The Progressive Capitalist

Progressivism as a movement was the goal of Theodore Roosevelt and his party in the early 1900s. In the US, it caused many states to introduce into their state constitutions more democratic rights and policies.

This included the ability to confirm and create law through referendums to require approval of voters, initiatives wherein citizens create law, recall where elected officials can be removed from office, and the election of U.S. Senators by popular vote instead of being appointed by legislatures.

For the purposes of this blog, it will refer to that populist movement rather than some esoteric subjective criteria.

Capitalism is the private ownership of property in general and the means of production more particularly.

Since many of the terms such as conservative, liberal, democratic, and republican are muddied and subjective in a party system, the pragmatic basis of thought here had to be well defined.

This blog is not confined to the realm of politics or economics, but that perspective should be revealed. There is no such thing as an unbiased perspective when it comes to individuals. Whether it is fair or ethical to claim to be unbiased is up to the reader, as always.

Freedom of the press is important in a democracy in that it allows the presentation of all ideas to be weighed by the members of that democracy. Freedom of the press, in a capitalist society, is limited to those who own a press.

The Net has provided a means of production for the press to everyone with a computer and access to that democracy that is by no means exclusive. It is the ultimate democratic tool.

Theodore Roosevelt's Progressivism has been used in the States for 90 years. It is the process of recall of Representatives that fail to represent, referendums that could force a vote on deficits and the debt ceiling, initiatives that could allow citizens to petition for change, and popular votes on executive officials that are, at present, appointed by the President and approved by the Senate.

We have tried to make the government smaller. The Senators and Representatives have gone against the consent of the governed.

While I believe the Repubican Party represents those values and is the best vehicle for instituting that form of government, the "consent of the governed," has been the goal of this nation since the Declaration of Independence. The Democrats are DINO sores on the Constitution. They are Democratic-In-Name-Only.

It is no longer the 18th century when information traveled at the speed of horses and over half the nation was illiterate. We are ready for the true democracy of self governance.