I often hear, maybe too often, about American Exceptionalism. Of course, that doesn’t include South America, Central America, or even Canada. It’s only about the U.S.
What makes us “exceptional”? Well, we live in a multi-ethnic, democratic society, a society in which we all get along (sorry Rodney King but this is the post racial era).
How do we know it’s a democratic society? Well. we all are guaranteed the right and opportunity to vote, every two years, for who will represent us. And, to top that, every four years, we vote for the most powerful man or woman on earth, the president of the United States.
With all that is going on, how do you determine who will best represent you? Oh, that’s easy, we get our information from the mainstream corporate-owned media. They help us understand the issues and what will be in our best interest.
Why are there only the Democrats and Republicans? That’s easy to answer. Too many points of view will only confuse the people. We want them clear-headed when they go to the polls to vote so they know exactly who they’re supposed to vote for.
People within each party all agree with one-another on all the issues? Oh no, that isn’t the reality. Some, who disagree vehemently have organized or joined third parties, like Ralph Nadar. Of course his efforts were fruitless because he couldn’t raise enough money to get his message out to the people. People also were angry at him for taking support away from the Democratic candidate.
On the other hand, we have Dennis Kucinich, who ran for president within the Democratic Party. Dennis who? Well, a lot of people had the same response when he ran. The media realized he didn’t have much support so they ignored him. Not too many people heard what he stood for or against. His view on things would have probably confused many of the voters.
Isn’t it difficult for third party candidates to get on the ballot in many states? That’s true, but if you can get meaningful support, it’s doable. How do you get meaningful support if you’re being ignored? I guess that could be a problem.
Can all candidates participate in the well-publicized debates? Well, no. The debates are controlled by both the Democrats and Republicans. They set the agenda and the rules. They don’t want marginal candidates confusing the issues with meaningless rhetoric.
Look, bottom line is if people are unhappy with the policies of elected officials, they have the right to peacefully demonstrate and make their feelings known. Of course, police officials are always concerned about safety and security so they have established procedures. Demonstrators must apply for and get permits to gather together. Then, the police cordon off an area where the demonstrators can join together called “free speech zones.” These zones may not be close to where the political officials and the media have gathered but we must always be cognizant of the security issues. We would not want officials to be potential targets of violent demonstrators. Of course, one of the problems is that the demonstrators are too far away to be heard or seen. This is one of the many sacrifices and compromises we must make to maintain the peace.
Voting is usually scheduled for working days. How do working people get to the polls? Most sites provide early morning, before work opportunities or after work opportunities. Also, there is absentee voting as well as some weekend voting. But, what’s this I hear about some states reducing these off hour opportunities for working people and also requiring official state IDs? That’s true. Some states are vigilant about preventing fraud and want to ensure that only qualified people vote.
Is fraudulent voting a problem? Well, not yet but you can’t be too careful.
How does one become a viable candidate for office? We measure this by how much money the candidate can raise.
Where does this money come from? Mostly from the wealthy elite. After all, as Mitt Romney has stated, “corporations are people.” And now we have money equated with free speech. The wealthy elite should not be punished for their successes. The Supreme Court has so ruled.
Aren’t elected officials then indebted to the major contributors? Yeah, so?
Is this the democracy we’re looking to export to other countries?
Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.
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This is what democracy looks like?
Posted on April 16, 2014 by Dave Alpert
I often hear, maybe too often, about American Exceptionalism. Of course, that doesn’t include South America, Central America, or even Canada. It’s only about the U.S.
What makes us “exceptional”? Well, we live in a multi-ethnic, democratic society, a society in which we all get along (sorry Rodney King but this is the post racial era).
How do we know it’s a democratic society? Well. we all are guaranteed the right and opportunity to vote, every two years, for who will represent us. And, to top that, every four years, we vote for the most powerful man or woman on earth, the president of the United States.
With all that is going on, how do you determine who will best represent you? Oh, that’s easy, we get our information from the mainstream corporate-owned media. They help us understand the issues and what will be in our best interest.
Why are there only the Democrats and Republicans? That’s easy to answer. Too many points of view will only confuse the people. We want them clear-headed when they go to the polls to vote so they know exactly who they’re supposed to vote for.
People within each party all agree with one-another on all the issues? Oh no, that isn’t the reality. Some, who disagree vehemently have organized or joined third parties, like Ralph Nadar. Of course his efforts were fruitless because he couldn’t raise enough money to get his message out to the people. People also were angry at him for taking support away from the Democratic candidate.
On the other hand, we have Dennis Kucinich, who ran for president within the Democratic Party. Dennis who? Well, a lot of people had the same response when he ran. The media realized he didn’t have much support so they ignored him. Not too many people heard what he stood for or against. His view on things would have probably confused many of the voters.
Isn’t it difficult for third party candidates to get on the ballot in many states? That’s true, but if you can get meaningful support, it’s doable. How do you get meaningful support if you’re being ignored? I guess that could be a problem.
Can all candidates participate in the well-publicized debates? Well, no. The debates are controlled by both the Democrats and Republicans. They set the agenda and the rules. They don’t want marginal candidates confusing the issues with meaningless rhetoric.
Look, bottom line is if people are unhappy with the policies of elected officials, they have the right to peacefully demonstrate and make their feelings known. Of course, police officials are always concerned about safety and security so they have established procedures. Demonstrators must apply for and get permits to gather together. Then, the police cordon off an area where the demonstrators can join together called “free speech zones.” These zones may not be close to where the political officials and the media have gathered but we must always be cognizant of the security issues. We would not want officials to be potential targets of violent demonstrators. Of course, one of the problems is that the demonstrators are too far away to be heard or seen. This is one of the many sacrifices and compromises we must make to maintain the peace.
Voting is usually scheduled for working days. How do working people get to the polls? Most sites provide early morning, before work opportunities or after work opportunities. Also, there is absentee voting as well as some weekend voting. But, what’s this I hear about some states reducing these off hour opportunities for working people and also requiring official state IDs? That’s true. Some states are vigilant about preventing fraud and want to ensure that only qualified people vote.
Is fraudulent voting a problem? Well, not yet but you can’t be too careful.
How does one become a viable candidate for office? We measure this by how much money the candidate can raise.
Where does this money come from? Mostly from the wealthy elite. After all, as Mitt Romney has stated, “corporations are people.” And now we have money equated with free speech. The wealthy elite should not be punished for their successes. The Supreme Court has so ruled.
Aren’t elected officials then indebted to the major contributors? Yeah, so?
Is this the democracy we’re looking to export to other countries?
Dave Alpert has masters degrees in social work, educational administration, and psychology. He spent his career working with troubled inner city adolescents.