Government

When our government was born, it took several days to several weeks for news to travel throughout the country.  For decision making purposes, then, it was necessary to find a way to "represent" people who were not physically able to vote, or knowledgeable in the issue at hand.  As a result, the U.S. was formed as a Republic --  a  representative democracy defined by a Constitution, and governed by three branches of government.  

While the system seemed to work for a while, today our government seems to be failing in many ways.  It has gotten so bad that many now believe that our government belongs to the highest bidder.  That's why senator John McCain has called "soft dollars" a legalized form of bribery, and Ralph Nader has called some recent policy decisions by Congress "corporate welfare."   

We are also seeing the emergence of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), corporate run entities that are often more powerful than the governments that created them.  These include the WTO, IMF and ICANN.  To learn more about the history behind this process, please see The History of Globalization.

The truth of the matter is, our government was designed to support a different society, one based on capital and labor.  As we transition to the Information society, the hierarchy of governance will likely evolve, as will all hierarchies, including organized Religion.