Power & Politics

— A —

• Accountable The requirement to answer for one's actions. Or at least the expectation.
• Authoritarian Government by command rather than consent. The permanent temptation of power.

— B —

• Bureaucracy The machinery of government and institutions, designed to serve the people. Serves the design of power.

— C —

• Capitalism Freedom through markets or organized extraction — still being decided.
• Checks and Balances The constitutional design that presumes power will be abused — and purports to reveal, test, and deter it.
• Citizens United The law that allows corporations to outvoice, outfund, and outvote citizens without accountability or retribution. The most ironically named Supreme Court decision.
• Communism Collective control of the production and distribution of resources, without class and without the state — an idea that has outlived every attempt to do so. So far, in theory, not in practice.
• Constitution The rulebook that grants authority, defines power, and protects rights — in theory.
• Coup The sudden seizure or replacement of government. Often scripted by others, far in advance.

— D —

• Debt Investment, trap, or moral failing — depending on who owes.
• Deep State The powers that inform the politicians that run the government. Often entrenched through generations. Purgeable but permanent.
• Democracy Majority rule, representative republic — an experiment with varying results.
• Due Process Freedom from government except by fair procedure. The line between the law and the color of law.

— E —

• Elite Those enriched by capitalism and those democracy can't touch.
• Embargo A prohibition on trade — economic war by another name. (see also Sanction or Tariff)
• Executive Order Presidential declaration. Legislation without the legislature. Effective before checks and balances.

— F —

• Fascism A political system built on ultranationalism, authoritarian leadership, and the active suppression of opposition. Usually recognized afterwards.
• Freedom Personal choice, political voice, or collective liberation. (see also Liberty)

— G —

• Gerrymandering Drawing electoral district lines to favor one party — legal, pervasive, and defeating the purpose of fair representation.
• Government Servant to the people or threat to liberty — usually the same institution.
• Growth Physical development, economic expansion, or population increase — not always good.

— H —

• Hegemony A dominant military, economic, and cultural force in a given region (i.e., global).

— I —

• Immunity Protection from consequence — in medicine, from disease; in law, from prosecution. More often a veil for accountability and a shield for power.
• Inflation When prices go up — which means when money's worth less. Natural or engineered. Intentional or not.
• Investment Building something or extracting value — both use the same word.

— J —

• Jurisdiction The authority that creates the authority that decides the law in a given place; and also the place.
• Justice Punishment that fits the crime, reasonable restitution, and fairness for all — good luck with that.

— L —

• Labor The individual or collective workforce that produces goods and services — including better technology that reduces the need for labor. (see also Work)
• Law Written norms and/or rules. And those authorized to decide whether and how to enforce them. (see also Norms)
• Liberty Freedom to learn and freedom to act without harm. (see also Freedom)
• Lobby People, groups, and money that influence politicians. Legislative telemarketing — named for where it originally took place.

— M —

• Meritocracy The extent to which a system's outcomes are determined by talent and effort, and not just opportunity. (see also Opportunity)
• Military Industrial Complex The self-sustaining relationship between defense, government, and industry — and its revolving door. Also, a five-star-general-prior-President’s predictive warning. (see also The Revolving Door)

— O —

• Oligarchy "Government" by those who can buy government. The private extraction of public wealth and resources in a collapsing society — like birds of prey.
• Order Natural rhythm, structured routine, or authority to restrict liberty.

— P —

• Patriot Lover of country, or our version of it. Hating the others — optional.
• Petrodollar The so-far dominant, self-sustaining system of selling oil in US dollars through extraction enforcement. Replaced the gold standard with military might and more money.
• Police "Public" safety built from private security. State authority or occupying force. Sometimes all in the same shift.
• Populism The people's voice against the powers that be — may be mob rule, even when created by the powers that be.
• Poverty Living below some standard. The individual, the group, and the system each blame another.
• Power Energy, force, and authority. (Often corrupting those with it. Seducing the rest.)
• Precedent A prior decision that guides future ones, whether honored, adapted, or abandoned. The mechanism of consistency and change, in law and in life.
• Property What you own, what owns you, and what was taken to become either.

— R —

• Reform Promised improvement. Often celebrated prematurely.
• Regime A system of government, or a faction that runs it. Theirs or ours. Neutral in origin, weaponized in media.
• Representation Those who speak for us — in government, in court, and in culture. Whether we ask, agree, or even know.
• Rights Inherent, God-given, government-granted, or agreed to by a group. Subject to change.

— S —

• Sanction A penalty, punishment, or embargo. Same root as sanctity — something sacred and protected. (see also Embargo or Tariff)
• Security Safety and defense. Also surveillance, monitoring, and control. (see also Surveillance)
• Shadow Government The parallel power structures operating beneath the visible one — real in some forms, imagined in others. (see also Deep State)
• Socialism Collective care and shared resources. Radical politics or human default.
• Sovereignty A nation's right to self-rule. Inherent by history, geography, and culture. In practice, what wealthy nations say.
• Surveillance Watching, recording, and tracking — for safety or control. Used to be used for security. (see also Security)

— T —

• Tariff A tax on imported goods. Trade policy, revenue tool, and weapon of diplomacy and war. (see also Embargo or Sanction)
• Tax Civic contribution or government theft. You pay either way. Unless you're very poor or rich enough.
• The Market The collective mechanism of exchanging goods, finance, ideas, and culture. Natural, or made to look natural.
• The Revolving Door The legal pipeline between regulating an industry and being employed by it. (see also Military Industrial Complex)
• Transparency Openness in operation. Operational due to concealment.
• Treason The betrayal of one's country — the most serious political crime, and the most serious false allegation.

— V —

• Veto The power to say no. Line item or wholesale. A check that can block. If applicable.

— W —

• Wealth Access to resources and power; earned, inherited, extracted, or accumulated. Rarely just one.
• Work Dignity, identity, value, and exploitation, any or all of the above.