Mary Shaw

This nation was founded as a democratic republic, specifically a representative democracy. As voters, we like to believe that we play a significant role in our government's affairs by more-or-less directly choosing who will represent us in Washington.

But, with few exceptions, the men and women in Washington do not represent the voters. Instead, they represent the special interests which have the money to influence the voters at election time. And, while history class taught us that we have a government "of the people, by the people, and for the people," what we've really ended up with is a government of the rich, by the rich, and for the rich. Whether it's the big bank vs. the foreclosed homeowner or the insurance industry vs. the sick, the rich corporate interests win almost every time.

To add insult to injury, the special interests are so good with the lies and the propaganda that they've got working class Republicans rallying against their own best interests. (See any health care town hall meeting for examples.)

The special interests are so good with the lies and the propaganda that they have convinced the sheep that it's better to have a profit-driven insurance executive administer your health care coverage rather than a public servant in Washington whose salary is paid through our own tax dollars.

The problem didn't start with the Obama administration. For decades they've been fighting to roll back Roosevelt's New Deal, loosen any remaining regulations, and crack down on labor unions and workers' rights in general.

And, especially in the years since Reagan moved into the White House, they've been on a winning streak, as the gap between the rich and the poor continues to widen and the middle class continues to shrink. Because the special interests are so good with the lies and the propaganda.

They even convinced Bill Clinton that NAFTA and the WTO were good ideas.

But it seems to have gotten worse in the past decade.

During the George W. Bush administration, big business went wild. Jobs were shipped overseas by the thousands, environmental and other regulations were trashed because they were too inconvenient for the wealthy CEOs, and labor unions became even more of an endangered species.

And still, Bush was reelected in 2004. And in 2008 John McCain scored 45.7 percent of the popular vote. Because the special interests are so good with the lies and the propaganda.

They know they cannot win with the truth. So they use fear-inducing lies, because they know the powerful effect that fear can have on the brainwashed. In 2000 and 2004, it was about God, guns, and gays. Now, in 2009, it's about death panels, and a black guy in the White House who will decide whether you live or die. The more ridiculous the rumor, the better it seems to catch on.

It's been said that democracy requires a well-informed citizenry. And that is why we do not have true democracy today in the United States of America. Because the special interests are so good with the lies and the propaganda. And because, for far too many voters, it is easier to fear than to think.

Mary Shaw is a Philadelphia-based writer and activist. She is a former Philadelphia Area Coordinator for the Nobel-Prize-winning human rights group Amnesty International, and her views on politics, human rights, and social justice issues have appeared in numerous online forums and in newspapers and magazines worldwide. Note that the ideas expressed here are the author's own, and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Amnesty International or any other organization with which she may be associated. E-mail: mary@maryshawonline.com