law

America: A Darkening "Beacon" of Democracy

America prides itself on being a “Beacon of democracy” for the rest of the world. And before the trolls start typing: "The United States is a republic, not a democracy!” parroting a point they picked up on some reactionary hate speech program, please refer to Constitutional Law Professor Lawrence Lessig. The United States (theoretically) is a representative form of democracy.

A critical element of any democracy is how people are elevated to leadership. In a leadership role, whether leading a school district as an elected board member, city council, state senator, congress, or the presidency, the process should be fair; as many people as possible who are affected by the elected member should participate, and the election should be based upon the leadership qualities of the candidate.

Attributes such as integrity, accountability, courage, intellect, rationality, empathy, compassion, diplomatic/collaborative style, experience, and assertiveness are all important to lead through these challenging and dynamic times.

Ultimately, voters must discern the following:

Are candidates honest, accountable, and possess integrity?
Will they place the best interests of all those they represent over anything else (money, political party, private beliefs)?
On issues, do they understand the local, state, federal, and global challenges of our times?
Are they courageous, willing to stand up for what they believe?

Can they work collaboratively and creatively with other leaders to solve problems in the best interests of society?

Do they have the experience to succeed, or if not experience -the raw intelligence to learn quickly?

Do they embrace facts, science, and evidence over opinion and conjecture?

For any elected office, every voter should invest the time and effort to understand the above attributes before elevating anyone to represent them. At Civic Works, we continue to say, “Any meaningful form of democracy requires an educated, informed, and engaged society.”

Registering to vote and voting are vital to a functioning democracy.

Yet how many vote for leaders based upon who has the best yard sign, who is wearing a blue hat or red hat, or upon viewing a 30-second political attack ad? We must confront the challenges of our time for this and future generations as a nation. Challenges such as:

Climate change continues to lead to more suffering and death, and inaction puts future generations at severe risk.
Abandonment of truth and facts in our education system will lead to a more ignorant society, less capable of succeeding in a dynamic, competitive world.
Greed and the concentration of wealth make democracy impossible. When any individual can dump millions of dollars and change the outcome of a political race -it is no longer a government of “We the People.”
When most people want sensible gun ownership laws and, instead, society embraces bulletproof backpacks and active shooter drills in our schools, it is a failed state, not a representative democracy.
Most educated, thoughtful people believe that a decision to terminate a pregnancy is a private decision between a woman and her doctor. And yet, a small, extremist fringe element of society has put millions of people's healthcare at risk.

Voting rights in any meaningful form of democracy must be respected, expanded, and protected. Representation should be mathematically and geographically fair, not gerrymandered for any political party. Making voting more difficult (or, in some cases, complete disenfranchisement of groups of voters) should be addressed as an urgent attack on Constitutional Rights (and the foundation of the American system) and dealt with in criminal courts. The gerrymandering of districts has led to a House of Representatives controlled by a small group of incompetent fringe extremists.

The majority of people want an economy that is growing, fair, and sustainable. Implementing tax and economic policy that continues to concentrate wealth rapidly erodes democracy as a handful of people direct massive wealth (and power).

Any meaningful form of democracy requires an educated society. Our education system should be world-class, educators should be well-paid, and schools should be safe learning environments. Education is a pillar of democracy that should prioritize critical thinking, facts, evidence, and science. It should not be a budgetary choice or a political or religious football.

The so-called “Fourth Estate” journalism will no longer save us. Since Reagan’s elimination of the Fairness Doctrine and the decline of newsrooms and journalists, once vaunted as the “crown jewels” of a broadcast network and now just another cog in the American profit wheel, the objective is to win a popularity contest instead of serving to inform as a pillar of democracy.

Instead of helping to inform voters and holding candidates and elected officials accountable for lying and corruption, the media now looks for the most controversial “sociopathic circus act” among candidates. “Don’t report that he or she is a toxic narcissist and pathological liar -we might lose access.” Instead, let’s follow him or her 24x7 because we’re bound to get more views and advertising revenue.

Regardless of political party, voters must unite and support candidates with leadership qualities who will have the courage and integrity to act to further the best interests of the United States and the world.

Continuing to elevate the incompetent, the corrupt, the liars, the extremists, and the insurrectionists will lead America to the graveyard of failed states.