The Commons, and We, the People.

[ixion]

Every time you get a paycheck, you pay taxes. Every time you buy something, you pay taxes. Every time you make money selling something, you pay taxes. Why is it, then, that the Commons -- the result of all these taxes -- is funneled to military and security industries? Why is it that the lion's share of what we pay into the commons goes to corporations in general? This phenomena is diametrically opposed to very notion of a Public Commons.

Before I go on, I must offer this humble disclaimer: I am no fan of excessive taxation. I believe we could have a Cadillac Health, Human Services and Education system by simply re-aligning our priorities, rather than increasing what we pay in taxes. That's always been my position, and it remains thus today.

And the idea of the aforementioned system is really nothing more than the Commons, and the fulfillment of the Social Contract.

If you have a birth certificate, you've signed the Social Contract by proxy, so common-wisdom runs. The idea of the Social Contract is tribal at the core. In essence, the tribe acknowledges you as a member, and both parties agree to a well-defined set of constructs. The Social Contract says that your participation in society (everything from time spent sitting at a stop light to civil service) shall be compensated in return by society providing you with the tools you require to survive. A place to live, a job, food to eat, a health care when you need it, roads to drive on, and on and on. At the core of the Social Contract is this agreement: You agree to be a member of the society-at-large, and in return, society will assist you in fulfilling the lowest level of need: food and shelter and well-being. The rest is up to you. That's the deal, at least in theory.

In smaller communities, this is -- or was -- more often than not the norm. As our small communities have given way to large highly-concentrated urban environments, the notion of what the State needs to do to fulfill it's side of the bargain has narrowed, and continues to narrow. At the same time, the responsibilities of the individual have broadened in scope. Increased taxes, decreased civil liberties, decreased -- or decaying infrastructure, privatized utilities, privatized government service -- these are all prime examples of the change in the relationship.

I'm often accused of being a libertarian on this board. And I have, at the same time, openly admitted to having libertarian tendencies. However -- and this is why libertarians call me a raging liberal -- I believe that a social safety net is part and parcel of the Social Contract, just like education, and health care, and roads. You pay into a common fund with the idea that if something ever happens, you would be able to draw from that fund. This is the central tenet behind the idea of paying taxes, in my opinion. Taxes should go towards making our lives better.

Incidentally, conducting 'wars' abroad does absolutely nothing to make our lives better. Quite the opposite, in fact. But I digress.

Here is the crux of the agreement: When things are bad, we ought to be able to turn to the Commons to help. That's not the case these days, however. If you're not a bank, if you don't manufacture armaments or contribute to the security apparatus, if you're not a well-connected beltway insider, you can rest assured that the people who you've put in charge of overseeing the Commons will tell you piss off. If they do offer assistance, it will be limited, at best, and will often come with expensive strings attached.

This attitude defies the very definition of the Commons, by my thinking, and therefore violates the Social Contract.

Wouldn't it be great if, when you really needed assistance, that you could turn in confidence to these people who you've entrusted with you taxes? Wouldn't it be great if you could know, dollar for dollar, where your payments to the Commons went, and that if you needed to withdraw some because of a hardship, or if you needed a hand up, that you could rely on the people who you've entrusted to perform that simple service?

We don't need a revolution. We don't need more 'wars', abstract or otherwise. We don't need further erosion of civil liberties in the name of safety. We don't need health 'insurance', student loans, or the creepy DHS. What we need is for the people who we elect to oversee the Commons to act in the best interests of We, the People. We need people to be held accountable for misuse and corruption. It's really just that simple. The Social Contract isn't complicated. It fulfills the basics, and in return you, now well-fed, healthy, free and educated, are able to pitch in and make things even better. And this cumulative feedback loop produces the Best of All Possible Worlds.

Really.

It's not a theory, it's a fact. If you consistently work at making things better, they WILL get better. If you ignore things, they decay. Again: just that simple.

The situation we're in, while dire, is not untenable. It simply requires that we manage the commons wisely, that we hold people accountable who don't, and that we work to make our lives better.

Here's to better times.

Cheers.

[Donnachaidh]

1. kick and Rec! n/t