The cold , hard truth... No one represents US..

[SoCalDem]

If we call ourselves middle class, we are not/have never been represented..

We elect people to participate in government, because WE cannot.. A representative republic means that WE send people to do OUR bidding.. Of course the stumbling block in the whole scenario, is that once "our" representatives have received our endorsement money to run for office, and our encouragement and votes, we are the last thing on their minds , until it's election time..

We only matter when they need money or votes.. This is true from ALL parties..

Perhaps the democratic platform DOES seem to represent us, but we all know that legislating is an art, and most of the senators and congresspeople achieve Picassoesque status in no time.. They work and rework legislation to appear bipartisan, yet they know there are enough poison pills in most legislation to kill even the best bills..

It's all done in a "wink-wink-nod-nod" fashion , complete with the crocodile tears in the news conferences afterwards.. "We tried soooo hard..blah..blah..blah..".. Or the house will pass a bill that seems to be good for the common person, because they know that the seante will NOT pass it... and vice versa..

It's smoke & mirrors..

The only constant, is the LOBBYIST.. That's who our government really works for.. They populate the "think tanks" where this nonsense is dreamed up, they have the eyes and ears of all the politicians of BOTH parties, they write the legislation, and they pay for ads to demonize anyone who dares go against them..

The medicare bill is a prime example of this.. How many of US has run a commercial on national TV so that OUR ideas coul;d have been heard BEFORE the bill passed?? ...Z E R O ...

The fact that there are so many of us, and that we are all scrambling like so many hamsters on a wheel, keeps us out of touch..

Corporations and their lobbyists run the show, and they do NOT need/want our output..

Have you all seen the new TV show on its own 24/7 channel?? It's called The American Worker channel.. It features union people talking about how legislation could harm workers.. there are many guests every day, who poke holes in all the phony legiclation that is proposed.. They also counsel people about how they can unionize and get fair benefits and protect their jobs..

So , you say you missed that channel??? No wonder... It does not exist...nor will it ever..

Instead we have the orgasmic, blonde, lipglossed "money honeys" giggling and swooning over the Dow Jones.. Do the really big boys in corporate america watch these shows?? Nope.. They are too busy making deals, and schmoozing.. These channels are for US.. No matter how many times they rip us off, they know that the middle classes will dust themselves off and start pouring money back into the rich man's piggy bank.,. We have been told since we were small, that the "sky's the limit"..play by the rules and you could be RICH.. We want it..we need it.. and we spend so much time trying to "get there", that we do not notice the pickpocket who keeps stealing our wallet..

The legislation that keeps getting legislated, is the same stuff that we have been "working on" for THIRTY + years.. If they really wanted to fix things for us..( You know.. the people they claim to represent and love so much).. Iit would have been FIXED ages ago..

We are on our own...no matter who gets elected..

[loudnclear]

1. I sadly agree with you.

But life goes on and so will we.

[SoCalDem]

2. It's just too darned bad that we are such a geographically large place

We really NEED a true 3rd party.. a LABOR party.. a REAL one.. A party that would be first and foremost FOR the middle class people. Since there are more of us (at least for a little while longer ), I cannot understand why we already do not have one..

It should be a totally economic-based party.. Leave out all the frou-frou.. Everyone needs decent work, lodging, schooling, health care..It does not matter if you are for/against any of the socail issues that so cleverly divide us to the point of distraction..

That would be my dream party.. Enough people would peel off the other parties, to make THEM insignificant, as they SHOULD be.. They have little to offer most of us.. They traffic in promises and punishments..

We need hope and fairness..

[Deja Q]

9. It's called the Green party

Or, if they're not for the middle class, tell us who you think they stand for AND tell us, in every minute detail, what would be a third party you'd consider voting for AND tell us how you'd make it a reality.

It's hilarious how many people say we need a REAL something but then mysteriously clam up... What little you've said so far points to the Greens, so I don't understand your waffling.

[SoCalDem]

11. I waffled???..No butter..just syrup , please

In MY opinion, we need a party that is STRICTLY economics.. Let the "other stuff" sort itself out elsewhere.. When parties take on multiple issues...guns...abortion...vouchers...gay marriage... etc. they set out to EXCLUDE groups of people..

people who like/hate guns need jobs
people who oppose/support abortion need jobs
people who are/are not gay need jobs
etc..

If jobs and decent wages ARE a given, people might not be so hateful towards people who do not agree with them on all things..

[camero]

10. I like your idea of a labor party.

But about your idea of the middle class, sorry but fuck that. We only have two classes of people in this country and we have always had only two classes of people in this country.

There are the class that labors for the owners and there are the owners of our labor.

Which means that everyone who goes to a job are all in the same boat and that includes the poor and unemployed.

Then there are the owners (politicians, businesspeople, landowners, et al). They are the ones who have real life, liberty, and they are definitely free to pursue thier happiness.

The sooner we realize that we are all in the same boat, the better off we will be and the easier it will be for us to unite.

[SoCalDem]

12. Welll. You have a point.. I guess I did not mean middle class in the pure

form.. I too would modify the terminology to include...anyone who has to ask permission to take a vacation or go to lunch, and someone watches you work..... In other words..the non-bosses of the world..

