What Caused the Demise of the Democratic Republic?
Op-ed by TheWiseOldFart
First and foremost, massive corruption is the reason the
federal government of the United States is dysfunctional and irreparable in its
current state. But who or what allowed such a level of corruption to become the
norm in Washington D.C.?
Number one is why our national motto has changed from “e
pluribus unum,” to “profit before people”.
ONLY ONE MAN CAN BE REMEMBERED AS “THE PEOPLE’S PRESIDENT”
In 1932 the greatest President in America’s history was elected
by the people. Big business had a stranglehold on America’s working class after
the Great Depression of 1929. Franklin Delano Roosevelt fought for all Americans
until he died during his fourth term in 1945.
His policies improved the quality of life for the working
class and allowed big business to take care of itself.
Without FDR the only perfect law would never have been passed.
He signed the Social Security Act in 1935 and today, in the 21st century,
most older Americans rely on Social Security for most or all of their monthly
income.
CHANGE CAME, AND CHANGE IS NOT ALWAYS A GOOD THING
After the end of WWII in 1945, our nation was focused on an
economy which was moving from its focus on the production of war machines, to a
peacetime economy. Men were returning from foreign lands, eager to regain their
place in the work force.
Millions of women, who had been forced to perform jobs once
held by men, returned home to care for their husbands and their newborn
children. The term “baby boomers” accurately describes the massive increase in
childbirth post WWII.
Programs in our bigger cities were focused on the growth of
big business who had a rebirth under the protections provided them as they
became “corporations.”
Our government focused on the growth of corporations,
believing that as they became more profitable, jobs would become plentiful and
the economy of the United States would serve all Americans regardless of their
economic or social status.
For the most part, this became a reality.
POVERTY LEVELS DROPPED FROM ABOUT 35 PERCENT TO 13 PERCENT
Between 1945 and 1970, Americans struggling to survive below
the poverty line dropped from about one-third to 13 percent. On the other end
of the spectrum, America saw its first billionaires as a result of huge
increases in corporate profits. Although only a handful in 1970, this was the
beginning of what has become a plutocracy/oligarchy today.
Greed raised its ugly head across the nation. Corporate
executives lobbied government officials to pass legislation which would allow
them to cut costs and increase profits.
Social programs which existed in
1970 no longer exist today. Social programs from the 1970s that no longer exist
in their original form include Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC),
the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO) programs, and the Model Cities
program, which were mostly restructured or abolished by the 1980s.
To allow “tax breaks” for the
super-rich and the largest corporations, these and other suggested programs
were cut from the annual budget.
In 1972, the first recorded
lobbyist walked through the doors of the Capitol Building.
Corporate America immediately
realized the possibility of gaining greater influence over the legislative
branch. Unconstitutional organizations known as “Lobbies” began their
appearance on Capitol Hill.
I righteously refer to them as Unconstitutional
because they violate the 14th Amendment. Corporate America easily
gained influence in the House and Senate as their lobbies contributed enormous
amounts of money to the reelection campaigns of our federal legislators.
However, the working class does not have lobbyists who fight for their rights
inside the Capitol Building. We are not provided equal protection under the
law.
THE 1980 ELECTION WAS THE
BEGINNING OF THE END FOR RESPECT AND FAIR TREATEMENT FOR THE WORKING CLASS
In November of 1980, the third
worst president in America was elected by a landslide. Ronald Reagan conned me
and millions of other Americans into believing his campaign les.
Immediate after his inauguration
on January 20, 1981, Reagan began his wars on the working-class, minorities,
women, and non-Christians. Corporate American had its first puppet in the White
House.
Reagan’s economic policy of “trickle-down
economics” was a major failure. When he left the White House in January of 1989,
unemployment was on the rise, the quality of life for most Americans had
lessened, and the national debt had become a serious problem.
THE END OF MY AMERICA BEGAN
COMPLETION IN 2017
When our government allowed the
illegitimate, rigged election of Donald Trump on November 8, 2016, the entire
system of a Democratic Republic ceased to exist.
Although every man and woman in
the White House and on Capitol Hill was fully aware that Vladimir Putin had
interfered in the 2016 election with the intent of making his puppet your
president, they did nothing. Corruption in Washington had reached a new level.
The end of my America was imminent.
MONEY IS THE ROOT OF ALL
EVIL
Most Americans continue to
believe the illusion that our government officials are elected to serve the people.
Elections in America are bought and paid for by the super-rich and large
corporations. Today’s professional politicians have no interest in the needs and
wishes of the average American. Their only concern is winning their next
election. Fact: most Americans cast their votes based on what the see on
television. Who pays for most of those ads?
MANY OF YOU JOIN ME IN WONDERING
HOW TRUMP CONTINUES TO REMAIN IN POWER
Trump’s supporters include the
Pentagon, most law enforcement agencies, many Christian leaders, and, most
importantly our nation’s 902 oligarchs/billionaires. Real Americans want him
gone. We will never accept a dictator.
However, in America nothing
matters other than money and power. They are synonymous in the 21st
century.
“ Remember, democracy never lasts
long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy
yet that did not commit suicide.” John Adams
Also apropos: "At what point
then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us,
it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our
lot, we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we
must live through all time, or die by suicide." Abraham Lincoln
Op-ed by James Turnage
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Source: forbes.com: Why We Lost
The War On Poverty
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