Citizenship - "Illiberal Democracy"

As mentioned in a previous post, the Chilean elite work diligently to resist the kind of changes that would be required to bring about social equity, environmental sustainability, and have developed a tradition of suppressing smaller and medium-sized businesses that could pose a threat to their holdings. What else would we expect? As in Chile, the United States, or wherever, a key sector of Canadian elites will do their best to maintain a status quo that protects their investments. We all do this to one degree or another; it’s human nature.One of the key ways elites attempt to maintain security is to undermine anything that might limit their reach. This is especially true of government – the one group that can enact legislation designed to curtail capitalism’s excess. Someone commented on one these posts that capitalism is just a system – not good or bad – but just a system. That’s true, but what if that system runs the increasing danger of undermining other systems, say, the ecological balance that sustains our planet, or the increasing innovation of small business networks?Those worshipping at the market altar often maintain that efficiency is the ultimate goal to aspire to in this age of globalization, but that inevitably means consolidation of resources and power, economies of scale and considerable human costs. In many ways a just society is the exact opposite, making room for human diversity, expansion of rights and a plethora of smaller community businesses all in competition with one another. Fostering human growth and potential through education, cultural solidarity, and human resource investment is, in many ways, one of the most inefficient things Canada ever did. Over time, however, the flexible balance between financial prosperity and human potential that developed over decades made this one of the most envied countries in the world. Inefficiencies, when well-tended, can lead to an appealing investment context and a willingness of citizens to be tolerant and extend the franchise of democracy.At present, we citizens are acting like religious supplicants accepting the promise that if we just permit the elites to hold sway, we will eventually receive our just reward in heaven. Sacrifice for now and all will be well in the afterlife. Presently, we are being asked to be patient while market adjustments bring about social dislocation. But it’s been 25 years and democratic heaven appears further out of reach. Capitalism has brought us wealth and goods, but need we be reminded that it has been the public purse that bailed out the capitalist forces when they stretched too far, risked too much, and collapsed under their own irresponsibility. The largest welfare cheque in history was signed just a couple of years ago in the U.S., as the federal government used hundreds of billions of dollars in public funds to bail out businesses gone bad. Government seemed pretty good at that time to the capitalist forces, but no sooner was the crisis apparently averted than they were pressing again for the shrinking of government as a necessity for the expansion of the economy. Say what?In many ways the easiest thing for us to do when under pressure is to punish government, control inflation, embrace privatization and sign free trade agreements. But that is what we have been doing and look where we are at present. No, the core problems we face are much harder than that and require more than simplistic economic bromides. When will enough companies and political parties finally acknowledge that this merely leads to fabulous riches for some and little soul for the rest? That’s likely never to happen, leaving it to us as citizens to come together and fight for the balanced kind of Canada we want.Someone wrote me yesterday, stating that they appreciate these posts but that they wanted answers as to what we should do next. But surely before we head off in any direction we must know what the problem is before we can address it. We are often defined by what we own. Consider that the average Canadian might have a Japanese car, like Italian ties, enjoy a democracy that is Greek in origin, prefer Brazilian coffee or Indian tea, possess a Chinese-assembled television, opt for French cologne or Swiss fondue, enjoy Chilean wine and California grapefruit, and enjoy cruising the Caribbean or the Mediterranean. Wow, that’s amazing and a tribute to globalization and the flow of goods. But what is the Canadian part of you really? Is it a firm belief in healthcare? Well it will soon go broke. Our beautiful natural environment? It is under assault and losing its purity. Universal education for your children? There’s nothing universal about it anymore. Adherence to peacekeeping? We presently have about 50 peacekeepers on UN missions – the fewest in our history. A world-renowned professional civil service? Such jobs will be the first on the chopping block this year.There has to be a better way, one of balance. Those responsible for managing this country are perhaps farther away from the real needs of families than at any time in our recent history. We are quickly moving to what Newsweek editor Fareed Zakaria called an “illiberal democracy” – market structures with little infrastructure, labour without solidarity, healthcare without doctors, embassies with no personnel, citizenship without responsibility, and government without accountability. And we will end up with the worst capitalism of all, full of inefficiencies and injustices. If we as citizens don’t move quickly, the odds against our success might well prove insurmountable.