Today we talk about the lockdown and everyone knows we are talking about the Stay at Home Orders and Shelter in Place Orders that have resulted in business closures, forced unemployment, and school closures. But the lockdown began long before people ever heard of the novel coronavirus. What am I talking about you may say? I am talking about the lockdown of our rights, freedoms, and liberties. For decades politicians have been engaged in a campaign to deny us our freedoms. Politicians use rhetoric to convince us they have our best interest at heart when they are really only interested in their own power, the money that comes with it, and their next election.
When was the last time politicians passed a piece of legislation meant to protect the right of all Americans? I cannot remember. Every piece of legislation is written to favor someone, some organization, some political group, some corporation, or some industry. Seldom is there legislation protecting the rights, freedoms, and liberties of all Americans. Yet the politicians would tell us otherwise.
Today everyone is clamoring about inequality and injustice. How is it that we have inequality when the Declaration of Independence states "that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." How then did inequality come into play? Does the Constitution not protect us against inequality?
While the purpose of the Founding Fathers was to ensure the Constitution reflected these elements of the Declaration of Independence and provided for protection against their denial, politicians have seen fit to disenfranchise most Americans. How and why would they do this? To retain their power and control.
Legislation always favors one entity over another. It might favor an ethnic group or race, it might favor religion or lack thereof, it might favor an industry, it might favor one region of the country over another, one group of farmers or ranchers over another and it might favor politicians themselves. How can we expect equality when legislators/politicians write laws that treat Americans differently? Isn't that the definition of inequality? Shouldn't our laws treat us all equally? Shouldn't our laws protect us all equally?
Why does this happen? It happens because politicians pander to each demographic separately in the hope of garnering their votes. Every interaction with the public is designed to win the vote of some demographic. Politicians believe by pandering to all separately they can win their votes. They do not care that by writing legislation favoring one demographic over another, they have created inequality and injustice in our society. In today's political environment they seize on every opportunity to determine the next political controversy they can use to their advantage. All to win a few more votes while endangering our rights, freedoms, and liberties.
How do we, the American People, end this vicious circle? Certainly not by becoming a part of it by joining in the protests and demonstrations. We do it with our vote. We vote every one of the corrupt politicians, no matter at what level of government, out of office. We start anew, with fresh faces and blood. With individuals who understand if they continue to pander to the whims of the few, they too will be voted out of office. We take back the people's power which has always been in our vote. This is what our Founding Fathers envisioned. A public interested and engaged enough to ensure their own freedom.