The Price of Politics

Compare and contrast North and South Korea. The South is a rich technological country. The North might as well be stuck in the Middle Ages. They started with similar land and the same race of people. Their main difference is their politics.

There's a lesson for us all. People in advanced countries seem to assume they are special in some way. The problems of the poorer parts of the world will never affect them. People also tend to assume third world countries will aways be third word countries. History tells us a different story.

A country rich in natural resources may have some advantages, but poor use of those resources can keep countries impoverished. Rhodesia was a rich country and a food exporter. Zimbabwe is impoverished and a food importer. Obviously more than the name changed. Eliminating a white racist regime and replacing it with a black racist regime only improved the lives of the new rulers.

People in the United States should pay attention. The politics that help make it great should not be taken for granted. When banks are “too big to prosecute” there's rot in the system. One of the foundations of good government is that the laws apply equally to everyone. While never practiced perfectly, it was an ideal nations strived for. Now they don't care about the laws or even care about appearances.

I can't help but wonder what political changes might improve people's lives -even people living in prosperous nations. Is there human potential just waiting to be unlocked by the right set of circumstances? What's holding us back these days? Until we can think beyond Democrat/Republican or conservative/liberal paradigms, we won't be able to discover them.

We've real world examples how bad government holds a people back. Let's strive for good government that moves us all forward.

-Sixbears