Stream of Commute - 7/30/2003
Political Speech
Thinking about campaign finance reform. About limiting dollars citizens can spend on advertising and media. For this to be fair, since political speech involves spending to some extent, similar limits would seemingly have to extend to government, to be fair.
For, if the government, as in the military sphere, gains non-competitive dominance in media access and influence, then what's to keep them in line, and in order? 500,000 people on the streets of New York is still effective, but for how long? Give the state utter and complete dominance both of military means and media penetration and what is to stop an effective and ruthless leadership from successfully rendering democracy moot?
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Free Markets
Meditating on the power of markets to solve all problems - it's a lie, because these market defenders only believe in free markets selectively, for economic benefit, and not for political and cultural markets (exchange). They overemphasize the economic sphere, underemphasizing or denigrating the political, cultural and spiritual, and in the process end up with a skewed worldview that inevitably greatly favors those with more economic capital.
Thus, economic capital is power, and the bigger the better. This favors corporate governance of the world, not just America, and since the nature of corporate charters is highly authoritarian and has very little to do with the stuff of democracy, and America, these market philosophers are not patriots, and are not defenders of humanity, human values, self-government, inalienable rights, or the American Dream.
Fundamentalism and free markets do not mix, of any variety. Be it religious fundamentalism, or economic fundamentalism, the results will be the same. Skewed markets, and overemphasis in one sphere over another. We need a separation of human powers - cultural, political and economic - in order to duly respect the full sense and experience of humanity, and ensure life and happiness, liberty and justice, security and decency, to everyone.
