Issue 143 City Counter balance January 6, 2014

We had previously talked about why cities were very liberal, but we did not discuss how to counter this growing ideology of dependency of government. So here it goes.

Self reliance: The first method, or part of the method, is to replace the dependency mindset with one of self reliance. This means implementing an education program in urban schools that empower students to rely on themselves and their abilities. As such, students are given the mental courage to say, I can succeed. From there they are taught how to seek out and obtain the resources they need to learn on their own without relying on a teacher. In essence it will be a curriculum that teaches independence. This approach will filter to parents and other adults through these kids. At this point the mentality is changed to a degree that erodes the dependency mindset. Psychologically dependence will disappear, but the people will still be reliant on certain services provided by the government. This is where part two comes in.

Part 2: What the green movement does not realize is that the technology they are pushing is also pushing for independence from government. If a building for instance comes completely off the grid (electrically and also with respect to water supply) it will change attitudes of these individuals in the cities. Right now, people rely on the basics of city life from the government, but if things like solar power, wind power, and city roof water collection and gardening become more and more mainstream then the government will loose its value. So, green technology will give landlords and other businesses in cities independence as well. Again this, once it becomes public knowledge, removes the idea from peoples heads that the government can provide the essentials for city living and by de-facto, can solve everything.

The 3rd; Faith: One of the other components of cities is the lack of faith. Many religions have abandoned the idea of expanding into the cities further than what they have currently. But if the faiths begin to offer services that are superior to welfare, to the cities marriage services and to even provide an alternative for an old age pension system like social security, then people will completely look away from government. By offering these services, the people will realize that they have the power to help through an institution outside of government. Also, by expanding the faith based communities in cities, you empower individuals further and provide a more moral foundation for individuals in cities rather than the liberal concept of the ends justifying the means.

Conclusion: Some of these are practical like the things described in the section on the green technology and on faith. The education one will be much harder as it can only be easily implemented in private schools and home schooling, while public education will still be controlled by the State and thus can deliver whatever message it wants. It really comes down to the fact that government is only needed for key specific things like law enforcement and lawmaking and even then private groups once laws are written can be hired to do the same job. Over half the fire departments in the United States are volunteer or run privately (no government needed). New York's original subway system was done by private corporations until the city government took it all over to gain that revenue for themselves. So if these things can be done privately, then nearly everything can without any loss for the individuals using these services. As such, the liberal mindset is a false promise with respect to government being the provider of all the needs of the individual. The truth is that government is needed very little and the sooner we realize that the better.