There are two parts to a governmental structure. The way the laws are assigned (in the US it is via a representative democracy) and the way the wealth is distributed (in the US that is done via free enterprise.) Even those two concepts have various degrees of purity. There is forever the human factor in both. Consider the following question. Would you rather be the resident of a dictator in a communistic country where the dictator is kind, fair, and just? Or would you rather be a resident of a pure democracy such as that found in Rwanda during the genocide where the majority of the people believe the minority of the people had no right to live?
The U.S. Democracy started out as a genocide of the Native Americans. Then it followed with an insurgency against it’s own government. It encompassed the owning of other humans as slaves. A civil war had to be fought to set our practices in line with our constitution. Even that took another half of a century to rectify. In the mean time women were still considered second class citizens.
Today, you have to have access to millions of dollars, a job that lets you take at least a year off, and some political insiders to run for the highest offices in the land. About one quarter of a percent of American actually meet those qualifications. A child starting out in the ghetto doesn’t have the same opportunities as the kid in the posh neighborhoods. More and more we see the voice of the people is not the message delivered by the government.
The only thing that has tripled in the last 40 years is the changes in the definition of democracy. It seems to most Americans that the fact that we don’t get shot or tortured when we say bad things about the government, that we have a democracy. That democracy is representative of “freedom”. Could you take off work for a month? Could you spend time with your kids for a week straight at will? Could you not give a portion of your accumulated wealth to the government if you didn’t want to? Do you own your land free and clear with no other responsibilities? Freedom is a grand illusion in this country. It is closer to that of the world of “The Matrix” movie. In reality we are all locked in cubicles sleeping, but we think we are living fee normal lives of our forefathers. The question is are you content living this dream?
I am about to go participate in the only true democracy. A sailboat, a fishing pole, and a wind.
The U.S. Democracy started out as a genocide of the Native Americans. Then it followed with an insurgency against it’s own government. It encompassed the owning of other humans as slaves. A civil war had to be fought to set our practices in line with our constitution. Even that took another half of a century to rectify. In the mean time women were still considered second class citizens.
Today, you have to have access to millions of dollars, a job that lets you take at least a year off, and some political insiders to run for the highest offices in the land. About one quarter of a percent of American actually meet those qualifications. A child starting out in the ghetto doesn’t have the same opportunities as the kid in the posh neighborhoods. More and more we see the voice of the people is not the message delivered by the government.
The only thing that has tripled in the last 40 years is the changes in the definition of democracy. It seems to most Americans that the fact that we don’t get shot or tortured when we say bad things about the government, that we have a democracy. That democracy is representative of “freedom”. Could you take off work for a month? Could you spend time with your kids for a week straight at will? Could you not give a portion of your accumulated wealth to the government if you didn’t want to? Do you own your land free and clear with no other responsibilities? Freedom is a grand illusion in this country. It is closer to that of the world of “The Matrix” movie. In reality we are all locked in cubicles sleeping, but we think we are living fee normal lives of our forefathers. The question is are you content living this dream?
I am about to go participate in the only true democracy. A sailboat, a fishing pole, and a wind.
“’This is the land of the free.’ Whoever told you that is your enemy.” - RATM
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