America is a land of opportunity, but more fundamental, it is a statement of intent, written in a Constitution for the people to govern themselves through a deliberative process, and with checks and balances so that the rights of minorities cannot be subdued when the majority rules.
Equality and freedom are the ideals that drive this nation.Equality comes from the dignity of being human. No matter how different we all are from each other, our individualism has an equal standing in our humanity and before the law. Whether we have the personal characteristics and talents to succeed, we have the equal opportunity to try even when the outcome will not be equal.Equality exists in having opportunity to try and freedom exists in not being prevented from trying.
The American ideals of equality and freedom are being challenged by the rise of a conservative corporate elite who have the money and power to establish an upper class that can place barriers to opportunities for the new generation of Americans.Conservatism has always been about maintaining an established structure of power based on wealth and inheritance.
We have a choice between two visions for the future of America: One vision is for continuation of the progressive vision of a balance between equality and freedom as the moral foundation of justice, and a more recent conservative vision of an entitlement due the wealthy and the equivalence of corporations to the rights and protections of natural persons under the Constitution.
A progressive future is one in which government is a custodian of the public trust and advocates for justice; where justice is a balance between equality and freedom. Government as a custodian of the public trust means that everyone plays by the same rules and that everyone is equal before the law. Public trust means the rights of the people to preserve and protect the common property of the United States is not severable to the interests of privatization. Public trust means that a corporation has no rights except those given to it by law and does not have equal standing with a natural born person under the Constitution.
The conservative future is one of a hostile corporate takeover with privatization of government functions. The corporate takeover means that having wealth is an effective barrier to others participating in the process of government. It means that government would no longer serve the interests of the community but collaborate with the wealthy corporate owners to establish a separate set of laws that entitle them to preferential treatment while creating barriers to competition by eliminating opportunities for others.
The free market is a myth: if it isn't regulated by government to prevent fraud, it is regulated by the corporate oligarchy to prevent competition. Free means not having to go to jail for fraud and theft.
Freedom of speech for corporations is a political myth: the right to free speech is a right of the natural born person, not an artifact of legal convention.
The conservative options for health care are no birth control, no abortion and no health insurance unapproved by a corporate CEO. The progressive option is universal health care and the right of women to make their own health decisions.
Congress is about who gets to rewrite the tax laws: a privileged elite who personally benefits from tax entitlements to the wealthy, or one who advocates for tax fairness.
The presidency is about who gets to nominate justices to the Supreme Court: pack a court with conservative judicial activists who want to roll back human rights and expand states rights to diminish rights of citizens, or one who advocates for judicial competence.
Politics is a moral choice between affiliation or aggression, empathy or egotism, service or selfishness, cooperation or competitiveness.
The tale of two visions is the difference between a government of the people, by the people and for the people, or a government run by a plutocracy of wealth and corporate power.
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