Chapter 17 The Perfect Republic
We can only imagine what President Kennedy had in mind when he set out to improve education and motivate American voters to cast an educated vote. We do know that is why President Kennedy was assassinated. Some think it may have been socialist or communists. We cannot overlook American political figures hiding in the democratic and republican parties. Both parties have their share of power hungry individuals with supreme power on their minds and agenda. They fear educated voters.
I live by a set of simple principles. A man is only as good as his word. A hand shake is as good as any signed contract. Government is a necessary evil. The smaller the government the better. A government is only as good as the voters involvement before, during, and after an election. And one more. If the world thought like me, it would be a perfect place to live.
What would a perfect republic consist of? What would it look like? What would a perfect republic have for a government? How would the prefect republic serve the people? We’ve never really seen the perfect republic. The founding fathers of the US had visions. But early US history shows how President Washington had problems with congress. And those problems grew over the years. The authors of the Constitution wrote about their personal concepts and visions for the future. They wrote about the advantages they saw and their fears. We may all have our personal views on a perfect republic. How were those viewed formed? Where did those concepts come from? America had its share of great leaders with unusual concepts of freedom. One detail stood out above all, education.
By far education is the key to a free society and the perfect republic. To be a perfect republic America needs the most advanced education system in the world. That would take revamping the majority of the present education system from top to bottom. In the prefect republic instructors will teach from experience. My dad was an instructor. He was in charge of a company of instructors in the army and always said, “no one can ever teach something they have never experienced.” I know that’s true. I’ve taken classes from both experienced instructors and carrier teachers with no personal experience in life or what they were teaching. Instructors with practical experience go beyond the book into reality and real life experiences. This is especially essential when research is required such as engineering, science, medial, culinary, design, and other carries. Instructors with experience normally posses the drive to see their students advance to a higher level than what they have been able to achieve. In the perfect republic top people in every position of every business would consider it an honor to pass their experience onto others. Because the teaching profession would be a secondary carrier, education costs would be low. The majority of teachers would be semi-retired professionals from all fields. With their retirement funds secure, the teaching field would be another wrung on their carrier ladder. Teaching would be a way of giving back to the community. Of course teachers would undergo vigorous training to prepare them for the classroom. Quality would be second to none in this world. Low education costs would eliminate the need for middleman lenders and school loans. All educational costs would be tax deductible and to attract the brightest and most promising work force, companies would offer education assistance programs. For the most part the education system would see little government involvement.
In political circles the perfect republic would feature low taxes. In a perfect republic there would be no wasted spending, no special interest groups, and absolutely no theft from US taxpayers on any level. In a perfect republic every elected representative would strive to offer the best services, the best products, and complete every project to the highest level of qualify in every area from road maintenance to defense. Every person along every phase of every project would work to eliminate over spending, waste, and less than quality work, services, equipment, and products. In the perfect republic every vendor and supplier would consider it an honor to serve their country in every capacity they are involved. In the perfect republic it would be an honor to serve in public office. Such an honor, every elected official in America would limit their service to one or two terms. Respect for their fellow Americans would call them to step down and allow others to share in that honor. In the prefect republic new representatives at every level would have an deep pool of knowledge and experience to draw upon. Because in a republic, elected representatives rely on the input of those they represent. Any republic that fails to take advantage of that fact is doomed to fail.
The perfect republic would require few new laws. All the people would live their life guided by honesty, fair play, and helping their fellow Americans. It would be the duty of each citizen to help their fellow American. Trust is worth more than gold. No one would be caught dead taking advantage of another person. Scammers would not exist. Elected officials would never have to spend countless hours going over new laws and measures that take the place of common sense. More time would be spent mingling among the people who elected them. In the perfect republic the world would see the true definition of a public servant.
