Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Maybe it really is too far... and we're just so used to accepting it (or, "On Democracy.")

I had originally been developing a post about how few things we do are really all that new, but this recent voiced frustration from an Illinois State legislator brought me to a point I've been meaning to make for a while.

Maybe shit really is fucked up (on a moral level,) and between technology and artificial market supports, we just can't see it every day... so we just don't care as much as we ought to. What I'm saying is; Our daily lives are unaffected, so the political scene is exactly that - like a scene in a movie. We see it, but most of us aren't really affected so while we might agree or disagree one way or another, it doesn't matter once we leave the theater and turn off our TV's.

How many of us really cared that Rod Blagojevich tried to sell out a state senate seat? That Obama authorized the bombing of Libya without congressional approval (which he's required to obtain)? All satire aside about Bush Jr's reference to the Japanese as "Japanicans" and Obama's attempted discussion about the "ancient Austrian Language" with the President of Austria, our political structure is out of control and no one dares, nor can really fight it on any level. How would you beyond attempting to start some grass roots political movement that gets crushed by a whack-job senator from Alaska, and party-line voters?

Oh wait, maybe Ron Paul ca... well, he won't win anyway so... I'm not going to vote for him.

At any rate, I watched Mr. Mike Bost yell at the Illinois State House of Representatives, while his fellow legislators stared off into nowhere with their heads in their hands, and no one gave a damn. "Yep, it sucks. Deal. That's just the way it is." I have to wonder, why a group of people get paid with tax dollars to show up at a building paid for by tax dollars to vote on issues that affect tax payers and no one fucking cares that this legislator's job is to vote, only to tell his constituency that he didn't actually have a vote.

Annnd that's American Democracy folks.

Actually that's every government created and fallen that has used Democratic process to guide it's legislature.

"Remember, Democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts and murders itself. There never was a democracy that did not commit suicide." - The second President of the United States of America, John Adams

A wise man, by the name of Fredrich Hayek once wrote a book about this topic, called "The Road to Serfdom." The entire book was about how democracy generally turns it's self over to totalitarianism through democratic process, the process it's self being stagnant and unable to make decisions so the voters invariably turn over ever expanding executive powers to the head of the state. I think the Romans did that once and the Caesar never gave the power back. Oops.

So I suppose that's the tirade. There's a lot of details I could spend time extrapolating on. It's late. I'm tired.

I'd love to hear thoughts on this. I might challenge you, but always know that I'm just looking to learn.