TRUST There is absolutely no reason why any citizen of any nation should implicitly trust the political class. The political class of every nation is corrupted by power. Power tends to currupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely,. Great men are almost always bad men. as famously observed by English historian (Lord) John Acton in 1887. His birth into the aristocratic political class of an empire obviously left a strong impression on him. Sanctifying the memory of the Founding Fathers here in the U.S. is absurd hero-worship, unbased in knowledge and understanding of their times and their political actions. Invoking their names as saints of democracy is religion, not science. We in the U.S. do not live in a democracy. We live in an oligarchy, ruled by 400 wealthy people and those who represent their interests in business and in Congress. Their lobbyists write the laws. Their political operatives purchase candidates to ply their works in Congress and the Presidency. Their interests are represented in a Supreme Court which is swayed by the arguments of their expensive lawyers who also form a political class in Washington to which the Supreme Court justices belong. Not trusting the political class is not a reason to reject governance. Governance, no matter how corrupted, is preferable for the better interests of the average person to the chaos of anarchy. Out of anarchy comes decades of worse governance than the governance anarchy overthrows. History bears this out. Anarchy does not administer social security networks. Anarchy does not support police departments, fire departments, road repair crews, hospitals, etc.. As a humanist, I accept a responsibility to always hold the political class accountable when I am confronted with malfeasance or corruption. There is more to being a good citizen than voting, and those who dont even vote are the most irresponsible citizens of us all. Dealing with the political class is like dealing with a retailer. Caveat emptor. Buyer beware. The citizens relationship with the political class is transactional. Citizens can only expect good governance if they hold the governing responsible for it. The flaw in the Tea Party and Libertarian positions is centered on their failure to promote this concept. Their constant maligning and rejection of government can be seen as an excuse or cover for civic irresponsibility. Given that their funding comes from the same corporate interests which also fund Liberals, it seems they have either missed the point are are simply part of the corruption of the political class. It always comes back to the individual. The practice of individuals to walk to a public square despite intimidation by the ruling class in Egypt or Kiev is the key to better governance in time. Here in the U.S that practice has all but died. The U.S. political class is learning to trust that the U.S. citizenry will accept any governance which is thrown their way. This is the most dangerous form of trust when governance is in question.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 15:31:58 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015