Letter to President Obama, Essay Example

My name is Sugel from the city of New York. I am a student of political science from Michigan University. I am writing to you to highlight issues of enhancing the state of democracy in the country. I wish to highlight the fact that, making the government more democratic makes people to become less afraid of the government. Mr. President, kindly take a bold move in reducing the powers vested on special interests and thus enhance the democracy of the state (Alexander, 2000). In this regard, consider implementing reforms in terms of creation of economic equality for the citizens, adoption of public financing in elections as well as application of a voting system that is more representative. It is apparent that, American government is suffering from a discrepancy of democracy due to the high echelons of power on moneyed interests in the political system hence depriving the general public the much needed power. The threat posed to democracy is clearly evident in the eyes of many people. Majority of organizations together with the general public have been expressing their outrage concerning the proliferation of power among the wealthy special interest groups in our society. A lot of efforts therefore have been put in addressing the concerns of inequality in power and several divergent courses of actions have been put to trial. They include improvements in economic equality, creation of institutional barriers and transformation in the voting process. These are critical issues that will most certainly lead to success in democracy of the country after successfully achieving the efforts of reform in these specific areas that will help in building more democracy of the country.

The first category entails reduction of gap in economic inequality among the people in private sector. This sphere serves a critical role in the translation of wealth to political inequality that is then experienced in the public sector. Economic inequality in terms of wealth and income is the core cause of democracy deficit in America. Reducing such inequalities is a great step towards wider dispersion of power to the citizens. The economic pie needs to be fairly divided with the help of public policies at the federal as well as State levels. This can be achieved through many approaches for example enhancement of minimum wages which can consequently benefit the people at the lowest stages in economic ladder. The minimum wage has continuously fallen in recent decades thus compounding the problem of economic inequality thus resulting to deficit of democracy. Implementation of policies on living wage can also lead to positive development in improving democracy in the country. Regulations and ordinances requiring companies to pay a living wage to the poor working class along with subsidies and contracts from the government will play a significant role in upgrading the standards of living for the poor towards economic equality. The basis of the living wage policy is the amount anticipated to upgrade a basic family atop of poverty level. The wages of the low income families can be subsidized through Earned Income Tax Credits which is an effective measure in poverty reduction. Implementation of policies of full employment is another obligation of policymakers in the government that can lead to significant gains in reduction of unemployment thus leading to drastic reduction in income inequality and poverty (Brawley  & Baerg, 2007). Reduction of huge corporate salaries is also a potential approach to the reduction of income inequality and thus minimize inequality gap. Elimination of economic inequality plays a crucial role in improving democracy in the country.

The second category involves attempts of creation of institutional barriers that can consequently hinder the easy conversion of private power to serve political gains.  Inequalities in income have been perceived as the most critical factors in hindering democracy. This problem can be eliminated through restricting the wealthy interest from dominating political systems through creation of institutional barriers between the private and the public systems (Adesnik & McFaul, 2006). The barriers are intended to restrict the easy translation of financial advantage to political gains. Some individual people and organizations have come up in support and reinforcement of appropriate institutional barriers that anticipate promoting a fair level ground for greater democracy in the United States. Such groups include the labor unions and Jobs with Justice and United for a Fair Economy whose responsibilities entails major efforts in augmenting political as well as economic clout for the entire workforce towards a creation of fair distribution of economic gains as well as equal sharing of the fruits arising from economic growth in the country (Greenberg, 2014).  The mandate of such groups and individuals engross forcing the government to listen to the voices of the citizens and creating the notion to the government that even the lowest person in the society have a right to equality. The institutional barriers play a crucial role in reducing the unfair power that is associated with wealthy special interests.

The third reform agenda involves transformations in the voting process. People who are financially well up in the society play an influential role in determining office owners and winners in general elections. In many instances, private money has been used to finance elections which consequently give a winning edge to the wealthy interest groups (Fisher, 2002). The viable solution to this problem has been attributed to restrictions in the use of private money in election campaigns. Implementation of policies of public financing in campaigns that translates to “clean elections” will significantly curtail dependence on private money that ultimately benefits the wealthy interest individuals. Election campaigns that are funded by the public is a viable solution to curtail the benefits associated with private money during elections and the elected individuals can then respond to the needs of the constituents rather than concentrating all their efforts to wealthy donors who propelled them to their positions. Projections have indicated that, this is a cost effective system since the anticipated contribution per each citizen is about 10$ and this is a sustainable price for reclaiming democracy in the system of election in the country.

Successful implementation of the said reforms with the objective of eliminating inequalities in political power is not an easy route. However, considering the hopes and benefits of democracy reinvigorating in the society, much efforts are needed in this regard and the initiative has been favored by the history of the nation. The previous centuries have been marked by efforts of evolution within societies towards achievement of more democracy. This has led to the promotion of egalitarian participation in critical processes of the government. The political reforms in course of implementation are realistic policies and are anticipated to significantly enhance democracy in the country.

Works cited

Adesnik, David & McFaul, Michael. “Engaging Autocratic Allies to Promote Democracy,” The Washington Quarterly, vol. 29, no. 2 7-26, 2006.

Alexander Keyssar, The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States New York: Basic Books, 2000.

Brawley, Mark R. & Baerg, Nicole. “Structural Adjustment, Development, and Democracy,” International Studies Review, vol. 9, no.4 601–615, 2007.

Fisher, Jeff. “Elections and International Civilian Policing: History and Practice in Peace Operations,” International Foundation for Elections Systems, White Paper, 2002.

Greenberg, Edward S. The Struggle for Democracy. Pearson, 2014.