able to sustain an economy that is healthy and fair. People who are willing and able to work at a full-time job should be able to earn enough money to support their families and have opportunities to climb the ladder out of poverty. Poverty in the US is deepening, perhaps by racism, gender discrimination, denial of basic rights in health care, and most importantly income inequality. There are also many unjust policies when it comes to the affordability of basic health care. Not to mention, a growing number of people are being refused equal pay for equal work.

The education system in many high schools throughout the US is also diminishing, especially, in impoverished school districts. Overall the US global assessment scores on reading comprehension, science, and math, place America at 36^th in terms of test scores.

American companies that step up to the plat and offer decent living wages will increase the tax base in their local towns and cities. This has a direct impact on their local school districts. Because the biggest investment a worker can make is buying a home. It creates an increase in property taxes and benefits the quality of public education in those areas.  

Good companies are not driven solely by their profit margin they also provide pathways for advancement and enable workers to have a voice in the workplace.  

When those on unemployment can collect more on their unemployment insurance than working full-time. What does that say about the ethical and moral responsibility of the employer who refuses to provide their employee with a living wage? A two-income household, working minimum wage jobs, cannot adequately provide for their child or children’s needs.

Minimum wage adult workers at most are disproportionately people of color, hard-working immigrants, and workers with low educational skills. These people are working harder and longer than ever before, falling behind, and losing hope. As our economy widens the gap, between those who have much and those who have little, our country falters and we lose our moral standing in the world.

Poverty can also lead to a life of crime out of desperation which can lead to higher crime rates in impoverished neighborhoods. This can have a drastic negative impact on possible corporate redevelopment initiatives because people do not want to open a new business in an area where there is a lot of senseless crime.

The bottom line is - millions of Americans today work hard at jobs that do not sustain them and their families. Low-wage jobs do not pay enough to provide even a modest standard of living. Many companies in today’s world do not offer proper benefits to meet the demands of raising children and leave workers unable to invest in paths to prosperity (like education) buying a home, or saving for retirement.

Greater educational opportunities seem like the best option for low-income workers it can be key to greater financial security. Only 33% of working adults in the US have a 4-year degree.

Education in today’s world is vital for gaining a decent standard of living. Another option can be learning a specialized trade. The problem though is that the cost of higher learning seems to lock out the most impoverished because the cost seems out of reach for them. All state universities in America should be free for those seeking to better themselves and that includes trade schools. A decent education can be a bridge to a brighter future not just for the students but for our country as a whole.    

Always with love, from Suzhou, China.

Thomas F O'Neill

WeChat - Thomas_F_ONeill

U.S. Voice mail: (410) 925-9334

China Mobile: 011 (86) 13405757231

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3

Let us get back to our core principals ......... 🦅

We all know there is a huge polarization in America, especially, between the Democrats and the Republicans. Their political-ideological division is quite evident within the House of Representatives and the Senate.

Democrats and Republicans are deadlocked refusing to compromise on the important issues that are vital for America and our future wellbeing. For example, finding a rational solution for a new stimulus bill or meeting in the middle of the great divide, to find a compromise seems beyond the realm of possibilities in Washington, DC. The two parties would rather come up with mere talking points to talk past one another. It is also more than evident that our U.S. Government has become dysfunctional and nothing seems to be getting accomplished.

The Democratic leaders see the Republican Party as being highjacked by the extreme conservative fringe. The Republican leaders on the other hand view the Democratic Party as the ultra-liberal progressive party.

A conservative talking point on Facebook is the claim that Democrats want to change America into a socialist country. Another post I read said liberalism is a mental disorder and what is needed is a return to our biblical roots. The other side is arguing that conservatives want to rewrite history to push their ideological agenda on the American people, the same is being said by conservatives against liberals.

Some of the religious right posting on social media have gone as far as to say our Nation’s founding fathers were orthodox Christians. However, there is no historical evidence to support their claim and history has proven time and time again that most but not all of our nation’s founding fathers were Deists, not Christians.

Conservative leaders enjoy weaving into their speeches that Abraham Lincoln was our greatest President and the first Republican President. Most historians would not refute that claim because Lincoln was by far a great historical President. They also bring up that Ronald Reagan never wavered from his Christian orthodoxy and single-handedly brought down the Soviet Union. Many historians would agree that Ronald Reagan was indeed an above-average President but to say he was orthodox in his beliefs and that he single-handedly brought down the Soviet Union is a bit of a stretch.

