The Money Party - The Essence of our Political Troubles

Michael Collins
Originally published in "Scoop” Independent News
on September 30, 2007


The Money Party is a small group of enterprises and individuals who have most of the money in this country. They use that money to make more money. Controlling who gets elected to public office is the key to more money for them and less for us. As 2008 approaches, The Money Party is working hard to maintain its perfect record.

It is not about Republicans versus Democrats. Right now, the Republicans do a better job taking money than the Democrats. But The Money Party is an equal opportunity employer. They have no permanent friends or enemies, just permanent interests. Democrats are as welcome as Republicans to this party. It’s all good when you’re on the take and the take is legal.

This is not a conspiracy theory. There are no secret societies or sinister operators. This party is up front and in your face. Just follow the money. One percent of Americans hold 33% of the nation’s wealth. The top 10% hold 72% of the total wealth. The bottom 40% of Americans control only 0.3% (three tenths of one percent). And that was before “pay day loans.”

The story is as old as civilization but the stakes have never been higher than they are right now.

In every campaign for major office, the party passes out money and buys candidates from both parties. Thanks to the candidates who get elected, this pay to play system remains perfectly legal. Those elected get luxury trips, sweet jobs for family members, and more campaign contributions for the next round of elections. What they do is perfectly legal even though it looks like bribery.

In return for contributions, the election winners come through by fixing the laws so that The Money Party cleans up. Lower taxes, highly favorable business regulations, laws that shield their businesses from real competition all start with the nonstop flow of Money Party funds. Cost is no object, because in the end it’s all paid for with our tax dollars.

The Money Party gets no-bid contracts as well as the ability to lay off their employees and dump their pension plans just about any time they want. It doesn’t get much better than that. It's welfare for big money and survival of the fittest for the rest of us.

We are nothing to them.

When the White House and Congress ignore the health care crisis year after year, why be surprised? They’re not in office to serve you. The drug companies and hospitals had their bid in first.

When our public servants fail to get us out of Iraq, don’t take it personally. That will happen when The Money Party says so.

When citizens suffer and starve for days after a hurricane, we’re told they should have been better prepared. When levees and bridges collapse, it's an act of God. But when the fat no-bid contracts show up, The Money Party takes it all.

Unreliable election systems, citizens excluded from the vote on the basis of race and class, and questionable results don’t matter as long as the right candidates get in. We pretend to vote, they pretend to get elected, but there’s no doubt who is in charge - The Money Party.

It’s nothing personal. The party is just doing its job. Why be surprised or disappointed? It’s been happening for centuries. The more some have, the more they want, the harder they fight to keep it. Spread some around so they can get even more. It’s a rigged game from top to bottom.

We let this happen. We can change it. The first step is to name it, and we just did.

The Irish fought for 800 years to win their independence from the world’s most powerful empire. Generations came and went before the goal even seemed possible. They never gave up.

Now it’s our turn.

END

Note: This is the first in series of articles on The Money Party (also here). Other topics include why we end up with such lousy leaders, why it’s so hard to get rid of them, and how the party manipulates the public debate with misleading terms and crackpot ideas that seem legitimate. Special thanks to John Arbuthnot and Jillian Hayroot for their input.

Permission granted to reproduce in whole or part with attribution of authorship and a link to this article.

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Comments

timely

watching the primaries is a joke. Voting in the same corrupt people, and worse, their opponents are corrupt or crazy too.

There is no choice! We need none of the above and maybe elections null and void if at least 70% of registered voters do not actually vote.

We have cable noise, every day, useless, mealy mouthed sound bytes that are not relevant. It's appropriate to repost something from 2007 because that's what this is like Groundhog Day.

Money in Politics

   The whole sordid affair with the campaign,lobby and lets not forget the media industry that has grown that the movie industry should be jealous.I have been waiting since Ross Perot for this to come to a head.I have seen campaign laws to come to legislation in my state only to be voted down by the elected official's that according to them,are there for us.Media doesn't put in any time for Independent candidates as for the most part they have no money and the large part of reporting is the betting on which candidate is going to win by how much money either party has on hand.Of all the endorsement packets I have recieved in my bid for office 90 per cent asked if I would accept pac money or contributions and when I say no I never hear from them again.With the few that want to interveiw me for endorsement I tell them of my exempt status and can't spend more than 1000.00 dollars I never hear from them again.No way for them to influance me besides the reasoning behind their position.All of or problems stem from monatary influance.I had thought I knew it all till I got into this but didn't know it was this bad.I have no upper level schooling and just a little curiosity I can correlate bills with how much money is given by which corporation or special interest group.Sad in a way and hopeful in other way's by articles like this.I know one thing for sure I ain't quitin any time soon regardless if I win or not,it's almost a religious mission now.Frank Rutherford

Frank Rutherford

patience

The end is on its way and it will be ugly and painful. It's just a long slow process of erosion until the major collapse point is reached. Then it will start falling apart in ever larger chunks. When the pain is widespread enough, when the pain becomes shared across all socio-economic classes, you will get change. You will also get an enormous release of pent up rage, voices of reason will be drowned out, fingers will be pointed everywhere, and insanity, with possible violence, will rule the day. And we will pine for the days of wealth and affluence we now live in, but to no avail.

Eventually we will come to our senses, accept responsibility for our future, voices of reason and leadership will assert themselves and we will begin rebuilding a society that serves the best interest of the general public, "we the people".

Leastwise that's how I see it. Animal Farm in the U.S.S.R. Communism in the U.S.S.R fell without a shot because the government and political processes were too corrupt to serve it's citizenry, and the same thing has happened here. Animal Farm, American style. History repeats itself.

History

   Mark Twain wrote[History doesn't repeat itself,it just rymes].Sad but true,but I hope the sleeping giant awakes,and the Japanese were talking about the citizens of this nation when they uttered those words,I for one have HOPE.

Frank Rutherford