Who's running this world?
OK, I lied. I said I would post on Monday, but Monday got away. I originally set out to solve the world's problems, so today seems as good a day as any to do that. That's why I'm here blogging my little fingers off, after all.
So we have this political election, you see. This guy gets elected, and everyone celebrates the fact that we don't have riots and rebellions after an election. That we have the most "peaceful and advanced" democracy on earth. Well, here is a question for those of you who came to my door asking me if I would vote for Kerry.
Why aren't YOU running for president?
That's right. Little Joe Campaigner, or Mary Votegetter. Why didn't you run? I have often thought about what I would do if I was elected president. I, being a Baha'i, cannot run for elected office. But if, for some strange reason, 32% of registered voters wrote my name in, I'd be The Man. (A little quick math, only 60% of eligible voters voted, so a majority that elected Bush was 31%. Therefore, I only needed 32%. Thanks, Anonymous!!)
Would I be the most just, most righteous, most reasonable, least kowtowing president ever? Probably. :-) But I'd probably be the most lame-duck one, too. Again, I refer to Mr. Sterling, a Sterling show if ever I saw one. To work it in Washington, you have to Play The Game. Wash someone's back so they'll wash yours. If principles prevented me from doing that, and I simply pushed those things I agreed with (like universal health care, a living wage, affordable guaranteed education, just for starts) and vetoed those I don't agree with (privatizing social security, missile defense, and other gimme's for rich corporations) I'd be a lonely guy in Washington.
Imagine this: When a bill came to Congress, all the Senators consulted to figure out if passing the bill was For The Greater Good. If it was, it should pass 100-0. If it wasn't, it should fail 0-100. Simple. Consensus. Principled. Not based on stealing from Peter to pay Paul, or who agreed to back it because they'll get return votes for their pet projects. After all, we are all in this together.
So why doesn't this system work?
Two reasons, really. The first is money. It is all based on the All Mighty Dollar. The dollar is the goal, the ultimate value in this world. A candidate promises to "bring jobs, protect our (material and capitalist) way of life, give a tax cut." A company in South Dakota that closes and sends its jobs to China is "good" for the economy, just like tax cuts to the rich will "trickle down" through more investment. Unfortunately, that investment isn't in the infrastructure of the economy, it is in a second (or third) vacation home. Or island. (Did you know one person owns the whole island of Lanai? One whole Hawaiian island!)
The second reason is that we don't acknowledge the real power behind it all. I'm not talking about the ultra-rich folks who bankroll candidates and collect corporations like beanie babies. I'm talking about God. Creator. Jehovah. Allah. Great Spirit. Whatever you call Him. As long as we insist on trying to use man-made institutions, we will get man-made results. Where did our code of laws come from? From God. Every religion has taught the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Man teaches the other golden rule. He who has the gold makes the rules.
This period of time we are in is both the worst of times and the best of times. The infrastructure of the world is crumbling. Men are scrambling to hold on to every last vestige of power, struggling to claim every piece of capital, land, and market. Governments are failing, wars are raging, people are dying, and you can't guarantee that you will live to see your grandchildren. On the other hand, we can see our brothers and sisters all over the world. We can see their plight and how we are affected by genocide in Rwanda and SARS in China. Look at how fast the reaction to SARS was. We truly are a global neighborhood. If you can watch the news outside the US, you see a non-American-centric view of the world, where the passage of the global landmine treaty is celebrated. We see it about once every two years, when we see the Opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. We saw it as we watched Y2K come and go around the world. Most people believe in the equality of women and men, the elimination of racism, that we are all equal, and most people in the world believe in God. Amazingly, the issue that seemed to tip the election was belief in values. Let's hear it for values!!
So where do we get a blueprint for the world that will work? From God, of course. You didn't get the email? :-) Tomorrow, I'll tell you how we figure it out.
So we have this political election, you see. This guy gets elected, and everyone celebrates the fact that we don't have riots and rebellions after an election. That we have the most "peaceful and advanced" democracy on earth. Well, here is a question for those of you who came to my door asking me if I would vote for Kerry.
Why aren't YOU running for president?
That's right. Little Joe Campaigner, or Mary Votegetter. Why didn't you run? I have often thought about what I would do if I was elected president. I, being a Baha'i, cannot run for elected office. But if, for some strange reason, 32% of registered voters wrote my name in, I'd be The Man. (A little quick math, only 60% of eligible voters voted, so a majority that elected Bush was 31%. Therefore, I only needed 32%. Thanks, Anonymous!!)
Would I be the most just, most righteous, most reasonable, least kowtowing president ever? Probably. :-) But I'd probably be the most lame-duck one, too. Again, I refer to Mr. Sterling, a Sterling show if ever I saw one. To work it in Washington, you have to Play The Game. Wash someone's back so they'll wash yours. If principles prevented me from doing that, and I simply pushed those things I agreed with (like universal health care, a living wage, affordable guaranteed education, just for starts) and vetoed those I don't agree with (privatizing social security, missile defense, and other gimme's for rich corporations) I'd be a lonely guy in Washington.
Imagine this: When a bill came to Congress, all the Senators consulted to figure out if passing the bill was For The Greater Good. If it was, it should pass 100-0. If it wasn't, it should fail 0-100. Simple. Consensus. Principled. Not based on stealing from Peter to pay Paul, or who agreed to back it because they'll get return votes for their pet projects. After all, we are all in this together.
So why doesn't this system work?
Two reasons, really. The first is money. It is all based on the All Mighty Dollar. The dollar is the goal, the ultimate value in this world. A candidate promises to "bring jobs, protect our (material and capitalist) way of life, give a tax cut." A company in South Dakota that closes and sends its jobs to China is "good" for the economy, just like tax cuts to the rich will "trickle down" through more investment. Unfortunately, that investment isn't in the infrastructure of the economy, it is in a second (or third) vacation home. Or island. (Did you know one person owns the whole island of Lanai? One whole Hawaiian island!)
The second reason is that we don't acknowledge the real power behind it all. I'm not talking about the ultra-rich folks who bankroll candidates and collect corporations like beanie babies. I'm talking about God. Creator. Jehovah. Allah. Great Spirit. Whatever you call Him. As long as we insist on trying to use man-made institutions, we will get man-made results. Where did our code of laws come from? From God. Every religion has taught the Golden Rule. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Man teaches the other golden rule. He who has the gold makes the rules.
This period of time we are in is both the worst of times and the best of times. The infrastructure of the world is crumbling. Men are scrambling to hold on to every last vestige of power, struggling to claim every piece of capital, land, and market. Governments are failing, wars are raging, people are dying, and you can't guarantee that you will live to see your grandchildren. On the other hand, we can see our brothers and sisters all over the world. We can see their plight and how we are affected by genocide in Rwanda and SARS in China. Look at how fast the reaction to SARS was. We truly are a global neighborhood. If you can watch the news outside the US, you see a non-American-centric view of the world, where the passage of the global landmine treaty is celebrated. We see it about once every two years, when we see the Opening ceremony of the Olympic Games. We saw it as we watched Y2K come and go around the world. Most people believe in the equality of women and men, the elimination of racism, that we are all equal, and most people in the world believe in God. Amazingly, the issue that seemed to tip the election was belief in values. Let's hear it for values!!
So where do we get a blueprint for the world that will work? From God, of course. You didn't get the email? :-) Tomorrow, I'll tell you how we figure it out.
posted by Bill @ 2:19 PM
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