When you rely upon "educated" people to do the right thing, you are definitely taking your life and the life of democracy into your hands.
The day of all socio-economic classes and most if not all students having a decent education available to them no longer exists (if it ever did. I think it did but that is another issue.)
The day of the Social Contract is GONE. OVER. Decried by the Right-Wing as being "Liberal" (and we all know what a DIRTY word that has become,) it died a death at the hands of unenlightened self-interest. Sadly, that self-interest doesn't understand how deadly it is, only how good it feels RIGHT NOW. Like a diabetic gorging on sugar, the middle class in America is gorging on the resources we should be carefully and responsibly maintaining, like the Bush-erated surplus.
I think when future historians document the decline and fall of the American Democracy, a la Gibbon and the Roman Empire, a large issue or turning point will be seen as the public's willingness to see the 2000 election decided by the Supreme Court. Regardless of whether any individual agrees with either the Court's decision or the way they came to have the ability to make that decision, the fact that it happened that way AND that it was accepted by the public with NO backlash whatsoever, will be seen as a large indicator of the fall yet to come. And future readers will say "Why didn't they see and understand that?"
I think people were questioning, and the Bushies called them whiners, then 9-11 happened and after that anyone who questioned the legitamacy of the Bush administration was a traitor to the nation who was giving aid and sustenance to the enemy by undermining our commander and chief. I think a lot of that has worn off now and people have started to question again with Howard Dean having led the charge. Particularly now that people have had time to do a detailed post-mortem on the Florida election. With a little luck maybe we'll elect a new president this year.
(no subject)
The day of all socio-economic classes and most if not all students having a decent education available to them no longer exists (if it ever did. I think it did but that is another issue.)
The day of the Social Contract is GONE. OVER. Decried by the Right-Wing as being "Liberal" (and we all know what a DIRTY word that has become,) it died a death at the hands of unenlightened self-interest. Sadly, that self-interest doesn't understand how deadly it is, only how good it feels RIGHT NOW. Like a diabetic gorging on sugar, the middle class in America is gorging on the resources we should be carefully and responsibly maintaining, like the
Bush-erated surplus.
I think when future historians document the decline and fall of the American Democracy, a la Gibbon and the Roman Empire, a large issue or turning point will be seen as the public's willingness to see the 2000 election decided by the Supreme Court. Regardless of whether any individual agrees with either the Court's decision or the way they came to have the ability to make that decision, the fact that it happened that way AND that it was accepted by the public with NO backlash whatsoever, will be seen as a large indicator of the fall yet to come. And future readers will say "Why didn't they see and understand that?"
(no subject)