Choosing well Book

This little book (just 130 pages with footnotes) from the eminent political scientist Robert Dahl is very appropriate for these discordant times.

By "political equality" he means the right -- and ability -- of each adult citizen to participate in the political process, including the right to have equal access AND say in the formulation of policies.

This is clearly not the case today and, as both Mr. Dahl and others have mused, it may become increasingly unlikely in the future, depending upon what WE do or fail to do.

Dahl identifies, as integral parts of true political equality, that each adult citizen would enjoy:
1) "Equal and effective opportunities for making known to others their views about what the policy should be";
2) Equality in voting;
3) Equal and effective opportunities to learn about relevant alternative policies and their likely consequences;
4) Control of the agenda (i.e., which policies are advanced);
5) Inclusion at all steps of weighing, discussing, and selecting policies; and,
6) Rights fundamental to political equality, including equal weight for their opinions and votes, and to the expression of those opinions.

Clearly, the United States today is, in light of the above, very far from having "political equality" for its citizens. Rather, because of the overwhelming power of big money in determining policy, selecting candidates, and distributing "information," the average citizen comes very close to having ZERO power in determining which policies are considered or passed.

Furthermore, the growing partisan divide, and the determination by the Republican Party to seize and maintain power despite majority sentiment or vote -- including the utilization of gerrymandered districts and voter suppression -- has clearly placed some citizens in a distinctly second class mode.

For those who care about the future of our democratic Republic, I heartily recommend your taking a couple of hours to read this book from one of the finest observers of political processes of our time.

For, if you haven't yet noticed, our Republic is, in fact, running out of time!