We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed—The Declaration of Independence: July 4, 1776
David, I agree 100% with what you have said. Our government no longer works for or represents “We the People.” I used the believe that those who said that “Big Business” was running the county exaggerated, but no more. At no time in American history has the interest of big businesses in America so superceded and infringed on the rights of the people to be heard and governed with vision and the overall good of the nation in mind. Law after law is offered up and sighed into law which has little to do with advancing the cause of our society, and everything to do with the profit of Corporate America at the expense of human beings! I, for one, am tired of living in a nation where the business of the nation is business and unrelenting, immoral, greed; said greed being looked upon by the current ruling majority as somehow good for America and Americans!
The two party system, which used to work when governed by principle and a drive to do public good, is no longer working. Political rhetoric is all too often composed of empty promises and vision that rarely sees beyond the confines of capital hill and its plethora of lobbyist fat with corporate money. In the end, the only interests that are served are those of the rich, whose sole concern is increasing their wealth beyond imagining, or need. Meanwhile, “We the People” continue to suffer the inadequacies of government—at all levels—that is increasing corrupt and shot through with mind numbing greed. No public official seems to be able to actually work for the public good any more; it is all about feeding at the trough of public taxes. It is, in a word disheartening.
The current Republican administration would have us regress back to the turn of the last century where the robber barons delighted in their ill-gained wealth, won wholly on the backs working class Americans. Is that where we want to go as a nation? Are we content to live in a nation where the middle class is swept away in an orgy of corporate greed, leaving only the uber rich and uber poor? What of our standard of living, our economic status? Wake up America….wake up, before revolution is the only course of action left to those who value democracy.
We are no longer a nation of vision, anchored by the foundation of principles upon which the country was founded. We hold ourselves up as shining examples of democracy in action, a Utopia where the rule of law is sacrosanct, and yet our government continues to hold men in Cuba and in this country in absentia, denying them their day I court. The President, without judicial review can label any American an “enemy combatant” and have said person carted away to who knows where and deny him (or her) their rights under the Constitution. A high ranking Bush Administration office even went so far as to state that the Judiciary has no sway over the executive branch in times of War. Really, since when? Where is it written, or even implied that the Constitution should be set aside in times of war, real or implied?
We arrogantly refuse to join international bodies whose sole objective it is to advance the cause of civilized discourse among nations, and the protection of the innocent or those too young or weak to protect themselves. We subordinate those interests to those of profit and other meaningless concerns that further separate us from the world to our unending peril. We start unjustified wars based on lies, and half-truths, and seek to push our flawed agenda on to other societies; welcome to the world of Imperialist America.
I fear for America future, and the partisan bitterness current un-hatching across state houses across the nation, in the nation capitol, only heightens that fear. I often wonder what will be left of America for my daughters to inherit; our society, our way of life is falling into disrepair. Institution after institution is being ripped apart by corruption, outright stupidity, greed and a growing pension toward immoral behavior.
“We The People” are no longer united in search of a common purpose, “A More Perfect Union.” We are no longer one nation, and promoting the “General Welfare” of the people is a goal long since abandoned. We are fractured, unwilling or unable to compromise for the good of the nation on even the simplest of issues. The two party political system only mirrors American society as it slides into mediocrity, no longer viable, no longer potent, no longer a force for the betterment of society, or the world, but a hindrance to same. The America Dream is dying, and with it, the America the world had grown to respect, and looked to for leadership. If pressed, I would maintain that it is past time for revolution.
