In our United States of America, we happen to live in a capitalist society. Not such a bad thing, really ..... in good times. In bad times, as we are finding out, capitalism can be ruthless, unjust and uncaring. That should come as no big surprise. After all, by definition a capitalist society is one in which capital and its accumulation has been made a priority. Sometimes that priority gives it precedence over all other considerations. And that is not such a good thing. Especially when one considers capitalism's inbred cannibalistic nature. In short ..... it eats its own.
Luckily, we also live under a democratic form of government. I say luckily with some ambivalence, simply because the idea of majority rule appears to have become no more than a "quaint notion". I can recall when NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) was first passed. An overwhelming majority of Americans were opposed to it, and lit up the switchboards of their supposed representatives to let them know. NAFTA passed, just the same. Even though most of those representatives could not tell you what the treaty contained. They hadn't read it.
We're seeing much the same " business-as-usual" representation now with the public's demands for healthcare reform. Polls have shown that nearly 70% of Americans favor a single-payer plan for their healthcare coverage. Yet, even though the present costs of healthcare are crippling families, businesses, and the economy ..... our representatives do not seem to be listening. In initial hearings on the topic, single-payer was not even on the table for discussion. No one was invited to speak.
The great promise of democracy, at least on the surface, is that a government will be required to govern according to what is in the best interests of the greatest number of its citizens. Else, through the ballot box, the greatest number of citizens will elect a replacement who is more sympathetic of their needs. At least, that is the promise.
But, capitalism and democracy are not synonymous. And unfortunately, though they can and do coexist at times in a mutually beneficial relationship, they are most often at odds with one another in a powerful tug-of-war for supremacy. Given the choice, I will cast my lot with democracy. Capitalism is fine, so long as it takes a back seat to the will of the people within a nation, a state, or a community. At the moment, it happens to be in the drivers seat.
And yet, there are still those occasions when democracy has been able to push back, to limit capital's excesses which might harm the many, to the benefit of the few. It is still a powerful tool for an informed public armed with the facts. Considering this, what would be to the advantage of a powerful and well connected minority, in the face of an active and well informed public?
In keeping with my habit of including Thomas Jefferson, here are some more of his thoughts, written in a letter to Justice William Johnson , in 1823:
" ... The doctrines of Europe were, that men in numerous associations cannot be restrained within the limits of order and justice, but by forces physical and moral, wielded over them by authorities independent of their will. Hence their organization of kings, hereditary nobles, and priests. Still further to constrain the brute force of the people, they deem it necessary to keep them down by hard labor, poverty and ignorance, and to take from them, as from bees, so much of their earnings, as that unremitting labor shall be necessary to obtain a sufficient surplus barely to sustain a scanty and miserable life. And these earnings they apply to maintain their priveleged orders in splendor and idleness, to fascinate the eyes of the people, and excite in them an humble adoration and submission, as to an order of superior beings."
Nearly two centuries have passed since that letter was written. But one could go back two centuries more, and another two centuries before that. There have always been the extremely wealthy few who have sought to maintain the status quo, insulated from the masses and the will of the people. And as Jefferson observed in the governments of Europe, the best way for the priveleged to maintain "business-as-usual" is to keep the majority ignorant, struggling, and submissive.
This has been a very roundabout way of offering you some tools I had promised, which we can all use in becoming informed citizens:
Luckily, we also live under a democratic form of government. I say luckily with some ambivalence, simply because the idea of majority rule appears to have become no more than a "quaint notion". I can recall when NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) was first passed. An overwhelming majority of Americans were opposed to it, and lit up the switchboards of their supposed representatives to let them know. NAFTA passed, just the same. Even though most of those representatives could not tell you what the treaty contained. They hadn't read it.
We're seeing much the same " business-as-usual" representation now with the public's demands for healthcare reform. Polls have shown that nearly 70% of Americans favor a single-payer plan for their healthcare coverage. Yet, even though the present costs of healthcare are crippling families, businesses, and the economy ..... our representatives do not seem to be listening. In initial hearings on the topic, single-payer was not even on the table for discussion. No one was invited to speak.
The great promise of democracy, at least on the surface, is that a government will be required to govern according to what is in the best interests of the greatest number of its citizens. Else, through the ballot box, the greatest number of citizens will elect a replacement who is more sympathetic of their needs. At least, that is the promise.
But, capitalism and democracy are not synonymous. And unfortunately, though they can and do coexist at times in a mutually beneficial relationship, they are most often at odds with one another in a powerful tug-of-war for supremacy. Given the choice, I will cast my lot with democracy. Capitalism is fine, so long as it takes a back seat to the will of the people within a nation, a state, or a community. At the moment, it happens to be in the drivers seat.
And yet, there are still those occasions when democracy has been able to push back, to limit capital's excesses which might harm the many, to the benefit of the few. It is still a powerful tool for an informed public armed with the facts. Considering this, what would be to the advantage of a powerful and well connected minority, in the face of an active and well informed public?
