Thingvellir

I decided that I'd create an on-line space for discussion of various topics. I picked the name Thingvellir because it was the place in Iceland where Viking colonists held their Althing to discuss various political and social issues, and to resolve conflicts. It was essentially the first parliment.

I'm an American, and a dedicated patriot to my country. However, that does not mean I am blind to it's problems. There is no such thing as a government that does not make mistakes. From a social standpoint, "government" seeks to resolve the competing agendas of large numbers of individuals so that the group, as a whole, can gain overall tangible advantages they could not easily achieve as individuals. It is a system that should produce overall positive benefits for it's community or it is unhealthy. Today, with the world's economies and conflicts so thoroughly entwined, I would argue that we have to look beyond not only the interests of our own governments, but to the interests of humanity on a global scale. From a practical standpoint, I still think it is more effective to "Think globally, act locally" to copy a commonly heard phrase.

This leads me to my current feelings about our government. I often feel that what was once a more "democratic" government in America, has actually evolved into a political system where big business and wealth essentially purchase the positions of our politicians, and any benefits or costs to the vast majority of the population, ie. the common people, under the rule of that system are mere by-products and no longer the primary intent. Lest you begin to think I'm a socialist, I place the highest of values upon individual freedoms as long as those freedoms to not prevent others from having their freedom. Obviously, as an advanced industrial nation, industry should have some say in choosing leadership of the government which creates the rules that greatly impact their success or failure. However, I've begun to feel that our political system has become far too skewed toward the interests of our industrial machine.

At heart I would look to the Constitution of the United States and the Declaration of Independence to guide our government and legal system. It should be a government,"...of the people, by the people, and for the people...", to quote Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. Is it just me, or does it seem like we have drifted fairly far away from some of the basic premises of our founding fathers? At this point in our history, it seems that our choices in voting political representatives falls only among those who are wealthy and/or connected to industry and power, and who do NOT come from, or represent, the majority of American citizens. Indeed, I begin to believe that our political system, with it's very powerful special interest lobbies and excessive monetary requirements for campaigns, has thoroughly eliminated any reasonable chance that an educated person of the middle or lower class (the majority), whose worldviews coincide with the vast majority of other Americans, could even conceivably be voted into any position of power.

Well, I'll stop right here and see what develops. Also, please feel free to bring up any more personal or local issues that you want to share. We're all in this life together, hopefully doing the best we can.