Browse Month

March 2019

Is feudalism our future?

If we don’t close the wealth gap, capitalism will disappear
By Dr. Larry Fedewa (March 30, 2019)
“American capitalism is now in crisis because most financial assets, most ownership of stock, and most capital income from dividends and interest and capital gains are concentrated in the top 1%, 5%, and 10% of the population. As these levels of concentration approach 80%, our society could soon arrive at the level of ownership that English lords and ladies had of all English land before the American Revolution.” (Blast and Freeman, FORTUNE, April 17, 2014). That system was essentially medieval feudalism, with serfs and masters.
Henry Ford understood the fundamental dynamic of capitalism, namely, that sharing profits with employees gives them more money with which to buy his products, which in turn increases profits, and that increases everyone’s wealth. This simple fact has been forgotten by the American business culture. The very purpose of capitalism is to increase the wealth of the entire nation and so to give everyone a stake in diligently pursuing a peaceful, productive life.

What about a free-market health care system?

Shrink insurance and government down to size! Patient-centered medical care is possible.
By Dr. Larry Fedewa
The starting point for a discussion of a national health care system should be setting our goals.
American health care should be:
1. High quality, state-of-the-art
2. Available to all
3. Affordable
4. Abundant
5. Well-funded
What are the principal obstacles to these goals?
a. The shortage of medical personnel. This shortage has two facets: not enough medical professionals are produced in the first place, and too many drop out before their time.

Vlady to Deep State: “Well done!”

“You have achieved Russia’s greatest victory in the 21st century!”

By Dr. Larry Fedewa
(March 25, 2019) Texas Representative John Ratcliffe (R), former federal prosecutor and among the most impressive and careful members of Congress, made a case to Fox’s Maria Bartiromo yesterday morning that the enemies of President Trump have accomplished thegoals of Russia’s interventions in the 2016 USA election far more successfully than the Russian spies could ever have hoped for.
Those goals have been revealed as the division of the American public in such a way as to discredit the new president, to sow deep mistrust of the electoral process, and to encourage contempt for the rule of law. Altogether to undermine America’s democracy in the eyes of her citizens. In addition, this continual distraction of the American government and media has precipitated a monumental effort to paralyze the Washington establishment with respect to foreign policy and performance – a goal shared with the entire Democrat Congress.

Partisanship versus Patriotism 

If partisanship blinds one to his/her obvious duty, that person does not deserve to hold office in this Republic.
By Dr. Larry Fedewa (March 17, 2019)  
There comes a time when partisanship can blind politicians to their duties as patriotic Americans. Apparently the U.S. Congress has arrived at that time. Anyone who has been following events at our southern border for the past several months has seen an alarming situation grow worse and worse.
The caravans from Central America have been arriving with increasing frequency – to the extent that we are now expecting nearly one million illegal immigrants to cross from Mexico into our country this year. Under our current laws, “catch and release” has become again the order of the day. Everybody knows by now that we simply do not have enough capacity to house so many people at the border, so hundreds of thousands of unvetted, undocumented individuals are being shipped all over the country every day.

Stations of the Cross

Written and narrated by Dr. Larry Fedewa
Comments:
Truly an epic poem shared with passion. Where the pace is rapid, I couldn’t help reflecting on the similarly hypnotic cadence of The Hound of Heaven, a poem that has been my companion and consolation for many decades. The message also reflects the wisdom and gratitude in Amazing Grace: “I once was lost but now am found …” Great Lenten meditation. Hard to imagine Dr. Fedewa could cover so much — and convey so much more — in just 4 minutes and 19 seconds. Time well spent, especially now during Lent. Thank you!
I just attended the stations of the cross @ St. Katharine Drexel Church here in Frederick, Maryland. Thank you!

K-12 Schooling in the Information Age: Some Ideas

By Dr. Larry Fedewa (March 4, 2019)
I believe there is more than one good answer to the challenge of providing a superior education to today’s children. I also believe that these answers will be found only through competition. This means that the government monopoly of education must be curtailed, and that the voucher programs being advocated by local pioneers, and now with the encouragement of the federal government, collectively will find the best answers to our contemporary challenges. My own suggestions for a new model of schooling are outlined below.
1. Learning theory  
 
My thinking about schooling starts with the realization that humans are
always learning. Everything we see, hear, and experience is new knowledge in some degree or nuance.