Comments on: Renew The Social Contract http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Manuel Garcia, Jr. http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/#comment-32326 Manuel Garcia, Jr. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:07:02 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4791#comment-32326 Hello Alex, I'd like to see the Cuban Revolution extend to the Canadian border, but that's just me, probably because I like the music. A more traditional response is to imagine the state that could exist on the basis of the issues advocated by these groups: Ralph Nader, Independent http://www.votenader.org/issues/ ACLU http://www.aclu.org/ Cynthia McKinney, Green Party http://www.gp.org/committees/platform/draft/work/index.html Public Citizen http://www.citizen.org/ I think of one percenters winning as the same thing as the people, in general, winning. Manuel Garcia, Jr. Hello Alex,

I’d like to see the Cuban Revolution extend to the Canadian border, but that’s just me, probably because I like the music. A more traditional response is to imagine the state that could exist on the basis of the issues advocated by these groups:

Ralph Nader, Independent
http://www.votenader.org/issues/

ACLU
http://www.aclu.org/

Cynthia McKinney, Green Party
http://www.gp.org/committees/platform/draft/work/index.html

Public Citizen
http://www.citizen.org/

I think of one percenters winning as the same thing as the people, in general, winning.

Manuel Garcia, Jr.

]]> By: Alex Kexel http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/#comment-32273 Alex Kexel Thu, 20 Nov 2008 20:06:32 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4791#comment-32273 What would the world look like if you one-percenters won? What would the world look like if you one-percenters won?

]]> By: kalidas http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/#comment-32209 kalidas Wed, 19 Nov 2008 16:41:11 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4791#comment-32209 A society of cheaters and the cheated. Name one which is not. A society of cheaters and the cheated.
Name one which is not.

]]> By: Bob http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/#comment-32193 Bob Tue, 18 Nov 2008 22:34:26 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4791#comment-32193 The social contract. Nice concept, I personally would love to see it implimented. Here where I live a court actually stated that the 'social contract' doesn't exist. There is the governed and the governors. the law and its givers and people who are obliged to obey it. Responsibility only flows one way, from the governed to those who governed. No responsibility flows the other way. I wonder when Tom Paine's writings will become dangerous and proscribed? The social contract. Nice concept, I personally would love to see it implimented.

Here where I live a court actually stated that the ‘social contract’ doesn’t exist. There is the governed and the governors. the law and its givers and people who are obliged to obey it. Responsibility only flows one way, from the governed to those who governed. No responsibility flows the other way.

I wonder when Tom Paine’s writings will become dangerous and proscribed?

]]> By: bozhidar bob balkas http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/#comment-32189 bozhidar bob balkas Tue, 18 Nov 2008 21:41:06 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4791#comment-32189 ron horn elucidates the sit'n in his own way. i say probably the same thing but array it in different words. eg, i speak oft ab structure of governance. it favors the rich people. and not just in US. i think it's a panhuman trait to manage people by various ruses: 'promises' (which i evaluate as lies), evocation of dangers, demonization of other folks, miseducation, etc. it's nice to read confirmation of my own observations. tnx ron horn elucidates the sit’n in his own way. i say probably the same thing but array it in different words. eg, i speak oft ab structure of governance.
it favors the rich people. and not just in US. i think it’s a panhuman trait to manage people by various ruses: ‘promises’ (which i evaluate as lies), evocation of dangers, demonization of other folks, miseducation, etc. it’s nice to read confirmation of my own observations. tnx

]]> By: joed http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/#comment-32185 joed Tue, 18 Nov 2008 20:18:55 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4791#comment-32185 is there any possible way the amerikan people will do something other than leave things up to the govt. i dont know about the rest of the world and i thought if any peoples would do something about the murderous bush/cheney gang it would be the french people. but it seems the french are as frightened of their govt. as the amerikans are of theirs. sacrifice and hardship is the only way to truely effect real change. change for the betterment of all peoples is perhaps never going to happen. the outlook for humans is bleak. would it be so tragic if the survivors of a hollocaust were all dick cheney clones. my guess is that humanity is too weak and stupid to survive much longer. seems humans don't even know they are in trouble right now. like leonard cohen says, "I have seen the future brother, and it is murder." is there any possible way the amerikan people will do something other than leave things up to the govt. i dont know about the rest of the world and i thought if any peoples would do something about the murderous bush/cheney gang it would be the french people. but it seems the french are as frightened of their govt. as the amerikans are of theirs. sacrifice and hardship is the only way to truely effect real change. change for the betterment of all peoples is perhaps never going to happen. the outlook for humans is bleak. would it be so tragic if the survivors of a hollocaust were all dick cheney clones.
my guess is that humanity is too weak and stupid to survive much longer. seems humans don’t even know they are in trouble right now.
like leonard cohen says, “I have seen the future brother, and it is murder.”

