Democracy is Dead in America

Democracy which is supposed to refer to rule by and for the people has breathed it's last dying breath here in America. We now have a two party system made up of wealthy politicians whose only goal seems to be is to get elected and stay elected. And it's no wonder why. With corporations and wealthy institutions opening suitcases of money through the whoring works of lobbyists, in exchange for voting favors to suit their agendas... well money talks with the language of God so it must be trusted, right? Wrong! In my mind a true democracy should work like a family where the guardians (hello Plato) set guidelines for the children, but treat them as loved equals and share the wealth for the well-being of all. Here we have a family where the parents seem to team up with other parents to enjoy lavish lifestyles while the children are made to work like slaves, thrown crumbs at their hungry mouths while suffering constant reminders of punishment if they don't toe the line and stay in their place. Some of the children will become fierce defenders of the abusive parents believing that things can only get worse, some will sullenly accept their place and give up their dreams and aspirations, others will whine and complain believing tantrums will change things, but I'm putting my faith on the game changers who see the injustice, call it out of its hiding, and inspire others to join the fight against the tyranny. It is called a revolution and it is about time. If you look up the term oligarchy, it means "a form of government where the power is vested in a dominant class or clique. Although the majority of people vote for the clique of wealthy politicians, it's only because they are the only choice you have. Gone are the days when an Independent candidate can even get on the ballot. There seems to be two prerequisites for being a politician, lots of money and the ability to be a convincing liar. For all the work the Congress and Senate claim be doing, they have accomplished nothing for the people who have voted them into office. Last night's State of the Union Address was telling. On one hand the Democrats did a lot of clapping and cheering for the President as he tried to outline the direction forward, but behind his back they squabble about petty nonsense related to their own pet projects. The Republicans don't even pretend to like the President, as they sit like spoiled sore losers who will only work to obstruct any plan that doesn't suit their own slimy agendas. Their big job is to turn the middle class against the poor, while behind the scenes they play kinky games with big business so they can remain in the upper wealth category of the clique. The majority of Supreme Courts justices are even worse. They have paved the way for multinational big business... the greediest and most powerful of all entities to hold our future elections hostage with bags of dirty money. You can forget about your measly little vote counting for anything now. Unless you are up there with the clique, plan on remaining a peasant or a serf. There is a hope, however, and our President is appealing to us... the people, to get tough about the change we all clamored for. There is so much we can do. First we must vote out the clique by putting our own working class people on the ballots, no Democrats or Republicans allowed. Next we can stop using credit cards, to stop the loan sharking that crippled our buying power in the first place. The money of the people should only go to local banks like a George Bailey's Savings and Loan who will use money wisely to invest in the working class for whom they serve. In an attempt to educate our children, we as the guardians should collectively decide how much a college education should cost and base it on academic merit and a fair percentage of income. Residents should vote for budgets with the future in mind and stop worrying about their own selfish tax relief. If your rich company is holding your life hostage with more work and lower wages and you hate your job don't get mad... quit and do something you might enjoy or start your own business. If you're financially in trouble, call upon your neighbors for help... as we can see with the Haitian relief effort, American people really do want to help. We have a great leader in President Obama, but like he said he can't effect change alone and it seems that many of our elected and appointed officials are in no position to even want to try.... unless it's self serving. If we had a democracy, they would all be fired.