There are many forms of government rule in the world community. Tribal comes to mind. So too, democracy, monarchy, tyranny, communism, socialism and anarchy. There are blends of all these in endless permutations of form and process.
Which form is better? Is purity of format a requirement? What is the objective aim of the form of government? How is that objective measured? And by whom? How often? What are the corrective methods to keep the government on target for their agreed upon mission? Who is in charge of all this?
Government is power. Power is government. Which form of government leads to the best outcomes for the nation? Which form provides the best living quality for its citizenry? Is this a universally agreed upon objective? Quality of life for citizens of a nation? Is there a consensus on this primary objective of government?
Americans live under democratic rule. Citizens elect people to serve in jobs and functions in each of the many forms of governments established throughout the American society. Not all of these elected people do a good job. Not all governments are effective or efficient. A lot of ‘in-betweens’ exist in our form of governance in America.
Democracy is a demanding form of government. Those it serves are the primary creators of it. It takes time and attention to understand the people under consideration for elected office; their motivation and intentions; their trustworthiness; their preparation, experience and readiness to serve well in office. Democracy also seeks guidance from the citizenry via referenda and other direct forms of involvement. Committees, commissions and volunteer assignments often are used to study issues and possible solutions. Citizens are the backbone of democracy. Not all citizens are up for the tasks. They shirk opportunities to be involved or understand the inner workings of their government. They let others do it for them, chosen or not.
Of course, a free press helps keep public discussion of issues and elected persons in line. Even then, many citizens pay little attention to such matters. That’s dangerous for a democracy. Uninvolved people allow too much to happen in their names all because they are not paying attention.
Other forms of government (not democracies) assume the leaders know what is good for the people and manage all such matters. Benevolent rulers are good things but not guaranteed. Often corruption, greed and hunger for power twists the leaders toward doing that which is not good for the nation or its people. History is filled with such tales. Repeats of those stories will continue to flow far into the future as long as fallible human beings are entrusted to do duties they do not support.
All of the ‘other forms of government’ are subject to massive failure through greed of wealth and power. It is a fault of being human. Democracy suffers from this ailment as well, but it is less frequent because of the checks and balances at every step of government and at all levels. Failures do occur, unhappily. Time and education usually cause repair of such failures. The cost is high and the pain suffered great. It is why each citizen needs to stay engaged and informed.
All in all I trust in democracy. I am an avid reader of news, journals and analysis of same. That does not make me an expert. It doesn’t even make me right on all the issues. But I am confident I am better prepared to understand what’s happening and what needs to be done than most people. Together, we can all work together to perfect our form of government. This is what it takes. Collaboration, reading, thinking and discussing the issues. Without that investment of effort, we are lost. And then the lesser forms of governance take root.
That would be a pity after all the people who have fought, worked and died for our American form of democracy. We owe them our commitment to keep the effort alive. And the dream.
May 2, 2019
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