Are We Still A Democracy?

The quintessential element of democracy is that "The People" have to accept the cost of it, the essence of which is their willingness to carry out their 'citizen responsibility.'? That means Americans actually have to do something, not just wait for the corruption of special interests to mortgage their future.

George Pataki, former Governor of the state of New York, gave us all of the wisdom we need to understand and solve the problem when he said, "When government takes responsibility for people, then people no longer take responsibility for themselves."? Somebody should find a way to etch that on every car bumper in America.? Freedom and dependency are unable to coexist.? That you might choose responsibility over dependency is the politician's, the legal system's and the main stream media's greatest threat.? The essence of government spirit is to keep us united under a common bond, whatever [fear] that may be.? And let's face it, we are so easy to unite [scare].

In the beginning of the end, the populous tends to believe that they can hire mercenaries for their duties.? That is what is happening to America right now.? Every great civilization from time immemorial has eventually violated this truth and in return their government was lost to the ages.?

Americans have become apathetic to an ever more intrusive form of government and, most ironically, less inclined to take up their Citizen Responsibility.? Americans face a host of serious issues, many of which they treat with a herd mentality, protected by the drove grazing preoccupies them, until they sense the siren call of eminent danger.? And, like the wildebeest on the Serengeti even though others regularly perish, as long as it is not them they go back to grazing.

America is desperately trying to move on from the Bush presidency and that Barack Obama has offered that "Dream".? The recent stock market debacle, Lehman Brothers, the Fannie and Freddie crash, AIG and the $700 billion Wall Street bailout has rightfully enraged Middle America.? The U.S. financial system and the world financial markets are so stressed right now that it threatens the very social fabric of our nation, one that our fathers and their forefathers have already fought and died for.? Will we keep our American entrepreneurial spirit, which we have bragged about and paraded before the world for 200 years, or will we give way to a new form of socialism because we have hit a speed bump??

This is no reason to go off the deep end, throwing away our ideological sense of America in order to remove ourselves. ?Barack Obama is assembling his dream team, and the liberal media have already gone out to celebrate... just a minute... not so fast... history abounds with examples of people wanting out of a bad situation and then being taken to worse.? Most people will reject these words, but I can't help myself from writing them.? This is the "herd instinct" in human nature.? It is in our psychic that under threats we cannot perceive [or manage] we want to join the socialist masses.? Socialism is the very essence of government, of security, of the 'covenant of the fence', however we need to know where we are running... before we run over a cliff.? Most people stranded on an island-of-hell don't ask many questions when someone throws them a lifeline of hope.? Maybe they should ask, but most people don't.

Socialist regimes throughout history have promised hope and change.? I'm surprised, even dumfounded, that many Americans are acting blinded by speeches without details, the evidence for which is that they are not asking questions and demanding answers.? The peoples yearning for betterment cannot override our?common sense.?? Most important, people want change because they are frustrated by the relentless liberal media attacks on America's foundation.? They want change... for change's sake.

Americans cannot throw our constitutional heritage out the window for the promise of hope.? The America we have known for over 200 years is an uplifting struggle for fairness, equality and a uniquely American idealism.? It's not perfect, but let's not mess it up now.

Don Snyder is an American who is fed up with the low fat, salt free diet of bull crap he gets every day from the mainstream press more aptly referred to as the mainstream mess. He can be reached at dsnyder@twc.net

Television is the most powerful means of mass communication worldwide at present. And, how many of us are actually addicted to it? Most children and teenagers are, as intended by those who use it to influence all of us.

Look at the children of today. Most of them live their lives according to what they see on TV, and they will swear by it. To them it is the ultimate Gospel Truth, you almost dare not challenge it. And, many of them battle to read and cannot write or spell properly, if at all. Hello, does this touch you at all?

Fortunately I grew up without TV, it only came out in South Africa in 1975/76 when I was already twenty four years old. So it hasn't affected me as it has millions of other people. And, believe me, many people of my age and older are as addicted as other victims are. I feel for you all very deeply, hopefully the truth will set you free.

Television dictates the trends that we live our lives to. Female, black and disabled bosses & supervisors are much more prevalent today as compared to the past everywhere. Don't get me wrong, some of this is good. But this is only one small example of the means used by "the powers that be" to change the mindset of the world population.

But it's as designed by these powers, who-ever they may be, the USA, UN, NATO, Hong Kong, The Vatican, who-ever. This global power instructs its fledgling governments what is required to further global domination through democracy, and the mindset is spread through television & cinematic stories until the virtual world materializes. And then the lifestyle is set in the minds of the people of the new "democratic" world. No wonder we have "designer crime" and "designer wars".

Have you noticed, by way of radio & TV advertising, that the simple toothbrush has been extensively researched for the past forty years (Of my life anyway)? Every time a new toothbrush is released to the market one hears the same thing, "after years of extensive research & laboratory testing, the latest "GUMBOIL" toothbrush has been manufactured and will be released to the world next week".

Wow, this sounds exciting & I'll just have to buy one for each of my family members.

Do we all fall into this trap so easily, like lambs led to the slaughter?

This is simply advertising cow dung that you & I pay for every time we buy a new toothbrush, not to mention all the other products we buy daily & monthly, thus paying for advertising & marketing. We pay far too much for everything we buy, and then we have to see & hear all the adverts on TV as well, and pay for them. Are we crazy, or what?

It is absolutely mind-boggling, isn't it? We pay for the advertisements ourselves. I sometimes wonder to what extent we've been had and, unfortunately, we've hardly taken any notice of it. We just press on ahead, living our "normal lives", blindfolded and believing that everything is fine.

But we are the other party in the economic system, the consumer. The capitalist, or any other system, would emphatically not function without us. We do have a choice? We are free to choose, a basic democratic right.

It is actually a case of consumer rules. If we boycott the retail system until the retailers meet our pricing standards, the monopolies would have to comply or shut down. As long as our pricing standards are set within reason I believe this will work.

Why don't we do it?

With love we are strong, the energy will flow freely for us all.

Vaughan A Jones
Author of ONE LIFE-LOVE-ENERGY
Accountant, musician, composer, author and a soulful thinker.

Email your thoughts to me at onecreation1@gmail.com or on http://onelife.myfreeforum.org/