DisSuggs4u

This morning, I wrapped up** a very good book — The Assault on Reason by Al Gore. In it, President Elect Mr. Gore discusses his opinions and viewpoints on various topics from the media, to the climate, to technology, all of which are woven together throughout the book into the common thread of democracy and how the lack of reason within our government in recent history — as well as a shift in the way Americans receive and process information — has become a threat to the overall democratic process.

I found the book to be very enjoyable and informative. (It also sent me to levels of pissed off that I did not know even existed.) What I appreciated most about the book is how Gore used the words of the framers of our Constitution, founders of our nation, and past presidents (regardless of their party affiliation) to develop sound and reasonable arguments against governmental policies enacted as of late.

While there is a bit of “trumpet blowing” within the book by Mr. Gore from time to time, it does not take away from the overall message of the book.

Granted, this book is not for everyone, and I am sure many people out there will shun the very idea of reading it simply because of who it is written by. That, in my mind, is a shame because they would be denying themselves both an alternative viewpoint as well as a reasonable argument to measure their own views against.

It is true that this book has a specific viewpoint and perspective. Surprisingly, though, it is one that is neither Democratic nor Republican but instead one of American perspective and views.

Gore’s overarching theme is that our current model of government is broken but not irreparable. The television media outlets — where a majority of Americans get their news — are run by many of the same corporations who donate a considerable amount of funds to the campaigns of elected officials.

Not only that, since an overwhelming majority of the political “debate” occurs on television via campaign advertisements, elected officials (from both “sides” of the aisle) spent a majority of their time away from their jobs in Washington campaigning for the funds necessary to pay for the advertisements. How, exactly, is that representing the best interests of your constituents?

Then there is the problem with television (and radio) as communications mediums. While they do a great job of getting a particular message out to the masses, they only do this in one direction and there is no way to offer reasonable, democratic discussion (as there was after the invent of the printing press) because of the high cost of entry into the television market. This effectively results in corporations, who own the media outlets, controlling the message.

Gore cites many other examples and arguments (for which I will not go into exhausting detail) of how recent history has effectively led to corporations, rather than citizens, having the most influence on shaping how our government operates. This has a great potential of creating a two-tiered system in our country.

History has shown what happens in two-tiered systems, especially when the power is held in the hands of the few while the masses are limited to a rather lowly existence.

I know how I feel about all of this, and I would love to discuss it with anyone willing to have a reasonable discussion (as opposed to passionate mudslinging). This is a multi-sided issue, and is not a zero sum game. We need to have more discussion and debate at the heart of the government: the people. Only through that, and then holding elected representatives responsible for their actions on behalf of the people, will we rise up once again to be the leader of the free world.

Right now, we appear to have abdicated that responsibility to the corporations.

Read the book. Don’t read the book. Either way, join the discussion and get off the couch. You can talk to your TV all you want. It, and the people on it, cannot hear you.

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** Truth be told, I did not actually “read” the book (more for a lack of “free” time recently than anything) but instead listened to an unabridged audiobook version of the book. While not quite as good as reading the written words, it included the complete content of the book and helped me pass the time during my daily commute — making it much more productive and enjoyable in the process.