In keeping with my habit of including Thomas Jefferson, here are some more of his thoughts, written in a letter to Justice William Johnson , in 1823:
" ... The doctrines of Europe were, that men in numerous associations cannot be restrained within the limits of order and justice, but by forces physical and moral, wielded over them by authorities independent of their will. Hence their organization of kings, hereditary nobles, and priests. Still further to constrain the brute force of the people, they deem it necessary to keep them down by hard labor, poverty and ignorance, and to take from them, as from bees, so much of their earnings, as that unremitting labor shall be necessary to obtain a sufficient surplus barely to sustain a scanty and miserable life. And these earnings they apply to maintain their priveleged orders in splendor and idleness, to fascinate the eyes of the people, and excite in them an humble adoration and submission, as to an order of superior beings."
Nearly two centuries have passed since that letter was written. But one could go back two centuries more, and another two centuries before that. There have always been the extremely wealthy few who have sought to maintain the status quo, insulated from the masses and the will of the people. And as Jefferson observed in the governments of Europe, the best way for the priveleged to maintain "business-as-usual" is to keep the majority ignorant, struggling, and submissive.
This has been a very roundabout way of offering you some tools I had promised, which we can all use in becoming informed citizens:
>Rule #1 Follow the money!
> Rules 2-10 Follow the money! This is the most important filter you can apply when considering anything and everything ... and the who-what- when-where-why and how of all that occurs. (In a capitalist society, in which it's essentially become all about the money, very little occurs that does not lead to someone's financial gain.) Follow the path to the trail's end and you're likely to discover all you need to know.
> Rule #11 Always get a second opinion. Or a third. Good advice whether you're preparing for surgery or searching for the truth. Don't depend on a single source for your news or your facts. No matter which way you lean on the political spectrum, look for opinions and news from all sides. Years ago, during the Iran/Iraq war (as with many wars), both countries inflated the casualty figures of the enemy, while reducing their own counts. One had to consider both sets of numbers and the truth was usually somewhere in between. It's the same with politics and big business. Each side will commonly point to the evils of their opponent's positions. They may both be right. But you'll never know if you only listen to one voice.
> Rule #12 You can't know everything ... and that's OK. Always be on the lookout for new facts and information. It's not a sin to be passionate about the facts as you know them. Likewise, it's no sin to admit your opinion is based on those facts as you know them. If someone offers you new information, hear 'em out ..... and then check 'em out. It's better to find out if it's true, than to simply dismiss it out of hand.
> Rule #13 Resist the "herd mentality". In every issue there are those who may attempt to start the stampede by appealing to your emotions ... first and foremost. Check out the facts for yourself and then decide how you feel about it. If you're outraged by the facts (and nothing but the facts), then by all means ... be outraged! Emotion is a powerful motivator. Unfortunately, there are some who will try to bypass the facts and go straight for the gut. Especially when all else has failed, or if to use facts would be detrimental to their interests.
There are a number of other tools which can be helpful in becoming an informed citizen. But, in essence, don't believe half of what you hear. And always .....ask yourself who benefits. Follow the money!
Lastly, I can't help but return to the healthcare debate. We have an historic opportunity to end this fleecing of the American family and finally provide affordable healthcare for all. The fear-card being played by the corporate sector is that you'll have some bureaucrat in government deciding whether or not you receive care. This is not true. And even if it were, how different can it be from some bureaucrat of an insurance company deciding whether or not you receive care, especially when the number one concern is making profits? Since when has a large corporation truly cared about what was best for the people? Follow the money!
I'll end with a bit more of the writings of Thomas Jefferson:
" I join in your reprobation of our merchants, priests, and lawyers for their adherence to England and monarchy, in preference to their own country and its constitution. But merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gain. "
> Rules 2-10 Follow the money! This is the most important filter you can apply when considering anything and everything ... and the who-what- when-where-why and how of all that occurs. (In a capitalist society, in which it's essentially become all about the money, very little occurs that does not lead to someone's financial gain.) Follow the path to the trail's end and you're likely to discover all you need to know.
> Rule #13 Resist the "herd mentality". In every issue there are those who may attempt to start the stampede by appealing to your emotions ... first and foremost. Check out the facts for yourself and then decide how you feel about it. If you're outraged by the facts (and nothing but the facts), then by all means ... be outraged! Emotion is a powerful motivator. Unfortunately, there are some who will try to bypass the facts and go straight for the gut. Especially when all else has failed, or if to use facts would be detrimental to their interests.
There are a number of other tools which can be helpful in becoming an informed citizen. But, in essence, don't believe half of what you hear. And always .....ask yourself who benefits. Follow the money!
Lastly, I can't help but return to the healthcare debate. We have an historic opportunity to end this fleecing of the American family and finally provide affordable healthcare for all. The fear-card being played by the corporate sector is that you'll have some bureaucrat in government deciding whether or not you receive care. This is not true. And even if it were, how different can it be from some bureaucrat of an insurance company deciding whether or not you receive care, especially when the number one concern is making profits? Since when has a large corporation truly cared about what was best for the people? Follow the money!
I'll end with a bit more of the writings of Thomas Jefferson:
" I join in your reprobation of our merchants, priests, and lawyers for their adherence to England and monarchy, in preference to their own country and its constitution. But merchants have no country. The mere spot they stand on does not constitute so strong an attachment as that from which they draw their gain. "
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I wouldn't have much of interest to add, considering you covered the bases. Nevertheless, props for being succinct when I would probably get my own readers lost!
ReplyDeleteI couldn't have said it better myself, no really, I couldn't. Excellent.
ReplyDelete