Leid Stories - 09/18/13

American Democracy: A Matter of Dollars and Common Sense

Collectively the personal fortunes of 400 of the wealthiest Americans -- $2.02 trillion, an all-time high -- exceed Russia’s economy, says Forbes magazine. Meanwhile, 46.5 million Americans (15 percent of the nation) live in poverty, and the income gap between rich and poor is the widest it has been in almost 100 years.

These and other figures and statistics aren’t just telling a story about the lopsidedness of the U.S. economy; they’re saying that the political system that has delivered these realities also is woefully out of kilter. In other words, rethink that mythical notion of “democracy.”

Why? Because democracy, says Leid Stories, is not about voting. It’s about assuring reasonable access to the strategic resources of society.

The statistics have been trending this way for years, but have shown dramatic aberrations since the fiscal crisis of 2008, with the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. The trends can be stopped – if people change their self-annihilating political habits. Ready?