As a member of what has become known as the "far left" those who attack me here don't anger me

[Zorra]

212. Yes, like you, having lived in Latin American countries, I am very aware that

that people in the US are generally very fortunate in the material sense.

My problem with political moderates in general is that they are not really all that pragmatic. If they make gains, they make small ones, and everything else continues to move down the sewer to the right, and decline, until they are voted from office, leading to an extremist conservative republican government that destroys the country in every way as fast as they possibly can, often with the help of moderate neo-liberal Democratic appeasers. (See Iraq War vote).

When the populace is tired of the stupidity and horror of the republican government, (see Bush), the public is propagandized into voting for the only real alternative to the republicans ~ moderate Democrats. The failure of moderates to effect necessary significant progressive change (see Universal Public Healthcare, corporate regulation, Citizen's United, gerrymandering, labor union expansion, etc) leads to voter apathy. Consequently, moderate Democrats continue to lose elections until the republicans retake control of the government again, wreaking destruction on everything and everyone on the planet until the propagandized populace wakes up enough once again to figure out that the republicans are wacko.

All the while, the republican party is gaining, and the Democratic party is losing. It is one step forward, a thousand steps backwards. Meanwhile, conscienceless wealthy private interests, and the radical right wing, continue to grow. The farther to the center the Democratic party moves, the stronger wealthy private interests and the radical right wing becomes.

The country has moved so far to the right that Democrats got slaughtered in the last election. The proof, as they say, is in the pudding.

This pattern has been established, and is set in stone, rinse, wash, repeat, ad infinitum. And the power of wealthy private interests, and their power to control the minds and lives of the populace, grows continuously and enormously with each repetition of the cycle. Yes, moderates do make some slow but welcome changes in social and environmental policy. They are allowed to do so, as long as these policies do not go against the wishes of the global wealthy private interests who control our government.

In defense of moderates, pragmatically, and generally, speaking, only moderate Democrats are allowed to be elected, and this is where their primary value lies in the grand scope and great stage of American politics; they at least make a little progress while in control, and the main benefit is that, during the time the moderates are in control, the republicans are not destroying, raping, and pillaging everything that exists at twice the speed of light.

So, all that said, I would like to ask you: What are your ideas, as a moderate, concerning enacting legislation that will effectively limit the power of wealthy private interests that influence (I would say control) our government, and institute a balanced democratic electoral system free from the inordinate wealth and power that private interests use to both control and win elections? What are your ideas concerning re-establishing the power and influence of workers and labor unions? And by what year, if this is even possible, do you feel that these critical issues can be addressed, and effectively and satisfactorily redressed by moderates?

Personally, I kind of like the radical executive order method that Lincoln used to end the evil of slavery in the US: "Slavery in America is now officially over. If you don't like it, you can kiss my ass."

You are probably right; the general population of the US appears too concerned and absorbed with the captivating exploits of the Kardashian sisters and the wild, wacky goings on of the Duck Dynasty to ever get off the couch and save their own asses.

Consequently, this generation, or any future generation of Americans, will never see any semblance of a genuine democracy.

But for some reason, some of us still feel a nagging obligation to try. Sometimes, a small, committed, idealistic, radical extremist group of people gets lucky, and somehow manages to get what really needs to get done, done. I suppose it can be said that moderates sort of hold the fort until the cavalry arrives.
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