SAD: Capitalism trumps democracy

I really appreciate the literacy and insight provided by Mike Ruskovich in the “My Turn” section of the Dec. 6 edition of the Coeur d’Alene Press. I was taken aback by his ending description of our nation as fascist but by the given definition, the term appears to fit.

This has, however, always been our culture, i.e. the rich get richer at the expense of the middle and poorer classes. Take a serious look at the history of how our government began. If you don’t romanticize it, you’ll see that the beginnings of our country were dominated by rich, white, property owners. This was the cultural class in charge then and, really, it has never changed. The historic and politically dominant rich (which really are the American aristocracy) do make concessions to the rest of us as they have to, but only within the framework of ensuring their profits and economic security, present and future.

Dictatorship is a form of government in which the people exist to serve the government. Democracy should be a form of government that exists to serve the people. In our case, government exists first to serve the needs of the capitalist, of the corporations. Are we, the people, even second or third in line for service? Is there even a list of priorities for the government to serve, or do the people simply receive what trickles down (thank you, Ronald Reagan)?

Challenges to capitalism as the driving force in our country have been effectively, even at times militarily, quashed. We the people are such a flock of sheep that we never challenge the status quo. How could we do that effectively?

So, I’ll end with the same conclusion as the title line, capitalism trumps democracy in the United States of America. How sad.

JERRY R. BOGGS

Post Falls