How to Grieve the Loss of Democracy (3/13/03)

by Dean Hartwell

Is the United States a democracy?

A democracy is a state in which the people make decisions. I am having trouble remembering the last time the people made a decision in the United States.

In current events, the people have not decided the United States' policy on Iraq. Polls continue to show that most people do not support war without the United Nations' participation. Yet President Bush recently insisted that he is prepared to invade Iraq even without UN support.

And, the people certainly do not support the debt the Bush Administration has deepened nor the Bush tax cuts that helped make the debt worse. After all, it is the people who will foot the high interest payments on it. What's more, the people never supported the tax cuts to begin with, given the fact that Al Gore received a half million more popular votes than Bush in the 2000 presidential election.

What is the president's excuse for disregarding the public's voice? Is he standing up for the Constitution? No, because the Constitution does not support Bush's decisions. Has he asked us to sacrifice on behalf of a greater good? No, he has not called for any sacrifices to support his "War on Terrorism," war with Iraq or anything else, for that matter.

What ever happened to Abraham Lincoln's belief in a government "of the people, by the people and for the people?" It has disappeared, pushed aside in favor of voter nullification.

If you feel like your president and other elected officials do not hear your voice, here are some ways to speak louder to them:

Write a letter to your local newspaper. People really do read the letters to the editor page. You get the thrill of seeing your name in print. And, you may encourage others of like mind to write.

Start an anti-war website and link your favorite web pages to it. Your efforts will make these sites come up higher in search engines and thus attract more people to the sites (and maybe yours).

Form a support group with others who feel disenfranchised. You can vent your frustrations in an understanding environment where you can exchange facts and brainstorm ways to convince others to your point of view.

Those who dissent to President Bush's plans have been called "unpatriotic," "against the troops," and even "traitors." It takes courage to face such insults. We who acknowledge our democracy is gone must band together and mourn its loss. Only then can we heal ourselves, and, in time, the nation.