Reply #5: it goes so much deeper than just contributions [View All]

[welshTerrier2]

we have all sorts of problems with our democracy.

we have a revolving door between business and government. you need look no farther than cheney's Halliburton ties.

we have totally inequitable access to our elected officials. they hear from "paid corporate staff" every single day. they hear from you and I once in a while via email or phone call. when the big boys call, they get in. when you call, you often have a chance to "leave a message after the beep." big difference there.

listen to Eisenhower's famous warning about the military-industrial complex if you have any doubts about how industry controls the government.

read Chalmers Johnson's "The Sorrows of Empire" or John Perkins' "Confessions of an Economic Hitman" and you'll have a great understanding of just who are the puppetmasters and who are the puppets.

the myth of little people like you and me squirreling away our little campaign nest eggs to help the good guys is sadly not the way it works in the real world. and btw, as if all that's not bad enough, take a look at the won/loss records of incumbent candidates. most "elections" are over way before they even begin. most races are not competitive and some candidates don't even have opposition. some of that's due to contributions; some of it's due to media access' and some of it is due to the highly undemocratic process of gerrymandering. talk about abuse of power.

it's a mess; we should lop off the heads of those who contribute to the undemocratic madness; we remain mostly asleep.