In recent elections, the Electoral College has circumvented the will of the majority of those who voted. It is time that we people here in the United States exercise our sovereign right to self-rule and retake the freedoms granted by our constitution. Our rights have been stolen from us by the passage of such laws as the Homeland Security Act, the USA Patriot Act, the Military Commissions Act, and now the National Defense Authorization Act. Our Extreme Court, once known as the Supreme Court, does nothing about declaring such laws unconstitutional.
You will note that above I said, “voted.” Laws, rules, regulations, and customs deny some people their right to vote. Why should anyone who is denied the right to vote owe allegiance to the government or community that denies this right? No citizen of legal age should ever be denied the right to vote. Whether someone is in or out of prison or is burdened with any other encumbrances, legal or otherwise, should not matter. Sure, some people may have been caught committing crimes, but they are paying for it by being in prison. What about all of those who commit crimes but do not get caught? What about those who bribe government officials? Or those who accept such bribes? Aren’t they still voting? Furthermore, permanent residents who have resided in a country more than five years should also have the right to vote while they remain there. They, like all citizens and residents, must obey the laws that have been passed. Therefore, all people affected by laws must have a say in who is elected to make such laws.
The resources of this world are here for all life and are not reserved exclusively for the few successful exploiters, speculators, and leeches. The present system of capitalism is creating too much inequality among the peoples of the world. Capitalism, like feudalism, has run its course. It is time to move on to a more earth-friendly and people-friendly system. These problems must be addressed, or there will be dire consequences in the future that may not be pretty. A just way to solve this inequality problem is to make corrections as generations change with inheritance taxes and income taxes during the acquisition period. If resources are here for all life, why are those with excessive wealth allowed to pass on all their goods to their kids and give them an unfair head start over all the rest of the children in the world? Based on today’s average living costs, $10 million should be the maximum legacy allowed to be passed on to a single person or institution.
Those with concentrated wealth are circumventing our right to govern ourselves. Our elected representatives are controlled by the power of corporations and wealthy individuals who use big money to unfairly control our elected offices. With this monetary control, they staff government positions with their toadies. Qualified individuals, in many cases far better than those holding the positions, are denied the opportunity to serve their country in the interest of the people. Greed for super wealth is corrupting our political parties and is driving our country to ruin. Look at the froth the two major political parties have selected as the top candidates. We have little choice but to vote for one or the other of them. This winner-take-all approach is circumventing democracy. We the people can mend this by not voting for the two major political parties’ unwise choices. As said many times before, if we accept the lesser of two evils, we still get evil. Only we can change it by not going along.
We must amend the Constitution to do away with the Electoral College as it is destroying our democracy. Our election system must be changed so that we get a first, second, and third choice for each office. This way, the people, instead of political parties that have become corrupted by big money, select their own candidates. Election Day should be declared a national holiday for those voters who have a receipt showing that they voted.
Elections should be modestly funded by the government and the active campaign time should be limited to the sixty days prior to the election. Broadcast firms that utilize our public airways must devote 20% of each timeslot for thirty to sixty days before each election as a royalty to the public for the use of our airways. All registered candidates must fairly share the timeslots with their broadcast periods designated by the luck of the draw. The obscene waste of money on elections must be stopped. Funds can be put to better use for the common good. The big donations invested in elections are used to curry favor with the government for selfish benefits. If these changes are not brought about by our elected representatives, we must quit voting for and supporting them. We must withdraw our support for the corporations that have been in collusion with the government and against the best interest of the people. We must quit voting the same old party hacks back into office. They take no action to correct these unjust procedures.
Our justice system must be revised. We must quit unnecessarily incarcerating our citizens. Private prisons must be outlawed. Incarceration is a state function which must be carried out by officials who are elected by the people. Police brutality against citizens who peaceably exercise their right to free speech by protesting must be eliminated. If our elected representatives do not correct these problems, they must be replaced. Just quit voting for them, and vote for others who promise to take corrective action. If they do not keep their promises, replace them. Let’s quit being herded like sheep.
We demand more citizen oversight and more Inspectors General to monitor unjust police and government actions. We must take corrective action on government corruption by holding accountable both the bribers and those who accept bribes. A thoroughly researched study must be made on current practices. Various forms of bribery must be identified for what they are. Those who do the bribing and those who accept the bribes must be exposed and severely punished. Remember history. When people have had enough, as Matt Hanauer so well stated, the pitchforks come out. When that starts, it will be too late. There will be no turning back. This was a lesson that monarchs and nobles were slow to learn.
Part Cherokee, J. Glenn Evans spent his early youth on a small farm in Oklahoma during the dust bowl days of the Great Depression. Lived in Seattle 54 years and now resides in Olympia, Washington since December of 2014. Worked in a lumber mill, operated a mining company and co-produced a movie, Christmas Mountain-the Story of a Cowboy Angel, with Mark Miller and co-starring Slim Pickens. Early on he wanted to become a writer, but was side-tracked for twenty years by the advice of a wealthy uncle to “go where the money is.” He pursued the career of stockbroker and investment banker and became owner and president of a securities firm with three offices and forty brokers. Founder of PoetsWest and Activists for a Better World, currently hosts PoetsWest at KSER 90.7FM, a nationally syndicated weekly radio show. In addition to five books of poetry and three novels, Broker Jim, Zeke’s Revenge, Wayfarers—Where No One is An Outcast, his latest novel just published, Evans has written numerous political essays and is the author of several local community histories. Current work in process is a novel to be called The Last Lumber Baron.
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