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United States Congress: A Graveyard for Democracy and Justice
The editor of The Hill, a newspaper exclusively covering Congress, said that Congress was not going to do very much in 2012, except for "the big bill" which is extending the payroll tax cut and unemployment compensation, which expire in late February. That two month extension will likely reignite the fight between Democrats and Republicans that flared last month.
In 2012, Congress, the editor implied, would be busy electioneering. That is, the Senators and Representatives will be busy raising money from commercial interests so they can keep their jobs. There won't be much time to change anything about misallocated public budgets, unfair tax rules, undeclared costly wars, and job-depleting trade policies that, if fixed, would increase employment and public investment.
So this year, Congress will spend well over $3 billion on its own expenses to do nothing of significance other than shift more debt to individual taxpayers by depleting the social security payroll tax by over $100 billion so both parties can say they enacted a tax cut! That is what the Democrats in Congress and the President call a significant accomplishment.
Will someone call a psychiatrist? This is a Congress that is beyond dysfunctional. It is an obstacle to progress in America, a graveyard for both democracy and justice. No wonder a new Washington Post-ABC news poll found an all time high of 84 percent of Americans disapprove of the job Congress is doing.
Both Republicans and Democrats say they want to reduce the deficit. But they are avoiding, in varying degrees, doing this in any way that would discomfort the rich and powerful. One would think that, especially in an election year, the following legislative agenda would be very popular with the voters.
First, restore the taxes on the rich that George W. Bush cut ten years ago which expanded the deficit. So clueless are the Democrats that they have not learned to use the word "restore" instead of the Republican word "increase" when talking about taxes that were previously cut for the millionaires and billionaires.
Second, collect unpaid taxes. The IRS estimates that $385 billion of tax revenues are not collected yearly. If the IRS budget increased and more people were hired, every dollar it spent would return $200 from tax evaders, including corporations and the wealthy. When taxes are not collected, the large majority of honest taxpayers are left with the unfair consequences. Imagine that money being applied to jobs that repair our crumbling public works.
Third, end the outrageous corporate loopholes that allow profitable large corporations to pay just half of the statutory tax rate of thirty-five percent. More than a few pay less than five percent and many pay zero on major profits. During a recent three year period, according to the Citizens for Tax Justice, a dozen major corporations such as Verizon and Honeywell paid no taxes on many billions of profits, and the legendary tax escapee, General Electric, managed to pay zero and even receive billions in benefits from the U.S. Treasury.
Fourth, do what most U.S. soldiers in the field have believed should have been done years ago--get out of Afghanistan and Iraq and nearby countries like Kuwait where thousands of U.S. soldiers based in Iraq have moved.
Fifth, to increase consumer demand, which creates jobs, raise the federal minimum wage from the present level of $7.25--which is $2.75 less than it was way back in 1968, adjusted for inflation--to $10 per hour. Businesses who keep raising prices and executive salaries (eg. Walmart and McDonalds) since 1968 should be reminded of their windfall in that period.
In addition, President Obama can urge mutual and pension funds and individual shareholders to demand higher dividends from companies like EMC, Google, Apple, Cisco, Oracle and others firms hoarding two trillion dollars in cash as if this money was the corporate bosses', not the owner-shareholders. More dividends, more consumer demand, more jobs.
Want to know why Congress doesn't make such popular and prudent decisions for the American people? Because the people are not objecting to all the power that their Congressional representatives and their corporate allies have sucked away from them. Because the people are not putting teeth and time into the "sovereignty of the people" expressed in the preamble to our Constitution which begins with "We the people," not "We the corporation."
So citizens, it's your choice. If you don't demand a say day after day, you'll continue to pay day after day.
By the way, the Congressional switchboard number is 202-224-3121.
100 Comments so far
Show Allall wonderful suggestions. tax the rich, end corporate loopholes, decrease military spending, collect unpaid taxes, increase the minimum wage.
ever wonder why the major polling companies (84% disapprove of congress) never ask the follow up question.
considering congress is doing such a disservice to the american people, would you consider supporting a constitutional convention to create a new system of government that's more responsive to the needs of the people ?
i'm curious, after OWS this fall and the dismal choices in the federal elections this year, if most americans would say: "sure what the hell, let's scrap it and start from scratch...." i guess you'd never know the answer to that question if it was never posed.
...peace...
