All Things
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Modern electioneering Most of the time, when we vote, we vote for representatives. Voting on referenda is fairly rare and many of them are not binding on the legislature. We give different justifications for having a representative democracy. Most often...
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What Were They Thinking? You may recall the presidential election of the year 2000. The election was very close, the winner would have to get a majority in the State of Florida. According to some observers, there were a good number of irregularities...
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RuminatingaboutRepublicanPrimaries InthefinalmonthsofthelastyeartheOccupyMovementwasprominentinthenews.Almosteverydaytherewasmorenewsaboutdifferentoccupationsandthereactionsoflocalgovernmentswhocaredmoreaboutthecleanlinessofparksthenaboutjusticeordemocracy.Butthentheprimaryseasonbeganandpushedallothernewstothesecondpageorthesecondsectionofthenewspaper.OnemighthaveexpectedthattheOccupyMovementanditsindictmentofourcurrenteconomicinequalitieswouldbecomeatopicintheprimarydebates.Butnosuchluck.OccupyWallStreet'sferventtalkaboutthe1%disappearedfromthenewsasifithadneverhappened.OnecanexplainthisbysayingthattheoccupiersobviouslyfailedcompletelytomakeanimpressiononthemajorityofAmericans.Moreplausibleisthisinterpretation:intheprimarydebatesthecandidateschoosetheissuesandhowtheywilltalkaboutthem.ObviouslytheyarenotgoingtoraisequestionsthatembarrasstheirdonorsorthesuperrichwhofinancethePAC'ssupportingeachcandidate.Soinequalityandthedisproportionatepowerofthe1%arenot...
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p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Unrest in the Middle East The Revolution in Tunisia, the demonstrations in Algiers, Yemen and in Egypt are a profound embarrassment for the United States government. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton and President Obama...
- Corruption Is In The Eye Of The Beholder--episode Ii
Corruption is in the eye of the beholder—Episode II On Monday, Pres. Obama sped quietly in and out of Kabul. As the papers reported his visit, it sounds as if he was there just long enough to give President Hamid Karzai a stern lecture about political...
All Things
AnOrgyofHypocrisy
ThedayafterThanksgivingPresidentObamaurgedthemilitaryrulersofEgypttorestoredemocracytothecountryasquicklyaspossible.
WhenEgyptiansfirstroseupagainstPres.Mubarak,theUSgovernmenthesitatedforanindecentlylongtimebeforeitpubliclycameoutinsupportofthedemonstrations.Itisrealprogressforthemtosupportfurtherdemonstrationsnowinfavorofdemocracy.
Atthesametime,supportingdemocracyagainsttheruleoftheEgyptian militaryisutterlyhypocritical.Tobesure,theEgyptianmilitaryhavenotbeenelectedtorunthatcountry.Buthavethepeoplewhorunourcountrybeenelected?
Let'sconsiderwhoisrunningthiscountry.ItissurelynottheordinaryvoterbecausewedonotevenknowwhatisgoingoninWashington.Norareourelectedrepresentativesincharge.Manyofthemvoteonlegislationthattheyhavenothadthetimetoread.Someofthebillsthey vote on werewrittenbylobbyists.Considerabledecision-makingpowerrestswiththelobbyistsonKStreetinWashingtonDC.
Whocontrolsthelobbyists?Ofcourse,thepeoplewhohirethem,whorangefromglobalcorporationstotradeassociations,tolaborunions,towhoeverelsehasmoneytospendoninfluencinglegislation.Inotherwords,thecountryisrunbypeoplewithmoney.Thecountryisbeingrunby“specialinterests.”
Havetheybeenelected?NomorethantheEgyptianmilitary.Ourelectoraldemocracyisnodifferentfromtheirs.Itisblatantlyhypocriticalforustotellotherpeoplethattheyshouldruntheircountrydemocratically.
