From: ChuckKuecker (ckuecker@mcs.net)
Date: Thu Apr 09 1998 - 19:47:24 MDT
At 10:09 4/9/98 -0700, you wrote:
>The definition of Utopia is "a perfect political and social system."
>Let's say a utopian world is impossible, for this to be true I need to
>satisfy the following things:
>
>The effectiveness of political and social systems will decrease over
>time.
>
>Or
>
>The effectiveness of political and social systems will stay exactly
>the same.
>
>My problem is, I'm having difficulty remembering a period of time that
>has offered a more effective political and social system than we have
>now.
>
>Presuming that "effective" means to satisfy all our needs, not just
>those of the ruling elite or the system itself.
>
>Is the political and social system we have now better than past
>systems? And if so, would it be safe to say they will continue to get
>better? Will there ever be a time when these systems are considered
>perfect?
>
>--Wax
>
Having been around Europe and North America a bit, and this before the
Berlin Wall fell, I think the present American system is just about the best
there is today. Not by any means perfect, but preferable to almost any other
system I have personal knowledge of.
Other forms of government in the past may have come closer, such as the
Greeks of Plato and Socrates. Even these govenments were plagued by power
struggles nad politics, not to mention 'PC' thought.
There are attributes in other countries that I admire, and wish that the US
would incorporate. There are many things (IRS!) that I consider
reprehnsible, and wish the US would reform or eliminate.
Our system has the potential to become either a police state or as close to
a Utopia as the Earth has ever seen. It all depends on our 'leaders' and how
they run things.
If the present 'war' on drugs continues, for instance, I see the police
state, with manditory drug tests on every corner, and though police in every
private home to make sure 'drugs' are not being discussed in other than
derogatory terms.
Should Libertarian ideas gain a foothold in Congress, and inroads made into
repealing victimless crime laws, the opposite could be the future.
I feel this is a powerful reason to vote at every chance I get, and write
lots of letters to the editor. Perhaps I will do little to change the
system, but if I don't at least try, I have no one to blame but myself when
the storm troopers knock down my front door..
As far as a perfect government ever existing, this will have to wait for
perfect humans to run it, or an AI with godlike powers and intellect that
somehow still cares to be our servant, to be put in charge..
I for one would rather wait for the perfect human...
Chuck Kuecker
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