Many of the religious right postings on social media seem to lack historical knowledge, especially, with their outlandish claims that Abraham Lincoln and Ronald Reagan were born again Christians. There is no historical evidence to support that claim either. Perhaps, they believe if they say it enough times over the internet history will rewrite itself.

Rick Santorum states Liberalism is a social disease, I would disagree with the former Republican Senator from Pennsylvania. Problems facing our country are not caused by Liberalism but rather it’s the polarization of ideologies within Government.

Christian Fundamentalists posting on Facebook sincerely believe our Nation was founded on conservative Christian orthodoxy. They should however take time to learn about our country’s heritage rather than trying to push their religious agenda. Liberalism is not a social disease nor is it the sole cause of the discord in Washington, DC. The main problem is our government’s inability to reach a compromise and put the needs of the American people foremost.   

Liberal ideologies fill the pages of our history books; the delegates that signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776 were, for example, considered radical liberals. Especially, by those who didn’t want to rock the boat and enter a war with England. Most religious leaders at that time argued that a war against England could not be won.

In Thomas Jefferson’s time during the forming of our great American experiment, the Roman Catholic Church declared democracy an immoral form of Government. The Pope at that time believed - America does not recognize Christ and the church as its moral and governing authority therefore its government is worldly and immoral. Thomas Jefferson was considered the greatest liberal of all with his radical idea of erecting a wall of separation between church and state. Conservatives at the time declared him an atheist even though he was a Deist.

Those who condemned slavery in the 1850s were also considered bleeding heart liberals. Unlike today many Democrats were staunch racists during the abolitionist movement of the 1800s but their party was divided. That division led to the first Republican to win the Presidency in 1860. Abraham Lincoln only got 40% of the popular votes in the election of 1860. His two opponents got 60% of the votes - 30% of the votes going to each of his opponents. His two opponents were pro-slavery and if the 1860 election were a two-way race Lincoln would have lost due to his liberal ideals and history would have turned out quite differently.

Unlike today the Republican Party from the mid to the late 1800s was the liberal progressive party. The Democratic Party back then was the religious conservative party who campaigned on bible quotes. They believed slavery was justified on religious grounds because the bible says so.

Steven Douglas who ran against Lincoln accused him of being a Deist because he never referred to god’s biblical word in his speeches. Lincoln’s response, “…. when I do good … I feel good …… when I do bad, I feel bad. Therefore, I do my best to do what is right, …..  to follow the rules of goodness at all times, this is the religion I live by.” Lincoln went on to say in response to Steven Douglas “…… I cannot conceive a superior intelligence, which we refer to as God that would concur with my opponent’s (Douglas) feeble, mediocre ramblings.” Lincoln took a huge gamble by alienating himself from the religious conservatives, but he spoke honestly, but many historians believe Douglas won the debate among the pro-slavery crowd.

Lincoln was hated and despised as President because he did not set out to please the citizenry by making the popular choices. He rather put preserving the Union above all else. He understood history was depending on the tough unpopular choice he had to make. He brought our country through the greatest and bloodiest conflict our Nation ever faced. Some historians put the death toll in the civil war at seven-hundred and twenty thousand. North against South, brother against brother, every household experienced a great loss due to the death of a loved one. The South experienced the most carnage and punishment by the northern forces and each side passionately believed God was on their side.

A reporter asked Lincoln, “Mr. President both sides say God is on their side how can you both be right?” Lincoln’s response, “God is always on the side of humanity, urging us, to concede to the will of our higher angel, dwelling, within all of us.”

In the end, Lincoln’s assassination in 1865 elevated our 16th President to secular sainthood. His death occurred on the Christian observance of Good Friday. In some way, his death symbolized and represented the loss and pain that the country endured throughout the war.

North and South mourned the death of Abraham Lincoln. History however does not always concur with the myths and legends that continue to surround our 16th President in popular culture. He represented all that was worst in humanity and all that was best in humanity. His goals for the southern reconstruction were not fulfilled as he hoped they would be. It was due to his assassination and the staunch racism and hatred of his successor, Andrew Johnson. Unlike, Lincoln, the 17^th President, Andrew Johnson, was on the wrong side of history.  

