In my last posting, I proposed that we as voters demand that Bernie Sanders make a clear, firm commitment toward less military, less war, less imperial misadventure, less of much that goes on in the name of "defense of the homeland", specifically those items which are bankrupting our country and making the U.S. the enemy of the world.
Many of his supporters predictably rallied to his defense and directed me to a recent document which appears on the web site of the esteemed senator.
All well and good. I'm glad Bernie Sanders recognizes the need to "answer" to the people and explain where he stands on things.
Without getting into a lot of specifics here -- I may do that in a future posting -- his policy statement certainly leaves a lot of room for interpretation. It's intentionally vague. It is the kind of public relations-oriented piece which we've come to expect of other lesser men and women but is not at all flattering to a self-described socialist who has taken admirable stands on many other issues. It is fraught with the sort of sweeping, noble-sounding but non-committal declarations that allowed Mr. Sanders to vote, for example, against the War in Iraq but for funding that very same war in defense appropriations bills.
Maybe that's fine for some people but I think we should expect more.
If the country is not to be further bankrupted by endless war, then nice-sounding feel-good assurances will not cut it. We need specifics. We need details. We need accountability.
Among other things, we need to demand of Mr. Sanders and any candidate who claims to have the interests of the U.S. at heart: ending the illegal war crime of bombing countries with drones, which is just recruiting more terrorists and swelling the ranks of jihadists; closing most of the 900+ bases around the world; ending the confrontations with Russia and China; closing Guantanamo and all of the other "black sites" where we torture; firing the neocons who infect our government and foreign policy apparatus like a deadly plague; stopping all of our meddling in other countries; ending the policy of regime change which has produced anger and chaos across the globe, creating more enemies than we can ever possibly deal with; cutting the military budget by 40 or 50%, since we already spend more than 10 times what any other country in the world spends on defense.
And we need to demand it in writing using legally-binding contracts.
Or it simply won't get done.
My strategy is not designed to target Mr. Sanders or just defense policy. In fact, it applies across the board on a host of issues -- Social Security and Medicare which are both under attack, the minimum wage, debt and mortgage relief, affordable education, safer food and water, ending corporate welfare, are just some examples -- critical issues where there is a lot of talk and promises from politicians but no action. It applies across the board to every individual running for federal office, Democrat, Republican, Green, Libertarian, Tea Party.
If you look at many of these areas of citizen concern, you find enormous agreement, polls reflecting consensus numbers in the 60s, 70s, 80s, even 90% of the public.
72% of American voters want a federal minimum wage
of $10.00 per hour or more.
of $10.00 per hour or more.
74% of American voters are for ending
oil industry subsidies.
oil industry subsidies.
75% of voters want fair trade agreements protecting jobs,
workers, the environment.
workers, the environment.
76% of voters want a cut back on military spending.
76% of voters want the U.S. completely out of Afghanistan.
79% of voters want no reductions in Social Security,
70% support expanding it.
70% support expanding it.
79% of voters want no reductions in Medicare.
80% of voters oppose the Citizens United Supreme Court
decision, with 65% strongly opposing it.
decision, with 65% strongly opposing it.
68% of voters think taxes on the wealthy
should be increased.
should be increased.
71% of voters support massive infrastructure renewal.
93% of voters want GMO labeling on their food.
There is huge disagreement alright. It's between what the people want done and what our elected officials do!
All I'm saying is . . . this is not democracy!
Not by any stretch or any standard or any interpretation of our Constitution can you call it democracy when the people want one thing and our legislators deliver the opposite.
What I am pushing -- hoping people will stick up for themselves and regain some control of their country and their own futures -- is a specific method for guaranteeing on certain specific issues that our elected officials represent us and do what we want!
Is my plan radical?
At one time, the idea that America should chuck its bondage to the King of England and go it alone was radical. The suggestion we should free the slaves was radical. The outrageous idea that women should have the right to vote was radical.
My plan is no more radical that the Constitution itself. That hallowed document which everyone loves to point to but apparently very few bother to read, lays the foundation for self-government -- government of the people, by the people, for the people.
It doesn't say . . . "government for the rich and powerful and to hell with the rest of you."
No, the idea that people should have direct say in the running of this country is only radical right now because we as citizens have become convinced that we should just sit back and let the "experts" run things, that we are powerless and should just shut up. We've been convinced of this by a tiny elite of rich and powerful, anti-democratic plutocrats who love having complete control of our government and our legislative bodies, who literally now own our politicians, because it serves their agenda, keeps them rich, and makes sure that nothing stands in their way of total autocratic rule.
If you are as fed up as I am at the gridlock, the shutdowns, the broken promises, the back door deals, the endless excuses, the horrible waste of our hard-earned tax dollars which ends up lining the pockets of the already wealthy 1%, the Wall Street bankers, and the military-industrial complex -- which keeps the wars going because that keeps the profits flowing -- if you are as fed up as I am at we the people always being last on the list when it comes to fixing the problems we need to fix for America to meet its constitutional mandate to promote the general welfare and offer a good life for all Americans, not just the filthy rich, then at least . . . LOOK AT WHAT I'M PROPOSING.
It's different. It's unprecedented. But it's not very difficult and it certainly isn't radical.
It's a way to have REAL REPRESENTATIVE DEMOCRACY in this country.
It's a way to have our elected officials serve us, take orders from us, get done at least some of the things we want done for a change.
My offer still stands. My strategy is explained in simple, readable language in two of my books. They are available for free. Just click on the "Contact Me" button on the right side of the page and send me a request.
If you wait for your next door neighbor and your next door neighbor waits for you and you both wait for someone else to start paying attention, we'll never get things straightened out and America will continue its sure steady decline. The rich and powerful will eat the meal, you and I will get the crumbs that fall off the table.
Just take a few minutes. We can have the country we want and a decent future to hand down to our children and their children.
Is this too much to ask?
"Candidate Contracts: Taking Back Our Democracy" is available from all the usual suspects . . .
Amazon (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1QJRiNZ
Apple (iBook) . . . apple.co/1BXnPcy
Amazon (Paperback) . . . amzn.to/1Cuq0du
Barnes & Noble . . . bit.ly/1GpTTLq
Smashwords . . . bit.ly/1B4DQCp
Direct from printer . . . bit.ly/1MGjDnN
"Fighting for the Democracy We Deserve" was published just a few weeks ago. But it is available both as a Kindle ebook and in print from Amazon . . .
Amazon US (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1VMf2Ft
Amazon CA (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1in513n
Amazon UK (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1KfjtQO
Amazon JP (Kindle) . . . amzn.to/1OMslBG
Amazon (Paperback) . . . amzn.to/1L9SdIC
[ This originated at the author's personal web site . . . http://jdrachel.com ]
