It would be naïve to view our government, our economy, or our entire social system as the products of anything less than powerful, purposeful, ongoing action. It would strain believability even more to maintain that the wealthiest people in our nation (and in the world, for that matter) actively exercise no more influence on our system than any other group. When we apprehend the current political, economic, and social systems of the United States, a superficial veneer of “democracy” and surface noise—in the form of such words as “We, the people” and “popular sovereignty”—presents itself. Underlying these surface impressions, however, we sense movements akin to those of volcanoes or ocean currents, movements which we instinctively know are beyond us, movements which we feel must be caused by the ominous and heavy weight of imperceptible but powerful forces. Could it be that the solemn pronouncements of our public officials, the endless chatter of our media, and the spectacle of our political campaigns and elections are no more than red flags of distraction used to conceal the fact that our world actually is ruled by power residing in shadow, methodically and relentlessly honing its instruments of death? When we move beyond the childish view that democratic principles restrain or shape power in 2013, then we can begin to seek answers to the truly important question: How do we raise the awareness of ordinary people toward the need to organize ourselves as protection against a powerful, well-organized, and predatory commercial elite which works tirelessly for private profit, protected from public interference through the draining of public resources, both facilitated by private dominance over public decisions and policies? occupydemocrats/watch-ralph-nader-explain-how-big-business-has-taken-control-of-the-us-government/
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 23:51:38 +0000