Is Democracy Possible?

Dear Patriots,
Bertolt Brecht once wrote," The leaders who have brought the country into the abyss call ruling too difficult for ordinary men." Is ruling to difficult for ordinary people? Do we live in a "merit democracy," in which the most fit to rule have risen to the top? Aside from individual personalities to call Ronald Reagan or George Bush or Dan Quayle "the best and the brightest" seems preposterous. Would social problems which seem so daunting now seem even more insoluble if the important decisions of the society were being made of, by, and for the people rather than the elite?
There are some very important questions here. But before we can answer whether ordinary people are capable of tackling difficult issues, we must ask," Where do the most serious problems come from?" What are some of these problems? Inequality of every sort-of wealth and poverty, of gender and race. Ethnic and national conflict. Unemployment, homelessness, costly and uneven medical care. Boring and stupid jobs. A mis-education system. Consumerism. Alienation, isolation and loneliness. Crime and drug addiction. The degrading of the environment. Weapons build ups. War and threats of war. Malnutrition and starvation in some countries. Torture and oppression of working people in Third World countries.
These are certainly daunting problems. It is important to see, however, that these problems all have something in common. That is," while these are serious problems for ordinary people, for the ruling elite these are not problems but solutions-solutions to the problem of how to stay in power.
Each terrible problem we face is a source of profit or control for the ruling class. Each is an instrument of class rule: inequality to encourage people to fight each other; unemployment and other terrors to make them frightened and controllable; isolation to weaken them; crime to justify more police power; drugs to keep people passive; a natural environment raped for the sake of profit and torture to keep people subdued.
The fact is that the rulers have no intention of solving the key problems, because their continued existence as rulers depends on the problems continuing in some form. Sure, they will focus on one problem or another, and make a big deal about solving it. But, they can never point to the real solution. Instead they will use these problems to create further division among people, by offering misleading explanations and destructive solutions. Gender inequality? Men are no good. Unemployment? The Japs are taking your jobs. Crime and drugs? Blacks are criminals. Boring job? If you weren't such a loser, you wouldn't be stuck in it.
These problems are not technical problems, which depend on greater know how to solve. They are political problems, which stem from the system of class rule. They can only be solved by democracy-by placing the direction of the society in the hands of the vast majority of people for whom these are really problems and not solutions. Now you know the truth. Please share this with others and remember: There is strength in numbers. Join the A.C.E. Network Mission and help us return the power of government to WE THE PEOPLE.
E-mail:justrite@email.com or write to:A.C.E.Network Mission, 5011 Oak Knoll Ave., Newton Falls Ohio 44444.

In solidarity,

Daniel E. Moore,Founder/President

Source: WE CAN CHANGE THE WORLD by David G. Stratman