Democracy? Get Real.
Without any question there are many things which more than 50% of voters would like to have happen; and which the Congress and the Senate intentionally do not do even though they know that the citizens of America which they represent want them to do.
This is not a pure democracy that we have here in America. Not even close to it. In fact I’m getting to the point where I’m beginning to question whether we even live in a democracy.
For example, most voters are in favor of severely limiting executive compensation. Like the executives who earn millions of dollars each year, even when their companies are losing money and laying off people.
Most voters would like for the rich to pay MUCH higher taxes than the middle class.
Most voters would like for the government to make certain that every citizen in America has access to health care. And most voters think that no one in America should be so poor that they or their kids starve; and the voters in America would overwhelmingly like for the government to assure that every citizen receives a modest but adequate pension when he gets too old to work.
So why don’t the elected officials do what the citizens and the voters want? The answer is cold and hard but it is easy.
Elected officials do what their large campaign contributors want them to do. What the voters want is not even of secondary importance. What the citizens of this democracy want is really quite far down the list of priorities.
So what is the answer? Change the rules to where no elected official at any level (city, country, state, federal government) can take ANY campaign contribution, gift, or gratuity of any kind. At all. Period. Hard line.
Until this is accomplished, it is just an ugly and cruel joke to think that our elected officials are going to represent the voters. Get real. Our representatives do what the rich people who make the big campaign contributions want them to.
At the moment this is not a democracy that we are living in. If it is treasonous to say this, well, then so be it.
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ADDENDUM: Several people have e-mailed me saying that "they have always thought that too" but that what I am suggesting is completely unrealistic. "It will never happen."
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Yes, I think that may well be an accurate view of the situation. But by admitting that we are also finally opening our eyes to the fact that what we have evolved to in America is not a Democracy. Far from it. It is just one big con job. Another system where a very few, extremely rich people control all of us serfs. We work hard and pay our taxes, but it never seems to be enough. The company store owns us.
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