The media likes to gripe about people feeling cynical or apathetic about politics. This may be true of politics as portrayed by politicians in mass media, which is all many people know of politics. Other parties are in the background, hoping to catch on with the disillusioned masses. In general, these parties have various reasonable ideas, but they are branches of the left or right, and there is not enough new in these approaches to generate public excitement.
Free Soil questions the premises of what passes for democratic debate in America, or free enterprise, or free press. The liberties of the farmer also drift away. Soon soil may not be free for seeds farmers choose, only for engineered patented seeds. This is science and capitalism at worst, pursuing a monopoly of seeds to phase out all varieties Nature provided. Then farm animals and people eat this designer food. Organic food may be available, but this is just one sharp business practice sickening people and nature, made possible by high technology.
People feel betrayed by politics. Politics is presented as a vehicle for the public to get problems solved. That aspect still exists, but got buried in political contributions. Politicians now exist to serve their backers in the financial sense. This may be a democracy good at representing dollars, but not people. Politics could be a matter of real ideas, words that ring true far and wide, constructing something viable, vital, essential, with substantial meaning. The laws protecting people are a patchwork of disarrayed regulations, more or less unenforced. This is progress over old cutthroat capitalism, worthy of note, but not enough to force substantial change in economic theory or practice.
Economic theory is not geared to raise the average standard of living, but it may have to deal with that issue. The theory is arranged to defend the practice, so it appears the American economy is rolling along strong. People who believe business as usual is practical are evidence of the power of this myth. One might wonder how people are convinced to eat processed food and trust doctors to keep them going. Or how people are convinced bug spray only kills bugs, harmless to animals. The list of legal poisons that had to be banned keeps growing, but the regulators reassure their procedures are tighter than ever, nothing harmful will get past the testing to consumers. Regulatory agencies are bureaucracies overly influenced by industry experts. Conflicts of interest are the rule; whistle blowers catch all kinds of trouble, even if finally vindicated. It is not enough to patch a few regulations when enforcement agencies have such a history of collusion.
The public is wise to doubt the pronouncements of authority figures. The real agenda is not that hard to find. Cynicism is a reaction to feelings of betrayal and may be healthy, under the circumstances. The betrayal is real, but that does not mean nothing can be done, just that the current political structure is unlikely to actively promote meaningful change. One could suggest stop killing old trees and marine mammals. One could suggest create a model for free enterprise that encourages protections for workers, consumers, Nature, and competition. One could suggest a public service campaign where male celebrities would denounce violence against women. Abortion is murder fanatics are committing crimes to reduce abortion, to the extent of threatening and murdering providers. Dissent is protected by the Constitution, but not religious violence. No holy wars can be tolerated in a free country. Political confusion over abortion encourages the vigilante approach, since abortion is not any business of politics or religion. Abortion is a public health service; it should be available to women who want it.
Most politicians have no desire to deal with real issues, so they come up with variations on the same old themes, promoting their agenda. There are ways to remove all need for creating pollution, but established industries are trying to keep this technology expensive and little known. Solar and fuel cell technology are already to the point where nearly completely decentralized energy is realistic. There are feasible substitutes for every product derived from lumber and oil. The factory farming approach may appear a short-term success story, but long term it is disastrous. Nuclear energy is the same story, and biotechnology is on the road to the same fate.
The public could demand oversight over matters of survival, but scientists create the aura of competence so most of the public believes such problems will not arise, despite the history littered with significant errors of judgment causing preventable local disasters. The stakes are much higher now, as effects of errors in designing life could disrupt the balance of life worldwide without any warning or possible countermeasures. Money is no kind of benefit worth that risk, but in the media circus of America, survival issues get little attention.
Free Soil questions the premises of what passes for democratic debate in America, or free enterprise, or free press. The liberties of the farmer also drift away. Soon soil may not be free for seeds farmers choose, only for engineered patented seeds. This is science and capitalism at worst, pursuing a monopoly of seeds to phase out all varieties Nature provided. Then farm animals and people eat this designer food. Organic food may be available, but this is just one sharp business practice sickening people and nature, made possible by high technology.
People feel betrayed by politics. Politics is presented as a vehicle for the public to get problems solved. That aspect still exists, but got buried in political contributions. Politicians now exist to serve their backers in the financial sense. This may be a democracy good at representing dollars, but not people. Politics could be a matter of real ideas, words that ring true far and wide, constructing something viable, vital, essential, with substantial meaning. The laws protecting people are a patchwork of disarrayed regulations, more or less unenforced. This is progress over old cutthroat capitalism, worthy of note, but not enough to force substantial change in economic theory or practice.
Economic theory is not geared to raise the average standard of living, but it may have to deal with that issue. The theory is arranged to defend the practice, so it appears the American economy is rolling along strong. People who believe business as usual is practical are evidence of the power of this myth. One might wonder how people are convinced to eat processed food and trust doctors to keep them going. Or how people are convinced bug spray only kills bugs, harmless to animals. The list of legal poisons that had to be banned keeps growing, but the regulators reassure their procedures are tighter than ever, nothing harmful will get past the testing to consumers. Regulatory agencies are bureaucracies overly influenced by industry experts. Conflicts of interest are the rule; whistle blowers catch all kinds of trouble, even if finally vindicated. It is not enough to patch a few regulations when enforcement agencies have such a history of collusion.
The public is wise to doubt the pronouncements of authority figures. The real agenda is not that hard to find. Cynicism is a reaction to feelings of betrayal and may be healthy, under the circumstances. The betrayal is real, but that does not mean nothing can be done, just that the current political structure is unlikely to actively promote meaningful change. One could suggest stop killing old trees and marine mammals. One could suggest create a model for free enterprise that encourages protections for workers, consumers, Nature, and competition. One could suggest a public service campaign where male celebrities would denounce violence against women. Abortion is murder fanatics are committing crimes to reduce abortion, to the extent of threatening and murdering providers. Dissent is protected by the Constitution, but not religious violence. No holy wars can be tolerated in a free country. Political confusion over abortion encourages the vigilante approach, since abortion is not any business of politics or religion. Abortion is a public health service; it should be available to women who want it.
Most politicians have no desire to deal with real issues, so they come up with variations on the same old themes, promoting their agenda. There are ways to remove all need for creating pollution, but established industries are trying to keep this technology expensive and little known. Solar and fuel cell technology are already to the point where nearly completely decentralized energy is realistic. There are feasible substitutes for every product derived from lumber and oil. The factory farming approach may appear a short-term success story, but long term it is disastrous. Nuclear energy is the same story, and biotechnology is on the road to the same fate.
The public could demand oversight over matters of survival, but scientists create the aura of competence so most of the public believes such problems will not arise, despite the history littered with significant errors of judgment causing preventable local disasters. The stakes are much higher now, as effects of errors in designing life could disrupt the balance of life worldwide without any warning or possible countermeasures. Money is no kind of benefit worth that risk, but in the media circus of America, survival issues get little attention.