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For me there are three types of political philosophies. The first is the authoritarian view of government which favors nationalism, patriotism, and obedience to the state above civil liberties. The opposite view is anarchy in which the state is weak, fighting factions dominate the weak and helpless, and the economy is alway in a state of chaos. The third view is an ideal blend of the earlier to views, government of the people rooted in the principles of freedom, ownership of property, and some personal sacrifice to be made for the betterment of all.
The first view would be seen as many things to many people. Nazism, Roman-ism, and Stalin-ism. But often those who live under these regimes do not recognize the loss of freedom until it is to late. In the Soviet Union most ignored the crimes of Stalin against the peasants, being motived instead..first by the war against Nazi Germany and later by common fears of an American-led nuclear attack during their country. Stalin would use these fears to his advantage by using secret police. Agents of these police would encourage children to spy on their parents and report anything immediately that might sound "disloyal" to the state. They got neighbors to spy on each other, and the same with workers. Millions of Communist party members were arrested, put in labor camps, some were shot, and other "enemies of the state" just disappeared for national security reasons..of course! The irony of this being that the communist leaders won the revolution with great ideals. Saving ancient communities and traditional values from being destroyed by the winds capitalism, or being owned by a few wealthy people. They promised to create a decentralized government, so that with strongly bound communities, the lack of need for government would simply leave it "whithering on the vine."
The anarchy view is closer to the type of government we see in Guyana, Columbia, and Lebanon. The governments in most of these nations have gone deeply into debt. The public infrastructure and education, what there is of it, is collapsing. In Lebanon..loyalty to the nation is being supplanted with the daily fight for survival, and to stay on good terms with the private security forces employed in that state. In Columbia the people are more interested in selling their goods to the drug cartels than in democratic reforms..and those who seek reform simply flee northward to Mexico or the United States. The governments regulate the drug trade and try to break up some of the monopolies, but the Columbian and Guyana politicians also know that illegal drugs are a booming sector of their economy and have no interest in developing a long-term plan to change this.
And of course there is my philosophy of government. I still believe it is moderate, others call it radical. I would take neither the path of anarchy or of nationalism. I believe we all have a role in insuring that our government is sufficiently funded enough to defend our nation, protect our liberty, plan for the future, regulate interstate commerce, rebuild our infrastructure, have safety nets in place for all citizens, protect the most vulnerable in our society, be an actively contributing member in the U.N., and pay off the nation's debts. All of this will insure that every individual today and tommorrow can enjoy the same degree of live, liberty, and pursuit of happiness regardless of their political loyalties. We also must remember that such a nation can only exist if..all citizens of every background are willing to pay their share of the price of government, make their share of the necessary sacrifices, and speak out and vote in every election.
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