It's been a little while since my last column for Redress Press and I'm not really sure
why. I could go on and on about how busy my life has been in the past few months, but that would be skirting the real issue. The issue, I (along with half the nation) have had is something of a lost of faith and lack of
inspiration. Many people have been saying it for a few years now and folks usually nod their head in agreement, but that is often where things stop.Truth is, this country has had a leader of substance in my and
possibly my parents' lifetime. A leader that loves freedom more than power, truth more than sound bites or slogans and democracy more than popularity. Do I look up to Clinton, JFK and LBJ? Yes. Do I revere FDR and Carter? Yes. Do I
believe that we are capable and deserving of more? Yes. And you should too.
For so long we have trudged through the mire of candidates that may be decent people, but couldn't even hold the title of President of the United States,
let alone the actual position. Mondale, Dukakis, Gore and Kerry, all good men, all democratic lightweights in my opinion. Disagree? Think long and hard and ask yourself. Did you really believe in them or merely throw your support
behind them because they were the best of what was around? While it is easy, in the absence of anything worth fighting for, to convince yourself that you're standing behind the real thing; the voice inside that tells us wrong from
right knows the truth and it's time to stop lying to ourselves.
Most times I point out problems or issues and the trouble waiting around the corner if these things aren't addressed and I'll do something of that later but for now
I have some recommendations:
1. Put a "None of the Above" option on all ballots in elections for public office.
Sounds crazy right? Wait until you hear where I got the idea. It comes from a (sadly) lesser-known Richard Pryor
movie with John Candy called "Brewster's Millions". Pryor plays a newly made millionaire who has to spend $30 Million in 30 days in order to claim an inheritance of $300 million. One of the way he decides to spend his money is by
entering Chicago's mayoral race, but the catch is, he campaigns for "None of the Above" trying to convince people that none of the candidates running were worth anyone's vote. In the end, of the movie, "None of the Above" was the
dominant vote and they held another election with different candidates.
Now, I am far from radical, but these desperate times call for even more desperate measures. Putting this option out there will force candidates to work
harder for the vote and possibly keep those candidates who think they can win with just money from entering. If a person knew that they could lose to "None of the Above" and be forced to suffer the financial and emotional drain of
a second campaign, it might make them think twice about putting their hat into the ring. And ultimately, I believe it might force the political powers that be to work a little harder to present candidates that truly care about the
district, city, county, state or region that they are campaigning to represent.
Like in the movie, if "None of the Above" wins, then there is a second (shorter) election with different candidates. Yes, in a worst-case scenario it
takes longer to elect someone to a given office, but if this done effectively the person finally elected will be of a higher quality.
2. Go research the origins of the word "Democracy".
Or better yet, read Cornel West's book
"Democracy Matters". In his follow up to the immensely popular and influential "Race Matters", West not only gives a brief (but effective) history on the powerful beginnings of the word, but he also goes into detail about the
legacy of democracy in the roots of America.
The root of the word comes from "demos", which was the name given the common people in ancient Greece. They were considered "citizen-peasants" and democracy was the system they created
to protect themselves against the abuse of power by the elites. Democracy as we experience it today in our country almost has no resemblance to its original purpose. The "elites" put on humble masks during election time, bring out
pictures and anecdotes to prove how "common" they are, when it couldn't be further from the truth.
The truth is, in the case of the presidency, these people were raised to achieve the greatest they are seeking. The way our
political process works, even the most common men and women have to leave their regular ideals and mores at the door to have a real chance at being a successful candidate. The people in all levels of public office that the public
has to choose from are in one word, unacceptable. And who is to blame? Take a good hard look in the mirror my friend.
As the old adage goes, "You get what you pay for." And we the people have been putting nickels into
the offering plate of democracy and expecting million-dollar miracles. It doesn't work that way, not in the long run anyway, and the only way we're gonna have a government that we can be proud of is to have a "demos" of which we
can be proud.
Which leads me to the next recommendation.
3. Change "U.S. Government" Class to "History of Democracy" Class.
While I will be the first to admit it is a problem that the average teen wouldn't know the difference
between the legislature and legislation or an election from the electorate, a more pressing problem is that the word "democracy" is just that, a word. As the rock that this nation was built upon, it should be much more than a word
or the latest U.S. export of the Bush Administration. It should carry with it a reverence that it typically reserved for words like marriage, death or Music Television.
Students in junior and senior high school must understand
the fragile experiment that is Democracy and the price that many before them have paid so that they could enjoy the freedom they have today. More than that, students need to know that Democracy is an ever-evolving child that
requires eternal vigilance, inquiry and active participation. As things stand right now, young people see Democracy as something that was created in 1776, written down in the Declaration of Independence, Constitution and Bill of
Rights and finally perfected with the Emancipation Proclamation.
All of this makes sense to them for why we need to go to other "rouge nations" and teach them about Democracy, because we as a country have figured it out. When you
put things into perspective, it's no wonder that voters between the ages of 18 – 35 are historically the most inconsistent and least represented in the nation. Democracy is history to them right now and we need to impart to them
that it is our past, present and future. The only way we are going to do that is to make a commitment to teach them not only about the origins of democracy, but their place in this democracy outside of an antiquated flow chart that
has them labeled as "voter" with an arrow pointing to "election".
Not that it is too late for the rest of us to change our thinking, but let's be honest, when we die or better yet retire, the students in grades 7 – 12 will
be running things and if we're smart we'll work now to make sure they don't run them into the ground.
It is time for every man and woman that says they care about our country and democracy to put their time and energy
where their self-righteous rants are. Be a part of the solution and stop pointing out the problem. Don't wait until an election to get involved, because by that time it's most likely too late and the crucial decisions have already
been made. Find out who is representing you and how they have voted on issues that you care about. Take that information and share it with others who don't know so that they can be involved.
Remember, everyone knows it's better
to put more work into children early on instead of trying to correct bad habits that have developed in the later years. Democracy is exactly the same way. And hopefully as is also the case with children, the more time you take
attending to democracy, the more time democracy will take in attending to you.
Leo Tolstoy said it best about the kind of change that needs to happen to democracy in our country when saying, "Every man thinks of changing the
world, but no one thinks of changing himself."
It's time for that change and that change begins with us.
