You Get The Government You.....Buy!

Email Print posted by intro 07/14/2008 11:40:25 AM EST

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When Jayar Jackson remarked that "...there was something

going on in the system...that we weren't seeing..." he was half-right.

 Something is goin' on: But, not only can we SEE it, It's OBVIOU$$$$$$$.

 

America's problems are many, but they stem from the same place.

 Cronyism? You ask?  Beltway insiders, maybe? The White House? Congress? Lobbyists? A compliant media??

The "Blame Game" could fill this page. And it would all be true. So why can't we fix it?

Cenk Uygur has promised a 20-year plan to find out who turns the screws and hit the reset button.

Noble; But unnecessary.

We don't need 20 years! We could fix the system in six months, One year tops!

Really!

How?

Public Campaign Financing.

You don't get the government you deserve.

You get the government you...buy! As it stands, lobbyists are doing all the buying.

Money talks. Government can't hear us. Maybe, if we owned it, it might listen.

First we have to get their attention, Then we can direct their attention.

Think grassroots money can't make a difference? Ask Obama. And he didn't need no twenty years!

 

 

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You Get The Government You.....Buy! | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 hidden)
So right (none / 0)
America is unique in that it has legalized corruption, bribing politicians is illegal in most parts of the world.

Sure, African dictators take bribes from companies, but they get flack for doing so from the West, but how is this any different from the current American system?

Normally politicians should get put in jail or loose their office if they were caught taking money from companies or lobbyists. Please, follow the lead from other countries in this, money doesn't get a vote, people do.

by callisto on 07/14/2008 01:21:00 PM EST

Fun Fact (none / 0)
There were less than 50 registered lobbyists when Reagan took office.

Today there are over 35,000.

Reagan really got the ball rolling (along with massive tax cuts for the rich and massive deregulation) and no president since (including Bill "DLC" Clinton) has tried to stop it.

A couple of states are going with public financing if I remember correctly, and hopefully that trend spreads. Then a large Dem majority in both houses of Congress coupled with an Obama presidency just might lead to some serious legislation along these lines.

The chance is small, but with republicans, the chance is non-existent.

by ihavenobias on 07/14/2008 01:41:24 PM EST

How Reagan killed America (none / 0)

The legitimization and subsequent explosion of lobbyists as a form of legalized bribery is, I am pretty sure, what has screwed America up so bad. 

Conservatives dream was to turn back the clock to the 1880s and they have done an incredible job of it.  They have always resented the reforms of the progressives and the New Deal and have been waging open war on them for three decades or so.  They have been unable to touch the stuff that is out there in the open (social security, workers comp, unemployment, 40-hour work week, OHSA, FDA, etc.) but have been highly successful at undermining the American system around the edges.  I think the lobbyist thing is the biggest single blow and the hardest to undo.  Undoing would require a majority of politicians to say no to millions in free cash and I find that hard to imagine.

Also, I think it is important to understand that conservatives are trying to destroy almost everything the people actually want (see above) and have had to invent issues to pretend to run on (abortion, gay marriage, racism, etc.) because they would get about 2% of the vote if they ran on what they actually care about.

by ProfRich on 07/14/2008 02:10:02 PM EST

[ Parent ]
Very true (none / 0)
We need a bold leader who can grab the (potentially) huge upcoming Dem Congressional majority by the collar and say "enough is enough".

If the leader says it loudly and shines a ton of light on it the Dems will be forced to do something to avoid massive public scorn.

There are a lot of "ifs" involved, including how the media would cover it and that's the problem.  But I mean, if people want to clean up politics (regardless of party affiliation or lack thereof) they all know taking the money out is the key...even people who don't follow politics generally understand that.

Which is why again, the issue would have to be very loud and very public. The chance is very small but it's the only chance we have.

Oh, and I think many politicians wouldn't mind public financing if the playing field was level but they WOULD mind not being able to retire to a cushy private sector job after they end their government role. That's an area where we need serious reform...strong conflict of interest laws.

by ihavenobias on 07/14/2008 02:15:54 PM EST

[ Parent ]
You Get The Government You.....Buy! | 4 comments (4 topical, 0 hidden)
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