The Next Revolution?
The Next Revolution? (Written January 3, 2008)
Another election year begins. The race to the presidency officially starts today with the Iowa Caucuses. The candidates have been gearing up for the race for the past year or more. Political junkies, like myself, are glued to the T.V. and media, following all the latest developments, moves, strategies, and statistics. A much larger majority of Americans are more interested in following the latest news in the race to the football Super Bowl. Only about 20% of voting age Americans will get involved in voting in the primary process. And only a little more than 50% will vote in the general election. Far fewer will vote in any of their local elections. Most people have more important things to do with their time than to spend an occasional hour to vote or an occasional hour to inform themselves on who to vote for. In a democracy like America’s, people have the freedom not to vote. Consequently, America’s democracy is controlled by the manipulations of a very small minority of special interests with lots of money. It is in their best interests that the majority of Americans remain non-voters, staying apathetic, alienated, and uninvolved in the political process of real democracy.
Or maybe it is that, most people who don’t vote (and probably a majority of those that do vote) find it difficult to choose between the lesser of two evils.
If most of the people who don’t vote suddenly became involved in the political process and voted, what kind of government would we have in America? Communism, or a more socialistic form of government? Perhaps a more libertarian approach. Maybe the people who don’t vote are really voting for having no government at all.
America’s founding forefathers were rich white land owners with many of them owning slaves. They created a modification of the English form of representative government. The House of Lord and the House of Commons were converted to the Senate and the House of Representatives. The King and Prime Minister position was changed to an elected president. The forefathers set up a series of checks and balances to keep any change moderate and to prevent a dictatorship. To be a participant in this form of representative democracy an individual had to be a white male land owner. Slaves and natives were considered savage animals. Women were considered the property of men. White non-land owners were considered unworthy of full participation in the process and their participation was greatly limited by the rich land owners.
Over the past 200 years of American history there has been several revolutionary movements to expand voter participation in the democratic representative government. This included extending the rights of non-land owners, the abolition of slavery, the women’s rights and suffrage movement, and the civil rights movement. Yet all the while there has remained in place sufficient checks and balances, and plenty of ways to manipulate the government, that the rich capitalistic “land owners” have always maintained ultimate control of America’s government and democracy.
America again needs to have another revolution to further democratize America’s democracy to include the nearly 50 percent of non-voting Americans. Besides the high number of disillusioned non-voting young, most of America’s non-voters are poor, lower income, working class slaves. There is the possibility of these non-voters to become active, informed citizens. All they need is hope, inspiration, and a reason to become involved. The next revolution will require a grass roots movement growing a new leader or a courageous leader who grows a grass roots movement.
In the end, the people who ultimately control the power of government, can try to stop the next revolution, as they have in the past, by ending the life of such a leader through assassination or crucifixion. All true revolutions, however, outlive any of their leaders.
I believe America is ready for its next unstoppable revolution in democracy. Will this be the year the non-voters elect themselves as representatives of American democracy and over throw the rich and powerful controllers of America’s government? Will this be the year the non-voters vote to start a new revolution?
