If you have read any of my stuff you will realize that I, like all my fellow sapients, have several pithy maxims we tend to drag out and air regularly, like a favorite old bathrobe that looks like it has endured the ravages of mange but manages to be the most comfortable outfit for those dark moments of existence.
On of my old chestnuts is the ever useful, "Don't confuse the map with the terrain." I used this old workhorse recently while describing the pitfalls of democracy and one reader asked for clarification. I quoted the illustrious philosopher Professor Steven Alexander Wright, "I have a full scale map of the world, 1 inch equals 1 inch," to which I add my own addition, "but I don't know where I left it." This did not clarify anything so I broke down and gave my remarks about democracy without aphorism or proverb, it now follows.
Democracy is a terrible system but it's the best one that has so far been tried. Compared to monarchism (one guy, many slaves) or socialism (Some guys, many slaves) it does have some redeeming values. The problems with democracy are many but can be summed up like this:
- it is mob rule. Two people can tell one person how to live simply by voting away his rights. Intelligence and ethics are not additive, two people or two million people are not smarter or more virtuous than one, but they are stronger, and there's the rub. Democracy is implied violence, if you don't do what we say we will make you. And the teams can change on a whim, today, John and Tom are voting against your right to have an abortion, tomorrow, you and John are revoking Tom's right to own a firearm. Democracy is everyone as slave to everyone.
- Democracy has the map/terrain problem when people perceive the vote of the majority as the "right" or "ethical" solution, they are told "we believe abortion is wrong" and somehow misconstrue this as some kind of Devine commandment, they have confused the game with reality. The majority is not always right, recent developments in the U.S.A as well as in other countries have made that abundantly clear to anyone with the ability to think critically and objectively. When a governmental body can, with all solemnlty, inform those who voted them power that it's actions must remain secret because telling you would endanger lives, you must, somewhere deep inside, understand that they are doing things you didn't vote for and would probably vote against. They create the illusion of collusion by confusion. WE didn't invade Iraq, but between the government propaganda and the compliant media conglomerate, they trick you into believing it's what you want.
- Democracy never stops at the property line. The stated intention, since the United States became a world player, was that we would spread democracy, like some political form of herpes, to all the peoples of the world (apparently whether they want it or not), we topple foreign governments, assassinate (or attempt to anyway) leaders, and place sanctions against countries who we feel aren't appreciative enough about our gift of democracy we shoved down their throats. Instead of being the shining city on the hill, leading the rest of the world to enlightenment by our actions we are the neighborhood bully.
- When people get the taste of voting "free stuff" they will inevitably want more, free healthcare, free education, free infrastructure, free cellular phones. I will not pull out the obvious ode to Heinlein here but will attempt, without proverb or parable, to point out the (I thought) obvious problem with this scenario, the government cannot provide you with anything for free. There are no hospitals staffed by philanthropic physicians dying to diagnose your ingrown toenail simply for the joy of it. Teachers are not millionaires, dilettantes donating their time, effort and seemingly endless patience instructing your horrid offspring simply for the honor. All of these "free" things require people to work to make them available for you to consume, people who have lives and families of their own. The government exists by theft, by removing the money from your pocket without your consent, by coercion, the threat of legal action, confiscation of your possessions, damage to your reputation, and, ultimately, by jackbooted thugs kicking idown your door and stepping on your throat. Democracy has created a bureaucracy that would shock even Orwell, As of 2015, the ratio of government employees compared to the number of citizen employed in manufacturing was: 21,995,000 to 12,329,000: Government Employees Outnumber Manufacturing Employees 1.8 to 1. This is the reason that the U.S. has accrued a national debt so astronomically large that the number has become almost meaningless. As I write this, the U.S. debt is approaching twenty trillion dollars, that is $20,000,000,000,000! If you were in debt to the tune of $165,000 right now, how would you feel? Because that is every taxpayer's percentage of the national debt according to those who force us to pay approximately 35% of our pay in various taxes BEFORE we start getting taxes on purchases! Democracy HIDES the nefarious infedelities of a bureaucracy swollen like a garter snake trying to digest a hippo. When faced with the proverbial "fiscal cliff" they simply vote themselves the ability to extend themselves more credit, print more fiat monies, increase their spending and pass on the debt to future generations to figure out. This situation clearly defines the dichotomy involved in democracy, every election the national debt is among the top three issues voters wanted addressed in the last four decades (at least), and every candidate for elected office has stated their intention to fix the situation, yet the debt continues to climb at an unbelievable rate and congress readily votes themselves raises.
If you made it this far, you may be wondering what strange, utopian anarchy I am going to propose. The answer is, none. The time, right now, is a moment in time balenced on a knife edge, The next four years will be interesting (in the Chinese definition) time, will an outsider in the White House and a republican controlled congress actually achieve anything or simply spin their wheels passing the wealth around and ignoring the democracy. I hope the "people" take this opportunity, one that hasn't occurred since the 1920s to hold the feet of their "elected representatives" to the fire and DEMAND the changes we need, they can't give the usual excuses about non partisan politics, they own the entire shitshow! Make your voices heard, email, phone calls, sna mail, smoke signals, whatever. Be professional, be respectful but be persistent, if not, then be prepared for business as usual and don't expect improvement.
Love your family, shop local, stay involved, avoid the distractions of the bread and circuses, and stop the division and childish behavior, it won't help you it only empowers the unsavory characters who profit from it. Thanks for reading this.