Even our Founding Fathers had a problem with royalty. And the laws of our country have, throughout history, occasionally clung to ideals of human equality in order to preserve the peace and the Union: the Declaration of Independence, the Emancipation Proclamation, workers' rights laws of the 1920's, the Civil Rights Act...and so on, because smart people know that the strong will eventually abuse the weak if gone unchecked, and one of the roles of national government is to even the playing field once in a while.
And common sense of decency indicates that to let a few people have everything they want while everybody else can barely survive is essentially wrong. Especially when great wealth is often achieved on the backs of common (less wealthy) citizens. We're all part of "The System", and I would argue that if a few people in this case prosper greatly, everyone else should see some kind of benefit. But that's become less likely over the years.
In reality, civil laws are only effective if they have more to offer than natural laws. In civilized society, law is intended to ultimately benefit everybody. Otherwise, why take part? Why not revert to the natural way of might-makes-right, do whatever it takes to survive. Well, one might notice the poor people of a nation having a higher arrest and incarceration rate, and presume a genetic propensity on their part towards illegal or immoral behavior. And one might be pretty stupid, because a sociologist (or someone who's grown up broke) is likely to back the theory that people with nothin' ain't got nothin' to loose. Ever been so broke that you've considered robbing a bank? I have.
We, the people, need better jobs, better pay, better health care, affordable housing, better public schools, politicians who work for us, not Big Oil, Pharmaceutical, or Finance. And a gift from a lobbyist should be called what it is, a bribe. Personally, I hope (optimistically, for once) that Barack Obama understands this. If nothings done about the way money flows in this country, from the sweat of it's workers into the banks of it's super rich and their country clubs and their spoiled offspring, the system will someday crumble.
Are the McCains naive enough to think we won't notice? They're the oblivious ones. I hope we truly aren't stupid enough to elect people who are willing to spend 5, 6, or 7 times our average yearly household income (if you're middle class) on a goddamn yellow dress and it's accessories.
What would you do with three hundred grand?
D. Sweat
9/5/08
