Letter: US Supreme Court is greatest threat to democracy

The greatest threat to democracy in the United States is the US Supreme Court. It is not terrorist attacks; we have and will survive any attack.

It is not an invasion; our military is too overwhelming for any country to attempt such a foolish act. It is not the economy, or disease, or crime, all these plagues we have faced in the past, and over come.

But, against the Supreme Court's active attack against "We the people," citizens do not stand a chance. Since the Greeks assembled on the Pnyx and democracy was born, the most essential aspect of democracy has been the right of citizens to vote their preference. That right is being undermined by the court.

In 2000, the Supreme Court overruled the people of Florida's right to decide their election and decided that George W. Bush should win in Florida.

In 2010, in the Citizens United decision, the court took away restraints on corporate political spending, thereby allowing nonvoting corporations to spend millions to influence elections. Citizens denied.

And now, the court has decided to visit the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and most commentators feel the court will strike down the core of the act, if not the entire act itself. This action by the court will, among others things, make it difficult, if not impossible to stop the Republican shenanigans we saw in last year's election, as they made voter registration more difficult; and by imposing identification restrictions they interfered in the actual voting process.

The two absolute imperatives of a democracy are: The participation of its citizens by expressing their concerns in speech, and voting. "We The People" are losing our ancient right to vote, and with that loss goes our democratic form of government.

G. Michael Paine

Marysville