ecnaveterbor responds!
Taxes pay for all systems of government, chosen in our case (arguable), or, imposed in other countries, thus; we all serve the system that governs us. In America our economic system is capitalism which generates the money that drives our economy which, in turn, supports our government. There is no getting around that point. It really doesn't matter who you work for (government or private enterprise) because we all pay taxes. In my opinion, all of our jobs are of equal importance and all jobs require sacrifice. The commuter who dies on the freeway or the soldier who dies in the field both die serving their country. Surly, the soldier’s sacrifice makes more sense in the grand scheme of things; however, I don’t think we should forget the commuter either because his/her income generates the taxes which support the soldier. I guess what I am trying to say is that dead is dead and that life is precarious. Honor and sacrifice are just words used by the living to cope with the fact that we are all going to die.
You are correct in pointing out my mistake. I did mix up our economic system with our democratic system of government. I did not follow my thoughts according to the proper order of things. I stand corrected.
The founders wanted little to no interference; that is no interference from the government, religion or with the economy. *This is a point that will require research. It would, most likely, be a good exercise for all Americans to investigate their origins.*
Anyhow, what a great point you make regarding interference!!!
The anti-monopoly stuff came about during the industrial revolution and that was the beginning of free market regulation and the beginning of big government as well. Who is to say what the worst evil is? There is plenty of evidence of malevolence from both rampant capitalism and runaway big government (world wide). And, let us not forget the damage caused by big religion. Moreover, all governmental/monetary systems in the last century have failed, at least to some degree or entirely i.e. democracy/capitalism, socialism, communism and fascism.
I can't agree. All our jobs are NOT important. Yes, everyone serves a function in society, but you can't equate that to "serving your country." Being whatever cog you are in the machine only serves captialism and corporate masters. The phrase "serving your country" implies a higher goal. In the immortal words of Ted Knight (a la Caddyshack), "The world needs ditch diggers too." And it does. But that's not the same thing.
ReplyDeleteThe Hindu in me sees your point, as ditch diggers must fill their dharma by digging the best ditches they can. However, you miss the spirit of my original post, which was about devoting one's career to something that serves society as a whole, in a commonwealth sort of way. Like choosing (low paying) teaching instead of (high paying) wall street.
Just to throw a monkey wrench into the discussion, let's go back to the bit about the founding fathers seeking freedom from oppression from religion. Let's take a little step and view greed as a religion. The unmitigated pursuit of wealth and power could be on a par with devotion or spiritual enlightenment. To that end, with the government subsidizing corporate greed and incompetence, we are being oppressed by that religion.
ReplyDeleteNow, I'm not saying that I'm a pure socialist. I do think that people with the drive and motivation to become wealthy should enjoy that pursuit and the rewards that come with it, as a monk would enjoy the peace that comes from meditation, a pagan dancing in the trees or a priest ministering to the poor or sick. What I am saying is that it should all be done in service to your community. If you are not bettering your environment, and if you are hurting others in the pursuit of what you want, then you are a danger.
I remember reading about corporations being represented as a persons. If that logic were followed through, then most corporations would be found to be dangerous sociopaths in a court of law. If corporations were held to that, with the threat over the executives of losing their liberty and profits if their company was found to be a danger to it's environment, being it ecologically or economically, then we would have a system beneficial to everyone. ~MF