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OpEdNews Op Eds    H3'ed 7/23/11

We the People Need to Confront Our Present Political State of Affairs

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Message Dave Lefcourt
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The corporatists and their lackey's in Congress have the country by the throat.

Our current electoral system must be confronted and overthrown. We just can't continue to vote for those they nominate and control. The system is rigged with outrageous sums of corporate largesse that corrupts the electoral process to benefit them. It must be replaced with a people's funded, publicly financed electoral process on all levels of government.

Until that happens nothing of significance will change; we'll continue our present charade that has the Democrats and Republicans in a food fight on the debt ceiling that doesn't confront the real issues, the real reasons and the fundamental need to cut those fiscal items that really contribute to the debt and/or are unnecessarily funded.

We are engaged in two unnecessary wars in Iraq and Afghanistan (not to mention clandestinely in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia). End these wars, bring the troops home and that saves hundreds of billions.

End all defense spending on unnecessary weapons systems that don't work or are unnecessary i.e., intercontinental ballistic missile systems, atomic submarines, aircraft carriers, next generation fighter planes et al against an enemy that no longer exists. That need ended more than twenty years ago. The cold war is over and there is no enemy imminent or otherwise on the horizon that justifies the billions we waste against a phantom enemy. Terrorism and terrorists do not rise to any credible threat that justifies the bloated and outrageous defense spending we don't need to defend the country. Ending this unnecessary spending will also save hundreds of billions.

Let's tax the rich who are not paying their fair share. Also increase the payroll tax of those making over a $100,000 into the social security and Medicare fund. Close the tax loopholes for corporations and end off shore havens for these tax evaders. End the oil depletion allowance and agricultural subsidies that benefit the mega agricultural concerns (that have displaced the small farmer) that do nothing for the consumer except raise the price of food.

Let's hold Wall Street accountable for its role in perpetrating the financial meltdown and subsequent great recession of 2008. They need to be investigated and fined according to their complicity in bringing about the present economic morass. Regulate the trillion dollar derivatives market and have those derivatives earnings taxed accordingly.

Now the aforementioned of necessary changes is not an exhaustive listing but they highlight some of the main issues that contribute most significantly to the nation's debt and the debt ceiling crisis we presently face.

But the real issues mentioned here are not confronted by the sycophants in the Congress and the White House because they are beholden to the corporatists that put them in office.

So instead of confronting the real issues contributing to our debt ceiling crisis our politicos focus on cutting social security, Medicare and Medicaid while the states go after the public unions, teachers, firemen et al.

It is all part of the corrupt and dysfunctional electoral process that keeps us from confronting our real problems with real solutions.

The big moneyed and special interests are holding the country hostage to its interests. It is why we fight unnecessary wars, give the rich a permanent tax holiday, let Wall Street off the hook and play games over the debt ceiling crisis.

Only the people can demand the necessary changes to our current corrupt and dysfunctional electoral process that is at the heart and the core of this country's abysmal state of affairs.

If we continue to acquiesce and remain passively indifferent to what is happening in our electoral process instead of confronting it head on with the need to overthrow the current big moneyed and special interest control over it we become the complicit enablers to whatever befalls us.

We become responsible for our fate because we are letting it happen.                

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Dave Lefcourt Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Retired. The author of "DECEIT AND EXCESS IN AMERICA, HOW THE MONEYED INTERESTS HAVE STOLEN AMERICA AND HOW WE CAN GET IT BACK", Authorhouse, 2009
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