John Macgregor (democracy re-design)

Having studied US political donors from Vietnam to Iraq, I wonder if "the United States government" is really the culprit in these deadly wars. Or if "the USG" was just the political marionette of various blocs of investors. Legislators & presidents were paid to do a job, & they did it.

...making rosy pronouncements they knew to be false and hiding unmistakable evidence the war had become unwinnable.” - Washington Post, December 9, 2019 The model does not appear to be: "Win a war". (Apparently, a loss is as good as a win, & a long war beats a short one.)

Having studied US political donors from Vietnam to Iraq, I wonder if "the United States government" is really the culprit in these deadly wars. Or if "the USG" was just the political marionette of various blocs of investors. Legislators & presidents were paid to do a job, & they did it.

The politician to whom the 70 had contributed the most money was George W Bush. Again, the goal did not appear to be military victory:

Having studied US political donors from Vietnam to Iraq, I wonder if "the United States government" is really the culprit in these deadly wars. Or if "the USG" was just the political marionette of various blocs of investors. Legislators & presidents were paid to do a job, & they did it.

Like every salaryman, they seldom questioned the company’s business model, or the ethics of the boss. For example, LBJ's career—from long before his presidency—was bankrolled by Brown & Root: who got all the big contracts in Vietnam (such as building airports & ports).

Westerners spend a lot of time telling other countries to democratize. We spend billions teaching them how. We even use ‘democratization’ as a way to undermine their governments. We seem less concerned about democratization at home.

In 2015, 76% thought government was ‘run by a few big interests’—which (Pew said) ‘has long been the view of most Americans, with majorities consistently saying this for much of the past 15 years’.

Westerners spend a lot of time telling other countries to democratize. We spend billions teaching them how. We even use ‘democratization’ as a way to undermine their governments. We seem less concerned about democratization at home.

('Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens' - Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page (2022))

Westerners spend a lot of time telling other countries to democratize. We spend billions teaching them how. We even use ‘democratization’ as a way to undermine their governments. We seem less concerned about democratization at home.

- 'How money drives US congressional elections: Linear models of money and outcomes' (Thomas Ferguson, Paul Jorgensen, Jie Chen (2022))

Westerners spend a lot of time telling other countries to democratize. We spend billions teaching them how. We even use ‘democratization’ as a way to undermine their governments. We seem less concerned about democratization at home.

The public's focus is on its truly awful political leaders—not on the failed system that makes them inevitable. This distraction suits society's owners well.

Westerners spend a lot of time telling other countries to democratize. We spend billions teaching them how. We even use ‘democratization’ as a way to undermine their governments. We seem less concerned about democratization at home.

Few grasp the bipartisan nature of the permanent state. The apolitical core of plutocracy. In the 1960s, the Kray twins—Ronnie & Reggie—headed a crime syndicate that terrorised London. A liberal is one who thinks he's under threat from Ronnie.

A conservative thinks he's under threat from Reggie. Democratizing the West will mean a change of systems, not a change of managers. #ThirdDraftDemocracy

Democracy lost its global clout because its environmental threats evolved & it did not—like an animal species that remains static as those around it develop longer claws & faster speeds. Failure to adapt—in a moving world—creates not stability but decline.

They’re not the only impediments to a happy society; they may not even be the most important. But they’re at the top of the chain of causation—the ones to fix first if anything downstream is to be fixed. Division ends with the birth of a new idea. #ThirdDraftDemocracy

Democracy lost its global clout because its environmental threats evolved & it did not—like an animal species that remains static as those around it develop longer claws & faster speeds. Failure to adapt—in a moving world—creates not stability but decline.

I.e. because it’s a web with many threads, reform, too, must be a web. I argue that four spheres are its present-day choke points:

Democracy lost its global clout because its environmental threats evolved & it did not—like an animal species that remains static as those around it develop longer claws & faster speeds. Failure to adapt—in a moving world—creates not stability but decline.

Carl Jung wrote: “𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.”

A trillion-dollar infrastructure to mend what was preventable: collapsed banks, chronic illness epidemics, oil spills, terrorism, poverty... The destiny of a political system whose parts cannot influence the whole is collapse. Capable leaders & sane policy only arise in a rational system.

Carl Jung wrote: “𝗜 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘂𝗿𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗺𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗼𝗿 𝘄𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝘀𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗹𝗶𝗳𝗲.”

This may explain why our politics is so frustrating—indeed so neurotic. It’s bogged down in issues no-one can solve at the level on which they’re being addressed. We're hyper-focused on our (truly ghastly) politicians: we ignore the system that made them inevitable.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺...

Social collapse, however, isn’t ‘the arc of history’, or ‘the human condition’. (Stone Age societies remained stable for 300,000 years.) It comes from a poorly designed mechanics of power.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺...

The modern West is falling because of debt & military overextension. Its political kingmaker is the military-industrial complex. Over time, presidents, prime ministers & legislatures have become subordinate to it.

𝗧𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗙𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗼𝗳 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗯𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗥𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗶𝘁, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺...

The hallmark of our era is the transition from flawed democracy to unaccountable elite rule. (Followed by falling real incomes, 'structural' war, mass homelessness, declining human health...) But this remarkable transition is absent from the national conversation (symptoms aside).

And powerful emotions are powerful distractors. For as long as we're moved around by these emotional currents, we're blind to the direction of the tide. #ThirdDraftDemocracy #Democracy

The hallmark of our era is the transition from flawed democracy to unaccountable elite rule. (Followed by falling real incomes, 'structural' war, mass homelessness, declining human health...) But this remarkable transition is absent from the national conversation (symptoms aside).

(We rule ourselves—or we're ruled by a tiny elite, mostly for its own ends.) But government, media & experts keep the populace focused on binaries such as Trump v. Biden, conservative v. liberal, China v. the United States...

The hallmark of our era is the transition from flawed democracy to unaccountable elite rule. (Followed by falling real incomes, 'structural' war, mass homelessness, declining human health...) But this remarkable transition is absent from the national conversation (symptoms aside).