Friday, November 03, 2006
Searching for a way forward
I think there is a direct, common sense way to fix things, and get our dilapidated experiment going back in the right direction. It doesn’t take a miracle. There is no need for a bloody revolution. It can happen, but it will take the will of a massive amount of people to put real, bottom up reform into action. Here are just a few of my ideas for laying the groundwork for a real shift in our social construct.
First and foremost, we have to stop referring to America as a democracy. This is no democracy. Never has been, never will be. Our government is a representative republic, and it is time that we stopped throwing around the word democracy, because it is meaningless in modern society.
It is the moral responsibility of every citizen in a representative republic, to inform and educate themselves. This does not necessarily have to be through formal education, as there is no guarantee we will learn anything of real use in the formal education system. There is a mountain of free information available, if one is properly motivated to seek it out. An uninformed citizen is a liability in a society like ours.
It is the moral responsibility of every citizen in a representative republic to be involved in their own governance. This means, at the very least, actively voting. Writing letters, participating on some level in the functions of government that regulate and impose the ruling power’s will upon our lives doesn’t hurt. A non-voting citizen is deadweight in a representative government.
Sheep are useless to an healthy, diverse, representative republic. Those who fall in line, taking what they are told at face value, are a hindrance to social change. They function as the antithesis of the informed citizen, who makes decisions based on conscience and critical analysis. Sheep are cowards, and as such, have no real worth in a society set on governing itself effectively.
There will always be bad/evil people in government, and they must be dealt with. From the likes of Tom DeLay to Ted Kennedy, bad leadership must be dealt with swiftly and decisively. A number of things would have to change, from the ridiculous allowance of limitless reelection, to the laws governing political campaign finance, and it is up to the populace to demand these changes. Term limits are a good thing. The banning of lobbyist and corporate bribery is a necessity. Holding politicians accountable for every transgression is paramount.
People need to step up and address the fact that their interests are no longer being represented in government. In effect, the government has become an extortionist overseer, charging us for the right to sell our future down the proverbial river. Greed, egomania, and total disregard for what is best for the country at large has created a system that often times acts in direct opposition to the peoples’ best interests. We suffer taxation without representation, which is exactly what this country was founded as a refuge from.
This list could go on forever, and I haven’t even mentioned the monumental debt being accrued by our culture, the social ills that plague our crumbling civilization, and the natural resource issues we face going forward. It seems overwhelming, but like all massive problems, these can be broken down into smaller pieces, and addressed in a managed fashion. Whether or not we have the courage and integrity as a culture to step up and do what’s right is another issue entirely.
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your second-to-last paragraph there struck me as interesting. it reminded me of something *insert title of an important person i work with* (unfortunately my job demands certain anonymities, hence the frustratingly achieved absence of political discussion in my own blog) said... that, for instance, it behoves a politician of a given party who represents the disadvantaged to resist legislative measures spearheaded by the opposite party which would benefit his constituents. how sad it is that the system of governance which has emerged is one that not just allows but actually perpetuates disservices to the people?
whoa, hey, you misunderstand. the person i was referring to used that as an example of how flawed the government is. his job is to find ways to work around these obstacles to get things done which do help the disadvantaged in our communities... and his point was that this can rarely be accomplished at the federal level. his opinion is that much less partisan strategizing and a lot more cooperating toward a common goal is present at the state level, where governors -- in his opinion -- actually make serving their constituents their number one priority.
Oops...yep, definitely misunderstood. Sorry about that. I definitely agree with this someone important. :)