Over the years my thoughts became more constructive and I turned to the questions: What is “the good society”? And what kind of government would best produce it? For decades I created, attacked, and destroyed political-economic systems in my mind. While not failing to also see our light, love, and good, as a child I could not help but see and be angered and saddened by the injustice, inequity, and dysfunction in our nation and in the world. I have been writing this book within my mind for most of my life. I am an expert on only one thing: the content of my own mind. It is a body of carefully considered opinion. Beyond Plutocracy, the only book I've written and present here, is not a heavily footnoted or referenced work. It is my hope that you will find my message of sufficient value to bear them. For me, spelling, punctuation, and grammar are mysteries of the universe. I am not a writer, that is, I do not earn my living by writing. I have long treasured my favorite questions: What is reality? What are we? Since we are here together on this Earth, you and I, how do, might, and should we arrange our often conflicting ways that we may live in peace and intelligently husband our world? Beyond Plutocracy is my attempt to answer the question how we should be. What is left is either essence or dregs, or perhaps a bit of both. As I’ve aged, much, if not most, of what I’ve read and pondered has slipped beneath the waters. While far from best in show, I could be best described as a self-directed generalist who always seeks his highest purchase, largest view, and a grand synthesis. Surprisingly, given the subject of this book, economics and political science are not prominent among them. I am a lifelong reader of several fields of study at a casual, layperson level: Metaphysics, religion, philosophy, history, particle physics, cosmology, biology, genetics, primatology, psychology. Read moreĪbout Me and the Writing of Beyond Plutocracy The result is the honest government, equitable market economy and good society we all seek. That is exactly what is achieved in this book. Our government will never become OUR government, the government of “we the people,” all of the people, until we add to it an honest electoral system and true democracy. It is by adding to our government (or to any government) just the right kind and amount of direct democracy that its representative branches are rendered truly representative of the entire electorate the tyranny of plutocracy is overcome the democracy itself does not become a tyranny and the responsible personal freedom of the individual is maximized in a just, equitable society. But as the phrases “the tyranny of democracy” and “the rule of the mob” suggest, democracy also has some profound problems and can become a tyranny in its own way. The result is that wealthy and wealth-serving elites hold a permanent hegemony of seats, offices and power in our government and we get stuck with the best government that money can buy.ĭirect democracy-in which the electorate votes directly on issues-is the correct way to overcome the tyranny of plutocracy. Elections, offices and the favors of our government are bought and sold just like any other commodity.
Elections are left to a marketplace, mass media, two political parties and state electoral district systems that are mostly owned, operated and dominated by the wealthy. Our government’s principal dishonesty is its electoral system. But we don’t have an honest government that truly includes and represents the entire electorate. A sound, balanced, equitable market economy can be achieved by the wise management of an honest government. It concentrates excessive power, wealth and advantage into the hands of all too often ruthless, greedy elites who exploit the rest of the populace, corrupt our government and override the common good.Ĭapitalism is redeemable.
Capitalism, the market economy, is our best form of economic relationship.
0 kommentar(er)
