Political Manifesto’s: Cavemen and Termites.
Political Manifesto’s have been around since man was able to combine coherent thought and reflect on how to better their lives. I am certain that when the first man who learned how to create his own fire, put together a Manifesto telling his fellow men and women, the many uses of fire and how fire can improve their daily lives. He put forth a manifesto to convince his cave mates to utilize the practice of accepting fire as a useful benefit, a safe benefit, and how the man who controls fire will be seen as a god. With fire in the hands of his cave mates, they could overcome the dismal conditions of cold freezing caves. How fire could help them in fighting off predators, and killing predators. How fire could become an economic boon when they could sell the secret of making fire, and better their lives. Have more skins to sleep on, and yes, better choices of mates to sleep with. Even a chicken in every pot, and those new stone tools and weapons to defend themselves with. In time it would be the newly invented wheel in every cave, and a cart to attach the wheels to.
Scientific Manifesto’s have been an important part our civilizations history when it comes to moving thoughts forward and convincing people to follow a new thought or theory. Like the earth is round and evolves around the sun, rather than it be flat and you could sail off the edge of the earth. To debunk that the moon chases the sun away to bring night, and the sun eventually turns on the moon and chases it away to bring daylight. There are many forms of Manifesto’s such as Artistic Manifesto’s, Technological Manifesto’s, Professional and Educational. Religious Manifesto’s are better known as Creed’s. They all are idea’s, and theories to either debunk something, change attitudes, introduce social changes, and political platforms that encourage people to vote for you because you have the better idea, or solution in improving people’s lives and their government.
Political Manifesto’s have generated some important changes in people views about government and how one’s government can be improved, changed, or scraped for something new altogether. Not all political Manifesto’s have the best interest in the people’s welfare. Often as history will show they serve only the interest of a few, those in power who see the world as a corrupt place and their Manifesto is to encourage change through drastic methods, such as dictatorship, and war. Hitler’s Mein Kampf of 1925 lead to a nation believing the world was better off under one rule by a blue eyed, blond hair race. Who through Hitler’s Manifesto, brough the world into a horrific second world war, and genocide of millions of Jew’s who didn’t fit Hitler’s Manifesto.
The Manifesto of the United States of America Declaration of Independence of 1776 and the U.S. Constitution that followed. On the other hand was an opposite of Mein Kampf Manifesto more than a century earlier. Where a new form of Democracy was created based on liberties for all races that will have the freedom of speech, religion, and freedom of oppression from autocratic Monarchies and governments. Where by the people controlled the government, taxation, and making of laws that serve the people and not the Autocracy. Though Mein Kampf came 149 years later, it clearly did not think that American Democracy was the best model for the world. Which Mein Kampf would prove that not all political Manifesto’s are the right solution for the people’s best interest as history continues to teach us.
Which leads me to the discussion of American political ideologies and party lines of this era and as to their benefits in serving the people of this nation. When it comes to political platforms and party manifesto’s how many of the long-standing dialogues and party lines are still viable in todays advanced technological society here in America. What our founding Fathers drafted and created some 240 years ago may well have suited the times and era then, and set a course that those that followed in governing this country improved upon. The genesis of the political parties of that era had their own difference in their manifesto’s, theories and ideologies. Yet, they shared much in common when it came to the liberties and freedoms of the people which our founding Fathers drafted into our Independence Declaration and constitution. The Bill of Rights have always been an ongoing process as this nation grew and experienced changes in world views and issues of humanitarianism, the rights of others. This nation took lead in making those changes viable for other nations and people by the very virtue of modeling them first here in America. The question is, have these original political Manifesto’s and party lines failed to change within themselves to meet the reality of the ever-changing societal issues facing this country and the world in a modern era of technology.
I am not speaking of the framework of our constitution and the inherent rights that our constitution says we are entitled too. What I am speaking of is the flaws in these Manifesto’s today that have silently crept into the ideologies and party lines that have weakened the true essences of our constitution as framed by our founding Fathers. These flaws are eroding that foundation of Democracy when the original Manifesto’s is unable to be malleable to allow the agenda’s to change with the times. It should be clear to us all that our founding Fathers, did not want this new nation of theirs to, at any time revert to an autocracy, or monarchy. They came from such troubled lands, seeking a place to get away from the oppression of autocracy and monarchy governments of that era.
