A Call To Arms

The Founding Fathers had the right idea when they attacked their oppressor and ousted the
king. Little did they know that their efforts would eventually establish a polarity in wealth and influence
absent justice and democracy. Our system is broken.

Our Constitution does not offer us a capitalist economy, does not promise a life free of taxation,
and does not reserve freedom for a select few. It does guarantee us equal representation, equal
treatment under the law, and basic fundamental rights of humanity. Despite an individual’s
circumstances, these rights have been stripped away under the guise of nationalistic capitalism.

Today, it is the corporations and their lobbies that finance our elections and hold the ears of the
politicians that are bound by law to represent all of their constituents. The influence of big money has
defeated the democratic principles the founders sought to establish. Our system is dualist, where the
rich get away with their crimes on such a routine basis that the sheer quantity of injustice is overbearing.
At the same time more and more of the poor are being thrown into prisons, now run by for profit
corporations. It is a sick game, the rich make money from the suffering of the poor. Economic titans
collapse our economy as a symptom of their greed, and they walk away unpunished. Government
regulators who look the other way are rewarded with lucrative jobs at the institutions they are meant to
regulate. Senators and Congressmen are rewarded handsomely in campaign contributions for passing
laws that serve business interests at the expense of the people. Unjust wars are fought in order to
syphon money from taxpayers into the hands of profiteers.

Our basic humanity is being attacked as corporations ship well-paying jobs overseas and replace
them with low-wage service jobs on a less than 1:1 ratio. This leaves the unemployed hungry and eager
to work for any pay. At the same time the corporate owned media focuses the job-loss blame on
migrants, dividing the slaves and turning our hatred onto each other and away from the real culprits.
Then they hit us with inflation. The costs of goods rise despite the fact that corporate profits are at
record levels. The media does not focus on the obvious, the record profits are the fruit of the people’s
suffering. Instead they divert attention away from their corporate masters’ wrongdoing and celebrate
the victories of the bull market. Fascism. Military-Industrial Complex. Call it what you may, our
democracy is dead and the blood trail leads to them.

Freedom is not obtainable when you have debt to work off, are unable to save, and have no
other option but to continue in suffering. Freedom is reserved for the wealthy. The poor are held down
with unconscionable interest rates, numerous penalties, and an absence of a consumer watchdog. The
rich get preferential treatment. With the military draft gone they no longer have to fight the wars they
start. They keep the rest of us entertained with sport and art, overload us with misinformation, and
propagandize with false nationalism. They trick us into believing that we are in this together when they
know that we are no more than slaves in their world.

There are two ways out of this terrible period in American history: 1) French-style Revolution; 2)
Constitutional Amendment. The American Revolution was a fight against an external oppressor, today
we face an enemy within. The American Civil War involved sides divided by geography, our struggle is
against our neighbors. During the French Revolution the aristocracy did not understand the difficulty of
life as a peasant. Their ignorance and affluence lead to their demise. Parallels can be drawn to our
situation today, but the American people are armed with a tool much more effective than the guillotine:
The Constitutional Amendment.

If enough Americans stand up and demand their representatives amend the constitution we can
make it happen! If our cries fall on deaf ears we can honor the memory of Jefferson and revolt. Non-
violent solutions are always the best option. The following are suggested amendments that I believe are
necessary to re-establish democracy in the United States:

1. Create a Flat Corporate Tax rate of 30% of all gross revenues within the borders of the United States.
Any corporation that dodges taxes by shifting money overseas will be nationalized and all future profits
will go toward reducing the deficit.

2. Limit Executive Compensation to 20X that of the average worker. This creates an incentive to pay
lower level workers more and will help eliminate the vast wealth disparity that plagues us.

3. Restructure our tax system so that higher wage workers pay a gradually higher percentage in taxes.
Trickle-down economics do not work. To revive the economy we need to put money in the hands of
people that will spend it! The rich are only rich because of the labor of the poor, and they should be
honored to pay more towards the common good.

4. Restore the draft. If CEO’s and Senators have to send their kids to war they may be more hesitant to
do so.

5. Campaign Finance Reform- eliminate the ability for corporations to donate to campaigns, instead
finance campaigns publicly via the extra tax revenue obtained by closing corporate loopholes. Limit the
total any individual can donate to $2,500 per year total. This will put the rich and the poor on more of an
equal political ground.

6. Make Corporate Lobbying illegal. It is one thing for a group of concerned citizens to demand the
attention of their congressman, it is wholly another thing for a corporation with near limitless resources
to buy votes. This practice must end if we are to restore democracy. Politicians say they rely on
information from lobbyists in order to make informed decisions. Fortunately, this antiquated practice is
unnecessary in the information age, where politicians can virtually connect with their constituents and
obtain vast amounts of information on any issue within seconds.

7. FDR’s Second Bill of Rights. There is no valid reason, other than wealth hording, that the citizens of
the wealthiest nation on earth should go without shelter, a proper education, a job, and proper health
care.

8. Re-establish the media as a watchdog and require all news organizations to exist independently,
without the influence or control of corporate conglomerate handlers.

If you agree with any of these progressive ideas please help spread the word!