Americans giving away America
Today I heard two men make some shocking statements about American government.
The first said, “I think it would be better if we had one party in charge of the government because it would end all the divisions caused by a two-party government.”
Soon after, the second said, “I think the government needs to do a better job of leading the people instead of the other way around, always doing what some group wants. We need to have fewer factions.”
I was stunned! Both men were openly advocating the overthrow of American Constitutional government as though it’s a topic of casual conversation.
The Founders condemned having a two-party election system … because they feared it would deteriorate into a one-party system. And that is exactly what we see in many states – including Indiana. The legislators enacted laws that strengthen control by two parties, and now our state is ruled by an oligarchy (otherwise called a supermajority) that has authored laws to keep themselves in power. What the Founders feared, has happened here and in about 40 of the American states.
One gentleman also asked how one man – Putin – could lead Russia into a war to annex Ukraine. Why didn’t his government speak up and hold him back?
Of course, the answer is that, although Russia pretends to have five political parties, they are all controlled by a cabal of billionaires and very rich people who are all beholden to Putin. (Recall the Panama Papers.) On paper they have a parliament of different parties, but the Russian Federation is in fact one party united under Putin’s authority. Russia is a de facto one-party nation. And 90% of Russian citizens support Putin and his party. Nobody wants to join Navalny in Siberia. So, there is nothing holding Putin back.
The man who thinks the government should lead the people, disagrees with the Declaration of Independence, which states, “Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” In America, it is the people who empower the government, not vice versa. To suggest that we reverse that order is anti-American.
In fact, James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution of the United States, knew that instituting a democratic election system would cause factions, each with interests in conflict with other factions. He expected that these factions would balance each other out, but that they would – over time – combine into parties. But he, George Washington, and other Founders were explicit and outspoken against a two-party system, because it would disintegrate into a one-party system.
Their foresight is astounding, as that is just what is happening today. But people who are ignorant of history and the philosophies that were combined to create our Constitution, are openly echoing the minority authoritarian movement in a call to undermine democracy and for a one-party system … like in Russia and in China.
The solution to America’s current predicament is for more people to join the ranks of independent voters, who are the actual majority. Then, vote for people who support a renovation of our election system to return power to the people. There are several movements with a variety of solutions, including reversing Citizens United, end gerrymandering, term limits, ranked choice voting, and form a new party (as has been done in America’s past).
The alternative is to continue to be led – and fooled – by owned media and an owned election system, and inexorably become a one-party nation controlled by an oligarchy of rich people, and an authoritarian at its head … just like Russia or China.