DEMOCRAZY?

Democracy crowned Pericles personal political life and Greece golden age. Since then, that form of government was adopted by many nations in the planet. Although its definition may vary in every specific case, Democracy is about a very simple concept: the acknowledgement by a community of every individual´s right to have a voice in their own life and destiny within the community. Peoples goal, therefore, is to participate in the building of their own well-being represented in all that is basic for human life: a job to earn a life; health to be able to work that job; education to reach high ranks in the professional field; opportunities and fairness for all, and a general picture that provides hope for the future. Those are the basics and they apply to all peoples who live under that system. From the beginning it was, and still is, about people´s basic survival. As direct participation of every citizen was not possible, representation was needed. People choose the man or woman in their community who will make sure their needs are met. That is what Representative Democracy is about: people´s well being, lives and destiny being worked at by peoples representatives in the centers of power.

Human recent history has had Democracy all around the World - mainly in the West - having the most powerful nation of recent times - the United States of America - as the champion holder and defender of Democracy banner. There, the basic structure of its definition holds true: three differentiated powers, representatives chosen by vote, a voice for everyone. Besides Democracy´s basic definition and - given the fact that every nation produces different visions as different peoples there are - debate, discussions to get ideas through, varied interests defended by wit, skill and will, are also basics of a Democracy. Every government has an apposition. An encounter of opposed powers that still has - or should have - a clear target in mind: the people they represent, the people that put them in office. But just as it is clear that every nation has the right to conduct their home politics their own way and indoors, it is also certain that the first Democracy of the World, the way it is handled, will impact all Democracies in the rest of the observing World. The actual situation gives room for all parties to consider and ponder their responsibility towards the democratic world.

The facts. The present democract American administration has moved forward an specific agenda: health coverage; reduction of education loans; raise of minimum wage; infrastructure projects; equal pay for women; unemployment insurance; taxes fairness; climate change policies, guns control, and peace among others. All concepts that by themselves, by definition, fill the basic tableau of people´s basic well being in America and in any part of the world. For common people all that make sense. However, the bills that embody those actions have been rejected by one of Democracy branches, the Congress. Not one or two, all of them. Again, all of them. Repealing bills has been such a permanent indiscriminate action recently that American journalists reporting legislation have defined it as "the least productive legislation on record", or "the worst on modern times". Nothing passes. More that four hundred bills repealed.

Within the functioning of a healthy Democracy, bills are discussed, debated, changed, agreed, negotiated and many other verbs that imply people´s representatives promoting ideas or exercising opposition but also finding ways to deliver what people need and want. But when every bill faces rejection in a long term, Democracy fails at its very heart. It becomes Pericles’s heartbreak and a contradiction of its own definition. In fact, some of the bills have been agreed and passed the Democrat-Republican Senate but all of them get stuck at the House. Ironically, at the birth of Democracy the House of Commons was the very place where all peoples were represented. To make the situation even more contradictory with Democracy definition, many of the repealed bills, polls say, count with a high percentage of American people approval: gun control is one of them; 22 states plus DC have already adopted the raise of minimum wage; all women want equal pay, an so on. In fact, the President who promoted all those bills was re-elected. The situation as it is now, loses for Democracy its fundamentals while holding within the actual possibility of a small group blocking the will of the people. A situation that - as a whole - has an important impact in democracies observing all around the World.

Democrat-Republican confrontation is a domestic issue in America. For the rest of the world it is just America, a powerful nation that, nevertheless, is facing demanding changing times, emerging powers and hard competition within a community - Humanity - that has showed many times in history turning points, change of course, raising and falling powers, and a never ending move on held in the powerful hands of peoples of the World determined to have their needs fulfilled. Some bills rejected in any Democracy are understandable. Every bill rejected makes no sense for the World. The reasons may be many and varied - hidden racism, strong personal interests, political calculations - whatever the reason the exhibition they are giving to the world is a small group of people blocking the development of the majority, a hit to the very heart of Democracy. Watched from afar it seems as if the system were against the people. The first Democracy of the world has a responsibility to hold before all democracies in the planet. Peoples have no time for politics; they need all the variables that make their well-being, Democracy among them. It is a thought for Americans who block to ponder. Leadership is about example and in their position all the world is watching. They would do well to the world by revising their conduct and strengthening all that makes Democracy one of the fairer form of government created by men so far. It is urgent and important because as it has been working these past years more that a Democracy it seems a Democrazy. /Silvia Davila MM, July 8, 2014