The Political Economy of Exporting Democracy - by Christopher J. Coyne

The Political Economy of Exporting Democracy - by Christopher J. Coyne

Good piece on the pitfalls of the idea that one can export democracy.

Third-party candidacies - - Breaking News, Political News & National Security News - The Washington Times

Third-party candidacies - - Breaking News, Political News & National Security News - The Washington Times


The reality is that 3rd party runs can have a disastrous effect on the one party or the other, but the question should be, is the effort worthwhile?

Who Is The Elitist?

For a week or more the term "elitist" has been shuffled around in the media, but their weak definition has not explained it to the people. Most are not sure what the hell an elitist is. Maybe I can help.

From the beginning of political philosophy by the Sophists, especially Trasymachus, whose ideas lead to an elitist theory. His thoughts on politics were: Politics is a struggle, The stronger dominate the weaker and make laws favoring themselves. That is pretty simplistic, but for clarity we will keep it so.

A more modern definition is that the elite assumes that the individuals have an inborn desire for power, once obtained will guard it jealously. Those in government will use all avenues to retain power to include force, chicanery, ideological appeal. Basically, the society is divided into two sectors, the elitist and the people.

Now Clinton is calling Obama an elitist, IMO, that is like a callgirl calling a street walker a whore. She is just pandering to the people and taking advantage of a situation. She is an elitist, by her own words she has been in the power structure for 35 years.

I Think of something that Mike Barnacle said about Clinton calling Obama an elitist. He said, "You will have to soak your face in cement to keep from laughing."

Professor's Classroom

Hopefully, my readers are watching the elections that have been going on for the past couple of months. The media seems to be assisting in the split of the electorate into a division among the voters.

It is Monday and it is Class, the question today is:

What is the devotion to a geographical region to the prejudice of the unity of the country called?


Not an easy one, but it is not that difficult if you have been reading and learning. I have touched on this in my lectures.

Good luck and good day!

What About Your Congress

With all the bullsh*t about the Dems and their campaigns, your Congress has been able to get relief from the heat they had been taking before the primaries. They are still a do nothing bunch of wealthy individuals that do not want to buck the White House.

They voted for a war, then they continue to support it with funds and they will allow more torture and they will allow more domestic spying on Americans and then they will allow more kids to go unfunded in health care. Now where is the voting on the mandate they said they has when they took control in 2007?

Please explain to me their function as of your last Civics class

(LONG PAUSE FOR EFFECT)

Now that the fantasy is out of the way, let us move on to reality. The truth is that this legislature exists as public relations gesture toward the people to make it appear that here is democratic participation of the people, but without ant substantial power. The people voted a majority of Dems into the Congress, and how has that worked out? Voting is a powerful mechanism, but it is only a trade off for the political elite to remain in control. All it accomplishes is to legitimize the whole process of a government controlled by the elite over the will of the masses.

Howard Zinn said it best, "voting is easy and marginally useful, but it is a poor substitute for democracy, which requires direct action by the citizens". Never a truer bunch of words have been spoken. But the American voter does not want to be involved beyond every four years. They want someone to tell them what is best for them. Nothing will be accomplished for the people of the country until that thinking is eliminated and that is my job.

Political Quote Of The Week

Some of our founding fathers were not as "democratic" as they are taught in school. This quote is from William Penn, the father of Pennsylvania and a minor founding father.


"Let the people think they govern and they will be governed"


Gee sounds like the system were have now. If you vote every 4 yrs then you are somehow governing yourself. You are not, you are giving control to someone who is not there in your behalf.

Voter Beware!

This is a re-post from a now defunct blog of mine.


VOTER BEWARE!

I have given voting a lot of thought lately and my views have not changed over the years. I wanted to reassess my stand to see if that maybe something positive had happened and that I might be mistakened. I am Not!


With the general election approaching, ever so slowly, you would not realize it by the tap dancing candidates are doing. You would swear, if you just woke up that it was 2008 and the first of the primaries are long days away. Unfortunately, for your sensibilties it is a year away.

