Are governments just protection rackets for the 1%?

Mr_J · December 2, 2017, 5:33pm

Greatest_I_am · December 2, 2017, 6:04pm

Zero_Sum

Ok. Ignore the evidence and statistics.

Regards
DL

Mr_J · December 2, 2017, 6:11pm

Huh?

Greatest_I_am · December 2, 2017, 6:17pm

You said.

"Do we live in a safer world? No, "

You ignore all the statistics that show otherwise.

That is not a good thinking trait.

Regards
DL

Arminius · December 2, 2017, 6:50pm

Just think for example of a company or any kind of corporation where you can find the same structure (mostly with the Pareto destribution of 20%/80% and a ruling 1%). Not wanting to value here, I am just saying that this is a structure that you can find very often.

Mr_J · December 3, 2017, 1:34am

You think it is a safer world? Whatever, I’m not interested in your pro establishment mouthpieces that has some sort of statistical bias saying otherwise.

We’re all going to find out real soon just how treacherous this world really is.

LogicalMetaphysician · December 3, 2017, 10:10am

First of all, I noticed that many people in this thread seem to be implicitly advocating anarchy… That makes me happy! Mind if I ask what type of anarchy everyone prefers, individualist anarchy, or collectivist anarchy?

Mr_J · December 3, 2017, 11:25am

I’m not an anarchist, I’m just smart enough to know that none of the governments that exist now are worth preserving.

Greatest_I_am · December 3, 2017, 5:08pm

You said.

"Do we live in a safer world? No, "

You ignore all the statistics that show otherwise.

That is not a good thinking trait.

Regards
DL
[/quote]
You think it is a safer world? Whatever, I’m not interested in your pro establishment mouthpieces that has some sort of statistical bias saying otherwise.

We’re all going to find out real soon just how treacherous this world really is.
[/quote]
Thanks for showing that you are using a crystal ball instead of facts. Your faith is as foolish as religious faith that also ignores facts.

Regards
DL

Greatest_I_am · December 3, 2017, 5:09pm

Yet you offer no alternative.

Regards
DL

Mr_J · December 3, 2017, 5:15pm

That’s because there is nothing worth preserving in that there is nothing to reform.

Greatest_I_am · December 3, 2017, 5:21pm

Yes there is if you follow the thinking of Socrates.

Look up Timocratic system and see that what follows what we have should be followed by that as it is a ruling system based on honor and duty. Something lacking in how we rule today.

Regards
DL

Mr_J · December 3, 2017, 7:12pm

Yeah, that worked so well for the ancient Greeks. Where is modern Greece now?

Arminius · December 3, 2017, 10:12pm

Greatest_I_am · December 4, 2017, 12:52am

They never got to the point of creating a Timocratic system as far as I know.

Regards
DL

Mr_J · December 4, 2017, 2:45am

And why do you think that is? Why was it never created?

Greatest_I_am · December 4, 2017, 2:50am

Democracy was a better way for the leaders to lie to their people.

The same applies today.

Regards
DL

Mr_J · December 4, 2017, 3:02am

I am no fan of democracy especially the controlled kind that we have here where you’ll get no argument from me on that.

Arminius · December 4, 2017, 12:09pm

Timocracy:

Wikipedia:

A timocracy (from Greek τιμή timē, “price, worth” and -κρατία -kratia, “rule”)[1] is a state where only property owners may participate in government. The more extreme forms of timocracy, where power derives entirely from wealth with no regard for social or civic responsibility, may shift in their form and become a plutocracy where the wealthy and powerful use their power to increase their wealth.
Timocracy and property

Solon introduced the ideas of timokratia as a graded oligarchy in his Solonian Constitution for Athens in the early 6th century BC. His was the first known deliberately implemented form of timocracy, allocating political rights and economic responsibility depending on membership of one of four tiers of the population. Solon defined these tiers by measuring how many bushels of produce each man could produce in a year, namely:
Pentacosiomedimni – "Men of the 500 bushel", those who produced 500 bushels of produce per year, could serve as generals in the army
Hippeis – Knights, those who could equip themselves and one cavalry horse for war, valued at 300 bushels per year
Zeugitae – Tillers, owners of at least one pair of beasts of burden, valued at 200 bushels per year, could serve as Hoplites
Thetes – Manual laborers
N. G. L. Hammond supposes Solon instituted a graduated tax upon the upper classes, levied in a ratio of 6:3:1, with the lowest class of thetes paying nothing in taxes but remaining ineligible for elected office.

