TRICKS FOR CHEATS

Christians have a saying that goes; "The Devil's greatest trick is to convince people that he doesn't exist." Republicans have a trick of their own. They have convinced millions of people that the only voice they have, the only source of power and protection, their only means for justice and fairness, the institutions of government and the courts, is not only their greatest enemy, but an unprecedented threat to their future and their freedom.
They believe that getting rid of the government will make them freer. In fact, I believe the exact opposite is true. The power held by the government will not disappear with government, it will simply transfer to those that have the only other means for power; money. This means that decisions about labor, the environment, education, healthcare, and a whole host of other issue that will affect everyone will be made by the extremely wealthy and their corporations. Under this system average people will have no say in those decisions that will impact them the most. there will be no one to vote out of office for not representing you.
Litigation will not be an option either. By then the courts will be powerless to stand up for your rights. Under the guise of "tort reform" If they cannot take away your right to sue altogether, they will make it pointless to sue by severely limiting the amount of damages that you could collect, or the degree of responsibility corporations can be made to answer for.
The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is a supposed non-profit which writes model legislation that promotes a corporate agenda for it's members nationwide. These model bills are voted on in secret at posh resorts with legislators and corporate executives having equal say. If agreed to they are then distributed and introduced into state governments across the country. ALEC also has a hit list of federal departments that it would like to see eliminated, including, but not limited to; the Departments of education, environmental protection, energy, commerce, labor, as well as the FBI and CIA. Their ultimate goal is to shrink government and it's power, and to privatize as many of it's functions as possible to maximize profit. Their greed is limitless, they desire is to own and rule everything unchallenged. Becoming the new lords of the land while the average citizen lives as a serf, working their lands and paying them tribute. They believe this outcome is their God given right.
We need these agencies and a strong federal government. It is far too easy for a corporation, some special interests, or even an extremely wealthy individual to control a smaller entity like a single state. Only by combining our voices and looking out for one another on a national basis can we stand up for ourselves and our future. Some things are too important to be operated for profit and have to be left to the public sector or democracy will truly be lost.

© C. Erich Dunne  june, twenty-thirteen.