|
|
John Ralston Saul |
|
A disinterested democracy: |
|
Nipawin - Friday, February 15, 2002 - by: Mario deSantis | |
|
|
|
|
mirror |
The Canadian dollar has decreased in value with respect to the American one in the last generation. When I came to Canada in the late 60s the Canadian dollar was priced over the American and now it is worth just above 62%. The loss of value of the Canadian dollar with respect to the American one doesn't constitute per se, a reason that we have lagged economically behind the United States, and in fact we use monetary policies to steer the economy. One reason that we have lagged economically behind the United States is that we have had our own currency, our own sovereignty, but our economic policies were directly reflecting the policies of the United States. |
|
|
copycats |
|
|
|
change |
|
|
|
common |
I find that the fundamental problem of our social systems rests on the present tenet of the Free Market: making money with money. Our social systems must change not under the tenet to make money with money, but under social polices which distinguish individual good from common good. |
soft |
Partially because of the collapse of the Enron Corporation, the United States is presently passing legislation to eliminate soft money from their electoral campaign financing. Democracy means to have an ever changing balance and understanding of the individual good and the common good, however the elimination of soft money from campaign financing is not enough to restore democracy. |
lobbying |
As long as we pursue political interests to support individual interests we are not going to have any democracy. Once you entrench business lobbying within a political system, then we have no democracy. Politicians must be above their own individual good and must behave on behalf of the common good. |
politics |
Retired military generals shouldn't be allowed to exploit their past military and political relationships to become heads of big corporations, and former U.S. presidents shouldn't be allowed to pursue their selfish interests in the military and energy industries. I subscribe to the understanding of Canadian philosopher John Ralston Saul when he says that we need to follow our individual interest in our normal activities, but we must follow our individual disinterest for our own common good, that is for politics. |
-----------------References: | |
Pertinent articles in Ensign | |
Our leaders hide themselves behind the facade of the BIG LIE: the Free Market. Defrauding Bubbles, Bankruptcies, Mega Mergers, Efficiencies, Innovations, Productivity by Mario deSantis, February 13, 2002 | |
BOOK REVIEW: John Ralston Saul, The Unconscious Civilization, Penguin, 1997 by Rowland Croucher, March 1999 |