Americans should be well aware of these issues and problems and their critical importance. We talk about them time and again, polls indicate that the people want every one of these problems addressed, but this Congress is not listening; nothing ever happens and these problems continue to fester and worsen. What will it take, how can these pathetic politicians be either motivated or forced to address them?
It's very common in many businesses for those who have responsible leadership positions to have to work under a system which includes specific objectives that are designed to increase sales and profits, to lower costs, or to develop new systems; all designed to make a company more successful. Their performance on these objectives determines whether they will advance in the company, earn salary increases and bonuses, and whether they will retain their jobs. They are personally accountable and are charged with the responsibility to address and solve problems that the company faces.
Not so with this lethargic Congress. There is nothing to make them address or solve the problems that are plaguing this country, and yet they enjoy substantial salaries and generous benefits. These politicians should have to answer to the American people who elected them; they don't. They are only accountable to the masters of Corporatism that control them and who have established only one objective -- conduct the business of this Congress with the interests of Corporate America and its profitability above all else. Those who adhere to this requirement will keep their jobs, those who don't will have a very short career.
But here's the biggest problem that we face. As bad as this situation seems to be it's far worse than we realize. There is no light at the end of the tunnel, this is an almost fatal condition for our democracy as we have a legislative process that is grinding to a halt. These politicians are not going to change, they are locked into their current state and they refuse to be accountable; and the masters of corporatism have no intention of loosening their grip or control over governmental affairs.
So, how in the world are we to deal with this contaminated process? This Congress will never cleanse itself. That process of cleansing can only be initiated by the American people when they reach the point that they can no longer tolerate the acrid political smell that permeates our nation's capitol. They must, in effect, become the exterminators by which Corporatism is flushed out of the affairs of this government and this deeply contaminated political process.
Yet that's more easily said than done. It might be done by a reversal of the Citizens United Case through a reconstituted Supreme Court; but what are the chances of that happening? Or it could be done by a national movement to amend the U.S. Constitution, a very complex process. Congress has the power enact strong campaign finance legislation that would overhaul the entire system, control the process and ban corporations from making direct contributions to political campaigns. But as long as the Corporatists continue to fill the Congressional troughs with polluted money, those who feed at them will never do anything to reform the process.
This contamination of the legislative branch of our government represents a massive dilemma for our nation and is a direct threat to our democracy. We seemingly are entirely incapable of developing meaningful solutions to this egregious problem. Something is missing in America. Is this how the self-proclaimed "greatest nation in the world" functions? Is this an example of "American Exceptionalism" at work? One thing is certain; it's time to rethink those fictional concepts because they certainly don't fit the America of today.
Michael Payne
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