Opinions on political power and government?

[Vinyl Scratch. 604]

Not sure if this will be locked or something but what are your opinions on political power and govenment, I personally have very strong reviews on government that I wont go into because ill be ranting for days but ill go as far as to say that I belive that the government has too much power over our lifes and that I belive we are living under false freedom

What do you think?

[Scootaloodle 1,623]

I agree, sometimes goverments take away freedoms and choice from people or try and milk good things and make money out of them like not selling drugs to help because they make no money for them.

 

I'm not clued up on politics, but I really dislike the current leader of my country David Cameron: he's an uninspiring toe rag. And the Labour party I like some of there policies but the current leader is an idiot.

 

I like UKIP though: from what I know about them they seem to be balanced. A little left wing, a little right wing all mixed together in a nice mix. Where as others are either ultra left wing and try and police peoples lives and make it ultra PC, or there like the BNP who are ultra right wing and hate people who ain't white.

 

As for America: I'm jealous that Americans have Barack Obama: idk much about him but he's this tall handsome black guy and he seems pretty cool where as David Cameron.......isn't...... at all

[Fluttershyfan94 5,742]

Agreed, the government does have too much power over our lives but it's getting better at least in my country (Iceland). Actually we have a good government at the moment, not often you can say that.

 

I believe that any government that puts the needs of the people above their own can be good. Sadly that's just so very rare and most are corrupt and aren't thinking about the people at all.

 

So needless to say I'm not fond of most political powers or governments but when there is a good one I really appreciate it.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Fluttershyfan94

[Fluttermena 1,223]

It's easy to put all the blame on the thing you don't like, but power and control isn't a matter of government only and can be exerted in many ways and from many sources. I find that most people who blame the governent are ignorant of many forms of power that can be used to control people in many ways, for better or worse.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_(social_and_political)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_influence

 

This is a pretty interesting topic. Unfortunately many people like to use narrow and self-righteous definitions of freedom and power to fit their own opinions of right and wrong, and expect everyone else to use the same definitions as if they were the objective truth.

[Shanks 10,816]

It is completely out of control, the government has become like a combination of Jesus, Mother Teresa and Santa Claus in the minds of many people. Don't get me wrong there needs to be some government but there should be way way less of it than there is now. The founding fathers recognized this which is why they gave the federal government only a few duties or "enumerated powers" and built in some very tough restrictions on the power of government and seperated the powers between 3 branches of government and left certain things to the states or to the people (see 9th amendment). I am not saying the constitution is perfect (that is what the amendment process is for) but it provides a good base for maximizing the freedom of the people by respecting their natural rights while minimizing abuse of power. But the constitution only does us good if it is enforced and there have been several actions over the course of the last 100 years (especially the last 20) which have seriously undermined this.

Edited December 19, 2013 by EarthbendingProdigy

[Tigerpop198 696]

it really all depends on who is running the government. It could be good or bad.

[Scootalove 10,689]

There are many corrupt governments in a lot of less developed countries, where they can not give their citizens healthcare due to not being able to support the hospitals. The government might not be perfect but, it is good to divide the powers between the three branches so that they don't abuse their power.

[Paianis 489]

Speaking as a Brit, I'd say governments on principle are fine, and I'm sure there are plenty of well-minded people in parliament. The problem is the system is outdated, to say the least. Politics have become a culture in itself, whereas it should really be able to blend seamlessly with economics. Their image has also been compromised over the years. Some of this is down to the media, some of it is down to the fact that so many current leaders are cold-hearted and can't really represent the country from a public point of view. Social networking can only go so far, and they only really use it for promotional purposes anyway. I could go on and on and on...

 

Governments have the potential to do great things. We need to revamp the platform these are made on. Before 9/11 the focus was on 'knowing information. In this day and age it is more important to share information. Authorities should acknowledge this as we move forward, and hopefully, will find the time to get their heads out of their balance sheets.

Edited December 19, 2013 by Paspie

[Aisling Ink 195]

The current italian government should burn...to ashes.

[Shanks 10,816]

Governments have the potential to do great things.

In theory yes, in practice more often than not the opposite tends to be the case. Social change happens more often than not when people outside the government recognize that there is a problem and put in the work to build support to change the laws and culture to address the problem. Case in point the abolitionist movement, the civil rights movement and the Indian independence movement (think Gandhi).

Edited December 19, 2013 by EarthbendingProdigy

[Side Bird 566]

I can say I'm ok with Government. Some are nice, while some are bad.

That's all I will say.

[~Silver Essence~ 2,625]

The political government in my opinion has some serious power that makes even the president seem useless.

 

Sometimes I agree with them, but then there are times when they are just unfair or too demeaning. 

[Jammo 986]

People should look at their governments as mortals.  They can make mistakes, they can succumb to greed, they can do shady things behind closed doors.

It sucks, but it's worth pursuing some form of order but we need to keep in mind that there will never be a flawless system because people are flawed.

[Paianis 489]

...but it's worth pursuing some form of order...

That just reminded me of one other thing. We tend to perceive governments as being a gateway to order, but in reality they can do more than good for us. The trouble is no economy is brave enough to become a true free market, so we'll never know whether it's possible to have true (peaceful) anarchy. The closest we came to one was in Spain in the 1930s, but even then the collective system there was too rigid and fell apart for political reasons.