Real democracy in america

Real Democracy In America - Fact or Fiction?

Real Democracy in America remains a dream

We are actually a Republican form of Government. However the promise of a real democracy is implicit in our basic founding documents, the United States Constitution and the Federalist Papers. Throughout the history of the United States since its inception more and more democratic principles have been attached or amended to our basic political contract. The Founding Fathers, specifically Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Ben Franklin and others noted in many places and in many speeches at the time of the framing of the Constitution that the power of the Constitution derives from the people; it was adopted by the people; it functions at the behest of and for the benefit of the people. This basic understanding is that the whole reason for a government to exist is to serve the wishes of the People, and that a government that fails to recognize this basic principle flies in the face of this basic agreement or contract between the people and their government. This is the most overriding principle in the formation of the American experiment in Democracy and therefore it is followed throughout the centuries for the most part.

To that end, the Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times, SEE AMENDMENTS and in each of these amendments more and more freedom and a new democratic principle has been established. Also please note Proposed Amendments in recent years.

For example in the First Amendment, part of the Bill of Rights, the right to Free Speech, Freedom of the Press, Freedom of Assembly and the Right to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances was granted to all American Citizens. This First Amendment, the most importance keystone of the American democracy laid the foundation for more and more rights that will eventually allow the American Citizen the right to Vote Directly on the Issues of the Day. Petitions have been used for decades to demonstrate to our Government our dissatisfaction regarding a certain issue or our desire to advance a certain cause, such as advance the rights of African Americans, women or other minorities. Petitions have also been used to express dissatisfaction with unpopular wars. They have largely been ignored by the government, however, this does not in itself disqualify the Petition Process as a valid form of political expression.

The Petitioning Process has been traditionally a paper form of expression of our rights only because the electronic form of Petition has yet to be perfected. On the horizon, however, are many new ways of utilizing the Internet and Online Petitions have already shown up in demanding the impeachment of the President, ending the unpopular Viet Nam War and more recently the War in Iraq as well as many other popular issues. It will just be a matter of time when we are able to connect Online Petitions with Online Demands for the majority will on any given issue and thus eliminating the need for paper Petitioning with wet signatures.

The Government's ability to ignore such popular actions by the people, even though signed by millions of citizens, is largely accepted because there is no mention in the Constitution of the necessity for the Government to obey any citizen Petition movement. The Constitution only mentions the right of the citizens to make formal protests, to attempt to redress their grievances, but there is no provision for what the Government is required to do in response. Congress, being the body of Government that is charged with the responsibility and duty to represent the will of the people, may at times, respond to a popular Petition with hearings and sometimes changes in the laws.

The most important amendment for this discussion may be the Ninth which states, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." In other words, the founding fathers knew that there may be some rights or duties that they were not able to consider at the time of the framing of the Constitution and which may become necessary later on in the future and so they laid the framework for allowing more rights, more democracy in this first set of amendments known as the Bill of Rights.

In 1865, the Thirteenth Amendment was passed in which slavery was prohibited. It took until after the Civil War to pass the Fifteenth Amendment which extended the right to vote to former slaves and other ethnicities, but conspicuously continued to prohibit the right to vote for women. That right was not put into an amendment until 1920 with the Nineteenth Amendment. In 1965, in the twenty-sixth amendment we lowered the voting age to 18 years of age.

All throughout our history as society has changed, the Constitution has changed to adapt to the realities of the times. With the advent of the Internet, major changes are now taking place in society that may soon require another major democratic principle be added to our constitution. It is in the form of National Initiatives and Referenda to which I refer. This method of allowing the people themselves to create a proposition, place it on the ballot is valid in one way or another in 34 states and is used continually to adjust the state laws of these states who use this practice. If this right of voter participation in the creation of local laws is justified, then certainly, by any reading of the United States Constitution, it could easily become the method in the Federal Election Process.

This National Ballot Measure process could easily become the next amendment to the US Constitution. Logically, we cannot lower the voting age any lower. We cannot find any more minorities to enfranchise therefore, it is only the voting process itself that needs further clarification and adaptation in the Constitution. The Electoral College should be abolished since this is an antiquated form of determining a President, when the Popular Vote would be far more efficient and unquestioned. That form of electing a President has come close to an amendment many times in the past, but never reached a quorum. The only other form of voting that is worthy of mention is the way that votes could be cast by the electorate for or against National Ballot Measures. Since this is accomplished regularly by the states and no judicial body has ever been able to overturn this form of local democracy, it is reasonable to assume that no judicial body would ever be able to overturn the right of the people to vote directly on National Initiatives and Referenda, especially since this right is implied in the First, Ninth and Tenth Amendments.

