Letter: Reclaiming control of our democracy

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July 31, 2012

Letter: Reclaiming control of our democracy

Anonymous Gloucester Daily Times The Gloucester Daily Times Tue Jul 31, 2012, 11:45 PM EDT

To The Editor:

When it comes to civil rights and education, there is one source that can inspire us all.

It was in 1949 that George Orwell wrote “Politics and the English Language.” Until I read a series of essays about this essay, I had no idea it existed. It needs to be read and promoted throughout our educational system. Here is the link:

http://wikilivres.ca/wiki/Politics_and_the_English_Language.

We now live in a time where ad agencies and propagandists have merged their efforts to elect officials and promote goals we might otherwise consider dangerous and harmful without the ‘gilding’ proffered by various corporate interests.

For those who solely comment online, consider if you can that no party or ideology is mentioned. Skip past specific individuals you think qualify. Consider the harm done to all of us when too many stop voting, stop looking for evidence, listen to rumors and allegations.

We have 438 elected members of the House, 100 elected members of the Senate, two elected members of the Executive Branch, and nine appointed members of a once Supreme Court — in other words, 549 people play a big role in determining the course of your life.

Oops, let us not ignore various agencies like the Federal Reserve, for instance. It, too, influences what happens in your life. The “Fed” representing New York has a board of directors to help it oversee banks and other institutions of mischief.

How many Bank CEOs are on the Board of Directors? It’s hard to tell since they don’t make that information a priority for you to see. Guess more than one and you’ll be right. Guess a lot more than one and you’ll still be right.

My question is, “Why are bank CEOs allowed on any Fed Board of Directors?” Hiring sharks to be guards in a backyard pool would possibly be a bad and poorly informed choice, but it would be apparent.

If we want our democracy to survive we need to work hard, ask questions, and then question the responses from everyone who seeks office.

It also means we need to set our preferences aside temporarily so that we can listen to the answers and then ask better questions.

ARTHUR THOMAS

Gloucester