Unfortunately, there are still autocracy governments in our modern era that oppress the people of their nation into object poverty in areas of economics, personal liberties and rights. Communism and Fascism Manifesto’s come to mine. They have Manifesto’s that direct them to believe that wealth is power over the people, and to gain that power, they must also have the wealth of the land and the people in their control. The best way to control the lands wealth and the people is to have an autocratic government where it has absolute power in government in the form of dictatorship, life time presidencies, and government-controlled elections. Where such elections are mockeries of free elections, where wealth, voter fraud, and criminal activities assure the elections are fixed. Often Democracy is draped over such nations as to disguise it’s true nature. To instill fear into the people is to assure that these autocratic governments remain in power.
I spoke of the inability of today’s American party manifesto’s to change to reflect our modern era of societal issues, Political issues, and increasing technology. Technology that puts public election results in real time versus, two centuries ago where election results took weeks, if not months to compile from state to state, across territories, coast to coast. Our founding Fathers in their era knew that to have a popular vote that exclusively elected the President of the United States was unrealistic given the obstacles in collecting results in a timely fashion. They also realized that to not have a popular vote was akin to not giving the people a right to vote. Therefore, they created in the constitution the Electoral College, where the actual vote for a president came not from the popular vote, but from the elected members to the U.S. Congress.
A system today that consist of 538 electors, where a 270 majority of votes are needed to elect the President. Each state has the same number of electors as it does Members in its Congressional delegation: one for each member in the House of Representatives and two senators. Regardless of the popular vote today, which is tallied in real time realistically within 24 hours after the polls close. It is the Electoral College that actually makes the decision as to who becomes President. Also realistically, that decision is already made before the polls even open and close. A decision that is based on who is in control of the electoral college and in Congress. This is traditionally the GOP or the Democrats that holds the most seats in the House and the Senate. Therefore the popular vote has no value except to sooth the ego’s of the voters. It all ends up in the hands of who controls congress. If the GOP holds reign, then the GOP candidate wins, if the Democrats holds reign then the Democratic candidate wins. Independent party seats are not large enough to hold majority in congress, and their votes will go to their party candidates watering the final majority of votes in favor of the GOP or the Democrats. Rarely, if ever has a GOP or Democrat controlled congress electoral college voted against party lines. As there is 538 electors, and only 270 votes needed ties are non-existent. I am unaware of any such ties in the electoral college. It all boils down to who controls the congressional house and senate and the popular vote a mockery in today’s electoral process for a President of the United States. Which brings me to the conclusion that with today technology and real time results, why do we still have an electoral college when the choice of the people is clearly made by having a national election. It is akin to saying that the popular vote by the people has no value, nor do the people have the intelligence to understand politics, or have the mental capacity to elect the right candidate. Insulting isn’t it and nothing to do with soothing ego’s of the voters.
The electoral college is an example of the Democratic Manifesto that has seen its usefulness fade, and is archaic today given the technology of real time results in Presidential elections. It is just one of many flaws of the original Manifesto that has crept in over time to fail to become viable in today’s Democracy. I cannot believe that our founding Fathers would have wanted it to outlast this long with it becoming obsolete over time. Of course they could not have foreseen the technological wonders of today’s real time election results. If they had, they would certainly have made it possible for the electoral college system to be replaced by today’s modern era’s technology. Given that would be an astonishing feat of the kind Nostradamus might have visualized in his time. Haven said that, it brings me back to our constitution not being malleable to allow change and to fit the needs of our modern era democracy. Not only the electoral college, but in other areas of our constitution that could stand a tweaking or two to keep up with our founding Fathers framework and foundation they built this democracy on.
It is fact in the scientific world that an object that is too rigid and un-bendable in the wind, will snap. The same for a structure such as a suspension bridge if not designed to flex to some degree, will snap and fall even under the gentlest of winds, let alone a high wind. When a political manifesto is to rigid, un-malleable and unwilling to adapt, it too will collapse eventually under the weight of its years and age of service to the people and Democracy. Two hundred and forty yours is a long time for our American Manifesto to survive un-scarred without some willingness for its current caretakers to allow change so that it will survive another 240 years and more as our founding Fathers would want it too.
The foundation, and the framework of that democracy is sound today as the principals of that Manifesto still remains viable. What is lacking is the assuring that neither power of wealth, and abuse of power because of wealth is allowed to weaken that foundation and framework. Where today’s Manifesto is flawed and becoming more a Manifesto of autocracy to which our founding Fathers wanted to avoid at all cost. Autocracy does not have to be an outright dictatorship or monarchy that suddenly appears out of nowhere. Autocracy can be much like an infestation of Termites in a wooden structure that gradually weakens the building and if untreated. The building will collapse in on itself.