With the advent of the Internet, the proposal process, the debate process, the refinement of these National Ballot Propositions would be an easy task and most Americans would be able to participate from the privacy and comfort of their homes. This is a revolutionary idea and one worthy of the Revolutionaries of 1776 who gave us this wonderful document that can be adapted easily and readily to the will of the people and the exigencies of the times.

As Thomas Jefferson wrote so eloquently in the United States Declaration of Independence, perhaps the most well known and well-beloved of any non-religious document: "That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness."

Jefferson did not say that this should happen only once in our history. He didn't say that only his generation was allowed to make such radical changes, nor did he limit the range of new government or new principles that we could adopt. In fact, in subsequent writings he declared that it would be necessary for us to make such radical changes in every generation. Jefferson and the rest of the founding fathers emphasized only that public safety and the 'Pursuit of HappinessItalic text in the land be the over-riding consideration for all future changes.

Since we have now suffered through several Presidents in recent past who have completely ignored or actually disobeyed the will of the majority of the people in the United States, since we have suffered several Congresses who have ignored or completely disobeyed the will of the majority of people they are sworn to serve, since many recent laws of these United States have been written by Lobbyists and for the Industries that they serve and not by our elected representatives for the people they serve, is it not time to consider Real Democracy in America, wherein the people themselves shall be given the right to create some of the laws that they themselves must obey?

Is it not a fundamental right of any democracy, no matter how flawed in nature, to have a mechanism where the will of the majority of voters is made clear and can even become the law of the Land? Is it not a fundamental right of the people living today to have a way to make their own National Propositions, place them on the ballot and allow their fellow citizens the right to approve or disapprove of such solutions that are derived from the people themselves in order to give a benefit to the people? Is it not a fundamental right for the people of any nation to over-ride at least some of the most egregious acts of self-interest that their government may commit? Is it not a fundamental right of the American People to have a way to have their Grievances redressed as mentioned in the First Amendment of our Constitution?

Is it not a fundamental right for the American people to be extended a right to themselves that is not mentioned in their constitution specifically, but is reserved for the people as all rights are preserved for them as stated in the Ninth Amendment?

These seem to be the questions of the day. The world awaits an answer.

