Time For Thoughtful Change
Consider that every reaction by a westernized country to domestic attacks caused by foreign entities has been to clamor for justice; at least in my life time. This has ultimately led to decreasing civilian liberties, increasing government power, which in turn breeds government administrative jobs that will support the powers that be, (which continues to largely be a massively inefficient use of taxpayer’s money) and continued conquest in the Middle East (an even more inefficient use of taxpayers’ money, unless we all enjoy watching the education budgets and the future minds of our westernized nations shrivel up in the name of cheap oil and inefficient administration). The longer this conquest continues the more we see that the fallout on all sides of the globe is not good for any party involved (add in ratio of soldiers killed to soldiers committing suicide or refugees to actual extremists here), except those that wish for radical chaos, which would be governments that desire and thrive on wasteful military spending (key word is wasteful) and religious extremist sects. All people really want is what’s best for their family, blood or hand picked inner circle. That’s who the majority of us spend our time with, or at least hope to spend our time with. So there are a lot of people who have jobs that are unwilling to look at whether or not the funding behind those jobs is good for the future of their nation because it is their source of support for their family.
Sluggish administration costs are ruining our economy in all areas. Ever wonder where most of the money goes in our education system? How about why your medical insurance continues to cost more but you’re getting less? For my friends who live where medicine is socialized, why your doctors continue to get squeezed to work harder for less pay and yet their list of bosses continues to grow? Why one of the three largest expenditures in the US budget is government administration? Feel free to check out the department of the treasury website, it’s right up there with payment on the INTEREST of the national debt (which has ballooned since we started our war on terror, albeit the stellar fiscal decisions made by the powers that be have helped balance the budget...sarcasm intended), government administration and the military.
I don’t know about you but it seems as if we all should be asking ourselves if this system is really working anymore. Do we want to be the heirs to a government that continues to further ruin the global economy? Do you vote due to issues that have no real effect on you (how likely are you to get killed by a [insert whatever fringe group name we presently accidentally funded and incited] terrorist?) rather than things that really do affect you? For example, the economy you work in or the environment your children, the future minds of your country, are educated in, then you are doing yourself and your country a disservice and so are the politicians that push big government or increased national security rhetoric.
The time of the uneducated citizen has passed. We all have too large of a database of knowledge at our fingertips to continue to be so dependent on what is constantly, strategically placed in front of us day in and day out by people with a MONETARY INTEREST at stake. I’ve noticed an increase (however small) in thought provoking journalism being circulated on various social media outlets after the Paris incident. Maybe I’m just looking this time, or maybe other people are getting tired of the same old script we are being collectively fed in the west. We live in a global environment now. Technology, industrialism and transportation have made it so. To continue to view one nation’s or group of national leaders' interests as superior to others will be the cause of further suffering and explotation. Thought is needed. You deserve that. Your family deserves that. Why do we have to accept that the way our governments function to be set in stone? Any government’s lifespan is miniscule in the time line of human history. Most of the longest-enduring governments (or ruling bodies) have collapsed. It is a part of the cycle of life. Things are born, they grow, they thrive, they wither, they die. Governments are no different. In an era when corporations are born and die in extremely short periods of time in the name of efficiency, why do we continue to tolerate gross ineptitude from our ruling bodies? Our governments do not make us who we are. They do not determine how our children will be raised. Our cultural values do that. We do that. Yet we have been made to believe this is not so and we hand our hard earned money over to be continuously ill spent. I don’t believe that bloated, inefficient and wasteful administrations are the answer to anything, yet when organizations grow and grow this is the predominant trend. Why aren’t these issues being solved or even addressed? What if I could turn on the TV and see political candidates presenting accurate fiscal plans of how they would eliminate inefficiency and waste. I don’t care what sector it comes from, if it’s wasteful and inefficient it doesn’t serve anyone’s best interest. If candidates were limited to that, I bet we would have debates that are worth watching instead of hearing a bunch of rhetoric that will ultimately lead the country into further national debt, no matter who is elected.
There are a lot of us. If we all start thinking of ways to improve our homeland’s situation, in any aspect, no matter how big or small, instead of waiting for the ruling bodies to do so or continuing to believe that they will, I think we can start effecting real change that serves a sustainable future. Thoughtfulness is the first step. Reaction should be the last step.
