The great genius in our Constitution lies in it's use of checks and balances. Three separate branches of government, all with the ability to cross check each other. The mix of influences on the Constitution includes newer philosophies like Locke ancient Roman and Greek political concepts, and importantly, the bylaws and structure of the Masonic lodges that so many of the founding fathers participated in. Whatever the influences it was perhaps the greatest gift they could have given us. Even if we are constantly trying to throw it away.
Ah, elections! The time when we should be discussing issues but instead focus on birth certificates and dogs on roofs of cars. When the latest inadvertent misstatement is more important than the direction they'll take the country. When the election of the other guy will lead to a thousand years of darkness. In the face of that, I will continue to try to focus on some basic issues and what I believe is the direction we should take. And yes, I am taking a sacrifice in number of page views by going this route instead of the Mittbot Thurston Howell route or that darn Kenyan Socialist route.
I believe in checks and balances. That right now wealthy individuals and big corporations dominate, are out of control and need to be reigned in. Unions need to increase in strength as a countervailing force. I don't think we'll get out of our economic doldrums until we afford service workers the pay and respect they deserve.
It is virtually impossible to look at our electoral and political process and not see the contamination of big dollar donors. They effect who wins elections. They effect what legislation is passed. And right now, thanks in part (but only in part) to the Supreme Court's Citizens United decision, the strongest controlling influences are individual wealthy donors and mega-corporations. It is any wonder then, that the tax code works in their favor, to the point of the shockingly low rates the Governor Romney pays? Or that so much legislation and regulation actually favor the wealthy and big business over small business or the working poor?
Citizens United technically freed unions too to increase their donations. But unions have been a reducing force in America for several decades now, and currently public worker's unions are under a full scale assault. After everything that unions have done to make America a decent place to work, it saddens me to see the lack of respect given to them in the country as a whole, and most particularly in the area that I live in. It was disgusting to me to see teachers in this area line up against the striking teachers in Chicago, a strike supported by the majority of Chicagoans and even more significantly, a vast majority of parents whose children were in Chicago schools!
I wish that the Congress would pass the Employer's Free Choice Act, and restore unions to a stronger place in our society. I don't want then to dominate any more than the other elements of our society, but I want them to be strong enough to be a countervailing force.
At one time, manufacturing jobs were good jobs in this country. They were made that way by unions. Manufacturing jobs are not naturally superior to any other - they were low paid with excessive work hours, low pay and no benefits or vacations.
Right now, many of our service jobs are that way. We think of them as secondary, and somehow it doesn't bother us that the people don't make enough money to lift themselves out of poverty. So I am hoping in the coming years there will be a worker's revolution in these jobs, with unions helping them obtain better pay, benefits and improved workplace safety.
So here's to a restoration of checks and balances, not only in our government branches, but in the different economic and social groups we have in this country. Political circumstances right now don't look good for this type of improvement. But I have faith. We don't always go backwards in this country. We don't always stay stagnant, Sometimes we actually.....lean forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment