World Government: The UN’s Procrustean Bed

On September 15, 2015, the General Assembly of the UN adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In its words, “This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity.” In other words, it’s central planning.

In its words, it is a “collective journey”, otherwise known as collectivization.

Soviet ideas and ways haven’t died. The UN chooses goals centrally, for everyone. Individuality be damned.

The UN knows the PC (politically correct) truth and promulgates it. One Procrustean bed fits all.

The member states of the UN reach for ever greater use of the failed methods of centralized power, planning and social control. This is the 21st century version of the GREAT LEAP FORWARD.

The Preamble spells out the UN goals. Like every collectivist, every communist, every fascist, every socialist, every advocate of centralized political power, it is not difficult to make a list of goals. The U.S. Constitution has such goals. The goal of these goals is to rally support. It is to foster a sense of legitimacy of the central power that is laying down the framework by which laws and controls will be enacted and spread.

Iron fists are hidden behind such preambles: Programs, taxes, bureaucratic controls of funds and content, regulations. Procrustean beds are constructed step by step.

Real world goals do not exist as the kinds of separate and elevated abstractions that the UN is promoting. The UN calls for “eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions”. It calls for “protect[ing] the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production.” The UN proposes “to ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives and that economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature.”

This kind of centralized goal-setting doesn’t recognize the facts of economic life. Every aspect of human action is constrained by limitations. Everything has a cost. One goal must be traded off against other goals. Choices depend on the urgency of needs and wants. Uncertainty about methods and outcomes is endemic to human choices. Human beings advance in ways far beyond the limited ken of UN bureaucrats making declarations.

The UN member states do not know how to achieve their goals or whether they are in any sense right goals in the face of realities. They think that power triumphs over economic realities. They think that they know enough to use global power to manufacture human happiness. Their theory is wrong and huge amounts of human history show that it’s wrong. Centralized power administered by monopoly government diverts resources into waste, graft, monopoly enterprises, failed projects, wars and corruption. The result is greater misery of the many at the expense of greater wealth for the few.

The UN has adopted an extensive VISION, much of it familiar:

“We envisage a world free of poverty, hunger, disease and want, where all life can thrive. We envisage a world free of fear and violence. A world with universal literacy. A world with equitable and universal access to quality education at all levels, to health care and social protection, where physical, mental and social well-being are assured. A world where we reaffirm our commitments regarding the human right to safe drinking water and sanitation and where there is improved hygiene; and where food is sufficient, safe, affordable and nutritious. A world where human habitats are safe, resilient and sustainable and where there is universal access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy.”

And there is more, much, much more, such as this:

“We will work for a significant increase in investments to close the gender gap and strengthen support for institutions in relation to gender equality and the empowerment of women at the global, regional and national levels. All forms of discrimination and violence against women and girls will be eliminated, including through the engagement of men and boys. The systematic mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the implementation of the Agenda is crucial.”

The UN declares that it has THE vision in every sphere of human life. Everyone must get in line with it and get on board.

The role of freely-acting individuals interacting freely goes unmentioned in the UN vision. The capacity of freely-acting human beings to ameliorate the problems of discrimination, ignorance and violence goes unmentioned in the UN vision. The UN knows all and does all. Freedom, free trade, free markets, property rights, free cooperation, individual initiatives, creation of opportunities, discoveries and invention go unmentioned. The UN’s document is what you would expect to come from a government that’s composed of members who know only one tool: power.

There is absolutely no recognition in this document of what kinds of human arrangements actually promote advances and what kinds promote retrogression. The document implicitly assumes that centralized goal-setting and uses of power by member states are unquestionably good things.

There is not the slightest recognition in this document of the limitations of power, the drawbacks of power, the immorality of power and the evils of power.

There is not the slightest analysis of the roots of the human condition or the problems we face and have always faced. There is no recognition or use made of history. There is no recognition of the contributions of member states and governments to the problems that are mentioned.

For such an important document that aims to reshape global government for the next 15 years, the degree of superficiality is notable. Yet that superficiality is exactly what we expect of any government by the nature of the arrangements by which we institute them.

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8:34 am on March 10, 2016