A "Talking Points Memo" from April 2014 tells us that a Princeton study has concluded that the United States is no longer a democracy:
The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy ..., while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence.
I was alerted to this study by a Facebook posting. A comment provided by the Facebook Friend who posted the item was this: "Confirmed by Princeton University. But we already knew this."
Here's what I know. "Democracy" is always an opportunity, not a guarantee. If we want democratic self-government, we have to get involved in government ourselves. Getting involved in government is something different from (and more than) reading about government. It's something more than thinking about government. It's something more than watching stories about it on television.
Can we return democracy to these United States?
Yes, I'd say we can.
But we need to change our priorities; change how much time we allocate to our personal participation in politics and government.
In a lot of ways, "democracy" means a different approach to time management.
http://www.jmgerraughty.com/blog/
There certainly is no democracy, rule by the people, at the national level. There, the public is excluded by money votes from the ruling elite. With 300 million+ people spread across 3,794,083 square miles of highly varied geography, democracy is impossible. Even the concept of a "country" becomes increasingly meaningless.
ReplyDeleteHowever, at the local level, we still have ample opportunity to participate in true democracy. Though less than 10% of the people partake, the opportunity remains.
And for those of us who DO participate in local democracy, we are rewarded with the satisfaction of seeing OUR ideas and ideals incorporated in local government.
Democracy is its own reward.