However, the dirt poor amongst us DO have access to safety nets that most in the "middle class" do not, so.. I still feel that it's the ones who are technically above the poverty line, but below the "boss" level think of themselves as middle class, even if they are not.

[camero]

13. I would like to see this "access".

I've needed it for quite awhile. You'll need it too when you're sick and out of money.

Not to mention that that "safety net" is quietly being dismantled.
It's there for you too. I do agree that a person should not have to fall all the way down to get these "safety nets".

[SoCalDem]

14. One way is medical care..

If you are unemployed, own nothing and get sick, a hospital WILL treat you.. They will huff and puff about payment, but we all know that they will never get paid.. BUT.. If you happen to be just barely getting by and have some assets (a house, car , etc), you ARE in real jeopardy of being sued and actually losing what liuttle you have..

[camero]

16. I've been there

Still have the house and the car(thanks to my mom). The hospital did treat me and has tried to sue me.(They didn't show up for the court date and the judge dismissed the suit.)

When I was at the disability office 2 years ago (Geez, you oughta really look at that process) I saw in the rules that you were still allowed to have a homestead and a car. Look it up.

And Medicare, Unemployment and others are not called "middle class" entitlements for nothing. Attempting to divide poeple into subsets of different groups only helps the right wing.

You've fallen for the divide and conquer tactics.

[SoCalDem]

19. Divide.. Boss class vs non-boss class

Whether we admit it or not, there are natural strata within all groups.. BUT.. even the poorest of the poor would benefit from having a true labor party .. Poor people are not poor because they want to be.. They are poor because of policies that keep them there, and the lack of opportunity..

Using the term "middle class" may not be p.c. , but even that group of paycheck-to-paycheck , working class people are a few paychecks away from truly poor..

The only people in our society who can weather any storm in their paths are the ones who are extremely wealthy.. Ole KennyBoy didn;t exactly line up at the unemployment office, did he:(

[camero]

23. Paycheck to Paycheck

Which is exactly why we cannot let them seperate us. The division of different classes(and so many) is just Darwinian Theory at it's worst.

I'm glad you admitted that the "middle class" are so much closer to the poor than to the rich. We are really in the same boat.

Noone speaks for the poor either. They get the worst of everything.

P.S. I was a little harsh, my apologies. Most of the problems I am having with Gov't bueracracies is the fact that I'm single.

Imagine, getting married would actually help my situation...lol. But that's not really a good reason to get married.

[stevedeshazer]

22. I disagree

There has long been a merchant class in this country, people who own small businesses and employ working class people, who are modest in their earnings, are fair to their employees, and make the economy work on a smaller scale.

These are the middle class people who are being squeezed out by mega-corporations. Go to any downtown in America from the largest city to the smallest rural town, and count the empty storefronts. You will see this middle class being squeezed out of existence by large corporations such as Wal-Mart, McDonalds, and Home Depot.

What you may not notice, unless you are old enough to remember, are the dozens of small businesses that thrived until the late 1970s, that are gone. Local gas stations, grocery stores, mom and pop bakeries, book stores, diners, tire shops, all gone.

[camero]

24. Yeah, I know.

But these small businesses(and I have worked for them) are just as eager to maximize thier profits(sometimes even more so) than the mega-corporations. And they do it at the expense of the people working for them.

I haven't seen any of them lobbying the government to make it possible for them to pay thier help better.

Example: Ever seen a local Chamber of Commerce lobbying for a universal health system? Or making the schools better? No, they just want their taxes and regulations reduced just like the mega-corporations.

[stevedeshazer]

37. That's true

Many of them are members of NFIB, which is very right-wing.

[LWolf]

3. I can't call myself middle class.

I probably make enough money now to be considered middle class; I'm not sure what the magic number might be.

But I've learned that getting the education, job, and income doesn't really change who you are. And I'm a member of that lower poor working class. My middle class colleagues don't relate to me; and I don't completely relate to them, either.

I agree that I don't feel, and never have felt, represented by my representatives. That's why I can't sign on to any of the so-called "top tier" candidates, even when they say the right things. Because I'm not "top tier;" I never have been and never will be. And I have a lifetime of experience with "top tier" candidates who don't represent me. And guess what? I'm not alone out here. There are plenty more eligible voters where I'm at.

This time around there is a candidate who comes closest to actually representing me. In my 43-year lifetime, no politician has ever come this close. So I have a candidate I can support in the democratic primary. Will he win? I don't know. How many democrats want people like me represented?

[Kanary]

4. We're the only industrialized nation

without a viable Socialist party. That sets us apart in the world, and makes a HUGE difference.

Kanary

[mhr]

5. Observation Dictates That The US Is A Commercial State Not A Democracy

You Nailed It SoCalDem!

[opihimoimoi]

7. We can hijack the Dem Party and bring it back to its roots.

We have need for better systems, better goals, better hope, and better answers.

Solutions R Us is right around the corner. Sanity and Reason shop there all the time. And guess what, we don't have to dress up either.

