As we've discussed previously (see, The Day Democracy Died 1 & 2, from January), the Supreme Court has elevated campaign contributions by anonymous business interests to the level of free speech in it's Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission decision. And I mean anonymous, we won't even be able to tell if those giving unlimited amounts of money to selected candidates are from within the country, which means foreign interests have the means to influence our elections in ways heretofore unheard of (why would Iran need a nuclear weapon if it could simply pave the way for their own candidate, sympathetic above all else to their cause, with all of that oil money at their disposal).
"It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans," President Obama said in a statement on the day the decision was handed down.
I've stated before that the major problem this country faces, above all others, is money in the political process, whether it's the federal government, state, or local. As long as elections are not publicly financed, and professional lobbyists are allowed to run rampant through the halls of Congress, government will remain dysfunctional, corrupt, and grid locked, unable to do the work of the people because it's too concerned with doing the business of it's corporate masters who own it through campaign contributions which are nothing but a form of bribery. This goes for Democrats as well as Republicans. The Supreme Court's decision opens the flood gates allowing an infinite amount of money into the process, exactly the opposite of what is needed for the government to actually work.
The Republicans are the corporate party, so they like the Citizens United verdict just fine, figuring that their corporate masters will pour more money into the campaigns of Republican candidates than those of their opponents. And I bet they will.
The Disclose Act (Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act), introduced in the House by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) would do a whole bunch of things to help mitigate the disastrous consequences of the Supreme Court's decision by making CEO's of corporations responsible for the ads they produce, prevent those foreign interests from determining the outcome of our elections, allow shareholders of corporations to know where their money is being spent, prevent tax payer money from being spent on election campaigns by government contractors, and keep corporations from "sponsoring" political candidates (can you imagine, dear readers, Senator John McCain during the last Presidential election with a sign promoting "Viagra" strapped to his back? I can), among other things, all in the name of making elections more transparent, fair and equitable (not to mention shoring up the national security aspect by blocking foreign entities from influencing our elections).
The President said as much himself in his weekly radio address: "What's at stake is not just an election, it's our democracy itself."
But making elections transparent, fair and equitable is not what the Republicans are about, at least when they think they have the advantage, so they keep filibustering the bill, not even allowing it to come to the Senate floor for an up and down vote, something they claim they like to do all of time (when it's to their advantage). Mr. Turtle Head...I'm so sorry. I'm very immature and shouldn't be calling opposition members silly names just because they physically resemble amphibious reptiles... the honorable Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) claims that the president is trying to fix the November election by promoting the Disclose Act, and in doing so admitting that Citizens United will unduly benefit the Republicans, or so they hope. Mitch and his buddies claim the Democrats are only advancing the Disclose Act to maintain their majorities in the House and Senate. Well, duh! Yeah they're trying to maintain their majorities by keeping the election transparent, fair and equitable. But as I've said earlier, the Republicans aren't in to that.
What does all of this election business and campaign finance reform have to do with lysergic acid diethylamide? Just take a look at Turtle Head's... I mean McConnell's eyes... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin... well, you just know he's gotta be tripping.
And all of those freaks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce too!
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"It is a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks, health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans," President Obama said in a statement on the day the decision was handed down.
I've stated before that the major problem this country faces, above all others, is money in the political process, whether it's the federal government, state, or local. As long as elections are not publicly financed, and professional lobbyists are allowed to run rampant through the halls of Congress, government will remain dysfunctional, corrupt, and grid locked, unable to do the work of the people because it's too concerned with doing the business of it's corporate masters who own it through campaign contributions which are nothing but a form of bribery. This goes for Democrats as well as Republicans. The Supreme Court's decision opens the flood gates allowing an infinite amount of money into the process, exactly the opposite of what is needed for the government to actually work.
The Republicans are the corporate party, so they like the Citizens United verdict just fine, figuring that their corporate masters will pour more money into the campaigns of Republican candidates than those of their opponents. And I bet they will.
