YOU! HAVE THE POWER | Dr. Ellen Brown
January 21, 2021 by agutting@reviewjournal.com
Filed under Community
Democracy Prevails…What’s Next?
BY DR. ELLEN BROWN
Welcome to 2021! New Year – New Governing Body – New Opportunities for Change.
DR. ELLEN BROWN
The United States of America is a democracy. The past four years demonstrated increasing decline in expectations of what democracy meant to Americans and the world. Should there be varying definitions of this term for the United States of America?
Democracy: a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections (Merriam-Webster).
This definition pretty much describes the citizenry and electorate of this country as it is supposed to be — for all. It goes on to state that it is a type of government where power rests with the people versus a family (monarchy) or a single individual (totalitarianism). While democracy certainly undergirds freedom of choice by the people to select its leadership, we have just experienced how there seems to be room for that same leadership to impose their own versions of power. So now that America has a “new” leader and leadership coming into power, what’s next? Will relationships between the two major parties get better so we can get on with what we elected them all to do? Consider this partial list — what has changed and what is still on the table?
• Global Pandemic
• Racial Divide
• Political Divide
• Poverty
• Inadequate and unequal public education
• Inflation
• Employment inequities
• Health care access and equality
• Unsteady economy
• Growing environmental concerns
Expand this list. Include additional needs and privileges which you hold high on your list of importance to a democracy for all the people. Then, combine with those who share your values and beliefs of what a democracy should look like. How will you define democracy and commit to exercising your power given within it? What’s next? You decide. Talk to me.
YOU Have the power!
Dr. Ellen Brown is an affiliate faculty member at Regis University, Denver. Contact Dr. Brown at ebrown.nci@gmail.com
