One of the major differences between the Democratic and Republican parties is which areas of our existence they wish to have governmental control over in our lives. Republicans use government to control individual lives and free up corporations. They have now even taken that to the absurd step of having them declared ‘persons’ in certain instances.

Democrats on the other hand see government as an instrument that can promote and enhance individual freedoms. The only people in this world that are truly free are those who have enough money or certainty of income to be able to maintain a lifestyle without having to depend on another person for that income.

Using that as a guide, it is fairly easy to see that rich folks qualify. Many older folks who have done some planning, sometimes with the help of the social security system and of course Medicare, also qualify as close to truly free. With the help of other government programs, many Americans have been able to break the poverty cycle and have hope for true freedom.

The dream of the colonists was to no longer be under the yoke of an autocratic aristocracy, whether it was a royal lineage or an aristocracy grown by the accumulation of resources. Put another way, many of the founding fathers feared that corporations, with nothing to stop them, would accumulate money and resources that would lead to an enslavement of others.

Lincoln spoke of his concern of the coming “wage slavery.”

So now we have one party which promotes and encourages corporate aristocracy through its policies of lower taxes for corporations and the rich who are their owners, through governmental corporate welfare and through the destruction of any programs that allow the lower classes any semblance of individual freedom.

With their near-monopoly on media, Republican adherents can promote lifestyles such as indebtedness that will further enslave those in the lower classes. And if someone dare buck the system, penalties have become much, much harsher.

Ownership of the media is one of the crown jewels in the controlling, folks. If there is no opposition to be heard then what is stated on their media must be the truth. Funny thing about this media control is that there is a claim that this is what the “market” dictates. No, folks, this is what those with money who have paid off politicians and placed commissioners in the sensitive spots dictate. If there were a true market, you would see much more balance.

The other crown jewel is the intermingling of religion with the government. Religion and its fear of eternal punishment has been used as a control mechanism for millennia. This lesson has not been lost on those seeking to control peoples’ lives today. Mixing religious leaders into policy making, claiming our heritage is Christian, are among some of the tactics used today. In the early republic Congress would stay in session over Christmas just to make sure there was no hint of religious favoritism.

But as I have often said, the medium is the message. Perception is reality. And today’s Republican Party projects a perception of being the friend of freedom, while destroying freedom for all but their corporate buddies. Meanwhile, Democrats work to promote and enhance freedoms and are portrayed as welcoming dictatorship while not even being able to have even a small presence in the media.