Reading time – 54 seconds . . .
For decades we have had a most efficient, self-reinforcing cycle in our politics of incrementally allowing more and more money into our political infrastructure. As we did that, the Big Money Interests gained incrementally more influence over our laws, our bureaucracy and our courts to drive ever-larger piles of cash into the hands of those same Big Money Interests. That has made it easier for them to throw even more cash into the political infrastructure, which has driven more legislation and correspondingly more cash to the Big Money Interests.
That cycle is the destruction of our democracy (origin: Greek “demos” – the people; “kratia” – power, rule), because it takes power away from the people. The Big Money Interests simply focus on themselves and all that cash and they lubricate the machinery of elections and government for their hand-picked politicians, so our politicians do the bidding of the Big Money Interests. That means that our legislators are not focused on the needs of ordinary Americans, so our problems have become worse.
Maybe you think that the murders at Fort Hood and Sandy Hook Elementary School are problems.
Maybe you think that your spouse being unable to secure full time employment is a problem.
Maybe you think that oil spills and toxic fracking chemicals leaked into our fresh water supplies is a problem.
Maybe you think that preventing Americans from voting is a problem.
You’re right – those are problems. And our Big Money influenced politics is the reason these issues continue to get worse.
The Citizens United case allowed unlimited and undisclosed corporate and individual money to flood our election process. Now the McCutcheon decision has unleashed nearly unlimited personal funds for direct campaign contributions, so we have The Almost Perfect Dumb-pocalypse. All that is needed to make it The Perfect Dumb-pocalypse is another airhead Supreme Court decision that takes the stops off the maximum donation to a single candidate in a single election.
But that may not happen, because our Supreme Court thinks that unlimited donations to a single candidate might look like bribery. Actually, it’s the only thing the Court thinks of as political bribery. Maybe we should give new eyeglasses to those on the 5 side of all those democracy killing, hope and trust destroying 5-4 decisions so that the Supremes can begin to see reality more clearly.
————————————————–
Ed. note: There is much in America that needs fixing and we are on a path to continually fail to make things better. It is my goal to make a difference – perhaps to be a catalyst for things to get better. That is the reason for these posts. To accomplish the goal requires reaching many thousands of people and a robust dialogue. Please help by passing this along and encouraging others to do the same. Thanks. JA
Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
Reproduction and sharing are encouraged, providing proper attribution is given.
One Response to The Almost Perfect Dumb-pocalypse
Jim Altschuler April 6, 2014
You’re right. The murders at Fort Hood and Sandy Hook Elementary School, your spouse being unable to secure full time employment, oil spills and toxic fracking chemicals leaked into our fresh water supplies, and preventing Americans from voting ARE problems.
But the bigger problems lie in the ability of the very, very few to control, with their personal and corporate self-interest, the direction of our government, our economy and our personal lives. We will no longer have much, if any, choices.