tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3611639517962742486.post3092587577524393938..comments2024-03-25T15:31:12.151-07:00Comments on We Live In A Political World: #23 / Grassroots Democracy In VenezulaGary A. Pattonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15049925834933920507noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3611639517962742486.post-32024999293083756102012-01-23T20:04:45.496-08:002012-01-23T20:04:45.496-08:00Well, yes. Considered as a monumental whole, it se...Well, yes. Considered as a monumental whole, it seems overwhelming to think of running our own lives, neighborhoods, communities, bioregions, states and country. <br /><br />But if we think of it in small steps, it's quite a natural process. <br /><br />We, first of all, make decisions for ourselves. We don't look to others to solve our problems for us. <br /><br />For those problems that transcend our personal lives, we turn to our family to work with us to solve them. <br /><br />For problems that involve other families and individuals, we work in our neighborhoods to find common solutions.<br /><br />For problems that transcend our neigborhoods, we form neighborhood associations to craft solutions.<br /><br />And so on.<br /><br />You see how it goes. We work in incrementally larger groups to find common solutions to problems at the appropriate level of organization.<br /><br />There's no need for large centralized organizations to deal with a family problem. There's no need for permanent institutions that draw resources and time just keeping themselves intact in case they might be needed. <br /><br />Ad hoc organizations, created when needed and disbanded when their tasks are completed, something like a grand jury, can deal with 90% of the tasks of government.<br /><br />The problem with professionalized government and legislature is that it must keep doing things even when those things are unnecessary or harmful.<br /><br />If it ain't broke, don't fix it.Michael A. Lewishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04980105313542633114noreply@blogger.com