Is Democracy Dead? What will YOU do to save it?

[dfgrbac]

Much has been said lately about the massive corruption of our democratic system. Books have been written and have become best sellers. This documentation of corruption even goes back to the 1930s when General Smedley Butler wrote WAR IS A RACKET. This does a lot for the people who care enough about what goes on to buy a book, but what about those who just go about their lives ignorant of all this? Well, even they are being drawn into the discussion under the current circumstances as family members are placed in harms way by unnecessary wars done for the profit of the few (as General Butler put it in 1936, and is so true today). It is for those who just pay attention every four years that I am dedicating this article.

Those who pay little attention to national and international details, leaving it to their elected representatives, don't even know they are being fed a line of bull in the mass media. With this disconnect of the people from the actions of their government, our "elected representatives" are free to do whatever they wish. And without pressure from the people to do the right thing (since the people are not even aware of what is going on), others with the means and money to know are able to push their special interest desires on "our" representatives. Not only are U.S. citizens not aware of what is going on, but they are actually mislead by an onslaught of one-sided corporate propaganda by the dominating right-wing talk radio. The corporate media won't even let a show with an alternate point of view take hold. As soon as it shows it is catching on, they cancel it.

The funny thing about "special interests" is that both major political parties use that term to slander the other. The reality is that there are actually more than simply two sides. There are multitudes of issues that concern the public, and these issues fall all over the spectrum, not just on one side or the other.

Take NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) for an example. Most unions felt this would be disastrous to American workers. But the unions were ignored by "our representatives" and the big business lobbies were embraced as both Democrats and Republicans heralded the passage as a profound moment in history during the Clinton Administration. NAFTA has been a disaster for everyone - even our own government - except for the powerful corporations who are profiting immensely from it. And the corporate media has been lambasting union principles for decades as major corporations do all they can to stop unions and justice for workers. Although unions have had to deal with corruption of their own, it is only through mass public strength (such as unions and public interest groups) that we, the people, can balance the tremendous power of multibillion dollar corporations - which have more clout than most countries, and their aim is to control the world! Gore Vidal made clear the Imperial ambitions in DREAMING WAR.

If what I have said is news to you, I hope you will inform yourself by following the links I have provided.

So, are you ready to do something about this and work for democracy to combat corporate rule over humanity? We, the people, have a unique opportunity right now to empower ourselves to counter the enormous power corporations have over us. And all you are required to do is vote and support it. It is the National Initiative for Democracy. In the first comment to this thread, I will detail some of the major features to this citizens empowerment legislation.

[dfgrbac]

1. The National Initiative for Democracy

Former U.S. Senator Mike Gravel of Alaska submitted a bill for a national voter initiative while he served in the Senate. The establishment wanted nothing to do with empowering citizens and it, therefore, failed. Since then Senator Gravel has been dedicated to establishing voter initiative legislation for all Americans. Although many states have a form of voter initiatives, they all have problems in that voters don't have control of the process. In the National Initiative for Democracy, citizens will have control of the process!

One of the biggest problems with current initiatives is the financing of campaigns for and against these initiatives. There are no restrictions on corporations and their lobbies, but there are often restrictions on the citizens supporting initiatives. The National Initiative for Democracy (NI4D, founded by Senator Gravel) would outlaw any campaign financing from other than individual citizens. This would level the field for the first time for supporters and opponents of proposed legislation.

Some citizens are intimidated by the idea of having legislative responsibility. They would rather pass on government responsibility to representatives and (as Al Pacino's character in Donnie Brosko, Lefty, said) forget about it. Well, anyone paying attention lately can see what happens when we "forget about it"! We lose our pensions! We lose our money in stock fraud! We lose our education for our children and our civilian infrastructure crumbles as our taxes are poured into military buildup - or corporate boondoggles like sports stadiums! We lose our lives as terrorists react to U.S. aggression! And although families of 9/11 ask - beg - for answers, the government drags its heels on investigations!

NI4D makes citizens legislation easy, so there is no reason to be intimidated. NI4D would create a completely independent government agency called The Electoral Trust that would do most of the hard work for us. We, the people, could submit our suggestions for legislation through petitions or other means. A show of significant public interest would be required. The Electoral Trust would completely research the pros and cons of the idea and write the technical language for us. After gathering the results of research, public debate forums would be set up between supporters and opponents of the legislation. Of course, these forums would be completely open for citizens and news media to attend. After all debating was done, summaries would be written in simple language and distributed to all citizens for their understanding and votes.

Ease of voting is a prime concern in NI4D, and they want to work for Internet voting procedures that are not hackable and are verifiable. Obviously, much work needs to be done on this before Internet voting can be reliable. The problems with electronic voting are well recognized by the NI4D founders although they are using Internet voting to start this initiative process. They assure us that all votes will be verified, and more secure methods will be used as NI4D catches on with the public.

The Constitutionality of NI4D has been well researched by experts.

Don't let your country be ruled by leaders with their own agenda. Vote for The National Initiative for Democracy!

[rock]

2. Democracy is self-correcting

I think it's due for a minor adjustment this election. Of course, I'm also doing what I can. For example contributing to DU and Dem candidates.

[dfgrbac]

3. If only that were true.

If you read the links in my article, you see that corruption is so deep that replacing our elected representatives is not likely to have much impact - just as it hasn't for the past century. We, the people, cannot let them continue to write blank checks for themselves and their buddies from our tax money while our interests are ignored.

[TXvote]

4. It's all about the people

Ok, so the corruption may appear to be a giant brick wall, but even in Berlin we saw what time and determination can manifest against overwhelming odds. There are many workable solutions in the long run including restructuring the electoral system, and clean campaigns (already successful in NM) among others. In my opinion, the key is to reinvolve the citizens and teach them their rights and responsibilities as such. We run the risk of losing these newly active people to heartbreak, but I believe we can maintain thier involvement if we are honest about the task at hand. There is a lot of work to do. That does not mean it cannot be done.

For my part, I developed VoterVirgin: Everybody's Doin' It In '04 a marketing tool for the public to embrace and register new voters (as well as re-embrace the disenfranchised). There are hundreds if not thousands of other people who are creating their own campaigns and tools to increase participation and awareness. America has come alive with creative resources and communities addressing our future. It is a beautiful time to care and hope springs eternal as long as we are breathing.

As far as the premise that nothing will change if we elect new leadership, that's the most pessimistic unconstructive opinion I hear today. Cynicism is guaranteed to keep us in this rut. And anyone that believes BushCo will not make this exponentially worse if re-elected is dangerously niave. Remember all those people who said "what harm can he do in 4 years"? New leadership is essential to the well being of the world, even if they are imperfect.

[dfgrbac]

5. Absolutely, we need new leadership!

That will help, but it won't be a solution. We need citizen empowerment from the local to the national level to shake loose corporate power over our lives. After the abuses of the 1920s and the crash of 1929, our representatives did implement laws to protect and empower workers. But "our representatives" have been steadily removing those protections since then. Depending on our representatives is a future of continual corporate dominance over us. Any change for the better brings a change soon for the worse. This back and forth status quo is not acceptable.

Also, see Corporate Corruption - legalized robbery!

I don't think it is cynical to see a rut that is insurmountable. We need to recognize when greater efforts are needed to remove obstacles to a future of peace and security.