Afro-Americans were treated poorly in the south and the southern whites got away with horrendous crimes against the southern blacks. Southerners used the people of color as scapegoats for the Civil War and took out all their hate and animosity against them.

The Ku Klux Klan commonly called the KKK or simply the Klan was made up of both democrats and republicans. When the KKK emerged, segregation soon followed, becoming the norm under the new Jim Crow laws that were established in the southern states. It would take decades for the civil rights movement to take root leading to extraordinary social changes.

The mid-1950s and throughout the 1960s brought the civil rights struggle to the national mainstream. Enlightened voices and extraordinary oratory from people like Martin Luther King, Jr. and other civil rights leaders brought the struggles of Afro-Americans to light. Television visualized the injustices waged against people of color in the south and the dissonance of white supremacy.

President John F Kennedy tried to pass massive civil rights legislation through congress, but conservative republicans and democrats blocked the bills. It wasn’t until JFK’s assassination that President Lyndon Johnson was able to push Kennedy’s civil rights bills through congress and the Civil Rights Act was signed into law in 1964 bringing an end to segregation. The voting rights act in 1965 was passed making it illegal to interfere with a person’s right to vote. The fair housing rights act in 1968 came into law making it illegal to refuse to rent or sell property to a person based on that person’s race.

Southern Governors opposed the new civil rights laws like Governor George Wallace (January 1963 – January 1967) of Alabama, a proud racist. He had no qualms about announcing his racism on national television. He said, “there was segregation, yesterday, they’ll be segregation, today, and they’ll be segregation, tomorra’, as long as I’m Govana’ of the mighty State of Alabama’.” George Wallace ran for Governor on that very slogan and won his first term in November of 1962. He and other southern Governors ignored the new civil rights laws. They accused the Democratic leaders in Washington of being soft, and bleeding-heart liberals, for interfering with the southern way of life. At various times throughout LBJ’s Presidency National guard units had to be called into various southern states to help enforce the Civil rights laws.

President Johnson escalated the Vietnam War by sending thousands of ground troops to Vietnam in hopes of winning over the hardline southern conservatives. They accused the President of being soft on communism. Those who opposed the war were looked upon as bleeding heart liberals by the conservatives. Most historians today would agree that the Vietnam War was a huge blunder and that Vietnam never posed an imminent threat to the United States.

Decades earlier when Franklin D. Roosevelt was elected President many Republicans during the Great Depression of the 1930s accused FDR as being a socialist for his new deal policies. His welfare programs also caused many Republican conservatives to accuse Roosevelt not just of being a socialist but of being a bleeding-heart liberal as well.

Conservatives on Facebook always point to Ronald Reagan as the last of the great conservative Presidents. If they took the time to read his personal letters a different picture would emerge. Reagan was once asked by a reporter “is Jesus Christ your personal savior?” Reagan responded, “I don’t wear religion on my sleeve.” The religious right at the time accused Reagan of being Christian in name only because he never brought up Jesus in his speeches and rarely worshiped in a Church on Sunday. Reagan’s personal writings show him to be ahead of his time on many social issues and he was not as conservative as the religious right on Facebook makes him out to be. In 1983, Reagan signed into law, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (third Monday in January) a national holiday to commemorate the life of Dr. King.  

If an Abraham Lincoln or a Ronald Reagan were to run for President today, they would not be able to get their names on the Republican ballot. The religious right would reject them for not being conservative enough.

In 1960 when John F Kennedy’s Catholicism became a campaign issue Kennedy responded, “The wall of separation between Church and State is absolute,” but many conservatives say Kennedy was wrong.

A religious conviction was never a prerequisite for political office in our Nation’s early years.  This has become a modern phenomenon that diminishes the electoral process in the United States. John F Kennedy was correct in stating the wall of separation is absolute because that is what our founding fathers intended it to be.

Religious litmus tests for political fitness within our country goes against the very core principles that our country was founded on. I do, however, agree that the founding principles that made our country great are becoming somewhat lost. It cannot be denied, our founding fathers did not set out to create a Christian Theocracy they intended to create a just society. They also had a benevolent attitude toward religion in general, and Christianity in particular.