Comments (2)
1. 16-04-2011 18:46
Real democracy, is still an unattainable ideal, and even then, there is no system in the world as a general basis, or sense of comparison for the evaluation of a full democracy and true, and neither can exist, because we have to get to its essence and see who benefits. For the ancient Greek aristocracy existed broader "democracy", but for the slaves, the oppressed, the downtrodden, the poor, the marginalized and excluded (which were an absolute majority), democracy was only an empty word. 
The political organization, or government of the people by the people and for the people, which is founded on popular sovereignty and the balanced distribution of power, to reinforce the process of democracy, have to act continuously and hardworking to achieve a outcome that benefits or take into account the real interests of the majority. And, again, do not may in the first place, to safeguard, preserve, guarantee or ensure all costs the political domain of a privileged minority. 
And besides, the political organization of all the people can not endure as a regime unsympathetic to the evolution of social institutions, and neither must serve as the fulcrum for the salvation of the political regime hostile political and social innovations, which is not committed to the changes that aspire to the improvements or renovations to receiving the absolute majority of the population. 
The political organization, or government of the people, by the people and for the people, can not only serve as a ruse, or relied on by the choice of ordinary elections venal and deceitful agents representing professional sly with that jockey would read and say nothing to express respect or protect the interests of the majority. 
The doctrine or political regime founded on the principles of popular sovereignty and equitable distribution of power, can not only serve as a hoax, justifying unfair lawsuits that assert the political domination of the interests of the institutions that defend the economic structure that favors the lesser part of society , which uses economic power to effect or hyping their venal attorneys representing professional sly cronies and populist. 
The political organization of all the people or government of the people, by the people and for the people, must always work to defend the real interests of the majority of the population, aiming to perform a sensible application of rational activity in the production of material goods and spiritual, so that the absolute majority to win or achieve the necessary benefits and opportunities they need. 
And yet, the thieves and untrustworthy agents representing professional sly carrying politically stimulating the popular passions in pursuit of personal political advantage, or who cling to the traditions and reject all kinds of political and social innovations, and who are always pretend fooling absolute majority with false pieties and fraudulent collusion, collusion and bargaining, policies or attitudes that are to make promises of wonderful achievements, creating a climate of expectation and hope for evading the majority of people. 
The absolute majority, made up of people of modest circumstances with few resources, and living only on the stipend of his work, so the same way as all other subjugated, exploited, oppressed, destitute, deprived and excluded people, to strengthen the process of democracy for the majority of people, or gain political power in conjunction with his real and true representatives unselfish, affectionate, renewals political, moral or social, must constantly raged against those who are striving to conserve the current political and social status. 
And to gain the essential benefits they need, the absolute majority of popular power has to avoid that the system of exploitation and economic power, which serves the interests of the privileged minority, fail to induce the masses to error when powerful tricks to dominate and oppress the poor. 
And further, the absolute majority it has to be organized, enlightened and well informed to strengthen the democratic process, and have the power or the right to decide and act for the conquest of political power. 
And, likewise, never leaving or staying believing everything in the hands of attorneys representing professional madrasas corrupt demagogues, opportunists and swindlers, the hostile political and social innovations, which use the sorrelfa or any other expedient only to achieve personal benefits and promotions , misleading or deceiving and controlling the life of an absolute majority, without even providing services designed to deliver improvements in social conditions, to really change the lives of those less fortunate. 
The absolute majority must always realize the importance in participating in public affairs and social skills, constantly striving to achieve goals, objectives and opportunities for the reason that, the value is actually the means of achieving a dignified human existence with better quality of life. 
And therefore the absolute majority should not be resigned to live suffering and dying for the owners of the food situation, ie, accepting everything that a machine designed to maintain the dominance of bourgeois minority - be determined in time or time - in which holds that the powerful privileges to feel threatened, will serve up all times of the armed forces, of "justice", of prisons and punitive organs, to thus stay in power at any cost, displacing and subjugating Most, or leaving her submissive, aloof and remote from the direction and management of public affairs and social issues. 
All nations of the free world must find its own form of expression, to win their own freedom and blaze his own path. The people are sovereign to decide their own destiny and build the process of democracy and freedom in accordance with its ideals of development, or social, cultural, political and economic. 
And, at any time, the nations of the free world, should allow interference in its internal affairs by any force or imperial power. 
The people of each country has every right to fight for its social and national liberation, and choose the best path of development. 
All nations must be free, sovereign and independent of any imperialist interference, to design and build the process of democracy and freedom, as their ideals of development or social, cultural, political and economic, claim always to ensure the sovereignty and independence national. 
Therefore, the will of an absolute majority of people in change and to defend an ideal that meets the interests or wishes of the majority of the population, can also constitute itself as a process of freedom and democracy when it happens, when tens of million people come to the conclusion that one can not keep living like this and thus chose the path of social revolution for national liberation. 