I would never mess with the Constitution. It may have unforeseen consequences.
i understand your reservations, but what have been the direct consequences of our constitution 200 odd years down the road ? imperial rule, incredible inequity of wealth, indefinite detentions w/out trial....
the founders (who i agree were the direct beneficiaries of the system they created) realized the people and the citizens of the country are more valuable than the institutions themselves. if our system is antiquated; benefiting the rich at the expense of the poor, violating civil liberties and international standards of decency - perhaps we could consider creating a more equitable system, or at least be willing to ask the american people if they would consider such a convention.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"History, in general, only informs us what bad government is." - Thomas Jefferson
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself." - John Adams
"If ever time should come, when vain and aspiring men shall possess the highest seats in Government, our country will stand in need of its experienced patriots to prevent its ruin." - Samuel Adams
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!" -Benjamin Franklin
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
...peace...
I'd be willing to scrap it, up to the preamble (promote general welfare, establish justice, provide for our common DEFENSE) which, as the mission statement, can't be improved upon. All of the rest is amendable anyway. So yeah. Scrap it. Dept of General Welfare, Public Works, & Economics, incuding a nat'l infrastructure bank like North Dakota's; Dept of Justice; Dept of Defense. Scrap the Senate. Have a Congress of Representatives (upper house) and a General assembly of citizens (lower house, numbering in the thousands), online-connected, 24/7, to Local Assemblies of the 3500-plus counties, or zip codes (numbering in the hundreds of thousands of citizens at any one time).
i agree... especially the point about a national infrastructure bank and direct democracy.
...peace...
And keep the "power of the purse" with the General Assembly, taking it away from the Congress of Representatives.
Ralph is misleading us when he says "clueless Democrats should call for RESTORING taxes rather than mimicking the GOP's term of INCREASING taxes."
The Democrats have adopted the GOP's language not because they are clueless, but because the Democratic Party's mission is to get more money from the same corporations that fund the GOP.
"The Democrats have adopted the GOP's language not because they are clueless, but because the Democratic Party's mission is to get more money from the same corporations that fund the GOP."
Ray; you've been around long enough to know that some are clueless because all they can think about is their re-election to Congress. These are the idiots who don't know what the hell is going on in the bills they sign because it doesn't matter to them. All they care about is their re-election and paychecks that come from "We the Suckers" who pay them to be parasites.
.......Most are just slime but others are simply clueless and ignorant of the repercussions of their votes, because they haven't read the bills beforehand. These are the idiots who can't think beyond their nose.
.......Bottom line: Either way, they don't give-a-$hit, as long as they're living comfortably on our tax dollars.
.......
I think that there is not much difference between the parties anymore. As consolidation of power has taken place by the big corporations I would say that they are the owners and power brokers of our country. The politicians are useless except to keep the people in the US yelling and screaming at each other as if we were at a very tough football game.
The demos and repubs have got to come together and destroy this power. Somehow the politicians have got to make our wishes as a people known and voted on. Our votes are getting to be worth less and less because the Corporate power controls so much. "When Corporations Rule the World" by Korten has now come to pass.
Glad to see Ralph Nader making sensible comments. Glad to see CD.
"The demos and repubs have got to come together and destroy this power."
If the "demos and repubs" you refer to are the little guys, the first thing they have to do is stop voting for the Demos and Repubs! These Turkeys have no interest in destroying this power - they are the ones who have been feeding it!
There are some folks who the corps don't control (which is why you don't see these folks on the MSM) - choose them, for Pete's (and casfoto's) sake!
http://www.jillstein.org
Some fine sentiments, and hope for those of us who are feeling particularly powerless these days. Also, the quotes from "founding fathers" are well-worth keeping in mind, as well as being great talking points when "confronting" those of a different persuasion.
You pose an interesting question: Is it better to confront the forces of chaos, or retreat and let them burn themsleves out. Tolstoy had some intresting thoughts about how Russia confronted Napoleon in 1812. Any thoughts of creating a new and "more equitable system" should consider the dilemna of the Russian Generals who decided to abandon Moscow to the French. They chose to rebuild from ashes, while the French had not even ashes to sustain them in their ruin.
If the Republican primaries reveal anything, it must be how deep in their own ashes these stalwarts of the right are plodding. Soon, they will start inhaling their own ashes.
