A Cry for Class Warfare

Can you afford a lobbyist? Do you think you'll get a fair shake without one?

I know that we are supposed to feel ashamed by the term "class warfare" but let’s get real for a moment: the very rich in this country and the large corporations steer our government. We all know this. They promote and lift up candidates whom they want elected. They write their own loopholes into the tax code. They write their own regulatory legislation. They have arranged for their corporate executives to head the regulatory agencies that are supposed to keep them honest and moral. They have corrupted and tilted the free market system in their favor. These are serious crimes against the citizens of this country. In many cases their actions are against the law (whether they actually get indicted and punished or not). But in some cases wealthy companies and individuals have written the laws governing their actions so that they can, almost literally, get away with murder.

And the Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission Supreme Court case gives these psychopathic "citizens" the ability to donate unlimited amounts of money to elections. This is certainly a recipe for disaster. The very rich in this country will be able to easily buy the politicians that they want to advance their agendas. Where will that leave us? If we ever intend to gain control over our government we must first get control of the money. That does not mean that the majority of us need to own a majority of the money. We simply need to have input on how money is allowed to influence elections, governance and the legislative process in OUR country.

Behind every bad government policy that gets passed, you will likely find a lobbyist that pushed for the legislation at the behest of a wealthy and well-connected corporate sponsor. Our country is where it is because it was steered to this place by the ruling class. This includes politicians, the very wealthy, powerful corporations and the few individuals that control almost all of the media in this country.

I’m sure that many people have not considered these points in reference to the Occupy Wall Street movement. Most of what they've heard about the movement has been packaged and delivered by mainstream media news and opining pundits. All of whom are wealthy individuals and work for powerful corporations.

~R. Charan Pagan
information systems technologist, musician, writer, filmmaker
Los Angeles, CA 90017
http://www.reclaimingourbirthright.blogspot.com/