Already, the typical, corporate-owned candidates have declared their foray into the Presidential race, and already the rhetoric is flying between the far left and far right supporters. Those of us who don't want this crappy system are already being caught in the fray. What we need is a unified voice as a people, rather than tearing each other apart (aka doing what the politicians want).
I was vocal last year about not voting. I am tired of my vote counting for nothing, and it did count for nothing, regardless of what anyone says. The districts have been gerrymandered since the Bush Administration. We couldn't have voted the current Congress out if we all wanted to. Point in fact: more democrats voted in the 2008 congressional election than republicans, but because of the gerrymandering of districts, the republicans won. That's a fact. Look it up. The insults are now hurling their way toward those of us who saw the truth of the corrupted voting process, and chose to refrain from exercising our right to vote. Now, we're being told we have no right to complain because we didn't vote.
1. I am not complaining. I was complaining when I saw the corruption in the voting process. I didn't drink the "your vote counts" koolaid this time. Sorry if you did, but that isn't going to stop me from speaking my mind.
2. I am a United States Navy veteran. I swore an oath to protect the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. No one ever dismissed me from that oath, and it stands today. I served this country and in that vein...
3. The First Amendment to the Constitution that I served to protect allows me the RIGHT to SPEAK OUT, COMPLAIN, TELL IT LIKE I SEE IT, etc... If you think that insulting me and trying to tell me what my rights are by YOUR book, then you should probably just shut up and sit down. You have no idea what the hell you're talking about.
4. Now, those of you spouting off those insults, did me railing back against you feel good??? No??? Wonder why. Let's get to work instead, and I'll educate you a bit on the history of U.S. Politics and Presidential elections. Maybe then, we can stop playing the same old bullshit tapes and do something, together.
Marianne Williamson, famous author-turned-politician, wrote an open letter to Hillary Clinton last year. I cannot recommend reading it highly enough. It speaks to what so many of us are feeling, right now:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/marianne-williamson/an-open-letter-to-hillary_b_5606437.html
BOTH parties are corporate-owned. Corporations run the political system of the United States. This is a plutocracy*, not a democratic republic. Unless and until We the People stand up as a consolidated force to make changes, this plutocracy will continue to grow until there is nothing left of its original structure. Now, I say that with some hesitation, because as a History major, I know that the founding fathers were never too keen on the people having the power to vote for senators or the President. The founders actually wanted the people to choose their house of representatives. The House would then choose the Senate, who would then choose the President.
Article Two of the United States Constitution was instituted as a compromise between the factions who wanted the aforementioned voting process, and those who wanted a straight-out popular vote. Under the original article, electors could cast two separate votes for two different people, and whomever received the second highest vote would become Vice President. (For an interesting story, read up on the Thomas Jefferson/Alexander Hamilton vote. They tied). In response to what happened between Jefferson and Hamilton, the 12th Amendment was passed, requiring electors to cast two distinct votes: one for President and another for Vice President. The amendment also established rules when no candidate wins a majority vote in the Electoral College.
In the presidential election of 1824, Andrew Jackson received a large number of popular, but not enough electoral votes cast. The election was thrown to the House of Representatives, and John Quincy Adams was elected to the presidency. Why? Because Adams made promises to Henry Clay, Speaker of the House (and also a presidential candidate), who made an impassioned speech throwing his support behind Adams. Once Adams was elected, Clay became Secretary of State.
In reality, this never was an incorrupt system, nor were our beloved founders all that keen on the people having the power. My point is that our votes never really have counted for much to begin with, and it's always been somewhat of a plutocracy. That said, our rights have eroded drastically while the wealth disparity has bloomed under this toxic mix of money and power.
It's up to us to determine whether we're going to continue to allow this to fester, or if we're going to take our country in a different direction. Should we choose the latter, we need to stand together. We need to give up this idea that we're liberal, conservative, moderate, independent, etc... all of those terms are simply masks for corporation-run politicians. Insulting one another will get us nowhere. We have to stand together and against corporate politics. Instead of letting them choose the candidates in which we will 'vote' for the lesser of two evils.. how about we decide to find another solution?
If we keep regurgitating their platitudes ("if you don't vote, you don't have a right to complain"), let's think outside the box. There are 300 million of us.. there are a handful of them. The strength lies in our numbers and unity, and we CAN make a difference, if we try.
*Plutocracy (from Greek πλοῦτος, ploutos, meaning "wealth", and κράτος, kratos, meaning "power, dominion, rule") or plutarchy, defines a society or a system ruled and dominated by the small minority of the wealthiest citizens. -wikipedia
Well said! Circuses and bread...
ReplyDeleteAmen, Sharon!
DeleteMy friend observed recently that lawmakers are all in bed with big oil, which is convenient, as they need some lube for what they do to us. :P
ReplyDeleteExcellent rant, as always.