Democracy, and Capitalism, is in the process of wasting, exhausting and murdering itself. Should we participate in the cremation of the corpse, or simply wait and sweep up the ashes? I'm far to old to think I'll see the ultimate result. But, it brings a smile to think about it.
hell, why not? "it's just a goddamn piece of paper"....
hello blackbird, winter has finally arrived in our neck of the woods, eh?
Your suggestion of a constitutional convention is interesting, but I think we need to end the dominance of money prior to that strategy or the outcome could be disastrous,.
At this low point in our history I think it is a daunting challenge simply to defend the Bill of Rights, which is being dismantled as we speak. Imo, the Constitution contains many of the tools we need for progress, the problem is that our govt "representatives ," bought and paid for by the oligarchy, ignore or contradict the Constitution.
Have you noticed the absence of eagles this winter, normally we have huge flocks, this year only a few.
iowapinko,
"I think it is a daunting challenge simply to defend the Bill of Rights, which is being dismantled as we speak"
and the supreme court is stacked against the interests of the common person.
"Imo, the Constitution contains many of the tools we need for progress, the problem is that our govt "representatives ," bought and paid for by the oligarchy, ignore or contradict the Constitution."
the constitution also created a bifurcated house which makes it more challenging to pass legislation, as the overlords in the senate have a chance to overrule the people. also, i don't exactly know how to remove money from politics w/out working with politicians that are bought and sold by special (often corporate) influence. hence, it's a paradox. if we have to go to the trouble of passing an amendment (say to counter citizens united), which would take damn near as much effort as calling a constitutional convention, why not just go for the whole enchilada.
i agree that representative government is a good thing, but as many have noted here on these pages - the population of the united states has grown exponentially since the founding of the country and the ratio of federal legislators to citizens has expanded to such a degree that congresspeople only respond to the special interests (they've forgotten about their constituents).
as to the bill of rights ?? it seems that the bill of rights, as it exists, has been trodden over numerous times in our history at the whims of the powerful. (alien/sedition act 1918, detention of japanese americans and conscientious objectors ww2, COINTELPRO, patriot act and now the ndaa). is it still meaningful ? i guess. could we create a more meaningful codification of our rights ? i think so, UN universal declaration of human rights.
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
it's merely a suggestion (talking point), one that the american people shouldn't be shielded from. again, just curious how americans would answer this question.
as to winter/iowa/weather. i've been living in southern puget sound the past 2.5 years (haven't changed screen name). last night, in olympia, wa, we had 14" of snow - which isn't a big deal in the rockies or in the upper midwest, but it was a big deal to folks who live in w washington.
i miss the eagles along the cedar river (near the dams outside of cedar rapids). there's one bald eagle that lives near the salt water downtown. i see him (mature male) occasionally near the sound (he competes w/ seals for fish). i also have made friends w/ a great blue heron that perches near the salmon ladders. iowa is an amazing place as well, especially the thunder storms - good luck w/ the cool temps this week.
w/...
...peace...
blackbird,
I appreciate your thoughtful responses. I still believe that the extraction of $$$ from the political processes in the US is the key to progress. You are absolutely correct that the established powers have created almost impenetrable barriers blocking this goal. Of course, they make the rules. And I think progressives/the left are congregating and strategizing around the barricades. We don't seem to have a plan yet. But the conversation is on and the rabble are growing in number.
Nice chat blackbird, sorry you've left iowa.
iowapinko:
You post -- "We don't seem to have a plan yet." As to
possible plans, a distinction should be made between
short-term plans and longer-term plans. If we assume
that nothing catastrophic happens in the short-term
(say, 2012-2016) to disrupt the status-quo, not much is
going to be effected by any plan. The congress, as well
as the two other branches, will stay under the thumbs of
big money men. A longer-term plan, which we should be
working toward now, has better prospects. I would offer
two suggestions for a longer-term plan.
First, we should work for and in a major third political party.
[A third party was born previously in U.S. history; that was
the once-vital Republican GOP.] Our new third party should
have a platform that would meet the needs of the people
sufficiently, so that it could become a major party.
Second, we should demand that the new third party enforce
severe restrictions on it's candidates' raising funds for their
campaigns. This goal can be achieved because the internet
changes everything about the efforts of a movement. [Just
consider what we're involved in with Common Dreams site.]
A candidate for congress could quite easily seek votes via
web site(s). I'm just waiting for someone to try that, and win.
