Those of you that know me, will know of my ultimate goal. My dreams for a better country, ruled by one man and his ideals. But although you have always heard me babble on the subject you have never heard of how I would rule.
Here are my 14 easy steps to government control.
1- Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
My regime will tend to make constant use of patriotic mottoes, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.
2- Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in my regime are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people will tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.
3- Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.
4- Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and if need be, the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.
5- Rampant Sexism
The governments of my nation tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under my regime, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.
6- Controlled Mass Media
The media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, will be very common.
7- Obsession with National Security
Fear will be used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.
8- Religion and Government are Intertwined.
The government in my nation will tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology will be common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.
9- Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.
10- Labour Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labour is the only real threat to any government, labour unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed.
11- Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
My nation will tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It will not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and the government will often refuse to fund the arts.
12- Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under my regime, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people will be often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There will be a national police force with virtually unlimited power in my nation.
13- Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
My regime will almost always be governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability.
14- Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in my nation will be held, but only for the world wide media. These elections will be manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. My nation will also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.
