A USA Today / Gallup survey indicated that elected officials are looked upon as being highly trustworthy and ethical by just 17% of those polled.
Incumbency rates are now approaching 97%. Gerrymandered districts exist at alarming rates. The 2002 and 2004 congressional elections represent the least competitive races of the post WWII era.
The US incarcerates the largest number of people in the world, about two and a half million people.. The incarceration rate in the US is four times the world average. The US has less than 5% of the world’s population but over 23% of the world’s incarcerated people.
57% of inmates in federal prisons are there due to drug related offenses. Drug law offenses are expected to exceed 1.6 million persons this year. Nearly $50 billion will be spent on the war on drugs this year.Student surveys report conditions in our public schools which resemble prisons and continue to erode the rights of students. The similarities are striking. Our public education system has become a horror.
Each state has sunshine laws which require government records and meetings must be open to the public. But, the Associated Press has reported that the laws are sporadically enforced, penalties for failure to comply are mild and violators almost always walk away with nothing more than a reprimand. Even when citizens appeal over lack of access to information, the government usually wins and keeps public business secret.
Press releases from corporations are often treated as factual news. Supposed news stories are nothing more than sensationalistic ratings grabbers. Journalism, advertising and entertainment have merged.
Corporations, as the prime economic driver, steer our education system. Corporations, through the benefits they provide to their employees, have become integrally involved in health care services. The funding of scientific studies by corporate interests influences the results of the tests.
There are now over 34,000 registered lobbyists in Washington D.C.. These lobbyists and their organizations spend over $2.5 billion annually trying to influence elected officials.
Summary
Each of these oppressions are potentially substantial in nature. Taken together in their sum they are intolerable. Though each could be addressed and solved if given enough resources, the momentum and inertia behind each is daunting. In their sum, they constitute a breakdown of our society and our institutions.
The elected representatives of, We the People, are not able to represent the electorate.
The information made available to, We the People, is inadequate for making reasoned choices.
The lifestyles imposed on, We the People, does not reasonably allow for the pursuit of liberty without government interference.
These oppressions represent conditions of life which are unacceptable to a free people. The governors who are responsible for allowing these conditions to exist are unfit for governance.
We, therefore, the undersigned citizens of the United States of America, solemnly publish and declare, our pledge to each other to pursue a new path, to implement a re-birth of our founders’ visions from which our nation’s ideals were formed, free from the oppressions this government has wrought upon us.
These changes mandate a Re-Birth of our Constitution. This Re-Birth will alter the way we elect our governors, how we create and execute our rules and regulations, and how we will interact with each other in a humane manner. A foundation for this Re-Birth already exists in the Earth Charter and Libertarian Principles This Re-Birth will ensure that opportunities will be maximized for each citizen to pursue their life in liberty and equality.
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