I advise that We The People not expect changes worthy of
our expectations to be achieved sooner than 4 years; look
toward the 2016 elections. Nevertheless, with patience the
change will come. In life, change is ever present. We must
just work to direct that change toward a good outcome.
"First, we should work for and in a major third political party."
All parties start out small - the way to make them "major" is to support and vote for them ..
"Our new third party should have a platform that would meet the needs of the people sufficiently, .......we should demand that the new third party enforce severe restrictions on it's candidates' raising funds for their campaigns."
Well, voila! we have: http://www.jillstein.org
"We The People not expect changes worthy of our expectations to be achieved sooner than 4 years; "
We probably can't get "it all" in less than 4 years but we can make a real dent and shake things up in '12 ...
Hi Iowablackbird
I'm a bit north of you on Camano Island. 20 Degrees and still snowing, third straight day. When it starts to break up, they say we'll have freezing rain and snow mixed.
What fun! Eh?
"i don't exactly know how to remove money from politics w/out working with politicians that are bought and sold by special (often corporate) influence."
Well, here's a suggestion:
http://www.jillstein.org
iowablackbird,
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights would be a great document to use in a new US government. Unfortunately, it would never be adopted by this current government and has not been approved by the US Congress so far as I know. As you state, our own, much less expansive Bill of Rights is routinely ignored by our so-called "leaders," and, if we are truthful, many Americans don't give a sh*t about it as long as they have enough free time and disposable income to do what they want to do in their free time. In short, the moribundity of our nation is systematic and its cause(s) cannot be isolated in one institution, such as Congress, or the Courts. An educated, informed public is the necessary precondition for any democracy, and to be fully implemented, the UNDHR would require some sort of social democracy with a high social wage so that people could have the leisure required to be informed citizens rather than mere worker-consumer cogs in the societal machine. But we are nowhere near this state, as the last vestiges of social democracy (Social Security and Medicare) in the US are constantly under attack.
I think many Americans at present, given their miseducated, propagandized state, having lived their whole lives in a society that does NOT value education, or critical thinking skills, or vigilant citizenship, would find the UNDHR too "socialistic," inasmuch as it guarantees the right to unionize, the right to health care, the right to leisure, etc.--none of which rights really exist in the US at present.
I also think that any new constitution, or revised one, would have to take account of media, and to the perniciousness of a media owned by a handful of corporations and the impossibility of the general public being adequately informed in such a situation. The first amendment guarantees that the right of a free press shall not be abridged, if memory serves. In the US, "freedom of the press" has come to mean freedom to BUY your own press, but the Founders did not intend it that way. It was intended to mean something more along the lines of, A democratic marketplace of ideas being fundamental to a functioning democracy, the freedom of the press shall not be abridged. It was thought at the time that GOVERNMENT was the primary threat to a free press, as it often has been; however, PRIVATE conglomerations of power are also a terrible threat to a free press, and the US has descended to its current depraved level of political discourse (watch any Republican debate for evidence) in no small measure due to the fact that a handful of large corporations own most broadcast and print media in this country. Any new constitution must MANDATE a vibrant, PUBLICLY OWNED media that is decentralized, citizen controlled, and COMPETITIVE with private media. A Truth Commission must be established, to determine if media have served the public interest; or demonstrated journalistic integrity. As it currently stands, the "public" broadcasting is not PERMITTED to be competitive with private broadcasting. This makes no sense, particularly since the quality of public broadcasting is superior by far to the inane tripe that constitutes most private broadcasting.
Until we solve the media problem we will not solve most of our other problems. A population perpetually subject to corporate propaganda cannot long remain free. A "free media" within the current context of monopoly capitalism in the US is an oxymoron.
The media problem will not be solved until we solve the money problem and that won't be solved until we put in folks who have a real interest in solving it - that leaves out the Ds and Rs. The current system serves them very well indeed ....
You want money out? Put better folks in ...
http://www.jillstein.org
Well, yes and no. I agree and I've been voting third party since 1980, the first election I could vote in. But things have only gotten worse and worse, because the corporate oligarchy has a stranglehold on the two-party system, on the presidential debate commission, on the media, etc., effectively making it impossible for third parties to compete.
The only 3rd party bids for president that were at all competitive in my lifetime was Ross Perot's, and that's because he was a billionaire. So on the other hand it is silly to pretend that 'if we all just voted for better people, all our problems would be solved.' It ought to be clear that the deck is stacked against us, and it is intended to exclude progressives.
