On Democracy, Balance, and Freedom

I didn't post anything on the 4th, plenty of people have great posts about our country and indepence day. Many of this country's biggest intellectual critics live here, have lived here, or were educated here. This is an interesting, because when you read their commentary, many, like Noam Chomsky, usually reconcile their criticism of US foreign policy (or whatever they criticize) with comments that concede the U.S. is still the most free and most fair country in the world.

In reflection on what makes this country great, here's what I argue: balance. We balance the powers of the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. We have the balancing effect of the fourth estate, the media. We have political balance between Republicans, Democrats, and other parties/ideologies. We have balance between the federal government and the states. We even balance things that our founding fathers felt might negatively impact the health of the country, like church and state (technically, it's separation, but balance is really more appropriate).

As radical alternatives to democracy re-appear, like elements of what Hugo Chavez proposes in Venezuela, it's important to understand the link between democracy, balance and freedom. When you achieve some level of balance you achieve freedom. Marxists are all about balance. The marxist line will tell you there is no theory that better balances people than marxism. Unfortunately, the marxist balance treats everyone the same, which isn't really balance. Not to mention that most communists and marxists have not truly achieved treating everyone equally. Marxists (and communists) have failed to achieve balance in every country where it's been used as a political economy. The problem, it seems, is that balance needs to respect the individual. Some individuals want the security of a job, some the challenge of owning a business, and some don't want to work at all. To fulfill all these various needs is a balance only democracy can achieve.

Marxism and communism espouse balance. Unfortunately, these ideologies don't balance government power or authority, freedom of the press, individual rights, dissent, or economic reform.

Hugo Chavez will fail in Venezuela. But not because the U.S. doesn't agree with him. Chavez will fail because he has no respect for balance. He can buy his populace off with cheap gas and socialistic reforms at the start. But he can't keep it going, because it's not balanced...and never will be.

The U.S. is not perfect. We deserve criticism and we make mistakes. But we are a democracy. We have many freedoms and we have achieved some balance in our country. Keeping vigilance over this balance is what will continue to make this country one of the greatest countries in the history of the world.