The system by which governs the self-centered, arrogant, extremist imperial regime of the United States of America, which to judge the champion of "democracy", for example, is nothing but a tyrannical power of the bourgeoisie and monopoly capital, in that In the organization of American political power, all powers are united in the hands of the ruling class, which does not allow any threat to its rule, and that can not be contradicted, criticized or have organized opposition unfavorable prerogatives, ideals or principles bourgeois; as capital and the interests of the bourgeoisie in the first place and must be defended at any cost. 
And, as a result, the U.S. imperial tyrannical regime, is always compressed in the narrow confines of the exploration, and therefore always remains in essence a scheme for the minority bourgeois exploiter, uniquely for the propertied classes, only for the rich. 
The covert political regime and illusory national-imperialist "democratic" United States of America, is nothing but a circus, a sham, a fraud, a charade, a make-believe with marked cards, just to tell and bluff that this is "democracy" for the majority. 
Therefore, the functions of political institutions of democracy "bourgeois, is to ensure the class rule (dictatorship) of the bourgeoisie and their privileges. 
Therefore, the United States of America, only two major parties of the bourgeoisie alternate in power for decades and, in that consensus, cheat and deceive the majority when representing and defending the interests of capital and social layer that holds privileges. 
The Democratic and Republican parties are colluding, who has commitments to the privileged minority, that is, each is supported by limited groups of the bourgeoisie and monopoly capital, which seek only to enrich and serve its own interests. 
By the way, both parties have large space on the media in the Media and Advertising Agencies, which represents a powerful means of ideological influence and be exactly those which are under the domination of the ruling class, which while being privileged minority , is yet all powerful. 
It is true that in the U.S., there are other parties but that has not the slightest chance of competing with the economic power of these two parties of the bourgeoisie, in addition, U.S. law hinders maximum participation of other parties in elections inventing numerous subterfuge and legal obstacles, including for example, the need to collect thousands of signatures in a very short time held in the presence of witnesses and recorded notoriously obtaining licenses for the collectors of signatures, etc. And even if the other parties manage to overcome all barriers, electoral commissions often deprive us of the possibility of participating in elections under the pretext of the signatures were illegible or any other pretext invented. 
Manipulation of consciousness of the population, applies widely in the U.S., in order that the people always elect politicians who represent the interests of the bourgeoisie and monopoly capital - to decide on all the time laws in favor of the income of the ruling class privileged. 
The pretense of legislating projects or social and political reforms, but mainly in order to safeguard, preserve, ensure and guarantee the power at any cost or policy area the privileged minority, or the interests of the affluent social stratum: the venal, mendacious and wicked political representatives of the bourgeoisie, when elected, then they take forever or hinder the achievements made by the people, which is benefiting the vast majority of the population. 
And this cunning scheme of deceptions, the word "democracy" is just a slogan used by the bourgeoisie, to keep themselves in power, or achieve goals and objectives, tricking or deceiving the vast majority of the people. 
Though only palliative make concessions to the popular masses, or even political maneuvers, face the danger of revolutionary crisis, or even argue that the people live in a society whose "democracy" reflects the will and interests of the majority, which , all have opportunities to achieve goals and objectives, without prejudice or distinction, and where everyone can reach. 
The insidious and shameless bourgeoisie with political organization protects itself always in defense of private interests, by making use of the strategy to muster the people who toil and live in modest means and those in hardship and needs, bringing up some against each other, aiming thereby disjungir and weaken the unit. And thus forcing those who work conformed to accept the lives they lead, because the bourgeoisie inzoneira places society against all dismissed that claim and fight for improvements in their lives; with invective by saying that the workers or with their diligent claims, undermine the work of the entire society. 
Moreover, the imperialists devastate entire countries, playing their populations in poverty, to promote bloody occupation and destruction. Similarly, establishing puppet dictators who murder hundreds of thousands of men, women and innocent children, besides the economic and social devastation, and all this simply to satisfy the interests of monopoly capital. 
"Democracy is for the American empire, as the U.S., send and dictate the rules, and subjugate the people undergoing the condition and position of servitude, exploitation, passivity, dependence, obedience, submission, subservience and control, but when people Free surged to try and put themselves or to oppose against the interference, greed, domination, tyranny, or will U.S. interests - then this will be considered a dictatorship to the U.S. empire. " 
People who really yearn to be free, sovereign and independent, and for this, come join a consistent way to build the development of democratic processes, as their social, cultural, political and economic conditions and thus advocate to not be in hands, knees, submissive, obedient, subservient under control, or serving the interests and purposes of American imperialism. 
The Imperious oppressive regime of the U.S., which always argues with the international community, to make economic sanctions, embargoes or restrictive measures designed to obstruct the commerce and communications of free nations, sovereign and independent, opposing the policy of imperial expansion and domination. 