Aristotle later wrote in his Nicomachean Ethics (Book 8, Chapter 10) about three “true political forms” for a state, each of which could appear in corrupt form, becoming one of three negative forms. Aristotle describes timocracy in the sense of rule by property-owners: it comprised one of his true political forms. Aristotelian timocracy approximated to the constitution of Athens, although Athens exemplified the corrupted version of this form, described as democracy.
Timocracy, comparable values, and Plato’s five regimes
Main article: Plato’s five regimes

In The Republic, Plato describes five regimes (of which four are unjust). Timocracy is listed as the first “unjust” regime. Aristocracy degenerates into timocracy when, due to miscalculation on the part of its governed class, the next generation of guardians and auxiliaries includes persons of an inferior nature (the persons with souls made of iron or bronze, as opposed to the ideal guardians and auxiliaries, who have souls made of gold and silver). A timocracy, in choosing its leaders, is “inclining rather to the more high-spirited and simple-minded type, who are better suited for war”.[2] The city-state of Sparta provided Plato with a real-world model for this form of government. Modern observers might describe Sparta as a totalitarian or one-party state, although the details we know of its society come almost exclusively from Sparta’s enemies. The idea of militarism-stratocracy accurately reflects the fundamental values of Spartan society.

References:

Harper, Douglas (November 2001). ““Timocracy” etymology”. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
Rep. 8.547e; Cahn, Steven M., Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0199791155

Mr_J · December 4, 2017, 2:56pm

Arminius:

Timocracy:
Wikipedia:
A timocracy (from Greek τιμή timē, “price, worth” and -κρατία -kratia, “rule”)[1] is a state where only property owners may participate in government. The more extreme forms of timocracy, where power derives entirely from wealth with no regard for social or civic responsibility, may shift in their form and become a plutocracy where the wealthy and powerful use their power to increase their wealth.
Timocracy and property

Solon introduced the ideas of timokratia as a graded oligarchy in his Solonian Constitution for Athens in the early 6th century BC. His was the first known deliberately implemented form of timocracy, allocating political rights and economic responsibility depending on membership of one of four tiers of the population. Solon defined these tiers by measuring how many bushels of produce each man could produce in a year, namely:
Pentacosiomedimni – "Men of the 500 bushel", those who produced 500 bushels of produce per year, could serve as generals in the army
Hippeis – Knights, those who could equip themselves and one cavalry horse for war, valued at 300 bushels per year
Zeugitae – Tillers, owners of at least one pair of beasts of burden, valued at 200 bushels per year, could serve as Hoplites
Thetes – Manual laborers
N. G. L. Hammond supposes Solon instituted a graduated tax upon the upper classes, levied in a ratio of 6:3:1, with the lowest class of thetes paying nothing in taxes but remaining ineligible for elected office.

Aristotle later wrote in his Nicomachean Ethics (Book 8, Chapter 10) about three “true political forms” for a state, each of which could appear in corrupt form, becoming one of three negative forms. Aristotle describes timocracy in the sense of rule by property-owners: it comprised one of his true political forms. Aristotelian timocracy approximated to the constitution of Athens, although Athens exemplified the corrupted version of this form, described as democracy.
Timocracy, comparable values, and Plato’s five regimes
Main article: Plato’s five regimes

In The Republic, Plato describes five regimes (of which four are unjust). Timocracy is listed as the first “unjust” regime. Aristocracy degenerates into timocracy when, due to miscalculation on the part of its governed class, the next generation of guardians and auxiliaries includes persons of an inferior nature (the persons with souls made of iron or bronze, as opposed to the ideal guardians and auxiliaries, who have souls made of gold and silver). A timocracy, in choosing its leaders, is “inclining rather to the more high-spirited and simple-minded type, who are better suited for war”.[2] The city-state of Sparta provided Plato with a real-world model for this form of government. Modern observers might describe Sparta as a totalitarian or one-party state, although the details we know of its society come almost exclusively from Sparta’s enemies. The idea of militarism-stratocracy accurately reflects the fundamental values of Spartan society.

References:

Harper, Douglas (November 2001). ““Timocracy” etymology”. Online Etymology Dictionary. Retrieved 2008-10-25.
Rep. 8.547e; Cahn, Steven M., Classics of Political and Moral Philosophy, Oxford University Press, 2002. ISBN 0199791155

In other words an aristocracy. The United States has its own aristocracy and they’re all politically,socially, or economically inept.