Page 4 of 5 FirstFirst 12345 LastLast
Results 46 to 60 of 75

Thread: Do You Trust Your Government?

  1. #46

    Default

    "Isn't the government supposed to represent the people and carry out their will? Well, the good forms of gov't, at least. So, unless some families got together and paved roads and dug sewers and whatnot on their own, the gov't did. "

    Well, that IS the ideal form of government, but is there any country that really has this ideal form? That is the deep underlying question these days.

    Take care all.

  2. #47
    chaotic neutral
    Join Date
    Nov 2001
    Location
    The Dutch Alps
    Posts
    145

    Default

    I would never trust any government. Our current government is better than the previous one, now that we have the Green Party in power. But still, people become politicians because they want money and power. Why should I trust them?

    I don't want to be represented by anyone. I've got my own will. I also disagree with Dr. Unne: I don't believe people in government are by default more intelligent than people who aren't in government, so I also don't believe they need to lie to us.
    To do is to be. (Sokrates)
    To be is to do. (Sartre)
    Do be do be do. (Sinatra)

  3. #48
    Unpostmodernizeable Shadow Nexus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2000
    Location
    Barcino, Hispania
    Posts
    987

    Default

    That seems a bit unfair, Shadow Nexus. Isn't the government supposed to represent the people and carry out their will? Well, the good forms of gov't, at least. So, unless some families got together and paved roads and dug sewers and whatnot on their own, the gov't did.

    Not that I know much about Spain, though, so I might be completely wrong. I even forgot that y'all have a king.
    No, they just order the people who work for them to build the roads. So at the end, it's the workers who do the job.

    The day a politician worries more about the people than about mantaining his position, I will hold some minimal respect for the goverment, but as far as it's a show of lies and stealing, I think I'll keep doubting power.

    About the king, we live in a constitutional monarchy. The king is the major political figure, but he does not act unless something really big and nasty is happening. This means that, since he came back from exile in 1975, he has only acted one time, and god, I'm thankful he acted, or now we would live under a military dictatoship woshipping our flag....euurgh *shivers*. The other figure is the "democratically" elected president.

  4. #49

    Default

    "I don't believe people in government are by default more intelligent than people who aren't in government, so I also don't believe they need to lie to us."

    Definitely agree with that. To quote our "great" president, "I am here to tell you, that even a C+ student can be president". If that theory was correct, how did Bush become president, and not the smartest member of his class instead? Politics, why has it become such an ugly word to me?

    Take care all.

  5. #50
    Unpostmodernizeable Shadow Nexus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2000
    Location
    Barcino, Hispania
    Posts
    987

    Default

    Originally posted by The Captain Definitely agree with that. To quote our "great" president, "I am here to tell you, that even a C+ student can be president". If that theory was correct, how did Bush become president, and not the smartest member of his class instead? Politics, why has it become such an ugly word to me?

    Take care all.

    Hahahahahah! He said that? Oh, God Well, of course a bad student can become a president, having bad grades does not mean you are stupid, it can mean you put no effort into your work, but...coming from Bush, it sounds like "Hey, I'm stupid and I'm here...".

    Well, but we know he's there for nepotism, I doubt anyone would deny that, not even him. Would have he becomed president without Daddy?

  6. #51

    Default

    You raise two good points. First, I apologize for generalizing about bad grades equaling less intellect, but I do believe that the amount of minced words Bush has created soldifies my suspection that he might not have been our most intelligent of Presidents..

    As for the second point... a lot of US Presidents have someone been related to each other, it's another in the long, unspoken ways to the White House. Perhaps John Kerry should marry a Bush daughter?

    Take care all.

  7. #52
    Scatter, Senbonzakura... DocFrance's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    The high, untrespassed sanctity of space
    Posts
    2,805

    Default

    Originally posted by The Captain
    Perhaps John Kerry should marry a Bush daughter?
    You'd get this:



    I'd vote for him.
    ARGUMENT FROM GUITAR MASTERY
    (1) Eric Clapton is God.
    (2) Therefore, God exists.

