DEMOCRACY IS ON LIFE-SUPPORT
All systems of governance eventually fail. Some last longer than others, but all
eventually succumb to the predictable shortcomings that precede them. What are some of the precursors of failure
when it comes to the kind of political systems in use, past and present? Is there even a perfect system? Democracy comes close but in the long run it
too caves in for the same reasons that all others fail. What characterizes most emerging societies is
an initial uptick in success and progress when they start to expand and grow. It quickly instills a sense of power and
importance. The psychic of a nation
heavily influenced by a growing sense of pride and nationalism leading to a state
of near invincibility that accompanies proud accomplishments. Economic advancement and increased prosperity
lead to a higher standard of living enjoyed by more people. All wonderful things. Let the good times roll.
But eventually all nations and societies reach a saturation
point and when that happens they are faced with difficult decisions. Making do with less is an option that usually
angers the population at large, especially if high taxation and an increased
cost of living undermines confidence and faith in its leadership. Historically nations have tried to remedy the
issue through conflict. Reach out and
grab what doesn’t belong to you and see if you can get away with it. But the one thing we overlook, time and time
again, are the mistakes all emerging and successful nations make; no limitations and restrictions imposed
on the size of a mushrooming bureaucracy and government institutions that
accompanies expansion. A failure to
keep governmental costs under control.
Nothing enshrined in law or in a nation’s constitution to keep government
expenses and its size down to manageable proportions. And as our global population has mushroomed
to well over 8 billion people in record time, with almost all of them connected
to media platforms and painfully aware how well some of us live—it only serves
to highlight the huge discrepancies between haves and have-nots—and as result tensions
around the world have once more reached a boiling point.
I hope that I don’t have to explain why autocracies are the
first too fail? There is an impressive
gallery of rogue dictators and autocrats out there that is a testimony to that
fact: impressive optics from the onset, public adoration, a huge surge in nationalism
and much saber rattling followed by absolute disaster. All autocracies have ended in ruined nations,
devastated economies, genocide and with hundreds of millions killed. Communism and socialism have short shelf-lives
as well as none of them appeal to a work ethic that rewards hard work and
entrepreneurial spirit. However,
democracies, a system favored by anyone who values the one person, one vote
principle, are increasingly failing and are put on life-support.
It has taken democracies longer to fail because we’re a slower
moving train wreck compared to the others.
A wonderful system eventually falling victim to the same ailments that
have killed any other attempt at governance.
Again, the root cause is the failure of integrating the right checks and
balances into the system; limiting size, scope, taxation and expenditures. But . . .
there is a far more devastating root cause. Always lurking in the background. The
big, white elephant in the room; basic human greed and the lust for power. The competition for money and power is as old
as the human world, a few souls lording it over the many. Money and power are like worms that burrow
themselves into society, taking advantage of any loophole and exemption. Bribes, graft, corruption, vote buying,
whatever works. Democracies are based on
regular election cycles and the emphasis is on winning, not on a judicious use
of power and control. Without any
restrictions or limitations in place it leaves the system wide open to
abuse. Deep pockets always muscle in on
governments when the cost of election promises lead to deficits and mounting
debt loads. A lot of cash to pay for all
the election promises and services demanded and expected. The predictable downfall of
entitlements! All of a sudden politicians
of all strips are beholden to a few wealthy people and their support and
financial contributions carry a heavy cost, a burden ordinary people are
saddled with.
The Rich are not generous.
Ordinary people always pay the price.
You can’t govern a nation that is beholden to people with deep
pockets. Throughout human history we’ve
walked into the same trap again and again: out-of-control government spending; falling
victim to inflation and thus increasing the cost of living, jeopardizing
stability and sustainable growth. Once
more we turn into our own worst enemy.
We are leaving ourselves wide open to abuse.
Government largesse and an unsustainable bureaucracy in size,
wages and benefits are dragging nations down.
Government debt levels around the globe have reached stratospheric
heights. You cannot sustain a healthy
level of governance in this kind of environment. The top 3 percent of the world population
controls 75 percent of all wealth and they have reduced the masses—that would
be you and me—to a state of economic servitude.
