Hey Umair readers
Let’s assume that I’m driving a Model A Ford. It used to be my great-grandfather’s car, and we’ve kept in our family for three generations. We have learned how to keep it going for decades. We drive it everywhere, everyday. No sense getting a new car when we’ve got the greatest car the USA ever made.
I’m trying to teach my son how to fix it. But he is wondering about that new draftshaft we are getting built at the machine shop for $8,000. You see, Model A parts are no longer mass produced. We have to take the original Ford specs and let a machinist carve this part for us from raw steel. My son is saying, “Dad, we could put that $8,000 into a new car.”
My son also points out a couple of other things. The lifespan of Model A was about 40,000 miles. Which means we have to replace every major part every four years or so. Not much is original in this car anymore. And did I mention that my son is frustrated at having to go no more than 45 miles per hour. Any faster means parts coming shaking off.
“But, hey”, I say, “the Model A is the car that vaulted America forward. If it was the greatest car back then, it is still the greatest car today. Show some respect.”
Now most of you would call me a fool for such thinking.
But I really don’t have a Model A. And I would never even go back to the glorious cars of the 1960s and 1970s. I have too many bad memories of bringing so many tools to fix cars on the highways. I like modern cars: safer, nicer to drive, last longer, reliable!
But you guys are calling me a fool for suggesting western democracy — especially the American version — is just like that Model A.
And I have a replacement in mind. For that, you have called me a double fool.
Now I know that I’ve been making a little impact here on Medium. My website stats say I got about 40 visitors from Medium last month. That hasn’t happened before. But no Medium reader read my book. Hit the landing page, see that it requires some serious thought, and poof — Medium readers disappear. But why did you guys fall for my clickbait if you had no intent on investigating my alternative system of government in the first place?
Oh, I’m a fool — I forgot.
I have been critical of Umair for his lack of solution. But this article was actually quite good. He might be right — and American democracy is sliding faster downhill than I thought was possible.
But what should you do? Continue to read more Umair articles? Hope and wish that Mr. Biden wins and hope and wish he can turn this country around? Especially when half the country already hates his guts.
How about spending time to build a new system of governance?
P.S. It takes about three hours to read this book. So ignore my clickbait if that is too much for you. You probably have better things to do — like drive your Ford Model A.