For decades we have been told that if you do not vote, then you have nothing to bitch about. Or that it is your civic duty to vote. We have been taught from the very first Civics class that it is all important to participate in the system. Do you agree? What has your paricipation accomplished? Do you truly feel that you are part of the system? Do you feel that you have gotten your money's worth out of the slugs you have help put into office?

People need to ask themselves these questions, but only if they are willing to take a hard look at their own participation. If you vote, what do you vote for? The Party? Or possibly the person? How many really give two shakes in hell about the issues?

Alrighty then, with all that said let us take a look at the institution called voting.

Voting is a strong ideological tool. Having a majority of the adults vote in any given election is giving a legitimacy to the system that supposedly derives its power from those very people. The problem is that the people are not being represented, they are justifying the ruling elites who reinforce their legitimacy by claiming to be held to the highest standards. Basically, what most of these slimes are saying is that they through their representation are contributing to the material well being of the people. And for most Americans that is all they are looking for, is their material well being. That is one of the major contributors that lead to the War On Terror.

The candidates that the American people are given as their future leaders are all popped from the same mold. Makes no difference on party affiliation; they are wealthy, self-serving and manical. And these are the people that we have to choose from at election time.

So you want proof? Look at the present administration; it is arrogant, self-serving and above all unconcerned with the will of the people. But yet it was returned for a second tour in power. Why? It played heavily on the fears of the people, which in turn, proved to be the best emotional issue to secure leadership through the mandate called votes.

The ordeal of voting is an illusion created by those in power, that tghere is actually a struggle for the positions in which the people decide the outcome. The only thing the American voter decides is which wealthy elitist will lead them. The entire system is programed so that only the wealthy elite can enter into the system and have the chance of leadership. It is acceptable because the voter, from childhood, has been lead to believe that is the way it must be. By the way, politics in the US is a monopoly, that only the wealthy can play.

Remember, voting does not determine policy, it only legitimizes those who actually control the state apparatus.

Voting is an illusion of popular rule, by the people, which is legitimized by popular elections. In other words, it is a scam, that the American people participate in freely and it is so well entrenched that they assume they have the power. They do not! All you need to do is just look at the last 20 yrs of politics--where were they ever in control?


CHUQ

24/03/07

Political quote Of The Week

The quote this week is from LBJ in 1965. I quote it because it is as true today as it was then. It explains the whole not ready for president argument.


"A president's hardest task is not doing what is right, but rather to know what is right."

Well said and is good advice.

Professor's Classroom

OSIM! and will probably have a very limited class, the thrill of learning is waning, oh well, I expected no less.

This week's quiz is another simple one that should give everyone (if they are out there) a feel good opinion on their knowledge of politics and such.


What is the official political definition of "subversive activity"?


Take out a pencil and paper and you may begin. Good luck and keep quiet, I am trying to sleep.

Political Quote Of The Week

So much written by Orwell is becoming reality that it is scary. If you remember in 1984, there were large TV screens everywhere telling one how to live and what to believe. Look at the TV of today, we are told the same thing on every channel and we are installing large TV screens to help us out and we are doing it of our on free will. If that does not scare you, then you are in a coma.


Don't you see that the whole aim of Newspeak is to narrow the range of thought? In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. - George Orwell

Professor, What Do You Believe In?

I have been asked this several times by several people and I usually answer with whatever subject we are speaking on. But I want to post my beliefs on the correct direction for the country and the government.

1. People's Power: The power to change our country and develop a society that places human needs over profit rests with the people. The people organized into democratically-controlled organizations and institutions are the wellspring from which a powerful movement for social/economic change must emerge. It is from the experience and struggles of the people that solutions to the severe crises facing our nation will be found. It is with the consent and will of the people that governments are legitimized and leaders empowered.

2. Progressive Unity: A powerful movement for change will emerge when everyday people aligned with grassroots activists, leaders and organizations operating from community, workplace and school power bases comes together in a unified, national, massive and mass-based, independent political movement and party, or an alliance of parties.

