I've been away from this site too long. I'll try a comeback discussion for a change:

Do you favor Democracy as a form of government?

What limits, if any, should be placed on democratic decisions?

Please answer below - explain your reasoning [if you can  ]

Civilization probably started about seven thousand years ago when people began to settle down into farming communities. Their lives generally revolved around cooperation within the communities and sorted itself out into five general areas: The Family: Whose responsibility was the raising of children and providing the immediate personal security and comfort of the family members. Education: Some form of training the young of the community - either family based or the responsibility of someone chosen by the community. Religion: Generally moral rules and explanation of the Cosmos and human's place in it. Economics: Some form of exchange of goods and services and sometimes some form of measurement of social standing within the community. Government: That social institution with the responsibility for community organization, protection, and control. 

All civilizations since that humble beginning have organized themselves in some form of similar social institutional framework. In modern times two social ideas have dominated most existing cultures: The concept of the worth of the individual and the belief that individuals should be a free and autonomous as possible consistent with the basic requirements of civilized communal living; and the idea spinning off from that one, that in the realm of Economics, activity that directly benefited the individual was most likely to advance the culture, e.g. Capitalism. 

Throughout history the idea of the economic individualist has been tempered by the need for some order and control to keep the individual from using his economic power to hurt other members of the culture. Historically, the first modern Capitalist was probably Jacques Coeur - a Flemish merchant who in his lifetime managed to gain economic control of France - and indeed most of Europe - during the first half of the fifteenth century. Not an aristocrat, he managed to become the wealthiest man in the Western world at that time. The existing governors and religious leaders of hid time regarded him as a threat and eventually managed to overpower his financial empire.

While those governments were certainly not democratic, in more modern times most governments of democracies have regarded the unbridled capitalist with concern as the idea of absolute individualism has seemed to clash with the ideals of democratic civilization. The United states has tended to favor individual rights in the economic sphere, but always have exerted some governmental controls on private enterprise, either by regulating activity of by taxation. In modern times, taxation of individual and corporate enterprises has been the major source of government income. 

Since representative democratic government generally works for the good of individuals within the nation, government expenditures have always encouraged the growth of private economic success. In recent U.S. history, the fastest and greatest economic growth and rise in the standard of living for all citizens has been during times when the tax rates and government expenditures were relatively high. Those times when the U.S. loosened its controls on the economic sphere  have inevitably led to economic downturns. Apparently in an economically mature nation a robust middle class spreading the accumulated wealth downward is necessary if that nation is to maintain its economic wellbeing.  

Europe managed its economic rise to high mass consumption (the primary indicator of economic maturity) by maintaining a favorable balance of trade with non-european parts of the world. In this modern world, this is no longer possible, which had led to severe economic problems. The U.S. has never done this - quite the reverse - but has still managed to become the most important world economic power. 

Recently some short-sighted government policies and a refusal to allow government stimulus, which has been so powerful and successful in the past, to play its part in the U.S. economy. Apparently this is because of a belief that such government action will somehow hurt individual capitalists - despite history telling us otherwise.

To start the New Year off, I think we may go back to some of Soc's basics - let's start with:

What is the Good Life ?

Should Politics and Religion, both basic social institutions, be dependent on each other? That is, should your Religious affiliation determine your politics, or your political preferences mold your political choices?

Is direct religious involvement in politics legally prohibited by the U.S. Constitution  ..... Congress shall make no laws respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof... [1st Amendment]?

This Season is, for many of us, a season of charitable giving. 

Do you contribute to charities or causes especially at this time of the year?

To which do you contribute ?  Why those?

Have you increased or decreased any contributions?  Why?

For several thousand years the obligation of the rulers in the Western World has been to care for their nation's economic well-being in times of stress. The standard response has most often been to offer the citizens help from the national treasuries. Rulers who refused to do this have often seen their country, and sometimes their entire civilization collapse. The principle has always been that caring for their subjects was a sacred responsibility. 

Sixteen hundred years ago, when the Roman Caesars taxed their middle classes to oblivion while exempting the upper and richest from taxation, this middle class economic collapse led to a dramatic collapse of the entire empire. The Mediterranean countries of modern Europe stand on the verge of a similar collapse - in this case one brought about by expensive government spending without responsible guarding of the public wealth. In the case of Italy, a play-boy billionaire has frittered away the country's wealth while condoning (and participating in) a corrupt system of tax avoidance. Thus a rich country hangs over the abyss of bankruptcy. Greece has much the same problem on a smaller scale - confounded by a much weaker domestic economy.

In the United States we have seen much the same short-sighted economic strategy at work. Continually lowering the taxes of the wealthiest while recklessly spending the treasure of the country on mostly foreign entanglements and at the same time ignoring the pressing problems of a collapsing educational system and infrastructure; while the obvious solutions to the problems caused by an unregulated and out of control financial system have caused a middle-class collapse very much like that of ancient Rome's, have been denied or stymied by politicians bent on furthering the short-term greed of their masters.

What solutions to these problems (short of revolution) do you see? Can they be solved within the existing political systems?

I have been considering writing a blog concerning the state of politics both in the U.S. and in Europe. Most discussions I have read seem to be concentrating on economic problems. does Economics really drive world politics, or are there other more important influences?

Should IQ be a factor in the election of public officials?

How big a part should native intelligence play in elections?

Would you support a candidate based mostly on his/her IQ?  Why? Why not?

Well, Soc made it down frim th frozen north thre sunny Florida - just in time for the tropical depression and the cold front to meet right over his tent.

A Timely question for you:

The rather unfocused "Wall Street Occupation"seems to be gaining steam and spreading around the US - and some other developed world areas.

What do you think has caused this movement?  What are the protestors upset about?

What do you think the likely result will be?  Do you support them?

Yup, Soc is a snowbird - this time of year he packs up his staff and lantern (no wait, that's his friend Diogenes) Anyhow from up here in the soon-to-be-frozen North it takes about four driving days to Florida. We will be leaving next Tuesday (Oct.11), drive down through the Mountains and be home in Florida by Friday. We've been doing this since 1964 or so - I expect we know the way.

Meanwhile, consider these questions:

Do you want to travel? Where?

Where have you traveled? Why?