Troubling Questions

• Cigarettes are bad for people  (as are pipes and cigars)  yet each is still sold in America - at inflated high prices presumably to keep profits coming in nicely.  The hidden cost of providing  these few die-hard smokers is huge. We have known for years that tobacco products contain  addictive and vicious poisons. Yet  American tobacco  companies  have had  years to find a different products to sell but none seem to have made a serious effort.  Instead they quietly focus on selling more cigarettes in Asia, Africa and South America for example.  We Americans  are killing more people with cigarettes than ever before.  Does this sound like something we should do?

• The Korean War never was. Our leaders needed it to be a  - POLICE ACTION.  Pray tell, what is the difference? I believe the  distinction was a political ploy to separate the treaties, laws and war agreements made during WWII, from the needs of carrying on the military requirements of the Korean WAR. 

• ,India is an impoverished poverty stricken mess. There are powerful political and social divisions within. While they fight for national power, abuse and corruption is rampant, and their fiscal systems fail. The Indian nation does not provide anything close to adequate resources for their impoverished poor. 

• Our government operates a free market  capitalistic economic system.   What economic rule says we should  ever bail out small, large,  or huge (supposedly non-political) private or publicly held companies.

• We have allowed our current government administration to spend trillions of dollars that, as a nation, we do not have in the bank.  Who made it possible to run this country on a limitless credit card. It is not uncommon for nations to run up huge debts. If they borrow more dollars to pay at least the interest on the debt, the national government will collapse. America currently can not pay the interest on the national debt. Is this a good thing?

• Pope Francis is visiting the United States. He apparently brings 3 admonitions for Americans. 1. We need to work harder toward equality among our people. 2. We need to gradually move from a capitalistic economy toward a socialistic one. 3. America must do more to ease the extremely poverty stricken poor in our country. Personally I see the pot calling the kettle black. All over the world there is opulent evidence of the Catholic church simply rolling in assets, and it is estimated that the churches treasury is more than amply endowed.  Yet, their efforts at charitable giving to relieve the poor are almost unnoticeable.

• Who decided that heaven was above? Why can't it be seen? Does it really have dry ice clouds to walk on instead of a floor? 

• Was it Dante' that decided that hell was down and hot? Was he also the guy that invented purgatory? Is there a hole on earth someplace where a person can get close enough to roast marshmallows?