Whoever criticizes capitalism, while approving immigration, whose working class is its first victim, had better shut up. Whoever criticizes immigration, while remaining silent about capitalism, should do the same.
~Alain de Benoist
Captdon (07-03-2018)
That I understood. Thank you.
Modern economies probably thwart that. My thinking is local influences state and state influences federal. On the local level I think neighborhoods would be the influence on local authority. If my neighbors want something we could all go over to our councilman; we could also send one person with our blessing and a threat.
I'm thinking that local officials should "elect" whatever state officials we might need. the way they vote will decide their futures. I'd like to see the states decide the federal government in the same way. I think my influence would be greater that way.
On the local level it can be neighborhoods but also any group that is interested in a town or rural area. I;m thinking of the Grange, the BBB, the unions, the charities, etc. It sounds like a mish-mash and it may be.
Liberals are a clear and present danger to our nation
Pick your enemies carefully.
The Grange was a Midwest agricultural movement after the Civil War, correct? I want to see if I know my stuff without looking it up.
When you say modern conditions probably thwart that I agree to an extent. Technological and economic conditions have changed. but, for me, while Subsidiarity and Distributism are certainly dated they represent nods to the past. They're models of how we should be thinking. We don't have to surrender to anonymity, bloated bureaucracies or a society of strangers. We can participate fully in our civic life and control our own destinies as peoples and communities. What we need desperately now is what we would call a "paradigm shift" but the vast majority of people I encounter on forums simply can't conceive of living in a significantly different way then we are now. Sadly, I think this is in part due to our obsession with individual rights. We're very jealous of those rights and they often come at the expense of living together but that's another topic.
I think you articulated this well enough. I sympathize.
Whoever criticizes capitalism, while approving immigration, whose working class is its first victim, had better shut up. Whoever criticizes immigration, while remaining silent about capitalism, should do the same.
~Alain de Benoist
Captdon (07-04-2018)
A number of advantages accrue from this sort of social organization.
One that should be obvious is it gets more people involved in the polity. I stopped voting in part because at the federal level where so much attention is focused my vote counts for little. Society organized at the neighborhood level on up would mean I have a voice and could make a difference. Also, it gets around the problem of rational ignorance. The knowledge that would matter would be first and foremost at the local level. You know what you value and what those around you value because you talk to them, interact with them.
Another advantage, for similar reasons, would be the development, once again, of community and culture tied to a place. Each community would develop itself and its customs and traditions to pass on to following generations.
Yet another advantage is this social organization would embody the intent of federalism, perhaps even close to the original Articles. Each neighborhood, community, area on up--if not each grouping by grange, union, charity, church, club, etc, on up--would influence if not control the next level up, perhaps by frequent elections keeping representatives in office or removing them if they didn't live up to local expectations.
That would lead to each locality experimenting with different form or organization, different rules and in time seeing what worked better for others to emulate or adapt to their locality. One would then be free to vote by foot, moving away from a community you didn't value to one you did.
I'm sure there are more advantages.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler
Agreed on all points. Any democracy worthy of the name should encourage participation to the greatest extent possible. This is best facilitated at the local level.
Except I would say your votes in federal elections are virtually meaningless.
I must also confess that I am becoming much more attracted to the concept of community or corporate rights.
Whoever criticizes capitalism, while approving immigration, whose working class is its first victim, had better shut up. Whoever criticizes immigration, while remaining silent about capitalism, should do the same.
~Alain de Benoist
Captdon (07-04-2018)
Yea, it was after the War. It's all over the place now.
I really want as local a control as possible. We have become too "big thinking." There was no reason for it except people losing track of what was happening.
I love individual rights but there should be community rights. i don't see any contradicition in this. I don't see how my individual right are impacted.
Liberals are a clear and present danger to our nation
Pick your enemies carefully.
Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire. ― Gustav Mahler