Government Of The People

Government of the people, by the people, for the people is in dire danger of disappearing from the Earth. The current system seems to operate on the premise of "one dollar, one vote," not one person, one vote. The top 1% of the population have the resources to control most of the media outlets. 5% of the population controls 85% of the wealth. We are on the verge of becoming an oligarchy.

There is no evidence that we need multi-millionaires to create jobs with their investments. Smart people invest when they feel confident that there will be customers for their goods and services. Good paying jobs create customers. Our present system facilitates a flow of wealth from the bottom to the top. It's the wrong way to go. Extreme concentration of wealth is incompatible with democracy.

Our tax system needs to be progressive and fair. We need reasonable regulations to prevent the financial skulduggery that almost brought down our entire economy. There is a misalignment of financial rewards and social benefits created. Many of the practices that have made multi-millionaires of clever people have benefited no one but themselves.

We who are privileged to live in a "swing" state know that something has to be done about how our elections are financed. We couldn't live through the campaign season without the mute button. Our government should not be up for sale. We have to find a better way.  

Why should we trust corporations and the super rich to run our country better than our government by and for the people? Our greatest concern should be to make our government work the way it is supposed to work. We are going in the wrong direction. Voter ID laws narrow the franchise. The least privileged of our citizens may not have the means, time, or money to get the required documents especially if they need a birth certificate. Gerrymandering skews the election results. The filibuster which formerly was used with discretion has been used routinely to block legislation in the Senate. It should not require 60 votes to pass a law. A majority of 51 should be enough.

We shouldn't be concerned about government being too big. We should definitely be concerned about making our government work the way it is supposed to. It can and should be government of, by, and for all the people, not just the privileged and the rich.

Helen Brinich is a long-time resident of Lakewood. Her children attended school here. She is a property owner here.