Who will offer hope, post-democracy?

One of the reasons radical Islam has taken hold around the world is its willingness to provide social services for the destitute. The nations radical Islam flourishes in are often ruled by corrupt oligarchs who have no interest in feeding the poor or improving the lives of their citizens. On the other hand, organizations like the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah were offering food and supplies before they were asking recruits to pick up guns.

Many of what are now hard-line Islamic terrorist organizations started out as social service networks filling a void in corrupt and collapsing societies without a safety net. Is it any wonder that people turned to them? When you’re starving, the good guys are the people who give you food. There is no bigger picture.

So, now that market capitalism in America is pushing much of the middle class into the ranks of poverty; now that Americans are seeing their unemployment insurance run out and there are no jobs; now that cities are letting the lights go out at night, and schools close, and public transportation fail, I wonder what kind of organization will emerge to pick up hundreds of thousands of Americans falling through the cracks?

It won’t be radical Islam; that has no real foothold here. But some group will emerge. They always have.
During the Industrial Revolution it was militant unions; during the Great Depression it was Communists — both of which were stymied by American presidents who told big business directly, if you don’t give people some of what you have, they’ll take it all away. Improved opportunities for ordinary people and a better social safety net made civic participation a better option than radicalism.

If the American government can’t help people effectively after a natural disaster; if it can’t run an economy where there are good jobs for those willing to work; if it can’t run buses or even keep the lights on at night who will pick up the slack this time?

It could have been the Tea Parties. They had the momentum. But they’ve proven more interested in tax cuts for the rich than in support for the destitute. Radical Islam feeds and clothes the needy. Have you heard of a Tea Party doing that?

So it won’t be the Tea Parties, but if the government can’t keep the lights on and roads paved, it’s going to be someone. Whoever they are, they’ll be born out of the failure of democracy to offer basic support for its citizens — and it’s unlikely they’ll respect democracy very much. Just like radical Islam.

There is an alternative, of course: For America to get serious about taking care of Americans who, through no fault of their own, are out of work, losing their homes and are down to their last dollar because of the greed and incompetence of people who are still making million-dollar bonuses.

The fact that American companies are making record profits while unemployment is at record highs suggests that we are at a turning point. The fact that Congress is fighting to preserve tax cuts for billionaires in the face of mass poverty suggests that we are at a crossroads. Either we insist on being a society where there are opportunities for everyone, or we become one of those corrupt oligarchies where radical organizations look suspiciously like the good guys.

Personally, I’m rooting for democracy. But to exist, democracy needs to offer people a fair shot at life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.