I fear that with today’s current political turmoil in our political parties and their Manifesto’s are infected. Washington D.C. is being attacked by Termites, who’s only agenda is to weaken our constitution and eventually cause it to collapse in on itself. Whereby, the first stages of Autocracy becomes a norm, until it replaces Democracy all together. Who are the Termites infesting our democracy? Is it the GOP or the Democrats Manifesto? Or is it an out of proportional population of wealth who controls those Manifesto’s. What is feeding the Termites infesting D.C.? Certainly, an out of proportional population of wealth in Congress can’t be a healthy thing. Given that our founding Fathers built in our constitution checks and balances to assure that wealth like the wealth of the British Monarchy and Autocracy governments of their era did not replace the democracy they were building. They had good reason to prevent this. They knew firsthand what that kind of wealth and autocratic government could do to the people and how oppressive such wealth could be. What they may not have realized that 240 years later that wealth was at a proportion and in extreme in this country and the world, never seen in their era. Nor did they realize just how difficult it would be to insulate democracy and our constitution against that kind of wealth and abuse of power.
Another, factor of the infestation by Termites in D.C. is a mentality and manifesto that power translates to wealth, and wealth translates to having a better understanding of what is best for this nation and its people. Especially by elected officials in congress and the White house with wealth. That that kind of manifesto is fed by Narcissistic tendencies that promotes the kind of thinking that wealth relates to “We are better than you, and know what is best for the nation and the people.” We know that wealth in congress and the power of wealth in congress assures that they will always have power over the people and the nation. This goes hand in hand with having and maintaining wealth and power. That kind of power in congress assures they can keep their wealth by affecting policy and laws that benefit their bank vaults over those with less wealth and power. This is Autocracy in a nutshell just waiting to be cracked open to reveal it real self.
The final but not the least of, the infestation of Democracy is those in power unwilling to see changes in election rules and procedures to affect changes to election flaws and outmoded electoral college. To go from an electoral college vote to an exclusive popular vote to elect a President would take away the power to make the final decision based on who has the majority of power in the electoral college. A popular vote would remove the influenced of wealth and power of wealth in deciding who leads this nation. It would also lead to wealth losing power in congress as wealth outside of congress could not influence the electoral college. In a popular vote, there would be more voters, then there are voters of Wealth. When you consider the voters of Wealth with influence are the minority at the polls. Remove the Electoral College factor, and wealth has no majority. Wealth in of its self is not an evil thing, only evil when it desires to rule and oppress democracy under terms they desire to further benefit their personal wealth, ego and Narcissism. The abuse of power by wealth has always been a progenitor in our world since the dawn of time when man first discovered how to make fire, sell fire, and use fire to increase their ego’s, and control over people.
It is time to renew our founding Fathers trust and belief in the Manifesto they created when they drafted the American Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution and that which followed with our Bill of Rights. None of that was intended to be ruled by wealth or allow wealth to have its own interpretation of the American Democracy Manifesto and the constitution. That wealth should follow a different constitution and because of power of wealth they can challenge anyone else’s, interpretation of that constitution. If we were to give personal names the Termites infesting D.C. it would be “Abuse of Power”, and “Wealth is Power”, with the surname of “Autocracy”. Given time these Termites would have a Prefix added such as President for life, King or Queen, or Dictator and a Suffix added such as, the first, second, and third, and so forth in a long line of predecessors. American Democracy is not immune to Termites, and we as a democracy and a nation should realize this given the many Political Manifesto’s and governments in this world that are oppressive autocracies ruled by the stolen wealth of the land and its people. The very oppression that our founding Father’s escaped from. We should count ourselves lucking that they saw a better form of government free of autocracy with eye’s wide to the horrors of such oppression. Have we become blind to what is happening to our American democracy? I assure you there is no easy solution in getting rid of Termites, except one. Open your eyes and see them for the infestation they are before the foundation of our American Democracy is collapsing from within, slowly and silently by apathy which leads to putting more power into the hands of the wealthy, who’s only goal is to have wealth and power so they can abuse power. I am reminded of a manifesto of 1789, the Declaration of the rights of Man and Citizens, during the French Revolution where Autocracy of a Monarchy was beheaded and so many more Autocracy put to death since. Autocracy doesn’t work, it has no future, and no place in our modern era. So why allow it to infest the model of Democracy that has changed the world in so many ways.
