Elected Government Officials Forget Constituents Placing Profits First

For more than 40 years, our government has abandoned the people who elected them and placed the demands of special interests in priority number one. The result is the creation of a plutocracy, an advanced form of unrestricted capitalism. The gap in income inequality continues to grow, which is the primary factor for the decline in the quality of life for at least one-half of our nation’s people.

Over those 40+ years, our nation’s motto changed. Its original motto, “E Pluribus Unum,” celebrated the nation’s diversity. The new motto is “Profit Before People,” which celebrates the nation’s wealth, not its people.

The country is on the precipice of engaging in another unwinnable war that may occur halfway around the world. What is the government doing? Energy and financial resources should improve the quality of life for every citizen in the United States of America. Throughout my 75 years, wars and the wealthiest in the nation have been the focus of 545 men and women in Washington. Instead, all three branches of government continue to ignore the promises guaranteed by the Constitution to the people, not the corporations who can care for themselves.

Courtesy of Peter Miller (Flickr CC0)

Only one president in our nation’s history placed people ahead of financial gain. Franklin Delano Roosevelt served every American from 1933 until he died in 1945. He will forever be “the People’s President.” Many admire his reluctance to enter WWII and, at the same time, prepare the nation for the possibility. It turns out that the Emperor of Japan underestimated what Americans could do when they worked together. As a result, attacking Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941, was a huge mistake.

Not since FDR’s presidency has any man who resided in public housing, known as the White House, made his primary purpose the enhancement of the lives of the majority — this makes him the greatest president of all time.

America has changed in its 246 years but has not advanced. Instead, it remains stagnant, and during Donald Trump’s administration, it moved back into the nation’s darkest days. Working-class Americans were utterly ignored and were marked for another form of slavery. Trump’s ultimate plan was to place white men and women in complete control of the future direction of the United States.

If President Joe Biden engages in another war in another foreign nation, he will be remembered as a failed leader. It is undeniable that in the 21st century, non-nuclear wars are unwinnable, and a nuclear war would end the world as it is known. He would add his name to a long list of failed presidents if that happened.

Not a single citizen in America, not associated with a government agency, would agree to send fine young men and women into an unwinnable military conflict. But citizens’ do not matter. “War is good business,” and with the nation now more than $30 trillion in debt, thanks to the economic policies of the last four “Republican” presidents, the government will take any action which might decrease the debt they created over the previous four decades.

Courtesy of Alexander Baxevanis (Flickr CC0)

Black, white, Asian American, Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Sikh, Buddhist, or any other man or woman defined by their culture or beliefs, can no longer accept the failures of those elected to serve us in Washington.

This diverse nation, founded on human rights and equality, can only exist if men and women, who believe in the dreams of the Founding Fathers, stand up to those who would destroy the Constitution.

Like all dictators in history, many are unsure if Vladimir Putin will invade Ukraine. However, the people of Ukraine are unafraid, and for the United States to become involved is unconscionable. America has no right, no reason to act as the world’s police.

The government has not addressed the problems which faced the country in 2017. The needs of the great majority have never been aggressively addressed by the government in the late 20th or early 21st century. The United States is the only nation that denies universal healthcare and free education for all people. The government prepares for war at the rate of funding, five times more than all other countries combined.

If that funding was focused on the welfare of its people and not planning for the next war, it might have become a great nation years ago.

Op-ed by James Turnage

Source:

CNBC: Putin can still back down from war with Ukraine without looking weak — but will he? By Holly Ellyatt

Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Maryland GovPics’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of Peter Miller’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
Second Inset Image Courtesy of Alexander Baxevanis’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License