|
As we all hopefully are aware of, capitalism enables the concentration of capital in the hands of a few. And, of course, these few seek to secure their positions. Largely because of this, government has historically sided with the wealthy and influential, giving lip service to the masses--namely, the working class. About 98% of Americans are in the working class, a huge majority, yet their best interests have been not only ignored, but methodically been prevented from being met. Fat cat corporate bosses are a symptom of this illness. Let's not go off on a tangent and talk about corrupt union bosses. Sure, there are some, but that issue pales before what we must face if we are to have real democracy in this, or any, country.
Here is what Einstein said, in 1949 in the Monthly Review, about this serious flaw in our system:
Private capital tends to become concentrated in few hands, partly because of competition among the capitalists, and partly because technological development and the increasing devision of labor encourages the formation of larger units of production at the expense of smaller ones. The result of these developments is an oligarchy of private capital the enormous power of which cannot be effectively checked even by a democratically organized political society. This is true since the members of legislative bodies are selected by political parties, largely financed or otherwise influenced by private capitalists who, for all practical purposes, separate the electorate from the legislature. The consequence is that the representatives of the people do not in fact sufficiently protect the interests of the underprivileged sections of the population. Moreover, under existing conditions, private capitalists inevitably control, directly or indirectly, the main sources of information (press, radio, education). It is thus extremely difficult, and indeed in most cases quite impossible, for the individual citizen to come to objective conclusions and to make intelligent use of his political rights.
And there you are, a perfect description of what is happening in Madison, Wisconsin, and really, all across this beautiful land of ours. Fed lies by the media, we elect representatives who then misrepresent us, who end up perpetuating the infrastructure that ensures that the uber-rich continue to exploit the workers, at the cost of human suffering and the destruction of the environment. As Pink Floyd said it, "Welcome to the machine." What milking machine do you prefer, the blue one or the red one?
Who's afraid of fat cat union bosses? Of course, the fat rat billionaire corporate bosses like the Koch brothers, and the very politicians we elect who accept their money. The conclusion is that our representatives--who we have hired and pay to represent us--are not doing their jobs. This is the epidemic that is endangering our dreams of democracy here and everywhere.
|
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
