One year later... Am I being impatient? Or just short-sighted?

Op/Ed – Where’s the real hope? Not the ex-junior senator from Illinois, I’m talking about democracy and the Constitution.

Wth all the activism by so many well-intentioned people, why is America still staying the same old course... bigger, more oppressive and unresponsive govt. and fewer civil rights than ever.

I read a lot of blogs, books and really poignant op/eds about how bad things are, about how there’s no integrity in govt, how the Dems and Repubs cover up each other’s “transgressions” (ie no impeachment or war crimes trials for Bush-Cheney), and what could/should be done to change things. Sam Smith wrote some great books on the problems and solutions. Sheldon Wolin’s Democracy Inc. explains everything.

Recently, I received a power point about the saga of the electric cars of the last decade, on lease and crushed by the car manufacturers after their test run.

I receive emails daily from lots of organizations asking for money (well, actually, it’s more like begging, pleading and saying anything to get a buck out of me), while claiming to save the world and do great deeds.

And yet, the US is worse off than ever before – economically, Constitutionally, culturally (!), healthcare, and virtually all other ways. Maybe I’m not quite seeing the same US that the Wall Street and rich enough to be republicans see. Maybe I’m missing something, some hidden gem, some great wealth that lower and middle class Americans are hiding away in shoeboxes under their beds.

And yet, gasoline cars are still be produced, car-makers are resisting efforts to change (though Toyota is making an electric car next year) there’s not much change, pick ‘em up trucks and big Cadillacs are still king of the road. Coal and nuclear are big business as usual. Solar is resisted, high speed rail is deemed infeasible and Amtrak plans tabled for decades.

Corporate marketing is a blitzkrieg-like assault on Americans, shaping their desires, wants and “needs” into a false American materialistic dream, created to coincide with corporate America’s largest profit margins.

Nonetheless, with the Green Party presenting its TKV to the world, and advocating for true representation, by the people, for the people, and so many truly noble people in this world sacrificing so much to make it a better place, why is it not improving?

And, with all the activism and do-gooding organizations around, why are my few remaining civil rights shrinking faster than my 401(k)? And I’ve already written off all the money I contribute each paycheck so social security – I know that’s been spent a few times over. Why is the govt. growing/expanding/spending faster than the Fed can print/make dollars? And the military eating away at more than 50% of the US budget, while peace is actively opposed, as if we were on a crusade from the middle ages, charged by some king with the mission to convert or kill.

And this leads me to ask, Why are Americans so gosh darned compliant and docile? Is it the education system here? Is it more and more oppressive legislation that threatens harsher and ever-more severe punishments?

Seems to me that among the general public (present company exlcuded) there’s more concern about the Monday night football game, than about the Constitution or truly representative/responsive govt that is here to serve people. Cold blooded shootings of Americans by runaway and unaccountable police occur all too frequently, yet people in America just go about their business, like it’s OK. Cold blooded gutting of the Constitution has similarly occured, regularly, with equal apathy from the general public.

When will people in America unite and “go Greece” on their govt and say enough is enough, you guys screwed up, you’re all fired?

I don’t see it happening, and wonder, is it really worth continuing the fight? Making the personal sacrifices? Or is it just more hot air that doesn’t ever seem to materialize? Kind of like fighting city hall.

What’s the point, when you look at all the hard work put in by very smart, eloquent and moving people in recent history – and yet, we’re worse off, with a more oppressive govt than ever, with fewer civil rights and less of a democracy than ever before.

If these great minds could not avert the past 40 years of damage, crowned off by the Bush-Cheney regime fait accompli, then can anyone? What real hope does America have now?