We are Witnessing the End of American Democracy

An Honest Letter to My Friends and Relatives

Like many of you, I’ve been watching recent events with growing alarm. The unfolding reality around us paints a troubling picture - one where the fundamental principles of our republic face unprecedented threats that should concern every American, regardless of political affiliation.

I find myself returning to Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg: “government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.” But today, I’m gripped by a haunting question - what if we’re witnessing exactly that? The perishing of our democracy?

The signs seem to transcend partisan lines:

The Growing Power of Money in Politics

• Ordinary citizens must wait months or years for congressional action on popular, bipartisan issues while legislation benefiting wealthy donors moves swiftly¹

• Campaign finance has become so expensive that the average American could never consider running for major office without courting wealthy backers²

• Politicians from both parties spend more time fundraising than legislating—often 4-5 hours daily just calling donors³

• Studies consistently show that policy outcomes correlate strongly with the preferences of the wealthy, not with the general public⁴

The Erosion of Institutional Independence

• Federal agencies that once operated with professional integrity now face unprecedented political interference

• Career civil servants with decades of experience are being replaced with loyalists, regardless of qualifications

• Inspectors General—our government’s internal watchdogs—are being systematically removed when they identify wrongdoing

• School boards, election offices, and local governments face intimidation when they make decisions contrary to powerful interests

The Assault on Truth and Accountability

• Journalists face increasing harassment, threats, and barriers to access for basic reporting

• Media ownership has concentrated to the point where just a handful of corporations control most of what Americans see and hear⁵

• Social media algorithms amplify division and extremism while drowning out reasonable voices

• Citizens consuming different news sources now live in entirely separate realities with incompatible sets of facts

The Weaponization of Government Power

• Law enforcement resources are increasingly directed at peaceful protesters while white-collar crime goes unpunished

• The tax system operates with two standards: relentless scrutiny for working Americans while the wealthy exploit loopholes and avoid audits

• Government contracts and subsidies flow to politically connected businesses rather than the most qualified

• Whistleblowers face retaliation while those who remain silent are rewarded with promotions and security

I see a nation where ordinary citizens can be detained without evidence simply for exercising their First Amendment rights. Where lawyers sign agreements with political agendas to stay in good graces. Where universities surrender their independence to avoid losing funding. Where businesses make decisions based on political favor rather than sound economics.

Is this still the America we know? Or are we sliding toward something else entirely - an oligarchy masquerading as democracy?

The Warning Signs from History

Throughout history, democracies haven’t typically died through dramatic coups. Instead, they erode slowly through seemingly legal processes:

• Gradual weakening of checks and balances⁶

• Capturing of courts and regulatory bodies⁷

• Delegitimizing of opposition as enemies rather than fellow citizens⁸

• Using emergency powers that never seem to expire⁹

• Creating sufficient economic fear that citizens accept security over liberty¹⁰

I need your perspective. I need your reassurance. Because from where I stand, I see the warning signs that have preceded democratic collapse elsewhere. I see the pillars of our republic - free press, independent judiciary, academic freedom, and ethical leadership - all facing unprecedented challenges.

Tell me I’m overreacting. Tell me these are normal political tensions that democracy can withstand. Tell me the guardrails still function. Tell me our traditions of peaceful transitions of power, respect for law, and protection of basic rights remain strong enough to weather this storm.

Pull me back from the edge of despair.

Because right now, I fear we’re witnessing the slow-motion collapse of the greatest experiment in self-government the world has ever known. And if that’s true - if democracy really is dying - then silence isn’t an option. Complacency isn’t an option.

What do you see when you look at America today?

• Do you trust that your vote still matters?

• Do you believe our leaders still answer to the people?

• Do you feel that your voice carries the same weight as those with wealth and connections?

• Do you recognize the country we’re becoming?

Is our democracy resilient enough to survive? Or are we truly at the precipice?

I desperately want to be wrong. I want to believe that the American experiment will continue - not as a Democratic vision or a Republican vision, but as our shared vision. As the embodiment of our collective commitment to freedom, justice, and equal opportunity for all.

