The Populist Party declares that the time has come for each citizen of the United States to claim true autonomy over his or her own personage, and exclaim, at last, that they are the true sovereign over themselves, and that the People themselves are the constituent sovereign of our nation. Local Democracy in America will serve as a bulwark for the freedom and liberty of the People.

The preceding is, perhaps, hyperbole. However, it does capture the essence of our movement, which consists of dismantling the plutocracy that dominates American politics, economics, and culture. We advocate a direct democracy, similar to the political practices of the Ancient Athenians. The population of America would be directly involved in the decision-making processes that are currently controlled by the class of elites in society composed of professional politicians, corporate executives, and disciplinarian bureaucrats in both academia and the absurd amount of government agencies, which span from the local, municipal polities all the way to the federal political structure. What we advocate is nothing new. We follow in the tradition of the first Populist Movement in America; The People’s Party.

We are looking for correspondents to cover local society, culture, and politics: We want contributors who can research and write on matters of social and political significance taking place in the Midwest of the United States. This can include articles that are journalistic or articles that are editorial and opinionated. If you are interested in oppositional politics in the context of the American Midwest, please let us know by sending an email to the following address: russellcole@populistamerica.com

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Statement of Purpose for the Midwest Populist Party’s Sociopolitical Commentary

In order to provide literature that is distinct from the other points of publication on the Populist America Website, I have decided to take a slightly altered approach toward the subject matter that will be addressed on this site, the Midwest Populist. From here on, the content will be primarily devoted to technology and the impact that it is having on the American way of life and, in particular, American political systems.

We have entered into an unique epoch in the history of humanity. The industrial revolution has transitioned into the informational economy. Along with the changing conditions, there comes great opportunities for democratization as well as disastrous consequences, of which we have had foresight via witness to the authoritarian mentality of the current Bush Administration. The massive accumulations of data - mined from most every electronically based transaction we commit - can create stockpiles of information on the level of individual analysis. We can be profiled and deemed criminals prior to even conceiving of a crime to commit.

On the other hand - the humanist strain of philosophical thought - we have been given great potentials through the proliferation of communicative technologies. We can network with people of similar interests and ideologies, whom, otherwise, we would never have encountered due to the geographical barriers of the past. What will be the outcome of this epoch transition to the Human Condition?

We are historians when it helps our cause. However, most significantly, we are citizens - if one can still use the term without invoking a vacant meaning - who have the responsibility of shaping our destinies - who are left with the terrific burden of preserving what liberties we have and using the technology available to proliferate those liberties; enhance our democracy; and equalize the stratifications that disproportionately distribute political power.

We are in a state of existential crisis in this age of remarkable potential for individual autonomy and group democracy or, contrarily, inconceivable tyranny. For these reasons, this publication will examine as much as possible the impact of information technology, and attempt to analyze it in order to evaluate its worth and risk. I am calling for contributors to this project.

However, as always, following our philosophy that everyone should be heard, we will continue to accept unrelated submissions.

Please use the following email address for questions, comments, or article submissions:

russellcole@populistamerica.com