Control of the agenda?

Lately some celebrities have been calling for a more in-depth look at what has been taking place in America. Richard Dreyfuss talked about the need for citizens to redevelop the skills needed to participate in civil discussion. Bill Maher himself wrote about the need to reexamine the American constitution but while I agree with him - I would submit that "we the people" need to regain control of the agenda.

The people's "control of the agenda" is one of the five fundamental characteristics of a "democracy" as listed by scholar Robert Dahl. The five being: 1. Effective participation; 2. Equality in voting; 3. Gaining enlightened understanding; 4. Exercising final control of the agenda; and 5. Inclusion of adults.

By any reasonable measure our system is broken in terms of citizen control of the agenda. Dahl calculated that for any member of the U.S. Congress to spend just ten minutes with each of the adults that they "represent" would take them more than 20 years at 8 hours a day, seven days a week!

To call members of Congress "representatives of the people" is a lie and just plain wrong.

Corporatist democrats - our new abusive mothers

I'm surprised to see all the angst about the fact that there will be little change in America after the elections. With only a handful of exceptions, the huge global corporations hand pick the candidates of both parties. corporatists all. It's time to acknowledge our problem - not deny it.

"I stood before Father in total shock. He didn't even look at me. Somehow, I felt if he could at least turn a corner flap of the paper and search into my eyes, he would know; he would feel my pain, how desparate I was for his help. But, as always, I knew that Mother controlled him like she controlled everything that happened in her house. I think Father and I both knew the code of "the family" - if we don't acknowledge a problem, it simply does not exist."

Dave Pelzer, A child called "it", 1995.

The American experiment in democracy succeeded because the signers of the Declaration of Independence pledged to each other “our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.” Is that kind of zeal still around? Or are we better described by the old joke – the attorney asked the attractive young woman if she would sleep with him for $1,000,000 and she said yes. He then said: Would you do it for $100? She took great offense – What do you think I am? To which he responded – we’ve already established that, we’re just negotiating price. Most of the Baby Boomers appear to have obtained their price – comfortable homes, many toys, some sort of pension that they feel is adequate and don’t want to risk.

This is the situation that Jefferson also described, “…under the pretence of governing they have divided their nations into two classes, wolves and sheep. …Cherish therefore the spirit of our people, and keep alive their attention. …If once they become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress, and Assemblies, judges and governors shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions; and experience declares that man is the only animal which devours his own kind, for I can apply no milder term to the governments of Europe, and to the general prey of the rich on the poor.”

Jefferson was very disappointed in the U.S. Constitution. He was in Paris when it was drafted. He ended up insisting that a Bill of Rights be appended. He drafted a Constitution for the State of Virginia that was not adopted, but it is published. Its emphasis on strict separation of powers, term limits, and very limited compensation for elected officials might make a good starting point for drafting constitutional amendments that would return rule to the people of America.

The 10th amendment in the Bill of Rights reserves things not specifically enumerated in the Constitution to the states and the people. We've not been very vigilent in this respect and the federal government has grown and usurped many local perogatives. For example, over the past 100 years, the number of school boards in the U.S. has declined from nearly 200,000 to less than 15,000 nationwide. The current “federalists” call this “economic consolidation” but this “Federalization” is a great loss to rule of the people, by the people, and for the people. To quote the prophetic words of Thomas Jefferson in 1791: “To take a single step beyond the boundaries thus specially drawn around the powers of Congress is to take possession of a boundless field of power, no longer susceptible of definition.”

Confounded?

My American Heritage dictionary has two definitions of confound - 1. To confuse or cause to become confused. 2. To fail to distinguish. The Latin root confundere, to pour together, mix-up.

Political speech in America confounds elements of government, capitalism, and religion. This confounding prevents clarity and deliberately confuses citizens. If politics were played with rules like baseball, this would be called an illegal pitch! We're thrown a spitball with a little democracy covered by lots of capitalism and religious zealotry.

