The Eight Scariest Words
Bill Falzett
April 10, 2007
Ronald Reagan once said that the 9 scariest words in the English language were; “I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” It sounds humorous at first. But think, Why would our President create fear and doubt about government help? George Bush revived that negative association by neglecting the people in the Gulf States after Hurricane Katrina and his appointments to courts and regulatory agencies have opened the gates to abuse of people and planet. He also uttered the 8 scariest words in our country today; “I am running the government like a corporation.”
Yikes! What corporation really cares about you, me, or anyone? There are no caring corporations; that phrase is a contradiction in terms. In the first place, corporations don’t have feelings. In the second place, our laws and the Supreme Court have made it impossible through rulings that give wide latitude to corporations as to rights as persons and far-reaching protections from responsibilities to the community that exceed those extended to human persons. If you believe there are caring, understanding corporations, you’re delusional.
Governments are creations of the people to provide security and ensure the common good. In our democracy, the people band together and allow elected representatives to act as our proxies. The representatives are then supposed to assure safety, ensure liberty, and provide a level playing field for the pursuit of happiness. What’s so scary about that?
Corporations are fictions created by governments in order to do business, make a profit, and limit liability. In the U. S., they have somehow weaseled their way into rights, privileges, and protections usually reserved for human persons. That is scary because it’s a crazy-making setup.
Why is it crazy-making? Because corporations can be immortal, people can’t. Corporations don’t have feelings or needs so they lack empathy for others. Imagine for a moment what you might do if you thought you were immortal and had no real emotional connections to others. That’s a sociopath or psychopath. Most people intuitively know this and yet decide to let it slide. We are in the grip of “willful ignorance”. That is also scary.
Corporations have people who “work” for them. Most of those real people are probably well intended and may even have empathy for others. In our country, the law says that people who work within a corporation can only pursue “bottom line” profits. If they are too community-friendly or understanding, they can be legally punished.
There are at least two levels of crazy communication – the government and the corporate. The President says that he is running the country like a corporation. That means that the government is now a person with rights and protections above and beyond those of human beings. Carried to the letter of our current law, the government-as-corporation cannot be required to tell the truth. It doesn’t have to let you know what it is doing or why it is doing it. It can and does resist scrutiny. The ‘electeds’ are no longer responsive to the people.
Openness in government has always been prized in the United States. When the government-as-corporation is closed to the citizens, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are easily discarded for ill-defined, ambiguous goals defined by interest groups with more money than the people.
The people are expected to just go along. The relationship is topsy-turvy -- representatives are no longer proxies and the executive is not the voice of the people. The administration represents other interests – moneyed and corporate. These are the same folks who have said that the goals of democracy are no longer their goals. In order to go along, the people have to discount reality. Instead of seeing or hearing the obvious disconnect, many deny it exists or develop an argument to make it OK. The result is a morass of helplessness, polarization, and confusion.
Most of us sense when our government is off the mark. Instead of paying attention to intuitions, we build excuses, reasons, and justifications or we opt out of the system. Many quit voting and tend their own gardens. This kind of willful ignorance allows people to avoid the seemingly difficult work of critical thinking, working for the common good, and confronting the disconnections. The rationale for opting out is, “My vote doesn’t count anyway.” If enough make that decision, only half the possible voters register to vote. Less than half of U. S. registered voters actually do vote. Only 12-14% of the people who vote make a difference.
Instead of political responsibility, people retreat to what looks like a safe place. All politicians are defined as crooked, corrupt, or ignorant. We say it doesn’t matter who is in office. “They’re all the same.” That justifies many not voting, not running for office, not insisting on straight talk, and not being aware of the obvious. The main problem is this pervasive attitude of avoiding our responsibility as informed members of the electorate.
The obvious reality is that we are in trouble. If we don’t go back to running this country like a caring, honest, nurturing family where more of us are really involved, we’re in even bigger trouble. We are in this mess together whether we like it or not. Willful ignorance is not a safe refuge.
Corporations can be and are a part of the answer to insuring democracy when properly regulated. They are not people. Corporations can’t care for or about humans. Humans care about and for humans. The government consists of electeds and employees -- humans -- who should understand that corporations are only a tool and not the answer to our woes. We should be doing things to diversify our options about energy, treatment of the planet, and treatment of each other based on the common good for all humans and other living things.
