Blog 58 Defining Democracy: a Down-Under Definition.
In these blogs I have bored you more than once with academic, polysyllabic, etymological derivations and explications of such terms as democracy, oligarchy, aristocracy,
yatayatayata… Apologies for previous failings.
We have just returned from a two-month visit to a real democracy, and had some conversations with real New Zealanders, especially Adam (real name, which he has given permission to use - Greg Adams) a practising democrat and a clear-thinking man of parts.
It seems to have been a much-needed break for us and demonstrates that even an old fogg can get a new idea or two.
So this blog, item one, how to define democracy, and the next blog, item two, the brain of humanity, were hatched, like penguin chicks, in New Zealand.
Item One
In a world where almost all governments call themselves democratic, maybe this is a useful test: ignore the claim and examine the outcomes.
First step: make a list. Ask what would the people, if they really were calling the shots, want? Then check the reality. How does Nation X actually stack up against that list.
Here’s my short list. Yours may be quite different, but just as effective as a democracy litmus test:
1. Public health care.
Where the typical citizen doesn’t have to worry about the costs. Just like the rich citizen. And I don’t think it would be too hard to find enough doctors who would want to care for the ”less than rich”, because… well, just because they would think it is a good thing to do. I certainly know some.
2. Free Public education,.
No overwhelming fees and long-lasting student debt burden. But this one is not just a wish. It’s essential for the creation and survival of democracy. To stay in charge, the citizenry must have the tools to be effective critics, to be able to unmask the propaganda and explode PR BS from government or corporate or other special interests. Free, and good, education (as good as any private school education, for example) is vital to provide those tools.
3. A graduated taxation system. This is what thelawofmoney blog is all about. Without public control of the money supply, the law of money - money goes where money is - will, suck the wealth out of any economy and bank it at the top.
(Even if all the currently-existing dodges to conceal hidden hoards were closed, the law of money would still operate.)
So what is a graduated taxation system?
What is it not? Well it is not what has been called a “fair taxation”, system, where a rate of tax - say 15% - is levied on all incomes equally. If that sounds fair to you, you haven’t had enough of #2 - a good public education.
Simply, in a graduated tax system, higher income/wealth taxpayers pay at higher rate (percentage) than lower income/wealth taxpayers.
Here’s a graduated income tax system - not a practical proposal, for illustration only. It shows sample annual incomes from $20,000 to $2 billion.
INCOME TAX TAX PAID REMAINING
RATE INCOME
$2,000.000,000 90% $1,800,000,000 $200,000,000
$600,000,000 80% $480,000,000 $120,000,000
$100,000,000 70% $70,000,000 $30,000,000
$50,000,000 60% $30.000,000 $20,000,000
—————————————————————————————-
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$500,000 30% $150,000 $350,000
$100,000 20% $20,000 $80,000
$50,000 10% $5,000 $45,000
$20,000 5% $1,000 $19,000
There are better grounds for arguing this as a fair taxation system than there are for the 15% flat tax.
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