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1. Perhaps because society is an invention of man, it seems to have the same organic characteristics. It is usually born
in a violent manner (revolution) and, if not defective from the beginning, grows to be strong and healthy. Eventually, it
begins to decline and die. Once this stage is reached, there is little that can be done to save it. The death of a society,
a creation of man, is as inevitable as the death of man himself.
2. Individuals cannot be free and also ignorant.
To be free, citizens must know enough to formulate their own opinions. If citizens do not have the basic knowledge necessary
to formulate their own opinions, those citizens are slaves to the opinions of others.
3. When governing bodies or
scientists try to manipulate culture and nature, there are always unforeseen problems and consequences.
4. There is
a nature of dogs, cats and other animals. They can be expected to react in a similar manner when confronted with similar circumstances.
Is there however, a nature of man?
5. Because man is born with free will, the nature of man, and his reactions under
a variety of circumstances, depend more upon the culture and values of the society, to which the individual was born, than
on any fixed nature.
6. When two cultures meet and are unable to assimilate each other, the more aggressive will,
over time, destroy the passive. In a free republic, it is easy for an aggressive culture to carry out it's
desires against a passive non-vigilant culture. Eventually, it is the passive culture that loses it's voice
in the affairs of state regardless of whether it is a majority.
7. The herd instinct is strong in mankind.
This makes it possible for large groups to be led by men who effectively appeal to their own authority, qualifications or,
the fears of the population. It is possible for a charismatic individual to lead an entire society or group to its destruction.
Examples: Hitler, Jim Jones, David Koresh.
8. When one sees man's inhumanity to man and, his inhumanity to other living
things, one can only deduce that man has used his free will for ill purposes. No other animal has done so much harm to it's
own species. No other animal has done so much harm to other species. While technological accomplishments are great,
our high tech lifestyle is superimposed upon a human whose drives, desires and, mental faculties are little different than
the population of ancient times.
9. Truth leads to advancement. Falsity, or false beliefs, lead to deterioration
and decline of society, . The arranging of truths in new ways leads to new inventions and improvement in the human experience.
The promulgation of falsehood leads to confusion, frustration and stagnation. One serious falsehood perpetuated within
a society, over time, can lead to the societies' decline and eventual fall.
10. For a governing body to
protect citizens from other citizens, who try to restrict their opportunity to succeed, is a basic duty of good government.
This can be carried to extremes. For example, when the protection of the rights of one citizen group restricts
that same freedom and decision-making ability of another. For government to attempt to protect citizens from themselves
however, is always the beginning of tyranny.
11. It is important not to confuse cause and effect. When these
are confused, the remedies or treatment of a perceived problem are faulty and, will not correct the problem. Because it is
easy for well meaning people to confuse cause and effect, it is easy for manipulative politicians, media members, and opinion
leaders to present information in a manner that contributes to citizen confusion and improper conclusions. In a democratic
republic, these groups can advance their own agenda by confusing cause and effect.
12. In social, economic and
political relations, most individuals do not want to be equal to everyone else -- they want to be superior in some aspect
of life -- social status, ability, education or wealth. It is only before the laws of a nation that equality is
desirable and, it is the governing body that must ensure this equally. There is however, always pressure
on politicians to place some individuals above the law. If this is allowed, it will eventually be
destructive to the justice system.
13. In the private sector of society, competition for the top spots leads to invention, efficiency, increased production,
and a richer society. In politics, competition for top positions leads to deception, trickery, and false accusations
in an effort to gain the approval of a poorly informed majority. What has to be questioned is, to what extent should
an individual be permitted to succeed and gain wealth or power? Should an individual be allowed to obtain more money
than he/she could ever spend? Does this contribute to his/her drive to invent or discover new truths or processes?
Should any individual be permitted to remain in public life to the extent that he/she has gained excessive power and wealth?
Is it only the drive for excessive power and wealth that draws qualified people to politics? How much can a governing
body extract from citizens (through taxes) before their desire to produce is destroyed? All of these questions must be answered.
14. As is stated in our Declaration of Independence, all men are created equal. The document refers to being equal
before their governing institutions, the justice system, and in the equal right to cast one's vote. The statement was never
intended to mean that all citizens are, or ever will be, economically and socially equal. The United
States was founded on the principle that each individual was provided the opportunity to become all that he/she was capable
of being. This equal opportunity protected each individual from the interference of others who might attempt to restrict his/her
legitimate ambitions to succeed. All US citizens have the right to pursue happiness in their own way. People are happy with
different levels of success. It is politicians who attempt to convince citizens that they should be dissatisfied
with their position in society. This is only done by these individuals for personal gain and the acquisition
or maintenance of political power.
15. There is a vast difference between tolerance and acceptance. Every American
citizen has a right to expect tolerance of their legal activities. They never have a right to acceptance.
16. When
a society moves away from rationalism and achievement toward emotionalism and dependency, that society will eventually decline
and fail. The rise of emotionalism and dependency is a strong indicator that a society is declining in mental skills
as well as ambition. The form of government will eventually mirror the degradation of the population. Over time, the ambitious
part of the society will exhaust itself. Once these people no longer receive social or economic recognition for their accomplishments,
they will withdraw from the society. These individuals will find other outlets for their creativeness and productive capacity.
