Capitalism has damaged Democracy

[SHRED]

Here in the USA it's public office to the highest bidder (or briber).

Tax laws, health insurance laws, banking laws, pharma laws, all written to favor the corporate bottomline over the well-being of the public.
And of course the military-industrial-complex insists on having perpetual wars which equals HUGE government contracts for the same people who place the politicians in office.

America Inc.

(but surely you knew this already?)


PUBLICLY FUNDED ELECTIONS NOW!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.publicampaign.org/


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[rucky]

1. This should be our number-one priority.

thanks for the link

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Hear, hear!! But we've known this for years and yet the congress and our

presidents have never made a move to really clean things up. I am sick of band-aids and sops. I really am.

[NightWatcher]

3. who's going to vote for election reform, the politicians who are bought and paid for?

and do you think the corpos will allow their reps to vote to put them out of power?

When shall we expect the ruling on Citizens United v. FEC to cement corporate control over our government?

We are too far gone

[truedelphi]

8. That is my response also. Though it

stillhurts to realize that we have lost our democracy.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

4. Both sides agree.

And it still ain't happening.

:think:

[FormerDittoHead]

5. Welcome to the same conclusion I've been making for months now. IT'S AN AUCTION.

Funny thing how "Democracy" should be 1 person - 1 vote. HA! It's a winner-take-all Chinese auction - you pays for your bids and lose everything when you get out-bid.

No refunds!

That's change, but I find it hard to believe in!

[truedelphi]

9. Spouse and I have concluded - "our" government could save

A huge bundle by simply having that auction.

Cut out Congress and the middle man - save the money on their health and retirement bennies. Save the money on their salaries and travel junkets.

Just give the Major Players what they want, and let us tax payers know how much it costs.

We will be spared the bother of phone banking, or putting out leaflets.

[frebrd]

6. Not damaged .... destroyed! n/t

[Alexander]

7. Capitalism was promoted to control people in democratic societies...

...because the powers-that-be feared democracy.

See: Edward Bernays.

[timeforpeace]

10. Campaign Finance Reform worked so well, let's do it again!

[ectoendomezo]

11. Agree in PART! But in a CAPITALIST system..MARTIAL LAW IS EXPENSIVE!

Okeedoke!

Sure..what you mention..your position..is ABSOLUTELY CORRECT..the Mortal Fatal Flaw of Capitalism..is the Generation of ENORMOUS WEALTH..in the hands of a FEW..And sadly..its seemingly a "Law"..as in the Law Of Gravity..that this Wealth..is ALWAYS in the...WRONG HANDS!

Fact is..with 10% of the "Worth" of even a "Decent Liberal" like..say..any Actor or Musician of your choice..let's say..Sean Penn..

with say..3 MILLION..I..could..RIGHT NOW..conduct an advertising campaign..that would ask QUESTIONS..that are NOT being asked..I could do this..SO PUBLICLY..and in such an UNSPINNABLE fashion..that "results" would be generated..get Ralph Nader or Noam C. or..Amy Goodman or..or..or..to WRITE the "Statement/Question/proposition" AND then...let it loose.

OR..I could BUY..ALL the FOREST land I COULD..right now..in Northern Cal..I COULD..with $3 MILLION$...SAVE...THOUSANDS..of acres of RAINFOREST...that is a FACT!

POINT? Seemingly..ALL wealth..creates a kind of.."Obsessive/Compulsive" disorder...they suddenly.."HAVE TO.." live in a "Mother Multi-Million dollar House"..y'know.."Steak with all the trimmins!"

And it isn't NECESSARY...all that I COULD do..well..ADD to that..LIVE THE REST OF MY LIFE..hey.I could do THAt...with $500,000..and I'm an X-ER..so a way's to go yet..Force of Benevolent Intelligence Willing!

