It is no surprise that politicians are disliked
You can go back a few thousand years and you are going to find that leaders were no better then, than they are now. I personally like this quote from the Bible from a time roughly 3,000 years ago.
1 Samuel 8:10–18 (selected, KJV)
“This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you:
He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself…
And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers.
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them…
He will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards…
He will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses…
Ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
Notice that it doesn't say that the King will be evil. That the King will be a tyrant. However it does state that the new system will take from the people and that the people will lose freedom
Move to the modern day and those in power are still taking from the people. They make laws to force people to act in certain ways, they take money in the form of taxes, and when unlucky they harm the entire country if wars start.
And the worst part?
That's when things are working as they are supposed to
But are all governments only there to take from the people?
The Hive Learners prompt this week makes the following statement:
It's always been known that governments tend to favor the rich more than the poor.
and
...is the government really only for the rich and powerful?
Now I think this viewpoint came from a Nigerian lead. I'm not certain but it would make sense. I have heard rumors of the corruption, nepotism, kickbacks and general chaos that goes on in business and finance. @ecohive mentioned how lack of trust and rules has made raising capital virtually impossible. Other friends in the country have also noted how the political leaders take the best for themselves and live lives of luxury while the common people scrape by the best they can. As a foreigner I cannot guarantee the veracity of those statements but I do believe they are plausible.
However, I've been to many different countries and seen how things work there.
I was truly impressed with Singapore. Their government has had a plan for the country ever since it was formed. The country is now meticulously planned, efficiently run, very safe, high standards of living for the average citizen so I would have to disagree with the statement that the government is only for the rich. Indeed their policies have ensured that a huge portion of the citizens have good paying jobs and own their own home.
Or perhaps I could look at China. China is an amazing example of a government that is working hard to strengthen China as a nation but also as a well functioning society. Do they provide money to different sectors to help them grow? Absolutely! Just look at the electric vehicle situation in the country where they have gone from a non-player to arguably the best in the world. So when Hive Learners prompt says :
yet, the common man never really feels the impact of these things because the economy keeps getting worse for everyone.
I bet there are more jobs and more money into the economy directly because of the money the government put into investing in its businesses. But it goes even further. IF a company or entity becomes so large or wealthy that it threatens the smooth running of the country the government actively takes steps to right the imbalance.
But I'm Canadian
Canada has its problems to be certain. However, when I needed money to go to University? Student loans were available with no/low interest and I got a portion of the loan forgiven when I graduated. When I was homeless for a month after University? The government was there to help me with some money to get a place to stay. When COVID hit the government supported people by giving them paycheques when there was no work (CERB Payments). When my oldest son wanted to go into a trade? The government had a training program where they bought the equipment he would need and helped him find a job as an apprentice. In the near future when I'm old enough to fully retire? There will be a steady albeit small stream of income until the day I die.
Does the government court wealthy businesses? Absolutely! The government has funded many different economic endeavors to make Canada a global producer of many different things. They have also funded many large projects which have made our lives better. Hydroelectric power plants so the people have inexpensive electricity and excess to sell to our southern neighbors come to mind.
Investments by the government that are done right can indeed help the population at large.
If Singapore is a better nation with strict rules and a strict design, China a powerful nation with a harmonious people, then Canada's goal is to be a nation where there freedom of the people to be who they want to be takes top spot...within the rule of law :)
But every country makes trade offs
.... and no country is perfect.
As I pointed out in the beginning. Every country imposes taxes and every country enforces laws. That means money out of people's pockets and rules which restrict freedoms.
In addition the governments goals (official or unofficial) will put a burden of some sort on their populace....and that's assuming no corruption (which seems to creep into every government somehow in some degree)
In countries where the government wants money for the rich? The poor suffer.
In countries like Singapore where its prosperity and order for the citizens? Those who aren't citizens are treated poorly and those who break laws face harsh penalties.
In countries like China where unity and harmony is key? It is in your interest to support harmony, causing unrest is unwise.
Canada?
Well, I love my country and I try to be inclusive but I'll tell you something that has me very irritated right now;
We have anti-hate speech and literature laws
In theory that sounds like a good thing, right? What's wrong with making sure that minorities are protected from persecution? However, right now there is an exemption from that law for "Deeply held religious beliefs".
But the government is looking to remove that loophole
To which many people will shrug and say "So what?". Well, I'm a Christian and as the Bible speaks out about homosexuality it could be considered hate literature. For the Jewish? Yup, the Torah would be classified at hate literature. For Muslim? Yup the Qur'an would fall in the same category.
It's weird. Canada says "Freedom of Religion" and is looking to put an asterisk "As long as it doesn't offend anyone".
To sum it all up?
Governments are always a drag. The best governments have a vision for a better future and actively work to make it happen. Great if you like their vision, not so great if you don't fall into their plans. Some have goals for self enrichment which mean everyone else loses who aren't part of the elite but luckily that isn't every country.
If you have made it this far? Thanks for reading! Appreciate the time. Your reward? I'll give you the answer to the joke in the beginning 😄
What do politicians and diapers have in common? .... They should both be changed regularly... and for the same reason 🤣
Every government puts a drag on the population