To summarize: it is a well known fact, that those people who most want to rule people are, ipso facto, those least suited to do it. To summarize the summary: anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job. To summarize the summary of the summary: people are a problem.
~The Restaurant at the end of the Universe
"On its world, the people are people. The leaders are lizards. The people hate the lizards and the lizards rule the people."
"Odd," said Arthur, "I thought you said it was a democracy."
"I did," said Ford. "It is."
"So," said Arthur, hoping he wasn't sounding ridiculously obtuse, "why don't people get rid of the lizards?"
"It honestly doesn't occur to them," said Ford. "They've all got the vote, so they all pretty much assume that the government they've voted in more or less approximates to the government they want."
"You mean they actually vote for the lizards?"
"Oh yes," said Ford with a shrug, "of course."
"But," said Arthur, going for the big one again, "why?"
"Because if they didn't vote for a lizard," said Ford, "the wrong lizard might get in. Got any gin?"
~So Long, and Thanks for all the Fish
It is my obligation as a citizen to vote. I need to take part in the political process. However, anyone with the least degree of humility and compassion, the qualities a good leader needs, has no chance of appeasing the power mongers and thus getting a chance to be a candidate. I could stomach the idea of voting for some of the earlier candidates, but the final two turn my stomach. All of the Third-party options are just too extreme for my tastes.
That leaves me stuck, with no good option. I cannot decide who is the lesser of the evils, and I really don't care too much because a lesser evil is still evil. And I want to put my voice behind good, not evil. If I write in an honorable person, unless they are a declared candidate it won't count. Not to mention, my state, ALWAYS votes a certain way, so even if I finally do decide which way I want to go, there is a certain element of futility to it.
So what to do? I will continue to try and research, to try and find some truth behind all the posing. Maybe just maybe I will find what I need. But I doubt it.
What I really want, is an Enlightened Despot. I know that the very idea seems bizarre in this day and age. But, if there were an absolute leader, who truly cared about his/her country and all of the people in it. Who made choices based on what would be best for everyone, long term. Who could run the government without all of the hidden deals, short term solutions, and petty power plays... That would be perfect. In that fantasy dream world everyone is kind and loving and generous and cares about their neighbors and the world around them. I know Human Nature too well, it would never happen.
Democracy is the best of the bad systems at the moment.
It is my obligation as a citizen to vote. I need to take part in the political process. However, anyone with the least degree of humility and compassion, the qualities a good leader needs, has no chance of appeasing the power mongers and thus getting a chance to be a candidate. I could stomach the idea of voting for some of the earlier candidates, but the final two turn my stomach. All of the Third-party options are just too extreme for my tastes.
That leaves me stuck, with no good option. I cannot decide who is the lesser of the evils, and I really don't care too much because a lesser evil is still evil. And I want to put my voice behind good, not evil. If I write in an honorable person, unless they are a declared candidate it won't count. Not to mention, my state, ALWAYS votes a certain way, so even if I finally do decide which way I want to go, there is a certain element of futility to it.
So what to do? I will continue to try and research, to try and find some truth behind all the posing. Maybe just maybe I will find what I need. But I doubt it.
What I really want, is an Enlightened Despot. I know that the very idea seems bizarre in this day and age. But, if there were an absolute leader, who truly cared about his/her country and all of the people in it. Who made choices based on what would be best for everyone, long term. Who could run the government without all of the hidden deals, short term solutions, and petty power plays... That would be perfect. In that fantasy dream world everyone is kind and loving and generous and cares about their neighbors and the world around them. I know Human Nature too well, it would never happen.
Democracy is the best of the bad systems at the moment.
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