THERE ARE TWO WAYS to view a democracy.
In each of these cases the big apes win big, and the weaker apes lose big.
If you are a human being by conviction—that is, if you side with our traditional ancestors on questions of fairness and freedom and equality—you see a democratic government as simply the way that all of us, together, ensure a peaceful life, defend ourselves from outsiders, promote our general welfare, and preserve freedom for ourselves and our children and grandchildren.
On the other hand, if you are an ape-master by conviction—that is, if you side with the hierarchical culture of apes which we rejected when we became human beings—you see a democratic government as one more institution to be subverted and used in your ongoing quest to make yourself dominant over others.
Republicans in Michigan have passed a bill which will allow the governor to dissolve the elected governments of towns and cities, replacing them with "emergency financial managers" who can eliminate school boards, break union contracts, and eliminate services without recourse. They're calling it "financial martial law".
The first city to be taken over under this law is Benton Harbor, a small poor city which owns valuable real estate in the form of a public beach.
It turns out that the town's ownership of this property is getting in the way of a large corporate development—designed to turn the area into a golf resort for the wealthy.
And it looks like the town will not longer be able to stand in the way after this takeover.
Signs of the ape-masters at work are all around us:
- You can lie, and cheat, and even steal in a corporate job—and get away with it, especially if you are near the top—but don't try insubordination,
- Federal and state budgets are being balanced on the backs of the old and poor while tax break after tax break is handed out to the wealthy and powerful,
- Bargaining rights for the common worker are being eroded daily,
- The current recession is still wreaking havoc on middle-class families, while the bankers and speculators who caused the recession are doing better than ever.
AT&T recently changed their contract to say that their customers can't sue them.
Seriously.
AT&T just changed their contract, and advised their customers that they no longer had the legal right to sue them.
It doesn't matter that you are a U.S. citizen, with rights under the law—you can't take AT&T to court, or be part of a class action suit against them, even for fraud.
If you have a problem with them, you go to their customer service department, and, eventually to an arbitrator who they have to agree to.
And guess how many cases they'll be giving to arbitrators who decide against them?
How did they pull this off?
They just said so.
If you don't think this is the hierarchy at work, ask yourself what would happen if you told them that you were changing the contract back?
How do you think the law got into such a tangle that AT&T can just decide to opt you out of the legal system?
In each of these cases the big apes win big, and the weaker apes lose big.
How does it happen?
How do the ape-masters convince us to vote for their lieutenants time and time again?
Next: The strategy...
