The place where Democrats and Republicans Agree

This is an interesting article on the cost of 'politican corruption' in the USA.

www.alternet.org...

Every election year major news organizations conduct nationwide exit polls to ask, among other things, what issues brought voters out. Ethics is never even on the list.

In 2009 and 2010 pollster Scott Rasmussen posed the same question but included “government ethics and corruption” as a possible response.

Both times over 80 percent of voters called it very important and both times it topped the list, edging out even the economy — this in the teeth of a protracted recession.

Interestingly:

...And here’s an interesting fact: On every question, it seems Democrats and Republicans felt pretty much the same.

Ralph Nader has talked about this 'converance' of left and right on certain vitally important issues (Unstoppable: The Emerging Left-Right Alliance to Dismantle the Corporate State).

One of the most successful 'governance' model's I've had the pleasure of using (Don't recall the formal name) is one where you focus on those items you agree upon and write down and put aside those you don't. After working through the points of agreement, you look at the points of disagreement and, often, find that they are not that important anylonger.

And this very profound statement:

In Citizens United, Justice Kennedy “found” that government has no stake in “soft corruption”–the billions spent on lobbying and elections–because, he says,

it does no harm and people don’t seem to mind it.

There was no evidence in the pleadings to support his finding because none exists.

It’s a statement of a sacred tenet of the establishment creed,

that the powerful can exchange endless favors without injury to ethics, reason or the public interest.

It’s the big lie that holds the whole corrupt enterprise together. When he told it, Kennedy wasn’t speaking for the radical right. He was speaking for the center.

and

Of all the candidates running in both parties, only Bernie Sanders has said he won’t set one up, or signal some close confidant to do it when he isn’t looking.

and makes a rather astute conclusion:

A storm’s brewing, but if Democrats feel the barometric pressure dropping they do a good job of hiding it.

As the party of government they pay the price for our revulsion at its condition.

Voters now espouse liberal views on most big issues: climate change; income inequality; immigration; same sex marriage; gun control; prison reform; foreign interventions.

Yet Republicans run Congress and the 2016 race is a dead heat.

How can it be? One answer: the government’s broken and Democrats can’t or won’t fix it. Republicans won’t either, but then they don’t plan to use it.

It's worth reading....

a reply to: FyreByrd

Agreed!

Corporations ARE NOT people! If they were then why in the hell do we NEVER see a CEO go to prison?

Nice talk and all, but when will our so called representatives do something about it?

a reply to: FyreByrd

In Citizens United, Justice Kennedy “found” that government has no stake in “soft corruption”–the billions spent on lobbying and elections–because, he says,

it does no harm and people don’t seem to mind it.

After a few beers he might admit, almost no one currently holding the real power in the US (and clearly the UK) is interested in democracy in any form. That being the case, I doubt the elections are legit. There's too much at stake.

a reply to: FyreByrd

And some of the comments:

If your an "I got mine you get yours " type your going to hate the next phase in American history.

Killing Wellstone and his family only postponed the inevitable swing left.

Read your Kybalion the pendulum will always swing as far left as it moved to the right.

Moderation prevents these wide swings.

Someone should have taught the neon-cons poster note: and neo-libs [/yellow] this.

www.alternet.org...

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: FyreByrd

Agreed!

Corporations ARE NOT people! If they were then why in the hell do we NEVER see a CEO go to prison?

Nice talk and all, but when will our so called representatives do something about it?

The point of the article (not the post) was that they won't. My point was that WE THE PEOPLE can if, and only if, we can be adult enough to FOCUS on what is important and leave the 'divisive politics' aside for the moment.

According to poling (when it is done and includes 'corruption' in the questions shows Huge agreement on this Fundamental governing value.

originally posted by: seeker1963
a reply to: FyreByrd

Corporations ARE NOT people!
If they were then why in the hell do we NEVER see a CEO go to prison?

Good question.

Corporations ARE NOT soylent green!!!!

Generally, corporations are not able to claim constitutional protections that would not otherwise be available to persons acting as a group. For example, the Supreme Court has not recognized a Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination for a corporation, since the right can be exercised only on an individual basis.