Point Being that.."Wealth" seems to create.."Greed"..because..well..WHERE are the Wealthy Liberals? Do they REALLY..need..ALL those literally..HUDREDS of MILLIONS? really? While the World Dies? While the Land that they..COULD EASILY BUY..dissapears to Development? Or CLEARCUTTING..well..not So much right now..but.....And on and on..Hey..George Clooney..or Steve Jobs.COULD..re-opne a Lumber Mill..REHIRE the now out of work workers..UNIONIZE them..and..put them to WORK...REBUILDING and RESTORING the FORESTS they were once TASKED with DESTROYING! right? I mean..RIGHT? If not...WHY NOT?

Hey! Why does NO ONE with MONEY..ask a PUBLIC QUESTION? Via a Bilboard? Or Print? Or Web? or Radio? WHY?..Here's one that is MISSING..how EASY would it be to do a Ad Campaign..Asking the SIMPLE..and stupifyingly basic question: "WHY DID NOT ONE...NOT ONE..OF THE BAILED OUT BANKS..BOTHER TO SAY..'THANK YOU AMERICA!'?? WHY? PAY THEMSELVES BILLIONS BUT CAN'T SPEND A MILLION..OR EVEN A COUPLE MILLION..ACUALLY..'THANKING' THE PUBLIC FOR THE BONUSES THEYA RE IN FACT TAKING? WOW! So..Where are the Wealthy when it comes to THE CIVIC RESPONSIBILITY THEY CAN AFFORD?

So..I agree in principle..Capitalism CAN be SAVAGELY..destructive..Global Killer in fact..turns out..BUT...

MARTIAL LAW/CORPORATE FASCISM AND CAPITALISM--

Okay..HOWEVER..here's where you might be missing the flip-side..I apologize for characterizing it as such..but..such it is...for what its worth..Michael Moor is ALSO way off on the PURE 'No-Goodness' of Capitalism..I was in fact sort of Surprised by his pretty naive conclusion..in his latest docutainment effort..he has become a Limo-Liberal..sort of..

A very..BASIC..reality..that is..almost UNIVERSALLY IGNORED..by...well..the Left..and the Right..is..that CAPITALISM..actually DOES have one very redeeming characteristic...and...for those with a Totalitarian Bent..another Mortal Fatal Flaw!

Its..ALL ABOUT MONEY! SSDD! Both sides of the Sword..are about the POWER...of MONEY..the FOUNDERS Knew this..for they had BROKEN the BACK of king George..with..MONEY...See...fighting the revolution..or RESISTING it..was just..TOO...DAMN..EXPENSIVE!

See..for THIS country..to go "Further" with its ever increasing Militarization Of Social Policy..it is going to HAVE to decide.."Capitalism" or "Corporate Fascism"..see..basically.."Checkpoints" are..EXPENSIVE! Really Expensive! We are already BROKE! Put it another way- In my opinion..the ONLY reason..Bush-II and others..have not gone FURTHER already..with Patriot Act..etc..is..THEY CANNOT AFFORD IT!

I believe that when Der Junior called on Americans to..."Go Shopping" what was..Missed..was what he was REALLY SAYING..which was.."You need to go and spend MONEY..because we HAVE to have the TAXES that your spending will Generate..because WE already KNOW that we are going to INVADE IRAQ...and AFGHANISTAN..and establish a Draconian Police Bureaucracy to spy on ALL of you..and..that is gonna cost a whole bunch o' folding green Amigo's..so..BUY..BUY..BUY! We gots to have the MONEY! Those Private Contractors Aint Cheap! Cheney's refusin to get KBR to give us a DICOUNT..so..SPEND! BUY! PAY THOSE TAXES!"

Also..sadly..and no offense..I gotta say..I think this concept of 'Its All About Money!'..'Eludes' the "Left" for the simple reason..that to ACCEPT...that ALL of this is being PAID for BY THEM..by YOU..is to ALSO accept a definite level of "Responsibility"..and..to make a very real "choice" regarding..'to what extent..you are WILLING to be a..Financial Backer of..well..Torture..War..ALL of it! For that is the CRITICAL role of CAPITALISM within the context of a MILITARIZED SOCIETY..Police..are..EXPENSIVE..Surveillance is..EXPENSIVE..WAR..is...I mean look around..EXPENSIVE! Bailouts are..EXPENSIVE..and ALL of it is being FINANCED by...TAXATION..BASED..upon the 'FREEDOM TO BUY AND SELL'..OR..CAPITALISM! Taxes dutifully handed over..by..pretty much everyone!

