From your heart, therefore I love it.
As I see it, this is a war about EQUALITY and, as has been the case often, Europe is its major battle field. Yet the battle rages everywhere.
You also mention capitalism, and EQUALITY is actually very important in combatting the downsides of capitalism while not throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Interestingly, we ourselves here in the USA have an important battle with EQUALITY, and it has been ongoing since our inception. This is not a surprise, because EQUALITY has been at the forefront since the Enlightenment started and the US Constitution was written with the Enlightened ideal in mind.
Our voting system in place, however, misses an important component of EQUALITY.
We have voters that are equal in the voting process, but that are not each other's equals in the results. That means a capitalist elite is able to influence the political outcomes in their favor here at home, time and time again.
There is unfortunately a link with Ukraine and this global struggle for EQUALITY. When the USA claims to be the leader of the free world, but does itself not have a voting system based on EQUALITY, then this gives off the wrong signals. Worse, we are competing economically with other nations under false pretense that we are the leader of the free world, while adding pressures on other nations with more EQUALITY than we have.
Yes, we are the leader, but that is based on two things:
* Military Might
* Economic Might
Notice how EQUALITY is missing in this short list.
We are economically very strong because our political system is set up to support businesses more than people. Foreign investors love it here, because they do not have to share the profits with everyone like they have to in a nation with more EQUALITY.
Let me give you one example about our voting system:
In 2006, the average Senator had about 60% support from voters having voted for them, 40% voting for the other candidate.
With the filibuster in place, the Senate decisions are, let's say, 60% as well.
Majority Rule is then applied twice.
0.6 x 0.6 = 0.36, a very clear minority-supported decision.
The decisions are made based on a severely slashed voter base. In a nation with EQUALITY, voting does not have a game component. ALL votes are expressed at the table itself; there is no game.
When the voters are given less power like we have here, then that power goes elsewhere, and this will benefit those that A/ already have the most, and B/ the ones that dislike change the most because they are doing well and change is not good for their business.
Freedom and EQUALITY go hand in hand. In our voting system, we have a box with rocks of different sizes that gets shaken up and down. Surprise, surprise!?! The bigger rocks ‘fall up’ and the smaller rocks ‘rise down’. Test this out at home; the bigger rocks end up on top.
In a real democracy, the shaking up and down is not the only action available. In a real democracy, the box can also get turned a bit. That way, the mixture of bigger and smaller rocks remain distributed throughout the box better.
And, if you want to change the world, come join us. We can change the voting system at home (in a small way, today, in a bigger way, tomorrow), and as such, we will still end up being a capitalist nation, but one that gives the voters more EQUALITY.
Come join.
