DEMOCRACY IN AMERICA FREEDOM OR FALLACY
4:47 AM March 25, 2008
Here’s the dictionary definition so we’re all on the same page: Democracy: a government by the people in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised directly by them or by their elected agents under a free electoral system.
I think we all are smart enough to know why this system of government was chosen by our forefathers. So every citizen of this country has the right to live in freedom and participate in their day to day and long-term destiny through the ability to vote for public officials, speak out for what they believe to be right and just, communicate with members of any level of government if they desire, and stand up to be counted as an important member of a nation - and not live just as a number or a faceless entity on a census report.
Monarchies and Dictatorships are relics of the past. Though some still exist. Their basis of control can only be fear and intimidation. The unfortunate citizens of Nazi Germany obeyed Hitler’s doctrine because they feared for their lives. Not because he kissed babies in public or that he had a lovely singing voice. In the year 1215 King John of England faced a mutiny by his Knights and Noblemen due to his greed-driven policies of taxing the citizenry when he felt like it. Mainly for his own personal gain. He was accountable to no one. His hand was forced to sign the Magna Carta - the “Great Charter”; the first comprehensive document in history that made members of government accountable to the laws of the land just as any ordinary citizen. That document changed the dynamic of civilized society for all time.
This was not intended to be yet another dissertation on the morality of war in Iraq. But just as an F.Y.I. since we’re on the subject of democracy; our men and women in uniform are over there fighting for freedom, liberty and democracy. Not for oil, not to support a wayward political agenda or any of the popular poison darts that ill-informed citizens throw at members of our Government. We’ll talk more about moral responsibility and isolation versus intervention another time. Here are a couple of quotations to think about:
“Everything that is really great and inspiring is created by the
individual who can labor in freedom.”
- Albert Einstein
“In separateness lies the world’s great misery;
in compassion lies the world’s true strength.”
- Buddah
I feel the U.S. Government does a rather good job of maintaining democracy as stated in our Constitution. Take pride in the fact that the United States is the product of the only large-scale revolution that has survived. 232 years and counting. Communism in Russia: 74 years. Now here’s the twist. The “Fallacy” in the title header is not aimed necessarily at the government. Look over the fence at the private sector.
Enron, Worldcom, Tyco, Credit Suisse, Adelphia, Compass Systems, Phar-Mor and Halliburton. To name but a few. BILLIONS of dollars stolen by corporate dictators who fell in love with their own “legend.” How many innocent Americans have paid for their greed?
The now jailed Bernie Ebbers of Worldcom claimed that he “needed” the $366 MILLION dollars he helped himself to personally, to “take care of his family.” Who’s his family? The population of Mainland China?
It all rolls downhill. It just isn’t part of human nature to be automatically philanthropic - or democratic. Not the noun that infers partisan politics; the adjective that means making decisions by committee. Considering the feelings, wants, needs and opinions of others before making policy. It doesn’t matter how big or small the company or organization is. Too often, people interpret positions of authority as a license to be a bully. If they only realized how counterproductive that is. It manifests anger, frustration, resistance, and wasted time. It ends up hurting everyone one way or another.
True “democracy” in decision-making is having empathy. Asking the people in your charge how they feel about something; their opinion; their ideas. I bet the managers of the world would be surprised, if not amazed at how bright a lot of their people really are. The question is - do they care enough to do that, or do they fear the possibility that someone just might “steal their thunder.” What do you think?
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MARK,
WOW! WELL PUT IF ONLY THE THE CORP BULLIES COULD REMEMBER WHERE THEY CAME FROM AND THAT WITHOUT THE LITTLE PEOPLE THEY WOULD MOST LIKELY NOT HAVE THE SILVERLINED POCKETS. I DON'T THINK ANYONE OF THEM COULD DO IT ON THERE OWN.
AS FAR AS OUR MILITARY WELL MY SON IS A MARINE AND VERY PROUD OF IT IT STARTS HIS FIRST TOUR IN SEPT. I MUST SAY I AM NOT IN FAVOR OF THIS WAR AND TO BE VERY HONEST I AM NOT REALLY SURE WHY IT HAS TO BE. BUT I HAVE ALWAYS SUPPORTED AND ALWAYS WILL SUPPORT OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN UNIFORM. THEY ARE PROUD AND MIGHTY AND HAVE MORE IN THERE SOULS THAN ANY OF THESE CORP BULLIES EVERY DREAMED OF. MAYBE THEY NEED TO TAKE A WALK IN REALITY AND INSTEAD OF DOING TIME FOR THERE WRONG DOINGS LET THEM SERVE A TOUR OF DUTY IN IROQ AND SEE IF THAT WOULD HUMBLE THEM. SURE WOULD BE A LOT CHEEPER THAN 3 SQUARES A DAY DON'T YOU THINK?