Please, tell me there’s still hope. Tell me we still have time to pull back from this edge. Tell me that Americans of all political persuasions can recognize what we stand to lose - and find the courage to stand together before it’s too late.

Because democracy doesn’t belong to the left or the right. It belongs to all of us. And once lost, history shows it is extraordinarily difficult to regain.

The American Respondent exists to document the erosion of democratic norms, expose the rise of oligarchy in plain sight, and amplify the voices still fighting for a republic of laws—not men. We don’t chase clicks. We don’t publish fluff. We write for citizens who still believe the Constitution means something—and that silence is not an option.

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This is the time to pay attention.

Subscribe today—and invite one friend who needs to read it too.

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Footnotes

1. Research from the Center for Responsive Politics tracks how bills with significant industry backing move through Congress at substantially faster rates than those without such support. One notable example is the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, which took eight years to pass despite consistent 60-80% public support, while the 2017 tax legislation and the 2018 bank deregulation bill moved from introduction to passage in just weeks. The Congressional Management Foundation's 2019 report 'The State of Congress' found that legislation prioritized by major donors received committee hearings on average 7 months faster than bills with broad public support but limited financial backing.

2. According to the Federal Election Commission and OpenSecrets data, the average winning House campaign in 2022 cost $2.3 million, while Senate victors spent an average of $26.5 million. With the median American household net worth at approximately $121,700 (Federal Reserve, 2022), and median annual income around $70,784 (U.S. Census Bureau), running for federal office has become financially impossible for typical citizens without substantial backing. A 2022 study by the National Institute on Money in Politics found that over 90% of congressional races are won by the candidate who raises the most money.

3. This finding has been documented in multiple sources: Former Congressman David Jolly (R-FL) revealed in a 2016 '60 Minutes' interview that representatives are expected to spend 4 hours daily on fundraising calls. The documentary 'Time Is Money' (2016) by Issue One showed lawmakers spending 20-30 hours weekly fundraising. Harvard Law School's 2013 report 'Congressional Time, Congressional Effectiveness' found members spending 25-50% of their time on fundraising activities.

4. Gilens, M. & Page, B.I. (2014). Testing Theories of American Politics: Elites, Interest Groups, and Average Citizens. Perspectives on Politics, 12(3), 564-581. This landmark study examined 1,779 policy issues and found that 'economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy, while average citizens and mass-based interest groups have little or no independent influence.

5. According to a 2021 analysis by the University of Pennsylvania's Annenberg School for Communication, just five corporations (Comcast, Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery, Paramount Global, and Fox Corporation) control approximately 90% of U.S. media content across television, film, and streaming platforms. The Federal Communications Commission's Media Ownership Report documented that local news consolidation has accelerated, with the number of independent local television news operations decreasing by 40% since 2000. The Institute for Public Accuracy found that 90% of newspaper media markets in the U.S. are now considered 'highly concentrated' under Department of Justice antitrust standards.

6. Harvard political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt document this pattern in their 2018 book 'How Democracies Die,' noting that across multiple countries and time periods, the incremental erosion of institutional guardrails typically precedes democratic collapse rather than sudden coups.

7. The National Academy of Public Administration's 2020 report 'Preserving Institutional Independence' documents how judicial and regulatory capture has been a consistent feature in democratic backsliding across 23 countries since 1980, including cases like Hungary, Turkey, and Venezuela.

8. Political scientists Jennifer McCoy and Murat Somer's 2019 study in the American Behavioral Scientist, 'Toward a Theory of Pernicious Polarization,' identifies the transformation of political opponents into enemies as a critical precursor to democratic decline across multiple case studies.

9. The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law's 'Emergency Powers and Civil Liberties' report (2021) documents how temporary emergency powers in democracies worldwide have increasingly become permanent features of governance, with 65% of emergency provisions enacted since 2001 remaining in place long after the original crisis subsided.

10. Yale historian Timothy Snyder's work 'On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century' (2017) documents how economic insecurity has historically been leveraged by both right and left-wing movements to convince citizens to surrender democratic freedoms in exchange for promised stability and security.