What is on my mind is the coming election. The massive and obscene amount of money being spent to elect people who are then beholden to the big money donors. Some of these positions will impact the entire country, and we are electing people whose only thought is to get elected. Once they are elected then their main concern is to re-elected!! Don’t we owe it to our country to try to do a better job of picking a candidate, and then requiring that they actually work for the citizens of our country.
The quote above comes from, of all people, my mother. The reason I’m writing about it is that she’s spot on…and it says a lot about why this country is where it is.
It’s become impossible to ignore the growing mountain of evidence pointing to the reality that America is no longer a democracy. Two Princeton researchers looked at our political system and asked a very simple question: “Who really rules?”
The answer to that question is as simple as it is complex and disturbing. As envisioned by the Founding Father, American governance was to be predicated on “one man, one vote.” Each citizen would have a voice in who represented their interests. That’s about as basic as it gets, and it should have been enough to see our democracy evolve and mature. Unfortunately, when human beings are involved, any process or system will eventually and inevitably be corrupted. So it is with American democracy.
The answer to “Who really rules?” is far different today than it would have been in the early days of the Republic. Today, “one man, one vote” represents a commodity that’s available to the highest bidder. If it’s true that power corrupts, and that absolute power is kinda fun, there will be people willing to do whatever it takes to obtain and/or control that power. Today, those folks are people like Sheldon Adelson, the Koch Brothers, and the Walton family, people with the means to purchase the government they want several times over.
American governance today is less democracy than it is a admixture of idiocracy, plutocracy, and oligarchy. Wealthy, self-interested captains of industry use their money to buy influence, control the media, and propagandize low-information voters- and those who just don’t care- into voting against their interests.
The question now is distressingly simple: How do we take our country back?
I think it is time to establish some educational requirements. We have elected some people whose only accomplishment is to stick their foot in their mouths, by coming out with absolutely stupid statements. Do you remember the “legitimate rape” comment, or the “a woman’s body has the ability to stop a pregnancy”!! These statements were uttered by “men” who were elected to the Congress.
Every job you have ever applied for has required certain educational or training requirements. But we don’t require , anything except the ability to get elected of our leaders. Shouldn’t they have to show proof that they are capable of reasoned thought, that they are concerned about someone other than themselves? This is not about Republicans or Democrats, it is about the very survival of our country.
Please think carefully before you vote next Tuesday. But, REMEMBER to vote. This is our duty as citizens. Don’t just gripe about things, do something positive.
Mom’s not a politician or even a political scientist, but her ideas are straightforward and eminently reasonable. In era when stupid people elect stupid people, it stands to reason that some sort of minimum requirement should exist for those who wish to run for office. Or are we really to be OK with mental and moral midgets like Louie Gohmert, David Stockman, Michelle Bachmann, etc., ad nauseum, ad infinitum? Shouldn’t we be able to expect that those wanting to run for office are sufficiently qualified and capable (not to mention intelligent) enough to perform the duties of the office they’d pursue? If you apply for a job, there’s normally a screening and interview process required before a hiring decision is made. Why should elective office be any different?
I’m not going to pretend to have or know the details of what I’m proposing. I’m still in the idea stages, and it will require a good deal of public conversation to come up with a system that allows us to expect- nay, demand- competence in those who’d seek to represent us.
Perhaps along with this, we might want to take a look at the deleterious effect the billions invested in our “democracy” by the 1% has had on the political process.
To think that American governance has been irretrievably lost to the corrupt, the wealthy, and the stupid would be to hand a victory to the enemies of democracy. I have to believe that we can take it back…but before we can do that, four things need to happen:
We need to come up with a way to ensure political candidates meet certain minimum requirements. Exactly what those requirement should be will need to be the subject of considerable discussion and debate.
We need to reduce the amount and corrupting power of money in politics. Despite what the Supreme Court says, corporations should not be considered to be people. Nor should the 1% be able to purchase the government they wish to see in order to protect their interests.
Perhaps most importantly, we need to find a way to counter the impact of news outlets like Fox News Channel. When ideology drives journalism, we all suffer…and Fox News has turned “fair and balanced” into a farcical exercise in promoting a fair right-wing agenda in the name of objective journalism.
Americans need to take their government seriously. It’s hypocritical to complain about the quality of government and our elected representatives when you can’t be bothered to educate yourself and vote. Democracy can only survive when people participate- and participation is only worthwhile if you pay attention and educate yourself about issues and candidates. Otherwise, all we’re left with is stupid people electing stupid people…which is how we’ve arrived at where we are today.
As Mom said, it begins with what you do next Tuesday. None of this will be worth a tinker’s damn if good, decent, intelligent, well-informed people decline to vote. Reclaiming our democracy can’t begin unless we participate. Whatever you do, please…remember to vote- and before you go to your polling place, take the time to learn for yourself. Turn off your television and educate yourself.
Trust me; you don’t want me sending my mother after you….