People should not fear governments. Attitudes must change and the people should be more active in determining their own futures. We should have a government of people, run efficiently, empathetically, and effectively. Then, when someone shows up at your door and says, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help,” you can smile, invite them in, and get to work.
Yikes! What corporation really cares about you, me, or anyone? There are no caring corporations; that phrase is a contradiction in terms. In the first place, corporations don’t have feelings. In the second place, our laws and the Supreme Court have made it impossible through rulings that give wide latitude to corporations as to rights as persons and far-reaching protections from responsibilities to the community that exceed those extended to human persons. If you believe there are caring, understanding corporations, you’re delusional.
Governments are creations of the people to provide security and ensure the common good. In our democracy, the people band together and allow elected representatives to act as our proxies. The representatives are then supposed to assure safety, ensure liberty, and provide a level playing field for the pursuit of happiness. What’s so scary about that?
Corporations are fictions created by governments in order to do business, make a profit, and limit liability. In the U. S., they have somehow weaseled their way into rights, privileges, and protections usually reserved for human persons. That is scary because it’s a crazy-making setup.
Why is it crazy-making? Because corporations can be immortal, people can’t. Corporations don’t have feelings or needs so they lack empathy for others. Imagine for a moment what you might do if you thought you were immortal and had no real emotional connections to others. That’s a sociopath or psychopath. Most people intuitively know this and yet decide to let it slide. We are in the grip of “willful ignorance”. That is also scary.
Corporations have people who “work” for them. Most of those real people are probably well intended and may even have empathy for others. In our country, the law says that people who work within a corporation can only pursue “bottom line” profits. If they are too community-friendly or understanding, they can be legally punished.
There are at least two levels of crazy communication – the government and the corporate. The President says that he is running the country like a corporation. That means that the government is now a person with rights and protections above and beyond those of human beings. Carried to the letter of our current law, the government-as-corporation cannot be required to tell the truth. It doesn’t have to let you know what it is doing or why it is doing it. It can and does resist scrutiny. The ‘electeds’ are no longer responsive to the people.
Openness in government has always been prized in the United States. When the government-as-corporation is closed to the citizens, liberty and the pursuit of happiness are easily discarded for ill-defined, ambiguous goals defined by interest groups with more money than the people.
The people are expected to just go along. The relationship is topsy-turvy -- representatives are no longer proxies and the executive is not the voice of the people. The administration represents other interests – moneyed and corporate. These are the same folks who have said that the goals of democracy are no longer their goals. In order to go along, the people have to discount reality. Instead of seeing or hearing the obvious disconnect, many deny it exists or develop an argument to make it OK. The result is a morass of helplessness, polarization, and confusion.
Most of us sense when our government is off the mark. Instead of paying attention to intuitions, we build excuses, reasons, and justifications or we opt out of the system. Many quit voting and tend their own gardens. This kind of willful ignorance allows people to avoid the seemingly difficult work of critical thinking, working for the common good, and confronting the disconnections. The rationale for opting out is, “My vote doesn’t count anyway.” If enough make that decision, only half the possible voters register to vote. Less than half of U. S. registered voters actually do vote. Only 12-14% of the people who vote make a difference.
Instead of political responsibility, people retreat to what looks like a safe place. All politicians are defined as crooked, corrupt, or ignorant. We say it doesn’t matter who is in office. “They’re all the same.” That justifies many not voting, not running for office, not insisting on straight talk, and not being aware of the obvious. The main problem is this pervasive attitude of avoiding our responsibility as informed members of the electorate.
The obvious reality is that we are in trouble. If we don’t go back to running this country like a caring, honest, nurturing family where more of us are really involved, we’re in even bigger trouble. We are in this mess together whether we like it or not. Willful ignorance is not a safe refuge.
Corporations can be and are a part of the answer to insuring democracy when properly regulated. They are not people. Corporations can’t care for or about humans. Humans care about and for humans. The government consists of electeds and employees -- humans -- who should understand that corporations are only a tool and not the answer to our woes. We should be doing things to diversify our options about energy, treatment of the planet, and treatment of each other based on the common good for all humans and other living things.
People should not fear governments. Attitudes must change and the people should be more active in determining their own futures. We should have a government of people, run efficiently, empathetically, and effectively. Then, when someone shows up at your door and says, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help,” you can smile, invite them in, and get to work.
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