Dear Barack,
I've been thinking allot about human rights. I have strong reservations about having a bill of rights. It seems to me that rather than protecting the rights of the individual, they actually go a long way to taking them away.
Is it the right of government to dictate limits to a citizen? Are we not actually free in our natural state?Unless imprisoned, can we not do what ever we like, anyway?Are we really protected by "rights" that are being constantly bent and broken by both governments, lawyers, and circumstance?
Unless we are chattels of the state, as in a feudal system, then the state (or government) is a construct to serve the needs of a collection of individuals. It is the role of government to administer those things that it is impossible or difficult for the individual to carry out. Things such as roads, health, electricity etc. It is not the role of government to dictate behaviour.
This last point comes from the basis that we are all equal in our personal sovereignty. It is not my place to tell others what to do, and conversely it is not the not place of others to dictate behavior to me. Does this mean I advocate a free for all? Yes and no. We have to remember that whatever the action, or even inaction, there are consequences.
So if we expect this freedom and sovereignty for ourselves, we can do no less than grant it to others.Therefore our actions must not harm others, as this would be a restriction of their freedom.
That's the gist of this thought. The ideal where we are all free and responsible for our own actions, and have to face life on it's own terms. Unfortunately, it would seem that we have away to go to achieve this sort of society. We are beset with people who would inflict violence and other forms of compulsion upon others to achieve their goals, whether it be for financial gain, political power, sexual dominance, or just fear of the other. Our governments are great at promoting these destructive values whilst claiming the good of the people.
The sad thing about all this is that all these anti freedom impulses are caused by fear. I'll do a post about that eventually.
So how do we live together? What do we mostly do now? We cooperate. We care for one another. And in our individual views of the world we allow others to have their view with equal respect. And it makes sense that we look after the needs of those who for whatever reason can't do for themselves, for there will most probably come a time in our lives that misfortune or illness could reduce our ability to look after ourselves.
And Government. Scrap it. It's a hang over from monarchy when the powerful believed that god had given them the people as their private property.What we need is Administration. The provision of services that the populace require can be provided by public enterprise or private enterprise. If properly managed either would be OK. If PROPERLY MANAGED public enterprise can be very cost effective. That's all material for another post as well.
How would this improvement look? Who knows. As with the theories that the market economy should be self regulating, this would be much the same, only with a difference of intent. It would be sure to have better education and health services for all. There would be greater equity, though there would be no impediment to amassing wealth. And there would be no reason for the wealthy to hoard and savagely protect their privilege. With the knowledge that they will be treated equally, perhaps people would be less inclined to prey on others and the crime rates would start to drop. It all sounds a little Utopian, but we must keep focused on our innate personal sovereignty, and if we do so, maybe we can get to Utopia one day.
These ideas are really what we've been trying to do, we just haven't taken them to their logical conclusions as yet.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Friday, April 24, 2009
Here goes
Dear Barack,
I'm going to dive right in here and say that you are the most impressive public figure (person) that I have ever become aware of.
I guess I first became aware of you sometime early on in the Democratic nomination circus.I saw a speech you made, can't remember which one, doesn't matter, and my ears pricked up. "This man can speak" I thought. As the speech continue I got more and more excited. Instead of Hilary's " I this, and I that, and I've been around ALL the goings on, so I know how to play the game" With you we got issues. Issues devoid of all the crap that goes on in politics. A call to a new vision in the political arena, where well reasoned pragmatism would hold sway rather than ideology. (The linguistic link with idiot always makes me smile.) A regime where the problems faced would be met with a caring attempt to do the best possible.
Other speeches followed and I realised that you had spent a great deal of effort thinking about what it is to be human. I saw an insight into the lives of those of us who are less fortunate and a compassion that moves you. I saw sentiment, yet at the same time a steely determination. Not to get your own way, but to facilitate a coming together of the disparate threads of society, to weave a new cloth of the people, by the people
I watched in amazement as the way opened up for you. People responded to your message and I started to feel that there was hope that the US could clean up it's act. As the nominations dragged on, it gave you more of an opportunity to display your way of sticking to the issues and not playing the man (or woman in this case). When you got the nomination, I knew, short of some disaster, that we were going to have a remarkable man in the White House.
And that acceptance speech. Grace and magnanimity, confidence and humility. And to top it all, your inaugural speech. I stayed up till some ungodly hour to catch it live.By halfway through I was in tears, and I'm not even an American. To have somebody finally talk some sense and say it with your own face, to call to the better nature of man, to encourage us to common ground rather than the battle field. And all said with heart and force and not a little cool.
I've since read your book Dreams from my Father, and I can see how you got to where you are (spiritually/ethically). I admire a man that takes adversity and forges from it an understanding that allows him to be generous with his spirit, and in that generosity sees that all of us live with adversity of varying kinds. I guess that you've come to the realisation that if we all work together to help each other, then the world could be a WHOLE lot better.Simple isn't it?
I'm in the middle of reading The Audacity of Hope. I'm pleased that you've given allot of thought to your families needs in all this.One needs to keep a balanced life to see clearly.
Well I'm getting tired now so I'll end here, have a good day Barack,
Ed
I'm going to dive right in here and say that you are the most impressive public figure (person) that I have ever become aware of.
I guess I first became aware of you sometime early on in the Democratic nomination circus.I saw a speech you made, can't remember which one, doesn't matter, and my ears pricked up. "This man can speak" I thought. As the speech continue I got more and more excited. Instead of Hilary's " I this, and I that, and I've been around ALL the goings on, so I know how to play the game" With you we got issues. Issues devoid of all the crap that goes on in politics. A call to a new vision in the political arena, where well reasoned pragmatism would hold sway rather than ideology. (The linguistic link with idiot always makes me smile.) A regime where the problems faced would be met with a caring attempt to do the best possible.
Other speeches followed and I realised that you had spent a great deal of effort thinking about what it is to be human. I saw an insight into the lives of those of us who are less fortunate and a compassion that moves you. I saw sentiment, yet at the same time a steely determination. Not to get your own way, but to facilitate a coming together of the disparate threads of society, to weave a new cloth of the people, by the people
I watched in amazement as the way opened up for you. People responded to your message and I started to feel that there was hope that the US could clean up it's act. As the nominations dragged on, it gave you more of an opportunity to display your way of sticking to the issues and not playing the man (or woman in this case). When you got the nomination, I knew, short of some disaster, that we were going to have a remarkable man in the White House.
And that acceptance speech. Grace and magnanimity, confidence and humility. And to top it all, your inaugural speech. I stayed up till some ungodly hour to catch it live.By halfway through I was in tears, and I'm not even an American. To have somebody finally talk some sense and say it with your own face, to call to the better nature of man, to encourage us to common ground rather than the battle field. And all said with heart and force and not a little cool.
I've since read your book Dreams from my Father, and I can see how you got to where you are (spiritually/ethically). I admire a man that takes adversity and forges from it an understanding that allows him to be generous with his spirit, and in that generosity sees that all of us live with adversity of varying kinds. I guess that you've come to the realisation that if we all work together to help each other, then the world could be a WHOLE lot better.Simple isn't it?
I'm in the middle of reading The Audacity of Hope. I'm pleased that you've given allot of thought to your families needs in all this.One needs to keep a balanced life to see clearly.
Well I'm getting tired now so I'll end here, have a good day Barack,
Ed
What? Why?
Allthough it is highly unlikely that this will turn into a dialog , I will post my thoughts as a personal note to Barack. (If you ever see this Barack, feel free to reply).
This blog is just going to be a random collection of thoughts and ideas and feelings about Barack and his ideas and comment on policies and actions of his government.
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