In the prefect republic prisons would be few and far between. The individual conscience and fear of social isolation would keep everyone in check. Committing a crime, any crime would be looked down upon by every member of society. Lies would be as great a crime as murder. Jails would be local. Of course there will always be judgment errors in society. But in the perfect republic, individuals among the educated masses would never commit any premeditated crime. The results of any premeditated crime would always lead to more shame than any human is able to bear. Local jail systems would work hand in hand with the education system. Those found guilty of crimes would have access to the best education in the world to ensure time spent in prison would be time spent rebuilding a better life.
In the perfect republic the media would be known as a trusted source of information. Every story would be checked and double checked to insure the facts are unbiased and backed up by reliable sources. In the prefect republic the media would follow its own ethics code to ensure the service they supply to the public is second to none. No politician would ever dream of using the media to sling mud or hurl baseless accusations at an opponent. In the perfect republic politicians would not rely on advertising to win an election. Their track record, beliefs on policies, and public life would be open records for all to view. Elections would be determined by facts, not by the amount of money one candidate would be able to spend. In the prefect republic money would never form a connection between candidates and the media.
Business would be quite different under the perfect republic. When justice, honesty, and trust prevail, businesses of all types would rely on practicing those qualities to compete. When one slip up could cost an individual their business, you have to believe every business owner would fall in line when it comes to general business practices. The government model emphasizing local government would be followed by businesses. Local independent businesses would be present in every community. Independent businesses would flourish. Car repair, doctors, dentists, construction, maintenance, and repairs of all types would be trusted to the local professionals. The revamped education system would guarantee the latest knowledge, know how, and technology in all areas of business. The prefect republic would eliminate corporate greed and the problems that follow. To understand the concept of business under the perfect republic, we have to review the conditions under which the US was formed.
Before there was a United States, America was made up of colonies. In short those local colonies were controlled by English businesses who paid the king fees to gain total control of a particular area in the new land. No one was allowed to buy or sell without permission from the local governor, a man appointed by the owner of the English company. Everything the colony needed was imported by the English company that of course set prices. All exports went through the same English company who of course set the purchase price of every product grown and manufactured in the colony for export. The same was true for every good and service traded within and outside the colony. Bartering for goods and services was often deemed illegal by the English company. In essence, the colony had to deal with a monopoly. Governors had total control over everything that was bought and sold. Based on what we’ve seen during this corona crisis, many US governors don’t know their US history. As we can see, many of the protesters who were against emergency laws imposed by governors knew US history and felt it was their duty to remind the governors about the repression that sparked the revolutionary war.
The United States sprang from the idea and concept that every person was free to establish and run their own business free of government control. Not everyone was going to own their own business, but when enough businesses were established people had a choice on who they wanted to work for. An increase in businesses opened up opportunities for everyone. That was a concept our founding fathers saw. The prefect republic would follow that idea and take it to the next level.
The perfect republic would have minimum government involvement in business. Supply and demand would set and establish prices. Public image would mold corporate decisions to protect the environment. Everything draws back to education. Education to produce products as safely as possible for the employees and environment. In the perfect republic negligence on any level would spell disaster for any company. We would not need government rules and regulations to control every facet of business. Private organizations to promote worker safety and environmental protection would cover the majority of issues. Of course, mistakes and negligence would spell doom for any company. Business owners with blinders manufactured by profit would soon find themselves without workers and customers. Moral standards would shape the entire economy.
This all sounds like a dream. But a dream that would soon become a reality if people trusted one another, respected one another, and learned to work together. The perfect republic is not built upon votes, broken promises, taxes, nor laws. The perfect republic is built on morals. If everyone shared the same morals and worked in the same direction, anything could be accomplished and everything would be accomplished. Take out the senseless laws, taxes, and greed that chain down America and what would we have? A totally different world. A world people say is an impossible dream few have shared. Martian Luther King, John Kennedy, and Robert Kennedy all shared that dream. They talked about it. The wrote about it. They tried to pass laws to make it a reality. All three have one more thing in common. They were all killed by greed. And the nation has been engulfed in that greed for over 60 years. Are we going to allow three bullets to control America, or are we the people going to shape the American dream and make it a reality?