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*"The loop concept underlying feedback and circular [dynamic] causality is one of the most penetrating fundamentals in all social science."*--Professor George Richardson
I am presently interested in the field of Systems Thinking and as I make reference to the Bush Administration policies I realize how important thinking has become in the setting of public policies. I have been writing short articles in Ensign and one ongoing concern of mine has been the frustration to understand that we are living in a conventional world where thinking skills have reached the very bottom, especially as I consider the mental model of President Bush Inc. Today's thinking skills are badly needed if we want to avoid a hypocritical world dominated by the power of money and the power of guns. With President Bush Inc. we don't live anymore in a democracy as this president is not able to think beyond the setting of economic and foreign policies for the benefit of his kleptocracy.
Sometime ago I mentioned that we have to learn to think in circles as all of our actions are interrelated. But President Bush is a strong president and since he has the strongest power of money and the strongest power of guns he thinks he can use these powers to quick fix the problems of the United States. So President Bush wants to stimulate the American economy by eliminating the dividend tax and by going to war against Iraq.
It is strange how similarities and patterns of inclusive relationships can be found everywhere in our daily living and yet here is a President focusing his public policies on differences and the exclusion of relationships, for examples "with us or against us," "rich versus poor" and "axis of evil versus America." The mental model of President Bush Inc. is the reflection of the so called linear thinking mentality to fix immediately problems as a direct cause effect linear relationship, for example 'A is the cause which effects B, but B is not a cause which effects A.' But our problems are interconnected and to quick fix symptomatic problems means we are going to later suffer the unintended consequences of such quick fixes. If Congress approves President Bush Inc.'s plan to eliminate the dividend tax and stimulate the economy then the economy will suffer in the long run as the rich get richer and governmental deficits cumulate. If President Bush Inc. attacks Iraq to eliminate terrorism, innocent people will be killed and more violence will cumulate in the Middle East and all over the world. We need a new way to think as the linear mentality of President Bush Inc. can only lead to a more violent world. This new way of thinking is called System Thinking, that is the ability to think in circles. Note: 1. Thinking in circles is equally expressed as reflecting on the feedback looping of our actions of our realities. 2. American Plutocracy has been lately rediscovered by historian Kevin Phillips in his book "Wealth and Democracy" and journalist George Monbiot has re-labeled this plutocracy as American Kleptocracy in his recent article "Act now against war." References Pertinent articles published in Ensign Richardson, George P.Feedback Thought in Social Science and Systems Theory Pegasus Communications, 1991 & 1999, p. 2 http://www.albany.edu/~gpr/ http://www.clexchange.org/ftp/conference/cle_2000/Keynote%20-%20Richardson.pdf Kuttner, Robert ,Bogus Stimulus. Bush's plan will benefit the wealthy -- but not the economy The American Prospect Online, January 8, 2003 http://www.prospect.org/webfeatures/2003/01/kuttner-r-01-08.html MacAskill, Ewen Straw admits oil is key priority , diplomatic editor, January 7, 2003, The Guardian http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,869867,00.html The System Dynamics Society http://www.albany.edu/cpr/sds/