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The Erosion of American Ideals and Democracy

Vol. 2, No. 3--April 13, 2005

Progressive American Democrats have always been guided by moral principles and ethical concerns. Central among these is respect for the American system of checks and balances; respect for the rule of law - both national and international; concern for the health of the planet and those who will inherit it; commitment to social justice and equality; and commitment to fundamental fairness, whether in the functioning of our courts, universal access to education and health care, fair and unfettered elections, or the desire to live in a world at peace. These are not merely ideals, they are pragmatic principles that connect directly and concretely to our personal lives and our communities.

Yet in the last few years, the official policies of the American government have seemed to operate in direct opposition to these guiding principles and it has become obvious and inescapable that America is no longer the America we loved, no longer the America that for centuries served as a beacon of justice, fairness, equality, and hope. The effects of the illegal and ill conceived Iraqi invasion and occupation are spiraling ever out-of-control. Budget deficits have resulted in cuts to 150 critical domestic programs. The rules of governance are actively rewritten. Environmental protections elapse or are erased. And as America's social and legal fabric erodes, the deep and rich topsoil of liberty and idealism cultivated on this continent, once measured in depths of yards and feet, is now thin and windblown, a topsoil of mere inches.

Can we regain that which has been eroded? The editors of the PDA Newsletter gathered the following articles as food for thought. If what you read starts to get you down, remember the good news--US. All of us together, holding the vision, bearing the torch.

America No. 1? America by the Numbers, by Michael Ventura
No concept lies more firmly embedded in our national character than the notion the USA is "No. 1;" "the greatest". Our broadcast media are continuous advertisements for the "America Is No. 1" brand. And any office seeker saying otherwise is likely committing political suicide. In fact, anyone saying otherwise is labeled "un-American." We're the best, ain't we? An empire without a manufacturing base. An empire that must borrow $2 billion a day from its competitors in order to function. An America trailing many other industrial democracies in life expectancy, literacy, and infant mortality. Yet the delusion remains. We're No. 1. Or are we ...? [read more]

...meanwhile, the world is watching...

China Gives America a D
Since 1977, the United States State Department has issued an annual global report card called the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices. The document has long been a thorn in the side of authoritarian governments, including China's, which responds with a nettled review of its own, called "The Human Rights Record of the United States." China's assessment, unlike the sober State Department tome, is a frank indictment and draws a picture of America that approaches caricature. But that doesn't mean it won't buttress the negative image of the United States held by its critics around the world. [read more]

The Quartet in Paris: Searching for a Counterbalance to America?
Europe's Trio -- France, Germany and Russia -- becoming a Quartet. French President Jacques Chirac invited not only Chancellor Schroeder and President Putin to the March 18 summit in Paris, but also Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, the prime minister of Spain. In the past few years, the Trio met to the sounds of bombing in Iraq as a united group that condemned the war and worried over America's disdain for international law. In this sense, the addition of Spain looks logical. The coming to power of a new Social-Democratic government radically changed Madrid's attitude to the Iraq war, promoted the pullout of Spanish troops, and paved Mr. Zapatero's way to the European Trio. Some people think the informal club is anti-American, but they would be better advised to note the three leaders' desire to reconstruct the global balance that has been disrupted by the egoistic broad use of military might by the United States. Old Europe is alarmed by George Bush's messianic doctrine and would like to join forces with Russia to search for a political counterbalance to the U.S. global ambitions... [read more]

Europe-USA: Continental Drift by Jacques Julliard, Le Nouvel Observateur
Has Bush learned his lesson from his failures in Iraq? On the contrary: the rift with the Old World is growing at accelerating speed...Two years after this invasion, the balance sheet is, in fact, cruel for the conservative theoreticians of preemptive war. Nothing has happened as forecast: they expected a war full of thorns and a peace full of flowers, the ones the Iraqis were supposed to offer their liberators. The reverse has happened: the war was a cakewalk, the peace a true Calvary. [read more]

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