So we need a genuinely revolutionary politics, and party, one that can carry the aspirations of the 99%....it must be rooted in direct action, non-violent civil disobedience (like OWS) and at the same time work to create a coalition party of all the disparate parties out there around the issue of getting money out of politics and building democratic institutions (i.e., ranked choice voting, and abolishing the requirements that make it so hard for 3rd parties to get in debates and on ballots).
The problem on the left is there is never any coalition building and so you end up with several splinter parties that SHOULD get together and form one party. I'm not crazy about the Greens because they are a pro-capitalist party and I see nothing about global capitalism which makes me think it is either (a) significantly reformable in its predatory practices or (b) compatible with developing a sustainable human culture on planet earth; but I can STILL work with Greens because they do support efforts toward greater genuine democratization.
"'if we all just voted for better people, all our problems would be solved.'"
Hmmm, don't recall suggesting that -
After Ross scared the duopoly - their anti 3rd party meme machine started churning out their propaganda. So now we have 1) "can't win" - which is pretty dumb when you really think about it - anyone qualified to run for office who gets on the ballot can win, with enough votes - but has been amazingly effective; I can't count the number of times i have heard folks say that either they won't consider, or won't vote for, someone they might well like because the "can't win" label has been hung around the person's neck by TPTB 2) "spoiler" - as if the 2 parties are the only ones who have a right to represent us and a 3rd party is "ruining" the right of one of these parties to win - another crock, but one which likewise works pretty well 3) "lesser of 2 evils" suggesting that all the electoral process could ever give us is "evil", so we might better pick the "lesser". This is especially insidious because it builds on the fact that that IS all the electoral process has given us for some time now, but completely ignores the concept that it doesn't have to, that, if it has, it is because of the choices we have made - and we have made those choices partly because of the power of 1) and 2), and partly as a result of treating our elections like political versions of American Idol or sports competitions where "our" team must best "theirs" even if "our" team is composed of a bunch of schmucks, instead of basing our choices on who would best represent us ...
So my argument is that as long as we accept these deliberately injected viral memes (fatal diseases, all) and give up in the face of daunting, but not impossible to overcome, obstacles, as long as we refuse to use the ballot to get folks who represent our needs and aspirations and instead choose the best the MSM has told us we can get - then we will get more of the same.
You cannot achieve what you cannot conceive - so the start is to conceive of the possibility that we can do better, much better, then set about to do it.
Those viral memes are deadly and we need to vaccinate ourselves against them - they are contagious and we spread them at our peril ...
The details are unknown, but the Rebellion will continue, and be very intense; because the oppressors will do NOTHING to help the people, or save the planet. So, as the fascist police state government is collapsing, the reality of a compassionate people and planet sensitive government will evolve as a will of the People.
What do you mean by the 'dismal choices' in the federal elections? The dismal choices are the Dimocraps and the Repukelicans. THERE ARE OTHER CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT. We do not have to choose the lesser of these two evils! You just read the article by Ralph Nader---he who is called the 'spoiler'. Did he spoil the election and our political system, or did the corporations do that? Is your 'representative' in the pocket of the big money, or does he/she vote as you want? Do you want endless wars? Do you want our tax funds to go to the banksters? Are you pleased that they did not vote in a good system of health care for ALL OF US? Do you like the vote on the NDAA that takes away our rights to a trial if accused of terrorism (what ever that means)? How do you feel about the American Army having the power to detain you as long as they want, and even be able to send you over seas for enhanced interrogation? That's how they voted...are you going to send those corrupt creatures back to Congress to do more damage to the 99% of us?
This election need not be 'dismal', it can be instead a clean sweep of all the corrupt out of Congress and a new bunch who may, or may not, be corrupt. If they are corrupt, we kick them out!! If you KNOW your representative is not voting as you want then you are making a serious mistake to vote for their re election.
I'm sorry Nader has said he will not run again. We made an error to belive in the 'hope and change' that never came. The least we must do is chuck out those creeps in Congress now. Vote NO on all incumbents! PLEASE!
"THERE ARE OTHER CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT. We do not have to choose the lesser of these two evils! "
Thank you!
Ralph isn't running, but a worthy successor, IMO, is .. Jill Stein
The Frankenstein of corporate personhood, super pacs, misinformed public -- the list goes on and on. Still believe freedom comes from the end of a gun. Still outlawing plant use like pot, cocoa and opium. Still believe in life after death. Still believe in fairy tales. Delusion was once a useful survival trait that today is the yoke we all slave under.
