BL> There is a quotation on freedom by John Locke I like: "Freedom
 BL> of men under government is to have a standing rule to live by,
 BL> common to every one of that society, and made by the
 BL> legislative power invested in it; a liberty to follow my own
 BL> will in all things, when the rule prescribes not, and not be
 BL> subject to the inconstant, uncertain, unknown, arbitrary will
 BL> of another man." 

 DW> Thats very apt considering what'ss going on at the moment, dont
 DW> you think? 

  Yes. I really like it. To me, that's the definition of democracy;
you might not like the laws but at least you know what they are.

 BL> I particularly like the way "inconstant, uncertain, unknown,
 BL> arbitrary" describes a bureaucray.

 DW> It describes the upper echelon of most large businesses and
 DW> govt departments. 

  Yair... groups of people making up their own rules and enforcing
them free from prosecution. They protect themselves from the law with
a layer of stooges.

 BL> The entire 2 million bureaucrats could be replaced by a single
 BL> Cray supercomputer, and ought to be!

 DW> Who would you put in control of the computer?

  The computer would be programmed to follow the law; not go off and
write its own. It's interesting if you look at the function of the
bureaucracies. Most of it could be done by a company's pay office, or
a bank, or post office using a common database that *already* exists.

  A bureaucracy complicates procedure intentionally. Taxation is the
classic! The anti-bureaucracy (something like an AntiChrist with a
better smell) would simplify laws and procedures the way that any
business does. Why have a Health Department when you already have
hospital accounting departments? Why have a Police Department when you
already have police stations? Why not make taxation automatic on
gross, no deductions, no stuffing around? Why have diplomats when you
can use a FAX to get the same result? 

  Then, all you need is Government Ministers with a small staff of
100 each, say, and privatised service providers separate from the
actual infrastructure also run privately for profit.

 BL> We should keep QANTAS and the Commonwealth Bank and privatise
 BL> the bureaucracy by farming it out to commerce and industry.

 DW> It has merits, but do you think the general populace will go
 DW> for it?

  It worked in Russia and it's already happening in the West as our
wealth bleeds overseas to Asia. There comes a time when we can no
longer afford drones on $100,000 a year. The dole is only $7,500 and
that's all they're worth. It amuses me when they speak of an aging
population as the greatest problem. It's not even #5 on the hit
parade. The greatest problem is a ballooning bureaucracy at an average
cost of $100K each. They're not a service industry, they're an
anti-service industry (like the AntiChrist only with a shorter tail).

Regards,
Bob
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12
@EOT:

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