In the US Declaration of Independence, the document that declared our intent to be free of the despotic King who ruled without justice. That document declares the we are a government of the People, by the People, and for the People. Then, instead of a Democratic Government they set up a Republic. Instead of direct democracy (the Greek model) they used the Roman model of Representative Democracy that is inherently corrupt. Because of the requirements for being elected as a powerful representative of the people, you must become Of the People, which requires a bit of public recognition. By the People means you must get support from the People, which usually means the rich, as they have more resources. So For the People is at the bottom of the priority list. To fulfill the first requirement you must only convince most of the people that you are For them, but you never really have to deliver, because you can always blame it on the other party who are clearly NOT For the People.

So, what do we do about it? Voting someone else into the office seems to be the only alternative, but that only exposes one more “good” person to a corrupt system. Not voting isn’t an option unless we all do it at once, and that is highly unlikely to ever happen, just because not everyone believes that Representative Democracy is fundamentally corrupt. Many still believe that change can come about from voting in the “right” people. The main thing our society “teaches” us at every opportunity is that voting is fundamental to freedom and a patriotic duty. God, Country, and Apple Pie. So, short of violent revolution where everyone looses, and the resulting government just changes who become rich and powerful, what else is there to do?

Don’t stop dealing with government. Elect representatives with the goal of having them work to keep government from doing socially damaging things, and then move the management of society out of government offices. Create a system of economic management that completely ignores the structures of government. The 60s generation tried several different ways to step outside the current society and none of them worked very well because they were not designed to decouple from the current social structures and the unnatural pressures of the greater society create friction with these fragile social structures which mostly destroyed their potential for success.

This is the standard problem for all men (women too). How does the individual protect themselves from more powerful individuals and groups? Judo was developed in Japan to give the Serf some protection from the power of the sword. This is only substantially useful against limited opposition. One Judo master can be over run, if not by 20 men then my 50, or more it it takes that. Groups can always bring more force to bear than an individual, and their lies the problem for individual freedoms. If the other guy doesn’t agree that you have the right to exist you may very well have a substantial problem defending your life.

What is required is a social system that protects individual freedoms by curtailing the actions of groups. The problem is that the individual can not guarantee those protections are available without the consent of a lot of other people.Our social system allows large groups to take from smaller ones. It empowers large groups over individuals. When everyone agrees that every citizen has an equal right to what every individual needs for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, no one will truly have any of those things.

Currently our social contract is broken. Until it is repaired true freedom will continue to evade us.