Protests are happening all over the world. Protests against governments. Protests against corporations, bankers, oil companies, the 1% who profit while the rest of us pay the price for the constant boom and bust that unfettered greed produces. In a way, we’re even protesting against our own stupidity for buying into an economic system that rarely serves the 99% well.
Here in Canada, Stephen Harper has miraculously remained untouched and unscathed despite wantonly squandering record government surpluses in an unscrupulous spending spree not designed, as advertized, for economic action but simply to promote himself and his ministers for electoral gain. don’t get 8 million dollar gazebos from a fiscally responsible government.
Aided by government, corporations, banks and wealthy individuals have pillaged prosperity and literally sucked the wealth out of the global economy. Now you have a perfect storm of broke governments and a broke global economy passing the pain down to the people. Paying the tab are the most vulnerable in society who have never seen a penny of government vote buying nor even the tiniest trickle down of global prosperity. The ongoing protests in Montreal are just another indicator of the resultant public mood, its anger growing worldwide.
We’ve had boom and bust economies and boom and bust governments for as long as anyone can remember. Governments use the threat of diminished economic growth to blackmail and frighten us while pillaging the public purse for the purposes of buying votes. But why do we allow government to have access to unlimited power? Why do we let them use our money to fund a never-ending election cycle under the guise of an economic action plan?
The only action plan Stephen Harper has ever put into effect is the one that keeps him in power. We all pay the price while he sits back just out of reach sheltering himself behind minions and ministers and media surrogates. Protests mean nothing to him. He prorogues parliament then organizes his own supporters and counter-protests the protests against him. The only thing that can ever touch him is an election and he’s even figured out how to rig that system the good old Republican vote suppressing, robo-calling way.
If we can ever get rid of Stephen Harper, can the government that succeeds him be called upon to reform the very framework that allows Canadian politicians to distort democracy for their own personal gain? Can we ever have a sustainable government that simply governs and does not use government as a corrupt arsenal for electoral domination?
People are hungry for reform but how can we prevent another opportunistic “reformer” like Stephen Harper from betraying the public trust yet again? Election after election we play musical chairs with a new crop of eager politicians who rally the electorate with a battle cry and a promise to fix what’s broken in government. Election after election nothing changes.
The same principles that might create sustainable economies could also create sustainable governments but it will take much more than protests and public anger to force politicians to change the way they govern. Reform will require a sustained challenge to the status quo and despite growing unrest, we’re still no closer to forming a plan to make that change happen.
If only it were possible to make politicians sign a legally binding contract that would force them to deliver the reform they promise. We have to follow the rules, pay our bills and live up to our commitments, why shouldn’t they?