Posted by: DEBBIE WINEGAR | March 25, 2008 at 05:51 AM
Just wondering when you gave up your Canadian Citizenship Mark. Your blog sounds like you are planning a run at politics. My old dad once said you have two ears and one mouth so listen twice as much as you talk. Don't run on when you have nothing to say,unless you are just trying to sound off for no other reason than to take up space.
Posted by: John Byatt | March 25, 2008 at 05:55 AM
The 'Scmooz & Dodge' tactic to demonize overly-Greedy private corp sector and bless Govt INCOMPETENCE & OUTRIGHT GRAFT/CORRUPTION as 'biz as usual' denies the Absolute Corruption as evidenced in Public News especially as reported on KTLA.
1- 2 weeks before Congress legislation to investigate Halliburton's 4 major Felony overcharges, Dick Cheney does White House insider end-run to route the no-bid cost-plus contract awards to Halliburton.
2- Halliburton recently caught serving tainted contaminated water to troops at premium price of cost-plus.
3- 2 years ago Dick Cheney transfers his personal currency millions into Dubai as Euros and just bought residence in Dubai - a likely flee from future criminal conviction.
4- Elliot Spitzer ousted with vice smear for trying to block Bush-Cheney using Ofc of Currency Comptroller to sue States from regulating perverse sub-prime lenders with B-C white house blessing to loot & pillage homeowner mortgages. Mark- You missed the highly under-published dark eugenics posture of Albert Einstein. All the above is in very public evidence by Reuters & A-P among many others -- irreversible history publicly published & ESTABLISHED when one can put aside phoney SuperBowl macho facade and operate with Un-Spun facts.
Posted by: Marty - Van Nuys | March 25, 2008 at 06:03 AM
Mark,
Once again you open your mouth and insert your foot! I like watching you because I never know what is going to come out next and it is usually pretty dumb.
Once in a while you surprise with a valuable comment but then again a stopped clock is correct twice a day too.
I agree with your comments on free speech especially in today's political environment where a citizen who disagrees with the current administration are labeled as unpatriotic, even those who have survived combat in our military. All your comments after that make it into the uninformed basket.
Also, I was not a english major but know how to compose a complete sentence
Posted by: John-Lakewood | March 25, 2008 at 06:36 AM
Very thoughtful. Good observations. Don't let the rest of the team get to you. Keep up the good work.
Posted by: Peter K. | March 25, 2008 at 06:52 AM
I agree with you. O'Reiley should honor you as a Patriot. It is funny when you sometimes put your foot in your mouth. Don't we all? Well I guess the English major above is immune to the indignity.And for lists, most powerful people get to where they are by manipulation. Believe it or not, it's not all luck.Give us a list on the Clintons.
Posted by: Theresa | March 25, 2008 at 06:57 AM
MARK, YOU ARE A NATURAL,
WRITING BLOGS, YOU REALLY SPEAK YOUR MIND, THAT IS WHAT
I REALLY LOKE ABOUT YOU, YOU DON'T HOLD BACK.
KEEP IT UP.
BOB PALMER
Posted by: BOB PALMER | March 25, 2008 at 07:11 AM
While your "stream of consciousness" blog was grammatically incorrect, the thoughts are serious. You are not as silly as your on screen performance. You have a brain.
Posted by: John Gallie | March 25, 2008 at 07:16 AM
Mark, you do raise the bar!! We may not all agree with one another BUT praise God that we live where we can express our personal views. And BTW John, Mark has been a US Citizen for a while now…where have you been??
Posted by: Laura in Palmdale | March 25, 2008 at 07:19 AM
Mark, you do raise the bar!! We may not all agree with one another BUT praise God that we live where we can express our personal views. And BTW John, Mark has been a US Citizen for a while now…where have you been??
Posted by: Laura in Palmdale | March 25, 2008 at 07:21 AM
Mark,
You totally raise the bar at KTLA. You speak your mind and you know how to ride that fine line. You really make my mornings awesome. I like that you can laugh at yourself. You don't take anything personal. WE NEED MORE OF YOU at KTLA. I've been a viewer for almost 14 years. I'm feeling that there is more politics going on over there at KTLA than ever before! Who is in management over there? It's called "knowing how to run a business". Stay focused Mark! Your the best. I love your blogs. I've never blogged before and it's been great reading what the viewers are feeling. I wish I had more time to interact with you.
We love you in Carson!
Tell management that I loved the segments when you used to travel to other places in the world. That was great! We miss Hal Fishman.
YOUR THE MAN!
Posted by: Kathy M - Carson | March 25, 2008 at 07:47 AM
Hey Mark,
I'm 22 years old and in college and I think you are fantastic. Your blogs are terrific. I've been watching you most of my life and you make my entire house laugh. There are 6 of us in my family and I notice that all of us women in the household always pause by the T.V. during our busy mornings of getting ready to start our day but we always pause in front of our television when you on air and we all wait until your done:) You are so talented, funny, witty and smart! You really make us laugh and you just bring happiness to our day. Thank you for bring sunshine into our homes on a daily basis.
