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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (124024)	1/30/2004 6:28:06 PM
From: Hawkmoon	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Democracy brings us poverty in India, Actually, the poverty has existed for centuries in India. There are many other issues responsible for the poverty in that country, most of which has been the social turmoil and corruption.. Democracies can only properly exist upon a foundation laid in the rule of law and property rights. Because citizens have to have a stake in their own society. When they have a stake, then they are less inclined to attempt to exploit it (or at least will demand punishment for those who do). negro suppression in the first half of the 20th century in parts of the USA and even slavery before universal suffrage was established, Actually, that existed prior to the creation of the American Republic. It should be argued that it was democracy, and most of all, the concept of inalienable rights, that was responsible for changing that social wrong in America (as well as in Britain). The same with Women's Suffrage... It was democracy that forced chauvinistic societies to recognize the equal rights of women in society. Hitler was initially elected. But Hitler also was elected into a form of democracy where there were few constitutional checks and balances on his power.. And it helped that he promised the aristocratic military elite the world after having been effectively neutered by the Treaty of Versaille. NZ currently is creating an apartheid system despite the lessons of racism over a century of horror. Earners are robbed by welfare recipients who are bribed by their political patrons You can speak with more authority on NZ than can I. But suffice it say that the power to tax is the power to destroy (as we learned in the US). Taxation is the means by which the government transfers wealth from the profit centers of society to other segments of society.. Sometimes its a necessary transfer in order to achieve the creation of public goods that the private market cannot efficiently achieve. But it also provides a tremendous ability to garner votes from a always greedy and demanding populace.. And it only grows as the sense of entitlement is nurtured by more and more permanent government programs.. I'm constantly seeking the balance where government exists to prevent the excesses of the private market from hurting the population, while also transferring "excess" wealth in a manner that fosters social investment (Credible Educational programs, infrastructure, worker training... etc) All of those things which tend to create a greater return down the road.. Which is why I was so happy to finally see Welfare turned into Workfare.. Unless people have an anticipation that they are going to be forcefully weaned from the public teat, they won't have the motivation to seek work.. Welfare should be reserved from those who are incapable of doing for themselves, or performing a productive service to society. But that is a relatively small percentage of our population.. Hawk