The Problem:
Our democracy is in trouble! There has been a takeover of our representative democracy, especially in the last 35 to 40 years, by the wealthy corporate elite. Their 'excessive' economic power, which is shown in this article with a chart and video, has been used to increase their political power. We now have government of the 1%, by the 1%, and for the 1%. A recent study confirms this fact.
Has the United State always had such extreme economic inequality?
This chart shows that after WW II we had relative equality until the late 1970's. But things have changed since the late 1970's, as the previous video shows.
Why has this happened?
In the last 35 to 40 years the wealthy corporate elite have put billions into gaining control of the political system at the national level and in many states. Government regulations and laws that protect the public interest and common good have been weakened or removed by corporate-friendly elected officials and a corporate-friendly Supreme Court. Hedrick Smith explains how why this happened in his TED talk!
The Challenge:
Restoring fairness and justice to our economic and political systems so we have a government of the people, by the people, and for 'We the People'. As Justice Louis Brandeis said "We can have democracy in this country, or we can have great wealth concentrated in the hands of a few, but we can't have both!
Meeting The Challenge:
Increasing the number of informed, involved, voting, and take-action citizens who:
(a) understand the need to build a democracy with leaders who are beholden to all citizens,
(b) speak up in support of policies and resources that build and maintain such a democracy,
(c) commit to bringing more citizens
into the 'Stand Up 4 Democracy ' movement.
The Inspiration:
Listen to 'We Are The Many'. May you be further inspired to fight for a government of officials that
do the bidding of the many, not the few. Lawrence Lessig is also inspiring in this TED talk about the root of the problem and working for the solution.
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If you are reading this home page and agree our political and economic systems need to be repaired, please use this website to:
STAY INFORMED about where and why these systems are dysfunctional;
GET INVOLVED with groups that working to repair these systems; and
TAKE ACTION to make our representative democracy work for everyone.
To fix our many problems - like climate change, racial injustice, decaying infrastructure, gun violence, and economic inequality - we must fix our dysfunctional economic and political systems.
No one should give up working on their key issues, but everyone should also become activists dedicated to getting to the root of the problem and fix our dysfunctional political system.
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The pages on this website are a place to start!
Page 1 First, we must decide what kind of America we want!
Page 2 Next, to fix the problem, we must understand the extent of the problem and how it happened. How did we become so politically and economically unequal in the last 35 to 40 years and why is that a problem? Hedrick Smith in a video interview explains why things changed in the late 1970's to create the wave of corporate control we have today.
Next - How can I stay informed about how economic/political inequality is creating dysfunctional political system? Also, what groups are working on repairing our political system so it works for everyone?
Page 3 has information (articles, videos, and books) about the economic/political inequality issue.
Page 4 lists groups and websites of groups working on this issue with whom you might want to connect.
What repairs to the American political system are needed?
*(page 6 has key take action ideas)
Page 5 presents general ideas about fixing our unfair economic system
Page 6 presents general ideas about fixing our political system from several books including '10 Steps to Repair American Democracy' by Steven Hill.
Page 7 presents a Five-Part Action Plan to fix our dysfunctional economic/political systems.
Page 8 gets specific about the ideas on page 7.
What can each person do to stay informed about and take action on this problem?
Page 9 has links to respected progressive news sources that are updated daily.
Page 10 has details of the Wristbands 4 Justice idea.
Your feedback is appreciated at tomulrich41@gmail.com
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