Elect me Tyrant and I will make you a prosperous Democracy!

I offer my services as the historical Tyrant of Greece, that archetypical reformer usually not a native of the city he would reform, who would go from city to city reforming that city for the better, such law givers who were natives of their greater cities were Lycurgus of Sparta, or Solon of Athens. Their reforms establishing long lasting constitutions.

I have a vision, an anti-Imperialist vision that would shake the foundations of the modern world, but it is what we need to survive. It is not marxist, it is not statist, it is in fact capitalist, but it is anti-Free Trade.

Like the Tyrant of old, elect me to rule your nations for a set number of years and my reforms would make your nations independent, autarkic strongholds, like that of Switzerland. No it could not be totally independent of global trade, but it will be in a strong position to not be taken advantage of.

Give me the PIIGS, I will transform Portugal, Ireland, Italy, Greece, and Spain into a confederacy of independent states who will become the bulwark of Europe.

How?

I call it the comparative advantage trap, but it is better known as the "Imperialism of Free Trade"

www.mtholyoke.edu...

A nation that focuses on their comparative advantage, ends up reducing their buying power and becoming economic colonies of a country that works to counter-act the comparative advantage trap. We've all heard it before:

If you make 100 lumber, and I make 100 food, we trade and are wealthier. If you then increase 200 lumber and I increase to 200 food we grow even more wealthy.

But what if you make 100 lumber and 10 food, and I make 200 food? You increased your buying power against me because now you can say you want to give me 100 lumber for 200 food and you even have 10 food more against my trade.

This is simplistic math but the principle is sound.

Adam Smith's economics only made sense in an Imperial World. Liberal economics, free trade, reduces small countries into colonies of Imperial countries like the UK, or the US, or etc.

I would encourage thift (savings), more land productivity (intensive cultivation, forest gardening etc.), I would encourage that each country make more of their own products certainly making their own tools and parts for whatever industrial products they import.

For instance, Ireland might not manufacture their own cars, but if they import Mercedes, then Mercedes must build a factory in Ireland to build parts and tools to repair Mercedes.

Why?

Because those factories can still be converted into heavy machinery factories for war, in the event of national defense.

This would be the terms of agreement for trade with these nations.

Build up their share of Gold stock and hold on to their own gold reserves.

Fairer, lower taxes, balanced budgets, people would rely more upon family and charity for safety nets, because the state only wastes money and corrupts charity.

Grow jobs by more local production, smaller "cottage industries", give people back their guns and make those guns in local shops.

Increase productivity by increasing productivity of the land by ending agri-business and shrinking the farm size and encouraging families to move back to small farms that are well trained in intensive sustainable agriculture.

Forest gardening: en.wikipedia.org...

Return the diet of the people to a more paleo diet, which is healthier, reducing end of life health care costs and making a healthier nation.

Encourage a more body-building, strength training program, sports intensive education for the people so they are healthy and ready for war.

Basically turn every small nation into a well armed, well industrialized Switzerland and break free of the financial elitests of the Globe.

It will be better for everyone.

This would be like a political movement across the globe, to free nations from the shackles of financial tyranny and global trade dependency.

It would be better for the colonized, as well as the Imperialist, as this model will improve the economy of America, industry returning to America, building consumer products with their own consumers, same with the UK, same with Europe, same with Asia.

And global trade will be reduced to raw materials, and the export of ideas and knowledge to improve local economies.

No more starving Africans because they have no industry to work except the mines for European buyers. They can work for themselves!

I might even go so far to democratize a nation so much that anyone can compete for political office, in such a way that money, or power means nothing. But I would save this controversial reform for later!

If i support your actions, can i be a Minister of something and be given top secret clearance to conduct a series of evil experiments to better strengthen our future kingdom?

Among my current plans/projects.
We miniaturize a version of this and use it to power versions of these.
The Hulc
XOS2
TALOS


as well as weaponized versions of this


I also formally request your approval to begin genetic hybridization projects on prisoners and enemies of the state.

Thorneblood
If i support your actions, can i be a Minister of something and be given top secret clearance to conduct a series of evil experiments to better strengthen our future kingdom?

Muhaha no


BUt a few of the economic arguments I make are iimportant.

Cold fusion energy reactors, Mobile Suit weapons manufacturing, Power Armor distribution rights and genetic hybridization facilities can make a free trade nation into a scientific and social paradise. We can change the world.

Or crush it.

Thorneblood
We can change the world.

Or crush it.

Well now, I put my first vote to be in your military coup Thorneblood when you rise to power and overthrow the OP.

ETA:

The above is Satire, in no way shape or form does BENRL support or endorse a military coup of any kind, NSA please disregard as such or throw into my already growing pile of stupid crap i've actually spouted off about on the internet...

Wait a minute! I can't get past the thread title.

Elect me Tyrant and I will make you a prosperous Democracy!

If you're a tyrannical ruler, that is a dictatorship, not a democracy. Not that I would want America to be under the rule of either. But, how is it you shall reconcile two opposing forms of governance?

reply to post by benrl


I would do no such thing, a military coup would be a sign of my own failure and that i will not have. No, the OP may rule and let himself be the target or the savior. I would be rather be well payed, free from observation and pursuant of grander dreams.

Remember that thing from Spiderman 2 that Doc Ock builds? Create one 30 times as big and set it orbit around the earth beaming energy to relay stations on the planet, or into countries that defy our power.

The purpose of the economy is to maximize general utility for all the people.

It is not the purpose of people to maximize their utility for the use of the economy.

You need to revise your system of values.