Will you vote this year? Do you think voting actually makes that much of a difference?
It’s that time of year again, time for voters to be serenaded by endless reams of political ads. Whether you watch TV, listen to radio or watch videos on the internet you will be subject to endless sound bites and advertisements suggesting that ABC political party or representative will best represent your interests in XYZ political position.
In the USA we generally accept that the political system of voting for representation is our form of selecting our elected officials, and we are told that voting for change is the best way to effect change in our democracy. That message is pounded home repeatedly, despite the rising number of studies which have shown that there is virtually no way that common citizens can affect change in government through voting.
Recently it was revealed that quality of life for black people hasn’t been improved in the time since they won the vote. Levels of education, incarceration, and property ownership haven’t improved much in the time since the civil rights movement because institutional racism is built into society. Meaning that educators, law enforcement and banking systems remain racist, despite the right to vote. Allowing racism to continue is easier than actually addressing systemic racism, and let’s face it, we don’t actually want to do the work.
The system of oppression is constructed around the placebo of voting, if you vote for change, you have done your part. In effect saying you don’t have to put the rubber to the road where direct action is concerned if you have voted for change. Because voting is the patriotic thing, it’s what change minded people are supposed to do. It’s a scam.
We have in place corrupt secretary of states, black box voting, gerrymandering, and biased supreme courts which can, and do, effectively disenfranchise the voters during each election cycle. Whether it’s rigging the election machines, tampering with ballots, or out and out fraud, there is no level the oligarchs won’t stoop to. The wealthy people in this country maintain control because we are browbeaten into accepting that elections are our method for effecting change. However, the facts show that only wealthy people affect change through elections. They buy politicians, they buy advertisements, and they own the vote counting algorithms, meaning that they are not obligated to reveal the methods by which your vote is counted, since the vote counting competitors could be watching. Your vote is a commodity and capitalism is the “decider” where vote counting is involved. Your vote is someone’s yacht payment.
People in essence are too comfortable to change the system. It’s working, just not for the citizens. They system is not broken, it was built that way. People who vote for change and expect others to vote for change are the ones living in the comfort insured by our system which serves the wealthy. If the system doesn’t work for you, then you advocate for alternatives to elections. Elections are a way to legitimize the ruling class, subjugation is caused by voting. You opt into your own oppression by electing people in today’s USA.
I wish things were different than they are. I wish we didn’t have banksters running every aspect of our lives. But that’s not the way things are, and no amount of voting will change that. You see, banks decide if your government will be funded, banks decide if your school will be funded, banks decide if your real estate loan will be funded. Banksters are the real rulers of our country, and for the most part the citizens are willing to accept the dictates of the banksters. If it were otherwise we would see people shutting down their oppressors, instead we see people kneeling before them. After all who wants to sacrifice their comfort for change which is not guaranteed? Who wants to throw their bodies on the machines of oppression when the changes they are fighting for will be given back to the oppressors by the time they get out of jail, if not before.
I have been a lifelong activist, marching, letter writing, petitioning, boycotting, and yes voting for the changes I felt the world needed. I have been a part of popular movements for farm workers rights, to end nuclear waste dumping, to halt ecological devastation, I was with Occupy, and the Water Protectors. I have protested against undeclared wars, and in support of rights for people of color. I have engaged in town halls, city councils and online polls. While I believe that activism is important, it will take massive engagement to affect real change. Not just one or two years, but decades of struggle. We need to care on a much deeper level than we have up to this point. What’s more we will need to really vote with our dollars, if we want to affect change in these fascist states of America.
We have become so insulated from oppression that we turn a blind eye to aspects of oppression, whether it’s a homeless child, a homeless veteran or a political prisoner, people don’t want to see the aspects of society which are oppressive and wrong. We would rather look away instead of taking accountability for the decay of our so called democracy. We the people are insulated from oppression by our iphones and our mcnuggets. We the people are so consumed by the hamster wheels that we will not take principled stands, we have given our government a green light to put profits ahead of humanity. If you doubt it, look at our war spending. Then compare it to our veterans benefits. We give golden parachutes to arms manufacturers and urine covered concrete to our veterans. We give corporate jets to football coaches, and traumatic brain injuries to athletes. We put profits ahead of humanity as a matter of course. It’s not up for debate, it’s codified into law.
The election season is beginning to ramp up. The fundraising dinners are starting with rounds of amuse-bouche. The $35,000 plates of food are being served to campaigns which are running for office positions which pay $120,000 annually. Millions are being dumped into campaigns so multi billion dollar contracts can be awarded through our system of oligarchy. They system of checks and balances has become a system of lobbyists checks, and spreadsheet balances. We live in a fascist system of money driven policy, in which the majority are powerless to affect change, and are subject to draconian laws designed to further criminalize poverty or helping the poor, while wealthy banks are financially supporting drug running without effective consequences.
There are solutions to our modern day fascist states of America, boycotts, walk outs, sit ins, lock downs, but the people who are in a position to affect change don’t want to lose their slice of apple pie. The people are docile, and docile people won’t stand up to fascism.
Thanks for reading this far!
Here is blog I wrote about banksters causing the state of the nation.
This is a blog I wrote about class warfare.