Our political system has devolved into nothing short of organized crime, with two mob parties using fear, intimidation, extortion, and corruption, to claim each other’s territory in a constant struggle for power and control; and crushing any third party that might try to compete.
The Capitalist System
Capitalism is obviously the most successful economic system on earth because it ‘capitalizes’ on our competitive self-instincts. When coupled with a democratic form of government that allows the freedom to openly display our stupidity and hate anyone who doesn’t respect it, the results can be disconcerting. Especially when backed with massive cash infusions from anonymous donors hiding behind patriotic named entities legally protected by ‘Citizens United.’
Money & Power
If ‘money is the root of all evil,’ nowhere is it more evident than in politics. It’s the gasoline that services the political machinery instead of our society, at an ever increasing burn rate. With millions poured into stupid wasteful advertising campaigns, special-interest corruption and lifetime congressional salaries at the expense of our crumbling infrastructure, homeless vets, failing education system and shrinking middle class.
As political mob bosses cater to corporate clients subsidizing their campaigns, with self-serving legislation, allowing a chemical giant to destroy family farming, predatory credit card usury rates, cheating banks ‘too big to fail,’ fast-food franchises poisoning us, pharmaceutical price gouging, and obscene CEO salaries at the expense of a poverty level minimum wage… and not just during elections. In fact, a recent 60 Minutes expose found that newly elected Congressional representatives are expected to spend half of their working hours dialing for dollars at a secret phone bank near Capitol Hill. This is ludicrous!
What’s Happening Now?
At first glance, I couldn’t understand how 40% of the country could be voting for Donald Duck. Then it hit me… they’re not really voting for him, as much as voting against mob rule, a broken system and the ‘trickle-down’ economy that’s been pissing on us all. Obviously, the answer isn’t in electing the village idiot, but what is the answer?
The Solution
The solution may be as simple and complex as removing money from the political equation. The public funding of elections is not new. In the UK since the 1800’s, their system for regulating campaign financing focuses on limiting the spending by political parties and individual candidates, rather than limits on donations, combined with a transparent reporting system of donations received and spent.
Actually, so called ‘Clean Election’ laws are currently in effect in Maine and Arizona, but since candidate participation is voluntary, administration is difficult. In 2008, the California Fair Elections Act (AB583) passed the California Assembly and Senate and was signed by Governor Schwarzenegger. To take effect, the law had to be approved by voters in an initiative in June 2010. However a mob scare campaign by the political opposition and special interests convinced voters to reject it. A similar bill was introduced that year in both the House and Senate, but never made it out of committee.
Of course here and now, nothing can be accomplished until Citizens United is overturned. But maybe, just maybe, the groundswell of ‘deplorables’ along with ‘Bernie’s Army’ and a fed-up, pissed-on, pissed-off middle class might somehow find a way to rise up, stop the flow of dirty money and break up the mob… we’ll see.
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