Sponsor: NHLiberty.org – An idea for peacefully rooting out bad apples in government, as well as some in the liberty movement, at the same time. If you want to take this and run with it, head to www.nhliberty.org This vid first produced in early 2009. Disclosure: Most Ridley Report…
… sounds like growing government to me… anti-productive.
I tend to agree with lumpy, but I also can see it being a good idea in some ways in that I can almost guarantee that government officials will scoff at it, ignore it, and flat out piss on it.
I disagree with you. Most government officials don’t have a problem with brutality, they have a problem with being SEEN to be brutal. If power wasn’t their primary aim, they’d not be in government. The few exceptions cannot stand against the tide.
I like your activity level up there, but I hope you choose wisely the issues you address. AC
The Freedom and Liberty Community is already threatening both bureaucrats AND their families.
Our intent to severely limit bureaucracies/governments would put tens of thousands of bureaucrats out of their tax-payer-funded “jobs” and that WOULD directly threaten the continued existence and well-being of those former bureaucrats and their families.
So these tax-payer-funded bureaucrats and their enforcers will fight to the death against a reduction in government and their dismissal or firing.
“responsible government officials”
Oxymoron.
growing government? well, perhaps. if we don’t maintain control over it. otherwise it would be one of the few legitimate forms of democracy we could have.
a forum to air grievances is important. it can certainly be done without tax payer expense. and it beats the pants off of what we have now. namely, almost nothing.
this is grass-roots democracy. it works. the people of haiti can do it, while facing much more extreme oppression. we can do it.
To wit, the common person must come to the realization and full understanding that each and every one of those bureacrats and their gun-toting enforcers ONLY get paid when they create taxation and then enforce it at gunpoint, threat of kidnap, and threat of political imprisonment of those who would resist the very taxation which pays for the enforcers and their guns and the bullets in those guns that oppress and enslave the masses so that they can continue to get a share of the loot and booty.
Still, your idea is a good one but only when it’s a voluntary committee made up of persons who ARE NOT receiving a portion of the loot and booty harvested at gunpoint.
These committee members would meet and issue public statements condemning a multitude of abuses and impositions to a peaceful and peace-loving people.
These public statements and videos would be posted and personally handed out to others in an effort to significantly reduce and curtail the abuses suffered and endured by many.
Excellent points to which my ponderous mind wonders … and how is it working out there in Haiti?
… is “democracy” really such a good thing?
… are these things not already self evident?
… among other concerns.
Is this the direction that may limit powers of government? Are these things just other opportunities for the gang calling themselves “government” to sell themselves as the savior?
Inquiring minds want to know. =)
interesting idea
This seems a bit unusual for a liberty oriented community. It would be better if the government just posted the offending communication or concern and request that the community of interest work to limit escalations of tensions and unnecessary expenditures. However, a threat of outright violence can’t be ignored in any rational society. And it would have to be dealt with directly. What is the most none violent way to handle this, that is, how would one respond without initiating force?
It would be too easy for the whole procedure of such a committee to deteriorate into something that was actually harmful to either side or the aims of its original intentions. And frankly, it sounds a little too communistic. If all parties look to engagements of open and visible communications and dialog between the offended parties. The community will know best how to respond based on the evidence. The key is to always strive for none violent resolutions, including not spending tax dollars.
i’m in a rush but, we don’t have a democracy in america, it would absolutely be a step in the right direction to start one. the haitians face much more violence and economic oppression [mostly by france and the US] in part because they’ve started to organize and found a democracy of their own.
ok, i’ll have to continue this later. i’m on my way out to Epegwitg this weekend! woohoo!
Can we start with Gov. Lynch?
“Epegwitg” sounds Canadian. What the heck is it? Hope you have a blast!
hope to get back to this discussion as well =)
I think he means we should address VIOLENT threats towards gov’t officials and their families, not non violent threats of job loss or income loss. People in the private sector get laid off and downsized all the time when they are replaced by a less expensive free market option – why should unneeded government workers not be subjected to the same efficient market forces?
I like this idea Dave. I am in favor of it. I think it could also expose any “agent provocateur” created threats (that are really not threats made by the liberty community at all), instead of giving gov’t ammunition to crack down violently on the Liberty movement.
I think this is a great idea but you (Dave) have already stated my main concern. Government, like any bureaucracy tends to rely on it’s own system because going outside of that system means giving up control and therefore disassociating themselves from the process. Follow that to the logical conclusion > The bureaucracy is no longer necessary. We know that of course. I love the idea but think there needs to be a stronger incentive(s) for government to use the council.
Here you are making the assumption that the bureaucrats and their enforcers would react rationally to the elimination of their positions…
You give them too much credit where their actions continually show that they do not deserve such consideration.
Try to get an enforcer terminated and see how that goes for you…
Although it’s a somewhat good idea in its intent, I’m uncertain that “the government” would want to participate (voluntarily).
In Britain we have question time thats presented by a respected journalist, its different from a TV program in that it tours the country, inviting politicians from the 3 major parties in that area and citizens who can get to the venue for free. It is similar to a government institution in that its run off our TV licence money. Its main problem is that it degrades from constructive criticism into question avoidance, mud slinging. Selected people are allowed to raise issues.
Continued.
If this were a perfect system it would be held like a debate once a week for the people of a town. Educators, Drs, police and other officials will probably have permanent seats. I believe this is how they did it in ancient Greece, but as soon as it went indoors and through phone wires it turned into the democratic dictatorships we have today.
The incentive is; if they don’t do it once a week/month then we won’t be voting for them.
When it comes to cop’s and other people, we can’t vote for them in the first place… when did this happen anyway? Sure the Army always needs anyone but the police? They should be nominated by the people from their town!
I suppose if they just listed the names of people invited and their positions then people would start to take a dim view on how liberty-orientated they are.
I think you are starting off with the assumption that capitalism is the best way. Is it? Should we all be “replaced by a less expensive free market option”?
Anyways i’m not sure i’d be happy living in the same area as somone who wants to threaten the children/wife of even a corrupt poletician. What are we? Russian revolutionaries? let the sins of the fathers be visited on their sons? I guess we should just copy god then.