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© 2012 Sanjeev Sabhlok's revolutionary blog
"Educated" people across India seem to have lost their sense – they are so badly confused I could cry. What has socialism done to our educated people? It has made them INCAPABLE OF THINKING.
Arvind Kejriwal's website says: (here: http://www.lokrajandolan.org/images/handbill_eng.pdf)
"In last 60 years, we have tried every political party and every politician. But things have gone from bad to worse. Merely changing parties and politicians won't help."
And that is why, presumably, Mr Kejriwal happily takes to the streets and supports a medieval, violent patriarch who pretends to be a Gandhian. Apparently Keriwal will find solutions to this problem THROUGH THE STREET. Bravo Mr Kejriwal. You are very sensible.
Next, a commentator on this blog, Girish, says:
i think most the so called liberal democrats are so caught up in status quo,things as they are.This system of governance needs massive overhauling.Doesn't matter whether its parliamentary form of governance or presidential form.We need a system that can deliver and respond to changing aspirations of masses.As things stands today,our systems work only for the benefit of few and excludes vast majority of people.It shameful that political parties still go to public with slogans of Garibi hatao even after 60yrs of independence,….irony that we have now swankiest of automobiles which run on pathetic roads…..no tap water but colas and pepsis available in the remotest of villages….our broadband runs on archaic telephony hardware systems…..brightest from IITS and IIMs are selling pepsis colas and kurkure chips and unwilling to join public service commissions…..I'm appalled tht people are spitting venom against AH knowing well that this will only embolden the corrupt politicians who are hell bent to protect their respective fiefdoms
My comment
First of all let me say that NO classical liberal policies have been applied in India since independence and so what you are railing against (about India’s problems) is due to SOCIALIST POLITICAL PARTIES. Please try to understand this point very carefully.
Second, “brightest from IITS and IIMs are selling pepsis colas and kurkure chips and unwilling to join public service commissions”. WHY WILL THEY? Do you take them to be your servants? They will EARN THE MAXIMUM THEY CAN. By honest means. And in politics you LOSE money if you are honest. So why will they join politics?. That’s the law of nature.If you haven’t read BFN you won’t understand either of these two points.Classical liberal policies will MOTIVATE GOOD PEOPLE TO JOIN. Till then you are seeing a parody of parliamentary democracy, not the way it was intended to be. Don’t blame “liberal democrats” for that please!!!!!
Let me add a few further thoughts
Indians know by now that I GUARANTEE GOOD GOVERNANCE IN INDIA (but as part of a team of equally honest and competent leaders).
But why are Indians not jumping head over heals and falling in line behind me? Why?
Because they want A FREE LUNCH. They won't pay to get people like me as their agents in parliament.
However, please be very clear I'm NOT going to lead India until I am assured of a DECENT PAY for myself and my MPs, till I'm assured that I can establish systems to ensure honesty and increase competence among my MPs.
Somehow this plain LOGICAL and common sense thinking doesn't ring a bell with Indians – because they have been brainwashed into thinking that politics is a "SOCIAL" SERVICE, not a JOB.
But it is actually a job – ON YOUR BEHALF. A politician is your appointed AGENT. And he must have the right incentives to ensure he serves YOUR, and not HIS needs.
Indians well KNOW that I'm a policy expert. They KNOW I'm an administrative expert. They KNOW I'm more experienced in the theory and practice of governance than ANY OTHER INDIAN ALIVE TODAY - having not just worked in the IAS and got a doctorate abroad, in economics, but having worked in a very developed country government (and that last bit makes all the difference).
But no, they want Anna Hazare and his FAKE GANDHIAN nautanki, instead of people like me, because it makes them giddy and emotional. Because it also suggests there is a FREE LUNCH in life – that by setting up one more bureaucratic machinery (these people apparently want a "swaraj" that has MORE AND MORE bureaucracy), they will somehow get good people into India's political system – a free lunch.
But these people – practically the whole of India – are LIVING IN A FOOL'S PARADISE.
No honest person of competence will EVER enter India's politics under the current circumstances.
I'm very sorry to say, India, but there is NO FREE LUNCH. That's the first law of economics.
If you REALLY want to get people like me into politics, – honest AND TRULY COMPETENT – those who not only won't loot you but will ADVANCE your interests by getting out of your way, then please start with these five reforms:
1. State funding of elections
2. Remove all limits to electoral funding
3. Ensure the MOST RIGOROUS disclosure requirements for political donations
4. Pay the politicians VERY WELL.
5. Elect politicians who promote classical liberalism.
Current political parties will NEVER implement these reform (1 to 4). And so I'm going to set up my own political movement and make these changes – through the parliament. But to do that I need HIGH QUALITY leaders who are both honest AND competent.
And so, If you have it in you to lead India through classical liberal policies, please join FTI.
But let's not throw out our democracy while trying to throw out our SOCIALIST politicians. Let's RENOVATE IT, AND MAKE IT WORK. It is actually quite sound of design. Its incentives have got badly distorted, but otherwise it WILL work very well.
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Related posts:
- The Indian middle class has taken baby steps in politics. Now is it ready for the big game?
