RE: what would it take to reform a government?
December 9, 2010 at 5:41 pm
(This post was last modified: December 9, 2010 at 5:42 pm by Oldandeasilyconfused.)
The great sociologist Max Weber wrote in the 1930's that to make real societal/ political/economic change the existing system needs to be abolished.
The US political system seems to me to be arguably the most corrupt in the developed world. I think it could be improved a bit with some fairly simple ,but hard changes which simply ain't gonna happen.:
Things might improve if MOST of the electorate actually bothered to vote.
IF there were another two or more viable political parties so that a real choice existed,rather than the current Tweedle Dum Tweedle Dee.
Abolishing the corrupt system of lobbying
Making ALL political contributions illegal.;that reduces the power of the lobbys, patronage and influence of big business. The cost of election campaigns capped and/or paid for from the public purse might help make elections about issues rather than personalities and slogans and reduce the corrupt practice of political deal making.The last US presidential campaign cost ONE BILLION DOLLARS. THAT is obscene.
HOWEVER,at base, politics is pragmatic and amoral.It's not possible to make it cleaner or more honourable as an occupation.The best we can hope for is to make it less transparently corrupt,and get rid of some who are incompetent and stupid as well as corrupt. (like many in the last administration,starting at the top)
The US political system seems to me to be arguably the most corrupt in the developed world. I think it could be improved a bit with some fairly simple ,but hard changes which simply ain't gonna happen.:
Things might improve if MOST of the electorate actually bothered to vote.
IF there were another two or more viable political parties so that a real choice existed,rather than the current Tweedle Dum Tweedle Dee.
Abolishing the corrupt system of lobbying
Making ALL political contributions illegal.;that reduces the power of the lobbys, patronage and influence of big business. The cost of election campaigns capped and/or paid for from the public purse might help make elections about issues rather than personalities and slogans and reduce the corrupt practice of political deal making.The last US presidential campaign cost ONE BILLION DOLLARS. THAT is obscene.
HOWEVER,at base, politics is pragmatic and amoral.It's not possible to make it cleaner or more honourable as an occupation.The best we can hope for is to make it less transparently corrupt,and get rid of some who are incompetent and stupid as well as corrupt. (like many in the last administration,starting at the top)
