Why won’t Congress act? Because they’re on the take. Courtesy of Citizens United and its predecessors voted into law by five corrupt Republicans on the Supreme Court…
I don't see a way out; it is already too late. Politicians (and judges) are blatant in their corruption and when caught out, they just laugh at us. Look at Judge Canon, for example, could she be any more blatantly pro-Trump (and anti law?) The damage done by Trump's SCOTUS will never be acknowledged by the right and they are there for the long haul. Democrats REFUSE to even consider expanding the court, as they should do, for balance. The court (IMO) should have one justice from each state. Why not?
Oligarchs own all the levers of power and most of the media. I've watched stalwarts, such as WaPo and NYTimes take hard right turns over this past year. Citizens have no rights, except the right to buy stuff, with their stagnant wages, from the oligarchs. If they can take the right to physical autonomy from half the country, with very little real resistance in many quarters, they can do anything else they want. Oligarchs never give up power until the pitchforks come out. Even then, their resources allow them to weather the storms unscathed. They are psychotic devourers, mad with their ravenous greed. Republicans use propaganda and angertainment to control the population and when that fails (circus only works until the bread runs out), they will use force. That's the "logic" behind Trump's proposed gulags.
The 2024 election will tell the tale. If Trump and his minions prevail, we're done. It's back to the medieval model of lords and serfs (TBH, we are pretty much there.) Yet, even if Democrats prevail, I don't have a lot of faith in the Democrats to address any of our most pressing problems. Imagine for a moment, they have all three branches of government. What can they do that can't be stopped by the extremist SCOTUS? They may want to address the issues, but SCOTUS has ensured they must be on the take as well, or they will never hold office.
The names of the majority in the Citizens United v FEC need to be listed individually not merely as a whole. Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Feckless John Roberts, intellectual anchor Antonin Scalia, and Anthony Kennedy. All this insane reasoning emanated from the Lewis Powell memorandum and his decision in First National Bank v Belotti - which arguably provided the template for Citizens United v FEC. Names are relevant.
As usual, Thom puts it together better than any other. I will tell you how bad I think it is. I am retired and 71, and I am recommending to my children, that they should look into relocating to Scandinavia.
Hi Thom, Thanks for writing this. My question is what is the status of 18 U.S. Code § 201-Bribery of public officials and witnesses? Is that not still current law? Is there a way for this law to be used to destroy Citizen's United. Because the effects of Citizen's United has allowed political bribery to be "OK"! And we should all be very afraid of that! Look at where it has gotten us so far! Our elected officials take money with strings attached with glee!
Maybe the majority of Justices are fine with the Nazification of our Democracy by billionaires. Maybe if the MSM had called Reaganomics "trickle-out" vs "trickle-down" the "TRICK" might have been more obvious to the voters who bought that now-empirically-invalidated economic theory. Corporate profits always trickle up and the always cause working-class wealth to trickle out (then up).
My concern is that we’ll be stuck in the morass of legalized campaign finance bribery and that it will become more entrenched and impossible to escape.
Our Democracy will become overwhelmed with corruption when we stop fighting against it. In each of our activities, we can become more vigilant that laws are followed and people who break the law are held accountable. Yes, it's work but it's work that needs to be done--just like doing the dishes and mopping the floor. Transparency goes a heck of a long way at maintaining honesty and fairness.
Keep telling people over and over about the SUPREME court's corruption and its history. What the corrupt repubs have done and do affect us all. Money blinds their consciouses, if they have any left. Congress can do nothing worthwhile as long as the destroyer fascist/gop continue to cause chaos. They know what they're doing! Money-grubbers Manchin and Sinema (filibuster lovers) know what they are doing as well. It's so obvious that they want to destroy democracy (so they can have a little more power -- they think). SCOTUS thinks it's above it all. It's not. Not every member has sold their soul, just enough to make the whole thing useless for now. Maybe forever. I doubt the Trump "supporters" plan to wait for the next election to overthrow our country. Rhetoric and actions are becoming too blatant and ugly. WHY won't people wake up? Please keep telling us and all you can tell what's going on. Every focus you write about is so important. Ruthie B
Starting with passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, the U.S. Congress has been on the attack to negate the power of organized workers. Reagan actively pushed American businesses to relocate production outside of the USA. No worry about unions at a factory in communist Vietnam or communist China. Capitalists should love communism when it is in fascist form and able to suppress workers. In Vietnam the Nike shoes are made by women earning 16 cents an hour but the money saved goes to the Nike management as with Apple with its iphones.
With the demise of strong unions to influence politicians these men and women have sought funding from Wall Street, the energy companies, the weapons companies, and the banksters. Too many workers have drunk the Kool-aid and think that unions are bad and better to trust the factory owners to act in the best interests of their employees.
Capitalism has always depended on slave labor from its inception. Whether it is with captured men and women from Africa or by displacing families from public commons as in Great Britain and sending them to Australia, this is the ugly side of capitalism that economists choose to ignore.
As a 60 year old who graduated in 1981, my entire working life has been under Reaganomics. I put myself through college and grad school and continue to work my a** off to provide my kid with the same only to have the GOP create a “Cat Food Commission” for people like me????? I cannot even begin to express my anger! They ripped us off with retirement bs, the 2008 crisis, school loans, jacking up the costs of food, housing and healthcare and they want to blame us??? Zero respect and no moral compass. While I was able to get an education, without supports, many my age or with disabilities will be living Dickens... in the words of Scrooge “if they would rather die (than go to a poorhouse) they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
Absolutely correct. Trump in 2016 taught Congress a phenomenal lesson. It's OK to GRIFT. Trump did it and so can we! So much more $$ than previously considered de rigueur. And they've accelerated their rate beyond anything we've seen still.
When was Bribery Legalized in America?
