5 Things That Wouldn’t Be Happening If the U.S. Were a Functioning Democracy

Yesterday, I brought you an article about American facism.  Today, I bring you an article about what would not be happening if the US were not owned and operated by corporate interests.

We Americans have been deceived by the notion that individual desires preempt the needs of society; by the Ayn-Rand/Reagan/Thatcher aversion to government regulation; by the distorted image of "freedom" as winner-take-all capitalism; by the assurance that the benefits of greed will spread downward to everyone.

Our current capitalist-driven inequalities will only be rectified when people realize that a strong community makes successful individuals, not the other way around.

Here are a few of the ways we would benefit with a social democracy.

1. The Super-Rich Wouldn't Make Our Decisions for Us

Decisions about higher education should be made by everyone, with public tax dollars allocated in a democratic fashion. But our tax dollars have gone away. The Reagan-era "government is the problem" attitude led to dramatic tax cuts and a resulting decline in government funding for public universities. Instead of paying for all the societal benefits heaped upon them, billionaires keep getting richer — just 14 individuals making more than the entire federal education budget two years in a row.

As a result, as noted by Larry Wittner, "campus administrators, faced with declining income, are increasingly inclined to accept funding from wealthy individuals and corporations that are reshaping higher education to serve their interests." The Koch brothers have spent millions funding universities and stipulating the kind of education that should be provided.

We're left with philanthropy instead of democracy. The philanthropists, not we the people, are beginning to make these vital decisions. Said Charles Koch: "I believe my business and non-profit investments are much more beneficial to societal well-being than sending more money to Washington."

Education is not the only area where we're losing control. Bill Gates' contribution of $2 billion toward alternative energy solutions is admirable, but energy decisions should be made by society as a whole, with tax money, through our (well-chosen) representatives, and with the complementary support of private investors. Gates himself admits, "DARPA money is very well spent, and the basic-science money is very well spent. The government…should get about four times as much money as they do."

Read about the other four things that wouldn't be happening if the U.S. were a functioning democracy.  In the Gettysburg Address, Lincoln referred to America's representative democracy as "government of the people, by the people, for the people", not goverernment of the corporations, by the corporations, for the corporations.