A few days ago, I was asked what I wanted to see President Obama do in the next two years.
Recently, so called Democrats voted with so called Republicans in the Senate to kill a bill that would stop providing tax incentives to corporations who send their jobs to countries whose people are all too happy to receive a wage upon which no one in any country could live above the line of subsistence, let alone comfortably; to countries whose leaders favor payments of money over protecting the environment.
In 1968, George Wallace, running as an independent, said, "There ain't a dime's worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats."
I abhorred many of the things Wallace did and said at that time. To stand in front of university doors so that he could stop people from entering merely because of the random color of their skin was unconscionable.
After he was shot, Wallace had a change of heart and went to his grave at least outwardly decent. He made amends with African Americans.
I remember the "dime's worth of difference" phrase, though. He actually was right and it's become even truer as time has passed. Almost all politicians were wealthy before they ran for office and were elected, remain wealthy during their terms and are wealthy when they're either defeated or retire.
I had heard that Barack Obama spent $700 million to buy the presidency in 2008. This site says that he spent over $300 million. Either number is ridiculous.
The Supreme Court's January, 2010 ruling in Citizens United v The FEC has allowed corporations to reach into their vast profit margins and pull out any amount of money that they deem "necessary" to get their candidates elected. The decision also states that there is no disclosure rule for corporations who do this. So, buying a job for $300 million is already obsolete in a black comedy sort of way.
Don't forget, The Corporatocracy and China have made some sweet and sweaty deals. It's in China's interest to keep American jobs going to its nation. It's so much in its interest that it may accidently drop a $1 billion dollar bill in the office of some corporate CEO who may decide to use it to buy a candidate or two.
Meg Whitman has spent, to date, over $140 million to buy the governorship of California. Jerry Brown has spent a modest $10 million.
The point is that Obama, Bush, Clinton, HW, Reagan and even some before that have/had little or no say in the governance of The Former United States of America.
What incentive can outweigh receiving millions and/or billions of dollars? What can Obama do? What could Bush have even done?
Prima facie, it looks as though the Democrats are for unions and working people and the Republicans are for the wealthy. You gotta be kiddin' me.
Once again, I present you with the prescient oration Paddy Chayefsky wrote for the movie or book, Network, in 1976. I implore you to watch it and watch it and watch it until you not only hear the words, but until you actually begin to listen to the words.
I paraphrase: There are no Republicans, there are no Democrats, there are no nations, there are no borders. Am I getting through to you, people?
Now, having told the truth about how it is, I will tell you what I would like to see Obama do in the next two years, hoping against hope.
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