[The following letter was written by Richard Kimball, VoteSmart.org President.
Vote Smart is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that provides accurate information about candidates, elected officials, and key pieces of legislation. You can also find them on Facebook and Twitter. Reprinted with permission.]
THE DEPENDENT DEAD?
Why won’t anyone say it? “The People” can no longer self-govern.
It is American sacrilege to suggest that “government of the people, by the people” is no longer possible. The masses are being herded and corralled by those who always find the means to seek advantage, even in a system of government designed to strip them of advantage.
Is it not obvious that modern political tools can drive us emotionally? Like a Gamma Knife, they drill into that spot in our brains to stimulate a passion and overwhelm our ability to think logically. Without any means or time to independently research, investigate and analyze for ourselves, we adhere to anyone that empathizes and confirms the rightness of our view on one or two issues of concern. Thus, we are rounded-up and herded into one camp or the other.
Most citizens have intense feelings about one issue or another — abortion, guns, religion or a handful of others. We are attracted to news sources that agree, applaud and value our grasp of what we see as important and virtuous. Who would not be vulnerable to those that commend and give voice to the rightness of our view?
Who would not be attracted to the source that soothes and encourages our values on this or that?
You may not have thought much about other issues, but you now know who thinks like you on your most important concern. Thus, the lure is set and your newfound guide sits in the catbird seat and tells you about the economy, foreign policy or innumerable issues one has not considered but can now be led. After all they think like you, they are family.
You’re off on an effortless ride that makes it easy and thoughtless to find your stand on almost anything. No study, time, or good sense required. Hungry? Eat a Big Mac and then have some satisfying fries that fill you up with their vision — painless, effortless, satisfying, an affirmation that you know what you are doing on a glut of things.
Through such means citizens are bundled, tied and readied for delivery into a voting booth or to their neighborhood soap box.
The new information-rich sources political operatives now have, to know every citizen’s nature through the personal behavior each exposes by what they buy, say or just look at over cell phones and computers, gives access to what makes you, you.
Add to that alternative facts and accepted, unpunishable lies, and all that is left is who bundles the greatest number of the now dependent dead. At Vote Smart we fear this is all working its way to be so and struggle to arm citizens with the only defense they can have: instant access to abundant, relevant facts on those who govern or those hoping to replace those who do.
If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem. Please join us! We need every thinking American.
