WHAT HAS BEEN ALLOWED IS THE INCURSION OF AN OLIGARCHY

In my last blog written in July 2017, I opened with the following observation:

Within the core of our freedoms, lie the avenues powerful individuals use to take away the rights of citizens and the controls of government designed and evolved to serve all.  Americans are now aware of the reality that subversive forces have made excessive headway in destroying our rights.

What has been allowed is the incursion of an Oligarchy: The few exploiting the many.  We are witnessing the theft of human rights through the infiltration of what were meant to be representative systems within a constitutionally defined government.

I referred to a very important work by Jane Myer, DARK MONEY: The Hidden History Of The Billionaires Behind The Rise Of The Radical Right.

I urge you to read Jane Myer’s amazing research and my July Blog.

What follows are the results of examining these viewpoints and the conclusions based on current insights:

Our future as a democracy, the American Dream, hangs by eroding threads tied to Supreme Court rulings which could undo the great damage done to us by previous decisions that gave power to corporations and oligarchs.

Ideally, Supreme Court rulings can free the election process from fixed outcomes determined by those who have gerrymandered voting districts and use dark money to guarantee that only those supported by a few can be elected and reelected.

The Supreme Court can end the destructive use of dark money that eliminates candidates who represent the People. The Court can end the empowerment of Oligarchs and self-serving rape, rip, and run billionaires.

How bad is it?  Let’s examine Paul Ryan’s reelection chances in Wisconsin. He, and a trove of others who have been put in power by Oligarchs (The Koch Brothers, for example), are guaranteed reelection even if they do not campaign and even if the majority of people in Wisconsin want them gone. His district has been gerrymandered so that he cannot lose. Like McConnell in Kentucky, Ryan can be reelected because anyone who opposes him is defeated by dark money.  One may assume that in a fair race, his chances are slim. BUT, in almost every state elections are fixed and those who want power over the people are in charge.

How deep into the states does this political fixing go?   I live in Arizona, a state long controlled by those who do not want free and open elections. A state whose placed legislators have little interest in listening to or enacting the will of the majority. A state, now like so many others, that has elections that are fixed starting with the primaries, where dark money is used to defeat any candidate that is not owned. It is a state that in effect has a one-party system and that party is controlled by those who use it to maintain their power.

Through the process of gerrymandering, the needs and wishes of communities within the state are often countered by the wishes of those who are not concerned with representative government. In our community, the will of the majority of community leaders was circumvented by tying our community to other communities with no concerns for, or understanding of our needs. This was done by gerrymandering districts and with the help of dark money from the DeVos family. Free and open elections? Who is kidding who?

One may conclude that the fix is in and that in the U.S., elections are used to place representatives that do not represent the people.  One may conclude that those in power will be reelected regardless of what they do. They will vote for the issues of those who own them. One may accurately conclude that we no longer have a democracy. It has been replaced by an oligarchy with the intent to destroy the American experiment.

There is a slight chance, especially since oligarchs placed Neil Gorsuch on the Supreme Court by chicanery, that our Nation OF, BY and FOR the people will continue. The Supreme Court will decide.

Is the American experiment finished? What can you do?

Here are some suggestions.  Pay close attention to the primary elections. Find out if the Koch-GOP machine is putting dollars into denigrating your choice for candidate and promoting their choice. They have announced that they will do this and spend big on their candidates – which means outspending candidates they do not control. Use the Press and community meetings to expose them.

The Koch-led oligarchists are betting that people will not turn out for the primary elections. Share this information and get people out to vote for their candidate.

In the main election, get your information out before or at the same time as the ballots go out – and keep it flowing. Understand that people form opinions early. Follow the Bernie Sanders model and fight oligarch donors with lots of small donors who will vote because they have contributed to a candidate they believe in.

Urge citizens to spread the word. Urge them to vote early.