Greed threatens our democracy

This country of ours is becoming a country of the haves and have nots. I am astonished that the citizens cannot see what is taking place. Our democratic society is failing. Why? Because of American greed.

Democracy, according to Webster's dictionary, states that it is “the principle of equality of rights, opportunity and treatment.” A democratic government, as Webster states, is “treating persons of all classes in the same way; not snobbish.” American greed and individualistic thinking is so rampant in this country and it will ultimately be our downfall.

The Supreme Court allowing corporations to give endlessly to political candidates running for office is shameful to the democratic process. The hundreds of millions of dollars flowing to candidates who run on providing less government is stating that they want less democratic government in our lives. They are promising to repeal the health care and regulatory reform acts, moving all of us who do not fall into the wealthy category into the have-not category. They will destroy the democratic principles set up by the writers of the Declaration of Independence, that “all are created equal, that they are endowed with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

As for the regulatory reform, it was “we the people” who paid for the misdeeds of the banking and lending institutions, and then they had the gall to provide their top execs with huge bonuses, while “we the people” were laid off our jobs to the tune of 14.7 million of our jobs. Think about it, all that money could be used to help millions of Americans get back to work and receive the health care that “we the people” so rightly deserve.

Linda Pavlak

Arlington Heights