Health care is only the beginning of oligarchy
Syndicated columnist E.J. Dionne Jr., in the course of bemoaning the mostly negative results of our so-called national health-care debate, recently put it very bluntly — we are no longer a normal democracy [“Put aside your anger over the health-care bill, progressives, and get busy,” Seattletimes.com, Editorials / Opinion, Dec. 21].
He went on to state, “power has passed from the majority to tiny minorities, sometimes minorities of one.” And clearly Sen. Joe Lieberman’s posturing and preening has paid off for him.
As we see with national health care, so we see with just about every other issue important to the general public: a political structure that confers the powers of obstruction on tiny minorities, sometimes minorities of one.
That is not representative democracy. It is oligarchy.
Things have come to a very alarming political pass in the U.S. when a very mainstream and rational columnist like Dionne, can advocate changing or even abolishing the Senate, and not come across as extreme.
Instead, he makes eminent sense.
— Frank W. Goheen, Camas