I am not at all comfortable with the involvement of the billionaires in this election

[justoffal]

Set true, and a Meritocracy based on the ability of Citizens to Think, Speak and Act within the limits of Propriety would be the most efficient form of Meritocracy.

Agreed

 

[westwall]

It bothers me to no end. It just isn't right and insults the system that the founding fathers ( though most of them were wealthy it's true) worked hard to insulate against this kind of influence. I'm not a fan of Musk's massive donations to Trump of or Cuban's massive donations to Harris and that just names two of the dozen or so big hitters donating a total of what looks to be several billion altogether to the rat race we call the POTUS election.

Slippery slope folks.....this leads to nowhere good.

JO

Oh, they have always been there, just hiding in the shadows.

Trump's 2016 victory forced the cockroach's out into the light.

 

[westwall]

Burn this motherfucker down and start again with an Ultra-Conservative Authoritarian Meritocracy.

Authoritarian governments avoid merit like the plague.

 

[justoffal]

Authoritarian governments avoid merit like the plague.

Yeah

 

[Anathema]

Authoritarian governments avoid merit like the plague.

Liberal ones, definitely. I’m talking about something totally new.. a true Conservative Authoritarian system.

 

[martybegan]

The billionaires are the largest employers collectively. It's safe to say that more than half of the revenue comes from their employee's paycheck taxes. This is the reason you want them to hire more people not less. Art Laffer was correct in his assessment. Having said that however I do not approve of the outsized donations coming in from big money to either candidate. It skews the numbers IMO.

JO

The problem is any restrictions on who can give what amounts will be used only against those outside the Orthodoxy of the moment.

 

[justoffal]

The problem is any restrictions on who can give what amounts will be used only against those outside the Orthodoxy of the moment.

Human nature....it's damnably consistent.

 

[Concerned American]

Instead of ruining our country, the billionaires need to buy a series of islands and create their own country.

Many of them, the globalist faction, are planning just that---the island is the planet earth.

 

[westwall]

Liberal ones, definitely. I’m talking about something totally new.. a true Conservative Authoritarian system.

All authoritarian governments are leftwing. The opposite of authoritarian is NO government.

 

[Arlette]

The problem is any restrictions on who can give what amounts will be used only against those outside the Orthodoxy of the moment.

huh? The restriction to give millions would only apply to people who have millions to give.

 

[Concerned American]

The problem is any restrictions on who can give what amounts will be used only against those outside the Orthodoxy of the moment.

Limits were made on contributions and they were quickly circumvented by PACs

 

[Concerned American]

All authoritarian governments are leftwing. The opposite of authoritarian is NO government.

No government equals anarchy.

 

[martybegan]

Human nature....it's damnably consistent.

That's why limited or no restrictions are better than tight restrictions.

Make them say who funds it. Not some PAC or made up group, the person funding it.

 

[martybegan]

Limits were made on contributions and they were quickly circumvented by PACs

And the problem is you can't restrict people's speech just because they group up for the sake of making political speech.

 

[martybegan]

huh? The restriction to give millions would only apply to people who have millions to give.

And why should they be so restricted?

 

[JohnDB]

It bothers me to no end. It just isn't right and insults the system that the founding fathers ( though most of them were wealthy it's true) worked hard to insulate against this kind of influence. I'm not a fan of Musk's massive donations to Trump of or Cuban's massive donations to Harris and that just names two of the dozen or so big hitters donating a total of what looks to be several billion altogether to the rat race we call the POTUS election.

Slippery slope folks.....this leads to nowhere good.

JO

What makes you think it has not ALWAYS been this way?

What do you think was the original catalyst for the Civil War?

The South resorted to slave labor because of the economic oppression by the Government funded wealthy Northerners.

The South had been trying to sell distilled spirits, tobacco, sugar, and cotton to Europe directly but the Northerners blocked it. They couldn't get a ship to haul any of it.

But the north freely sold cloth and tobacco PRODUCTS and spirits to Europe regularly at reduced prices. The Government had been subsidizing the Northern states industrialization. Wealthy Camoaign funding paving the way for this to happen all along.

So when the North was seen as taking away their ONLY economic equality (although it had always been unequal) token of slavery they had an outright fight over the situation.

Neither side all that right....but the War was started by the influences being wealthy beyond reasonability.

 

[Arlette]

And why should they be so restricted?

Because it buys influence. Obviously

 

[martybegan]

Because it buys influence. Obviously

And should we restrict unions as well?

The right to lobby is a constitutional right.

 

[Arlette]

And should we restrict unions as well?

The right to lobby is a constitutional right.

How much did they give?

 

[justoffal]

What makes you think it has not ALWAYS been this way?

What do you think was the original catalyst for the Civil War?

The South resorted to slave labor because of the economic oppression by the Government funded wealthy Northerners.

The South had been trying to sell distilled spirits, tobacco, sugar, and cotton to Europe directly but the Northerners blocked it. They couldn't get a ship to haul any of it.

But the north freely sold cloth and tobacco PRODUCTS and spirits to Europe regularly at reduced prices. The Government had been subsidizing the Northern states industrialization. Wealthy Camoaign funding paving the way for this to happen all along.

So when the North was seen as taking away their ONLY economic equality (although it had always been unequal) token of slavery they had an outright fight over the situation.

Neither side all that right....but the War was started by the influences being wealthy beyond reasonability.

Truth is the northern business community was jealous of the slave labor and wanted it also.