From: nospam@example.net   
      
   On Tue, 16 Apr 2024, oldernow wrote:   
      
   > DUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!   
   >   
   > What in bleeping hell does it take to get this species to   
   > understand the simplest damned thing?   
   >   
   > Oh... wait... I forgot... ego *can't* see its own   
   > maleficence....   
   >   
   > Anyone else ready to make a real change by taking first   
   > steps to be rid of that mental illness?   
   >   
   > Or is persisting in blaming inert objects and/or others   
   > working too well as procrastination from turning in the   
   > direction - i.e. within - to initiate real change that,   
   > multiplied by however many billions of us, would inform   
   > and power a better world?   
      
   I think the high taxes and the welfare state in most western democracies   
   has trained people to expect someone else to solve problems, and someone   
   else to be responsible for the worlds evils. Taking responsibility for   
   yourself, and realizing your own faults is anathema in todays culture,   
   and I think a lot of the problems in the world can be traced to a lack   
   of responsibility.   
      
   I mean think about democracy. You put a piece of paper in a box so   
   someone else can deal with problems. Someone else justifies taking half   
   your income by convincing you that _they_ will solve all your problems.   
      
   Now repeat this generation after generation, and you can see what I'm   
   getting at. But, at the risk of being accused of being conspiratorial,   
   this is a great myth for the worlds politicians to perpetuate, since it   
   guarantees them a job.   
      
   Before democracy, the guys who wanted to play the game of power often   
   paid for it with their lives. It was a lot more risk/reward. Today we're   
   civilized and modern democracy has eliminated a lot of the killing and   
   if you don't win, you'll sit on the opposition benches for 4 years and   
   then you get to try again, while still living of tax payers money. Great   
   deal for the power players compared with how things were 300 years ago.   
   )   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)