Political Prostitutes

Folk talk a lot about political dysfunction and conflicting fiscal policies. We debate about health care, which everybody seems to agree needs radical changing, but accept no changes because in political bickering. We get excited about small issues with conservatives who believe in individual rights wanting to take away the rights of homosexuals to marry and don’t see an obvious ideological conflict there. And the list goes on and on and on.

James Kwak, (author of White House Burning) on the Baseline Scenario makes good, obvious but neglected point. One of the great reasons for political polarization has to do with “ the growing influence of money in politics and the resulting need for politicians to go chasing after contributions from extremist billionaires. 

While we need to get rid of the huge tax cuts that have been brought in over the Reagan through Bush years, which have made the rich richer and thereby more powerful, the main result of this is the wealth they now pour into the political process which has warped the voter and those who seek our votes. That is likely the major issue for the years ahead. How do we get congress back to representing the people rather than a select few?

PK’s excellent article points to many of the factors that are leading us down the garden path to a garden that seem doomed to become a desert. It seems to me these all reflect the power of moneyed people to influence a non reflective public. A good case in point is the recent TV political ad against Obamacare, that contains no facts, just scare tactics and inferences and the delusions that the “taxpayers” are paying for all this while ignoring the wealthy who don’t want anything coming from their pockets. What does the “TV Doctor” mean when she says “even if they can choose to come to me as their doctor what if I can’t come to them?” Mumbo jumbo perhaps for “I need the big bucks or screw them”?

I for one would gladly give back the few bucks in tax breaks, (though I and others like me are the ones that should be getting them, comparatively speaking) if we’d get rid of the major tax breaks for the wealthy. Hell, I’d gladly pay much higher taxes, and would love to see the government grow in size rather than reduce, if we would get the benefits others nations give their citizens.

Once we were the model for other nations of how one could rise economically, socially, politically, etc, if we just worked hard and put our minds to it. We are no longer that model and other nations know it. They are aghast at our selfishness and dupability. It’s embarrassing.

Some of our politicians are brought to shame over sexual peccadilloes they commit. But none seem ashamed of whoring after the PAC money of the hidden wealth.