Hi Amy,
I am very frightened for the future of our country. During my short lifetime, I have watched a steady deterioration in journalistic integrity, political ethics, and honesty, accompanied by a growing climate of distrust, incivility, division, and disconnect from reality.
As I indicated in earlier posts, I believe this fall is rooted in the partisan power struggles and ongoing corporate-funded Russian-model propaganda. The on-going plan of replacing truth and reality with chaos and delusion to brain-wash people into a tribal-identity contest where values, facts, and reason are irrelevant is working.
This post-reality world undermines rule-of-law, the Constitution, and the democratic process. As that foundation is eroded away the void is filled with unaccountable authoritarian bad players. Journalist have been neutralized by the flood of disinformation, lies, conspiracy, and doubt. No institution remains to protect society from the new-authoritarians who are shielded from liability for their bad behavior.
Every President, from Reagan to Trump has taken more power from the people, rendering the other branches of government impotent. Trump has pulled back the curtain on this ever-advancing assault on the People’s government and democracy.
There is no evidence that Biden or Congress will take any action to reverse this descent into an authoritarian-headed corporatocracy. Their power is built on the corrupt system. They will not reform campaign finance laws, enact rules to improve the ethical functioning of Congress, pass laws to limit the powers of the executive branch, or reign in media participation in public deception. And if these things do not happen our descent will accelerate. We will be doomed.
How much time does this grand experiment in freedom and democracy have left? I am 72 years old. Can the USA, as it was envisioned, last to the end of my life? I hope it does. But....