Here's my theory: government is a necessary evil.
Our current government system is not just corrupt, it is inherently corrupting. The way it's currently set up will corrupt anyone who attempts to interface with it. It is a thing to which we gave life. It thrives on our most extreme wants and needs. However, our representatives (who already have a salary) are also assisted financially by lobbyists, because a politician's real job is to get reelected. All the stuff in between is just filler. Some lobbyists work for causes we care about. Lobbyists are not inherently evil. We just should not let them give money to politicians. So when we say "let's get the money out o politics" we mean not allowing them to pay for a politician's election campaign. That creates corruption. But we need government. What we don't need is our politicians swayed by money.
I believe that lobbyists were created because our politicians stopped actively listening to their constituents. Which is understandable since their main job is getting re-elected. Campaigning cost money; more money than donations from constituents. Businesses have lobbyists to protect their businesses. Politicians get rich from lobbyists. The lobbying is good, but they way they go about it it is inherently corrupting. On the bright side, we keep track of the lobbyists and their money. We know exactly how much money was given to which politician. It's very organized. It's like we realized that the real problem was with the politician who accepted the money and not the money, itself. But there's so much of it. And sometimes - because we're only human - we do things we know we shouldn't but we rationalize away the harmful repercussions of our actions because there's so much money.
We sell ourselves out to the highest bidder because our kid needs to go to college. The need for cash grows in small incremental steps. However, need turns into greed when that need is satiated. Our politician writes legislation so complex; usually smaller issues are combined with larger issues. If a lobbyist gives you a substantial amount of money it could make them change the way they vote on a bill. Why would someone change their philosophical stance on an issue and then vote differently and betray their belief system? College tuition is high and boats are expensive. I have to keep up with the Joneses. I need nice clothes because I can't look like I'm unsuccessful.
Money is the root of all evil. But in our culture, it is a necessary evil.
Or you can do what Bernie Sanders did. He wrote a book. Made millions. He seems like a guy who doesn't need to be a billionaire. What makes him different? Why has the system not corrupted him? I think he likes his job. He's got a strong set core set of values that help him. We as citizens have benefited from his use of those values. He's a different kind of guy. He found his niche and he kept at it. Not sure if he would be a better president than Bouttigieg, however, who I also think is incorruptible. Bouttigieg's financials look like mine. He wrote a book but it's not selling as well as Sanders is. I believe that, for him, civics is the stuff dreams are made of. I like his vision of America. His core set of values look pretty strong, as well. I'm not quite sure why people think Biden and Kamala would make great presidents; neither one has any real, clear vision that I can see. Mayor Pete has one. Sanders has one, too. I would love to see those two debate.
#government #corruption @charliepecot @letsgetminimal @ispunkard
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