"WE THE PEOPLE" ARE NOT "CREATED EQUAL"

(dedicated to Thomas Paine, champion of The American Revolution and opponent of religious tyranny)

I often denounce the system and state of things in the U.S.A.(I'd point out that I focus my criticism on the place that I know first-hand, not that I really see as a unique "evil empire.") When I do so, I'm often asked what "system" should replace democracy: i.e. if not by a vote, then how should we choose our leaders?

I had just such a conversation with a friend over beer and nachos last night and, over the charming mariachi and through the alcohol, I tried to explain that systems are over-rated and when they are formulated, it should be with great care and input from a great number of thinkers.

But perhaps I've been too slow to advance my thoughts on what might make a better political scenario in the U.S.A.. The first principle of my thinking is that "we the people" are not "created equal." Furthermore, people are not machines and much of their identity is not genetic but determined by various choices they make... many of them ethical.

So, as I've discussed in other writings, it's ridiculous to give everybody an equal vote and this way of doing things would not continue to exist except that certain powers have found that the majority of votes can pretty much be decided by small minorities armed with powerful weapons of propaganda. My objection isn't that this is elitist but that it puts the wrong sort of elite in power(often devious, deceitful people.)

Perhaps the most powerful and certainly the most ancient of these propaganda tools is religion, though religion is more than this and some elements of it are admirable if antiquated. The fact is that religion is no longer effective at enforcing morality because it's not true. All scriptures are riddled with outright untruths like the bible saying the earth is the center of the universe(a view ruthlessly enforced on many philosophers like Galileo.)

I believe that, in the U.S.A., religion is for most people a force that steers them toward ignorance, intolerance, and war. I believe that all government religious rituals: the daily allegiance students(some atheistic or Buddhist or Hindu) are all but forced to swear to a monotheistic God, prayers at the opening of congress and witnesses swearing on the bible, are wrong and should cease, along with the common practice of making drug "criminals" attend God-based twelve step programs(the anarchy of our nation has gotten so bad that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the latter practice should stop years ago, but it simply hasn't.)

Peaceful worship, of course, shouldn't be repressed, but there should be a massive public education campaign promoting atheism. Because religions are full of provable "lies" and have been responsible for the torture and oppression of countless philosophers and scientists, there's plenty of compelling material. Those who see this as government brain-washing should be reminded that governments have gone to great lengths to plant these superstitions in the first place.

To help further end Voltaire's "infamy," we'll ban all door to door preaching and converting. Some people will still cling to religion and this is fine: they may need it as a moral system, or just not be ready to give up cultural tradition.

Moving on, anything resembling a vote is an inferior form of government. People, even people with money and alleged educations, are not at all equal. We must have systems where through discussion and trial and error, the best leaders in various fields may prove themselves and rise to prominence. Of course there must also be philosophical leaders capable of understanding many fields as well as the central needs of humanity.

It's my opinion that many of our fittest leaders, captains who should be steering our economies and cities and even helping to command armies can be found lecturing on subjects like history, literature, and philosophy in our universities. In a flawed but prosperous society, many of the naturally strongest individuals go to places where they can work in theory. I believe the world of scholarship is far more practical and important than most modern leaders... and look at all the problems such "men of action" have left us and even now fail to fix.

Then many fit leaders are I'm sure in positions of 2nd tier influence and power now from the corporate to the government world and also in the military(any true military man somewhere understands the insipid nature of democracy.) Also, many potential leaders end up in jails and mental institutions... those who don't participate or conform are often branded lunatics or criminals. Confucius has not been the only one to say that prison is the best place to be in an ignorant and "unjust society" (i.e. the USA.)

Potential leaders may in fact be anywhere in the U.S.A., pumping gas or waiting tables; In our society, individuals just can't be dismissed for a lack of public achievements. And we must keep the doors to leadership open to individuals of unusual aptitude or achievement... starting from the youngest ages. Gifted individuals should be carefully and expensively schooled... instilled with a devotion to the greater community among other things.

The most important aspect of "meritocratic" leaders is not where they rise from but that they are selected through an open process, selected for their proven virtues(not for smooth speaking ability and a knack for avoiding controversy.)

I do believe democracy to be just another superstition and a dangerous one; However, I don't wish these propositions to be misunderstood. It's not all egalitarian progress I'm attacking here, not at all. Neither is it any real, existent "equality." In reality, there is little "equality" in the U.S.A. of today, except for lip-service. Money is the great divider, is the way that important privilleges are assigned, is the only way to have one's legal rights respected, and it is VERY unequally distributed.

Actually, in this very wealthy country, people commonly die of poverty when a real social safety net(an active and not just a charitable one) could have them back to productivity and prosperity in a year. And the ability to succeed in our system and accumulate money is not necessarily a mark of intelligence, ethics, or any other sort of superiority.

Sometimes it is; sometimes it's the very opposite. The coming waves of cultural revolution and how monied people use their influence will sort out the hawks from the hand-saws. Speaking of this, war will likely be used as a way to maintain the current order. Those who establish legal conscientious objector status now, way before the likely military draft, will almost certainly be immune from combat duties; I'd strongly advise young men that this is no cowardice. Save your valor for a worthy struggle.

As I said earlier, robotic systems are not the key to the government of humans. We are not machines, as thinkers like John Stuart Mill have supposed. Doubtless though, progressive thinkers need to lay out some "meritocratic" systems and workable concepts. These are the admittedly imperfect suggestions of one such philosopher.