America needs to rediscover its values and democracy

America needs to rediscoverits values and democracy
EDITOR:
We hear a lot about American values and American democracy and the idea that these should provide a model for other countries to follow. This raises the question: What do we mean by American values and American democracy? Are we perhaps thinking about the traditional values and democracy of the past, or are we thinking about the present?
The service-oriented culture of the past is yielding to a consumer culture that values goods -- more conveniences, more luxuries, more toys for children, bigger and better things of all kind. And to stimulate and gratify consumers, large corporations are mass producing and merchandising all kinds of things at prices designed to put small businesses out of the market. The services formerly provided locally are more and more being taken over by large corporations, and service seems to be overshadowed by the bottom line: more profit for the stockholders and huge rewards for the CEO. Mergers and takeovers are producing fewer, larger and more powerful giants. And power tends to corrupt, as is evident from recent financial scandals.
Unfortunately the corporate world is also impinging on our democracy. It is almost impossible for a politician to run for major office without a large campaign chest. And where does the money come from? Mostly from large corporate donors. And why do they give the money? They are buying influence, hoping that the politicians they have put in office will repay them with deals favorable to their interests. Is our democracy becoming a plutocracy dedicated to the proposition that government by the wealthy for the wealthy shall not perish from the earth?
Our democracy is also being shaped partly by the military-industrial complex that President Eisenhower warned us about. Wars are fought, in large part, to protect big-money interests and to provide big money contracts for those who have bought influence. Wars also provide a rational for political leaders to enlarge their powers by infringing, in the name of national security, on the personal liberties that are so important to our democracy.
Have our values as a nation become dominated by materialism and militarism? Should we, instead of trying to sell our values and democracy to other countries, try to regain the values and the democracy that once were ours? If each of us cared enough, we might collectively insist on campaign finance reform and honesty in government. We still have the ballot.
PAUL and ANNA MARY GAMBLE
New Wilmington, Pa.
Activating more reservistsis a bad sign for America
EDITOR:
Dispatchers from Washington reveal that the Pentagon will activate 43,000 more part-time reservists to serve in Iraq according to the Nov. 7 Vindicator. The active Army force in Iraq will be reduced. The planned reduction in force in Iraq is being made despite the fact that the Iraqi attacks are increasing in intensity. Congressional "leaders" are worried that recruitment and enlistments in the reserves will suffer because of the many reserve call ups. And they will. Reserves will have to serve a maximum of 18 months to permit training and travel time. Plus 12 months of duty in Iraq. If additional personnel are needed, the draft should be reinstated and women included.
Congress ignores its duty when it gives the president power to wage war at his whim. The French had enough sense to pull out of Southeast Asia. They knew that the Vietnamese would not accept religious leaders that were appointed by Christians. The United States stepped into that trap.
Now we are in a Nam in the desert. President G.W. Bush publicly proclaimed, "It should be clear to all that Islam is consistent with democratic rule." Who believes that? Is that another of GWB lies? What Islamic nation is democratic?
MELVIN S. FRANK, LTC. USAR, Retired
Poland