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In This Article:
- Why do so many critical issues remain unresolved?
- How has political apathy allowed the system to stagnate?
- What role do corporate interests play in shaping policies?
- How can citizens reclaim power in a democracy?
- What practical steps can we take to hold leaders accountable?
Surviving Democracy: The Power of the People
by George E. Danis, author of the book: Go Far, Give Back, Live Greek: A Memoir
We are stuck. You can pick any issue—security, healthcare, trade, climate, taxation—they all need fixing. They’ve all needed fixing for a while, and still we see too little progress on any of them. True, radical change appears to have gone away, and the hope of a better future for the coming generations feels, at best, naive.
But just because a problem is hard doesn't mean we shouldn’t try to fix it. No mountaineer ever bragged about scaling a sand dune, right?
But there is a way out. There’s hope, but it’s not where you think it is.
Where is the Cavalry?
Let’s start with some honesty. When we take a long, hard look around us, where can we find real, tangible progress? Who has a genuine plan to get us out of the mud? Where is the cavalry?
I don’t see our politicians coming to the rescue. Many of them appear to be the most stuck of all. On both sides of the political aisle too many of them are self-serving rather than constituent-serving. They treat jobs like tenured positions, pour their best energies into scaling up their power base, and seem to confuse having a strong political reputation with being effective.
Don’t believe me? Ask yourself this: who was the last politician to make a positive contribution to society that was still being felt a decade later?
No matter which side you like your politics I’m guessing that you’re struggling to come up with more than a handful of names.
Sure, there have been some generational talents through the years, men and women who have made a real impact and left a legacy. But how come there have been so few? Shouldn’t a politician being able to deliver change on the most important issues of the day be the norm rather than the exception?
We The People: User Error
Before you write this off as another rant about politics from someone who has never held elected office, let me pause a minute and say this: I don’t think the problem necessarily lies with our politicians. Or, to put it another way, instead of them being a cause of so many of our problems, they’re a symptom. Politics and politicians are stuck because we’re not engaging with them as well as we could. When the democratic levers of power don’t deliver the change that’s needed, it’s a case of user error.
We need a fundamental shift in the way we approach politics.
Instead of seeing our elected officials as exalted leaders and ourselves as meek followers, we need to remember the fundamentals of democracy—that we the people are the real holders of power, not the politicians.
We the people must get back to the place where we engage in politics. This sounds like a cliché, right? But I’m not talking about becoming a keyboard warrior for our chosen tribe or handing over money in the hope that we can just donate our way to a better future.
No. If we’re going to put things right and rediscover what ‘we the people’ really means, we’re going to have to roll up our sleeves and get to work. This isn’t about us serving them, but them serving us, remember?
A Clear Step to Take
As I see things, there is one clear step we can take that would deliver a significant change.
When someone asks for your vote, make them work for it. Do your due diligence with as much care as you would if you were choosing a surgeon for your bad back or a school for your kids. Vet them, check their credentials, engage with them and do everything you can to ensure they really do have the credentials, the experience, the character to take on the role of representing us. Who knows, you might avoid electing an unqualified person or help secure the advance of someone genuinely good.
What you’ll certainly do is begin to establish a relationship with your representative. You’ll be a living, breathing reminder for them to always consider that they work for we the people.
If we can engage like this, I believe that we will look at our system differently. We’ll have clear eyes and a sharper focus, and we’ll see the extent to which the people have been pushed aside by corporate special interests and those who have already amassed great power.
Putting the People First
Read this carefully—I suggest it as someone who has made a career of building successful businesses—but we must urge the government to stop putting business interests ahead of individual citizens’ interests.
We have an unfair tax system that only benefits the wealthy and extremely rich. Our current system allows them to transfer their money into a trust, pay no taxes and donate the money to any entity or organization to their liking.
On the other hand, the average citizen saves money for their children to go to college, they have to pay taxes before putting money into a savings fund and even the interest earned is also taxable. Universities charge extremely high tuition, but any gifts that they receive from the wealthy are tax free. Neither the donor or the recipient (university) pay tax. How can that be considered decent treatment of the average citizens of our country?
Does this sound like the kind of system where the people are being served? How is it in any way fair to reward wealth with more wealth, while those who work hard for little get none of the breaks.
I’m not arguing against capitalism, but like any system it must be serviced and kept in check. If we can shift things the right way again, lasting change will not be far behind.
Copyright 2025. All Rights Reserved.
Book by this Author:
BOOK: Go Far, Give Back, Live Greek
Go Far, Give Back, Live Greek: A Memoir
by George E. Danis.
Go Far, Give Back, Live Greek is the odyssey of one man’s journey from his childhood village on a Greek island, struggling to survive wartime occupation, to becoming a highly successful businessman, political advisor, fundraiser, and recipient of the Ellis Island Medal of Honor. It is a journey of perilous ocean crossings and illegal immigration, of arrest and deportation, interspersed with years of hard work and high risks that are essential components of the American Dream.
Written with passion and insight, Go Far, Give Back, Live Greek is beautifully optimistic and refreshingly free-thinking, yet is at all times connected to an ancient source of wisdom and love for humanity. From the first page to the last, George E. Danis reminds us that success is best measured not by balance sheets or bank accounts, but in community, care for the planet, and love of family.
For more info and/or to order this hardcover book, click here. Also available as a Kindle edition.
Buy on Amazon or Buy on Bookshop.org
About the Author
George E. Danis is a successful businessman, organizer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Born into poverty in rural Greece, George entered the U.S. as an illegal immigrant, yet decades later was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor in recognition of his philanthropic endeavors and promotion of democracy.
Highly active in politics for four decades, George was a fundraiser, advocate, and advisor to governors, senators, and presidential candidates. His new book is Go Far, Give Back, Live Greek (Amplify Publishing Group, Aug. 6, 2024). Learn more at GeorgeDanis.com.
Article Recap:
Democracy has become stagnant because the people have disengaged, allowing politicians and corporate interests to control the system. To revive democracy, citizens must reclaim their power by vetting candidates, demanding accountability, and ensuring policies serve the public rather than the wealthy elite. By prioritizing civic engagement and pushing for fair policies, we can reshape the system into one that truly represents "we the people."
#PowerOfThePeople #PoliticalChange #CivicEngagement #GovernmentReform #HoldingLeadersAccountable #FixingDemocracy #EndPoliticalApathy
