"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,--That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government."
So begins "The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America" on July 4, 1776. King George of Great Britain also had special interest in reducing and eliminating the power and influence of the thirteen colonies. The Supreme Court of the United States has once more granted power to the special interest groups of this nation, which has a direct bearing on the legislation which is passed by Congress, frequently to the detriment of the large majority of the people of the United States. Measures which are passed which grant additional financial power and influence to corporations, other entities and individuals, both foreign and domestic, are largely exclusionary for the public, advance the superiority of the rich and powerful, protect their interests and diminish the liberty, prosperity and happiness of the majority of Americans.
Such is the resolve for domination at any cost by these powerful corporate interests, who have most recently upset the world's financial state to such a degree that the average global citizen has had his net worth reduced by more than half. We observe how our nation's highest court seeks to improve the lives of her citizens by granting even more power to the already-powerful, trusting that these entities and individuals will maintain an active interest in the financial well-being and advancement of their fellow citizens. To their discredit, Republican voices in Congress are heard defending this judicial action and disparaging their Democratic counterparts for sounding the alarm.
Most recently, in his State of the Union address, President Obama denounced this judicial action to the chagrin of at least one of the Supreme Court justices and calling attention to a debate which has festered since governments began. Should the rich and powerful be granted special consideration? If so, how much should they be granted, and for how long? Should public policy protect the interests and grant special circumstances which advance the wealth and privilege of the powerful? Should the granting of these special interests and powers be allowed to have an increasingly-detrimental impact on the average citizen and have the effect of reducing their effectiveness, influence and authority? Does society benefit from diminishing the advantages and abilities of her citizens?
We have heard the past ten years described as "the lost decade." The average citizen has watched his assets erode, his income decline or disappear entirely, and has had his ability to effectively change his circumstances be reduced to the point of extinction. What has risen with the decline of the middle class is a newer version of the culture of the super-rich, whose mentality and influence threatens to submerge the former middle class under a barrage of measures which further limit their abilities to break-free from the economic and social constraints which imprison them. We are not only mired in the quicksand of economic stagnation, but those out-of-control elites who created this nightmare have now been given the blessings of our judicial branch, along with the power to recruit new congressional adherents. What more remains to the average person than to petition Congress for a redress of these actions? If Congress supports the Supreme Court in their action, President Obama has no choice but to veto this pending legislation. If Congress insists on punching this carte blanche ticket for the rich and powerful, ordinary citizens must call for a constitutional convention to ensure that the power of the majority is never usurped by a wealthy and powerful, self-serving and selfish minority again.
