WISHFUL THINKING
By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- The need to break away from the perceived oppression and intolerance of King George III fueled the engine that carried men of vision into a new world . The American Revolution helped to create a new form of government that held the promise of existing of, for and by the people. At least that was the hope.

The fathers of the revolution and of the Constitution were smart enough to realize that just because they started something and came up with documents embodying high minded ideals, that creating a country based on those ideals would take time and effort. Calling something a democracy doesn't make it so.

My take on history is that this country has been living in a state of wishful thinking and denial ever since the late 1700's. We have never realized the true hope and promise of democracy- having nearly full participation by all people in the process of voting and crafting or influencing law and social policy.

This country began with a few rich and powerful white guys who said they wanted to create a political entity that embodied tolerance and that offered everyone (except slaves) an opportunity to be free. Over the decades and the centuries, very little has changed in terms of how disconnected rhetoric and reality are. Rich and powerful white guys still run the show.
In fact, instead of moving toward a more open and inclusive society we have moved in the opposite direction. Sure, we got rid of slavery and we have made a little progress when it comes to civil rights, but that is all window dressing when you consider how this country actually runs.
What we have is a plutocracy, not a democracy. Just in case you need to know, Webster's dictionary defines plutocracy as “government by the wealthy; a controlling class of rich men.” That class is a little bigger now and does include women and a few people of color, but we are clearly one of the strongest plutocracies on the planet.
The wealthiest 10 percent of Americans own 70% of the nation's wealth and 90 percent of us own 29 percent of that wealth. As long as Americans continue not to vote in record numbers, as long as Americans continue to give up on the political process, the wealthy 10 percent will run the show for their benefit.
The potential for democracy, which has never been realized, is that ninety percent or more of citizens vote in elections and that when the government and those in power do something the people don't like, the people take to the streets or come together in other ways to let those in power know that they must listen and act to change things.
Americans have never done enough to realize the potential of democracy. They have simply given up and allowed the rich and powerful to take over. It's that simple. Although the Bush administration has done a lot to make the rich and powerful more rich and powerful, he has only continued a legacy inherited from all previous presidents.
Everyone shares the blame including Democrats, Republicans and all other political operatives. As long as Americans give up hope, feel oppressed and see only futility in the process of voting, the plutocrats are happy. They thrive in a climate of hopelessness and desperation. When they are able to add fear of government to the mix, as Bush and his people have done so expertly, the sky's the limit for the rich and powerful.
It might be easy to dismiss this rant as just another liberal slam on the American way of life but this critique is not partisan, it comes from a humane perspective. I want to live in a country that values the quality of each individual's life more than it values the profits of insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
I want live in a country that has the ability to share natural resources such as oil, water and food based on people's ability to work hard and on the willingness of all of us to share those resources based on need. I don't want to continue living in a country that allows speculators to profit from resources while people go hungry and freeze to death.
But most of all I want to live in a democracy. I want to find out what it feels like to know that the laws and policies of a society take into consideration the needs and desires of a broad cross section of all of us.
Wishful thinking will not make it so. If we are ever to have an American democracy it will require nearly all Americans to vote in all elections and it will require nearly all Americans to commit to action when it comes to social and political issues.
That is what the plutocrats fear the most, but they are complacent because they know that most Americans are either disillusioned, fearful, lazy or just too tired and frustrated to give a damn.

By
Richard Davis

GUILFORD- The need to break away from the perceived oppression and intolerance of King George III fueled the engine that carried men of vision into a new world . The American Revolution helped to create a new form of government that held the promise of existing of, for and by the people. At least that was the hope.
The fathers of the revolution and of the Constitution were smart enough to realize that just because they started something and came up with documents embodying high minded ideals, that creating a country based on those ideals would take time and effort. Calling something a democracy doesn't make it so.
My take on history is that this country has been living in a state of wishful thinking and denial ever since the late 1700's. We have never realized the true hope and promise of democracy- having nearly full participation by all people in the process of voting and crafting or influencing law and social policy.
This country began with a few rich and powerful white guys who said they wanted to create a political entity that embodied tolerance and that offered everyone (except slaves) an opportunity to be free. Over the decades and the centuries, very little has changed in terms of how disconnected rhetoric and reality are. Rich and powerful white guys still run the show.
In fact, instead of moving toward a more open and inclusive society we have moved in the opposite direction. Sure, we got rid of slavery and we have made a little progress when it comes to civil rights, but that is all window dressing when you consider how this country actually runs.
What we have is a plutocracy, not a democracy. Just in case you need to know, Webster's dictionary defines plutocracy as “government by the wealthy; a controlling class of rich men.” That class is a little bigger now and does include women and a few people of color, but we are clearly one of the strongest plutocracies on the planet.
The wealthiest 10 percent of Americans own 70% of the nation's wealth and 90 percent of us own 29 percent of that wealth. As long as Americans continue not to vote in record numbers, as long as Americans continue to give up on the political process, the wealthy 10 percent will run the show for their benefit.
The potential for democracy, which has never been realized, is that ninety percent or more of citizens vote in elections and that when the government and those in power do something the people don't like, the people take to the streets or come together in other ways to let those in power know that they must listen and act to change things.
Americans have never done enough to realize the potential of democracy. They have simply given up and allowed the rich and powerful to take over. It's that simple. Although the Bush administration has done a lot to make the rich and powerful more rich and powerful, he has only continued a legacy inherited from all previous presidents.
Everyone shares the blame including Democrats, Republicans and all other political operatives. As long as Americans give up hope, feel oppressed and see only futility in the process of voting, the plutocrats are happy. They thrive in a climate of hopelessness and desperation. When they are able to add fear of government to the mix, as Bush and his people have done so expertly, the sky's the limit for the rich and powerful.
It might be easy to dismiss this rant as just another liberal slam on the American way of life but this critique is not partisan, it comes from a humane perspective. I want to live in a country that values the quality of each individual's life more than it values the profits of insurance and pharmaceutical companies.
I want live in a country that has the ability to share natural resources such as oil, water and food based on people's ability to work hard and on the willingness of all of us to share those resources based on need. I don't want to continue living in a country that allows speculators to profit from resources while people go hungry and freeze to death.
But most of all I want to live in a democracy. I want to find out what it feels like to know that the laws and policies of a society take into consideration the needs and desires of a broad cross section of all of us.
Wishful thinking will not make it so. If we are ever to have an American democracy it will require nearly all Americans to vote in all elections and it will require nearly all Americans to commit to action when it comes to social and political issues.
That is what the plutocrats fear the most, but they are complacent because they know that most Americans are either disillusioned, fearful, lazy or just too tired and frustrated to give a damn.