Essay on Government

The way of government officials who choose to serve the interests of those who benefit most from the work of all, above and before the interests of those who are most in need – with no new taxes on the most affluent and, as a result, no new services or benefits, or government responsibility for the basic survival and social needs of those who are most in need – is the way of service to the war of those who benefit most from the work of all against those who are most in need.

The idea of imposing “no new taxes” – on those who benefit most from the work of all, particularly those who benefit most from moving production and employment – and incomes – from economically developed areas (areas of higher standards of living); to areas with lower standards of living (usually Asia) – is not beneficial to the interests of the human community because it means “no new services”, “no new benefits”, “no help” and no hope for change in the conditions of most of the victims of government indifference – those who are most in need – in the areas from which employment and means of subsistence are taken .

“No new taxes” on those who benefit most from the work of all, means “No new funds” to provide for the basic survival needs of the least economically advantaged (in the United States and Western countries), the victims of transfer of economic resources and benefits to areas with lower labor costs, and “No new funds” for government intervention in the lives of the most impoverished, to provide them with the needs of subsistence, and to teach them that their life, and all human lives should be valued as the potential source of contributions to the interests and well-being of all.

“No new funds” means no government interest or intervention in the lives of those - and particularly children – who are not taught to, and do not respect and value their own lives, their own potential contributions, the lives of others, and the well-being of others, because government, and many of those around them, outside of their families, don’t care about their survival, their subsistence needs, or whether they respect themselves as beings worthy of making contributions to the well-being and welfare of all. Children usually don’t learn to respect their own lives when the lives of their parents are not valued or respected, and are regarded by government and the society as disposable. The disrespect for the value and worth of human lives, bred by poverty and indifference of government to the survival needs of all citizens - and particularly for the survival needs of those who are most in need - is a crime against humanity.

Everybody’s doing it ( or “every other government unit’s doing it” ) – state, local and (usually) urban governments devaluing the lives of the least advantaged and rejecting responsibility to serve the survival needs of all, and particularly of those who are most in need - is no more a legitimate excuse for inhuman behavior, neglect, and indifference by government, than it is when ANY INDIVIDUAL uses it as an excuse for inhuman behavior .   Devaluing the lives of the least economically advantaged and regarding their lives as disposable, is as much a crime against humanity when it is done by any government unit, as it is when it is used as an excuse for indifference and inhuman behavior by any individual.

Contempt for human life ( for the lives of the least economically advantaged ) by government, breeds contempt for human life among the victims of that denial of the worth of human lives, based on income. That IS a crime against humanity – a crime against humanity committed by governments. And it is a crime against humanity that leads to murders of children on the way to or from school (eight murdered from Harper High School in Chicago in one year – two-part “This American Life” program, February 15 and 22, 2013, on NPR,    https://www.thisamericanlife.org/487/harper-high-school-part-one    and    https://www.thisamericanlife.org/488/harper-high-school-part-two  ), a crime that led to the murder of Hadiya Pendleton, and many others, and, probably most important, that leads and led to despair in many people, and, in many, leads to the denial of opportunity, destruction of hope, and destruction of the spirit and will to help in the work to make the world better for all.

Humans, and particularly government officials, have the ability to do better and to show the way to treat each other better, with greater dignity, respect, and empathy than the controlling consciousness has shown through government in the past, and, frequently, in the present. There is no reason that any governmental unit or units cannot work ( or work together ) toward providing food and shelter ( some jails, holding many prisoners incarcerated for stealing food ), as well as medical care, to all, and help to those who want to contribute to the interests of all.

Everything the controlling consciousness does or allows on this planet IS NOT always, or necessarily, right because the controlling consciousness allows it, and everyone who has little or no economic resources DOES NOT always deserve it.

While all who are victims of the oppression of poverty imposed by the most economically advantaged group are not blameless or without personal responsibility for their own condition, many are nearly blameless. Many do not deserve the oppression of poverty imposed by the controlling consciousness and its agents, the economically advantaged group and government . There are some who would like to serve the physical, material, social, and spiritual best interests and well-being of all, and there is no excuse for government failing or refusing to serve the interests of those who want to use their abilities to serve the best interests and welfare of all, no matter what their economic position may be.

As I said, there are many who do not deserve to be forced by the economically controlling group into the least economically advantaged group, and existence among a group that does not respect or serve respect for human life . And, no, everybody DOES NOT have the same opportunity, as those children murdered on the way to or from school know. And, as those who have to deal with continual anxiety about where they’re going to live, or where they’re going to get their next meal, know well – the continual pressure of preoccupation with hunger and insecurity about basic needs interferes with the ability to learn at school.

The idea of “no new taxes”, on those who benefit most from the work of all, serves only perpetuation of governmental dependence on the generosity of the most affluent and government subservience to the interests of those who have a great deal more than they need ( bankers who finance the loans to the government ) . Government that is subservient to fear of the anger and selfishness of those who benefit most from the work of all cannot serve dignity and opportunity for all.

Once a ship of state is righted and financially stable, in any governmental unit, the way to direct it should not be toward setting it adrift in doldrums; it should be for government leaders to do what they can to help to direct the group toward more responsibility for the well-being of all, and toward more responsibility for the well-being of those who are most in need.

When government leaders allow the greed and selfishness of those who already have vastly more than they need to control the policies they serve, they become participants on the side of the most advantaged in their war against the least powerful and the most vulnerable.

Jan Reed