A former comedian, with no political experience, was elected President of Guatemala. In Haiti in 2011 a popular singer, Michel Martelly, nicknamed “Sweet Mickey” was elected president. What they both have in common is they both have the support and the money of the United States.

In the Republican Party nomination race for President in the USA the top two contenders are persons without political experience. One is a successful business man and host of a TV reality show and the other a famous surgeon with conservative evangelical principals. However, unlike the comedian and singer, they have no chance of being president. Over a year before the presidential election the “powers that be” in the USA have selected the leading Democratic candidate as our next president, our first woman president. Yet the show must go on so millions of dollars will be spent to elect the person who many who will vote for, while calling her the “lesser of two evils.”

Manipulation of elections with money is in the USA is called ‘free speech’. Manipulation of elections by money in countries like Haiti and Guatemala is called corruption. Whatever you call it, the results are the same, the candidate with the most money wins almost all the time. This information, money rules elections, is something people in the United States do not want to hear.

A group of resisters to the Haitian government refuse to vote until President Martelly resigns and the UN military force, financed by USA and Canada leave the country. They claim there can be no true democracy until this happens.

In the USA many people believe it is an obligation to vote no matter if the choice, in their opinion, is for the lesser of two evils. Sometimes I remind people that evil is still evil though some call it the lesser of two evils.

In some Latin America countries, like Cuba and Venezuela, there has been a large movement by people and government to provide all persons with the basics of life, healthcare, food, shelter and other fundamentals due human beings.

The USA leaders call them “socialist” and with that word mean terrible things, like the word communist means in USA. Militaristic countries where big money rules are favored in Latin American by the US Government.

The irony is that the United States, where politicians talk about supporting the middle class, is experiencing a bigger and bigger gap between the rich and poor. Almost every day the Mayor of Milwaukee talks about how this new luxury condo development, new basketball arena, new park, or new trolley lines, all in downtown, Milwaukee will benefit the whole city. The truth is that all this money spent downtown will only benefit the rich who can only afford to live downtown and the tourist who come to visit. The people who live across the line on North Ave get poor while the rich get richer.

Yet I have hope that someday we will tear down the wall on North Avenue separating the expanding downtown of the rich from the increasing impoverishment of the poor as part of bigger USA movement where money and might is overcome with the power of the people. If I am still alive I will vote again since there can be no true Democracy with growing inequality.

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