I was attending a writing class recently, and yes, one never outgrows an ability to grow and improve. The teacher asked us to first think about all the various types of government and then, to put forth what we as individuals feel is the best form. The idea was in setting the groundwork for a future work be it fiction or non-fiction. What would you do?
The first idea that popped into my head was the word, "Utopia." It is central to any thinker of the dismal science. Man has always struggled to find one. Those of us who believe in God think the only utopia is heaven. While we journey on earth, we try to follow the teachings centered on love with the hope to obtain paradise. However, there are moments within history when leaders arose that put into place government that promoted the general welfare and allowed all to pursue happiness. The sins of man always seem to re-capture leadership positions and thus, no government has a legacy that can be duplicated.
Man has tried all the ideas pertaining to government, but with little success. Democracy seems to hold within its format the most promise, but its progression is very, very slow. This aspect gave birth to the title and mission of this blog, The Evolution of Democracy.
The inherit problem for democracy lies in its ability to get ordinary citizens into the seat of leadership. Not only that, even if one was to emerge, is that person the right person whose views reflect the populous?
Since I believe that all things are connected which is the theme to my unpublished work, the first connection to government is money and land. Consider the first struggles that are attached to the formation of modern democracy. The Magna Carter was a battle between the king and his aristocratic peers. The US began has a battle due to taxes placed by a king. Whenever outbreaks occurred, whether it established a new government or not, you will always find that the plight of ordinary citizens never changes. The French and Russian revolutions are perfect examples. The citizens fought and died and when the graves were filled, the vacuum in government was filled with people who acted like the government that was just deposed. They enacted self-serving laws and self-promotion.
The Rise of the Oligarchy
This is the weakness in democracy. When the founding fathers of the US began deliberations to form government, they feared democracy because they thought people would vote themselves benefits, especially the majority over the minority. Their fears were only half-right. John Adams had the other half. The reason we have two houses in Congress was because Adams feared that only the wealthy would hold office in the Senate. He hoped the house would have ordinary citizens. We now know differently. The weakness in the US democracy is it is controlled in both houses by the rich and large landholders who voted themselves benefits at the expense of everyone else. They are no different than the oligarchs who run Russia or the Chinese Communist party that controls China. There is no true democracy anywhere on earth.
So, if I were to throw out an idea, it would follow the democratic principles, but the citizens could look for certain sign posts to see if those principles were being followed. How many ordinary citizens have progressed on the political rung to represent the people? It is the same old, same old leadership of rich lawyers, landowners and similar?
Government needs to protect its citizens from foreign powers. This does not mean that the nation actively engages in international affairs. It is never the police force of the world. It enacts laws that benefit the majority, but sunsets them to evaluate their fairness to the minority. When dealing in trade with the global community, all aspects of a product/sale must be evaluated. Since I also believe that our operating system of capitalism is a plus, the playing field of any trade must be put into perspective. It must be evaluated to our currency to which should return to gold, silver and other precious metals for backing strength. When our nation was on the gold standard, it was extremely foolish to allow convertibility. Nations stole our gold. Who wouldn't take gold for paper? This led to the destruction of our currency. Why did our so-called leaders allow manipulative, fiat paper which does not match gold on any level to be exchanged for our gold? Idiots!
Anyway, our individual companies must have the help of our government because global nations utilize state sponsored enterprise. This makes any trade unfair for our individual companies. By the way, capitalism has its sins and those are man's sins like greed, coercion, fraud, ego, amongst others. This is not the time and place to address them. The government should strive to make the country self-sufficient as best as it is able. Whomever is elected, they should not ban opposing party ideas because they come from political opposition. Our seniors would be destitute if it weren't for the concept of social security which is a socialist contribution. A liberal gave us our creed that all men are created equal or else we would have collapsed with race riots ages ago. Conservative thinking gave us a strong currency in the gold standard, but there are no real conservatives in government anymore. My mother's words of wisdom, "There are good and bad in all groups." It should be central to government leadership.
Our nation developed individually in the form of states, but federal government destroys states rights. This needs to be amended to allow each its own sphere of influence. The government should not seek to expand and always operate in economic balance of revenues to expenses. The government should do more for the school systems with all schools, no matter parochial or public, to receive funding because all of their students are citizens of the same state. The application of rules and regulations of the government should be citizens first with the hope to live and let live in developing our individual pursuit of happiness with peace and love throughout the land.
What would you do?
P.S. I did not address the jurisdiction or power of the judicial branch of government. The reason is that I have an answer, but it is to be revealed if I ever get my unpublished work, published.
