Bill Ayers

That pretty well sums up a central function of every government on earth: conservative and liberal, reactionary and progressive, authoritarian, democratic, fascist and socialist and royal. The only question is, who should be taxed, how much, and where should the collective wealth then be spent? “Cutting taxes” is the battle cry of every politician, a knee-jerk reaction to convention and a dishonest bow to some  imagined base. The truth is every government will tax and every government will spend, and they must. We all want the water to run when we turn the faucet on; we all want the bridge to stand as we cross it; we all want the sewers to do their job.

In a democracy, we should not only openly discuss the truth of taxing and spending, but we should insist on transparency on the big question of who is being taxed and where those taxes get spent. Let the people decide whether to fund war or education, incarceration or social security, militarization or health care. Straight up.

Studs Terkel, rabble-rouser, activist, chronicler of the uncommonly common, artist-in-residence, peacenik, gad-fly, listener, died at 96 at his home here  on Halloween. Studs was a singular Chicago character in this wildly diverse world, someone who lived fully through his own American century– remember, he was red-baited before he was celebrated. Studs embodied the democratic spirit: wide-awake, generous, critical and hopeful, skeptical and engaged. Lover of life, gentle champion of the outcast, friend to thousands and ally to all, we were blessed to have him. We need to try to love one another as hard as we can for as long as we can, for it’s all we’ve got. So long, Studs.

You would think that everyone in a democracy, whatever their various political perspectives, would agree that free, unfettered access to the ballot box is a fundamental right, and that we can all  unite on that. Incredibly lots of political operatives and machine politicians spend huge amounts of time and money suppressing the vote—making registration tough or impossible, disenfranchising citizens with a criminal record, sending around false information about polling places, and more. This is why the electorate has always looked remarkably different from the citizenry, why presidential elections in particular are decided by a minority, and it’s why the voting booth  has been a site of struggle for over 200 years.

A robust and participatory democracy would mean that  every citizen could find a good reason to vote and would be assured that exercising the vote, a fundamental human and civil right, is an open and easy process which is visible and accessible. Every vote would count and every citizen could vote. Access to the ballot has been a long and hard-fought process, but full enfranchisement and unimpaired access is still far from a reality.

Full enfranchisement includes allowing former and current inmates to cast their ballots in local, state, and federal elections. Other countries do this. Incarcerated persons are still citizens; half a million incarcerated people are released each year, and they have a stake in the political process. Easy same day registration means that even demanding work schedules and family responsibilities will not impede access to the ballot. Campaign finance reform and public funding of political campaigns would allow someone who is not a millionaire to run for public office, and would blunt the influence of rich benefactors. The Electoral College is a living legacy of slavery and must be overturned in favor of a National Popular Vote. And instant run-off voting, in which voters rank their choices and it takes a majority rather than a plurality to win, can begin to break the strangle-hold of big party machines.

These changes would be baby steps toward making every vote count.

Take a deep breath… breathe in the good air, breathe out the bad air. Feels better, right? Now eat some food– just enough, mostly plants– rest, sweat, hydrate. Keep breathing. Stand up and stretch. Mmmm, good.

A couple of notes on this site:

I get a lot of comments, and it’s taken some time to figure out how and what to post. Those that make me reconsider or rethink, those that extend or trouble my own taken-for-granted assumptions, are easily the best, and up they go. Those that respond to the post or to a thread, yup. Just flipping out without regard to anything said or posted seems silly, and I mostly pass on those. For example, lots of traffic on the presidential race, and lots of assumptions about where I stand and who I’m “backing,” all wildly uninformed, none of it based on what I write (as opposed to what’s written about me).

So, I try to balance the love and the hate on the comments here, just so we can all see what’s out there, but I feel no obligation to post everything flying my way– get your own spot and rant on. All whining about “censorship” is automatically out– the first amendment constrains the state (the government shall make no law…) but does not insist that Fox, to take an example, has to hand the mic to anyone who asks. I also can only read a fraction of what gets posted, so I’m sure I miss a lot. Sorry, but that’s it.

Keep breathing…

Choose one:

To Teach: The Journey of a Teacher (Teachers College Press)

A Kind and Just Parent:The Children of Juvenile Court (Beacon)

Teaching Toward  Freedom: Moral Commitment and Ethical Action in the Classroom (Beacon)

City Kids/ City Schools (The New Press)

Then make up your own mind, and send me a comment.

And if that sounds remotely reasonable, think of it as a dress rehearsal, a practice run, a prelude:

EMERGENCY!!! Suspend the Elections!

and, to mix our cliches, the fox is guarding the hen house…

Dear American:

I need to ask you to support an urgent secret business relationship with a transfer of funds of great magnitude.

I am Ministry of the Treasury of the Republic of America. My country has had crisis that has caused the need for large transfer of funds of 800 billion dollars US. If you would assist me in this transfer, it would be most profitable to you.

I am working with Mr. Phil Gram, lobbyist for UBS, who will be my replacement as Ministry of the Treasury in January. As a Senator, you may know him as the leader of the American banking deregulation movement in the 1990s. This transactin is 100% safe.

This is a matter of great urgency. We need a blank check. We need the funds as quickly as possible. We cannot directly transfer these funds in the names of our close friends because we are constantly under surveillance. My family lawyer advised me that I should look for a reliable and trustworthy person who will act as a next of kin so the funds can be transferred.

Please reply with all of your bank account, IRA and college fund account numbers and those of your children and grandchildren to wallstreetbailout@treasury.gov so that we may transfer your commission for this transaction. After I receive that information, I will respond with detailed information about safeguards that will be used to protect the funds.

Yours Faithfully Minister of Treasury Paulson