|
Restore Democracy: Limit the Power of
Invisible Hand
3.9.2012
By Rauf Naqishbendi —
Ekurd.net |
|
|
|
September 3, 2012
In a representative democracy the power of the
people is delegated to their representatives
mandating that, for the period of their incumbency,
they act in unison with the good of the great body
of people. When sympathy with a class of citizens or
the influence of invisible hands is substituted for
the good of the nation, the political system
violates the founding principles of democracy. The
transfer of power from the masses to a few ambitious
and rapacious entities has stricken the root of
American democracy, imperiling the good of the
nation and marring our system of justice.
A system of checks and balances was written into the
constitution because the framers were cognizant of
the human propensity toward abusive behavior.
Therefore they crafted the constitution in such a
way that the good of the nation would not be
adulterated by the interest of the few, but
minorities would also be protected from abuse by the
majority. James Madison wrote in this regard in the
Federalist, “Let me know ask what circumstance there
is in the Constitution of the House of
Representatives, that violates the principles of
republican government; or favors the elevation of
the few on the ruins of the many? Let me ask whether
every circumstance is not, on the contrary, strictly
conformable to these principles; and scrupulously
impartial to the rights and pretensions of every
class and description of citizens?”
The subsequent amendments to the constitution,
particularly the First Amendment that guarantees
freedom of speech, have left the gate to power abuse
wide open as their true intent is often misconstrued
and their applications based on these false
interpretations contradict the aims and intentions
of the framers. The founding fathers were firm about
their commitment to human liberty and the pursuit of
happiness in a framework of moral decency, but these
misinterpretations of the Constitution by ensuing
generations have transgressed those moral judgments.
The text of the article of the first amendment
reads: “Congress shall make no law respecting an
establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of
speech, or of the press; or the right of the people
peaceably to assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of grievances.” The
amendment was meant to empower people to redress
grievances, not allow them to bribe politicians to
foster the interests of the few and disadvantage the
rest. It was created to entitle people to organize,
not to permit any group with money to be powerful
enough to influence lawmakers by bribing them to
enact legislation in their favor. Even the thugs of
this society have been able to disseminate profanity
and graphic pornography under the banner of the
First Amendment.
Candidates for public office need to run their
campaigns in such a way that they interact with
their electorates. Before the television age,
candidates traveled to many locations to inform
voters of their vision, agendas and policies, but
the process is now vastly different. Now the only
connection with most constituents is through mass
media, which entails an exorbitant price.
Contributions from individuals cannot cover even a
fraction of campaign expenses, therefore politicians
resort to catering to special interest groups,www.ekurd.net
particularly Political Action Committees. PACs offer
monetary contributions to candidates in return for
favors, which might include support for the
amendment of existing laws or new legislation that
favors certain businesses, or unfettered access to
the candidate. As this harmful inequity takes place,
the rich gain the upper hand and democracy is turned
into plutocracy.
Laws are intended to maintain justice and equity in
civil societies. The question is, when lawmakers
violate the public trust, how can society protect
itself against their deceit? Prudence says to vote
them all out, but that will not make a dent in the
problem because as the system is set up, the next
generation will merely be bought with bribes as the
old one was. Changes must be made to the system
rather than to the lawmakers in order for this moral
dilemma to be resolved.
Running for public office requires an excessive
amount of funding, which increases incrementally
with the power and prestige of the office. As
mentioned above, a great majority of those funds is
poured into the mass media coffers. In addition to
media expenses, candidates need to finance the cost
of their campaign offices.
Our broken election system could easily be mended as
follows:
First, office costs should be defrayed by donations
from individuals, not to exceed $250. Second, media
expenses should be eliminated entirely, and instead
the government could compensate the media to have
live debates of the candidates during the election
season as frequently as necessary. Third, candidates
should not be allowed to pour their own money into
their promotion; this way the wealthiest candidates
would be on an equal footing with those less
fortunate.
There would not be much, if anything, to lament
about American democracy if our system were to
abrogate the power of special interest groups. This
legislation alone would allow our democracy to
function as it was truly meant to, with the people
regaining their power. The government would be run
by the people and for the people, rather than, as it
stands now, with the government run by the wealthy
and for the wealthy.
Rauf Naqishbendi is a contributing columnist for
Kurdishaspect.com, American Chronicle,
Kurdishmedia.com and
Ekurd.net,
and has written Op/Ed pages for the Los Angeles
Times. His memoirs entitled "The Garden Of The
Poets", recently published. It reads as a novel
depicting his experience and the subsequent 1988
bombing of his hometown with chemical and biological
weapons by Saddam Hussein. It is the story of his
people´s suffering, and a sneak preview of their
culture and history. Rauf Naqishbendi is a software
engineer in the San Francisco Bay Area.
ISBN: 978-1-4626-0187-5 ( get The (Zoftcover)
($7.95)
Link:
http://www.publishamerica.net/product41368.html
Your comments welcome at
rxa12@yahoo.com
Copyright © 2012 Ekurd.net
Top |
The opinions
expressed in this commentary are solely those of the
author
|
®
