We need to pause to go vote this week as if our life depends on it.
American founders fought against the dictatorship of being under the elite of England. However, they trade the English elite for a new American elite. They were a set of wealthy people who enslaved and indentured people, used Protestantism as a controlling mechanism, and controlled the three pillars of government (Executive, aka President; Legislative, aka Senate and Congress; and Judicial, aka Supreme and State Courts) through the electoral college. The system they set up had the most upset in that structure during the 1960s, a fallout from the Second World War where the Nazis tried to follow America, but to the extreme.
During the 1960s, black and brown people and women fought for and got the right to vote. In many cases, all peoples or different races, using newfound education and realizing from WWII the universal suffering that hate and division could bring, collaborated to make sure everyone got these rights.
So, here we are today, looking at a future where a few white elite people minority with wealth and power concentrated in their hands are fighting to return to those days when they had absolute power, and the middle class was reduced to mindless consumers. Democracy dwindles, and democratic norms crumble.
This may sound like a dystopian novel, but in reality, America is literally fighting to get back to those days. Today, politicians are captured by the few capitalists that own America (the top companies and their principal shareholders). Current policies favor the powerful and marginalize the working class. Elections, especially in this fragile landscape, hold more weight than ever before.
The Inevitability of Inequality
I watched the video on Noam Chomsky’s discourse in Requiem for the American Dream yesterday (see below for the link), just four days before the elections. It sheds light on a few people’s deliberate concentration of wealth and power over the past fifty years and the expansion of the wealth gap. Policies that began in the 1970s have systematically empowered the rich and dismantled structures that once protected collective interests, such as labor unions to protect workers’ rights and accessible voting to defend democratic rights. What’s the result? We are in an expanding era of economic disparity and weakened democratic foundations, much of it propped up by false political promises.
Policies like the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, championed by Republicans under Trump, provided significant benefits to corporations and the wealthy while offering minimal relief to the working class. Simultaneously, efforts to roll back regulations — such as environmental protections and labor rights — have further skewed the balance in favor of the powerful. The weakening of the Voting Rights Act through decisions like Shelby County v. Holder has also contributed to diminished electoral participation, disproportionately impacting marginalized communities.
Unfortunately, both major political parties (since we are not allowed to have another, it seems) have played roles in this trajectory. We know that Republicans are often at the forefront, openly advocating for deregulation and tax policies that benefit the wealthy. The Democratic Party has also contributed to the neoliberal shift. Yet, despite these shared failings, the choice in elections remains crucial for those who wish to preserve democracy and halt the erosion of middle-class stability.
A bit about Democratic neoliberalism: The Dems advocate for economic growth through market-driven policies, ignoring that such policies in a structurally biased economy perpetuates economic racism by emphasizing individual responsibility and market solutions over structural changes. They still believe in whiteness, so, they overlook or rarely address the historical and systemic barriers faced by marginalized groups.
From the perspective of ‘neoliberal Democrats,’ policies are meant to stimulate the economy broadly and create opportunities through technology, trade, and public-private partnerships, some of what they call the ‘trickle-down effect.’ However, these measures typically reinforce economic inequalities and fail to account for racial disparities, benefiting wealthier and predominantly white demographics more than communities of color. The road to hell is almost the same for brown and black people under white rulership, just much faster under Republicans.
Voting for the Lesser Imperfection
I have written much about the need to vote and, in this election, to vote Democrat. But I know it’s easy to feel disillusioned by our politics. Yet, I still believe that the decision to engage or abstain can shape the country’s path. A vote for the Republican Party aligns with a future where the concentration of power worsens, democratic participation diminishes, and inequality and the commensurate suffering of people deepen.
The policies of the Republicans that favor unregulated markets, weakened social safety nets and institutions and diminished collective bargaining are steps toward a plutocratic society. We would be going back to France before the Fall of the Bastille, with monarchs and a precarious working class of people oppressed and subjugated. We are already seeing the behavior of out-of-touch rich people making stupid comments about what they believe poor people should eat.
The Democratic Party, while imperfect, offers a chance—albeit a cautious one—to counter this tide. Voting for Democrats will unlikely bring sweeping progressive change mainly because America is just not set up that way now. But it can slow the pace of harmful policies prioritizing profit and corporations’ ($$money$$) voice over the people’s voice. Supporting the Democratic Party helps to prevent the rapid decline into a system where racial inequality, economic precarity, and an oligarchic or monarchic hold on power become more entrenched and faster.
So, Again, Your Vote Matters!
History shows that no matter how entrenched oligarchs become, they will eventually fall. True power ultimately rests in the hands of the governed. If you fail to act—to vote— YOU relinquish your power. Without civic engagement, the nation’s future risks being defined by policies that favor corporate interests and further marginalize the working class. Voting is not just an act of participation; it’s an act of resistance to support your interests.
For the millions of Americans who may be disillusioned with the Democratic Party’s shortcomings, it’s vital to recognize the larger stakes at play. Ultimately, in our two-party system, you only have one choice. The 2024 election and beyond will set the stage for how deeply entrenched wealth and power become.
Supporting Democrats isn’t about blind allegiance; it’s about choosing to slow down the destructive path that unchecked Republican dominance represents. A future defined by policies that uphold racial inequality and favor the ultra-wealthy (and their Mars and Lunar programs) is not an exaggeration but a clear possibility, given the trajectory laid out by current Republican leadership.
VOTE!
I urge readers to see themselves as the heroes of this story of their lives — the everyday citizens who can tip the scales. The path ahead may be imperfect, but collective action and voting can still alter the course of history. So, please mobilize, make informed choices, and engage in the democratic process. This is at the heart of defending the possibility of a more fair America.
Choosing between flawed options is still choosing. There will be more elections (hopefully). Consider that you are reclaiming the narrative, one election at a time. Without robust voter turnout for Democratic candidates, the likelihood of a government driven by racial and economic stratification — where power is hoarded, and dissent and public viewpoint are stifled — becomes dangerously real. The need to act is not just about a single election cycle but protecting the future from an administration that may not be willing to relinquish power if they win.
Questions for Readers:
- What kind of future do you envision for your children and their generation? Are the policies you support today aligned with that vision?
- What lessons from history remind us of the consequences of power concentrated in the hands of a few? How can we prevent repeating those mistakes?
- Are you voting with a clear, unbiased perspective, considering the long-term implications for democracy, equality, and justice beyond 2028?
