the Independent Movement

Daniel J. Neumann

Professor Walter (Adv. Nonfiction Writing)

April 20^th, 2010

Cultural Trend Short-Essay (Draft 3)

The Independent Movement

            A plurality of opinion rejects the views of both the democrats and republicans. Liberals, moderates, and conservatives are finding new identities. The Tea Party’s popularity, while influenced by Fox News, has liberated many Americans, once loyal to red or blue. The republicans are trying to win over the “tea baggers,” but it may back-fire on them when they split the vote for the next presidential election. Third-Party inertia always begins (in a bi-polar, two-party, Coke or Pepsi system) with the executive branch of government. It’s a challenge for one president to please so many competing interests. Conversely, it’s a greater challenge for enough independent candidates to gain seats in congress to build a vocal minority. So it’ll start with one man. It could be Ron Paul, if he runs as a Constitutionalist or Libertarian. We may get Sarah Palin, the “outsider.” Of course, two things impede Palin: 1) America voted for President Obama as an “outsider” 2) People doubt her competence. It depends on America’s collective short-term memory. Bush, a republican, designed the Bailout Plan. Most people are worried about the economy.

            The two most likely republican candidates for the presidential ticket are Businessman Mitt Romney and Fox News Pundit Sarah Palin, although Ron Paul missed first place by one vote in the Straw Poll.  The republicans and the democrats are going to lose votes to the Independent movement, unless republicans let Ron Paul run for them. Last election Ron Paul ran as a republican, no one in the media covered his campaign. I doubt a third-party will win next election, but it may be the highest turnout for them yet, which would reform one or both parties next term.

            It depends on the unity of the independent movement. If a new group somehow incorporated the capitalistic mindset of the Libertarians, Constitutionalists, and Reform Parties, yet the good socialism of the Green Party and Progressives, they could be a force to stay. America, eventually, would elect an independent party with a balanced, practical message of small government and small business through decentralization. Americans need to see an alternative to the republicans (big business) and democrats (big government)—socialism and capitalism won’t ever benefit the people under those conditions. Consolidated power attempts to freeze the economy in place. Simply put, our plutocratic system (of lobbyism and private financing) counters entropy: the disintegration of matter and the randomizing of energy, a time-force fragmenting harmony into mutual chaos. Why doesn’t “economic gravity” cause the Bailout Money to trickle down to the middle-class? The powers-to-be are keeping it; that’s why.

            We hoped for change in good faith long enough. People are over the buzz-words. They don’t want a forever-debt to international bankers, China, or Japan. A lot is at stake, since Obama failed to fix the underlying financial flaws, but instead insured the problem to prop it back up. We haven’t turned the boat around yet, let alone made distance from the falls. The problem is the size of corporations and government. We don’t have medium-sized business anymore: we lost the ladder rungs for fresh entrepreneurship and incentivized innovation. The small businesses compete against each other. Most of them fail. When a small business owner succeeds, before he (or she) can grow into a medium-sized company, a corporation will buy all his stocks and store away his patents for later—and maybe hire the employees, but fire the boss. Conglomerates work within an oligopoly (a co-operative, non-competitive agreement between a few) in each industry—effectively price controlling. Financial advisers and board members realized (since the 70s) that the Hasbro board game made “monopoly” a house-hold term, but retaining subsidiary brands of several corporations is that ♪spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go down♫. The Justice Department doesn’t seem to notice consolidation of industrial power like they did before President Nixon. Competition solves everything, if it’s maintained by a justice system. Anarchy without justice results in centralization.

            Big government is the other half of the problem. They spend money and lives on endless, unjustified wars and complicate taxes so the IRS has a function. Income tax laws punish the high wage-earners by increasing their burden, but don’t touch the wealthiest people who store their inheritance in assets, stock portfolios, and at banks. Senators, Representatives, and Executives later work, as lobbyists or board members, for the corporations that their committee or office regulated—and vice-versa. There may be a conflict of interest. Now the government insures corporations when they fail, but borrow money from them for the national debt. When corporations and government co-exist in harmony, that’s leads to fascism, National Socialism, and/or totalitarianism.

            Here’s a wry scenario: America lets Israel use Iraqi or Afghani airstrips and fuel so their jets (which we sold them) can destroy Iran nuclear facilities. Let’s pretend they destroyed all the weapons-grade uranium. Iran would react by attacking Israel and Americans. The U.S. declares war on Iran. The U.S. could leave Iraq, but once we do, Iran will take control and it’ll become part of Iran. China supports Iran only financially at first. The war continues for several years. The U.S. government, at some point, would reinstitute the draft. Since wars cost money, the economy would likely dip into another recession. Domestic revolutionaries cause a second civil war. Too many troops abroad mean that terrorists/militias overthrow the government, or put up an endless insurgency. Things could easily fall apart.

            The Independent Movement may act as a relief valve, harnessing the angst of troubled voters to produce a reformed government (either directly or indirectly). The republicans or democrats would have to adopt all of the 3^rd party’s platforms so it wouldn’t split the vote next election cycle.

            In general, I believe our culture is changing faster than it ever has before, moving in competing directions. I don’t know when this wave will come, what it’ll look like, or how hard it will crash, but I do know people are getting smarter. They realize power corrupts. They’re getting suspicious, skeptical—dangerous. The government would do well to strangle the internet and dismantle primary education, before the population grows more independent, rebellious, and forward-thinking.