The Supreme Court, not too long ago the defender of individual rights and freedoms, has, with this ruling, sent democracy hurdling back to the days of the robber barons of the 19th century. With a campaign-financing system that already equates with legalized bribery, what does this mean to the future of our democracy? Every writer with a conscience has put pen to paper or, more likely, fingers to keyboard, to rail against this travesty.

Throughout the history of the United States it's been an ongoing struggle to raise the reality to the ideals expressed by the founding fathers in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. It's "We the people..."; not "We the financial interests..." or “We the white people...". Yet, the institution of slavery was written into the document, primarily because financial interests of the time dictated. Thus, the table was set for the long hard fight to eliminate the hypocrisy and reach for the ideals. It wasn't until after the Civil War, almost a century after independence that slavery was abolished and another century before the institutionalized racism that deprived people of color their rights as citizens eradicated.

As the Industrial Revolution took root and millions of immigrants poured in to fill the ever expanding job market, their harsh exploitation by the new industrialists was another blight; again with government support. Despite the ideals celebrated every national holiday, hypocrisy reigned as voices of the common people were kept silent. But there were those who would not sit back and accept the injustices. Abolitionists spoke up against slavery from the beginning. In the late 19th century civil rights and labor organizations took root and for about a century there was progress; slowly at first; more rapidly as the 20th century advanced.

The greatest leap forward was the advent of Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression. Mired in the worst economic morass in history, after a three year downward spiral and 25% unemployment, the nation was ready for sweeping change. With government awareness of its obligation to the public, social progress now became the norm. People were provided protections and entitlements. Labor was recognized and afforded the right to collective bargaining and, after World War II, the civil rights movement gained steam. By the mid '60's, the federal government had barred racial discrimination and established means of enforcement and women were on their way to equal rights as well.

Next on the agenda was the war on poverty. But it was never to be. The debacle in Southeast Asia and the election of Richard Nixon in 1968 began the march backwards, accelerating rapidly under Ronald Reagan and culminating with the virtually complete sellout of the people to corporate interests under George W. Bush. And now, the Supreme Court, comprised mostly of business Republican nominees, has dealt a possibly fatal blow to our democracy.

Democracy is dependent on an educated electorate

The problem is not, however, only with our government. One of the issues in the forefront of the tumultuous '60's was the lack of an educated electorate. Most citizens, preoccupied with everyday lives, are not truly understanding of the issues and influences affecting our government, nor do they have a comprehension of the hardships of the past and the struggles to overcome. Right wing politicians have promoted fundamentalist religious beliefs, tying them to issues that provide for fewer restraints on the financial and corporate interests. The repeal of the Fairness Doctrine in 1987, which had provided for equal time for opposing opinions in the media, saw right wing talk radio flourish, misleading the public with falsehoods presented as legitimate opinions. Corporate takeover of formerly independent media companies has also had an influence on the news we receive...or don't.

History illustrates that social progress is a government concern. Civil rights could not have been achieved if the federal government hadn't become involved. In fact, if the New Deal had not passed vital legislation, the nation, on the verge of chaos, might have turned in a totally different direction. Today however, the United States, the wealthiest nation on the planet, is sinking lower and lower relative to other industrialized nations in quality of life for its citizens; now at or near the bottom.

Corporate propaganda has become more and more sophisticated as countless millions are spent to convince us that national health care and regulation of banks and other corporate interests are bad for the nation. Manipulated by sophisticated marketing, people are misinformed and confused; too often supporting causes and casting their votes against their own interests. They don't get the fact that it's diminishing the quality of their own lives and selling out their children's future.

It is an extremely sad state of affairs that even the Massachusetts Senate seat of Ted Kennedy, last of the true New Dealers, was won by a business Republican and Air America, the radio network airing a voice of reason, is out of business.

So, when is the American public going to get it? How much do we have to lose before we, as a society, get fed up enough to act? Will it be too late?

School closings

Apparently the Department of Education's solution to the problems in our schools is to close them rather than fix them. (Could this be a ploy to save money?) How far will those students have to travel now for their education?

But wait! The MTA is cutting out student MetroCards so they'll have to pay to go to school.

Mayor Bloomberg, fix our schools; don't close them!

MTA, how dare you deprive students of their transportation to school!

Is NYC really the safest?

-- Cops cook the books

The New York Times reports that according to retired Police Department brass, under Mayors Giuliani and Bloomberg, precinct commanders were under so much pressure to reduce crime that they "cooked the books", downplaying and underreporting crime in their jurisdictions.

Many people voted for them based solely their fear of crime, ignoring other vital issues. What do they have to say no.

Doesn't anyone care about their work?

A couple of instances that have come to our attention concerning technical services deserve airing. One concerns Snapfish, the photo website from Hewlett-Packard. Prints ordered for a friend's elderly mother, arrived with several pictures cropped beyond recognition and distorted colors. With no one to call, he went to their online chat room, based overseas, and was offered answers that, he said, appeared to be right out of a book. Whenever they seemed stumped, there was a long pause followed by another textbook reply. Finally offered a refund, there was no other recourse but to discard most of the photos and apologize to his mother.

For shame, Snapfish!

Another incident concerned the Geek Squad, the techie group from Best Buy that, for a hefty fee, will set up or repair your equipment. An elderly woman (isn't it funny how so many of these incidents involve seniors?) purchased a new HDTV and was charged an additional $130 for delivery and setup. Instead of placing her equipment where it belonged, however, they stacked the cable box, DVD and VCR on top of each other in a cabinet, cutting off the air flow and creating a fire hazard. Apparently, expediency took precedence over quality and safety.

For shame, Geek Squad!

-- I. Freidin