A Very Simple Question for Both Dems & Repubs

[Dont Taz Me Bro]

Hmmm..., I wonder if there's a solution out there?

Simple: Campaign finance reform.

Didn't we try that already?

 

[Luddly Neddite]

Frank Rich on How Conservative Donors are Buying This Presidential Election -- New York Magazine

 

[SniperFire]

Do you think The Rich and Major Corporations have gained more power over our government during the last 30 years? What would you support your view with?

By control I assume you mean regulation and influence upon creation of it.

Perhaps they have, but it pales in comparison to the mountains of populist 'greater good' regulation added each day which is choking the life out of America.

I just saw on O'Reilly tonight that all hotel swimming pools are going to be required to install permanent wheelchair submersion lifts to comply with ADA. Many will of course close the pools.

 

[IndependntLogic]

The cost of campaigns. Where do you think the money's coming from? They have all that extra money because of lower tax rates and want to keep the gravy train going. SUPPORT PUBLIC FINANCING OF ELECTIONS. It'll cost us less in the long run.

Public financing of elections is a very bad idea. You may as well just elect all politicians to a life time term because that will be the result of publicly funded elections.

What we should do in order to dilute the interests of lobbyists and give the people more representation is to increase the number of representative in the House.

I'm curious as to how you come to the conclusion that public financing would result in longer terms.

I've never heard the idea of increasing the number of Reps before. That's actually one of the best I've come across.

 

[Robert_Stephens]

Do you think The Rich and Major Corporations have gained more power over our government during the last 30 years? What would you support your view with?

By control I assume you mean regulation and influence upon creation of it.

Perhaps they have, but it pales in comparison to the mountains of populist 'greater good' regulation added each day which is choking the life out of America.

I just saw on O'Reilly tonight that all hotel swimming pools are going to be required to install permanent wheelchair submersion lifts to comply with ADA. Many will of course close the pools.

Agree fully with all your posts and comebacks today. Well posted. This last one, is that a fact--wow. On O'Reilley? I'll go and find it.

And yes, many pools will close for not being able to install such.

Sad,

Robert

 

[dblack]

Do you think The Rich and Major Corporations have gained more power over our government during the last 30 years? What would you support your view with?

Some have some haven't. What we've seen over the thirty years (more really) isn't so much wealth gaining power over government, but a merging of political and economic power. Regardless, there's no denying that some corporations and wealthy interests have learned that manipulating government policy produces more dependable profits than satisfying the needs of consumers.

Hmmm..., I wonder if there's a solution out there?

I think it's going to take something at a constitutional amendment level - if not outright revolution. The way I see it, we have a situation similar to the collusion between church and state that used to be the norm before reformers teased them apart. Now we recognize that the best way to keep religious influence from dominating government is to maintain a 'wall of separation' between matters of state and our spiritual endeavors. In other words, if you want religion out of government, you have to keep government out of religion.

I think we need something similar with regard to economic power. The implication of that, that a lot liberals and neo-cons are sure to disagree with, is that government has to stay out of economic matters. We need a wall of separation between economy and state that prevents ambitious leaders from using state power to meddle in the economic affairs of the citizens AND keeps wealthy interests from manipulating that power to their ends.

 

[Flopper]

Do you think The Rich and Major Corporations have gained more power over our government during the last 30 years? What would you support your view with?

Corporate lobbying has grown so powerful, that legislators are in effect just sponsoring legislation written by corporate lobbyists.

Of all the entities doing lobbying in Washington, the biggest overall spenders are, in fact, corporations. Wall Street lobbyists and the financial industry spent upwards of $100 million in one year to "court regulators and lawmakers". Since the 1970s, there has been explosive growth in the lobbying industry, particularly in Washington D.C.. By 2011, one estimate of overall lobbying spending nationally was $30+ billion dollars. An estimate of lobbying expenses in the federal arena was $3.5 billion in 2010, while it had been only $1.4 billion in 1998.

To this day unions, churches, governments, and small unincorporated businesses do not have “human rights”; corporations alone have moved into the category with humans as claiming rights instead of just privileges.

Corporations claimed the human right of free speech, expanded that to mean the unlimited right to put corporate money into politics, and have thus taken control of our major political parties and politicians.

Corporations have claimed 4th Amendment human right to privacy and used it to keep out OSHA, EPA, and to hide crimes.

Today of the 100 largest economies in the world, 51 are corporations while only 49 are countries.

The Rise of Corporations

Lobbying in the United States - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[uscitizen]

Do you think The Rich and Major Corporations have gained more power over our government during the last 30 years? What would you support your view with?

Yes.
And does too big to let fail ring a bell?