The true pursuit of happiness

An organized people will only endure the long-term when they are governed by ideals, rather than people.

In order to understand the basis of the economic, social, and political ideals that are presented in this (...will we say manifesto?), you have to first ask What is happiness?

For capitalist nations like the U.S., happiness is a derivative of wealth. The phrase "money doesn't equal happiness" is kind of a contradiction in a country where all things have a monetary value. For those who don't have an abundance of "wealth," the weight of life can be staggeringly different from their prospering counters in the smaller percentage. Those that are the have-nots can tell you that, even if you believe that money doesn't equal happiness, here, the lack of money sure does equal unhappiness.

If you ask someone from almost any developed nation that has lived in the U.S., they will tell you that it is very difficult to live in the U.S. If you have lived your whole life in the U.S., it can be difficult to break out of the norm of pressure, performance, and fee-to-live that is endured in the world's wealthiest nation. And, to really diagnose that badge, "wealthiest nation," it's important to note where that wealth is - it's in the wealthy. So, when you consider the nation as a whole as "wealthy," it's a vastly different story than what is perceived by the rest of the developed world.

So, when it comes to wealth and happiness, there are some who experience a great deal of freedom that comes from their wealth and those that experience a great deal of stress and inhibiting fear due to a lack of wealth. Unfortunately, the later far outweigh the former.

This brings the fundamental base that a nation must recognize for a mutual and productive establishment of government and people:

• Those that are bound to a government are due the basics for health, sustenance, and the continuation of life from that government
• Those that receive the benefits of an organized government justly and reasonably contribute to the establishment of said government

Whereas, in the U.S., there is much of the later (income taxes, punitive fees, taxes for food, utility taxes, social security contribution, etc.), there is little of the former. If you are reading this in disagreement, you likely have not experienced having your water (your fundamental source of life as a human) being shut off from missing a payment, or you likely didn't face losing a loved one because they couldn't afford a surgery and insurance was too expensive, or your children didn't become deathly ill from having to eat found food to survive in a city where the mean income is $68K, etc. etc. etc.

Does this sound like the wealthiest nation?