Interesting essay!
Eric Armstrong wrote:
> [snip]
> But guess what? Government programs are *so* widely influenced by
> business, that government isn't doing it either! This leads to my
> basic proposition: The one weak link in our entire civilization,
> the one problem that prevents all the *other* problems from being
> solved, is the lack of separation between business and state.
>
> The framers of our constitution saw the need to separate church
> and state. In one stroke, they prevented the excessive and abusive
> exercises of power that characterized other nations, and they
> prevented religions from exerting a stranglehold on government
> action. However, they could not have foreseen the rise of the
> industrial civilization that is now exercising a new kind of power,
> frequently in ways that ultimately harmful. (On television last
> night, there were drugs to make you go to sleep, drugs to fix
> your upset stomach, drugs to solve you "social anxiety" problems,
> and drugs for a variety of other conditions. There were also ads
> for cereals, soft drinks, beer, and dozens of other fun but
> so essentially-unhealthy substances that they should be treated
> like cigarettes -- you can sell them, but you can't advertise
> them. When you add up all the harmful things that are being sold
> over the airwaves, it's pretty sickening, really.)
>
> So how, HOW, does one achieve a separation of business and state?
> What does that mean? What does it translate to in terms of things
> that the government can and cannot do? The question is important,
> because I'm not sure there is any way for culture to begin
> approaching a garden of eden, unless we answer it.
Eric -
This is a brilliant insight and very consisely put. You have framed this
issue in a way that one can begin to think about more clearly. Thanks
for the great contribution!
-Paul Fernhout
Kurtz-Fernhout Software
=========================================================
Developers of custom software and educational simulations
Creators of the Garden with Insight(TM) garden simulator
http://www.kurtz-fernhout.com
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