Hey! take the CHINESE for example..if NOT for OUR Capitalist Society..their Fascist Society could not exist..not as Profitable as it is now..where would the MONEY come from? Resources is about it..now THEIR slave labor..has become their Number 1 resource.

Same thing with the IVANS..I mean we ALL know by now.."We Broke Em!" FINANCIALLY..it was just..too expensive to maintain BOTH a Cold War AND a 'Communist'..really a Fascist society..can't watch US..AND yourselves with no TAXES..without the Citizens footing the BILL!

And that..is the point I am making..as well as where I diverge from my inherent Progressive Loathing of the Corporate Fascists..as well as the Limousine Liberals..like Bob Rubin..and basically..the entire "Economic Policy Team" Obama replaced his CAMPAIGN team with.uhh..OVERNIGHT! ever wonder what happened to GOOLSBEE and KORNBLUH? Replaced by..Rubin and Son, FROMAN(maintained his Citigroup employment for a MONTH after being chosen to head Obama's "Economic Policy Transition Team" goes ahead and picks the "team" that would then BAIL out..uhh..HIS COMPANY..to the tune of..$360 BILLION! Nice...

ANYWAY..I digress..Sorry..

Again..bottom line..MARTIAL LAW..is too expensive..and THAT..is a CRITICAL Check on Unlimited Power..absolutely CRITICAL! if people aren't PAYING..then the System shuts down..

California Budget..Recession/Depression..all of it..just how much would we SAVE..in very real terms..if we ENDED..the DRUG WAR? If we DE-Militarized Law Enforcement..removing ALL that "Unmanned Ariel Surveillance" money? BILLIONS? TRILLIONS? Who knows?

Thus..it is up to US..to TAKE CONTROL..see the founders..THOUGHT...people would REMEMBER this really..basic fact..ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY! Power Of The Purse! Abdicated By Congress..MUST be reclaimed by 'CONSTITUTIONAL PROGRESSIVES' If..IF we are to survive!

Thus..the time is NOW..for the 3rd PARTY in 2012!

THE "CONSTITUTIONAL PROGRESSIVES" PARTY: "FIRST AND FOREMOST THE CONSTITUTION AND ACCEPTANCE OF CULTURAL DIVERSITY!"

See..with THAT..we might make it!

"Full disclosure" I aint no Tea Bagger..but neither am I a Tea Sipper...but is Making fun of the Tea Baggers and all their false "issues"..really WORTH..pretending that we..the people..actually have "NO RECOURSE"? That we have NO control of the MONEY?..When it is ALL COMING FROM US! If we..say.."NO!" And conduct a UNION STYLE STRIKE...against "Management"..and put forth a few..AGREED upon Demands..like MORATORIUM on the REVOLVING DOOR!..Post Facto Million Dollar Hiring Bonuses from Goldman Sachs for 'Former' employees of the Treasury Department..is..BRIBERY! make that CLEAR! End Signing Statements-the rhizome of ALL that has come to pass in our Security State..

THAT will WORK! Period! And what could "They" do? Remember..EVEN "ENFORCEMENT"..requires a PAYCHECK! Will IRS agents do their bullying for..FREE? Some might..but not nearly ENOUGH! See the point?

CAPITALISM is NOT "Just The One Thing"..it is..frankly..THE...MOST..Powerful WEAPON..that exists! "Oh! You have a GUN! SO WHAT? I Have the MONEY..to HIRE TWENTY GUY'S WITH GUNS!" But..IF..that guy with the MONEy..is GETTING his money..from ME..well..then I have the POWER..see?

You don't HAVE to be a 'Tea Bagger' to NOT wish to finance TORTURE!....right?

"Let them March all they WANT, as long as they CONTINUE to pay their TAXES."--Alexander Haig