JUST THE FACTS
It might have been Mark Twain who noted that the genius of our Founding Fathers was that they created a nation which could be run by idiots.
He didn’t say run for idiots but by them. So maybe he was half right and maybe the wrong half. Because try as we might, it is impossible to call the Supreme Court Justices idiots. We can call some of their decisions by a lot of things, but not idiotic.
Rather we see their 5-4 decision in the Citizens United case to be a complete affirmation of the capitalistic roots of our nation or in other words, money talks and money rules. That’s not idiotic; that’s a recognition of what the history of this nation has been about.
Whether it was about the rich, land-holding, slave-abiding Founding Fathers themselves in that era, the rich automobile inventing, railroad building, steel-forging magnates of a later era or about the hedge fund playing, too-big-to-fail banking and real estate interests of today – money talks, money rules and the rest of us do as we are told because they have the comfort “of the law” of their side.
So ‘run by idiots’ may essentially be right as we look at the actions or inactions of today’s politicians working first and foremost to stay in office – political parties be damned – but specifically ‘run for idiots’ closer to the bone.
After forty years of declining public education which has seen our children drop way down the scale of success in math, science, reading and critical thinking, it can be no surprise that an international poll of industrialized nations revealed that American adults now rate way down in the low 20’s among adults in other nations in such areas as math, science, reading and critical thinking.
Don’t educate the kids – and surprise – they grow up still not knowing much. Or the acorn doesn’t fall far from the tree, it becomes the tree.
Damaged as things may be – and no amount of Alabama money now allowed in New York because of a ruling by a NY State Court panel that limiting private funds is now unconstitutional based on Citizens United thus throwing out New York’s rules to limit private and corporate campaign funds will save Jumpin’Joe Lhota from an inglorious defeat – the true genius of this nation’s Constitution is that of ‘checks and balances’ – the ability of our three branches of government to monitor each other and can be driven by the voice of the people.
Now all we need do is find that voice.
FACING FACTS
What is true about the American people is when the power and control of money becomes so overwhelming that we can honestly believe that every politician has a price and will take what is offered to keep his/her job for a lifetime, the American people act. Sometimes it takes a while…sometimes a long while. But the misuse of power finally goes over the top, and the sheep and the lemmings that we can sometimes resemble, say “Enough”.
Right now our three branches of government operate on a simple principle: two of them can be lifetime jobs. Only the Executive branch is term-limited. And so when the majority voice on the Supreme Court selected by conservative Presidents, tell us that corporations should be treated as people and spend what they like on campaigns, and rich power brokers have no limits, we cannot and should not ever believe for a moment that the Legislative branch will fight those rulings. The rulings in fact help them raise the money they need to remain in office.
Even a powerful, engaged, fighting President (if we had one) is hamstrung. His bully-pulpit is meaningless.
The people must then speak in the commanding tones of the representative democracy we are. We must put down our smart phones and IPads and other distractions and not only say “enough” but force the passing of legislation (and force is the operant term) that will term limit every member of Congress –Senate and House – and thus end forever the corruption of that Constitution which now exists by judicial fiat, legislative cooperation and public ignorance and inaction.
Do we give a damn or don’t we?
The existence of social media which has very obviously been the engine of a public insurrection in the Middle East in the name of freedom, is proof enough that the democracy (which does not exist there) essential to the very meaning of the United States of America can thrive if voices are raised continuously, insistently, ferociously to put an end to power in the name of the few.
These people we elect to represent us in fact, do not. Once elected they commit themselves to their own good not ours.
Those old enough to remember how American students first stood up against the policies that gave us the Vietnam War (because it threatened their lives in an era of the military draft) can only imagine what such a movement can be by using social media “weapons” to fight back against the threat to our livelihoods and lifestyles.
Yes big money will continue to buy elections until we work to end the lifetime jobs people want when they are elected to office. Take away that lifetime status and the pressure of Big Money fades because there is no longer the pressure on a man or woman to do what they are told – or else. The Tea Party has proven it. You want a lifetime job do as you are told. If not, we’ll give that opportunity to someone else.
If the job was limited going into it, that power move would be gone in no time.
The’ People United’ are too big to fail
But first they must act like it.