I very much agree with your suggestions for reforming the American political system, Richard. They are well thought out.

What I don't see, though, is how the people presently in power and thereby benefiting from the way things are now will be persuaded to enact those changes. It's not in their own selfish interest to do so. It's in the public's interest...but the public doesn't control the government! The people the public elected control the government, and if 98% of them are basically in favor of maintaining the status quo because they profit from it...then the public can't do a thing about it.

This is exactly the problem in almost any well-entrenched power system.

A really corrupt system generally either falls...or changes...in the wake of some catastrophe which shocks the public into demanding fundamental change. This has happened to past systems when they:

1. lost a major war
2. experienced an almost complete financial collapse
3. or...possibly...were brought down by immense natural disasters (there may have been cases of that in the past)
4. or in the wake of some incredible scandal at a very high level
5. or sometimes...there's just a slow, gradual decline and erosion of power, and it could take as long as a century for that to happen

And I expect that some of the above things will eventually cause the USA system to either change. Or perish.

There was an opportunity in 2008 to early 2009 for Obama to bring about immense change in the USA in reaction to the financial meltdown. He could have mobilized plenty enough public support to radically improve the American system in a progressive manner. He did not sieze that opportunity, and the moment passed. It had to be done then, and done quickly. It has not been done at all...in fact things are getting significantly worse in some respects (in the area of abrogating civil liberties, human rights, and basic freedoms). Bush couldn't have gotten away with it, because people on the left would have raised hell about it. Obama can get away with it, because most of those same people on the left choose to look the other way, make excuses for him or remain silent. That is their great error. They think he's their man. They are wrong.


Only a true idealist will stand up against a corrupted political system and call for a change. Dennis Kucinich is one such, but he's only one man. pdq (who I gather is a Republican supporter) refers to Dennis Kucinich as being "irrelevant". It's that sort of contemptuous dismissal that a few genuine idealists are met with when they try to change a decadent system. I don't see much hope of the USA system being reformed in the manner you suggest...but I do agree that such reforms are very badly needed.