3. Economic Justice: Only through such a movement can we build a just and sustainable society in which the gross and obscene concentration of corporate power and personal wealth is overcome by the achievement of basic economic rights for all: secure jobs at living wages; decent, affordable housing; adequate food and clothing; universal health care; quality education; a safe, clean environment; an equitable, progressive tax system which taxes unearned wealth; sustainable food production based upon family farms and farm cooperatives; and protection from economic insecurity caused by disability, old age, sickness, accident or unemployment.

4. Economic Democracy/Workers' Rights: I support workers' rights to organize, to collective bargaining, to strike without the threat of reprisals or replacement, to safe and healthy working conditions, and to receive a living wage, pension and benefits. We support the development of new kind of economy which is democratically run by the people, including at the workplace, and not based on corporate greed.

5. Political Democracy: A democratic economy presupposes a democratic political system. The current electoral system has been privatized and bought up by the corporate rich who fund political campaigns. The electoral system's winner-take-all rules deny racial and political minorities their fair share of representation and power. We support fundamental political reforms aimed at finally realizing the full democratic promise of our country, including: easy access to voting; publicly-financed elections with full ballot access; equal access to media for all candidates; voting rights for immigrants; preferential ballots (ranking candidates in order of preference) for races electing a single candidate; and proportional representation in the election of legislative bodies.

6. Human Rights for All People: I support self-determination and treaty rights for the indigenous, Native nations within the borders of the U.S. and for all peoples, as well as affirmative action and reparations for people of color, women and other victims of historic injustice and oppression. We oppose the scapegoating and repression directed against immigrants, particularly immigrants of color. We are opposed to all forms of discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, age, class, religious beliefs or non-belief, sexual orientation, disabilities, health status (including HIV), gender identity, national origin or citizenship. We support full reproductive freedom for women and oppose all forms of violence, particularly against women and children, including domestic violence, rape, incest and sexual harassment.

7. Equal Justice: I oppose the deep-seated racism and class bias that permeate our so-called "criminal justice system." We call for a crash program to re-train and re-structure those police departments that are steeped in a culture of racism, abuse, corruption and brutality. We support the development of a humane criminal sanction system that is genuinely about the rehabilitation of those who have engaged in anti-social activity, that punishes based on behavior, not race, gender, gender identity or class, and which depends on alternatives to incarceration except for those who pose a clear danger to society unless incarcerated. We oppose the racist and class-biased death penalty as cruel and unusual punishment. Drug addiction and mental illness should be treated as issues of public health, not criminal justice. We oppose the use of prison labor for private profit. We support the development of a legal system whose participants-judges, lawyers, court personnel, police, penal staff, jurors-reflect the class, race and gender composition of the affected community and individuals.

8. Peace and Anti-imperialism: I oppose militarism and the culture of violence which permeates our society. We call for major cuts in the military budget and the conversion of weapons-producing industries to socially-needed production. We oppose military intervention and interference abroad, economic coercion, colonialism and neo-colonialism, and political interference in the sovereign affairs of any other nation, including the indigenous Native nations within our own national borders.

9. Sustainable Environment: An ecologically sustainable society requires replacing the endless "growth" compelled by a profit-oriented economy with a democratic economy enabling people to gear production to human needs on a sustainable basis. We support the creation of an ecological economy where everyone's basic material needs are met through the sustainable use of non-toxic and renewable energy and materials. We oppose corporate attempts to shift the liability for environmental damage onto taxpayers; polluters must pay for the restoration of environmental damage. In place of the failed policy of regulating pollution releases, we call for pollution prevention, including a rapid phase-out of chlorinated compounds, trash incinerators, nuclear power plants, and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. We call for a massive "Jobs for the Environment" program of public investment in the replacement of toxic technologies with ecological alternatives, including renewable energy, energy efficiency, sustainable organic agriculture, mass transit, biodegradable materials, solid waste reduction, recycling and clean composting, and eco-industrial parks for zero-emissions manufacturing.

