Other Reflections of a Madman
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cau dude, the last time we met I was telling you of a charity project I wanted to work on where I wanted to set up a direct democracy website so that people could vote on subjects themselves, on an individual basis, and not wait every four years to select one of two candidates. I consider the latter a bullshit democracy and believe the internet has the means to give real democratic power to the individual, and right down to a regional and local level, rather than solely on some national or multi-national level, like the EU parliament. People are capable of managing their own household and their own lives, so why would they not be able to make decisions in their community, or even on national levels? I think if people were given this power to choose, they would become more interested in these things, and read up on them. Rather than being railroaded into being the consumer cows which the corporations would prefer.
Yet you seemed to dismiss my idea by jotting down on a piece of paper some book I was supposed to read to enlighten me on this subject. A book which basically explained how power should remain in the hands of the elite at the top, because by applying their supreme intelligence and knowledge to better themselves, their own interests and the interests of those who have hired them/are bribing/lobbying them, you are advocating some trickle down theory whereby such a status quo is automatically better the cow masses, because "what is better for country is better for the masses". Well, such an argument assumes the following:
It seems to me rather that the global corporate elite would rather open the borders between labour and strip down rights to an open playing field, reducing the masses to open competition against the poorest of the poor. I cannot imagine that those at the top are concerned for labour rights and environmental preservation. They will always have enough money to spend their time on a carefully groomed golf course and five star hotels in some remaining bastion of protected and beautiful nature, and I see no great motive for them what concerns the betterment of people at the bottom.
Concerning the second point, the world is getting too small for countries to aggressively work against each other for the betterment of their own. Anyway, I can obviously go on an on about this subject, in many dimensions.
I studied economics at Queens and was originally sold on the concept of free trade = improved livelihood for all concerned, but over time I have changed my mind. Those at the top are hired to keep those at the top rich, and make them richer. I do not subscribe to this trickle down theory. I understand that the masses are not as educated and intelligent as the policy makers, but I don’t think they should be treated like cows, I personally give them more credit, feel they should be given more credit, and if they were given the power to decide on whether or not to send troops to Iraq, for example, and those at the top were forced to sell their proposals to them, the masses would certainly read up on the issue, demand more information and proof, such proposals would not get railroaded through the system in much the same way as Hitler first came to power, and the world would be a much different place – I feel for the better.