As citizens we need to confront the confounders.

Democracy is about equality. Capitalism is not. Religion is not.

In a real democracy:

• You and Bill Gates are equals.
• You and Bill Gates have equal access to government services.
• Your opinions count as much as Mr. Gates's.
• Your elected representatives return your phone calls as quickly as they respond to Mr. Gate's calls.

Hmmm...so what do you think? Do you live in a democracy or some other confounded thing?

Why would anyone vote for less freedom?

I voted today but really for only one reason - the state of Wisconsin had a proposed constitutional amendment effecting same-sex relationships. I went to vote No on the question.

Today they came for the gay people - and I decided to stand with them.

Hopefully they'll stand with me when the come for the left-handers.

Early returns show the proposed amendment passing with 60% of the votes cast.

Why would anyone go out of their way to restrict the rights of otherwise law-abiding citizens?

"However wise and worthy the members of a ruling elite entrusted with the power to govern a state may be when they first take power, in a few years or a few generations they are likely to abuse it. If human history provides any lessons, one surely is that through corruption, nepotism, the advancement of individual and group interests, and abuse of their monopoly over the state's coercive power..., the Guardians of a state are likely to turn into despots."

Robert A. Dahl, On Democracy, p. 74.

Democracy - what is it?

Most Americans take for granted that we live in a democracy. But there may be as many different definitions of democracy as there are individuals. Clearly we never had a direct democracy. The founders established a form of representative democracy.

Over time it has grown less and less representative in terms of sheer numbers. For example, in 1790 there were about 4 million Americans and the House of Representatives had 65 elected members - about one representative for every 60,500 people. Today we have a population of about 300 million people and 435 members of the House of Representatives - about one representative for every 650,000 of us.

If one adds in all of the various forms of local representative governments (county boards, city councils, school boards, etc.) it is estimated that only 1/32 of 1% (0.0003125) of Americans serve in elected public office. Nationwide this is roughly one per 3300 people. To me, that is a very small number to be called rule “by the people.”

Given the technology that is available to us now compared to 1790 or 1860, one would think that this trend to rule by the few could be reversed.

How will you feel on election night?

I received an e-mail plea for money that came with this question as a title. I think it is a pretty good one. Will all the state and federal electioneering will have meant something? Will we have more democracy as a result? Will we have more freedoms as a result? I think not - I haven't heard a single candidate speak of their interest in increasing these for the American people. Is this the legacy boomers want to leave - a country with less freedom and less democracy?

One of the things that I learned long ago was that it was a good thing to leave a place better than you found it. On election night I know that I'll feel that we'll have failed our ancestors and our descendants miserably by allowing the farce into which our elections have degenerated to continue. The question is can we figure out how to develop something better.

Still politically homeless...

The election is only a few days away and the rhetoric has reached fever pitch. Will the Democrats win enough seats to displace the Republican majorities in Congress?

Karl Rove says no. NPR says it's too close too call. Other media pundits and talking heads prattle on, and on, and on, and on.

My prediction is it won't make any difference. The 535 people who supposedly represent us are bought and paid for by corporate and special interests. Ronnie Dugger wrote about it years ago and David Sirota wrote about it more recently. According to Sirota, a former Congressional staffer, you can count the good guys left in Congress, on one hand.

Think about it. 300 million Americans "represented" by 535 people. That's roughly one representative for every 560,ooo of us. First, who could honestly even pretend to represent the views or values of 560,000 of us? Secondly, given these odds, would you pay more attention to the few folks who give you lots of money or the majority of your constuents who didn't give you any?

The "Takeover" Sirota writes about wasn't hostile - it should have been but most of weren't paying attention and still don't seem to be.

I e-mailed Mr. Dugger and asked him if the "takeover" was complete or if there was a group to join that had any momentum to accomplish change. He didn't respond and that is speaking pretty loudly to me.