I don't see a way out; it is already too late. Politicians (and judges) are blatant in their corruption and when caught out, they just laugh at us. Look at Judge Canon, for example, could she be any more blatantly pro-Trump (and anti law?) The damage done by Trump's SCOTUS will never be acknowledged by the right and they are there for the long haul. Democrats REFUSE to even consider expanding the court, as they should do, for balance. The court (IMO) should have one justice from each state. Why not?
Oligarchs own all the levers of power and most of the media. I've watched stalwarts, such as WaPo and NYTimes take hard right turns over this past year. Citizens have no rights, except the right to buy stuff, with their stagnant wages, from the oligarchs. If they can take the right to physical autonomy from half the country, with very little real resistance in many quarters, they can do anything else they want. Oligarchs never give up power until the pitchforks come out. Even then, their resources allow them to weather the storms unscathed. They are psychotic devourers, mad with their ravenous greed. Republicans use propaganda and angertainment to control the population and when that fails (circus only works until the bread runs out), they will use force. That's the "logic" behind Trump's proposed gulags.
The 2024 election will tell the tale. If Trump and his minions prevail, we're done. It's back to the medieval model of lords and serfs (TBH, we are pretty much there.) Yet, even if Democrats prevail, I don't have a lot of faith in the Democrats to address any of our most pressing problems. Imagine for a moment, they have all three branches of government. What can they do that can't be stopped by the extremist SCOTUS? They may want to address the issues, but SCOTUS has ensured they must be on the take as well, or they will never hold office.
The names of the majority in the Citizens United v FEC need to be listed individually not merely as a whole. Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Feckless John Roberts, intellectual anchor Antonin Scalia, and Anthony Kennedy. All this insane reasoning emanated from the Lewis Powell memorandum and his decision in First National Bank v Belotti - which arguably provided the template for Citizens United v FEC. Names are relevant.
As usual, Thom puts it together better than any other. I will tell you how bad I think it is. I am retired and 71, and I am recommending to my children, that they should look into relocating to Scandinavia.
Hi Thom, Thanks for writing this. My question is what is the status of 18 U.S. Code § 201-Bribery of public officials and witnesses? Is that not still current law? Is there a way for this law to be used to destroy Citizen's United. Because the effects of Citizen's United has allowed political bribery to be "OK"! And we should all be very afraid of that! Look at where it has gotten us so far! Our elected officials take money with strings attached with glee!
Maybe the majority of Justices are fine with the Nazification of our Democracy by billionaires. Maybe if the MSM had called Reaganomics "trickle-out" vs "trickle-down" the "TRICK" might have been more obvious to the voters who bought that now-empirically-invalidated economic theory. Corporate profits always trickle up and the always cause working-class wealth to trickle out (then up).
My concern is that we’ll be stuck in the morass of legalized campaign finance bribery and that it will become more entrenched and impossible to escape.
Our Democracy will become overwhelmed with corruption when we stop fighting against it. In each of our activities, we can become more vigilant that laws are followed and people who break the law are held accountable. Yes, it's work but it's work that needs to be done--just like doing the dishes and mopping the floor. Transparency goes a heck of a long way at maintaining honesty and fairness.
It would be a patriotic act to start taking these guys out--one at a time. Golly gee, where to start?
Keep telling people over and over about the SUPREME court's corruption and its history. What the corrupt repubs have done and do affect us all. Money blinds their consciouses, if they have any left. Congress can do nothing worthwhile as long as the destroyer fascist/gop continue to cause chaos. They know what they're doing! Money-grubbers Manchin and Sinema (filibuster lovers) know what they are doing as well. It's so obvious that they want to destroy democracy (so they can have a little more power -- they think). SCOTUS thinks it's above it all. It's not. Not every member has sold their soul, just enough to make the whole thing useless for now. Maybe forever. I doubt the Trump "supporters" plan to wait for the next election to overthrow our country. Rhetoric and actions are becoming too blatant and ugly. WHY won't people wake up? Please keep telling us and all you can tell what's going on. Every focus you write about is so important. Ruthie B
Government of the people by the plutocrats for the plutocrats.
AMEN!!
Starting with passage of the Taft-Hartley Act in 1947, the U.S. Congress has been on the attack to negate the power of organized workers. Reagan actively pushed American businesses to relocate production outside of the USA. No worry about unions at a factory in communist Vietnam or communist China. Capitalists should love communism when it is in fascist form and able to suppress workers. In Vietnam the Nike shoes are made by women earning 16 cents an hour but the money saved goes to the Nike management as with Apple with its iphones.
With the demise of strong unions to influence politicians these men and women have sought funding from Wall Street, the energy companies, the weapons companies, and the banksters. Too many workers have drunk the Kool-aid and think that unions are bad and better to trust the factory owners to act in the best interests of their employees.
Capitalism has always depended on slave labor from its inception. Whether it is with captured men and women from Africa or by displacing families from public commons as in Great Britain and sending them to Australia, this is the ugly side of capitalism that economists choose to ignore.
As a 60 year old who graduated in 1981, my entire working life has been under Reaganomics. I put myself through college and grad school and continue to work my a** off to provide my kid with the same only to have the GOP create a “Cat Food Commission” for people like me????? I cannot even begin to express my anger! They ripped us off with retirement bs, the 2008 crisis, school loans, jacking up the costs of food, housing and healthcare and they want to blame us??? Zero respect and no moral compass. While I was able to get an education, without supports, many my age or with disabilities will be living Dickens... in the words of Scrooge “if they would rather die (than go to a poorhouse) they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
Absolutely correct. Trump in 2016 taught Congress a phenomenal lesson. It's OK to GRIFT. Trump did it and so can we! So much more $$ than previously considered de rigueur. And they've accelerated their rate beyond anything we've seen still.