Common Good: Is that What Our Politics Are Protecting or Promoting?

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   threekeysposted 7 years ago

   Common Good: Is that What Our Politics Are Protecting or Promoting?
   
   Are our individual interests being protected by a process of compromise and consensus? Or is it too much consumerism and self interest?
   Are we believing in ourselves? Are we getting out into our communities face to face and getting involved? Are we practising our democratic virtues daily? One of our politicians said basically when the above three factors are happening democracy is protected and promoted. Is that democracy in a nutshell for you? Or what is your view?
   
   

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   RTalloniposted 7 years ago

   Many questions here. In trying to think through them in light of your initial question there are several conflicts with layers to them. One of the most crucial layers is that the term common good means a widening of the classes with politicians intending to be at the top of the stack.
   In the USA's democratic Republic it is important to realize that pure democracy will destroy the BIll of Rights. We see it being violated, attacked, and deteriorated today. Without the Bill of Rights we will become "not the USA" which is a goal of many. 
   Individual rights should be protected by government, but government cannot do in people's hearts and minds what is needed to help them live productively. The siren call of free money and services can only last so long before such a system collapses. When that happens, history tells us that believing in oneself, getting involved in communities, and most certainly consumerism take a back burner to surviving the circumstances.
   Studying out what the Founders meant by a democratic Republic, why they realized how important it was, why it led to them to the Bill of Rights, why the Bill of Rights has been protected for so long would be helpful as you consider your questions.

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      threekeysposted 7 years agoin reply to this

      Thankyou for your clarity RTalloni.

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   bradmasterOCcalposted 7 years ago

   The phrase, "Common Good" needs context to determine a cogent answer. What is "Good" and whose Good are we referring to here?
   
   The Common Good can be construed at the Majority, as opposed to ALL the people. There is no way to satisfy the compass settings of all the people, even on singular purposes, much less in toto.
   
   So the ship of politics is suppose to set the course chartered by the majority on board. However, in the US the minority have gotten into the wheelhouse and are steering the ship toward the rocky shores of beaching the ship so that it cannot move any further.
   
   The majority is the most that can be expected to be the essence of We The People. Over the centuries that consistency and texture of the People can and will change, but the concept of majority needs to be the rudder.
   
   In the last several decades the minorities, as opposed to the majority, and not the makeup of the people have slowly but surely changed the politics to their advantage. As the politics are a zero sum beast, this means that the majority loses for every gain made by the minority.
   
   If the minority had such great ideas, then it would have become the majority. But alas, this has not happened, and the result has been the creation of an ever widening Abyss.
   
   This year we are looking at politics from well inside this Abyss.

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