Serving What Master?

Politics in America

Leaders are leaders are leaders.  They are all very similar in many ways, but the real distinction is not always obvious.  That distinction is which master each leader serves.  In a democracy we hope that master is democracy itself, the will of the people being the master.  But all too often the master that is being served is, under the surface, quite another.  Power is often the driver while there are various means to that end.  One of these means is personal ambition, a self-absorbed focus on gathering, consolidating and institutionalizing personal power.

Another means is to serve a political party, to do whatever is necessary for that party to retain power and control of the government and the nation.  Of course, that party’s use of its power and control will determine the direction of the nation.  The question then becomes, what master does the party serve?  Is it some special interest group, is it some alien ideology, is it an oligarchy, is it free market capitalism?  Or is it democracy?

A third means is to directly serve some special interest group or elite in their pursuit of power and control for their own benefit.  The result is that the leader proposes policies that benefit that controlling group.

In this nation, at this moment in our history we seem to be caught up in that third means and the elite which have become our masters are an economic elite, an oligarchy comprised of a wealthy aristocracy and powerful corporations.  This means that free market capitalism is the master that is being served.

This is not a particularly new issue for this nation, but it has, at this time, reached epic proportions, having taken control of nearly everything in the society.  It controls the media and most of the national institutions.  It controls both political parties both having forsaken the ordinary citizens several decades ago.  They control the entire economy and, as a result, most of the policy options seemingly available to solve any national problem.  They have skewed the tax system to their advantage resulting in a huge and historic income inequality which shifts the tax burden down to the middle and lower classed who can hardly afford it.  The results being that social safety nets and necessary programs are poorly funded.  Those groups now control much of what used to be public programs through their push for privatization, now controlling much of the military, for instance.

Meanwhile workers and wages have languished, nearly in obscurity, while oversight and regulation of business are being undone.

So, the result is that we have a political system that is now controlled by the masters of free market capitalism with dark money and manipulation.  And those masters only allow candidates they have vetted to even be on the ballot.

I should also mention that a sense of morality is tied to the master that might be served.  If democracy is being served than democratizing policies are the most moral.  On the other hand, if free-market capitalism is the master then making money is of the highest moral order.

The final choice for us is, do we give up in defeat and agree to serve those economic masters or do we find better alternatives to support, alternatives that support a democracy, a sustainable future and humane responses to our human problems.