]]> By: Ron Horn http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/#comment-32184 Ron Horn Tue, 18 Nov 2008 19:44:47 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4791#comment-32184 The concept of a social contract was a byproduct of the newly risen capitalist class in France. It was created in order to de-legitimatize the rule of the aristocracy and Feudalism. It was used to establish the rule of the emerging class and appealed to universal humanistic values in order to enlist the support of all citizens. It has always been a bit of a con, but all ruling classes resort to that sort of thing. Witness the use of patriotism when ruling classes want to wage war using their subjects to fight it. Before the US Revolutionary War Tom Paine was a passionate and serious advocate of such principles, but after it was over he found himself both ignored and vilified. Madison, Hamilton, and others of this new class set about to subvert popular democracy and to establish the rule of the wealthy based on the ownership of economic property including slave property. The new ruling class of capitalists found it expedient to replace the rule on the basis of Divine Right with concepts of private ownership of economic property using contract law to support it. The Social Contract replaced Divine Right as a basis for the legitimacy of capitalist rule. Hence it still assumes a ruling class in a class structured society. It seems to me that the time has come for a new paradigm to be established to conceptualize societies. Actually I think that it is of critical importance to the survival of the human race that we do so. The ruling capitalist classes can only do one thing—continue to accumulate wealth through the exploitation of labor and materials to produce goods for mass consumption. This process requires energy which is diminishing, and it results in environmental (and human) degradation to the point where our eco-systems are threatened. This has been well known for the past forty years, but capitalists can’t stop wasting resources and fouling up our environment. They are like heroin addicts always looking for the next short term fix to make them feel good. A new, more suitable paradigm would be one where no one can own the fruits of anyone else’s labor, where economic property is truly social property because it is the end result of humanity’s legacy to the current generation. And only if the current generation rules as a society can they assume responsibility to pass onto the next generation a sustainable and healthy economy. The concept of a social contract was a byproduct of the newly risen capitalist class in France. It was created in order to de-legitimatize the rule of the aristocracy and Feudalism. It was used to establish the rule of the emerging class and appealed to universal humanistic values in order to enlist the support of all citizens. It has always been a bit of a con, but all ruling classes resort to that sort of thing. Witness the use of patriotism when ruling classes want to wage war using their subjects to fight it. Before the US Revolutionary War Tom Paine was a passionate and serious advocate of such principles, but after it was over he found himself both ignored and vilified. Madison, Hamilton, and others of this new class set about to subvert popular democracy and to establish the rule of the wealthy based on the ownership of economic property including slave property.

The new ruling class of capitalists found it expedient to replace the rule on the basis of Divine Right with concepts of private ownership of economic property using contract law to support it. The Social Contract replaced Divine Right as a basis for the legitimacy of capitalist rule. Hence it still assumes a ruling class in a class structured society.

It seems to me that the time has come for a new paradigm to be established to conceptualize societies. Actually I think that it is of critical importance to the survival of the human race that we do so. The ruling capitalist classes can only do one thing—continue to accumulate wealth through the exploitation of labor and materials to produce goods for mass consumption. This process requires energy which is diminishing, and it results in environmental (and human) degradation to the point where our eco-systems are threatened. This has been well known for the past forty years, but capitalists can’t stop wasting resources and fouling up our environment. They are like heroin addicts always looking for the next short term fix to make them feel good.

A new, more suitable paradigm would be one where no one can own the fruits of anyone else’s labor, where economic property is truly social property because it is the end result of humanity’s legacy to the current generation. And only if the current generation rules as a society can they assume responsibility to pass onto the next generation a sustainable and healthy economy.

]]> By: bozhidar bob balkas http://dissidentvoice.org/2008/11/renew-the-social-contract/#comment-32167 bozhidar bob balkas Tue, 18 Nov 2008 14:54:57 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/?p=4791#comment-32167 enriching selves by deceiving/lying/threatening just might be the oldest profession. but US deceiving class did not have to fight off communism/socialism as did euroasian deceivers. euros were also busy w. big wars to be able to deceive as much as deceivers in US which was never attacked. thnx enriching selves by deceiving/lying/threatening just might be the oldest profession.
but US deceiving class did not have to fight off communism/socialism as did euroasian deceivers.
euros were also busy w. big wars to be able to deceive as much as deceivers in US which was never attacked. thnx

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