On Sat, 4 May 2002 03:46:15 +0200
Kaj Haulrich <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:

> On Friday 03 May 2002 08:17 am, Lyvim Xaphir wrote:
> 
> > Since they now control the Department of Justice via bribe money,
> > payoffs, and "soft money" (legal bribe money) I would assume then that
> > they have already merged.  Both them and susceptible members of
> > congress.  MSUSA is already a reality;  the only thing left to do is
> > to congratulate you on coming up with the new name for the old United
> > States.  Good work.
> >
> > Now we need to put it into use.
> >
> > Keep up the good work,
> >
> > LX
> >
> > (writing from inside the M$USA)
> 
> 
> Makes me sad, Lyvim. What happened to "the land of the free" ? 
> 
> We europeans (well, most of us) have great admiration for the United
> States of America. Mostly because you kicked the oppressors out, wrote a
> brand new Constitution - and took it seriously !
> 
> What you describe here makes me doubt : is USA becoming  "Europized" ? -
> Reverting to feudalism, pseudo-democracy, corruption, fraud and mob-rule
> ?
<snip>

The US has always been "Europized". The writers of the constitution are
known to have commented on how very much they had created a system like
England's--a transferral of the monarchy across the Atlantic. The only
difference, of course, that there was a new, different ruling elite.

One of the founders' greatest fears was that the common man would actually
have political power. They feared that if the common man could vote and
have political power, that he would institute laws that would redistribute
wealth, taking it from the hardworking, noble wealthy and giving it to the
shiftless, lazy commoners. The protection of private property from the
hungry, greedy masses is the cornerstone of our capitalist system.

We talk about how great our system of checks and balances is, in which
neither the legislative, judicial, nor executive branch can have too much
power. In fact, this serves to perpetuate the status quo--any
anti-capitalist, anti-big business legislation, any true reform can never
happen because it has to fight all three battles. Sure, you can point to
some changes, like the civil rights movement of the 60s, or some labor
movements. Those were wars. People were killed. The system did not welcome
those changes.

The same can be said of our electoral college. We don't directly elect the
president, but vote for electors. Why? Should the lazy, shiftless masses
ever vote for somebody like Nader in an overwhelming majority, the college
would be right there to be sure that a Republicrat were elected instead.
(The members of the college theoretically vote for the winner of the
popular vote for their constituency, but there is no law stating that they
have to. It is just one more protection for private property.)

So democracy was never really an issue. Here we are raised to believe the
myth that we live in a democracy, when the truly defining institution that
enslaves us is capitalism. In the US, you get about as much democracy,
freedom, and justice as you can pay for. This is why I will be fined $500
for dumping trash along the side of the road, but a giant corporation that
poisons our drinking water and air does not pay a penalty, but gets
rewarded with huge tax breaks. Justice, huh? Oh, I forgot, those
multi-billion dollar transnational corporations need that money to create
more jobs and fight the war on terrorism. Thank God, what with the Cold
War being over, we might actually have considered spending money in all
the "wrong" places.

The sons of the poor will continue to die fighting for the rights of the
sons of the rich to continue to exploit them, all the time believing they
are fighting for "democracy".

Don't get me wrong, I'm all for private property, democracy, and free
speech; I enjoy possessing stuff and ranting. But like Bush says, there
ought to be limits to freedom. There ought to be limits on the extent to
which corporations can exploit their workers and the environment. There
ought to be limits to how much our politicians can bend over and take it
from their corporate sponsors.

Not that I'm jaded or anything ;-)

Todd

-- 
Todd Slater
10:47am up 9 days, 58 min, 2 users, load average: 0.15, 0.11, 0.14
2.4.8-26mdk
We are students of words; we are shut up in schools, and colleges, and
recitation rooms, for ten or fifteen years, and come out at last with a
bag of wind, a memory of words, and do not know a thing. (Ralph Waldo
Emerson)

Want to buy your Pack or Services from MandrakeSoft? 
Go to http://www.mandrakestore.com

Reply via email to