House of Cards

That's where we live - in a country built as an unsustainable "house of cards" that has sown, and continues to seed and cultivate, the seeds of our own demise in this country.

Some who read that statement may say, "Those are pretty strong words. Where do you get off saying that?" Let me elaborate.

We do not live in a democracy. We don't. We live in a representative republic. By virtue of the fact we elect people to indirectly represent us in matters of public policy making and enactment of legislation, we do not have a direct voice in government. We trust that those we elect will represent our wishes and carry them out, regardless of outside influence.

That does not happen in Washington these days, for two primary reasons: 1) so few of us bother to vote that those who are elected are not accountable for their actions (and can therefore be influenced by PACs and the almighty dollar); and 2) no one is left to act as an independent agent keeping track of what's going on.

National elections regularly draw less than 50% of eligible voters - and local and state elections even less. How can those elected to office say they truly have a mandate to conduct this country's business when they represent less than half of all folks who should care but don't bother to vote? As long as candidates who do figure out the opinions of those who do bother to vote get elected, they have very little to worry about at reelection time. (Lest you think I am a hypocrit - I have voted in all elections for which I have been eligible since I was 20. I have voted for candidates of both major political parties, as well as some of the minor parties without a real voice).

If that's not bad enough, the press is asleep at the wheel when it comes to investigative reporting. Since we, as the electorate, seem to be too busy to be bothered to vote, someone needs to keep us informed about what's going on. Don't count on any major news organizations - the traditional Big 3 networks, CNN, Fox, etc. - to dig too deep. They are too busy looking for news stories that will garner ratings. Boring reports about national policy are not ratings winners.

So (I expect you to say) what? I live a good life and why rock the boat? I'll tell you what:

• Our government completing disregards the international community and thinks they know better. The Geneva Convention? Not applicable. We need to find out information on terrorist activities because we're "at war", so we'll maim and kill people to get the information. International treaties regarding sustainability of natural resources? They fly in the face of Capitalism, and wouldn't be good for business. (Never mind that we won't be able to inhabit the planet because of the way we are despoiling it at an alarming rate). Ad nauseum.
• Within our borders, our rights are being challenged daily. Roe v. Wade? Soon to be overturned with recent appointments and the balance of power shift in the Supreme Court. Individual rights. Being trampled regularly. The "Patriot Act" is an excuse to rescind the rights of ordinary citizens in the name of national security. The Prez wants the power to call out the regular Armed Forces in the event of a possible flu pandemic to conduct policing activities, turning back centuries of legal precedent. Can you say martial law? Welcome to the Fourth Reich.

That's the extremely short list. But it's very illustrative. And it continues to happen daily at many levels.

Is this what the Founding Fathers envisioned? I hardly think so.

We have gone from being the underdog in those days, to the big dog today. The founding principles that got us here are being ignored or blatantly trampled. For the benefit of a few - not for the majority.

We have a myriad diversions to prevent us from seeing what's going on - the ineffectual media, legalized mind-altering drugs in alcohol and tobacco, a bazillion channels on cable and/or satellite TV, movie rentals of all types, video gaming, "illegal" drugs (whatever happened to the "War on Drugs"?), blogging and the enticements of the Internet, etc.

We are kept busy doing all these things that prevent us from asking deeper questions. When (not if) the oil runs out, what next? Could someone starving halfway around the world benefit from the grains that rot in our fields and storage silos, if only we could get it to them? Are we lighting the fire of the next generation of even-more-extreme terrorists in the Abu Graibs and Gitmos of the world through the treatment of "detainees" there? Did a future Nobel Peace Prize recipient, who could have turned the world away from its destructive course, get killed by a "smart bomb"?

We may never know. But that is quite likely the legacy we leave our children and future generations.