centralized social control was Black Bart, or Big Jim, or whoever was the local cattle baron or owned the town gold mine. He picked the judge, the sheriff, and he probably owned the bank, the general store and the saloon as well. And if he wanted your farm, he just bought it, at the price he felt was fair. The last thing he wanted was the Federal Marshall to ride into town and challenge his authority. That's what "decentralized control" is all about, the local bullies get to run their towns the way they think best. The only time Black Bart was threatened was when the railroad came through and took HIS land, just like he had done to all his neighbors.
This is the government of the Senate of the Roman Republic, where a few hundred land-owning families ran the City the way they saw fit. No Caesar for them, eh? This is the government of post-colonial America, where several hundred big land-holders, slave-owners and Yankee merchants could run their own States without much interference or taxation from either a King in England or a President in Washington. This is the government of Magna Carta England, where a few hundred Barons could run their fiefdoms with minimum interference from King John.
This whole debate revolves about the reluctance of local bigshots to surrender power to a central authority, or more correctly, ANY authority which will threaten their stranglehold on local affairs. Of course, "local" no longer means a geographical area you can cross on horseback in a few days. Today it can mean a nationwide industry or an interstate corporation, an international conglomerate or a "market".
This is all about big frogs in small ponds who have gotten used to throwing their weight around and like to keep it that way. Wise up, Tom. You ain't one of them. You work here just like I do.
The biggest and closest controller in any man's life is the guy who hires and fires him, who pays his salary, and who decides how much it should be, the guy who sells him everything he needs and wants, at whatever price he wants to sell it. THAT is raw, naked, brutal power; not what kind of light bulbs you have to buy.
Yeah, OF COURSE governments can push people around, nobody denies that. But so can businesses, even publicly owned businesses. But we at least get a chance to vote for our governments, and if necessary, protest them, or even rebel against them. We can't do that with the propertied class, because they not only own our jobs, and everything we buy, but our cops, judges and politicians too.
Current Events » in reply to I should hope so.
In the wild west...
The whole thread (74 posts)
- Defining fascism--a little light reading
- A superb description of the Republican Party with their goosestep members of Congress.
- It's funny, even you guys have to look up the definition of fascist.....n/t
- Do you already know one?
- Please..
- OK, the long way round, you're saying you don't think Trump is a Fascist
- I think you're just a little too gleeful.
- "Glee" is the wrong word
- I'm sorry you took offense Robert
- If you are really asking a question:
- Racism was more of a prominent example than the sole characteristic
- Excellent post.
- It wasn't that Eco, or even Robert, were wrong.
- Your ideology is showing.
- I should hope so.
- Your ideology is showing.
- Thanks for that
- It wasn't that Eco, or even Robert, were wrong.
- I'm tending to agree with TB on this
- Have you read this whole thread?
- "Glee" is the wrong word
- I think you're just a little too gleeful.
- They're in the "furious gibbering" phase.
- I don't think Trump is making any effort NOT to be shoehorned.
- Be honest Rob...
- OK, the long way round, you're saying you don't think Trump is a Fascist
- I don't think Trump has a political ideology...
- Please..
- That's because there IS NO definition of fascist.
- Do you already know one?
- Fascism is the dictatorship of the middle class.
- Definitions