Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears. I come to bury Democracy, not to praise it.

The evil that governments do lives after them, the good is oft interred with their bones: so let it be with American democracy.

Corporate thugs, twenty-four hour news networks, ambitious lobbyists, self-serving greed-mongers, and spineless congressmen have the oligarchy they desire. The powerful say our current system is working, and they control the truth.

But what of a system where eligible voters actually vote? Where voting regulations help people make a choice instead of preventing it? Same day registration? Equal ballot technology in all districts? Would a system where the will of the public gets what it asks for be so terrible? Yes, the powerful say our current system is working, and they control the truth.

But what of a system where populist principles manifest in the form of governance? Where 75 percent of the people say we should withdraw from Iraq, so we actually start to withdraw from Iraq? Where two-thirds of Americans want universal healthcare, so we pursue it? Where an overwhelming majority of citizens want tough legislation to fight global warming, so we begin to implement change? But the powerful say our current system is working, and they control the truth.

And who’s in favor of a system where the electorate gets a choice other than their perennial selection of bad versus worse? Where sound bites and gotcha and money have less to do with elections than ideas, credibility, and, dare I say, integrity? Where candidates are chosen by the people, instead of a small percentage of a small percentage of a small percentage. Yet the powerful say our current system is working, and they control the truth.