Idealism of Democracy

   It seems surreal to me. This Orwellian Existance...

    On one hand, we have blood thirsty leaders, totally apathetic to the American voices, other nations' advice, and Iraqi and American troops' lives.
   On the other hand, we have blind people following the whim of these leaders, not concerned with any consequences of our government's actions.
   Then we have an uproar of dissent of this war, this Hitler-like administration, and yet we seem to have no political voice at all in this democracy...

Democracy: government by the people; a form of government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised direclty by them

   It seems so simple in theory. The problem comes when the government gets too small. Oftentimes, people complain that government is too big, but the real problem is that the government is too small, but their power is too big. As the government gets smaller and smaller (in terms of numbers of people who are a part of the decision making process within the government) many people's views are no longer argued or even discussed. As we pick people to represent a mass of people, the mass grows and people are forced to pick a candidate 'most' like themselves.
   The small number of people who control the government, media, corporations, etc, have gotten there through a process of people letting go of their responsibility and their unique role to influence these social structures.

Representation is Not Democracy

   When talking to common people about politics, I've never heard a person say how much they were represented in all their issues, or how much they trusted their representatives.
   Instead I hear 'Well, you have to pick the one who represents the issue(s) you feel most committed to'. It is the price of Democracy. The price of Freedom.
   The problem is that politicians lie, deceive, manipulate, in order to make the people believe this is democracy. How far will it go? As war looms, our civil liberties are being taken away layer by layer while the devoted follow blindly, and the others fight for the freedom they once read about in history books.
    When discussing the idea of leaders and followers objectively, the context of representation changes. Our president is considered a leader, and thus, the American People his followers / supporters. It then suggests that not only the president represents the people, but the people represent the president. We put him into office, and therefore we are responsible for his actions.

War on Democracy

    What democratic vote was put before the people asking what we thought of going to war? None. It was left up to our represetnatives who we picked because the were pro-life, pro-choice, pro-this or pro-that. It is only after they make the crucial decisions over our life that we have the option to not re-elect them. We pick them over the issues that fail to define the scope of possibilities of every contingency. No representative supporsts every person. They are individuals representing themselves and their own interests.

Creating the Ideal Democracy

    How do we undo all the mass corruption? By getting involved. By writing articles for websites, papers, or just for yourself to keep your head straight. Talk to people about your views. Become involved with representatives. Make your voice heard in every facet whenever people are in a position to make a decision that will affect your life (and all of them will).
   It may seem overwhelming at first. Just remember to keep learning. To listen. Pay attention. Get involved. Protest. Start with the present and be informed on issues that affect you the most, and then work from there. The decisions they make over your life affect you. Take the power back.

-Heather Kuhn