People! Please Pamper our Prince

We have a problem with chicken in Canada.  It's way too expensive.  We aren't maximizing the available benefits by growing lots of Canadian chicken for exporting around the world.  The current chicken system is unhealthy for both the chicken, and for us.

Why won't the government listen to the people and their complaints, and change the systems for the better? The problem doesn't stop with chicken.  There are many other evils in our society today that are within our control to change for the better.  So why don't the improvements occur?

I suggest there are really good reasons for the government refusing to act, which I will share with you later in this Blog posting.  First however, have patience while I give you some background info you will need later on so that you can better understand the answer.

"...A prince can never secure himself against a hostile people, because of their being too many, whilst from the nobles he can secure himself, as they are few in number." 

The Prince (1513), Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 - 1527)

Machiavelli was speaking about the ancient societies of Greece, Macedonia, and Rome, and the 1500's of Florence Italy.  Today, our society has significant differences from those historic times, but there is still much wisdom in his words, and many similarities for today.

Today, the "Princes" are the elected officials and their bureaucratic mandarins (ie. the civil service).  The "Nobles" are today's equivalent of the large corporations and wealthy individuals (ie. the 1%'ers).

Most people think Machiavelli was evil, the devil incarnate.  His name is now used as a label by psychiatrists for describing one of the three major personality disorders (The Dark Triad).  Does Machiavelli deserve this bad reputation?

Some feel Machiavelli got a bad rap, because he blabbed the secrets of the Princes, telling the people how "the system" really works.  The Princes already knew how to take and hold power against the people, no matter what; they didn't need Machiavelli telling them how to do it.  It was the people who were previously ignorant, until The Prince was published.  These students of history believe that the Princes never forgave Machiavelli for whistle-blowing on the Princes, so the Princes started up their propaganda machinery against Machiavelli, making him the scapegoat.  The rest, as they say, is history.

So Machiavelli suggests that the government needs to fear the people.  Machiavelli isn't the only one to realize this.

"Where the people fear the government you have tyranny.
Where the government fears the people you have liberty."

                                              John Basil Barnhill, 1914.

This quote is often wrongly attributed to Thomas Jefferson.  Hollywood punched this quotation up some more for the 2005 movie V for Vendetta by the The Wachowski Brothers 

“People should not be afraid of their governments.
Governments should be afraid of their people"

OK, so for the moment, let's assume government should be quaking in their boots.  If this is true, then why won't the the government act to make things better for the people?

Sometimes the crowd is desperate to get something from the government because they have been whipped into a frenzy by manipulators and evil persons.  The crowd ends up demanding something that is not in their best interest.  Witness Pontius Pilot who found Jesus innocent, but sentenced him to crucifixion in spite of innocence, due to the riotous demands of the crowd.  We have all heard the following:

“Be careful what you wish for,  for you may get it."

So I suggest that governments will respond, even when they shouldn't, if the public makes it clearly known that this is what the crowd wants.

For the good of all, the crowd should check to make sure that neither I nor others are manipulating the crowd for ulterior motives.  DO your homework, for you may get stuck with what you ask for.

If the crowd has not found its voice, then the government will continue on with those who make their voice known and heard, the default condition.

The bureaucrats want more regulations, for this creates good paying jobs and job security for their members in the civil service.  The hiring of lobbyists for the wealthy and the corporations is easily afforded by the rich and powerful.  These lobbyists tirelessly press and push their master's special interests, seeking greater wealth and power at the expense of the masses.  These are the default powers who control the political puppets, until the public speaks.

Realize also, the government is very wary of acting too soon, or based only on a few noisy voices.  For Machiavelli also said,

"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them."

The Prince (1513), Niccolo Machiavelli (1469 - 1527)

So I conclude that the government fails to act because of you and me.

It is all our fault.

It is all the sleeping citizens, those who continue to sleep through their lives as the world spins out of control, those are the ones who are to blame.

We have nobody but ourselves to blame.

I have finally awoken after many decades of sleeping, just as you sleep today.  I found a terrible mess when I was finally awake.  I am ringing the alarm bell so all can wake up, see the mess, and ask government to fix it soon.

When will you hear the alarm, wake up, and raise your voice too?