Joel Hirschhorn

Pledge to America Omission



Posted: Friday, October 01, 2010

by Joel Hirschhorn
http://www.delusionaldemocracy.com

The Republican establishment in Congress has issued its Pledge to Now the question is: How many gullible, poorly informed Americans will fall for this stunt to protect the Republican status quo powers masquerading as reformers? Will Tea Party people fall for the garbage? Will fed up independents swallow the empty rhetoric? I hope not.

I get a special kick out of this part of the pledge: "honor the Constitution as constructed by its framers." If that was really true, then we should have seen explicit language calling for an Article V convention with a strong argument that true government reforms require constitutional amendments that Congress will never propose.

This omission alone is sufficient cause for condemning the Pledge as just another dirty trick by the Republican establishment that is trying to hold onto power.

I fully understand public anger with both major political parties and especially with the dysfunctional Congress, the President and even the Supreme Court. But with the coming midterm elections there simply is little hope of producing anything that will produce better government and a fix for our dead economy and terrible conditions for all but the rich Upper Class. I hope that a maximum number of incumbents in Congress are defeated, both Democrats and Republicans, because they both deserve to be thrown out of office. Yet I see little hope that those replacing them will offer what is needed. Odds are that a huge fraction of incumbents will retain office, even in this year of public anger and dissent.

In our delusional democracy there is an epidemic of delusional thinking, including the belief that elections controlled by the two-party plutocracy can produce results which create much better government. That is why the increasing support for using the Article V convention option the Founders gave us has taken on greater importance. The only pledge that all those running for Congress should give is a total commitment to convene the first Article V convention and let state delegates openly debate real solutions to the many critical problems facing the nation.

Do not vote for anyone running for Congress that has not made this pledge, not matter their party affiliation or connection to the Tea Party movement. Wake up Americans! Elections are a farce. Voting in them just makes you a co-conspirator in a vicious, scandalous con game that is flushing the nation down the toilet. The world needs to see a shocking low voter turnout that removes the legitimacy of this delusional democracy.
Joel S. Hirschhorn has succeeded as: a full professor, University of Wisconsin, Madison; a senior staffer, U.S. Congress (Office of Technology Assessment); head of an environmental consulting company; Director of Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, National Governors Association; now an author and consultant. Recent books are: Sprawl Kills - How Blandburbs Steal Your Time, Health and Money, and Delusional Democracy - Fixing the Republic Without Overthrowing the Government. He has published hundreds of articles in newspapers, magazines, journals and on many web magazine sites. He has given hundreds of talks at a wide range of conferences worldwide. He focuses on American culture, politics and government, and health issues.
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Top-level comments on this article: (4 total)
» left by David Levitt
1 year 233 days ago.
29 fans.
I thought it already had such a turnout. That's kind of the way they like it though. All they have to do is pull the wool over the majority of the voters eyes. Much easier to do.
» left by David Tanguay
1 year 232 days ago.
189 fans.
Yeah Joel, I believe we could get along a lot better without politicians leading us.
» left by Dixie Bull
1 year 232 days ago.
22 fans.
We do not have a Democracy, we are a Republic but the voters do need to push for a Convention and make a few changes.
» left by Jennifer Stewart
1 year 230 days ago.
153 fans.
I'm in two minds about not voting. If everybody didn't vote, that would have an effect, but that's never going to happen...
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