A more perfect union...

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

I'm not saying that it has lived up to the standards it has set for itself, but it seems to provide the frame work.

To me, the police are controllable so long as they are not autonomous. In most cities, the police chief answers to the mayor and city council who should answer to the people. Things get murky when the elected official start answering to those other than their electorate¹. In walks Mr. ", Inc.".

Big businesses who are outside the control of government (and thus the people) are the largest threat. It's at their behest that the war, current repeals of social services, etc., are being done. The one thing that no one's touched on (that I've seen anyway) is that the crown jewel that Dubya has been pushing over the last few months, SS privatization, is nothing more than corporate welfare. That money is going to be invested in corporate America. They see this SS money as nothing more than a big honey pot that they can't wait to get their hands on. In a world where corporations were benevolent - which is almost an oxymoron, but bare with me - this wouldn't be a problem, but look what people's faith in this scum suckers (I know, I'm generalizing here) has done in over the last few years.

Which, as best as I can figure, is where you're going with this. You see the undo influence that Mr. Inc. holds over the system and the corrosive effect it's having. But to remove government as a whole seems to be throwing the baby out with the bath water.

The answer seems to me - and I'll admit, I've only recently started thing on this - requires a fundamental shift in paradigm regarding corporations. Currently, they have run amuck. We need to reel them in, realizing that the only reason they exist is because "we, the people", have granted them the right to. They don't have an inalienable right to exist, contrary to current Supreme Court rulings. Because of their special status, they should answer to a greater good. This is what corporations were originally intended for.

But I don't see this happening any time soon. The main reason is apathy. If people were more than sheep, we wouldn't be in the situation we are in. Of course, when you have corporations with a vested self-interest in the status-quo that own the media which disseminates the information to the people, it's easier to breed apathy if that's your aim. So it's the people's fault, but the corporations are doing their part to make sure the people screw it up... A circular argument, I know, but the best I can muster right now.

Your turn... :)

Footnotes

1. By electorate, I am referring to actual citizens with voting power. Given the current legal status of a corporation, it could be argued that they are also part of the electorate as they are guaranteed certain rights, but I am purposefully excluding them.