Follow the Money in the Political Process

Politics!  The Republican Primaries are here, it’s an election year.  Money is flowing.  The usual suspects: s/he who has the most money is most likely the one that will win.

Corporations are officially persons.  Large, wealthy, and therefore powerfully influential Business Corporations can spend as much money as they want, as “private persons,” to back their candidate, endorse their policies, and promote their political platform and cause.

Politicians are not indebted to you, me, or any of us—the average voter on the street.  If they were, we would have had the lifting of the Bush tax-cuts for the wealthiest of Americans by now—something most Americans want to see happen.

No, it takes money to get elected, big money.  Special interest groups with money, Big Company Lobbyists, they are the ones that have the ears of our politicians—of both parties—and they are the ones that get what they want from our politicians, no matter who gets elected.

A democracy is not a true democracy if big money controls the political voice, the electoral process and its legislative outcomes.  And more and more that is exactly what is happening within the American political system.

Note this: According to Jacob Hacker and Paul Pierson, our economic crisis is basically the result of politically engineered inequality.  See their book: Winner-Take-All Politics: How Washington Made the Rich Richer--and Turned Its Back on the Middle Class.  I saw these authors interviewed on Bill Moyer’s program (Moyers & Company).  This interview is very much worth watching.

That being the case, it tells us that there is hope.  Because it tells us that the crisis just didn’t happen by virtue of pure economic causes, that is, economic forces beyond our control or above our reach.  The crisis was caused by bad, politically motivated, economic policies and legislative decisions made by politicians who were backed by aggregates of powerfully wealthy special interest groups.  Therefore we can change this.  We the people can rise up and demand better.  We can demand that changes be made to the system, such as re-regulate, and such as disempower the high-roller money-backers and reclaim the people’s power.  We-the-people can get America back on the right track.  How?

Follow the money.  Demand transparency.  Take note of who gives the money to our politicians (directly & indirectly).  Take note as to how our politicians receive money (directly & indirectly) and how they spend it?  Take note: whom and why is Big Money backing, and note the political/legislative benefits that Big Money spenders get in return?

Demand economic justice and fair play.  Our financial system should not favor the rich.  Remember the Titanic: when it comes to the value of life, the wealthy should have no special privileges.  All class levels deserve the right to a life-jacket and equal access to a life-boat.  By the same token, all classes deserve fair-play in our economic policies and just access to our economic potential within this great nation.

And finally, stay engaged in the political process, make your voice heard.  Do NOT give-in or give-up.  Write, vote, and speak out!  Somehow we must make our politicians more accountable to we-the-people rather than to powerful lobbyists and Big Money people or Major Corporations who call themselves “persons” so as to throw their financial weight behind politicians, who will favor them over against the average citizen on the street, people like you and me.