"Democracy is good. I say this because other systems are worse."
Jawaharlal Nehru
The observation of Mr. Nehru about the goodness of democracy finds broad agreement among the world's citizens and, in fact, most of the countries on the planet elect their leaders.
While it is true that elected leaders might be tempted and even succumb to a range of temptations offered by their positions of power, the people will decide in the next election if any infractions committed were serious enough to outweigh the ability of the leader in question to govern well. In contrast, history has shown that even the most benevolent, but unelected, leader must struggle to govern well and unelected leaders often succumb to temptations.
It is important to realize that just holding an election does not guarantee democracy. After all, some countries hold an election and the elected leader becomes ruler for life! The leader, after being elected, may censor the press to squelch dissenting voices, manipulate the courts so that the rule of law is compromised, enfeeble the legislature so that policies are constrained, and take advantage of position to gain illicit wealth.
So, knowing all this, we were privileged to observe the 2009 parliamentary elections in India, arguably the greatest exercise of democracy on the planet. Links to our observations follow:
Thursday, November 19, 2009
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Be a Proud Taxpayer - Good Government Needs Financial Support
Ask anyone if they feel their taxes are too high and you will likely hear a resounding "YES".
Every year, we cringe at the thought of gathering together all the records, receipts, 1099s, W-2s and completing all the forms, making the final calculation of the income tax we must pay for this year. And then there is sales tax (also known as value added tax or gross receipts tax) on each purchase we make all through the year. If we own property or a car, we must also pay tax each year on their value.
But are we Americans paying too much tax? If we add up all the taxes that Americans pay and calculate the total tax as a share of national income we would discover the taxes we pay are lower than most other rich countries.
Yet, for as long as we can remember, Americans have rejected "government solutions" to such problems as health care, poverty, education, and environmental protection by refusing to pay the needed taxes.
At the same time we expect government to ensure that we have good roads, police protection to keep us safe, nice parks, safe food, snazzy airports, and a secure financial system; functions that are being met largely with mixed results and huge budget deficits.
This raises an obvious question - Will we agree to pay for the government we need?
Every year, we cringe at the thought of gathering together all the records, receipts, 1099s, W-2s and completing all the forms, making the final calculation of the income tax we must pay for this year. And then there is sales tax (also known as value added tax or gross receipts tax) on each purchase we make all through the year. If we own property or a car, we must also pay tax each year on their value.
But are we Americans paying too much tax? If we add up all the taxes that Americans pay and calculate the total tax as a share of national income we would discover the taxes we pay are lower than most other rich countries.
Yet, for as long as we can remember, Americans have rejected "government solutions" to such problems as health care, poverty, education, and environmental protection by refusing to pay the needed taxes.
At the same time we expect government to ensure that we have good roads, police protection to keep us safe, nice parks, safe food, snazzy airports, and a secure financial system; functions that are being met largely with mixed results and huge budget deficits.
This raises an obvious question - Will we agree to pay for the government we need?
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