The Robber Barons are back.
There's just been a celebration of their power in Washington, DC, where they help write the majority of legislation and hold captive all but a very few of our nation's legislators. The television networks they own are showing the party in all its pomp and ceremony. The newspapers and magazines they own are telling us what a fine time was had by all in Washington, DC on January 20. The radio stations, networks, and talk show hosts they own are reassuring us that they know what is best, that all will be well, that "freedom is on the march." <snip>
"Man was born free," Rousseau opened his book with, "and he is everywhere in chains." Those chains, he suggested, were forged by a belief that people's inherent nature was weak and evil, and people were incapable of governing themselves. Rousseau--and, following him, Jefferson, Madison, Washington, Franklin, and others among our nation's Founders--rejected the belief that society would disintegrate without kings, popes, or rule by a rich elite. <snip>
Today's real battles in the halls of government are about the survival of democracy itself. <snip>
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