Complain about Obama kowtowing to corporate America all you want, but itās all about the money. Isnāt it always? Daddy Big Bucks (mega-corporations that rule) punished the Democrats in the last election by taking away their Big Bag of Green (and we aināt talkinā environmental anything here) and giving it to the GOP.
Now the Dems, including the prez, are back, tail between their legs, begging for forgiveness (and $$) and promising to toe the line.
Nothing will change unless and until we reform the electoral process. And that, my friends, is getting harder and harder to do, especially in the wake of the so-called āCitizens Unitedā decision last year by the Corporate Supreme Five. Itās up to the āCitizens to Uniteā and overcome this terrible ruling. The Supreme Court gave corporations carte blanche to spend unlimited sums to influence our elections, without so much as disclosing what they spent or who with.
Our government is basically being held hostage. But as opposed to Obamaās plea for forgiveness for signing the extension of tax cuts for the richest of the rich, itās not the Republicans holding the Democrats hostage. Itās Daddy Big Bucks holding the entire Congress hostage. So-called āpeopleās representativesā are actually serving the rich and powerful, because, if they donāt, theyāre out of a job. Simple as that.
How can we reform the electoral process? Well, the way I see it, itās either revolution or revolution. Either the messy, violent kind (I hope not ā they never work for long anyway), or the peaceful kind. The peaceful kind would take a massive effort to organize we, the people.
Somehow hard-working activists and organizations would have to convince enough of the public to vote for candidates who are not funded by wealthy elites/corporations. Then weād have to hold those representatives accountable and make sure they change the laws.
Can it be done? Chances, obviously, are slim. However, in this day of mass electronic communication, if the citizenry is disgruntled enough, who knows? Itās worth a try. Either that, or itās more of the same olā, same olā.
P.S. The Humor Timesā 20th Anniversary is coming up in April! (I know, we can hardly believe it either…) Weāre planning a celebration in Sacramento. Stay tuned!
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