"Still outlawing plant use like pot, cocoa and opium." I believe you mean "coca" which is the plant from which cocaine is derived (cocoa is from which chocolate is made). And in most South American countries in which it grows it is not "outlawed", cocaine is, coca is not.
Well stated.
who knows washington or corporations better than ralph
but i think he could go a little further than he does
paul craig roberts http://www.paulcraigroberts.org/ undersecretary of the treasury under reagan put out a book last year called how the economy was lost
http://www.amazon.ca/How-Economy-Was-Lost-Worlds/dp/1849350078
"Paul Craig Roberts was assistant secretary of the Treasury during President Reagan’s first term. He was associate editor of The Wall Street Journal and has held numerous academic appointments, including the William E. Simon Chair, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Georgetown University; and Senior Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford University. He was awarded the Legion of Honor by French President François Mitterrand and is the co-author, with Lawrence M. Stratton, of The Tyranny of Good Intentions: How Prosecutors and Bureaucrats Are Trampling the Constitution in the Name of Justice"
dr roberts reckons that there can be no recovery because the jobs - amerikan jobs - are now done in overseas slave markets like china, vietnam etc
by design and often with tax money from the same congress described by ralph in this article
we the taxpayers paid for offshoring of these jobs - welfare checks in the billions picked up by the walton family who then imported this junk from china while they ruined one town after another with their big box crap
we paid these billionaires to cut our own throats
for this treasonous act the congress men and women get their campaign contributions - bribes in plain language - and ralph points out that this will be their focus for the entire year
who cares about the country
throw in a little insider trading and life is good for these fat cat on the dole on the take traitors
the beat goes on...
medmedude:
I say amen to what you said about the Waltons' ruining small towns.
I have seen it. Family-run small businesses, which would have
re-circulated their profits throughout the towns' economies, have
been replaced by "super stores", which suck up the towns' money
and send it to further enrich the Waltons. And what do customers
get? Just pick up items in the super stores and read the fine print
on the back. MANY of the items have "made in China" printed on
the back. It's the following circular process: Make the people poor
so they have to buy cheap stuff, which puts the people out of their
jobs (that have been sent to China, where they make the cheap stuff),
which loss of jobs makes the people poorer, which poverty causes
the people to have to buy more cheap stuff. And on and on, in a vile
circle that sucks the well-being out of the poor, and even out of the
once-upon-a-time middle class. I doubt that old Sam Walton would
have approved such a circular rip-off.
I check the labels on my shirts and pants. They are made in Sri Lanka and Honduras and Vietnam and and. WHAT HAPPENED? Why is a third of America living in poverty or near poverty? Why is unemployment or under employment close to 20%? Why are the 1% richer than ever while the 99% suffer? Why do we let big money control politicians?
John Corzine for POTUS. Has more govt experience than obama had, and It won't make a difference.
"John Corzine for POTUS. Has more govt experience than obama had, and It won't make a difference." Don't you mean Don Corleone?
They all remind me of a certain cruise ship captain, without exception.
Some people consider me angry for the positions I take and some of my activism. They think it is enough if I take up good liberal causes, vote Democratic and live my life as a nice person. Sometimes these people get me down. Then I listen to King's speech "A time to Break Silence," or involve myself with Occupy PDX, or organize an event-and I realize that I am not alone-that other people get it. Like Ralph, I practically puke at-well everything he wrote about. Yet, for anything of worth to take place-the underlying force must be love. Not, the phony love of corporations, politicians, or friends du jour.
One more thing- I don't care what anyone in this newsgroup/blog writes that comes in the form of a personal attack. I don't care if you seize upon a few words and then distort everything I have written, To be honest, it makes me laugh. Why? Because there are people like Ralph who backup their words with action and fundamentally get it. They may not be perfect- I am certainly not- but they give a damn-because they fundamentally love.
Thank you for putting my feelings into words in a way that I could not. There are self-appointed Big Shots on this site who have belittled me for being a Scoutmaster, and a teacher. One sanctimonious lady even accused me of posting under a new screen name, a ploy she often uses. In fact, I have been reading and posting here on CommonDreams since a year or so after W.'s junta.