[Yavin4]

6. The Problem Lies With The American People

The corporate elite are not using guns and torture chambers to get what they want. The American people are willingly handing it over to them. Only a small percentage of Americans actually pay any attention at all to politics, and the ones that do rely on corporate sponsored political pundit shows which skew heavily Republican.

The only thing that the average American really cares about is buying whatever they want to buy, even if they cannot afford it. The American people only care about running up their debts, and then walking away from them only to start over.

It's time we face the truth at DU. It's not the media. It's not Bush. It's not the Republicans nor the Dems. It's Joe and Jane American. It's time that we look for another country to go to.

[cthrumatrix]

8. We have allowed this to happen....and it starts with the media

Powell and the FCC are getting a free ride on media consolidation...if the people descended on the CEO of major media and demanded it back ...we might make some progress.

It starts with a fair media.

[Mairead]

15. "We really NEED a true 3rd party.. a LABOR party.. a REAL one"

http://www.thelaborparty.org

[dusty64]

17. Agreed. It really

has become apparent that our system is broken, not sure if it can be fixed anymore. For the most part, neither party truly represents the People anymore. Hope the next Revolution, if it comes, isn't needlessly violent (but I don't expect our entrenched powers to give it up easily). Not sure what it would take to get the People up off their asses, but I'm guessing a draft might help do the trick.

[dawgman]

18. 100% correct. Sad but true. Our reps are in washington and have no

idea about our lives. Nor do they have any need to interact with us to hear our problems.

[Ardee]

20. The following s a point by point refutation of your post,, SoCalDem

[SoCalDem]

21. where??

:shrug:

[Terwilliger]

26. I think that was it, SoCal

:D :bounce:

[welshTerrier2]

31. Nice, Ardee ...

that said it all ...

and i couldn't agree with you, or SoCalDem, more ...

[dawgman]

25. This deserves a KICK

:kick:

[solinvictus]

27. Our elected officials

All too often, our Senators and House members act like feudal lords. Look at their main concern; not constituents, but funding for the next election cycle. It's ridiculous.

[BeHereNow]

28. The nail has been squarely hammered

by your post, SoCal...
Government of, by and for the WEASELS- NOT the people.
This is our past, present and undeniable future.
And, the weasels are succumbing to a very bad case of
rabies: the symptoms include frothing greed, intolerance,
ignorance, fundalmentalism, nationalism and, unfortunately
the disease has not been discriminatory in its spread in any way
as to political party lines.
Those who hear the wolf scratching at the door are packing
their belongings, moving their assets out of US currency and
making sure that their passports are ready to escape the plague
that has over taken the greatest country in the modern world.
A country which has died and is beginning to stink of decay,
blood, and senseless death.
BHN

[dawgman]

30. I just want to know where to go...

I don't trust US to behave where Canada is concerned...So Europe? Only European language I speak is English and I don't trust Great Britain. So...WHere?

[BeHereNow]

32. Personally-

I don't think there is ANY where to hide from
the Globalist Fascist Empire-
HOWEVER- the option that remains open to those
who will try to survive is where and with whom.
I am DISGUSTED by American culture and society,
or more accurately, the lack of.
Did you read the story of the woman who was
stampeded by a herd of Wal-mart shoppers
over a DVD player sale? These are not the masses
I intend to spend the rest of my life among.
Whatever time I have left upon this planet,
I would prefer to spend among a less greedy and
uneducated population.
I am looking very seriously into New Zealand
and Ireland. Am favoring New Zealand at this
point, as my local paper ran a story about NZ
seeking more culture and arts people among their
population.
I can very easily picture myself opening an
Arts School for High School aged students there.
Wanna come?
BHN

[dawgman]

34. I would love to... I whole heartedly agree about

our LACK of culture. Any semblance of culture and art has been eradicated by the rampant consumerism that drives our daily life.

[BeHereNow]

36. Thank God for MADONNA!

Now that Wes Clark has visited the queen of
cultural collapse, we are no doubt SAVED!
Sarcasm OFF-
Help, I am drowning in the sea of NO-HOPE...
BHN

[Zomby Woof]

29. a coveted ZombyKick

:kick:

[DemDogs]

33. Edwards has never taken lobbyist money

He really has been representing us. And he has argued that candidates should not take lobbyist money. I heard him say we need to get money out of politics and that he supports public financing and free air time. WE would matter then to everyone, not just Edwards.

So why is he leaving the Senate? Maybe because he feels the same frustration you are talking about. And he is used to getting things done against big powerful interests. I feel good about his taking on those powerful interests when he is in the White House.

[Scott Lee]

35. Well of course not. So you pick the closest match.

That's all you can ever do.

What, do you wait around for your doppleganger to appear as a candidate?

[SoCalDem]

38. Waiting does no good, since the overwhelming majority

seem to be there to secure THEIR family's future...not OURS..

Wellstone was a prime example.. He truly tried to represent us, but he was only ONE ..against MANY.. They marginalized him, mocked him and in the end, we LOST him..

There will always be the few who do manage to get in and do really try to change the system, but they are much like a tiny drop of blue dye, in an ocean of clorox.. The little mark they make is hardly noticeable :(