Real Democracy

This blog is dedicated to issues and concerns of "Real Democracy."

What is real democracy? [partial list of criteria]

A system where We the People have a legitimate opportunity to shape, implement and evaluate decisions affecting our lives.
The voice of every person counts. All votes are equal.
All people have adequate time and information to make decisions.
Whether the issues are local, regional, national or global; political, social or economic, decisions made without our direct or indirect legitimate input are illegitimate.
The more directly we're involved in decisions which directly affect us, the more democracy or self-governance exists.

What is unreal or phony democracy? [There's much of this in our society.]

Providing input that is not useful (input after the fact or ignored).
Voting on useless things (i.e. online votes for winners of American Idol, best football quarterback, etc.).
Small group meetings (such as focus groups) or surveys designed to find out what we like/dislike for the purpose of marketing a product or service.
Questionnaires connected to fundraising (from political parties, interest groups, etc). Most of these are primarily concerned about raising money.
Elections and the making of public laws where money and influence from a few (i.e. wealthy) drown out the voices and influence of the many.
Regulatory hearings where the public is provided only token opportunities to offer input and where regulators lack the power to control corporate actions.
Any process where business corporations possess constitutional "right" to influence outcomes

Greg Coleridge [GColeridge@afsc.org]

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Monday, January 7th 2008

8:12 AM (180 days, 7h, 20min ago)

CORPORNATION: THE STORY OF CITIZENS AND CORPORATIONS IN OHIO

Part 1: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvNvMWYx0Dc Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UpdCtWE88Nc Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyupkbQqffI Part 4: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0P8gsd8h6s Part 5: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzrrvcNeE_0 The 40 minute document is also on CD. Cost is $5. To order, send a check/money order to AFSC and mail to 2101 Front St., #111, Cuyahoga Falls, OH 44221. Background CorpOrNation exposes the historic corporate rise to power in Ohio, the barriers citizens have fought to create a true democracy for themselves, and detailed assessments of government influence by corporations through "corporate globalization." Spanning Ohio’s history from 1803 through present-day struggles between citizens and corporations, CorpOrNation suggests strategies for citizens to overcome current threats to citizen-led democracy and the corporate takeover of society. Rich with analysis and history, CorpOrNation, produced by the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee, features interviews with people from the AFL-CIO, Ohio Public Interest Research Group, United Steelworkers, Ohio Family Farm Coalition, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, Program on Corporations Law and Democracy, and student activists discussing corporate farms, factory lockouts, “veggie libel” laws, and regional “free trade” agreements. CorpOrNation is based on Citizens over Corporations: A Brief History of Democracy in Ohio and Challenges to Freedom in the Future, 96 page, Second Edition/Third Printing 2003 - detailing the legal and political history of corporations and citizen control and resistance to corporate power in Ohio.