The point of democracy is to ensure that majority of people are satisfied with the laws of the land. The point of representative democracy is to make the process of voting easier. For the past few years, the Republicans have been stopping all progress through a procedure known as filibustering.
A true filibuster is when one person who represents one viewpoint stands and talks for as long as is necessary to convey their point. Senator Bernie Sanders, from Vermont, did just that on Friday.
To overcome a filibuster--to make the person shut up--a 60% majority is required. The Democrats had 59 votes in the Senate.
But the Republican'ts weren't even truly filibustering. They weren't saying anything, they weren't providing new evidence. They were just stopping progress. When a landslide vote is required to do anything at all, the system is broken. When the minority party can bring the majority to its knees and make it submit, the system is broken.
Recently you may have heard that Obama made a deal to extend the Bush tax cuts for the richest of the rich. Why? Because the Republicans have threatened to filibuster the extension of unemployment benefits and welfare. So now the bloodsucking, capitalist elite in this country are getting richer. The rich are getting richer, the middle class is getting poorer.
While I do not in any way support violent revolution, I believe the people must take a stand. We need to be heard and we need to let the government know that we're not pawns in a great game of political chess, we're the kings and queens.
Our country is broken, dying. We can't rely solely on the government to fix it.
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