With everything that is going on in the United States this week, the big story in and on the news is President Obama’s First 100 Days in Office. Thank goodness the talking heads on TV news can count to 100, or did they have to hire a mathematician to do that for them. While President Obama has been busy turning our economy around in his first 100 days, the big story for me is the political shift that continues to take place in America.
In ancient times in Egypt, there was a Pharaoh that tried to bring change to his kingdom. The state religion of the people of Egypt then had many gods and the high priests that controlled and interpreted their religion were happy with things as they were. But, the new young Pharaoh decided that the old religion was wrong, and that there was only one god, and that god was in the heavens. You might say he was a head of his times. The young Pharaoh, it is believed was murdered, and the kingdom went back to worshipping their many gods as they had done for hundreds if not thousands of years before. Change does not come easy, or without paying a price.
I was in my late teens and early twenties during the height of the Civil Rights Era in the United States. I was also very much interested in social justice as I had been since I was a young boy and visited the slums in the West End with my grandfather, who owned property on West Sixth Street. To fully understand and appreciate the shift this country has made over the last 50 years, you have to understand a little history. While great things can happen in a short span of time, it is not the norm when talking about social and cultural history.
The movement to a more progressive or liberal orientation both socially and politically has been taking place in the United States for many years. But, this last presidential election has seen something that has not occurred in the history of the United States before. We have elected our own African prince as President at a time when the state economic-religion needs to be changed. The high priests on Wall Street will not give up their gods for a single truth. The truth that ethics and laws of a higher order should be the rule of the day for everyone that invests their money in investment securities. Regardless if you are an individual investing for your retirement or a state pension fund investing for millions of people, the rule of law with an eye towards transparency should be the road taken.
This is the fight that is taking place in the halls of Congress and The White House right now. Those on top, those with the money and influence will not allow a new order to come in without a fight. But, their is political movement taking place as Senator Arlen Specter is now a Democrat. Perhaps with a few more shifts, the ground work will have been set for a new and better regulatory environment as the people of the United States deserve. Regulations, oversight and transparency that will level the playing field for all who work to give their family a better life now and a chance at security for the future.
Stay tuned.
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2 comments:
The term "level playing field' is used by some in the press. I'm not sure when we lost it, but I remember a long, long time ago, I thought rules were designed to help the average, middle class person. (I could be wrong in my original thought process!)
I really don't know we can ever get back to equalizing the playing field......too many people want to win the game at any cost.
Winslow, to my way of thinking you never get a level playing field, yet it is something we strive for. We never have perfect justice, but we can work towards those ends. You are right about those that control the playing field don't want to see it level, as they enjoy that it is tilted in their favor. But, when we think about GHGH, greatest good for the greatest number, we realize that a level playing field helps us all.
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