Back to your point, whether I work with scouts and their parents, with kids in school or even grubbing in the dirt to maintain and expand our community garden, I do it with love in my heart for my fellow human beings. We are ALL in this together after all. Oh, and one last thing, I am a Christian. Not the kind who puffs themself up in some megachurch, but the other kind, one who seeks the Truth.
I think the bottom line is what I've been saying here more than two years. The United States died in 2008. It is a LATE nation. I have no intention whatsoever of voting in 2012 because I don't recognize the legitimacy of this government. Voting next November will not change one damn thing of importance.
The American democratic process first turned into a charade, then it morphed into a farce. It is not possible to cast a vote on the national referendum: "Democracy in the United States should be returned from a farce back into a charade."
I have characterized this condition not as a Naked Emperor but as a Decomposing Emperor. Yet Nader and Moyers and legions of contributors to Common Dreams remain deluded that tinkering under the hood of American democratic process is going to fix the condition of residents between Canada and Mexico. Hoo hah. It's broken. That smell is burnt-out ball bearings. Rods are poking through the cylinders. There's a trail of oil coming out of the pan from the driveway a half century long.
We're screwed. And our only, SMALL chance of becoming UN-screwed is to start thinking Outside-the-Box. I've proposed that next November every registered voter not merely refuse to vote, but go visit some other nation on another continent. I have proposed that this nation break into two or more nations, based upon some demographic.
And perhaps its time for someone to express this forbidden thought. In all likelihood, 200 years from now Black persons between Canada and Mexico are not going to be one iota happier than they are today, in total. That's my prediction. Did school busing work? The justice sought is psychologically unachievable, no matter what law and legislation is cooked. At intervals there have been calls for restitution for slavery. How about a Black nation made of 35 percent of the U.S. territory? As a free-thinker, political correctness rolls off me.
If we are not willing to consider ideas and alternatives beyond our knee jerk conditioned current culture, it proves my other contention - - that H. sapiens is a colossal failure - the experimental neocortex that, in the long run, didn't help.
Trylon
"Trylon"
There is only one nation. It is global. Humans think that their phony boundaries and virulent consumption of resources proves that they are superior to all other life forms and to each other.
We are vainly destroying what made us possible because we are the most insecure and desperate creature.
We do not need more nations. Separate Nationalisms are lies used to reinforce the illusion of security. It is another corrupt religion.
If I can, I will vote for the green party in the primary. This is partially because it always causes a bit of commotion at my typically complacent polling location. They look at me like I asked for a ballot from Venus. While it is a bit uncomfortable at the time, it does force the people working there to think beyond their assumptions and I get a chuckle out of it afterwards.
Not voting in 2012 will decrease voter turnout, resulting in more Republicans being elected. Your decision is only logical if you are a conservative.
But, if you vote Democratic, as 1992, 1996 & 2008 have shown, you still get conservative policy.
Voting 3rd party only decreases Democratic votes, helping to elect Republicans.
The only effect you can have by voting is to vote Republican - you still get conservative policy, but you throw the fake Democrats out of office.
"The only effect you can have by voting is to vote Republican - you still get conservative policy, but you throw the fake Democrats out of office."
I have come to the same depressing and frightening conclusion, and so I'm supporting Ron Paul despite being a long-time Democrat.
I have become a one-issue voter: I want the wars stopped, and I want the War on Drugs, which replaced the Jim Crow laws as an even more effective tool of racial discrimination, ended. Anyone who has a better idea for achieving an end to the wars, please share it.
1. As a freethinker I pay no attention to Americam political parties. In Canada - where parties have somewhat more meaning to a parliamentary democracy - I mostly voted NDP or quasi-socialist, but I never =joined= that party.
2. The American political system is broken. To VOTE in 2012 is to lay strokes upon a dead horse. It's a waste of time and cruel to the corpse of the horse.
Why people on Common Dreams cannot see that case is beyond my comprehension.
Trylon
" ...I don't recognize the legitimacy of this government."
" ... this nation break into two or more nations..."
Trylon, we have more in common than I realized, and it includes the idea that morality can not be legislated.
As to "our knee jerk conditioned current culture", the key word is conditioned. Why some of us have broken free of the cultural shackles, I don't know. My best guess is it is easier to follow the herd.
It may be that humans will destroy the Earth's Life giving abilities, but until it happens, I'm considering all this growing pains. In the relative blink of an eye, the human population exploded from 1 billion in 1900 to the 7 billion today, with most trapped within their culture's worldview. It very well could be that desperation and/or catastrophe will catalyze a New global outlook.
