February 8, 2006

The GOVERNMENT is the PROBLEM!

Today in Politics and Economics of Developing Countries, class discussed faults of statism and problems arising from corruption. The professor had the class read a PJ O'Rourke article, "How To Make Nothing From Everything", about Tanzania.

O'Rourke lays a good deal of the fault of Tanzanian inability to develop on the government. I kindly would like to disagree. Why? How can blame be levied upon something that doesn't physically exist.

What?

That's right. Government isn't a physical entity, but rather is a concept. Confused yet? Yes? Good.

People create government, good people govern well, bad people govern badly. It's pretty simple, I'd think. But government itself isn't inherently corrupt. The concept of government is just an idea that been presented for millenia about how humankind can regulate itself. Laws are not a branch of government. Laws are of human creation. Good people create good laws. Bad people create crap laws.

It's up to the people who are governed (in a democracy or anything similar to that concept) to maintain a check upon the people who lord over them. Rise up and slay the dragon of a dictatorship, if you must.

To be successful, I believe that people need to have qualified people to provide a rule of law, not people who are driven by power and greed. This is particularly true in an effective democracy. The playing field should be level from the gate.

But if people consistently choose others who are incompetent... does that mean that people are inherently unable to choose what is best for them?

Mmm... I smell an essay.

-rl

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