Posted on 06/29/2009 4:54:58 AM PDT by Walter Scott Hudson
I no longer subscribe to either of the following perceptions of our government:
1. The popular impression that we are a democracy where the will of the majority determines public policy.
2. The originally intended conception of American government as a constitutional republic consisting of representatives of the people whose votes reflect the will of their constituents, balanced with an intelligent, complete, and benevolent pursuit of the general welfare.
We have neither of those. What we have, as evidenced by the passage of the 1500 page Cap and Trade bill which included "a 300 page amendment that was introduced in the wee hours of Friday morning just before the five hour debate took place," is nothing less than socialist oligarchy. At the risk of projecting an amount of condescension, allow me to define that term. Socialism is when the state owns and administrates a society's means of production. Oligarchy is a form of government defined by the domination of a small elite distinguished by some common bond. In this case, the bond is religious belief in and intellectual advocacy for socialism, coupled with the power to manifest it.
The idea that our government values democracy, at least at the federal level, is laughable. How can it possibly be argued that the will of the people plays any role whatsoever in the formation and execution of law, when the very legislators creating it have no idea what it is, because it is brought to vote so quickly they cannot possibly have read it, and therefore cannot possibly have considered the perceived or actual will of their constituent's regarding how they should vote on it? Make that argument for me, please! Tell me what part of passing bills no one has attentively read, properly considered, and thoughtfully debated is democratic! Tell me how the legislators supporting it, overwhelming Democratic, are truly democratic champions of "the poorest of the poor" when they pass a Tax on Existence they admit will hit the poor harder than anyone?!
How does this happen? How does it keep happening time and time again? Where is the outrage? Anecdotal evidence suggests, just as with the bank bailout legislation before it, this Cap and Trade bill was overwhelmingly opposed by constituencies across the nation. Multiple media sources reported "melted" phone lines at Capital Hill, as citizens pushed and shoved their digital avatars through inadequate bandwidth, to bang on the doors shutting them out of the corridors of power, and demand the Congress not tax them any further. Please, they said, don't raise the cost of gas for us to get to our jobs everyday. Please, they said, don't raise the cost of heating our homes in the dead of winter. Please, they said, don't cost our employers anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars that they will only be able to recoup by outsourcing our jobs to China or Mexico. Please, Members. Please! Listen to us! We are your constituents! We put you in office to represent us, to provide for the general welfare, to act in reverence to the Constitution of the United States of America and the principles of governance upon which it is based! We are you! You are us! Why won't you listen?! Why don't you hear?!
They do hear, folks. They do. They don't listen, because they don't have to, because listening to constituents is a defining characteristic of representative government, and that is not what we have. We have no democracy. We have no republic. We have no constitution. There is only the Nietzschian will of an elite class of oligarchs, led by a personality cultist who openly despises the foundations of the nation he purportedly serves.
Where is the revolution?! It lies muted beneath the death of a likely child molester who could sing and dance. Where is the revolution?! It has been upstaged by the adulterous affair of a state governor. Where is the revolution?! It cannot compete for the fascination of a tabloid nation with the divorce of Jon & Kate. There is no revolution. At this rate, there won't be. Not enough of us realize what is happening to our country and our world. Of those who do, not enough will stand against it.
Forget phone calls. Forget letters. They do nothing. They have become steam values to release political pressure without effect. Folks, we need to take back our government now. Average citizens need to become the media, and replace our career-minded overseers in government, because the professionals are not doing their job. As consumers of media, we must stop ravenously snatching up the sensational bones we are thrown. Michael Jackson is dead; his problems are over. Wake up to yours! The enemy isn't at the gates; he's in your house! And he's kicking you out! Can't you see that through the pomp and circumstance of tabloid journalism? Can't you hear it over the worship hymns of Thriller and Billy Jean? Can't you feel it as it reaches out for your throat to choke the life from you and your children?! Wake up!! Your liberty is gone! The frog is cooked! You are subjects, not citizens. And you have no one to blame but yourselves.
It is my firm belief that people, on the whole, get the government they deserve. That was why, in my view, it was folly to go into Iraq with the notion that we would build that nation into a democracy. The only nation built from people outside it is the province of empire. And hey, that's fine if that's how you want to play it. Rome was both republic and empire. We can go that route if you want. But let's be honest about it, shall we? Let's call it what it is. Let's not fool ourselves into believing we're out spreading democracy abroad when we can't muster two beads of sweat to protect it at home!
Awareness of the state of American socialist oligarchy must erupt to a level triggering revolution now, or the increasingly shrinking window to revolt non-violently will pass. It has to start from the ground up, with private-citizen media rising up at the local level and state electoral overthrows of every single sitting incumbent legislator, along with any executive who has failed to be a leader in pursuit of liberty. Laws must be passed aggressively requiring the due consideration of legislation, perhaps with a set number of days required for debate for every page of a bill written to a defined format, something to keep this overnight passage of unread oligarchical decree from becoming the law of the land. Such law would have to be, to some reasonable extent, retroactive in recognition of the bad faith with which previously hyper-passed legislation has been foisted upon the people without their effective representation and often against their stated apparent will. Such good faith debate laws must be enacted for responsible media to be effective. After all, who needs media when the government doesn't answer to the people?
