Something has been bothering me of late, a little political something. It seems that we have a few matters of fundamental political philosophy in this country that trouble my mind.
It is a central tenet of our modern theory that we live in a capitalist democracy, the economic implications of the which are clear enough but there is also the matter of certain political feelings espoused by the powers that be. The troublesome one of late being the belief that we should elect those representatives who will act in our best interest.
Now, there is a history behind this. You see it is important to remember that the fundamental principle of our government is a belief that we are a government of the people, that we as sovereign individuals federate a portion of our collective rights, freedoms and powers to a government (or as the case may be a state and a nation) and in so doing gain greater power/freedom etc by our collective strength.
To manage our collective affairs we appoint representatives in (and we shall simplify again to a national perspective only, my apologies) three distinct forms. Legislative, Executive and Judicial. Now, are we not feeling like we are back in grade school.
In any event those representatives then are free agents restrained only by the supposed notion that if they are not acting in our best interests we will find them out and unseat them. Not likely. But a good theory nonetheless. The question then for todays discussion becomes who is this "we" and what is "our" best interest.
You see the trouble is another fundamental principle of our democracy, the notion that we are a state where the majority enacts rules to the betterment of all. And I think if we all sat down and had a nice straight vote for something there might be a good discourse about what is the "right" thing to do, instead of just what is best for me.
Now I say"I" think, and I am sure that reader out there may disagree. You see I believe in a moral or right human-kind. Whereas all of you college educated cynics are sure to say that man is a self-serving and selfish creature that is only capable of acting in their own best interest. What a strange idea. Where did that come from.
Well, you see, you are a self-serving and selfish creature and so you feel it is o.k. to say that everyone is. Makes you feel better doesn't it. Easy to understand how such a wicked and wrong philosophy could spread from school to school, university to university throughout the land so easily. Everybody's evil, so I should be too. (Scary thing, I've been looking around, and I am starting to wonder just how many people are evil, nother story).
In any event so these self-centered people argue that the best way to be is self-centered and that they should elect only politicians that are equally self-centered. Blind leaders of the blind.
And that is where we are today, a bunch of politicians that are only interested in serving the people who paid the money to get them into office, which money was paid expressly to buy the requisite votes for a particular political agenda. Sad thing is, they all just sit and bicker and lead us to destruction, no one is actually getting what they wanted and why they sent a self-centered person in the first place, whose got the last laugh?
What was it supposed to be like? Well, you see, they have it close. As they often do. You were supposed to elect the person that you thought would do "the right thing for all of the people." Not the best thing for you. The whole idea was that we as a collective people could choose good men and women who would represent what is in all of our best interest.
Yeah, like thats gonna happen. Because we seem to prefer to act only in our own interests, rather than in the interests of the whole. But wait, do we really? What creature is man, are we truly lost to wickedness and sorrow?
Tune in later on this channel for:
-Progressive Taxation and you, what happens when socialism and capitalism have a baby.
-Science and Science Fiction, light, sound and other natural phenomenon for which I don't charge
and -War and Warriors, how you too can conquer the world for less than $20
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