4 August 2008

Another view  of diversity: We are different, and should be able to rule our own destiny.  Northern Ireland, Chechnia, Kosovo, The Basques, The Kurds...the list is almost endless.  They all want independence and feel justified that they should have it.  How long will Kosovo remain independent?

The problem is economics, that dark science that people hate to think about and understand not at all, except when it impacts them, and then their understanding is very, very narrow.  How do police and firemen get paid, how is infrastructure built and maintained, how are laws passed?  And who even thinks about such mundane things?  All that, after all, is either assumed as being paid by "the government" or is something the rich need to take care of (the two being the same after all, in their minds).  Today "the government" (taxes) are more and more becoming the burden of the rich, who are also the ones who invest to create jobs.  Selfish interest always pre cludes understanding economic reality.

Look at the economy of the American Indians (those that have chosen to remain on reservations, that is); who funds that?   The political cliche; it's the economy, stupid; was brilliant; and the politicians understood it implicitly - at their own power seeking level.  Budget, budget, budget.  Someone has to balance input with output, but no one wants to think about that, unless at a superficial level, such as: we have oil so to hell with the rest.  But having it and exploiting it economically are not the same - a broad new subject, "trust fund states" as described by Fareed Zacharia in his book, The Future of Freedom.

Political (ethnic) viability and economic survivability or two entirely different animals, but who knows?  Who cares?  Until it's too late.