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talkpoliticsOk, so I did martial arts when I was in my teens and twenties.
But apart from the techniques of combat, I also learned a little of the cultures of the East.
The Japanese have a concept called 'On' - no real English word is exactly equivalent, but consider ' Obligation' s a starting point. If someone gives you something, then you owe them. And this is mutually acknowledged in their culture.
Nobody wants to feel obliged to anyone else, unless they really have to. And if you do end up owing someone, you have to repay them.
Japanese companies will lay on healthcare for the workers, and all sorts of other fringe benefits. It does mean that the private healthcare that Japanese people get is met at little or no cost to the taxpayer - however, the average Japanese company does expect a lot of conformity, commitment and kow-towing in return.
In the Western world, it isn't unknown for a tied house to go with a job. It does mean that the worker does not have to worry so much about accommodation , but it also means that leaving the job is harder, because where are you going to live if you go looking for work?
One of the big pitfalls of State Run Economies, where the government is not just the cheif employer, but the only employer in town and indeed the whole nation , is that The State acquires a monopoly.
If you wanted to bury your grandmother in Soviet Russia, then the only undertaker in town would tell you that they could not fit you in - they were just too busy. A bottle of vodka , however, could be discreetly offered, and somehow, they would suddenly be able to fit you in. Everything had to be paid the official price, plus a bit extra to get it fixed.
And it used to be rather similar in Britain, once. Getting a phone installed would take months and cost you a couple of hundred pounds - I know people who had to wait and pay up. Nobody else apart from the GPO was allowed to and there was no way that those who were permitted to install phones could do it quicker or cheaper, they said.
And then the government ended the GPO monopoly on Phone lines. Ok, the GPO still put up the wires and the exchanges, but anyone with enough nous could connect a phone to the network and get your phone connected to the local exchange. And soon, it became possible to have a phone fitted in under a week - for free.
So, yes, I do believe in allowing entrepreneurs to operate, so long as they are regulated in the public interest.One of the things about a centralised government is that it can create a fair playing field, or give some people an unfair advantage. You need to have the training to fit gas appliances, but anyone could become qualified for CORGI registration. The Confederation Of Registered Gas Installers is no longer known by this cute little acronym , as I recall , but the same system applies.A mixed Economy and Social Democracy does not inevitably lead to the State taking oveer everything , going on the British experience.
It would be far better for governments to pass legislation insisting on the right to education for children and giving the right to parental leave to people of both genders, I think, rather than give subsidies to enable corporations to sell their goods at reduced prices on the world market.
Surely, the place to start is in schools. Teach kids how a bank works and how companies are run, how the political system developed and the role of the electorate in the process of government.It is challenging to allow children to think for themselves, but in the long run , it's the only way for society to progress.
But apart from the techniques of combat, I also learned a little of the cultures of the East.
The Japanese have a concept called 'On' - no real English word is exactly equivalent, but consider ' Obligation' s a starting point. If someone gives you something, then you owe them. And this is mutually acknowledged in their culture.
Nobody wants to feel obliged to anyone else, unless they really have to. And if you do end up owing someone, you have to repay them.
Japanese companies will lay on healthcare for the workers, and all sorts of other fringe benefits. It does mean that the private healthcare that Japanese people get is met at little or no cost to the taxpayer - however, the average Japanese company does expect a lot of conformity, commitment and kow-towing in return.
In the Western world, it isn't unknown for a tied house to go with a job. It does mean that the worker does not have to worry so much about accommodation , but it also means that leaving the job is harder, because where are you going to live if you go looking for work?
One of the big pitfalls of State Run Economies, where the government is not just the cheif employer, but the only employer in town and indeed the whole nation , is that The State acquires a monopoly.
If you wanted to bury your grandmother in Soviet Russia, then the only undertaker in town would tell you that they could not fit you in - they were just too busy. A bottle of vodka , however, could be discreetly offered, and somehow, they would suddenly be able to fit you in. Everything had to be paid the official price, plus a bit extra to get it fixed.
And it used to be rather similar in Britain, once. Getting a phone installed would take months and cost you a couple of hundred pounds - I know people who had to wait and pay up. Nobody else apart from the GPO was allowed to and there was no way that those who were permitted to install phones could do it quicker or cheaper, they said.
And then the government ended the GPO monopoly on Phone lines. Ok, the GPO still put up the wires and the exchanges, but anyone with enough nous could connect a phone to the network and get your phone connected to the local exchange. And soon, it became possible to have a phone fitted in under a week - for free.
So, yes, I do believe in allowing entrepreneurs to operate, so long as they are regulated in the public interest.One of the things about a centralised government is that it can create a fair playing field, or give some people an unfair advantage. You need to have the training to fit gas appliances, but anyone could become qualified for CORGI registration. The Confederation Of Registered Gas Installers is no longer known by this cute little acronym , as I recall , but the same system applies.A mixed Economy and Social Democracy does not inevitably lead to the State taking oveer everything , going on the British experience.
It would be far better for governments to pass legislation insisting on the right to education for children and giving the right to parental leave to people of both genders, I think, rather than give subsidies to enable corporations to sell their goods at reduced prices on the world market.
Surely, the place to start is in schools. Teach kids how a bank works and how companies are run, how the political system developed and the role of the electorate in the process of government.It is challenging to allow children to think for themselves, but in the long run , it's the only way for society to progress.
(no subject)
Date: 6/7/11 14:30 (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 6/7/11 21:10 (UTC)