I am as proud an American as anyone else with the election of Barack Obama to be the next leader of this country; however, one thing always disturbs me when it crosses my eyes; the fact that Obama raised more than $600 million for his election campaign. This astonishing amount was contributed to by regular citizens, donating $5, $10, $20 at a time; but the vast majority came from the corporatocracy of this nation, to support their deeply entrenched special interests; the same interests that have taken complete control of our government over the last 8 years. This reminds me of the change really needed in this country, and least likely to occur, while our politicians are beholden to the major corporations and the wealthy who control them. David Brooks writes, "It is all a reminder that the biggest threat to a healthy economy is not the socialists of campaign lore. It’s C.E.O.’s. It’s politically powerful crony capitalists who use their influence to create a stagnant corporate welfare state."
We see Obama and the democrats walking this dangerous path already, pushing for the bailout of an industry that needs to live and die by the rules of capitalism, the big 3 of Detroit, who have shunned innovation in favor of intervention, and must be made to pay the price of reality.
"Granting immortality to Detroit’s Big Three does not enhance creative destruction. It retards it. It crosses a line, a bright line. It is not about saving a system; there will still be cars made and sold in America. It is about saving politically powerful corporations. A Detroit bailout would set a precedent for every single politically connected corporation in America. There already is a long line of lobbyists bidding for federal money. If Detroit gets money, then everyone would have a case. After all, are the employees of Circuit City or the newspaper industry inferior to the employees of Chrysler?"
-David Brooks
"The corporatocracy makes a show of promoting democracy and transparency among the nations of the world, yet its corporations are imperialistic dictatorships where very few make all the decisions and reap most of the profits. In our electoral process-the very heart of our democracy-most of us get to vote only for candidates whose campaign chests are full; therefore, we must select from among those who are beholden to the corporations and the men who own them. Contrary to our ideals, this empire is built on foundations of greed, secrecy, and excessive materialism."
-John Perkins, The Secret History of American Empire