Marsha
Tarzana, CA
Posted by: Marsha Stein | March 25, 2008 at 07:55 AM
Mark, it's great you take the blog as an opportunity to show you have other things on your mind than where you spent the weekend or what you had for dinner. You're right that corporations, profit motivated entities with no conscious, are obsessively greedy, that is their purpose, to single-mindedly pursue profit no matter what the human cost. But the real problem with our democracy is the news media and citizenship that don't use their power to stop corporate corruption. The state of California was raped for $80 billion by deregulated power companies, the ill-informed voters solution was to throw out a democrat in favor of a governor who wants more corporate-favoring deregulation, and who btw met with Enron execs before the recall happened. (hey Mark, since you are the un-PC guy, how about being the one guy to ask that if we're all so concerned about bad role models and steroid use, how come no one cares that the governor of out state was the world's most famous steroid user?!) Anyway, we have the most ignorant apathetic electorate of any modern democracy, we're so obsessed with celebrity and spoiled with materialism that it just seems like too much of a hassle to know what your elected officials are voting on this week. Since you MEN have been exiled from the 9am hour, I've suggested you do a WEBCAST, how about a 5 minute segment every day telling us important issues our elected officials are voting on in the near future and how to contact them to voice out opinion. If that is too much for a viewer to take before they need another story on what Britney's doing or the latest diet or cosmetic surgery procedure, then our democracy truly is a fallacy.
Finally, I have to wonder if democracy and the stupidity of corporate execs is on your mind these days because the suits at KTLA are ignoring the voice of the people who have clearly voted that the 9am trainwreck-in-progress stinks on ice?
Posted by: TimInMorningside | March 25, 2008 at 08:00 AM
MARK - YOU TOTALLY RAISE THE BAR.
CJ
Posted by: CJ | March 25, 2008 at 08:01 AM
Great blog Mark, keep telling like it is. Love the show, never miss it.
Posted by: Dixie Lowe | March 25, 2008 at 08:21 AM
Mark: Based on thoughts you express in your blog, I think you might be interested in some of the writings of Victor Davis Hanson. You might Google him and then click on his "Private Papers" for his postings on his own blog. you might, also, be interested in his book "Mexifornia". Hanson is primarily a classicist and military historian and "Mexifornia" was a departure for him.
Anthony
Posted by: anthony manzella | March 25, 2008 at 08:37 AM
Mark:
Another great blog. I don't know where you found your ghost blog writer. But wherever you are paying him or her is worth it.
They make you shine. Have your writer keep up the great work.
Have a good one.
Posted by: Tristan | March 25, 2008 at 08:37 AM
Whether or not you speak the truth or even know what you are talking about, freedom of speech baby! Keep writing....
Posted by: karen | March 25, 2008 at 08:46 AM
MARK I LOVE YOUR HAIR! AND YOUR BRATTY AND SASSY PERSONALTY. I GOT TO MEET YOU AT ESPN ZONE LAST YEAR. IT WAS THE GREATEST BECAUSE YOU ARE MY FAVORITE!
Posted by: SANDY | March 25, 2008 at 08:47 AM
YOU ARE THE MAN!
Chuck
Posted by: Chuck Fieldman | March 25, 2008 at 08:53 AM
mark.....i dont understant????..but i love that you speak your mind you always say what you are thinking..that is what ablog should be.
Posted by: yesika | March 25, 2008 at 08:55 AM
Great blog for thought. As an individual who spent over 20 yrs as a manager/supervisor /dept head I think most people in a supposedly managerial position are afraid of being "found out" (code for incompetent). SO, I concluded a long time ago that they are more afraid of their thunder being stolen.
Posted by: Bev | March 25, 2008 at 09:00 AM
Mark, you, the birth-Canadian, have reflected the sentiment of most of American People more accurately than just about anyone I have heard recently. We want to be moral, we rail against the abuse of power by corporate and other authority, and we desperately WANT our government to reflect the democracy we believe in. Unfortunately, the current government reflects corporate absolutism, primarily because those in power are from that culture. The biggest problem here is that it is not just costing us money (in incredible amounts), but also lives of patriotic, well-meaning citizens as well. Thank goodness for the electoral system - we may yet make the necessary corrections within the year to save our Democracy.
Posted by: Dave | March 25, 2008 at 09:05 AM
Hey mark, great blog, a little serious for you though. You should be more concerned with comander chuck, " he needs a raise" he does half your weather show and look behind his right shoulde the moulding is falling off and I can't stop staring at It . The helicopter is falling apart! Please, help fix the bird! Is the whole thing held together by those big stickers?! " Keep it real"
Posted by: patrick | March 25, 2008 at 09:10 AM
Mark ~ great blog today.
This is why you (and the other guys) and missed @ 9am.
**
it doesn't take an Einstein to figure out the new 9 0'clock hour isn't working !!
Posted by: Suzanne_A | March 25, 2008 at 09:21 AM