Democracy Chronicles Announces Kickstarter project launch!
by John Amaruso
Does anyone see what is going on here? The fundamentals of our very democracy are eroding right in front of us. Slowly our basic political rights – those that the world associates with being prerequisites for a functioning democracy – access to our government, political mobility, our very essential right to vote- is being taken away by the very forces that benefit off the suppression of the common person.
Since the election of 2008, conservatives, Republicans, special interest groups and corporations have done all they can in their power to assure that their power over local and federal politicians is unabated. Meanwhile, those who seek to exploit the many for the benefit of a few are winning this liberty-threatening battle by a margin incompatible with a representative democracy.
This is all being done in independent, but by no means, uncorrelated.
For example, Governor Walker in Wisconsin’s attempts to effectively strip Unions of their collective bargaining rights was an attempt to deconstruct the very fabric of the working class, limiting their ability to make an affordable wage. In turn leaving worker’s helpless to decide their own economic fates In the wake of such a shift in political climate, private employers no longer have to compete with the fair wages Unions offer; thereafter they lower the wages of their own workers. This spiral down of wages decreases the livelihoods of millions around the country.
Due to this new economic form of enslavement, people feel powerless to affect change even in their own workplace, let alone their own government. It has disillusioned millions across the country, as their will to vote has been undermined by their perceived inability to compete with the economic powerhouses who currently control our system.
With the Citizens United decision, unlimited and undisclosed campaign donations can be made by corporations and even foreign entities. This in turn blurs out any chance of a common person effecting change from their elected leader, as now even the most well intentioned of officials have to compete with this wave of cash polluting the political arena and instead they ignore the needs of their community. It’s hard to see the masses over that large pile of money on top of your desk.
We now live in a system where two individuals, the Koch brothers, are legally allowed to donate over $400 million dollars to an election campaign. That’s $400,000,000. That’s more money than most of us could ever hope to see in our lives, yet is the price these men are willing to pay to silence our voices in favor of theirs.
Meanwhile Voter ID restrictions are being passed in multiple states, disenfranchising lower income families. The only legal way to vote in some of these states is to present a valid driver’s license. There are millions of people in this country who do not drive, let alone can even afford to buy a license. These potential voters are being suppressed, providing only more power for the wealthy to pick and choose their candidates.
A decrease in income for all, an increase in political mobility for a few and restrictions in voting access for many has diluted our democracy to a government of the people, by the people, and for the people… who can afford it.
What this film will work to do is take these startling numbers and statistics, crunch and defragment them to the point of reasonable portion size. Filter through the chaos and incongruity to paint a human face on the tragic shortcomings of our political system, and in the process, find and research possible alternatives and solutions to the crisis of American politics.
Elections have very serious consequences. They have underlying implications that can echo for generations. It’s the moment where a country can what type of nation they really are. Instead, that option, that freedom of choice, has been stripped away or effectively limited.
This is what it has come down to. We must decide that enough is enough and we have to let our voices be heard, because if we don’t, our right to our voices will be taken away forever. We must let those in power know that what they are doing is wrong and that we can not accept it. A democracy is only as effective as it’s people demand it to be. And for that, we should demand much more.
Expose the politics.
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