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Introduction We are all subject to
government in one form or another. There are no places on Earth that are
free to live and which are uncontrolled by a government. Not even
Antarctica. This means we are more or less stuck with whatever government we have.
For some of us, who live in the more democratic societies, this can be a
good thing. For others, government can be their first problem in trying
to live a normal life.
The government layers most of us have to
deal with are local, like city, county or state, national or federal and trans-national, like the European Union. Government is not a bad thing in itself. We
need people that are educated to regulate society, take care of our
safety, keep the economy in balance, protect our environment and so
forth.
But we all know that many governments are not
doing their job right. They seem to be more involved with themselves
than the citizens they are supposed to be serving. More common these
days is that governments sell out to large national and multinational
companies, thinking that these companies can help improve the economy,
which is only partly true.
So what then is perfect government?
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Government evolution |
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Leaders and rulers From the earliest headman or headwoman human society has had one
or several rulers. Being boss is a natural phenomenon on planet
Earth whether you are a human animal or any other kind. Those of us
that live in groups or masses all have a ruler or ruling class or
caste.
But what makes a good ruler or leader? In general terms it takes
a combination of skill, experience, attitude and personality.
Government also needs to be flexible, adapting to changing
conditions. This means that its leaders need to be the same; able to
adapt to the ever changing conditions of the national economy and
culture.
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By popular definition, government is usually ten years behind the
rest of society in its development and understanding. Bureaucracy is
generally not the fastest turning wheel in the mechanism and can be
a real burden or hindrance to personal and professional development.
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Civil service |
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The bureaucrat
First and foremost, government is civil service. It's an ideology, to
devote your mind and energy to improving living and working conditions
for your fellow countrymen. As a government official you are not
important in who you are but in what you do.
The ruler or leader of a government is not the whole of the
government. It's a temporary position at most, regardless for how long.
This goes for most of the top layer of government.
The mainstay of government are the workers, the bureaucrats, that
hold position regardless of who is ruler. These middle level bureaucrats
can stay in their position for an entire working life, anywhere up to
forty years or more.
While we all know or suspect government corruption at the top levels,
the corruption at the middle and lower levels is often overlooked or
underestimated. Unfortunately, this lower level corruption can be most
destructive of all, even if its monetary value is less.
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The right stuff
Should there be tests to determine who is civic minded? There
certainly should be some kind of aptitude test to determine who makes a
good leader or not.
In a true democratic society we should try and find
the best person for the job of leader, not whoever can put out the most
cash and who has the most influential friends. In fact, these are two
factors which should be considered as a negative when accepting
candidacy for the top job. Many professions have strict regulations, preceded by years of study
and exams before they can call themselves professional and are allowed
to practice. Why then are we
lacking this trajectory for one of the most important positions in society?
Shouldn't our candidate leaders be subjected to rigorous testing to
ensure their qualifications and qualities are suited to the job? Yes,
they should be.
Then why isn't it done?
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Government requirements |
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If you could decide what government should do and what it should not
do, what would you want from your government and the people that
make up that government? It is easy to criticize government but
how easy is it to be part of a government? Would you be able to
control yourself?
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Be concerned with controlling itself rather than the
citizens. |
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Be concerned with spending as little money as possible. |
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Be open about all policies and spending. |
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Honor freedom and privacy as much as the citizens do. |
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Retire at pension age just like everyone else. |
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Government spending should bear no relation to any
personal liaisons of any government official. |
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Make it difficult for anyone to know what they are busy
with. |
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Not busy with designing new taxes to take more money
from the people. |
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Cling to power and position well into their eighties. |
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Have no secret projects. None, not even military that at
least one watchdog knows about. |
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Projects and jobs are often handed out or made easy for
relations rather than being objective. |
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