Is Government Doing That? - Batch 2
Filming locations: Carnaval (Harrison Street), Union Square, The New Farm
Greetings. Here’s a batch of Preamble Prompt street interviews. Eight combined into one post. These were filmed April, May 2023.
Enjoy!
37. Camilla
I re-made this one with Camilla, with a new quote from Gouverneur Morris at the end, as it fit well with what she was saying.
Answers: No; The Government.
Exec Summary
See here.
38. Edison
Answers: No; the People.
Exec Summary
A government where certain individuals have the power and authority to manipulate the system and the people to their advantage should not exist.
There should be some kind of pro-human race system, where the people themselves determine how their lives are run, what the rules are, and what rights we have.
Supposedly, the government is created by the people, and we’re supposed to watch over the government, but that’s not really how it works. Regular people have no say over how things are run. Voting feels like a scam because it makes no difference.
My comments: This, by theory, is legally the system we have. It is in operation to limited degree by the few who have cracked the code and learned how to apply the theory. Justice Cushing writes,
No such ideas obtain here; at the Revolution, the sovereignty devolved on the people, and they are truly the sovereigns of the country, but they are sovereigns without subjects, and have none to govern but themselves; the citizens of America are equal as fellow citizens, and as joint tenants in the sovereignty.
From the differences existing between feudal sovereignties and governments founded on compacts, it necessarily follows that their respective prerogatives must differ. Sovereignty is the right to govern; a nation or State sovereign is the person or persons in whom that resides. In Europe, the sovereignty is generally ascribed to the Prince; here, it rests with the people; there, the sovereign actually administers the government; here, never in a single instance; our Governors are the agents of the people, and, at most, stand in the same relation to their sovereign in which regents in Europe stand to their sovereigns. Their Princes have personal powers, dignities, and preeminences; our rulers have none but official; nor do they partake in the sovereignty otherwise, or in any other capacity, than as private citizens.
—Chisholm v. Georgia, 2 U.S. 419 (1793)
There are people who operate completely without permission from the government, who set up shop without permits and businesses without license, and the law is on their side. At the same time, however, eugenicist typically do not get the sovereign’s permission to spray them with chemicals, poison their water supply, or set ablaze the forest in which they live.
One of the sovereigns, in explaining why she has dedicated the energy she has left to teaching, said, “In reality, I’m only as free as you are.”
39. Favi
Answers: No (not fully); they, the authority figures.
Exec Summary
The government provides a blueprint, but doesn't really do the stuff it's supposed to do. It's more performative. We're expected to get involved if we want these things done and the resources provided, especially in a big city like SF.
It's easy to make promises, but the mandate is not being fully delivered.
If it were up to the people to come up with the solutions, it’s sort of criminalizing the people when it’s a systemic thing. The foundation is messed up— it’s racist, classist etc, so that’s where we they need to start. Once they figure it out, We the People can follow their example.
My comments: Some people just want to follow. There’s nothing wrong with that; not all people want to be leaders, and not all should. This is a fact of existence. Congress recognizes this at the very beginning of the United States Code:
1 US Code §8(a)
In determining the meaning of any Act of Congress, or of any ruling, regulation, or interpretation of the various administrative bureaus and agencies of the United States, the words “person”, “human being”, “child”, and “individual”, shall include every infant member of the species homo sapiens who is born alive at any stage of development.A 52 year old can be considered an “infant member of the species homo sapiens” as they have been “born alive” and are at “any stage of development.”
Bill Thornton puts it this way: The People own the Government, and the Government own the citizens. The common implication is that the Government can do whatever it wants with the citizens, including enslaving them, but this would be incompatible with our founding law. Government still has to promote the general Welfare of their human property.
40. Luciana
Answers: No (not all of it); the People (united)
Exec Summary
Government is not doing all of it. Not everyone has access to domestic tranquility.
Everyone, the people, united, are responsible.
41. Mario
Answers: Yes (the best they can; the People
Exec Summary
Government is working on doing these things, they’re doing the best that they can. The People can make sure the priorities are met.
52. Titan & Sid
Answers
Titan: No; everone
Sid: No; the People
Exec Summary
"Form a more perfect Union" is very vague.
It's obvious that we are not establishing justice. The World is a horrible place, with trans rights being taken away and police brutality. A solution: UBI, with more money for black/brown/the historically poor.
Does "domestic tranquility" mean we're all having a good time here? Not about to have a civil war?
With regard to providing for the common defence, what are we trying to defend against?
Titan's friends Sid joins, and woman with dog chimes in, saying she learned in her first economics class that they know the economy doesn't work, we're all well aware of it, so she doesn't think they're promoting our wellbeing. Titan starts to say it does work for some people. Sid says there are a lot of services for people in need.
Titan remarks that the constitutional objectives are very vague, it's as if they were writing poetry.
Sid: the people that actually build our infrastructure and provide necessary services get paid shit while the bosses, and those sitting around in Salesforce tower get paid a bunch. It's all about keeping people going and their mind numb. Patriotism as a form of mind and behavior control.
Titan: one of his friends used cryptocurrency to do tax evasion. It's not bad, illegal, or disingenuous because it's available to everyone.
Our Constitution is people making a great gesture of what should be the actual existence.
Sid: This country is so divided, but if people join together, we can make more change than any election can ever accomplish. We're all people, struggling breathing the same air, eating the same shit, so why not come together?
Titan: We should talk about solutions to specific problems. For example, what's one public policy that could be better?
It's everyone's responsibility to take care of each other. It would be best to dismante the government, but I don't have a better idea of what should come after. Some form of socialism? Anarchy? The trolley scenario shouldn't exist. Abolishing billionaires would be a good step.
My comment: I feel there’s a lot of pent up anger and frustration here, with many valid point and many talking points. Both agree with each other that the responsibility ultimately rests with the people, but there are so many hindrances to accomplishing good things, such as the party division.
I enjoyed watching this one.
57. Eesha
Answers: No; Congress and the President
Exec Summary
Not all of them are being met. Homeless people's welfare is not being promoted. Healthcare needs some improvement. We have a few justice and safety problems in certain communities, with race being one example. We have equal rights but it's not guaranteed.
Congress and the President are responsible, but moreso Congress. Congress needs to do something about the daily school shootings. If Congress doesn't do it, maybe it's up to voting or partisanship.
Her father chimes in: At the end of the day, they work for us.
58. John
Answers: No; the citizens of the US (people who vote and serve on juries)
Exec Summary
We seem to have a degradation of society, a massive cultural split right under the radar that John’s personally very concerned about. Justice seems to be inconsistently applied. We seem to be doing an OK job at ensuring the blessings of liberty. Little concerned about the general welfare.
Nice work Arjun. Thanks for all you do. Marin Freedom