17. Gibbons said that it was the injuries of time that destroyed the Roman Empire. It will be pragmatism and the injuries
of compromise that will weaken our great nation. A pragmatic philosophy and it's belief that any idea or value
can be compromised will, over time, corrupt our nation. There are decent values! They exist! To compromise these
values for the benefit of lesser values, bad values, or evil values, only weaken the decency of the entire system. Any
compromise between good and evil is only a victory for evil. Our constitution was written with the best of intentions
but, through judicial misinterpretation, it has been used to support pornography, the desecration of religious articles,
the murder of innocent babies and, to provide greater benefit to one group of citizens over another. The insults to the constitution
and to the American citizens have only begun.
18. A free market economy is to a large extent self regulating. Consumers,
by voting with their dollars for the products that they want, control the kinds of products that are produced. As long as
they are free to purchase the goods and services that they desire, they will effectively mold a system of production that
most efficiently meets their needs. As new products enter the marketplace, that are better suited to meet the requirements
of the public, old products become less desirable and are no longer purchased. The company producing those products must either
change to become more competitive or, lose it's position in the marketplace. When it comes to Government or the political
system however, there is no freedom of choice. One is born into a system and has little control over it. In the US Republic,
many people are represented by a single individual. This representative will, on occasions, vote for legislation that is only desirable
to the most vocal portion of his constituency but not necessarily what is best for the nation. In so doing, laws
are passed that favor some citizens and groups over others. While there is some recourse for bad legislation, the process
is slow and expensive. In this manner, average citizens are thwarted in their efforts to obtain justice from a government
that is sworn to treat all equally. Unlike the free market, people can not purchase the best government or representatives.
In many cases the choice of representatives is a choice between the better of two evils. To paraphrase J.S. Mill, tyranny
is tyranny regardless of whether the source is a single individual, an oligarchy, or a politicized majority. The question
is, how can the problems of government be resolved in a manner that is fair and just for all? It was our economic system and
the productiveness and inventiveness of our citizens, coupled to an earlier permissive government, that allowed our nation
to advance to the level that it has achieved. Government produces little of value. Even when it attempts to produce, the product
is usually inferior to the achievements of private individuals or private enterprise.
19. An important difference
between a civil service, and a ruling aristocracy, is the amount that they are paid. If public servants are paid more
than the mean wage of citizens, for administrative labor, they are no longer civil servants but, a developing ruling class.
In many cases, bureaucrats make regulation and perform their duties more for their own benefit than that of the citizens.
Politicians support the bureaucrats because they see them more as their supporters than the citizens in the private sector. The
political view becomes a we (politicians and bureaucrats), against them (the nations productive, private sector citizens),
view of governing.
20. In the past, civil servants were so named because, they were paid a modest salary for the administrative duties
that they performed. Much like military members or our teachers, while their services are invaluable to the society, they
were aware that, because their salaries are paid through taxes on other citizens, they could never be paid what they were
worth in value to the society. No society can afford to pay the public sector as much as they may be worth
because, their fellow citizens can not afford it. Much of their job satisfaction must come from the satisfaction of
knowing that they are performing important duties for their nation and, from the gratitude paid them by the citizens whom
they serve.
In recent times, we have developed a class of bureaucrats who demand high salaries for the tasks that they
perform without regard for the heavy taxation that must be imposed on other citizens. While these people call themselves public
servants, they are the first signs of a developing ruling class which gains wealth at the expense of their fellow citizens.
Many of these bureaucrats do not produce or invent anything but, only administer an ever growing government bureaucracy. In
many instances, their duties even tie the hands of productive and inventive citizens by introducing volumes of unnecessary
red tape into the private sector. Government service has become all too lucrative. It is not necessary to pay public sector
citizens such large salaries that they become an economic strain on private citizens. We pay jurors (public servants in the
truest sense) a small per diem for their service on juries. While these people do a fine job, they would never want to make
jury duty their career. We pay military members a meager salary and, much of the satisfaction for their many times dangerous
duties, must come from the good will, honor and gratitude afforded them by the citizenry. The same should be true of our elected
officials and other administrative civil servants. These individuals should be paid a modest salary for their political or
administrative abilities. In most cases, they will find their work satisfying because of the respect afforded them by other
citizens and, the job security provided them. For those who do not, there is always the option of leaving public service and
returning to the private sector where the risks and rewards are greater. To pay public servants too well, is to build an aristocracy,
or ruling class. We need public servants who serve the citizenry as a duty, preferably for a limited period of time but, if
as a career, at modest salaries. We do not need an aristocracy of high paid elected officials and bureaucrats who serve themselves
more than they serve society.
21. As any organization or government ages, it becomes more bureaucratic and inefficient.
22. If politicians lie to obtain office and, there is no recourse once he/she is in office, how can a
citizen, of any nation, vote responsibly?
23. The cost of essential goods and services (example food, clothing, energy, housing, etc.) will rise to a point where
those products consume all of the income of the poorest citizens. The increase in the cost of essentials is the best
barometer to estimate the amount of inflation within a society.
24. Whenever a bad law, or policy is corrected, a violent reaction can be anticipated by those who have benefited
from the particular law, or policy. In other words, things will get worse for a society or a company, upon correction
of the law or policy, before they begin to get better.
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