If you have never considered running for office, or attending a town hall meeting, or participating in a caucus, or starting a blog or podcast or video blog, you are the person that needs to take action now. Those who have already stepped up are clearly overwhelmed or otherwise ineffectual. You can no longer afford to sigh and plant your face in your palm and content yourself to blow off steam calling in to talk radio or engaging in pointless flame wars on a forum, assuming someone with more time or perceived skill will step up and represent your interest. They will not! You have to stand up for you! And you have to do it now! If you believe it is too late to restore the republic, then you are right.
Socialist Oligarchy or the tyranny of the majority ... either works for me. Slavery by impossible debt.
But they always forget the lessons of Atlas Shrugs.
These people have stopped being our Representatives and have become our rulers.
I suppose that seeing as how they have given themselves all the perks of rulers it isnt a far fetched notion that they start believing they are.
The whole stinking bunch have survived by bringing pork home to their districts, in other words they pay us off using our own money they stole from us to begin with.
We need to clean out this nest of misfit lawyers and get some patriots in the Congress or we are looking at the end of a free America.
On the day of the vote, I called the offices of two area Reps — Rob Wittman (R) and Bobby Scott (D). As promised, Wittman voted against it. As for Scott, when I called his office, of course the response was, “he’s leaning toward voting for it.” When I asked when Scott read the text of the bill, she said, “well, uh.. he, uh.. we, uh.. have a position this is good for America.” I responded, “The Congressman didn’t read the bill, did he?” Her response: “I’m pretty sure he didn’t.” I knew he was going to support the cap and tax, but it was kind of entertaining hearing his little shill stutter and stammer over the “did he read the bill” issue.
Where is the Revolution? Watching Michael Jackson news i suppose.
I was camping with my son and his Scout Troop Friday night so missed the news of the vote. Mid day Saturday, back at the house I turn on FOX and they are running a special on Michael Jackson. Switch to CNN, and more Michael Jackson. HLN Channel, more Jackson. Now last and certainly least MSNBC and guess what they were talking about? Michael Jackson. All the rest of the news is no longer important. It took logging on to Drudge just to find out how the vote went.
This is a misconception. Those representatives were only supposed to vote on a few things. They certainly were not to be voting upon whether they think I should have energy efficient windows in my house regardless of the "will of their constituents."
ML/NJ
The TEA Parties are the start.
Here’s your solution: Vote out the bad people. Vote in good people.
Where Is The Revolution?
Tea protests are useless you direct these events at a SPECIFIC person.
Stop holding these Tea Parties at a state capital or a Walmart parking lot and hold them in the front yard of EVERY congressmen and senator who votes for these stupid bills!!!
We’re too busy sitting on our couch, eating Doritos, sipping a cold one and watching the tube. Oh, we’ll moan and grumble about the doubling of our utility bills, the $7/gallon gas and groceries we can’t afford anymore. But we’ll just put Junior to work, buy the cheapest grade of ground beef, buy generic everything and keep on trucking, because we’re scared of those new “block captains” from Obamacorps and don’t want to get sent to reeducation camp like the grumpy guy at work and our neighbor was. Heck, I’m starting to like Macaroni and Cheese and potted meat.
right now, none of this stuff is real to people...just words on paper or a news headline. Wait until they start to see the effects in their electric bill, at the gas pump, in their tax return, and when they try to get medical treatment. Then my friend, I assure you, the Revolution will come.
Indeed. The federal government is supposed to do precious little - and therefore does not need vast amounts of revenue. If citizens want something done, they should approach their local community, or perhaps their state government. If the state government does not have resources to make it happen, then it probably should not be done. Or you could consider moving to another state where the thing you seek is available.
But we stepped away from this sort of ideal a long, long time ago. Now, whatever I want should be available to me, courtesy of Uncle Sam, and I don't even have to pay for it, because some sucker in some other state is going to get stuck with the bill -- right??
BTTT
Your words remind me of the movie the Matrix: when Morpheus is trying to explain the Matrix to Neo: people are so hopelessly ingrained in the Matrix, that they find it hard to free themselves./Just Asking - seoul62......
What is needed is a counter-revolution/restoration.
As long a they don’t interrupt “American Idol” or cable service, there ain’t gonna be a revolution. Rome fell to the barbarian, not to internal strife.
> Then my friend, I assure you, the Revolution will come.
In my opinion, nope. Won’t happen.
We are at the “Bread and Circuses” stage of degeneracy. There is no turning back from that. Never was, never will be.
Perhaps the ONLY chance we have, THE ONLY CHANCE, is a Christian Revival the likes of which has not been seen since the 19th Century.
See 2nd Chronicles 7:14.
But the “Bread and Circuses”, the general cynicism, the triumph of Materialism, and the drunkeness of Nihilistic Hedonism over the sobriety and diligent work ethic of the Christian Faith based on the Eternal Hope it offers, makes it unlikely that such a thing will happen.
However, with God, all things are possible, so I will continue to pray for the seemingly impossible.
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