Our Nation’s founding fathers believed education based on reason, logic, and a virtuous upbringing is needed for a just society to bear fruit. We cannot have a just society without a virtuous electorate and that too is being lost in our country. Religiosity being cloaked into Government policy by the conservative fringe will only diminish our nation’s greatness even further. We also need to re-apply the immortal words of John F Kennedy - “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country.” I say this because today many are asking what our Government can do for “ME” and that includes many of today’s politicians. Common decency and service to our country seem to have been foremost in Kennedy’s generation.

Service to our country and common decency are also part of our country’s founding principles unfortunately they too are eroding in society. Politicians need to move away from an entitlement mentality, to a self-worth mentality, by asking themselves, “what can I do to make our country a better place to live.”

I like to tell my students, “fools talk because they can, the wise on the other hand choose their words carefully.” Words matter and how we communicate with one another can be just as important as what we say to one another.

There are no easy solutions for the social issues permeating our society but we as citizens can take more personal responsibility for the negative issues surrounding us. We can empower ourselves and others by voting in this upcoming election.  We can also accomplish the needed changes in our society through education, volunteerism, involving ourselves in outreach and community-based programs. Putting ourselves in the service of others not only helps our community but it also enhances our wellbeing.

Always with love, from Suzhou, China.

Thomas F O'Neill

WeChat - Thomas_F_ONeill

U.S. Voice mail: (410) 925-9334

China Mobile: 011 (86) 13405757231

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3

 

The greatest ammunition ....... 🦅

 

The greatest ammunition at our disposal ....... 🦅

The greatest ammunition at our disposal is not disbursed through the barrel of a gun but through, thoughtful actions, right speech, and an understanding heart.

When I first arrived in China back in 2009, I noticed quickly that crime is relatively low here, especially, violent crime; it’s mostly due to the illegality of gun ownership. 

China with four times the population of America has far fewer criminals. Many sociologists say the social stigma of being labeled a thief in China is a greater deterrent than a prison sentence. I also noticed that China doesn’t have the number of drug crimes that America is now plagued with. Most crimes in America are drug-related but China isn’t overwhelmed with those issues. 

My students in my cultural diversity class are fascinated by the availability of weapons in America. Their perception of gun ownership in the U.S. is greatly influenced by the world media coverage of America’s high crime rate. 

Many of my students see the U.S. as a gun-toting society with its citizenry hell-bent on getting their way with a gun in hand. Violent films and news broadcasts give the impression that America is a dark and dangerous place to live. I, however, tell my students that most Americans are not criminals waiting for an opportunity to rob or steal. 

The right to bear arms is not something you will find in China. That is certainly a good thing and it makes for great conversations in my classes. I tell my students that you must practice common sense when it comes to personal property especially in America because thefts do take place. But not everyone in the U.S. walks around with weapons to protect themselves and their property. 

In 2011, one of my students said, “guns are like toys for most Americans,” and she went on to say, “the weapons they own is a sign of their immaturity and insecurities.” 

In 2010, a popular program in China showed security camera footage of a man walking into a convenience store in Florida with a holstered pistol. The footage of him was like something out of an old cowboy movie. As he stood in front of the clerk at the checkout, a man walked up behind the gun tooting man and pulled the pistol out of the man’s holster. He used it to demand that all the money be handed to him from the cashier, and after receiving cash in hand. The robber removed the bullets from the pistol and handed the gun back to its rightful owner. He then apologized to the clerk and walked out of the store. The video went viral on social media not just in China but throughout the world. People overseas use these types of videos to make our country and gun advocates in America look stupid.      

I once told my students in a class that “in times of struggle gun owners are usually killed by their own weapon.” I then went on to say, “there are more guns in America than people.” My students always laugh at those statements and the statements are always followed up with many insightful comments from my students. 

I find the Chinese here to be relatively honest, nonviolent, and on the most part helpful. I never worry about my personal belongings being stolen because from my personal experiences I never had anything stolen here. I never have to lock my apartment door because I know when I return everything will be there as I left it. 

In 2009, an American couple left an unwanted shirt in their Hotel room in Shanghai. A Hotel employee showed up at the Shanghai train station on his own to return the shirt to them. They tried to give the Hotel employee a tip for his trouble, but he refused to take it. That experience left a huge impression on that couple and it was something they never experienced before. They said to me “experiences like that are not something you can easily describe to a person because China’s culture is not something that can easily be expressed in words it is something you have to experience.” 

