June 4 marks the 1989 Chinese government crackdown on peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square. Tanks entered the square and soldiers opened fire on citizens outside the square: they are estimated to have killed thousands.
It also marks Tonga’s Emancipation [or Independence] Day, commemorating the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970.
June 4 marks the 1989 Chinese government crackdown on peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square, with tanks entering the square and soldiers, who opened fire on citizens outside the square, estimated to have killed thousands.
It also marks Tonga’s Emancipation [or Independence] Day, commemorating the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970.
June 4 marks the 1989 Chinese government crackdown on peaceful protesters in Tiananmen Square, with tanks entering the square and soldiers, who opened fire on citizens outside the square, estimated to have killed thousands.
It also marks Tonga’s Emancipation [or Independence] Day, commemorating the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970.
June 4 marks Finland’s Armed Forces Day, Tonga’s Emancipation [or Independence] Day (commemorating the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970), Estonia’s Flag Day, and the international Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day.
June 4 marks Finland’s Armed Forces Day, Tonga’s Emancipation [or Independence] Day (commemorating the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970), Estonia’s Flag Day, and the international Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day.
June 4 marks Finland’s Armed Forces Day, Tonga’s Emancipation [or Independence] Day (commemorating the abolition of serfdom in Tonga by King George Tupou in 1862, and the independence of Tonga from the British protectorate in 1970), Estonia’s Flag Day, and the international Tiananmen Square Protests of 1989 Memorial Day.
Venture capitalist Eric X. Li, in an op-ed for the New York Times, “Why China’s Political Model Is Superior,” credits the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre with producing the “stability” that “ushered in a generation of growth and prosperity.”
As for America, Li explains that our problem is an “expanded” political franchise, “resulting in a greater number of people participating in more and more decisions.”
“Elected representatives have no minds of their own and respond only to the whims of public opinion as they seek re-election,” Li informs, and “special interests manipulate the people into voting for ever-lower taxes and higher government spending, sometimes even supporting self-destructive wars.”
Mr. Li points to California and predicts an American “future” of “endless referendums, paralysis and insolvency.”
But wait a second … Americans have no initiative or referendum powers at the national level. The people didn’t vote for this level of taxes, spending, war or massive debt – our elite political leaders did that. Too much control by the people? Hardly. Too little.
Note that the national government most affected by initiatives and referendums is Switzerland, which also has the world’s highest per capita income.
But, as Li tells us, “China is on a different path. Its leaders are prepared to allow greater popular participation in political decisions if and when it is conducive to economic development and favorable to the country’s national interests …” After all, “political rights … should be seen as privileges to be negotiated based on the needs and conditions of the nation.”
Those negotiations have left Nobel Peace Prize winner Liu Xiaobo in a Chinese prison.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.