[lit-ideas] Re: Hard core ideology
- From: "Veronica Caley" <molleo1@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 8 Sep 2011 18:08:47 -0400
Lawrence:If the people don't count, where is the democracy?”
Actually, I have been asking myself the same question. I contribute to
political causes and candidates but compared to the very wealthy, corporation,
and gerrymandering, how much do people really count? I think my representative
to Congress drew his own district 10 years ago. It looks like some, strung
out, totally deformed weird creature from outer space. That was ten years ago.
He is still there, of course. And now, his friends drew it again this year,
perfect. He hardly campaigns, just visits a few nursing homes, a few groups
made up of his party and puts up a few lawn signs. This election is expected
to cost one billion dollars on each side. So, we have the best government
money will buy. But not mine nor that of people like me. And that results in
no politician standing up to tell the truth. About taxes, about the reason for
public schools, about perpetual wars, or anything else. They tell us we are
exceptional.
Veronica Caley
Milford, MI
----- Original Message -----
From: Lawrence Helm
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 10:22 PM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Hard core ideology
Jack writes,
“A liberal democracy is about the people and making their lives better. If
the people don't count, where is the democracy?” I was thinking that same
thing in response to Judy’s praise of the laws that prevented the people from
resisting Islamic immigration and the spread of Sharia Law.
Now as to your quotes, I addressed that as far as I was able. Such matters
have to do with “Capital” and we can only deal with the most heinous excesses
after the fact. We would be controlled by “Robber Barons” were it not for the
laws we created in the past to restrict their excesses. However, one must be
careful with the restrictions we place on those who own the capital. We may
complain about them as you are doing, but I am too much of a Stoic to do that.
They are an intrinsic part of our Liberal Democracy – “Liberal” in the
classical sense of the word, not in the modern sense that means Left-wing
radical” – and as Fukuyama has argued, there is no system that is better, and
no system out there that can challenge it. so you grumble to what end?
Fukuyama following Kojeve, argued that Hegel was right after all. Marx
turned Hegel on his head saying he was almost right in saying Capitalism would
comprise the end of history, but Communism, not Capitalism, would do that.
When all but the most radical saw the fall of the Soviet Union as the failure
of Communism, Fukuyama wrote his book celebrating Hegel’s prescience.
Lawrence
From: lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:lit-ideas-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]
On Behalf Of Jack Spratt
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2011 5:47 PM
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Hard core ideology
It's a wonder you don't call it conservative democracy the way you demonize
liberals. Here's a link for what good citizens legal corporate persons are:
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2010/04/06/90299/exxon-tax/
http://www.forbes.com/2010/04/01/ge-exxon-walmart-business-washington-corporate-taxes.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2008/08/12/us-usa-taxes-corporations-idUSN1249465620080812
You say throw the rascals out. How? Hank Paulson was from Goldman Sachs,
and the rest of government are pedigreed from any corporation you want to
name. The list is so long you couldn't even name all the corporations that
have key positions in either the White House or in and out of that famed
revolving door between government and business. Here's a link and it is in no
complete:
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=Government-industry_revolving_door
The banks were given taxpayer money by the banks, by Hank Paulson formerly of
the most powerful investment bank on Wall Street. The most powerful investment
bank on Wall Street ran the Treasury Department of the United States under
George Bush. As insidious as any of the others is the Koch Brothers funding of
the tea party. A coincidence that the Koch brothers own the highly polluting
paper industry and EPA is being deregulated? And of course there's the
grandaddy of them all, Social Security. The Republicans have had it in for
Social Security since FDR implemented it and they are now beside themselves to
get rid of it and other social programs.
A liberal democracy is about the people and making their lives better. If
the people don't count, where is the democracy?
J.S.
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