Opinion Polls Spark Revolution

Somewhere I read that one of the triggers that sparked the Egyptian uprising was on-line opinion polls. I've not looked into it, but it stands to reason that if you start asking people about their greatest concerns about the current situation and hopes for democratic change, then you begin to plant the seeds for that change.

What Does Egypt Mean for US Democracy?

People have been partaking in well deserved celebrating in Egypt. The relief and joy have brought tears to many... tears and smiles.

Yet I must confess a bit of foreboding, as in a great novel, which is what we are living. Some have begun putting it into words. I paraphrase, "Egypt could move forward and simply become a liberal democracy, like the United States, dominated by corporate institutions and beholden to moneyed masters with debt and other ropes tying the hands of the people. Paying for the financial sins of past dictators."

Part of this money can be clawed back from accounts in Switzerland and via the sale of ill gotten properties. But it's not just the accumulated wealth of Mubarak's family, but of many National Democratic Party operatives AND many former military officers.

Beyond that, what occurs to me is that it doesn't stop at Egypt, or stop at the other blatant authoritarian regimes in the middle east. And in the United States we have our own privileged class that has increasingly abused wealth and the power of corporations to corrupt our electoral and legislative system. The decision making process in the United States is rigged toward those with money and positions of power.

For the revolution in Egypt to be fully successful, we must root out the undemocratic corruption in the United States. Egypt has exposed the hypocrisy and undemocratic behavior by the United States over the years regardless of political party in power. This behavior reflects the wishes of a privileged establishment that must be challenged if we are to aspire to honest democracy.

10 Steps to Start Taking Back American Democracy

The more interesting ones come at the end of the list...

1. Secure the Vote (Remove doubts from the voting process)
2. Expand Voter Participation
3. Increase Voter Choice with Instant Runoff Voting (Require the winner to have at least 50% of the voting public's support)
4. Scrap Winner-Take-All Elections (Proportional Representation)
5. Direct Election of the President
6. Overhaul the U.S. Senate
7. Reclaim the Airwaves
8. Minimize Money's Role
9. Reform the Supreme Court
10. Restore Faith in Government of the People.

Source:

Steven Hill book, "10 Steps to Repair American Democracy".