- Throw egg at person, get fined Rs.50,000. Beat person with belt, get national award
- Independence came too cheaply to India, that’s why we have leaders who are undermining democracy
- Inoculating India against the mental disease of socialism
- How the US Fed has failed in every way
- Get real, India. Pick fights with the ENEMIES of India, not with journalists
- Rajaji’s battle against Nehruvian socialism
- Rajaji on breaking free from Nehru’s socialism
- Anna’s work is not affected by his relationship with RSS but by his failure to attack socialism
- When do you and I (society …) get to control a mother’s relationship with her baby?
To spread the message of liberty and critical thinking, please share this post
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater! Democracy has not failed India, socialism has http://t.co/XM5elPL
Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater! Democracy has not failed #India, socialism has… http://t.co/Md1izfR
I really dont understand ur undying fascination for classical liberalism…..so called Liberals haven't managed to sweep elections in England which is considered as homeland for liberalism….Communism did not fail but communist did….socialism did not fail but socialists did……I dont think we need one more ideology to fix up this mess……I'm wary of ideologies and ideologues ……..dont need an ideology to fix up a broken electric pole or cracked roads…we just fix it…………..What I know for sure is we have chosen to be socialist country soon after Independence……..the only reason why we failed was bcos there was no sense of belonging ness among the ruling elite……we werent truly welfare state……..If Ideologies were the reason ,how do u explain backwardness of West Bengal and 100 literacy of Kerala,both ruled by Communist party…….I dont agree when u say parliamentarians are not public servants but agents…..its just semantics -agent is suppose to carry out the wishes of principal(public)……….I will put it this way" politics is a job and a social service"…An army major faces a terrorist not because its just his duty or a job but bcos there is a sense of pride standing up for ur country…..Pls dont make mistake of reducing it to job………I know many people who have left cushy corporate job to join Army and Public service commissions……………
I did NOT say that parliamentarians are not public servants – that was Vishal’s view, not mine.
Re: “dont need an ideology to fix up a broken electric pole or cracked roads” – you are TOTALLY WRONG.
Ideologies are ABSOLUTELY vital. Consider South Korea vs North Korea. Do read up BFN.
The danger of ideology is that it provides answers to questions that have not yet been asked. It exists a priori and thus has solutions already in place. In short, ideology is the ultimate crutch to difficult questions, the easiest “get out of jail free” card for complicated problems……………….We must therefore avoid its easy certainties in favor of accepting a more complex reality…………
The danger of ideology is that it provides answers to questions that have not yet been asked. It exists a priori and thus has solutions already in place. In short, ideology is the ultimate crutch to difficult questions, the easiest “get out of jail free” card for complicated problems.-Judah Bellin
Girish
IDEOLOGY IS EVERYTHING. India’s ideology is socialism. Hence India today.
QED
Sorry, these shallow kinds of thinking can’t help anyone. In reality almost ALL the differences between societies are explained by ideology. Ideology is the FUNDAMENTAL ASSUMPTION about social relations.
Hence.
i think u dont seem to practice what u intend to preach……………u tend to disagree with almost every one in ur blog and label them as half baked …..i truly hope ur not a despot in the garb of a liberal…………there is an element of self righteousness and attitude of my way is the highway……………true liberal will always encourage free flow of ideas and thats what real democracy is all abt……….an ideology itself is a bondage and against the very principles of free society………..i really dont understand why liberals should have anything to do with GOD and religious beliefs……..ur views on idol worship are totally uncalled for….an individual is free to worship anything-be it snake,a monkey,a tree or a stone……I suggest u read Vivekanandas view on idol worship…During the days of his wanderings, the Swami was once questioned by the Maharaja of the State of Ahwar, India, on idol worship. The Maharaja said he had no faith in idol worship and that he could not worship wood, stone or earth. Looking around , Swami Vivekananda's eyes alighted upon a picture of the Maharaja. Taking it down he asked the courtiers to spit upon it. Shocked at the request, they they declined to do it. Swami Vivekananda turning to the Maharaja said, "The picture has the likeness of you. It brings you to their minds and they naturally look upon it with respect. In the same way, the image in the temple brings to the mind of the devotees their chosen aspect of God. They do not worship the wood, stone or earth of which the deity is made from. The idol remains an idol but the worship goes to the Lord".
Girish
You’ve come back without reading BFN, and are once again making statements without any reason
I have to disagree with you on three things
a) It is not true that I disagree with “almost everyone”. Where I do disagree I do so not because I love to disagree (I don’t) but where I see very poor thinking.
b) “half-baked”. Indeed your views are totally half-baked. I’m unable to even discuss since you’re coming from a combination of socialist economics and random assertion. Ill-informed, half-baked. Lacking in critical thought. That’s why – to help you – I’m suggesting that you consider reading BFN, to begin with. Obviously you’ve not (read it). You can’t have read it in a few hours and returned to this blog. That makes me take even stronger positions: Are you CAPABLE of reading a serious work? I’m sorry if my blunt style bothers you, but I’m afraid I’ve got no sympathy for those who don’t put in the effort to even do me the courtesy of reading my work while IMAGINING a right to question it.
c) You’re continuing in your random and blithe style by suggesting that “ur views on idol worship are totally uncalled for”. What are you talking about Girish? What idol worship? I’ve NEVER in my life commented on “idol” worship.
I’m afraid if you send me one more of your truly half-baked messages, I’ll be unable to publish them. This is a place for SERIOUS policy discussion and reform, not for random thoughts that might somehow strike your mind. Please do your homework before commenting further.
Please note I don’t blame you but the socialist system of education in India. Your ignorance is not your fault.