This seems to be a favorite topic among Republicans. I don’t post much about into political philosophies. I generally vote for Democrats, but I can be persuaded to vote for a Republican. I like many Republicans. If they support aiding Ukraine, so Putin can not take over the country, I would vote for a Republican. So, I am a moderate liberal, I guess.

I want real progress made on climate change and alternative energy. I hate trade tariffs. I like international cooperation, not disrupting existing relationships among our friends. Conceptually, I like “problem solving” and bipartisan efforts- this seems the opposite of what our current administration has done. I like the term “Progressive” and dislike the term Democratic Socialists of America (DSA). I like much of what the DSA supports, but one statement I find objectionable from the DSA:

“Capitalism is a system designed by the owning class to exploit the rest of us for their own profit. We must replace it with democratic socialism, a system where ordinary people have a real voice in our workplaces, neighborhoods, and society.”

So, capitalism is bad, and democratic socialism is the answer. Actually, I would argue that “ordinary people” do have a real voice today, not is fighting against capitalism, but regulating its excesses. The latest one is huge data centers, promoted by huge corporations, which local communities around the country have stopped.

Wikipedia has a more unbiased definition of capitalism:

“Capitalism is an economic system where private individuals or businesses own the means of production (e.g., factories, land, and machinery). Resources and prices are primarily guided by market forces like supply and demand rather than central government planning. The primary driver of this system is the generation of profit.”

Capitalism, as stated above, actually sounds pretty good. But, we have seen what the happens when government regulation is lacking. The 2008 housing crash was primarily the result of relaxing rules governing financial centers loaning practices.

We celebrate entrepreneurship, where people find new products or services. Just 28 years ago, Larry Page and Sergey Brin started Google, which I use daily. Is it wrong that they are a couple of the richest people in the world? The concept of communism was to eliminate the extreme inequality of wealth that evolves with capitalism. It is obvious that this didn’t succeed, as Putin is extremely wealthy. So are leaders of other communist countries.

So, we can’t be complaining that capitalism is bad, and at the same time, enjoying the amazing advances that real entrepreneurs have developed. But, capitalism breeds cronyism and graft, and is very destructive to both capitalism and democracy. It is at the core of dictators or tyrants throughout the world, that the path to success is not through investing in your company, but political contributions.

This is where the Republican party has stood by silent, while the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was systematically destroyed. CFPB protect consumers from businesses that violate the law. . They protect borrowers, who might not read every word in a loan agreement, but who were lied to, as a matter of policy. The Trump administration had lawsuits that had already been won, dropped, because it was “bad for business.”

Sen. Warren says Trump’s CFPB overhaul has cost Americans $26.5 billion

Crooks have a friend in the White House, and the more support they give to Trump, the more likely they will be pardoned. Tax cheats take a real long time to uncover, particularly rich ones.

President Trump’s Pardons: An Embarrassment of Riches

With a stroke of a pen, a president is able to raise millions for his political party. Case in point, from the above article:

“Trump pardoned Paul Walczak (who evaded millions of dollars in taxes) after Walczak’s mother raised millions of dollars for MAGA candidates and paid a million dollars to dine with the president at Mar-a-Lago. Trevor Milton—the securities fraudster mentioned above—donated $1.8 million to Trump’s campaign before a presidential pardon wiped out all $660 million of his restitution obligations. (That is, if nothing else, an impressive ROI.)”

So, this kind of graft happens in many other countries. But, it is not good for business, as it puts honest business people at a disadvantage. It is how Venezuela and many other countries sold out their democratic principles for political contributions.

Trump even went as far as to pardon the criminals who invaded the US Capital on Jan 6, 2021. They were wearing MAGA caps and defended their action, repeating the claim that the elections were rigged. It was a clear signal to the business community, that support for Trump, gave them a certain “get out of jail free” card.

So, I am not terribly concerned with Democratic Socialists, as they would lead the charge against government corruption. Capitalism is here to stay. It needs to coincide with good government. Capitalism prime driver will always be profits. Government’s prime driver is to improve the lives of its people. It is when these two objectives clash, government must align with the the needs of the country, and not wealthy interests.

If this makes me a liberal, so be it. I am a liberal capitalist, who pays his taxes and looks for government to return to doing good things for all Americans.

Stay tuned,

Dave

The New York Times provided more insight on Wednesday’s dismissal of the popular Defense Minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, by President Zelensky. He was only 35 years old, and known to be “drone-centric” although it’s a bit more complicated than this.

“Col. Pavlo Yelizarov, a deputy commander of the air force, submitted his resignation in protest of Mr. Fedorov’s dismissal. “I believe the removal of Fedorov is a great blow to the country’s defense,” he wrote in a social media post.”

Ukraine has continues to run short of sufficient funds to fund its military on the ground, and the drone based attacks on Russia. And Fedorov pushed too hard for the later.

The Defense Minister Fedorov has, of course, a very different perspective and held a news conference to attack the decision leading to his dismissal. He fought against corruption in procurement of weapons and tried to minimize troop losses through drone technology. Fedorov accused General Syrskyi of thwarted the careers of promising junior commanders. So, a real split had developed.

Fedorov said the decision-making with Ukraine is all wrong. It was a very broad accusation. Certainly, the Generals would respond that experience is an important aspect in military strategy.

“Decisions about who should be supported and who should not, who should be reinforced and who should not, are not based on data,” he said. “They are based on loyalty” to the senior commanders.

The New York Times cited another reason for dismissing Fedorov, namely his popularity in Ukraine and ambition, made him potential threat to Zelensky’s presidency:

“Mr. Zelensky’s dismissal of Mr. Fedorov, 35, sidelined a potential political rival who had seized the spotlight.”

General Syrskyi at age 60, does not have the same ambitions.

Stay tuned,

Dave’

The New York Times article is by subscription only.

There can be only one defense minister in Ukraine, that can direct the defense of their country. Many are disappointed at Zelensky’s dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov due to his bad relations with General Oleksandr Syrskyi.

Fedorov wanted General Syrskyi removed, but instead it is Fedorov who is out. And, Ukraine is without a Defense Minister. Of course, Putin know this and I am certain, will try to take full advantage of this dismissal.

Per Reuters:

Fedorov, a totemic figure for Ukrainians who see the use of technology as key to winning the war, has overseen a ramp-up in production of middle-range and deep strike drones and ​smoothed out defence procurement.
His tenure coincided with a visible improvement in Ukraine’s battlefield position after years on the back foot, as well as a spectacular campaign of drone strikes that have battered oil infrastructure and military targets deep ‌inside Russia.

I agree, The manufacturing of drones by Ukraine was an enormous step forward. The drone strikes have been highly successful. But Ukraine has to also win back territory and it needs replenish its troops. So, classic warfare verses electronic one – that’s the issue!

Ousted defence minister lays bare rift at heart of Ukraine’s war effort

Federov recent tirade against General Syrski certainly didn’t help bring unity. Zelensky can’t afford to choose sides. Rather he has to find ways to bring the sides together. This means continuing punishing strikes deep inside Russia and seizing Russian territory when possible, knowing that offensive measures are more productive than defensive ones. But the recapture of seized territory is still a top priority and it takes more boots on the ground.

Stay tuned,

Dave