And, with these measures, the catchy, powerful, arrogant, dangerous, brutal and threatening U.S. empire, which is considered above the law, aimed mainly harm the economy of the free territories, so that thereby makes them power and thus overthrow or impossible to implement and further the development with freedom, independence and sovereignty of free nations, which stepchildren in subjecting themselves to the positions of imperial domination and tyranny of the U.S.. 
The Americans who consider themselves the masters of power and status, scholars haughty, superior and better than the whole human race - with its system of government founded on the power of domination and unrestrained, with provocative stance, the empire install military bases in all regions of the world to demonstrate prevail or brute force, to intimidate and threaten the free world, with military exercises constant and large scale. 
For the imperialists try to evade all forms of human nature, by placing the truth upside down, when they present themselves as champions of "freedom" and "democracy", including making use of these principles with dogged cavil that are the only and real "representatives" or "defenders" of these ideals. 
And, as a result, these free countries, struggling incessantly against imperial aggression and oppression, not to their knees, passive, mild, submissive, quiet, behaved, obedient, under the command, control and absolute mastery of the empire. 
The U.S. imperialists, with its expansion, influence, or even territorial domination, cultural and economic world; use with audacity, cunning and strategy of domination, the two magic words that are considered key, or "Freedom"and "Democracy, " which are used with subtlety just sophistry to hide their real purposes of possession of the free world. 
The all powerful and wealthy U.S. Empire, packaging for the masses and dominate the free world, use it as a strategy to bypass the constant application of the words that are pleasing and are a decisive element, or "Freedom" and "Democracy"; so as to deceive or attempt to justify to the international community, that the acts of aggression and domination that perform throughout the free world, are sublime and fair, and thus falsely claiming that they are the real defenders of these ideals. 
However, when the nation really decide or act according to its own determinations, aspiring to be free, sovereign and independent, organizing the development of democratic processes, depending on their realities, social, cultural, and economic policies and thereby countering U.S. interests Immediately comes the hostile reaction of the empire. 
And conflict with U.S. interests, so ready, is the U.S. empire, the open treatment, hostile and unfair, animosity inflicted with the free nations - thus disappearing - a highly praised and widely touted the words "Freedom"and "Democracy" which hypocritically used by the empire as a strategy, to introduce the masses to a terrible brainwashed hypnotized and conditioned, to believe or accept the U.S. by mistake, and so false, as the only legitimate true or real" representative "and "defender" of these ideals. 
The imperialists use as a strategy of domination both beautiful, magnificent, spectacular, fantastic and wonderful words, which are decisive element, namely, "Liberty " and "Democracy", so as to seduce and deceive the masses, sure to guarantee the unrestrained power over the nations free, sovereign, and independents, and thus impose their system of domination that abuses of the ingenuity, superstition, false belief, ignorance or misunderstanding of an absolute majority. 
Only a people conscious, wise, free, sovereign and independent of any force or imperial power, can build the process of democracy and freedom, as their ideals of development or social realities, politics, economics, and all without imperialist interference. 
Therefore, the reality of a free people, with its political organization, must be referenced or binding in all respects, because, before that which actually exists in life, cultural, social, political and economic one people is not like the constitution of the organization other people with their customs and traditions. 
But when a powerful nation or territory lost control of the political and, not wanting to be without the domain of power, then turn to Coups often with the help of U.S. imperialism. 
And, to obstruct the democratic process of the formation popular revolutionary bourgeoisie to defend its interests whenever those proponents in providing the necessary strength in the defense or support the interests of the majority. 
The bourgeois class and privileged ruling minority, always uses brute force to have guarantees to prevent any cost, that the vast majority consists of people from modest circumstances with few resources, and the only living stipend of his work, so the same manner as all other subjugated, exploited, oppressed, destitute, deprived and excluded, will organize themselves to form the development of popular revolutionary democratic process, or system of real democracy and freedom to reach the absolute majority of the people.
2. 20-12-2014 15:22
Not true that there are 3 political status options for Puerto Rico 
The United States (US) government has made Puerto Ricans believe that there are 3 political status options for Puerto Rico. That is a lie. The purpose for that is to have Puerto Ricans fight amongst themselves. The plan has been a huge success! Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States for 116 years, and judging by the 80% voter turnout in the colonial elections, the majority of us has not realized that we have been lied to. 
In reality, there is only one option. The United Nations (UN) in 1960 determined that colonialism is a crime against humanity. Therefore, the only thing that Puerto Rico can do is to become her own nation. That means that the US must give Puerto Rico the sovereignty that the US illegally took away from her by virtue of the July 25, 1898 military invasion.  
Thus far, the US government has ignored the 33 UN resolutions asking it to immediately decolonize Puerto Rico. Instead, it has tried to hide these petitions, and at the same time appear to believe in democracy by pushing for plebiscites so that Puerto Ricans could decide between colonialism, being a US state, or independence (decolonization as required by the UN).  
The problem with the US pushed plebiscites are that they: 
4. have 2 options that are not permitted by international law- continuing being a colony and becoming a state of the country that has the colony. For the option of becoming a state of the country that has the colony to be considered, the colony must first become her own nation (decolonized). 
José M López Sierra

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