So many New Years posts this morning (as expected) that I won’t have time to reply to all of them - please know I hope that 2021 brings you what you need - including happiness, safety and health.
As I get older, it’s more and more evident that the government plays roles that business and religion, with their individual missions cannot, in creating the ability to pursue life, liberty and happiness. When done right, it is the guardian of the people, a public investment in ourselves. Education, security - both physical and social, it manages the logistics and makes sure that singular objective systems - like capitalism - have boundaries for the public good. Think of it like this;
If you are in the ocean as a floating body, you have only a slight chance of surviving at sea. If I put you in a boat, that is designed to navigate these rough waters, there is still turbulence, but your chances of making an ocean crossing are very good.
Government is that boat for all of us. The privileged can afford private boats. 99% of us need to pool our resources in order to do things like make sure our food and medicines are safe, that the public welfare and health are looked after, that we have mechanisms that allow us to make money and safety nets to help us survive when these don’t work.
That is not big government. That is a right-sized government. Religion provides a path for the spiritual, free trade provides a path to money and the government protects our ability to worship, work and live without the ravages of the other systems impacting our lives to the point where we cannot survive.
That is why we need to put in check forces like lobbies and campaign finance. They seek to promote something other than the public good. Yes, we need to make sure regulation is only what is needed - and we will have enough argument about that. But our laws need to be written with the people’s interest in mind and right now a large amount of our legislation is written by lobbyists and special interest think tanks.
We have to put safeguards back in place and make sure they are necessary and can stand assault. We need to rebuild our public systems - education, health, environment and our ability to work with other nations, and our interior and our ability to manage the public welfare. All of the dismantling that has taken place can only be brought to good by rebuilding better and more resilient infrastructure.
It’s a huge job. It is one that needs to start right away. It needs all of our voices to come to semblance of collaboration, but we need to push against those who will try to keep that from happening - because it will impact the wealthy. It will impact businesses that currently pay little or no tax. It will impact those that make bad loans and while we’re in the struggle we need to protect the poor, the middle class and everyone’s right to live and thrive.
Our government is not a thing separate from ourselves, that runs itself. It requires us or it becomes a tool of the greedy, the self serving, the tyrant. At the very least our votes, but our voices, our ideas - they need to be the drive - not the money.
So - elect politicians that represent reform of campaign finance. Elect officials that are oriented for the public good. Follow legislation, question decisions and peacefully protest so injustice gets seen and dealt with. Insist on accountability and understand, at the same time, that we are all human and mistakes are made (in business, in religion, in government, in being human) - they just must be understood and corrected.
Not everyone will contribute the same amount, the same effort or to the same level. That’s part of humanity - we are each born with different gifts and weaknesses. Some will have to lift more. Some will be unable to lift.
“Wow, that seems like a lot of work for a lot of us, Toby.”
Yes, it is and will be. But what will you give to have a peaceful loving world where we all can thrive? You give what you can - your thoughts, your support, your time, your vote, your voice, your sweat, your heart. Many already do and many more are needed.
May 2021 be evidence of your good hearts and minds against the forces that compromise us. May it bring you a large measure of love and joy, and health and well-being. ❤️
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