  8. #53
    A Big Deal? Recognized Member Big D's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2003
    Posts
    8,370
    Contributions
    • Former Cid's Knight

    Default

    But then, if someone's government seemed altruistic and honourable, completely without fault or bias... it'd be pretty hard to trust them, right? I mean, perfection is just unnatural, so anyone with 'perfect' leaders would probably suspect something sinister.
    It's a lose-lose situation for politicians, really.

  9. #54

    Default

    Hmm, perhaps for a cynic. What if it really WAS though? What if a politician actually told the truth and tried to change things? He'd be run out of town. As Nicholson said, "YOU can't handle the truth!" The vast majority of the people cannot seem to handle that our lives might actually be in danger, thus we ignore it. If we were actually told of the threats, we'd blame those in office as well. You're right, it is a lose-lose situation. So, what is the answer? I'd prefer truth, no matter how gritty myself, but I think I'm in the minority there.

    Take care all.

  10. #55
    Mr. Encyclopedia Kirobaito's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2001
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    Posts
    6,359

    Default

    I personally would like to know truth. Maybe you and I could go to Washington together and ask the government if they could tell us all of their secrets, and we would promise not to tell.

  11. #56

    Default

    Then they'd have to kill us those....

    But yes, that would be great. I just want to know the truth about things, it's the only way I'll ever feel safe with the government. Otherwise, I'll always question what's happening.

    Take care all.

  12. #57
    Unpostmodernizeable Shadow Nexus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2000
    Location
    Barcino, Hispania
    Posts
    987

    Default

    Originally posted by The Captain
    Hmm, perhaps for a cynic. What if it really WAS though? What if a politician actually told the truth and tried to change things? He'd be run out of town. As Nicholson said, "YOU can't handle the truth!" The vast majority of the people cannot seem to handle that our lives might actually be in danger, thus we ignore it. If we were actually told of the threats, we'd blame those in office as well. You're right, it is a lose-lose situation. So, what is the answer? I'd prefer truth, no matter how gritty myself, but I think I'm in the minority there.

    Take care all.
    As far as I know, Salvador Allende told the truth and wanted to change things. So there, you got it! And he was wise...philosophically...

    ...cause...economically he kinda screwed everything to the extreme, leading to the worst inflation problem Chile has ever faced...and...let to some social problems for trying to change things too fast...


    ...eh...but he was Neruda's friend *points at sig*

  13. #58
    Scatter, Senbonzakura... DocFrance's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2002
    Location
    The high, untrespassed sanctity of space
    Posts
    2,805

    Default

    What does that quote mean? No habla espanol.
    ARGUMENT FROM GUITAR MASTERY
    (1) Eric Clapton is God.
    (2) Therefore, God exists.

  14. #59
    Unpostmodernizeable Shadow Nexus's Avatar
    Join Date
    Mar 2000
    Location
    Barcino, Hispania
    Posts
    987

    Default

    Oh, yeah, the verses don't really matter, I was just refering to my sig because I really love Neruda. He's a poet I admire a lot, the images he transmits through his verses are very powerful, he has this surrealistic style that makes him so wonderful, yet somehow hermetic, reason why many people don't like him. Yet he's my main influence whenever I write poetry, him and Luis Eduadro Aute.

    Anyway, before I get carried away balbbing about howe wonderful Neruda is, I'll just translate the poem. As a brief introduction, I'm going to say it's a fragment of the poem Voy a Vivir (I am going to live). This poem was found in the book "Canto General", that lead hi to recive the Nobel Prize in literature back in 1971. If you like it, you can find it musicalized by the excelent greek composer Mikis Theodorakis, with all the choirs and stuff. There's also a poster, I bought it at Chile, it's hang on my door.

    Anyway, it's basically a vitalist afirmation of love to life and insubmission to power and alienation:

    "I am not going to die,
    I come out now in this day
    full of volcanoes,
    to the crowd, to life."


    *is a Neruda fanartic*


    ¬¬

  15. #60

    Default

    Very nice indeed. We could all stand to lead simpler lives, I'd warrant.

    Take care all.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •