Our current disfunction began when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor. Our country rose up in great anger and sought vengeance. Nearing the end of a brutal war the Japanese military was determined to defend their home island at all cost- to us and to them. Firebombing Tokyo (100,000 dead and 1,000,000 homeless) left the Japanese military undeterred.

President Truman dropped atomic bombs on Japan – arguably the worst single war crime of the war. The Japanese military was still ready to fight to the finish.

Fortunately the Japanese Emperor was wise enough to announce the surrender of Japan and the Japanese people obeyed .  Dropping the atomic bombs saved millions of lives and gave the Japanese a new and much better government – it was the best thing to do.

But the commission of terrible war crimes did not go unpunished. The people of the United States were now the most powerful people on earth. We had atomic bombs and we were the mightiest on the earth. We were not humble and grateful.

President Truman should have led our country in sackcloth and ashes in a sincere prayer for forgiveness for committing the terrible act of dropping two atomic bombs on Japan. He should then have worked to eliminate all atomic bombs.

Instead our pride led to maintaining a more powerful military than everyone else. Our political parties vied to spend the most money on the military. Social Security was moved into the main federal budget to hide the size of military spending. 

Ronald Reagan’s unwillingness to collect taxes to pay for the military spending led to national budget deficits and the obscene number of billionaire oligarchs whose money is now distorting the political process. Taxing the poor is easy (look at the Tennessee lottery and the Tennessee sales tax that started at 2 percent in 1947)  but taxing the wealthy is difficult.  For unprincipled oligarchs it is cheaper to buy politicians than pay taxes.

I am 90 years old and cowardly politicians now in charge won’t much affect my remaining years but you younger people have big problems to solve:

1. Climate change is real and the cause is obvious. Read the Keeling curve and be wise.

2. Get rid of nuclear bombs or someone will use one. We live in a Mexican standoff.

3. Tax the oligarchs. Only aware voters can do it – nothing else will work.