Praying for a Populist Nation.

Now it is an oligarchy and kleptocracy.

Even the judges, who were depicted as wise and honest in elementary school, are now Rudofskys and Weavers, who throw cases to the parties who have attorney representation.

When I first learned of the Kennedy-Shanahan presidential race platform, my hope was ignited. Not so much anymore.

My deeply held Christian beliefs allowed me to forgive imperfections in the candidates. Like David, both are flawed. Neither has a good track record for monogamy. RFK has a history of substance abuse and incarceration that probably stemmed from his addictions. Still, I thought both candidates shared a sincere value for the issues that I am passionate about.

Our country needs to return to populism. We should not be thinly disguised slaves to a small set of elites.

We should all have healthful food. Nancy Pelosi should not eat $8 per pint good-for-you frozen desserts, while the rest of us eat cake. Literally. The food served in prisons, senior centers and publicly run hospitals should not be high fructose corn syrup and partially hydrogenated oils with a side of MSG and BHT.

We should not send our loved ones to fight wars in other countries. We should give sanctuary to everyone who wants to become a tax paying member of our society through legal channels. We still have plenty of land and can feed all through small, sustainable farming. We can house all through Habitat for Humanity modeled sweat equity programs.

Wealthy individuals and corporations (many of whom amassed horrendous debt, like Portfolio Recovery Associates) should not be given preferential treatment in court.

I thought Kennedy-Shanahan supported this kind of populism.

It seems from their campaign fund raising that they are business as usual. They have events planned around the country that are smaller, more intimate gatherings than the usual campaign mass events. It sounds like the participants will meet RFK personally. The price tag for attendance at these events is $6,600 as a campaign contribution.

That is about 10 full months of my pension, and probably unattainable for the common person.

My hope is that We the People will realize that the criteria for access to politicians should be to those who volunteer time or based on a sliding scale.

I’m playing with the idea that the President of the United States of America should be determined by a lottery every 4 years, with a four-year training period to learn the structure of the government and the procedures for the leader’s duties before each inauguration. Each citizen over the age of 35 would receive one entry. If a leader tries to abuse his or her position, impeachment and appropriate criminal proceedings should be swift.

The average person, if given such an honor and responsibility, would probably respect their office and rise to the challenge of protecting our republic. I think most people who would not want the job would bow out.

It is only because impunity is extended to people like Judge Rudofsky and Judge Weaver that they abuse their positions of power.

We need a country that metes out access and justice equally to the Ivy Leaguer and the factory worker.