Thursday, October 20, 2011

Democracy or Oligarchy?


The radical right promotes privilege over democracy. They use democracy to leverage more privilege, then use added control over the system to further undermine democratic institutions. Most people who support the radical right are in the 99%, and with the disassembly of democracy they too will be driven toward economic insecurity.

Our movement must be vigilent to include all of the 99% when we interact with opponents. They fear the loss of privilege, of the entitlements of American wealth, but they build their hopes on sand - the oligarchs will impoverish all of us to guarantee their own position.

So we must gently remind our opponents, for most of us the choice is democracy or shared poverty. Democracy isn't easy, it includes no-privilege, but it does allow shared prosperity, as a result of cooperation.

The literature of the right says "the inevitable effect of democracy is that the masses will vote to take the wealth of those who have worked to earn it." [paraphrase] They know what the choice is and so must we: Democracy or Oligarchy. Which do you choose?