The Question of Government and Mankind's Future

I was going to write on another topic today, but having just seen the incredible new Nolan film, Insterstellar, I believe I will write on a topic that relates to that film. Fear not—I shall not spoil the film for you! Today we'll be discussing government and human prosperity.

The role of government is a highly debated one. You have some that want as little government involvement as possible and some that want government regulation of everything. For the most part, we see this reflected in commerce and social policy. What is the underlying goal of government, though? Does government exist to make the everyday life of its citizens more comfortable today? Or is there a greater purpose to government? Does it exist to further mankind as a whole, ensuring not only the survival of the human race for generations to come but the thriving of our great, great grandchildren? Most great feats of mankind are accomplished by large numbers of people working together for a common goal. One of these next great feats might be galactic colonization.

One of my greatest disappointments is that I will never live to see mankind spread out amongst the stars and make this galaxy our own. Movies such as Star Wars and Titan AE and now Interstellar have captured my imagination of where mankind might go when space travel is available to all and is as common as air travel is for us today. What might life look like on the moon? Mars? In different solar systems or even galaxies? I love just thinking about these things and letting my imagination run wild.

But maybe mankind will never make it to this point. Maybe our tendency to think only of ourselves or those around us will ultimately bring us to our doom. Maybe some disease will wipe out the population of the earth. Maybe wars. Maybe some sort of natural disaster. What should government do about our flourishing as a species? Should government ensure mankind is on a path that will lead to survival? People certainly don’t seem to think so today. We run our governments absolutely ragged in our attempts at comfort. We constantly don’t want to be dictated by “the man” and demand our own ability to make choices, often despite good evidence that we shouldn’t be allowed to do so.

A government solely devoted to the preservation of the human race would be very different from the one we know. Take a moment to imagine with me. Likely there would be strict health requirements. Certainly reproduction would be highly regulated. Schooling would take priority over almost everything, especially fun and socialization. In fact, “fun” would not have much place in this society. People would be assigned roles in society, working as a small part of a much larger system. Government would be involved in every facet of your life. But a hundred or even a thousand years down the line (assuming this system was never upset) would likely show an incredible amount of progress.

How comfortable would you be with this? Chances are you would be working for the comfort and advancement not of yourself or possibly even for your children. You would be working to advance everyone now and a hundred years from now. This sounds like a harsh and unrewarding life, but it embodies a mindset of "we." We made it into space. We colonized another galaxy. We survived. Maybe the extreme picture I painted isn’t the ideal or maybe you think it is. I think we could be doing a lot more for future generations, though. Some sacrifices we make today might make the lives of those who come after us a bit easier. There are even actions we can take today that will help others today as a nation or as a private citizen.

What do you guys think? Should government help to guarantee the safety and prosperity of future generations or should it merely focus itself on the present? Is it the jobs of private individuals to move mankind forward or should it be legislated?

Why the US is Like Justin Bieber and How Politicians Treat Us as Such

     I think I am joined with the vast majority of the world in thinking that Justin Bieber is a spoiled brat in need of a serious life-adjustment.  Now, fear not, dear readers, that is where my topic switches from pop culture to politics and things that are actually interesting.  Today we will be discussing the tendency of Americans to vote based upon the promised "candy" that politicians offer rather than the competency of their characters.

     What do we know about spoiled brats like Justin Bieber?  They want stuff and they want it now.  They'll come to you demanding what they want and if you refuse them, they will simply turn to someone else.  They'll stamp their feet and make a scene until what they want happens.  They'll point the finger to others when their poor plans inevitably crumble to the ground and demand it be fixed just the way it was, only to have the process repeat.  

     Now turn your eyes to the American voters: a very loud and demanding group, they ask their politicians to promise all manner of idiotic minutiae.  They demand rising candidates to do something for them once they elect them to office.  Just look at all the things that Obama, ever the malleable people-pleaser, was forced to promise to ensure his election into presidency.  So long as the promised treat is sweet enough, people are willing to forgive all manner of inadequacies in their presidential candidates.  The ironic thing is that all of these promises are rarely kept.  They turn from us and forget to give the promised candy, so we whine and turn to the next candidate to promise a sweet treat.  

     Anyone familiar with political terminology will know that a lot of the time, usually in the case of state representatives, this is referred to as "pork-barreling."  Politicians provide benefits to their own states, usually as the result of some sort of campaign promise or at least a treat for the voting constituents back home, in some sort of round-about or underhanded manner.  Millions of taxpayer dollars are wasted monthly just to sate the appetite of the sugar-hungry voters.  And, of course, the voters love it!  More candy!  Vote them back into office and get more!  There's nothing better than lots of candy, right?

     All of you will know (likely from a parent's lecture during the Halloween season or possibly from experience) that a lot of candy is not good for the body.  It tastes really good, but it quietly erodes at our teeth and forms a poor mix in our stomachs.  We need food of some sort of nutritional substance!  We need fruits, vegetables, grains, and all those nasty things we hate to eat.  The same goes for our government.  We've been asking for candy for so long that we are really seeing the effects of this on our government.  We're not looking for intelligent leaders who can turn the country's problems around, we're looking for those who can make us comfortable while the nation crumbles all around us.  We're asking for jelly beans at a time we need to be asking for real beans.  We're asking for orange slices when we should be demanding oranges.  We're asking for answers to unimportant social issues when the very cornerstones of our nation are allowed to enter catastrophic levels of failure.

     So please, fellow Americans, look to the well-being of your nation.  Stop behaving like Justin Bieber and demanding stupid things from your leaders.  Grow up and eat some vegetables.