China was not always free from crime though because the country did and still has its share of criminal organizations. Criminals here still ignore intellectual property rights and they illegally copy popular products. In 2009, BlackBerry phones were hot items for bootleggers.  Today, various brand name wristwatches, computer operating systems, and brand name clothes are copied and sold on the streets of Shanghai. You can still buy fake Rolex watches here that look like the real deal, and fake brand name smartphones on China’s city streets. Counterfeit currency is another criminal enterprise here. The China Government must continually come up with ways to make it more difficult for criminals to print fake currency.

In 2008, the Shanghai Daily Newspaper ran a story about a pickpocket ring in the Northern city of Xinjiang and the elaborate distractions the criminals came up with to pick your pocket. It was News because of the boldness of the criminals. 

In the Chinese City of Fujian an illegal smuggling operation of human cargo was shut down in 2008 and the criminals were given long prison sentences. Some of the people who were smuggled out of China illegally found themselves in various U.S. cities forced into prostitution. 

There were about 270 cities in China in 2010 that saw a huge rise in cellphone thefts. The reselling of stolen phones was a huge criminal enterprise. Today, however, the tracking of stolen phones has become a huge deterrent for criminals. The cellphone companies in China can turn a stolen phone off and make it impossible for a thief to use it. China is now beginning to utilize even greater technology to curb the theft of cellphones with GPS tracking and other locator software. Modern cellphones cannot be completely turned off enabling the phone to be tracked which has also become a huge deterrent for thieves. 

Artificial intelligence technology and facial recognition software have also become a huge crime-fighting tool. There are cameras everywhere in the most populous country on earth. If you commit a crime it is only a matter of time that you will be tracked and caught. Law enforcement can track down criminals by user apps and facial recognition security cameras. Artificial intelligence facial recognition technology has brought the crime rate down to an all-new low making the Chinese society a relatively peaceful society. 

I’m not able to adequately describe the cultural differences between America and China nor can I explain why crime is so much higher in the U.S. There is however something deeply ingrained in China’s culture that sets them apart from much of the problems that are currently plaguing our American society. I believe the U.S. is losing touch with its core values and principles that led to our greatness. At the same time, many in America still communicate the traditional values that resonate within our nation's core principles. Those core principals set our country apart, attracting our ancestors to our shores, they were the ones who built our great nation. 

One simple lesson I learned from my Grandparents, if you are kind and respectful others will be kind and respectful in return. That insight is also ingrained in China’s culture and it is also something we can all learn from through experience and practice. I didn’t have to travel halfway around the world to be kindhearted and respectful towards those around me. It was already instilled in me from my Grandparents from a young age. I also discovered over the years that what you give to others is returned to you in, greater fold, and that is something I have experienced firsthand. 

I always tell my students our self-worth is not determined by our material possessions. Our self-worth is ultimately determined by what we give to others. The average Chinese person seems to understand that better than us average Americans. 

Our American Founding Fathers believed in Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of happiness but to find true happiness, we must first have the life and liberty to bring happiness to others. The happiness I was seeking when I first came to China was already within me, but I didn’t discover that happiness until I shared it with others. I think that is why I enjoy the company of my students and why they enjoy my company. 

My students want to learn all they can about the American culture and at the same time, I am gaining tremendous insights about China’s culture and its rich traditions. 

Always with love, from Suzhou, China.

Thomas F O'Neill

WeChat - Thomas_F_ONeill

U.S. Voice mail: (410) 925-9334

China Mobile: 011 (86) 13405757231

Skype: thomas_f_oneill

Email: introspective7@hotmail.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/thomasf.oneill.3

The students in my video are members of the Z Generation ......... 🦅

The students in my video are members of the Z Generation - they have witnessed extraordinary advances in technological growth not just in China but globally. They are also the most informed and technologically connected generation - accessing information instantly.

 It has been said though, knowledge is only as useful as its proper application, the successful influencers are not the harbingers of knowledge or truth but rather they apply what they come to understand wisely.  In my heart, I understand, that the students who have crossed my path over the years will have a profound impact on the world as they blaze their trails toward a brighter future  ......... 🦅

 

Do good things and good things will come your way ......... 🦅