10. Opposition to Racism and Sexism and Support for Diversity and Equality: People of color and women must be substantial in numbers in the membership and particularly in leadership of our independent politics network. Opposition to racism must be a priority for all people but especially for white people working in their communities to understand, confront and help others to unlearn racism. Men have a special responsibility to cultivate space for open expression of sexual orientation and gender and to provide a positive environment for participation by those of all abilities, sizes and ages.

11. Political Independence: We promote independent candidates and parties who subscribe to the above principles and who are outside of the corporate-dominated, Democratic and Republican parties, who are part of the problem, not the solution. We also support independent working class solidarity and action across international borders to counter the power of the multi-national corporations.

CHUQ
09 Dec 07

Clinton Gets Weird Endorsement

Are you ready for this? Pres Bush has said that Clinton will be the Dems nominee for the election. a round about endorsement?

In reality, it is a way to try and solidify the Repubs and to try and find that one Repub who would actually have a chance against her. Plus it could be an attempt to influence Dems, especially those who opponents of anything Bush does. This will try and show that he likes Clinton and that would drive voters to another candidate, especially one that a Repub could have a great show against.

Another cute marketing trick, it is called a "testimonial". It is a end run but it is still a testimonial.

Laws Of Political Action--Part 2

OOO! OOOO! I have had another epiphany! the 1st law of motion is: An object in motion will remain in motion unless acted upon by a net force.(paraphrased)

Now let us apply that to , say a politician.

A politician electd stays elected, unless acted on by another force.

Another force can be defined as another politician or a scandal or lack of interest or..........you see where I am going with it. So from this time on I will use the 1st Law of Political Action.


CHUQ

Laws Of Political Action

I have thought about this for awhile and have seen that politics and physics have a lot in common. like the 3rd Law, which states, for every action there is an equal, but opposite reaction (paraphrased).

For example:

Iraq--invasion was to bring more stability to the nation and it reversed.

Congress--Dems get the call to end war--they are failing.

Just a couple to illustrate that there are similarities in the two, so from now on I will call it the 3rd Law of Political Action.

Keep an eye out for I will try and connect more laws of physics to politics--this could be interesting--I guess if you are a political junkie like me--what the hell--it is better than flies mate!

CHUQ

Why Federalism?

Federalism? What is it mean for Iraq? Nothing! It was an idea in the beginning because of the success it seemingly had in the US. But unlike the US, Iraq did not go through a building process as the US did. The US started with a confederation which was no exactly the best way to go for the States. For one, it was riddled with infighting for control. So the "Founding Fathers" were searching for a system that would consolidate that control in the hands of the wealthy few, and BAM! federalism was born.

John Jay, Hamilton and Adams, John to be exact, were the major contributors, if I remember my history correctly. But Iraq did not go through this process. It rather went from a dictatorship to elections in just a couple of years. And to boot, it was not their idea; rather it was another countries dictating their political process to them. Sorry, but that is doomed from the start, not matter how noble you try to paint the series of events; it was still a form of imperialism.

But please keep in mind that Yugoslavia under Tito was called a Socialist Federal state, so capitalism is not a prerequisite for federalism. So basically it is just a number of states that fall together under the strong central government.

Amb. Crocker during his recent testimony to Congress used the word Federalism, about a ga-zillion times while answering questions from the Congress. What he was speaking about, IMO, is the "slimy" Plan B of the Bush Admin. That is that Iraq would become three separate states and that their would be a central government but not a strong one. The Kurds are already functioning as a separate state, laboring in the interests of their beliefs and ignoring a national Iraq identity. The idea of partitioning seems to be the plan, but it is being put together to make it appear that the Iraqis are behind this move, not that Washington is pushing it.

Once again it is all about money, never a thought of the Iraqi people. Will the US be safer? Should not the question be, will the Iraqis ever have a descent life? But wait! The US is not into nation building. I believe I heard someone in the Bush Admin say this. If you believe anything these toads have to say, then I have a bridge for sale.

CHUQ