A DIFFERENT WINDOW; A MODEL OF DEMOCRACY

The amount spent in the United States on education, job training, employment, community development, health, and social services is $59 billion less than the amount spent for the military.

In his book, Planethood, Ken Keys Jr states, "Every year the people of this world are taxed $1,000,000,000,000 for military purposes."

Can you imagine what it would be like if the United States used only a portion of the money spent on armaments on health, education, and ecology instead of weapons?

The book, Planethhood, is a non-copyrighted book. The author has declared that neither he nor the publisher will every make a cent from the book. If you are interested in the idea of a world free from the threat of war, I urge you to read the book with an open mind and a searching heart. It is available from Love Line Books, 700 Commercial Avenue, Coos Bay, Ore. 97420, or call 1-800-545-7810 for a list of this and other books available from the same publisher.

Dwight D. Eisenhower said, "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in a final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed-those who are cold and not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone-it is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children."

Is there a country that is truly democratic? Is there a country that has peace as its main objective? Is there a country that is willing to prove to its people that they are it's most important commodity?

There is one country in all the world that is considered by many to be a model of democracy. According to one source this country is "the global leader for peace and human rights."

I'm not going to tell you which country is the model of democracy. The purpose of this column is to excite you, make you curious, get you to explore and search for answers.

Here are a few hints to help you figure out the answer.

Although hundreds of thousands of refuges enter this country yearly it is politically stable. It has been relatively free of the violence that has disrupted life for its closest neighbors.

The Communist party has been outlawed but all adult citizens, even members of the Communist party, have the right to vote. The power of this country is concentrated in the emerging middle class rather than the large land owning class.

In this country great emphasis is placed on education. It's literacy rate, an estimated 95 percent, is one of the highest in the world. Primary and secondary education are free. The board of its largest university is made up of professors and students. The government is obligated to donate a percentage of the budget of the Ministers of Education to the university for operating expenses. This country takes pride in having more teachers that law enforcers and more schools than police barracks.

This country has a national health plan and a very low infant mortality rate. Living standards are high in comparison to its neighboring countries.

The basis of the economy is agriculture yet there is a very low unemployment rate. Although this country has received loans and grants from larger countries, its 1995 budget showed revenues of 2.4 billion and expenditures of 2.6 billion.

Great importance is put on the preservation of wildlife and natural vegetation. The people and the government feel it is their duty to care for their natural resources and preserve them for the world. They feel it is their responsibly to be "the guardians of a treasure for humanity." School children regularly visit national parks and are taught to cherish and honor nature. According to a statement by one of it's political leaders, n We are committed to a society that is at peace not only with itself, but also with nature.

The people of this country feel a kinship with each other and a sense of equality. They are proud of the emphasis on public education, public health, cooperation, an impartial judicial system, and its capacity to find peaceful solutions. They are proud of the fact that they can see the need for compromise and are willing to compromise.

I'm sure you know by now that your first guess was wrong. This country is not the United States of America. In fact, this country is smaller that our state of West Virginia and has a population comparable to Arkansas. The countries that border it have been scenes of unrest and wars for many years yet it is a country at peace. This country "has enjoyed relative peace because they are free from the violence producing characteristic of their neighbors." Their neighbors are "ruled by powerful elites that have refused to allow grassroots participation or meaningful social or economic reform." The source further states, "The probability of violent conflict is remote. Elite flexibility, a participatory democratic system and a relatively equal society make violence both unattractive and unlikely."

I have saved the most amazing fact for last. In 1948 the president of this model country abolished the army. For his action he has received the Nobel Peace Prize. This country, that is in middle of countries that have been in conflict for generations, has no army! The government decided to invest the vast sums of money needed to support the military on education, health and preservation of natural resources.

Can you imagine a world where there are no armies and no threats of war? Can you imagine the amount of money that would be available for solving the problems we have now? Can you see the great minds that are being used to develop weapons being used instead to create peaceful settlements for conflict? Remember; if we can imagine it, we can do it. We, the people, can demand the right to live with dignity in a healthy environment free from the threat of war.

When you find out the answer to the question, ~"Which country is the model of democracy?", write me in care of this newspaper. I'll let you know how many people responded and how many were right. The prize for the correct answer will be a more open mind and new ideas.