Government is one of the greatest problems that the world faces today.
Government bashing is a popular sport and completely justified by the behavior of most governments in the world.
There are some shining examples of good governance in the world and all governments should learn from those who are raising the bar. All governments should implement best practice management principles. Unfortunately this rarely occurs.
The primary aim of any person, private organization or government should be to learn from what is good, and do less of what is bad. Learning is the key.
We have reached a point in the development of our societies where many governments are out of control, they are not doing the right thing for the people that they are supposed to represent. They start wars, prey on the populace and rob private citizens without accountability or recourse. They have become more of a hindrance to businesses than a help (unless of course you consider very large businesses with inside contacts and the ability to bribe governments by various means).
Government interference is leading to an overall decrease in our standards of living, as more money and resources are taken from productive citizens and diverted to wasteful government spending. Governments often say “Look what we have done for the country, look how much peoples’ lives have improved since 1900, since 1950, since we came to power” but the reality is that most improvements in peoples’ lives have not come from government, they have come from technology.
The development of technology – in all forms – is directly hindered by government.
There are some benefits from large government spending programs, the CSIRO in Australia is a good example of this. The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation is Australia’s national science agency and is not focused on military research, rather on development of scientific knowledge that will benefit Australia in peaceful and productive ways. The development of peaceful government organisations like the CSIRO would be of benefit to all nations and should be encouraged, however the most beneficial thing that a government can do to encourage research and development, is to remove as many obstacles as possible from the lives of scientists and business people who provide the majority of the real development and progress in the world.
NASA has produced many benefits for the world, and even military spending sometimes leads to new technologies and knowledge that is beneficial to all people. Unfortunately massive government spending for military purposes invariably leads to massive destruction and loss of life as a side effect. The few new technologies and benefits that we get from military spending are far outweighed by the death and destruction that invariably accompanies them.
To use World War 2 as an example, turbo chargers and super chargers were both developed by the military for aviation purposes and were military secrets for quite a long time after the war. These are very good technologies that do make internal combustion engines work more efficiently and more powerfully. Nuclear power is also a benefit of government research during WW2. The problem is that when you look at net gains from this technology versus the massive loss of life and the massive amount of destruction that occurred during the war – it simply wasn’t worth it.
Combustion engines being what they are and the racing industry being what it is, perhaps the development of turbo chargers and super chargers would have been delayed by some years, but it still would have occurred.
Scientists in the 1930's discovered that Thorium could be used to produce a much cheaper and safer form of nuclear power than Uranium, but the byproducts could not be used for military weapons, so the technology was never funded nor pursued. Many people say that the internet was developed by the military not by citizens. The fact is that the internet was developed by a group of scientists working in universities. The fact that it was primarily used as a military tool does not justify the trillions of dollars that have been wasted by the military in the past 20 years, the millions of people who have lost their lives, the massive destruction of entire countries and the continuing state of angst that the entire world lives in as a result of unnecessary wars that continue to be fostered by evil governments.
Peaceful development of some things may be slower in the absence of massive government spending, but it is in everyone’s interest to reach our destination without starting wars, without killing innocent people, without creating enemies when there is absolutely no need to do so.
Governments – just like individual people – can be evil, stupid, caring, motivating…
Just like people, education is the key.
So how do we educate a government?
Governments are made up of politicians, and politicians are just about the same as spoiled 6 year old children. Politicians are impetuous, stubborn, selfish, and really only interested in one thing – remaining in office.
Just like 6 year old children, politicians do not want to go to school. They do not want to learn about anything that does not directly benefit themselves or their opportunity to be re-elected. They are happy to waste the public´s hard earned money on taxpayer funded trips, public events and expensive diners with other public figures, but the idea of re-educating themselves on any particular subject is not attractive in the least. Their first point of reference in any discussion is:
A. What will the public reaction be, and
B. What will the media reaction be.
Knowing the heart of a politician is the key to educating them.
In the first instance, we must initiate a carrot and stick approach, just like training a mule in days of old. Politicians must be forced to learn what is right and wrong, rewarded for doing good deeds, and punished for doing bad.
We the people need to take an active stance to force politicians to learn and behave well. There is no point sitting in our lounge chairs, complaining about the way that politicians behave if we do not take direct physical action to assist change.
As an example, how often do we as a society initiate a sit-in outside a politicians office – or house? How often do regular citizens stage a protest against their local member. How often do we as individuals actually approach government representatives and discuss the serious problems that we face in the world with a view to creating solutions?
The key to educating politicians is engaging with politicians, and that is something that very rarely happens on a personal level.
So, with a view to beginning the process, I challenge each and every person who reads this – Go out and meet your local representative in person. Make an appointment, sit down and discuss the top three things that you think would make the world a better place. Let them know that it is important to their political survival to address these issues, and then let all of your friends and colleagues know what was the result of the meeting. Call a local radio station and discuss the outcome of the meeting and the politician´s response to your concerns. Ask a local TV station to follow up with the politician and ask what action will be taken to address the issues.
My top three priorities will be something like this:
- Immediately cease all military actions outside the country.
- Ban the use of non-biodegradable plastics for all consumer goods, food wraps, soda bottles etc.
- Introduce citizenry based accountability for all public servants.
On a personal basis, I have begun writing a book outlining the principles of good governance, using examples from the best run and most successful governments of the world. It is my hope to finish the book within one year and distribute it to as many politicians as possible, then follow up with question and answer sessions in the local media so that the politicians who have received the book are forced to at least examine the contents and respond to the issues raised within.
By doing this I hope to at least get the issue of good governance into their thoughts and perhaps change our political direction a little.
You can lead a politician to new ideas, but you cannot make him think!
Our system of governance is broken and it needs to be changed. I do hope that you all will join in just a little and bring your own thoughts to the battle.
This is not about me telling the world how to live, nor politicians how to behave. It should be about every one of us participating in politics for the greater good of humanity.
The aim should not be just to win the next election, the aim should be to improve everyone's world and protect each other.
All of us!
Not just the wealthy, privileged few.
I hope that you will join in,
Yours sincerely,
Ian, from Planet Earth
