By The Consent Of The Governed

Posted on by Finster Posted in Economics, Politics

How globalism undermines democracy

Why has globalism come under fire? The ruling class has had its way for a couple of decades, and from Davos to Brussels to Jackson Hole, establishment elites have been organizing at a global level to usher in a new world order.

Ordinary citizens are pushing back.

The key to understanding why lies in the concept of government by consent of the governed. Democracy means government is accountable to citizens. While globalism might at first blush seem to be an unrelated concept, a deeper look reveals that it opposes and undermines that.

The more interconnected the world, the less democracy you have. It means that individuals’ lives are more affected by foreign governments. As a US citizen, for example, the more interconnected the world is, the more you are affected by the policies of the Chinese or French governments. But a citizen of the US has no vote in China or France. A citizen of the UK has no vote in Brazil. Yet globalism means that decisions made by such foreign governments affect you, regardless of your lack of vote.

Of course this is the case no matter what, but the more globalism you have, the more it is the case. Globalism disenfranchises voters. Whether they consciously realize it or not, this is why it is so popular with the global elite. Government becomes less responsive to national electorates, and more responsive to the establishment that controls it. In reaction, voters may not know exactly what, but they know something’s wrong, and look for leadership outside establishment political circles.

A corollary is centralization of power between otherwise sovereign states, as in the European Union. A Greek or Spanish voter has far less influence in Brussels than in Athens or Madrid, and national electorates across the continent are finding themselves helpless against a sprawling superstate that was originally sold as a trading bloc. In the United States, a federal government originally chartered to provide for the common defense and other limited purposes has increasingly usurped state functions and intruded into its people’s daily lives.

In the extreme, there are no national governments, nor local or regional, but one world government. This is the least democratic state possible, because every citizen’s vote is diluted by billions of others, leaving the globally connected in power to rule with minimal constraints imposed by the will of voters.

This also helps explain why tariffs are so unpopular with the ruling class. They put speed bumps between national economies, making each less susceptible to the policies of other governments where voters have no say. That means government is closer to the governed and more accountable to them. And less power to goverment beyond the reach of the democratic process.

 

13 thoughts on “By The Consent Of The Governed”

  3. Reply
    Finster says:

    In other news, Trump has revoked $400M in grants and loans to Columbia University based on complaints of antisemitism. The bigger point though is private institutions accepting federal funds … expecting money with no strings attached would be the epitome of naïveté. Really, all such largess should be terminated. I can’t think of a single good reason why, in a supposedly free country, you and I should be forced to pay for other parents’ kids’ Ivy League educations.

  4. Reply
    Mega says:

    was walking the dog & thinking about this …………IF & its a big if the tariffs can make money then just before the net election Trump/J D could make a stunning offer:-
    No one making less then 1 million $ a year will pay income tax!

    That would be a game changer, just imagine the look on the DNC face!

    1. Reply
      Finster says:

      Ha! Just possible he has something like that in mind. Before that singularly unlucky year of 1913, most of the federal government’s revenues came from tariffs, duties, etc. He (or some of his advisors) has spoken of shifting much of the revenue burden back there. The government (especially its debt) has grown more than a little since then, so it seems unlikely the income tax will be eliminated any time soon, but it’s not to early to start making plans!

      The income tax should ultimately be pulled up by the roots. It’s a monstrous invasion of privacy. Tariffs aren’t … nothing is a more legitimate concern of government than its own border. The entire operation of government could be supported by a combination of sales taxes and corporate taxes. All without invading individual privacy. Since most states collect sales taxes, the infrastructure is already there.

  5. Reply
    Mega says:

    One day, what we are seeing now will be the subject of many a political science lesson.
    The Sheer Genius of Team Trump is amazing….so far.
    Mike

    1. Reply
      Finster says:

      Absolutely. This is shaping up to be a historic watershed. I don’t like everything they’re doing, and have cited several examples in these pages, but agree or disagree, you have to admit it’s big. This 78 year old man is more vigorous, dynamic, and world changing than any leader in generations. Economics, finance and investment is our beat at Financology, but for the time being politics has become too big an influence on all of it to ignore.

      The closest contemporary example I know of is happening in Argentina, where Javier Milei is leading a revolution. Credit where credit is due. Donald Trump may have drawn some inspiration from it. If the Argentinian results are any indication, it’s in the right direction.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *