Economic Crisis and a bit of Politics
Wow, another interesting day in The Netherlands.
The weather pulled a very Kiwi "Four seasons in one day" (pop-culture reference to the song by Kiwi band Crowded House) stunt today - rain, hail, wind, grey skies, a bit of sun, then blue sky and lovely sunshine - had it all and enjoyed, well, none of it actually. If only the sun had been shining a bit earlier, then my backyard would have been a lovely spot this arvo. Ah well, at least the flowers got watered eh...
On a completely unrelated note, I was about to switch the telly off a few minutes ago when I heard an interesting sentence. Due to financial problems in this lovely country the government is trying its best to find ways to save money. One way that has been suggested is the reintroduction of compulsory military service.
Whoa hold up WAIT THIS IS INTERESTING my brain told me, yet the compulsion to log on to Facebook and play some games got to me. Good thing pretty much every newspaper is online today, as it means I do get to at least keep up-to-date with current affairs while playing games! Two birds, one stone - hello Internet, hello computer, have I told you how much I love you... Wait no I don't, today I merely like you 'coz you're very slow and you are annoying me greatly!
Anyway... According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, reinstating compulsory military service could save 49 to 80 million Euros a year. Interesting indeed. To read all about it (in Dutch), check out Veel minder militairen en jachtvliegtuigen. With regards to compulsory military service - I think that spending some time serving one's country would be good for all young people. However forcing people to be in the military, that I don't agree with as fighting and / or defending is not the right path for all people. Working for the good of the country and the people though, that does appeal to me.
Of course the financial problems and the economic depression are not restricted to The Netherlands - it's a world-wide problem. I'm really not interested enough in Economics to want to learn more about these problems and figure out why there's a crisis - I know there is one and know enough about it to know that listening to those who know what they're talking about is a smart move. Thankfully there are many people out there who are trained to deal with problems such as these... they're known as economists...
Then of course there are those who love being in government, and while I quite enjoy politics, I'm definitely not interested in being in government. Not the government as it is today in either of my home countries anyway, and looking at politics worldwide I'm not sure there's any government I would enjoy being a part of. Watching Debates on TV and seeing grown men and women shouting at each other, taking potshots, insulting one another - it reminds me too much of being in a playground full of shouting children who all think they're right and believe that the one who shouts the loudest will end up winning the argument.
These are the people we elect to lead our country and make the decisions for us... Yet they often act like children who simply haven't learned to communicate with others in non-violent and non-nasty ways. It makes me wonder if the system (of government) we have is really the right one. Don't ask me to suggest a better system though, because I do believe that this is the fairest system. The people elect representatives and all vote, that is the only way to ensure all are heard and represented. However until people learn to LISTEN to and respect each other as equals and partners, we need some form of government to make sure our society does not turn into an even more disorganised mess than it currently is.
On to the point I was trying to make (I admit, very poorly so far) - We, the people elect other people every few years to lead our country. By accepting the job of forming a government to lead a country and making it a safe, healthy and economically thriving place to live in, the elected officials have taken on a responsibility to do so and have promised us that their way is the best way forward.We the people believe they will do as they promise and will fairly represent us. Doesn't always work out that way, but that's a whole 'nother post. As this economic depression is worldwide, I understand that it is not just one country's government that is responsible for the economic and other problems in that country - there are many factors that play a part. The problems are not solely economical and political, they are also social and religious, geographical and historical.Wherever people live, we are bound to disagree with each other and see different paths as the right paths.
However... Funny thing about all these problems is that I still think that if we (learn to) sit down, talk to each other, accept each other, learn from each other and let go of some of our prejudices and "I am the only one who is right" attitudes, the world would be a much nicer, happier and better place.Wonder if I'll ever see that happen in my lifetime though... Humans are stubborn creatures, after all.
The weather pulled a very Kiwi "Four seasons in one day" (pop-culture reference to the song by Kiwi band Crowded House) stunt today - rain, hail, wind, grey skies, a bit of sun, then blue sky and lovely sunshine - had it all and enjoyed, well, none of it actually. If only the sun had been shining a bit earlier, then my backyard would have been a lovely spot this arvo. Ah well, at least the flowers got watered eh...
On a completely unrelated note, I was about to switch the telly off a few minutes ago when I heard an interesting sentence. Due to financial problems in this lovely country the government is trying its best to find ways to save money. One way that has been suggested is the reintroduction of compulsory military service.
Whoa hold up WAIT THIS IS INTERESTING my brain told me, yet the compulsion to log on to Facebook and play some games got to me. Good thing pretty much every newspaper is online today, as it means I do get to at least keep up-to-date with current affairs while playing games! Two birds, one stone - hello Internet, hello computer, have I told you how much I love you... Wait no I don't, today I merely like you 'coz you're very slow and you are annoying me greatly!
Anyway... According to Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, reinstating compulsory military service could save 49 to 80 million Euros a year. Interesting indeed. To read all about it (in Dutch), check out Veel minder militairen en jachtvliegtuigen. With regards to compulsory military service - I think that spending some time serving one's country would be good for all young people. However forcing people to be in the military, that I don't agree with as fighting and / or defending is not the right path for all people. Working for the good of the country and the people though, that does appeal to me.
Of course the financial problems and the economic depression are not restricted to The Netherlands - it's a world-wide problem. I'm really not interested enough in Economics to want to learn more about these problems and figure out why there's a crisis - I know there is one and know enough about it to know that listening to those who know what they're talking about is a smart move. Thankfully there are many people out there who are trained to deal with problems such as these... they're known as economists...
Then of course there are those who love being in government, and while I quite enjoy politics, I'm definitely not interested in being in government. Not the government as it is today in either of my home countries anyway, and looking at politics worldwide I'm not sure there's any government I would enjoy being a part of. Watching Debates on TV and seeing grown men and women shouting at each other, taking potshots, insulting one another - it reminds me too much of being in a playground full of shouting children who all think they're right and believe that the one who shouts the loudest will end up winning the argument.
These are the people we elect to lead our country and make the decisions for us... Yet they often act like children who simply haven't learned to communicate with others in non-violent and non-nasty ways. It makes me wonder if the system (of government) we have is really the right one. Don't ask me to suggest a better system though, because I do believe that this is the fairest system. The people elect representatives and all vote, that is the only way to ensure all are heard and represented. However until people learn to LISTEN to and respect each other as equals and partners, we need some form of government to make sure our society does not turn into an even more disorganised mess than it currently is.
On to the point I was trying to make (I admit, very poorly so far) - We, the people elect other people every few years to lead our country. By accepting the job of forming a government to lead a country and making it a safe, healthy and economically thriving place to live in, the elected officials have taken on a responsibility to do so and have promised us that their way is the best way forward.We the people believe they will do as they promise and will fairly represent us. Doesn't always work out that way, but that's a whole 'nother post. As this economic depression is worldwide, I understand that it is not just one country's government that is responsible for the economic and other problems in that country - there are many factors that play a part. The problems are not solely economical and political, they are also social and religious, geographical and historical.Wherever people live, we are bound to disagree with each other and see different paths as the right paths.
However... Funny thing about all these problems is that I still think that if we (learn to) sit down, talk to each other, accept each other, learn from each other and let go of some of our prejudices and "I am the only one who is right" attitudes, the world would be a much nicer, happier and better place.Wonder if I'll ever see that happen in my lifetime though... Humans are stubborn creatures, after all.
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