Forum Post: The First Step To Return Power to The People

From what I can see there are two fundamental problems addressing our nation.  1: The increasing consolidation of power in the federal government. 2: The increasing consolidation of wealth in the financial sector

I'll address the former first, as we the people have a clear cut system laid down by the founders of this country with which to regain control of our government. A big part of the problem with our government is that the system of checks and balances that were laid down to limit the power of any one individual branch have largely dissolved.  But this problem stems partly from the fact that the national government was never meant to have so much power.  In fact it was never meant to have any authorities except those laid out specifically in the constitution.  All other powers not mentioned in the constitution were meant to be held by the states, and the power of government can again be returned to the states.  Thomas Jefferson and James Madison drafted a set of documents titled the Virginia and Kentucky resolves.  These documents state that because the Constitution is a contract agreed to by the states, the states have the power to nullify federal laws that overstep the authorities expressly given to the national government in the Constitution.  Besides the enactment of our current "defense" policies, one of the biggest powers that the national government has abused was the power to authorize the creation of the central bank.  Which brings me to our current problems in our financial sector.  These financial problems are more difficult to sort out because as a nation we've come to value the idea of a free market and the right of individuals to own and amass wealth.  Yet through history we've seen the dangers of completely unregulated markets.  The creation of monopolies, price manipulation, and irresponsible banking are a few examples of problems that can occur in the marketplace with drastic consequences to consumers without some form of regulation, yet we've seen from past experiences that this task should not fall to the national government.  The end of policies such as lobbying and the dissolution of the central bank will be big steps towards fixing our markets, but I also believe we need to bring democracy to the workplace.  Workers should have a say in how their businesses are ran as well as receive fair compensation for the value of their labor.  No one should profit from another's labor. Karl Marx used the terms bourgeois and proletariat in his manifesto, but in the modern world more apt terms might be owners and laborers.  This by no means is a reproach against small business owners or even big business owners per say, as most have themselves built their businesses with their own labor.  Instead this is a criticism of the established system of dictatorship in place in most businesses, which concentrates wealth towards a few majority owners, slowly leaving less and less for laborers and shareholders alike. These are by no means complete solutions, or even complete descriptions of all our nation's dilemmas.  But I believe that the heart of our country's problem is the consolidation of power and wealth that is increasingly taking place in the United States. The first step we need to take is to return power to the states and the people.  Write your governor and tell them to present the Virginia & Kentucky resolves to your state congressmen, write your congressmen and tell them to present the resolves to the president.  It will be difficult to enact these resolves considering the current state of our political system, but it will send a clear message to the government that it is the people who truly rule this country.