I'm tired of being assuaged and dissuaded into believing that things are okay and that they will get better. My elected officials would like me to believe that they will suddenly fix this nation's deep and worsening problems which their own blunders have created. But without a shadow of a doubt, I'm observing quite the opposite. At an ever accelerating rate, power and wealth are being concentrated in the hands of a few at the expense of the many. Those in power reap record profits while we become more indebted to them for our basic needs. Is it fair that the working class provides the goods and services while large banks merely provide the predatory loans? My fellow working people are struggling. And they are afraid that the struggle will only get worse. Working people have not felt this scared and uncertain in a very long time. And they have good reason - their intuition rings true.
Our grand and mighty federal government creates problems so that it may manufacture solutions. It creates programs that foster dependency so that the destitute masses are duped into thinking they are being helped. But it is a cunning lie. In actuality, my brothers are becoming more and more addicted to the drug of overreaching government. Upon closer examination, the highest levels of corporate business and government are tightly intertwined. Is that plain fact so hard to believe? After all, our government is just another business. Their business is in the legal use of force and power, and indeed, they have an impressive monopoly. But that does not make their cause just nor does it make them invincible in action. They may attempt to control the flow of information and money, but they will never control the flow of our ideas and willpower.
Our calls for change fall on deaf ears. If there is one law of human society that I have observed, it is that power will accumulate, feed itself, and grow in the hands of a few by the subjugation of the many. For this reason, power must be actively checked and curbed back to balance the freedom of the individual with the stability of the society. Is it therefore a coincidence that now we scarcely have either?
Thus, it would be in our overwhelming interest to impose term limits on those in power. And we have made our voice heard on this issue. But many in Washington refuse to abide, giving no reason worthy of consideration. Those in politics seek their own job security at the expense of ours. They do not represent the will of the people but only their own interests. And if their policies happen to benefit the constituency, then so be it. Well, that's called taxation without representation, and the last time we got serious about it as a people we started a war.
We have record unemployment despite the fact that there is unprecedented work to be done. Is this because we are too dumb or too lazy? Or is it because many companies would seek to profit rather than employ? Is it fair that in economic policy matters corporations get more input that any individual? Or that politics should so overwhelming dominate practicality? Why should any corporation, big or small, have the right to determine my economic future? If the control of politics by powerful and wealthy corporations while the common man struggles to be heard is not the tyranny of the majority, then nothing can be described in that manner. This country was founded on a firm belief in the individual. Only the individual should have a say. If we truly believe as a collective that individuals are not capable of learning and choosing in their best interest, then I abandon all hope. Let equal power be restored to that most fundamental instrument of self-interest that is the American individual.
Before any call to action, let it first be made clear that Constitution of the United States is a work of beauty, no less impressive than the great masterpieces of the arts and music. That does not make it any less antiquated or possessed by people who would wish to distort its true spirit. The specifics of the text remain unchanged despite massive changes in the fundamental operation of our political and economic system. Its text has been routinely interpreted to ensure power remains only in the hands of the elite. It will take powerful tides to amend the corrupt which refuse to be amended. Let us not blink in the face of great adversity when the well-being of our families and our future children are at stake.
We must demand the passage of the following policies:
A Constitutional Amendment mandating a balanced federal budget each and every year.
A Constitutional Amendment placing term limits on congressmen and senators.
A Constitutional Amendment banning all forms of corporate donations to political campaigns, causes, or shell groups. The only entities who may contribute to campaigns are individuals and non-profit groups funded solely by individuals.
It is time for a change. And not just a change in the color of the wool that is pulled over our eyes. Is there but a person among us who would truly be content to settle for the status quo now and forever? Let us cast aside our common bonds of restraint and embrace a course of action towards liberty in the spirit of cooperation.
Andrew Gray is a student in the College.
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