Absolute Sovereignty of the People

Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, the Republic’s Third President, and the nation’s staunchest pleader for a democratic society, expressed most explicitly the absolute sovereign power of the people. He clearly stated: I know of no safe depository of the ultimate power of society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise their control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them but to inform their discretion by education. This is the most basic concept underscored throughout the book for analyzing the serious problems of our society and more importantly the basis upon which to embrace proposals, which would solve those serious problems that beset the nation. The first realistic circumstance that must be confronted is that those who exercise usurped economic, financial and political power will not unseat themselves. They only fear two conditions: 1) proposals that will erase their despotic control, and 2) an informed citizenry that will introduce and carry out those proposals. A people, who have been the victims of a constant barrage of disinformation, need to be re-educated in order to understand the realism of the foregoing two challenges. Enlightenment, proposals and action are the key steps that are required for attaining a renovated America! Interspersed throughout the book’s pages is highlighted the unconstitutional role of the private bankers. No economic force is as predatory and devastating to the lives and survival of the people as this economic malignancy. Throughout the nation’s history there has been a persistent loss of millions of jobs, millions of homes and destruction of lifetime savings because of private ownership and control of the nation’s money and credit. The current meltdown of the entire financial system was inevitable because it was built on compounding “interest-bearing debt” and enforced foreclosures. All the mechanisms of “hedge funds” and “derivatives” are subtly employed for gaining exorbitant profits for the money merchants. It was only a matter of time when the whole financial stack of cards would collapse. Unconstitutional control of the nation’s money and credit is only half the picture. Equally important is to understand the major flaws in the conomic and political systems themselves that allows an unconstitutional system to operate. The book cites the four basic flaws of private capitalism: 1. There were no economic safeguards in the Constitution precluding the corporate take over of the natural resources, technology and machinery of the nation’s productive capability. Acts by Congress like the Sherman and Clayton anti-trust laws have been nullified by the political strength of the corporate lobbyists. A maniac of mergers and hostile takeovers has placed the ownership of the nation’s whole productive plant in the hands of fewer than 200 corporate giants, owned by privileged stockholders making up less than 5% of the citizens. The nation’s workers, consumers and taxpayers have been denied their rightful proportionate equity. 2. The unconstitutional control of the nation’s economic blood stream by private banking. 3. Industrial and financial control have led to arbitrary control of the nation’s legislative and political policies. 4. The private capitalist framework is unable to accommodate the nation’s best science and technology for the equitable and constructive benefit of the majority of the people. After the major flaws and inequities have been set down, equal space is devoted to outlining the steps, or proposals, for a National Cooperative Commonwealth which would bring about a safe and prosperous society, one in which the full productive capability of the nation was unleashed and one in which every citizen would enjoy full inviolate human rights. In the articles that make up the book are set down the main pillars upon which the Commonwealth is anchored: 1. Every solitary citizen is equally important and has equal human rights. 2. The quality of life is paramount not only in respect to all human relationships but also in measuring the quality of all institutions, including government itself. 3. The final decision-making power as to governmental policies, especially war, rests with the people who pay the taxes and sacrifice their lives. Uncannily, the framework and function of the Cooperative Commonwealth uses the same principle of incorporation that main businesses employ in this nation. However, instead of functioning only for a minority of privileged stockholders it functions for the entire citizenry. Its members cooridinate all the functions of the Commonwealth as both a common shareholder, giving each a decision-making power, and as a preferred shareholder, giving each a dividend-receiving role. What are the approaches, or actions, to install a National Cooperative Commonwealth? A unique way is presented. Instead of organizing against all the injustices that burden the people, the more productive way is espousing the proposals for which the people are working. Those exercising abusive and despotic ownership and control of the nation’s productive capability would automatically arise and oppose the proposals espoused. In short, they would expose themselves without the people having to fire a single shot. There would be poetic justice is this happening! The ones occupying entrenched usurped power would unseat themselves! In one short paragraph Edward Bellamy in his book Equality underscores the above strategy and the primary goal of the Absolute Sovereignty of the People. He stated: The capitalists have destroyed the competitive system. Do not try to restore it, but rather thank them for the work, if not the motive, and set about not to rebuild the old village of hovels, but to rear on the cleared place, the temple Humanity so long has waited for. Are the people ready for real innovative change?