Government 3
The Problem of “Politics”
False Solutions and the Illusion of Choice
This seems one of the most disturbing factors of the whole political fiasco. Are you Republican or Democrat (or liberal or conservative or whatever political affiliation, depending on your country)? You vote your ticket, hoping to get your favored policies implemented, and presumably to avoid the policies of the other party.
Your party wins! Hurray!
Then, an election cycle or two later, the opposing party wins. Boo!
The policies you were so opposed to, get implemented anyway.
That is one way the “party system” works to produce whatever end results are desired against the wishes of the people, while retaining an illusion of separation between “political parties.”
Politics can be a sad farce. Corruption, vote fraud and gerrymandering are just a part of it.
But don’t dare say so, for that would be criticizing “Democracy,” one thing they’ve been adamant to push on us in the western world, regardless of nation.
Lately, the schism between the “liberal” and “conservative” mindsets has never been clearer, and it’s almost frightening. It’s bizarre how one group’s can be so diametrically opposed to the other. This points up a gigantic flaw in the political system, that there’s something missing in the analysis of what we need to run countries properly. Not that any proper analysis has ever been run.
The first aspect of the flaw is the very idea of politicians.
Even if having politicians run our lives for us were a good idea, there are no solid qualifications or requirements to run for office or get in power, except the ability to manipulate the public. We need a system where politicians or their functional replacements, are qualified in a sensible way, that’s not vulnerable to fakery, because right now, they’ve got us over a (pork) barrel.
Political Campaigning
Yes We Can!A popular slogan, like “Yes We Can!” that carried Obama in the US, is less than a platitude for children, much like the rally for “Change!” It is voters showing they shouldn’t be able to vote if they are influenced by such simplistic nonsense.
No, it doesn’t have to be this way.
“Lame Duck” Politicians
There’s no shortage of ready-made excuses and explanations for the failures of government.
So you’ll often, in the US, hear that term, “lame duck.” It’s applied to a US president in his last term of office, usually towards the last year or two. The meaning is probably universally clear: a politician, ineffectual because he doesn’t have much time to do anything new, (or, because his successor will reverse his policies).
Now, if it’s possible to have a “lame duck” congress or president, why not change the system?
Why tolerate situations like this, if they’re going to be useless for a good chunk of the time?
Better useless, though, than their kind of effective.
Yes, we are pretty lazy. Otherwise, we’d never have allowed out-of-control governments.
The answer to this dilemma? Setting a goal to find the government system that best protects the people and otherwise stays out of their way.
Obviously this government has to do the bare minimum, for the big reason we’ve just seen: trying to satisfy the conflicting desires of differing people only stirs up chaos, even if government were trying to do the right thing all the time.
Political Pressure
Political systems were created without examination of the logical consequences of what was created.
Any time you have a “mayor,” or other “high official,” you run into the same issue as with judges, there will be corruption, or at least attempts will be made to corrupt such figures.
There’s no shortage of rogues who will use shady tactics to achieve their desires. One simple route is to try to bribe or influence a political official, then.
That’s one area where we fall down, in not recognizing and compensating for that, and so, the political system is structured to support corruption, rather than oppose it.
We are never given the straight story on the pressures a mayor or other politician faces. Why not? Wouldn’t it make a good movie?
The only time the issue does come up is in caricature, like the “Boss Hogg” character in the old Dukes of Hazzard TV show, the small-town despot. In fact, this type of representation is so over-the-top, that it makes the issue of political corruption seem to be zany and unlikely, something that only country bumpkins and third-world countries will experience.
What do we get instead?
Tales about incorruptible (and invulnerable) public officials “bringing down the bad guys.” The “good judges,” “good cops,” and “good DA” work together to “sting” the “evildoers.” When it’s the exact opposite.
We need to give some deep consideration to things like who “corrupts” politicians. Probably not some guy walking in off the street with his piggy bank, breaking it on the mayor’s desk and spilling out the contents of nickels, dimes and quarters.
“I know you’ve got... expenses, Mayor. Well, there’s fourteen dollars and ninety cents right there, just waiting for you, (nudge-nudge, wink-wink), if ya know what I mean... If ya know how to play ball, that is.”
Politicians are influenced in a variety of ways, like by lobbyists.
Lobby Groups
Literally, legalized bribery.
What cover story is there for allowing lobbyists to “donate” money to politicians in exchange for influence in government?
It’s sold to the suckers as just a way for the constituents of some group to “get their voices heard.”
Or, “they’ve always done it that way.” (Implying, that there can’t be anything questionable about it, the same old song we hear about our flawed, but set in stone, political practices.)
The System Works!
What about the times they “bring down” some corrupt official?
Ironically, some politico might be framed and taken down for doing good deeds, when those go against the wishes of his puppet-master. This is said to have been the case with President Nixon and the weird 1972 Watergate fiasco — a probable set-up or, according to some, a coup — in the US.
Crowing that “the system works,” just because some politician ends up in court is nonsense. Often those are just show trials, a distraction, and there’s no resolution, no improvement after all the hubbub dies down.
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