Forum Post: Career polititians are the problem, republican, democrats alike
Posted 12 years ago on Oct. 3, 2011, 7:58 a.m. EST by radicalchange
(5)
from Hampton, GA
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
Our politicians have become barons of Corporations, Wall Street and Military contractors. The cost of getting elected now is such that this evil axis controls our government. We cannot fix our great country until this oppressive network is broken. Our political system will perpetuate the issue. Politicians only interested in getting elected will take their orders from the evil axis in exchange for campaign funds. We need to strip Washington of lobbyist and limit terms to just one term to restore a functioning government.
agreed.
I agree. I considered running for Congress when the rep for my hometown (Corning, NY) resigned unexpectedly. I was told immediately by the Democrats that I needed to raise a million dollars, plan on spending at least half of my time raising money, and that really, I needed to do whatever the Democrats wanted me to do for the first couple years. Immediately all politicians are introduced to the culture of politics this way: beholden to the stakeholders, having to adopt certain positions or make certain compromises in order to keep contributions coming. This socialization glosses over an ugly reality - put so beautifully in the Occupy Wall Street first statement - "no true democracy is possible if the process is determined by economic power". Amen. I decided not to run.
If no corporations could provide money to a campaign and if we dismantled the Republican and Democratic parties in the United States we could by those (comparatively) unchaotic actions begin to remove the unquestioned, all pervading, all powerful allegiance that the government has to the holders of capital. And then, my friends, we could be on our way!
Just to say, unlike some people on this group, I think that capitalism and democracy are the best ways humans have come up with to distribute goods and power among humans. I just think that the rule of law with respect to capitalism and democracy must be equally observed - for all corporations and all sovereigns. Whatever a person can do, a corporation or a state can do, but whatever would be illegal for a person should be illegal for a corporations, governments and religions.
I mean, I also wish for more powerful changes in the functioning of capital markets. The best and the brightest of my generation did not choose to invent solutions to technological problems, or problems of humans or problems of a sustainable planet. My generation bought into consumerism so much that the best and the brightest became bankers, moved capital markets, created synthetic financial products - unnecessary illusions, baroque flourishes where only the traders and the banks get rich. And it is just such a waste of brain power that all those people are scheming for their next £4 million bonus to get the house in Monaco when they could be doing good.
I love you all and I am grateful you are there.
Well said Swann, btw I too believe capitalism can work if it has the right checks and balances in place