We’re finally approaching the end of this long, drawn-out, and very boring process of electing this country’s next president. Millions upon millions of Americans are backing either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the hope that she or he will bring long-awaited, substantive change to this government and this country.
They have been waiting, fervently hoping to finally see some individual who possesses great courage, strong leadership skills, and a deep sense of ethics and morals, become president; and to use the power of the presidency to take this country in an entirely new direction, with a government that adheres to the will of the people.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like either of the two current candidates possesses those qualities and characteristics in abundance sometime in the future we may see such an individual emerge.
What kind of real substantive change am I talking about? Well in the latter half of the 20th Century we saw major accomplishments made during the tenures of various presidents, such as sending a man to the moon, together with important advancements in medicine, science and technology, as well as the creation and development of the internet.
Those were very significant achievements but not the kind of substantive changes that greatly impacted the direction of this country. The kind of change of which I speak would be more like the enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or the creation of the Medicare and Medicaid healthcare systems in 1965; and in years past, the Social Security system.
Here’s the type of change this country and society needs as we navigate the 21st century. First and foremost we need to see very ambitious government/business efforts and programs to create millions jobs for Americans. That would help greatly to reinvigorate the middle class and jumpstart our sluggish economy; it would also result in significant reductions in the number of Americans who are dependent on food stamps and other forms of government welfare.
Such a program should include the repair and modernization of our deteriorating national infrastructure, the development of solar and wind power, and the creation of a universal health care system that would finally cover all Americans at much lower costs.
We need substantive changes in the way we deal with rampant violence in this country; this problem has been escalating and it’s way past time that something were done to curtail the proliferation and illegal use of guns that are slaughtering far too many of our innocent fellow Americans.
But so far the government and, in particular, this Congress, has refused to address this situation because of the power wielded by the gun industry and the NRA. That continued governmental vacillation combined with NRA obstructive tactics must not be allowed to continue.
A large majority of Americans would like to see real, substantive changes such as those identified above put into effect; and all of them are clearly doable. However, that’s just not happening because there is a massive, seemingly immovable object standing in the way. That object of obstruction is, of course, the Establishment, which is diametrically opposed to any such progress because its own objectives clash with those of the people.
It is very difficult and virtually impossible for any president to overcome the power of this Establishment because of what I refer to as the Circle of Power and Control that exists in Washington; here’s how this ultra-powerful, self-perpetuating circle operates.
At the seat of this power is Corporate America which uses monumental amounts of $$$ to influence and control our elections so that a large majority of elected senators and representatives return to the Congress time and again; not to advance the needs of the people but, rather, the interests and objectives of Corporate America. We might refer to these politicians as indentured servants.
The Corporatists want to slash corporate taxes to further increase profits, to significantly water down the regulations and restrictions on the banking industry., They support the lobbyists and special interest groups that have infiltrated this Congress and are, not only greatly influencing the enactment of legislation, but are often actually writing it.
Congress has, as a very top priority, the ongoing funding of the massive Military-Industrial Complex, i.e., the Pentagon, the CIA, the State and “Defense” Departments, and the defense industry corporations which produce the machinery of war.
Too many taxpayer dollars that should be used to strengthen this country’s deteriorating foundations are, instead, directed to the military establishment to maintain its huge empire of bases and installations all over the world, to conduct invasions and occupations of other nations, and to remove elected leaders and/or dictators in various countries.
And so it goes, on and on; Corporate America continues to replace U.S. workers with foreign labor which substantially increases its profits. It, thereby, accumulates the funding that it needs to control these elections and this Congress.
Next, the Congress appropriates more funds for the MIC, the defense industry produces more weaponry, the military uses it on the empire and wars and occupations – and around and around we go in a vicious circle that appears to have no end.
If anyone seriously thinks that some new president is going to come storming into
Washington and make it crystal clear to this Establishment, its deeply entrenched leaders, and the mega-thousands of its personnel that, from this day forward, there will be dramatic changes to how they conduct their operations, then they need to think a lot deeper. That’s just not going to happen.
It seems as if this Circle of Power and Control is invincible; that the vice grip that it has on this country can never be broken. But buying into that notion would be admitting that change is completely impossible. We have to believe that it can and must be done. But how many ways are there to do it? Personally, I see only two. In one scenario this controlling entity could come crashing down if a catastrophic financial collapse would take place in this country, at which time a complete overhaul of the government could take place. But that could also cripple the country.
The only other way I can see involves the only force in America that has the power to go up against the Establishment; and that is the American people. Yes, we keep hoping and waiting for the people to rise up and “take their country back” but so far that’s been no more than wishful thinking.
However, we must never stop trying and there are some significant signs that indicate that we could be heading down the right road. The American people are rapidly coming to the realization that this Establishment is doing almost irreparable damage to this country. In their view, it’s like an octopus that, with its huge tentacles, is suffocating this country and stifling its creative and innovative capabilities.
This same kind of unrest and pent up anger was present in the 1990’s when the rebel politician Ross Perot found a way to tap into this discontent and used it to make a huge impact on that election in which Bill Clinton eventually became president. That was a great start and now we are beginning to see that same kind of movement for dramatic change beginning to surface once again.
Whether we realize it or not we are getting closer and closer for a people’s political revolution to materialize. Look at what just happened in this current election. Trump, though he did it in a highly crude and negative manner, managed to motivate and energize millions of his supporters to show their disgust and distrust of the Establishment. Bernie Sanders, did much the same thing in a much more positive and constructive way,
Now, what if Sanders had started his campaign much earlier and he had become a known commodity to the electorate? It is highly likely that he could have bested Clinton to become the nominee of the Democratic Party. If he and Trump were running against each other, and the many supporters of each were of the very same basic mindset, i.e., that it was time for the Establishment to be dismantled, then we would be watching that powerful political revolution get underway right now; and America would be witnessing the beginning of substantive change.
Well, while it didn’t work out that way this time around, it came very close. And that should tell us that it is entirely possible, that it can be done; that the movement should be kept alive, just waiting for the next opportunity; yes this was certainly a great start and that next opportunity will come before we know it.
I firmly believe that the days of the Establishment and the existence of the Circle of Power and Control are clearly numbered; and it’s only a matter of time before this controlling entity becomes a thing of the past.
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