*Why Is American Government So Corrupted?*

[BrianH]

Two primary reasons both of them having to do with the SCOTUS.

1. They gave corporations the same rights as citizens

2. They decided that money = FREE SPEECH.

Those two anti-demoractic findings by the SCOTUS have scuttled the democracy part of this Republica and turned our governments into handmaidens for the extremely affluent.

So, make it illegal to receive any campaign contributions from anyone. No free Lear Jet rides. No funded fact finding vacations. Nada. Zip. That and the proposal by the OP should change things.

3. TERM LIMITS on CONGRESSIONAL SEATS

 

[BrianH]

Not so much as they used to hide it>

Before Citizens United, federal election law allowed a company like Koch Industries to talk to officers and shareholders about whom to vote for, but not to talk with employees about whom to vote for,” explains Paul M. Secunda, associate professor of law at Marquette University. But according to Secunda, who recently wrote in The Yale Law Journal Online about the effects of Citizens United on political coercion in the workplace, the decision knocked down those regulations. “Now, companies like Koch Industries are free to send out newsletters persuading their employees how to vote. They can even intimidate their employees into voting for their candidates.” Secunda adds, “It’s a very troubling situation.”

The Kochs were major supporters of the Citizens United case; they were also chief sponsors of the Tea Party and major backers of the anti-“Obamacare” campaign. Through their network of libertarian think tanks and policy institutes, they have been major drivers of unionbusting campaigns in Wisconsin, Michigan and elsewhere

Big Brothers: Thought Control at Koch | The Nation

So they basically got the same abilities unions have been using for decades? Terrible, terrible indeed.

Many of us left and right agree that unions ALSO ought to be prevented from taking positions and supporting parties, too.

So yes I agree with you the outcome of allowing corporations (union corporations or otherwise) to insinuate themselves into the political scene is a terrible mistake for the American PEOPLE.

But allowing that DOES benefit BIG CAPITAL as we can se easily see if we look at what's been ahppening to our economy over the last five decades.

You hit the nail on the head, but I'd would go one further and say that there is no "left or right" issue. We tend to busy ourselves with worrying about the Conservative vs. Liberal fight when we have a lovely Constitution that, if followed, would solve these issues for us. This fight between left and right has been fabricated to keep us divided and make us feel like the government needs to solve our problems. We simply need to vote for people who will uphold the Constitution...period.

 

[BrianH]

Because citizens vote once every two years and don't get otherwise involved, and paid lobbyists work seven days a week. The election is a show; the real work is done when most of us arn't looking.

It's not the people who vote that count. It's the people who count the votes."-- Josef Stalin

 

[Dude111]

1. Because they can.
2. Because they are greedy.
3. Because they are self serving bastards.
4. Because they fear no one.
5. Because our political parties are not addressing this.
6. Everyone is blind to it.
7. Just proves people are really much much more stupid than they will admit.

ALL OF THIS IS QUITE TRUE!!

The US Govt is the MOST CORRUPT in the world... The elite here tries to force thier ways ON EVERY OTHER COLUNTRY in the world and its quite disgusting..


People goto the polls to vote,ARE THEY REALLY THIS BLIND THINKING THEY MAKE A DIFFERENCE?? -- Its all planned out,voting is just a way to keep sheeple IN CONTROL,thinking they have say in things when they really dont!

 

[DGS49]

The biggest problem with "American Government" (mainly speaking of Congress) is that we have too much of it.

Congress is basically a "rules committee." Ask yourself this question: Why does an institution that has been in existence for (in effect) 232 years need a full-time rules committee? When do we have ENOUGH laws and regulations? At this point in history, Congress should be in session for, at most, a couple weeks a year. It should be a part-time job that would not interfere with normal gainful employment.

And why do we have so many lawyers in Congress? Why have lawyers representing the farmers in Iowa? Why not a farmer? The growers in California - why not a grower? And so on. You need lawyers to draft the legislation but being a lawyer should be a disqualification from being a Congressman/woman.

As Toqueville noted a long time ago, when the people realize that they can vote themselves money and benefits from government, our "democracy" is doomed. Our Congress - and especially the Democrats - use their legislative power to spend taxpayers' money to buy votes. How many Democrats describe themselves as being "compassionate" for taking OPM and spreading it out to constituent groups? And we are stupid enough to believe it.

Every Congressperson's main goal in life is to be re-elected, time after time. That takes money - huge amounts of it. So they essentially spend their entire time in office either begging for money or trying to buy votes with legislation.

Yeah, it's pretty corrupt.

The best we can do is try to elect people who are not on a personal power trip, and who have the knowledge to be effective. Some of them do exist, or so I've been told. John Kasich is one example.

 

[patrickt]

Two primary reasons both of them having to do with the SCOTUS.

1. They gave corporations the same rights as citizens

2. They decided that money = FREE SPEECH.

Those two anti-demoractic findings by the SCOTUS have scuttled the democracy part of this Republica and turned our governments into handmaidens for the extremely affluent.

You meant "these two anti-Democrat findings" but since neither of those "findings" exist I suppose your thread is really pointless. The Supreme Court found nude dancing=free speech not money. And, corporations can't vote but citizens can, well, and non-citizens and dead people if you're a leftist so corporations do not have the rights of citizens.