Democracy or Plutocracy? – We have a choice

Democracy or Plutocracy? – We have a choice

Ted Folkert

September 22, 2014

In a few weeks we will be called upon to participate in the electoral process. The process wherein we get to decide what is best for us. Now we must review the issues and the candidates to determine the people and the policies that we feel will best serve the country.

Those who identify with the Democratic platform would generally follow the conclusion that Eleanor Roosevelt may have explained as “it’s better for everybody if it’s better for everybody.” That is the policy that prevailed in the FDR administration with Eleanor as the head cheerleader – one of the most critical times in recent history, a policy which unarguably helped us recover as a nation when the economy was so devastated that we were on the brink of failure as a democratic republic.

Such a choice would favor those candidates and policies that require a big, strong government capable of enacting and enforcing rules and regulations that would support an outcome of equality of opportunity for all of our citizens and curtail actions that work in the contrary.

The Republican platform, as it was in 2008, 2010, 2012 and all the years before would of course focus on tax cuts for the wealthy, deregulation of our financial system, repeal of healthcare for all of us, elimination of Social Security, unemployment compensation, and Medicare. Eliminate all possibilities for collective bargaining, curtail unemployment benefits and educational opportunities.

The question their beliefs and principals doesn’t provide an answer for is, how do we assure that all citizens have a clear path to a good education, employment opportunities, and an equal chance to contribute to society as law abiding citizens?

How do we assure that all citizens receive the basics of human subsistence – food, shelter, and clothing?

How do we assure that there are equal opportunities for all of our citizens to compete for jobs or business ventures?

How do we control monopolistic obstacles to competition, barriers of entry that prevent competition?

How do we assure transparency in business, government, finance, education, media, healthcare – to expose those that lie – cheat – steal – mislead – deceive – defraud – bilk – misrepresent. And those that would use nondisclosure – smoke and mirrors – sleight of hand – trickery – ponzi schemes – scams – pyramids – false advertising – false claims, in order to gain undeserved monetary advantage.

How do we provide a system to resolve disputes, to assure the rule of law, protection of property, contract rights?

How do we provide a system of finance for consumers and business? One that actually provides the needed function instead of what we have now, a system of finance that nearly steered us into the deep chasm of financial ruin, one that drains the accounts of all of the unsuspecting citizens in order to fill the pockets of the few unscrupulous and avaricious fraudsters?

How do we assure that all of the most basic common services are provided without interruption – military defense, police protection, fire protection, health care, education, transportation, flood control, public utilities, disaster assistance, and welfare for those who cannot exist without it?

The only way to provide these essential, basic services that are imperative for a country of 300 million to survive and prosper, is with big government. There is no other way.

Arguments to the contrary are never supported by any reasonable explanation that can withstand the time proven facts and examples from history since the beginning of civilization. There are no examples to the contrary of any civilization that has existed on this scale for any long period. They all failed sooner or later. Even relatively recent history is replete with examples of the failure of countries that did not provide these essential basic human services. Only sparsely populated, primitive, “hunt and gather” societies have survived for any length of time, never those with advanced populations and industrial societies … those with millions to feed every day.

How can we ever hope to survive and prosper with a government that follows the ideals of those who propose less government, or no government, or “old west” solutions to law enforcement, or “pioneer age” solutions to transportation, or a military without modern weapons or advanced technologies, or without a public school system, or without a healthcare system that provides care for all the citizens, or without a system to administer a foreign policy that maintains relationships with the rest of the world for peaceful coexistence and fair trade relations, or protection of our environment for the survival of future generations?

How do we survive without a system to regulate intrastate and interstate commerce and foreign commerce, or without a system that supports and controls modern transportation to allow us to move about our communities and our states and our country and around the world in a safe and efficient manner?

The Republication platform proposes “shrinking the government and paying off the national debt.” But during the Bush administration, government spending increased from 18 percent of GDP to 20 percent, the national debt doubled from $5 trillion to $10 trillion, and the annual budget exploded from a $128 billion surplus to a $1.4 trillion deficit. Where were the GOP’s convictions about small government and fiscal responsibility during the Bush administration’s spending spree?

And they want to phase out Social Security and Medicare, two of the most successful programs ever created. The programs that we have dutifully contributed part of our paychecks to all of our lives … and disproportionately to our ability to pay, I might add.

Well, obviously, their platform is not about “shrinking the government and paying off the national debt.” But that is their story while they are raising millions from the corporations and the rich and powerful so they can gain total power and control of the largess of the federal budget and all of the hidden benefits to be derived therefrom.

It is all a game, a casino … like Wall Street, a game that cannot be won unless you lie, cheat and steal … a zero sum game … winner take all … like the poker games on TV that enthrall many of us who are looking for a piece of the prize that is so difficult to attain through hard work and perseverance. A piece of the prize that is difficult to attain through honesty, truth, fair dealing, integrity, selflessness, egalitarianism and all of the other terms that would be used in a discussion of “government for the common good”.

These are the discussions that we need to have with ourselves before we go to the polls to cast our vote.

Think about it!

Convince someone today to help us elect better leaders. Please!

 

 

 

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