I gave it some thought and came to the conclusion that all governments, politicians and beaurocrats on this planet are driven by greed and their own self glorification. Isn't there a better way to have order in this world. Please let me know, if you know how. I guess I ought to point out some anarchist works. Perhaps you will take up the ideas there; perhaps you will borrow some and reject others; perhaps you will turn away and find something else.
Of course there's more than one kind of anarchism. Malatesta explains:
"Morally, anarchism is sufficient unto itself; but to be translated into facts it needs concrete forms of material life, and it is the preference for one or other form which differentiates the various anarchist schools of thought."
"In the anarchist milieu, communism, individualism, collectivism, mutualism and all the intermediate and eclectic programmes are simply the ways considered best for achieving freedom and solidarity in economic life; the ways believed to correspond more closely with justice and freedom for the distribution of the means of production and the products of labour among men."
http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Arc...
There are several short introductions.
There is "An anarchist FAQ," which mostly favors communist, collectivist, and some forms of syndicalist anarchism.
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/193...
There are the anarchist archives, which present several classical anarchist works:
http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/Anarchist_Arc...
There is the Infoshop library, which does the same:
http://www.infoshop.org/library/Main_Pag...
There are several others. The FAQ doesn't have much coverage of individualist and mutualist anarchism, so you might try some other sites which cover this as well as classical liberalism and right-libertarianism, e.g.:
http://praxeology.net/anarcres.htm LOL! Considering what's happening all around the world, who can blame you Darth? And yes, it may seem to be a bit far-fetched to place all governments in one basket but you are correct. The only government that has ever got me wondering about their "quiet diplomacy" has been Botswana.
One never hears anything untoward from there, strangely enough. And on the subject about solutions for order in this world, well...I,ve been desperate for an answer to that myself. Especially when I have to handle the senseless crimes day in and day out. It certainly gets the mind wondering....and confused! I share your thoughts.
It's just a difference on the amount of greed and corruption within the governments.
One wonders if we couldn't privatise the governments functions and abolish taxes? But as soon as we do they we may end up having just as much greed within those related industries and end up paying even more for those services.
At the end of the day it always boils down to the characters and morales of the people who find themselves in leadership/managerial positions, elected or otherwise.
This is why it's so important having good people at the top setting an example, making the standards etc.
A way is to try and raise group consciousness - let people understand that their actions effect others.
Imagine having that as a subject in school - ethics and morales in society, how your behaviour effects others.
Good question! There is a lot of truth in what you say but in a truly Western Democracy these self same people are held accountable for their actions and are just as quickly taken out of Government as they are put in.
Perhaps you are influenced by what you read and see in South Africa because you know that no matter what you say or do nothing will change. African politics and Democracy are almost opposites and although Africans like to refer to themselves as Democracies they have no idea of the meaning of the word. They are all Kleptocracies run along Tribal lines and traditions and only evolution can ever sort that out. Capitalism is the problem....! Materialism and greed!
Thou canst not serve two masters God and Mammon! Yes you are absolutely right, but I honestly do not think there is an alternative. Yes i agree, if any of them can just once think of the needs of the people or the land, instead of themselves, it would be a step in the right direction If they all earned the same as we do, they would have the same problems, and as a result...more interest in solving them.
They simply earn too much and we have no choice but to pay them.
They should be merited according to, what they achieve, and provide clear results........after and not before, they may be merited! Anarchy? Been there, done that, didn't buy the t-shirt (only anarchists who still live with their parents wear t-shirts, or so I've been told).
Anyway, just to make things worse for you, I'm going to add something to your list. Governments, politicians and beaurocrats are also driven by the need to please. This may sound tacky, but let me explain.. These people are either trying to get into a given position (i.e. trying to please the right people), or trying to retain a position (i.e. trying to please the right people). For instance, why didn't Eskom make a big fuss over the power shortages that they knew was coming? Easy. Nobody wanted to rock the boat and lose their positions. They could have easily gone to the newspapers, etc., but that would have meant rolling heads and that type of stuff. I suppose you could all roll this into one word and say that they are also driven by plain, old fashioned cowardice.
I know this because I was personally acquainted with one of Eskom's bigwigs (He has threatened to shoot me on several occasions). |
