If I have learned anything from these posts it is that the number of people who genuinely love and crave freedom is great. I have also learned that we can all agree on many things:
Power mongering assholes, yes, they suck (mostly because they are former lawyers)
Guess you don't like the computer you're wasting everyone's time with then. That was a product of greed, or the car (the mass production of the car was the result of Greed) or tires (more greed.) Everywhere around you the results of greed and a desire to find better ways of doing things in pursuit of profit has resulted in life being easier, better, and cheaper.
Of course, I personally believe that the proper terms for "Greed" as you attempt to define it are industriousness and ingenuity. Neither of which you have in any degree.
Politicians are greedy and that sucks.
You can stop repeating yourself
Freedom is nice and we like it.
And stating the obvious
More politicians == less freedom.
More government = Less Freedom, yes, I can agree with that.
I feel that taken to their logical conclusions, these points seem to imply that less politicians mean less greed and more freedom.
If you mean the absence of a state and a truly voluntary society, then yes, I can agree with you. When everyone is free to keep the fruits of their labor with out coercion then I believe they will be more inclined to share it, because they will actually not be under duress of having a parasitical entity attempting to deprive them of the fruits of their labor.
Charity begins by protecting those that are productive from the government.
Before I get any accusations of utopianism (which is usually the charge hurled at anyone who challenges the existing order)
Actually, I believe the current vogue is to accuse people of being insane, or not understanding that humanity could not possibly provide for itself with out "government"
I want to acknowledge that we cannot live in a vacuum - that such "anarchy" would be chaos for the social order and much suffering would ensue.
I don't believe that for a moment.
For this reason we need to organize non-hierarchical or at least radically democratic communities based on our neighborhoods, work places, cultural interests, and social interests.
Hierarchical structures are natural for humanity to adopt. For most social animals there is a hierarchical structure.
Do I believe there should be more governance done at a local, as opposed to state or federal level? Of course, that goes with out saying.
I don't think we need a democratic work place. First of all, the idea is that there is some one directing the efforts to ensure that there is maximum results. In business efficiency is key, wasting resources and time to consider what some one thinks is ineffective.
Now, allowing people to have a voice in the processes when they see ways of making it better, that should be done with out question.
As far as democracy in our cultural and social interests.
Make taxes voluntary or allow people to direct them as they see fit. I don't think you can get more democratic than that, because it gives people direct control over what apparatus of the state they wish to fund. The losing portions of government can be amputated as being undesired by the public.
Furthermore we need these communities to federate and hold conventions when decisions need to be made on large scales.
Well, it's funny but that's pretty much how the United States functioned until the South decided to succeed and Lincoln used force to coerce them into a state of bondage to the federal government.
These communities could act like unions and they could reason between themselves to accomplish consensual, non-coercive, non-exploitative economic relationships.
:: coughs ::
I wonder how long before they were acting like unions with jack-booted thugs attempting to kill each other over access to cheap resources.
But just as this would mean a new cooperative society; we need a new social awareness education.
We already have a highly cooperative society, built around the ideas of free enterprise. You're just too blinded by your focus on the competitive elements to actually see the cooperation that takes place. Plenty of corporations cooperate with others, and they cooperate with their suppliers and distributors. It's a interlocking system built around attempting to bring the best products to the market.
The recent problems encounted are a result of government interference in the marketplace, of which no good has ever come from, has came from, or ever came from.
To paraphrase the title of a book, Democracy is the God that failed, because it was not able to restrain the envious from wanting to "soak" the rich via taxation. Instead of attempting to improve themselves and climb higher the "have nots" (which routinely become "haves") voted to drag the "haves" down to their level. Never mind that they never imagined that the cutting scythe of income taxation would cut them further down the ladder even as it left the rich unscathed.
Of course, because no one but ourselves can do it, we will have the responsibility of organizing these cooperative groups around our mutual interests so that creating the new society in the shell of the old one is a conscious effort and not just riots and rampant crime.
I don't know enough about your society (aside from the fact that it sounds tyrannical) to judge it. Though I'm not going to support it.
I encourage everyone interested in decision making or facilitation or organization to take a look at the book Consensus: A New Handbook for Grassroots Social, Political, and Environmental Groups by Peter Gelderloos.
Note to self : Find book, burn it in front of a mirror while reading it backwards.
Here is a favorite quote of mine:
"In a society that treats us like incompetent, antisocial citizens/consumers/employees, our social skills atrophy like an unused muscle. Acting once again like competent, social beings requires a lot of tiring exercise. Rather than following orders or giving orders, in consensus you're forming voluntary groups to decide new and flexible ways of organizing your lives and harmonizing your activities so that everyone's needs can be met in a manner of their choosing. With enough practice, though, consensus begins to feel like second nature. Considering how empowering it can be to work with others as equals and begin reclaiming control of all the commodified, co-opted aspects of your life, the effort is well worth it."
Athens tried Democracy, why don't you dig through their rubble and ask them how it handicapped them during the Peloponessian War? Maybe if you believe and practice Necromancy they'll even answer you.
As far as the quote, it ignores the fact that commodity is nothing more than a term to describe a good or service. There is no stigma around commodities. It is wrong to act as if something was "commodified" as even in the most primitive cultures everything was a commodity. Food, shelter, water, air, all commodities. There was no commodification due to commercialization.
