To vote or not to vote: that IS the question

OUR POLITICAL AND ELECTORAL SYSTEMS ARE TOTALLY CORRUPT

BILOXI, MS, OCTOBER 24, 2014

[dropcap]N[/dropcap]early two months ago a group of us began to put together an organization for the purpose of urging voters to boycott the upcoming elections. This was based upon several reasons but the primary one was that the influence of money in elections had become hideously corrupting to our government run by the two party duopoly, both Democratic and Republican Parties. And all but one member of the 535 members of Congress belong to one of these two parties. The primary source of all funding for elections has become the large corporations and the wealthy elite. This was made significantly worse by the Supreme Court’s Citizens’ United decision in 2010 and again by its McCutcheon’s decision in 2014 giving corporations and wealthy elite (e.g. billionaires) unlimited power to donate to campaigns. Thus, this group “owns” our entire system of government in Washington and they are the bodies that make our laws and enforce the laws. And our entire system of justice has become one of “injustice”.

These beginning statements will not be a surprise to many people who may have thought this for years. But the data which have been accumulated and distributed in recent years show vividly how bad the situation has become. For example, a good measure of “economic justice” is obtained by looking at income/wealth inequities and the data show that these now compare to those achieved in 1928 just before the Great Depression. With the Great “Recession” of 2007 these inequities were even worsened and yet, the wealthy elite and the Big Banks became even larger and more powerful. Congress repeatedly tells us they don’t have enough money to improve the situation and provide for jobs programs and the reason is they need money for National Defense and foreign wars to protect us from the growing threat of “terrorism.” Fear has replaced hope and promise as a primary means of “motivating” people to go along with their evil, corrupt practices.

This has been going on for many years, but it has become critical. Joel Hirshhorn in Dandelion Salad has recently written an excellent article describing this reality.  And two professors, Martin Gilens and Benjamin I. Page at Northwestern Univ. , have recently shown conclusively with an exhaustive study that the average person in the U.S. has NO influence on public policy. It is a total myth (or lie) that we live in a democracy. The people are totally brainwashed by a corrupt corporate media that spends billions propagating that lie on        behalf of their political cronies. Corporate “news” is nothing but corporate propaganda and that includes much of what passes for news about our foreign interventions. We seldom get the truth that our invasions are all about acquiring resources (particularly oil). In this excellent short review of the detailed paper by Gilens and Page, Eric Zuesse describes how “The U.S. is an Oligarchy and Not a Democracy.” 

Congressional approval ratings have recently been 15% and even as low as 9% at times over the last year or so. And the President’s approval rating is dropping like a lead balloon and is now under 40%, just like happened in the Bush years. Fewer than 35% approve of Obama’s foreign policy today and it sinks lower with each new foreign invasion and bombing campaign. Meanwhile we keep creating more terrorists than we are killing. It’s a vicious cycle of madness that we experience coming out of Washington every week. And the people are getting angrier and more frustrated every day with the miserable quality of leadership this country has witnessed.

Every Congressional election nearly 90% of incumbents are reelected to office and over 90% of those are the ones who spent the most money. Efforts have been made to create and support “third” political parties over the last 35 years or so but the results/records have been pitiful as the data in this report shows. With presidential campaigns, third parties have recently gathered about 2% of the vote or less in totality and they have not earned a single electoral vote! Why? Because the two party duopoly crushes any third party effort with money and mass media to discount it. It seems clear that change cannot be made in the electoral system unless a massive movement is backing a third party effort. There is no sign of that today even though there may be small successes at a local or maybe even a state level in special circumstances.

THE “WHAT” AND THE “WHY” OF THE ELECTION BOYCOTT ADVOCATES

You can visit with us at the EBA, participate and stay informed by visiting these two primary websites:

http://electionboycott.weebly.com/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/electionboycottadvocates/

This is the backdrop for the creation of a new organization, the Election Boycott Advocates (EBA), which is currently focusing on federal elections, those for Congress and for 2016 the presidency. Certain states may also be added later. But the two party duopoly has to be destroyed as I described in several previous blogs. We must stop endorsing this corrupt system by participating in their illegitimate elections!! Don’t give it your time and certainly don’t give it your money!! You have no chance to compete with the corporations and the wealthy elite! Spend it with your family instead! And consider joining us at the Election Boycott Advocates (EBA)! First, here is the Manifesto we created :

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THE ELECTION BOYCOTT ADVOCATES MANIFESTO:

“The entire notion of putting massive resources and effort into building electoral parties to compete in the elite-managed horse-race charades is fatally flawed.  In the final analysis it does not work. We have to do something radically different, and the election boycott is the start of this new, genuinely revolutionary—not reformist—movement.” 
—Ted Aranda, Election Boycott advocate and lifelong activist

TEXT: The Election Boycott is the first step in a struggle for democracy, for alternative democratic government to replace the plutocratic imperialist police state, and for the liberation of working people so that ordinary Americans can manage their society and economy themselves and in their own interests.  It has famously been said that the people have the right to replace their government when it no longer serves them.  This, without question, is the situation in the U.S.A. today–and we are now claiming that right!

A plurality of Americans have been boycotting federal elections for more than half a century, but only as individuals, silently–letting their rulers know that they did not support them, but in a passive protest. Now, with the advent of the Election Boycott Advocates, the silent majority of nonvoters has found a voice that will make what was implicit, explicit, what was silent, loud, what was unconscious, thoughtful and public… Continued at link.

http://electionboycott.weebly.com/manifesto.html

Next I present a comprehensive piece published by the GREANVILLE POST which includes a composite of a blog I wrote at Progressive Activist Voice, along with several blog talk radio shows on CARSON’S CORNER with Bob Carson and one from the PINKY THE BEAR Show with Brad Holhut.

WHAT IS THE ELECTION BOYCOTT ADVOCATES (CONT.)

“The popular distrust in capitalist democracy and authoritarian elections if now so widespread the movement to boycott them is becoming nearly universal.” (See links below for completeness.)

https://www.greanvillepost.com/2014/10/12/what-is-the-election-boycott-advocates-group/