OurgovernmentworriesabouttherevolutionsintheArabworldbecausetheyfearthat,onceelectionsareheld,Islamicpartieswillcometopower.WeareafraidthatsuchIslamicpartieswillimposereligiouslymotivatedregimesontheircountries. Wefeelsuperiortocountrieswherefundamentalistreligionplaysanimportantpoliticalrole.Now,forsure,Islamicpartiesarenotanimportantpartofourpoliticallandscape.Butourevangelicalsare everybitasfanatical,closeminded,andbackwardlooking,ifnotmoreso,asyourordinaryIslamicparty.WearenotinthisrespectentitledtofeelsuperiorormoreenlightenedthanpeopleintheArabworld.
Butthat'snotall.EuropeancountrieslikeGreeceorItalyareinseriousfinancialtrouble.Theymaynotbeabletopaytheirdebts.JournalistsandpunditsintheUSkeeppointingtothefailureofGreekandItaliangovernmentstocollecttaxes.InItaly,today'spaperreports,eventhemanwhosellsyoufruitsandvegetablesinhisopenairstandrefusestogivepeopleareceipt.Hewantstobepaidunderthetablesothathewillnothavetopaytaxes.
Tobesure,Ihavenoreasontothinkthatmylocalsupermarketwillnotdeclaretheincomefrommypurchases.ButIdohavereasontothinkthat30ormoreofthelargestUSinternationalcorporationspaidnotaxesatallin2010.Quiteobviouslythefiscalcrisisfacedbyourgovernmentcouldbereducedsignificantlyifwegotlargecorporationstopaytheirfairshareofthecostofgovernment.Butourgovernmentisnotwillingeventoconsiderthat.Theywillbalancethebudgetonthebacksoftheelderly,thepoorandallchildren.WhattheItaliansdoinasmallwaywedoinagrandioseandimpressivemanner.We can lookdownontheGreeksandtheItaliansbecausetheirfailuretocollecttaxesisnotnearlyasimpressiveasours.
TherearemanyreasonswhyAmericansareunpopulararoundtheworld.Onesourceofourlowpopularityissurelyourinsistencethatwearesuperiortoothers,moreenlightened,morepublicspiritedormoredemocraticthananybodyelse,wheninfactwearenodifferent.
The next Presidential candidates would do well to use “MODESTY” as their campaign slogan.
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Modern electioneering Most of the time, when we vote, we vote for representatives. Voting on referenda is fairly rare and many of them are not binding on the legislature. We give different justifications for having a representative democracy. Most often...
-
What Were They Thinking? You may recall the presidential election of the year 2000. The election was very close, the winner would have to get a majority in the State of Florida. According to some observers, there were a good number of irregularities...
-
RuminatingaboutRepublicanPrimaries InthefinalmonthsofthelastyeartheOccupyMovementwasprominentinthenews.Almosteverydaytherewasmorenewsaboutdifferentoccupationsandthereactionsoflocalgovernmentswhocaredmoreaboutthecleanlinessofparksthenaboutjusticeordemocracy.Butthentheprimaryseasonbeganandpushedallothernewstothesecondpageorthesecondsectionofthenewspaper.OnemighthaveexpectedthattheOccupyMovementanditsindictmentofourcurrenteconomicinequalitieswouldbecomeatopicintheprimarydebates.Butnosuchluck.OccupyWallStreet'sferventtalkaboutthe1%disappearedfromthenewsasifithadneverhappened.OnecanexplainthisbysayingthattheoccupiersobviouslyfailedcompletelytomakeanimpressiononthemajorityofAmericans.Moreplausibleisthisinterpretation:intheprimarydebatesthecandidateschoosetheissuesandhowtheywilltalkaboutthem.ObviouslytheyarenotgoingtoraisequestionsthatembarrasstheirdonorsorthesuperrichwhofinancethePAC'ssupportingeachcandidate.Soinequalityandthedisproportionatepowerofthe1%arenot...
-
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; } Unrest in the Middle East The Revolution in Tunisia, the demonstrations in Algiers, Yemen and in Egypt are a profound embarrassment for the United States government. Secretary of state Hillary Clinton and President Obama...
- Corruption Is In The Eye Of The Beholder--episode Ii
Corruption is in the eye of the beholder—Episode II On Monday, Pres. Obama sped quietly in and out of Kabul. As the papers reported his visit, it sounds as if he was there just long enough to give President Hamid Karzai a stern lecture about political...