"Birth of We, The People" – Gus Speth’s vision of a new democratic framework free from corporate influence.

"Birth of We, The People" poem
Gus Speth

"If we could restart the US of A,
where then would we begin
to give the clock new spin
and take the role creators play?

We will mainly focus on the Founders
and their badly flawed creation,
the much-revered Constitution.
On it the country nearly founders.

To start, there will be no first sin.
Humans will not be slaves.
Our story better then behaves,
so much evil gone with the wind.

Our democracy very nearly dies
when states not people vote.
It’s time for us to now demote
the not-so-great Great Compromise.

 The Electoral College must also go.
The popular vote is ignored.
The People once again get gored.
To that, our new democracy says no.

All this is made worse when corporations
are “people” and their money “speech.”
They now have extraordinary reach,
matching the power of ordinary nations.

The Commerce Clause must be rethought.
It can block community action
and easily undermine local traction.
Our priority cannot be to have things bought.

It is odd that states control elections.
The foundation of national government
easily shaken by corrupt state ferment.
We’ll make a new deal for voters’ selections.

We will enshrine the right to privacy,
making it explicit in our new document.
There, it would be the Choice complement
to all the other rights we see.

The right of individuals to carry a gun
wasn’t there, until in 2008 the Court said yes.
We will reclaim gun control from this mess
and return our streets to having fun.

We humans invented having rights,
but gave them all to ourselves.
Omitting “rights of nature” compels
action to correct the oversight.

We know we can’t start America again.
It is a day dream that comes to this end.
But there is much that we can mend
if together we make history bend.

For our democracy’s shortfalls
there are now work arounds.
We can get to better ground,
bursting new and ancient walls.

Government of, by, and for the people,
that is the essence of democracy,
the meaning of popular sovereignty,
the bright light in the steeple."