The Impoverished State of Affairs

Florida is tightening its belt. Well, that's somewhat of an understatement. Florida is getting all Minoan on its belt tightening, to the point that the state will do more than just suffer. And why? Poor planning, bad decisions by voters, poor economy? Eh, yeah, why not. Or rather, and I think this is the central reason, Florida has forgotten the fundamentals. Florida became big government, lost sight of the forest through the trees, and outgrew its britches. Here is what I mean.

It is my personal belief that government has limited use. Ultimately man governs himself. He has to deal with others, and because of that, institutes rules and mores in order to smooth the process along. Thus, man has his own beliefs/rules regarding all his daily interactions, be it between himself and a woman, himself and friends, himself and enemies, himself and his dog, etc.

Ultimately, man realizes he must create some kind of governing body in order to institute rules so that larger groups of people can live and coexist and help each other attain more and better things. This is all pretty common Poli Sci stuff. I'm going back like 8 years right now, dusting off some cobwebs in my mind. But here is where I think things get a little more interesting and important.

A proper government is a government that doesn't force itself into the lives of its people and allows man to govern himself. Government is designed and best used when it supplements man and helps him attain more and better society. How is this possible? Well, there are (I believe) three fundamental areas or spheres in which government should focus all its resources on: education, justice, and police.

Education is key. Without education, society will essentially devolve to the low point it was at so long ago. By focusing all resources into education (to the point of 100% funding) the future is ensured of advancement. Remember, top education will produce top graduates who for the most part will stay in the state and advance the state in all the areas of business and such. Those advanced fields will yield even higher profits to the state, without the state having to pump money and resources in a vain attempt to jump start it.

Justice is key because laws ensure peace (this is a whole other blog entry). Granted I am a criminal defense attorney (well, one day soon), but a properly functioning judiciary with fully staffed courts is key to the best possible justice for all. Competent judges and clerks and attorneys and the like is important for any society, because it is injustice which I think ultimately brings down a government. As the numbers of wrongly convicted people grow, faith in the government sinks, to the point of no confidence at all. And this isn't just criminal courts, but also civil courts. Civil courts resolve our differences without bloodshed, and to have them competently resolved can only be a good thing.

The Police is somewhat entwined with Justice. Competent, properly trained police officers are important. Too many times have I dealt with thug cops who are no different than the people they arrest save for the piece of metal on their shirt. With the cops goes fire fighters and paramedics, things that are needed because of the complexities in performing those duties by a single, untrained man. Again included here is children services, because it is somewhat of a police type action in protecting the interests of children. And again, competent, well paid, well educated people are the only ones who should be serving that post.

I just feel that the state should focus on these things first. Put the full weight of resources of the state behind these there pillars, and whatever leftovers can go to the pork barreling. Because with these three pillars properly maintained with the maximum resources, the benefits to the state will only grow. Give a sapling the proper soil and water and sun, and ultimately that sapling will grow into a firm, solid, fruit bearing tree. Just stick to the fundamentals, and everything will take its own course.

What happens if there is no future?

So last week I'm watching a show on the History channel or Discovery channel that discussed the top 10 ways the world would end. One of the quite intriguing and demoralizing ways (though one scientist called it very exciting) was an asteroid striking the Earth. To an extent I agree with the scientist, but more with how society would handle it.

And interestingly enough, as I write this, I'm watching Children of Men, an intriguing movie in which the human race has been unable to create children for 18 years. What strikes my interest is how society decides to live with this knowledge, knowing that within their lifetime (or only a few years after) the world would end. Outside of England wars and riots engulf society. Within England the government wields an iron fist, putting up a wall around the island and taking every step to keep the status quo. Hell, there is a scene in the movie where a soccer game is on tv...SOCCER!

These two shows lead me to wonder what society would be like if we knew the world was coming to an end. The history channel show addressed it to a degree, wondering if any law and order would exist. And I wonder as well, would it?

If man knows there is no future, knows the time and date and manner of his demise...would he follow the letter of the law? Whether the law is created by man (as jab to the side of my state atty friends, "Laws are made in Tallahassee...") or gods? What kind of effect would this knowledge have on the mind of man?

Would man revolt, live the anarchist life that men of order fear? Or would man live the life so sought after by true libertarians and those Founding Fathers who preferred a life of freedom and to be left alone? Or would man, realizing the end was nigh, find comfort and spirituality in the end of his days and peacefully coexist with all, achieving something not possible in the entire history of human existence? I just don't know, and I could go on for volumes trying to work through all the possibilities. Which is why I agree with that scientist from earlier who said the most exciting end to the world would be from an asteroid strike. I like to think that that is the moment we all find out the true meaning of life, and the true makeup of the human soul.