We are a Capitalist country. Our nation has created greater wealth than any other society in Global history. But the distribution of those riches is outrageously skewed toward the top. The result, the American dream is dying of too much of what has been sold to us as a good thing. Unregulated Capitalism — meaning unfettered greed — is killing it, leading to the end of democracy as envisioned by the Framers of our Constitution.
Our current form of Capitalism, a remnant of the “Reagan Revolution,” aided and abetted by the Supreme Court’s ridiculous 2010 “Citizens United Decision,” has led to an extreme concentration of power in the hands of a few individuals and monopolistic corporations. The absurd notion of trickle-down economics has been long-proven right-wing hogwash. Instead of a society where every citizen has an equal voice, this form of Capitalism created a situation where the wealthiest individuals hold massively disproportionate sway over national policy-making decisions, undermining the fundamental principle of democracy that every citizen’s voice should be heard and considered equally. To paraphrase George Orwell, some citizens are now, literally, more equal than others.
Deregulation has led to the privatization of essential services and resources, undermining the role of these institutions in serving the “common good.” When key services such as healthcare, education, and civil infrastructure are driven by profit motives, it results in unequal access to these vital resources, threatening the essence of democracy, which is founded on the idea of collective responsibility and shared resources for the benefit of all citizens. This erosion of our public institutions betrays the ideals of those who sought to establish a government that would serve the people and promote the “common good” as defined by the US Constitution.
An unfettered business environment creates a situation where regulatory capture and corruption thrive, leading inexorably to corporate monopolies, killing competition, and destroying checks and balances. Powerful corporations now influence and manipulate government’s regulatory processes to serve their own interests, and always at the expense of the public, destroying the hope of a fair and just system that is meant to protect the rights and interests of all citizens.
The Framers envisioned a democracy based on the rule of law and the impartial application of justice, but avarice subverts these principles by allowing the entitled to exert undue influence over the legal and regulatory systems. The only possible counterbalance to the mega-corporations is honest government. Government is not the problem. Government is the solution. Keeping it honest is the genuine problem we face as a Republic.
Deregulation has led to the commodification of civic engagement, where the wealthy exploit their financial power to shape public opinion and governmental decision-making. In our current suborned system, where money plays an outsized role in politics, the voices of ordinary citizens are drowned out by well-funded special interests, leading to a situation where the democratic process becomes a battleground of competing economic interests, rather than a forum for the deliberation and representation of diverse viewpoints within our society.
Trump’s focus on further deregulating the American form of Capitalism undermines the democratic ideals of the US Framers by concentrating power and wealth, eroding public institutions, fostering regulatory capture and corruption, and enfeebling democratic participation. If this madness continues, our Republic will not survive. The outcome, the rich are getting richer; the poor are getting poorer; and the middle class is being squeezed. The American dream is dying. Greed is killing it.
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*** Editor’s Note: If you liked this article, you’d definitely want to check out Bob’s latest book: Surviving the United Nations – A True Story of Violence, Corruption, Betrayal, and Redemption.
It’s an eye-opening account of a Green Beret’s second career at the United Nations.
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