We’re no different than the slaves and serfs of the past. None of us are officially classified as
property or chattel than can be bought and sold, but having little say over our
lives, to be truly free and able to pursue a life of liberty, choice,
opportunity and equality, pretty well amounts to the same. We find ourselves at the mercy of those who
have insinuated their way into power and money and in the process they have
created a political and economic environment that dictates how we live and what
we’re expected to adhere to and follow.
Our intellect has seriously interfered in our thought
processes and how we interact with each other.
Our aspirations to define our humanity are all over the place. One of my phrases that I use with trepidation
is the following: Nature used to take
care of the weak, now we do.
Billions of people under perform, are unemployed or fail to reach their
potential due to circumstance. Hundreds
of millions of people are totally dependent on some form of government
assistance, with many totally reliant; food, housing, social and medical
services, you name it. Net negative multipliers
and not just a few million but billions.
Keeping everybody alive and well carries a horrendous cost and it is not
sustainable.
When we left the jungle behind as slightly more intelligent
apes and taking our first tentative steps as uprights we were no longer an
integral part of the natural world, but a species that left those boundaries
behind. Rather than turning into an
asset our species has become a liability.
We’re dragging everything down with us.
We’re a study in idiosyncrasy and our so-called humanity is constantly
flip-flopping all over the place.
Humanity is a double whammy when it comes to existence and impact. No other species has upset the applecart like
we have.
Anthropologists have estimated that the human world
population in 1 AD was approximately half a billion. Even with those numbers we managed to inflict
an awful lot of harm and damage, to each other and the environment. In the past 125 years we have added a
staggering 6 billion more people. We are
now well over 8 billion and we continue to add.
Our impact can only be described as disastrous. Every plus outstripped by minuses. With a world
population bursting at the seams and with unsustainable consumer expectations,
we have left ourselves wide open for further abuse.
The Rich would do without people in a heartbeat if it would
improve their personal wealth and power.
Unfortunately most of them need us to buy and consume their products or
services as they reluctantly admit that we are the true source of their wealth,
produced through our labor and purchases.
In reality they don’t have a lot of use for us and we’re a basic
nuisance. Don’t expect them to change
their ways or come to the rescue. We should just behave and do so quietly.
We have maneuvered ourselves into an uncomfortable position
and we’re being consumed by an ineptitude that defies any realistic
solutions. We have once more landed in negative territory and democracies are
sputtering as a result. The recent
rise of autocrats and dictators spewing predictable and belligerent rhetoric is
like the icing on the cake of global failure and civilizational decline. Narrow minded world views is not what the
world needs right now. Killing and
persecuting and marginalizing hundreds of millions of innocent people is not
only costly, it has never worked before.
The political Neanderthals currently occupying government offices are
turning humanity into a herd of stampeding buffalos and we’re all running on
instinct and adrenalin. When people run
amok—it doesn’t matter who encourages them or why—it is our humanity that is
the first casualty of conflict and war.
Once more we’re falling for the strong man syndrome—it is
usually a male as women can’t be trusted to be that deviant and destructive—as
if their posturing, fist thumping or simplistic ravings will save the nation
and the world from falling apart. Once
they obtain the highest office in the land they’re known to elevate themselves
onto an unimpeachable pedestal and as their tenure in office progresses to
their satisfaction they will soon embellish their importance by appointing
themselves as a supreme leader, infallible and worthy of worship. All of them surround themselves with a legion
of cronies and bootlickers who go out of their way pleasing the leader, fearful
of failure and displeasure. Their
reward: gaining access to jobs they’re not qualified for and joining in the
corruption that is a byproduct of any autocratic, dictatorial regime. All of them will line their pockets with
ill-gotten gains.
In Nazi Germany all those close to Adolf Hitler were involved
in the wholesale plunder of Europe.
Trainloads of looted art and wealth were transported to Germany or
stashed away in bank vaults in Switzerland or any nation willing to look the
other way when it came to gold and cash.
Just in case the good times would stop rolling, or heaven forbid, and
end would come to their reign of power, corruption and graft. It’s too bad that we cannot start from a
clean slate and do it right. It is only
after we all go to hell in a handbasket that we start with the introspective
questions; what if and if only. Get
ready my friends, interesting times are upon us. Going back to the jungle is not an
option. There is also not much jungle
left. This is probably not what you
wanted to hear.
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