How Lee Kuan Yew and Putin exposed the democracy bogey | Russia & India Report

Lee Kuan Yew, frmr leader of Singapore, views on Democracy and US policy--not everyone wants freedom.

"In the words of Lee Kuan Yew, the late Singapore strongman, “The exuberance of democracy leads to undisciplined and disorderly conditions which are inimical to development.”

The West treats democracy as religion – a form of government so sacred that it will bomb countries into the stone age in order to sow the seeds of democracy in those places. But in Lee’s view, “Democratic procedures have no intrinsic value. What matters is good government.” The Singapore strongman believed the government’s primary duty is to create a “stable and orderly society” where “people are well cared for, their food, housing, employment, health”.

 

Look only to Libya, Afghanistan, and Iraq to see the wisdom here.

Democracy, or rule by the will of the people, only works in societies capable of ruling themselves.

Those qualities includes education, work ethic, logic and reason, and self-restraint. It presupposes the ability to sustain a living (adequate resources), with some free time for rest, relaxation, or pursuits outside of maintaing one's existence.

When that society is undereducated, unmotivated, makes decisions based on emotion or dogma, is unrestrained emotionally or physically, and is poor---where starvation is a constant threat---or disease is rampant, democracy can only fail.

In that concept, it is wide open to a Despot, put in place by democracy.

 

To Mr. Eew

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I do not choose to be a common man.

It is my right to be uncommon, if I can.
I seek opportunity - not security.
I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled
and dulled by having the state look after me.
I want to take the calculated risk;
to dream and to build,
to fail and to succeed.
I refuse to barter incentive for a dole.
I prefer the challenges of life to the
guaranteed existence, the thrill of
fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

I will not trade freedom for beneficence
nor my dignity for a handout.
I will never cower before any master
nor bend to any threat.
It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid;
to think and act for myself,
enjoy the benefit of my creations
and to face the world boldly and say,
this I have done.

This is what it means to be an American.
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...and this is so sad.

 

Uttered by many a dictator intent on persecuting or removing those deemed not to be fit.

 

High quality, benign autocratic government, even a dictatorship, is fine. In fact it's often better than democracy in the short term.

The problem is what do you do when it becomes not-so-benign (and it almost always will)? That's the beauty of our system...checks, balances, and safety valves. Worst case, we can fall back on second amendment rights. The first thing dictators (or wannabe future dictators) do is round up the guns and set up heavy internal police systems.

 

I LOVE the Patriot Act, so should you.

 

Good government is vital, unfortunately is does not exist.
The best form of government is the smallest and weakest, but the mission of all government is to increase its size and control.

This has resulted in more than 100 million murders in just the last century. The longer history is much bleaker, does anyone honestly believe it is going to get better because some .gov type decrees it must be so, do you expect a breakthrough in the improvement of human nature?

Government in any form is based purely on force, it is the opposite of logical and ethical human behavior.

 

When you start to make sense, I get an eye flutter that takes ten minutes to dissipate. I think perhaps, a more closer adherence to the Constitution would be a good start. The farther we stray from that document, the worse off we, as a nation have become.

 

I agree 100% with Mr. Yew. Particularly if I am an elitist and can require you peons to invest in my cow flatulence energy project. If I am not an elitist than Fock Off.