It seems clear that the old institutions, governments, economic structures and religions are outmoded. It's time to reject them, time to look to the horizon.
Many years ago I enjoyed reading a book by Isaac Asimov. The title was: =Lifeboat Earth=. World population then was between 3 and 4 billion.
Trylon
Imagine no congress, no constitution, no legislation, no u.s.of a..
To be governed is antithetical to freedom.
Capitalism is antithetical to equality.
The human specie is at the cusp of a New Dawn.
Change is inevitable.
There is a huge difference between clashing governments and people working cooperatively within the framework of Nature.
Like John Lennon said, it really isn't hard to do.
The most likely outcome of a constitutional convention would be that it would be taken over by the hard right and their monied interests, funded by the likes of the Koch brothers, just as Congress and the Supreme Court, with a dire outcome.
To Nader's proposed law list I would add one establishing a transaction tax whereby financial investments, such as stock purchases, currency trades, and corporate takeovers, would be taxed. This would encourage real investment and reduce speculation while raising a major amount of money.
I would also eliminate the 100% exemption on 'unearned income' Social Security and Medicare taxation, along with the $!06,800 cap on taxable income for Social Security. This would eliminate the forecast 2025 shorfall while raising sufficient additonal income (with no NEW taxes!) to fully fund a single payer national health care system for all Americans.
There is also plenty of room for legislation that could benefit the country and all of its citizen if Congress was not totally corrupt with no interest in the Constitution or the welfare of the nation and its people.
84% disapproval rating for congress.
90% of congress will be re-elected.
Thought ?
Many Americans believe in The Constitution. Soldiers and officers swear to defend it, as do Presidents. It was written in the hope it might check tyranny.
The results are in.
Perhaps, in going it alone, distancing America from International Justice and Law, i.e., the United Nations, America has lost an extraordinary and valuable check on internal tyranny?
Not that America - the people - can do anything about this, anymore than you can prevent the upcoming civilizational collapse.
One tends to think that a mountaineer, say, has good internal controls. But his/her cues (checks & balances), are as much external as internal - they come from outside - not just inside.
I find it revealing that the amount of discussion on the United Nations, held in the highest regard by JFK - is so little.
Could this be simply oversight - or hubris, source of Greek & Roman tragedy?
Manysummits
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It is the result of an ongoing struggle between "small-r" republican factions and imperialist factions. It predates the existance of the USA by a hundred and fifty years, or so. It continues to this very moment. It is round-after-round of "Paliamentarians VS Royalists", or so-called "Roundheads VS Cavaliers". It is "small-p" protestants (an ongoing process of PROTEST against the established order, in favor of a better way) VS Loyalists to the "established order" (with its' roots going all the way back, through feudalism, to ancient oligarchy). The Roundheads re-grouped on these shores, to have another go at the old, established oligarchy. The Cavaliers arrived on these shores, to advance Empire/oligarchy here. The really deep protestantism is aiming at removal of the very concept of oligarchism, in church, state, and economy. These two basic Factions have MANY sub-groupings. The confict has been lead, for the last 400 years, by Factions amongst the vast, far-flung, english-speaking tribe. BOTH Factions have always been present, on North American soil, for 400 years (which accounts for the apparent schizophrenia & hypocrisy). Other tribes have had leading roles, in other eras, but The Conflict has raged for milennia.It appears this Conflict will reach conclusion in our time.
That's what I expected - one comment (from Inb)
Tell you what, let's all pretend we are more understanding of the world situation than JFK - after all - we're "progressives"
I mean, look how well we've run things since his demise
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"...the problem is the life of this organization [United Nations]. It will either grow to meet the challenges of our age, or it will be gone with the wind, without influence, without force, without respect. Were we to let it die, to enfeeble its vigor, to cripple its powers, we would condemn our future.
For in the development of this organization rests the only true alternative to war -- and war appeals no longer as a rational alternative. Unconditional war can no longer lead to unconditional victory. It can no longer serve to settle disputes. It can no longer concern the Great Powers alone. For a nuclear disaster, spread by wind and water and fear, could well engulf the great and the small, the rich and the poor, the committed and the uncommitted alike. Mankind must put an end to war -- or war will put an end to mankind."
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkunitednations.htm
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