The Disclose Act (Democracy is Strengthened by Casting Light on Spending in Elections Act), introduced in the House by Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Maryland) would do a whole bunch of things to help mitigate the disastrous consequences of the Supreme Court's decision by making CEO's of corporations responsible for the ads they produce, prevent those foreign interests from determining the outcome of our elections, allow shareholders of corporations to know where their money is being spent, prevent tax payer money from being spent on election campaigns by government contractors, and keep corporations from "sponsoring" political candidates (can you imagine, dear readers, Senator John McCain during the last Presidential election with a sign promoting "Viagra" strapped to his back? I can), among other things, all in the name of making elections more transparent, fair and equitable (not to mention shoring up the national security aspect by blocking foreign entities from influencing our elections).
The President said as much himself in his weekly radio address: "What's at stake is not just an election, it's our democracy itself."
But making elections transparent, fair and equitable is not what the Republicans are about, at least when they think they have the advantage, so they keep filibustering the bill, not even allowing it to come to the Senate floor for an up and down vote, something they claim they like to do all of time (when it's to their advantage). Mr. Turtle Head...I'm so sorry. I'm very immature and shouldn't be calling opposition members silly names just because they physically resemble amphibious reptiles... the honorable Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) claims that the president is trying to fix the November election by promoting the Disclose Act, and in doing so admitting that Citizens United will unduly benefit the Republicans, or so they hope. Mitch and his buddies claim the Democrats are only advancing the Disclose Act to maintain their majorities in the House and Senate. Well, duh! Yeah they're trying to maintain their majorities by keeping the election transparent, fair and equitable. But as I've said earlier, the Republicans aren't in to that.
What does all of this election business and campaign finance reform have to do with lysergic acid diethylamide? Just take a look at Turtle Head's... I mean McConnell's eyes... he's got lifeless eyes. Black eyes. Like a doll's eyes. When he comes at ya, doesn't seem to be living... until he bites ya, and those black eyes roll over white and then... ah then you hear that terrible high-pitched screamin... well, you just know he's gotta be tripping.
And all of those freaks at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce too!
.jpg)
Other notable drug related items in the news:
Those happy go lucky folks on the Texas School Board of Education are at it again. They're tired of all of the Muslim infiltration of our children's textbooks, making them appear all nice and all, nicer than Christians. Seriously. They contend that "Middle Easterners," are buying into the nation's textbook businesses hoping to turn our kids into little Osama's, and have issued a resolution for them to stop doing it. These are the same sick idiots who recently voted to amend the books used in their classrooms to a decidedly right wing bent, such as pulling Thomas Jefferson from a list of figures whose writings inspired revolutions in the late 18th century and 19th century, replacing him with St. Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin and William Blackstone (because he coined the term "separation between church and state," which the conservative majority of the board does not believe exists). They also wish to add the same old stuff right wingers are always promoting, Darwin's theory of evolution is questionable, and the countries founders were guided by Christian principles... like the ownership of slaves.
Clearly these guys and gals have been passing around the Orange Sunshine.
The GOP in Montana of all places, want to make homosexuality illegal. "We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal." So if your born gay in Montana, through no fault of your own, I don't know, you'd have to go to jail I guess. They should enforce the laws prohibiting glue sniffing and slugging down hits of windowpane instead.
Someone in the Obama Administration thinks it's a good idea to sell Saudi Arabia about 60 billion dollars worth of weapons and military hardware. Obviously on acid. That's just what this world needs... more weapons in the Middle East. Well that will certainly show those Iranians for standing up for themselves by refusing to stop enriching uranium because the Republican neo-cons are making it a wedge issue of it in the states, won't it?
As Colin (Colin) Powell said just Sunday morning on "Meet the Press," and I paraphrase, "Iran wants to survive. They know what would happen to them if they were to use a nuclear weapon in the area." I agree, it's unlikely Iran would use a nuclear weapon if it had one. So let's sober up all you Bill Kristols and John McCains out there, and put down the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
To be continued:
Those happy go lucky folks on the Texas School Board of Education are at it again. They're tired of all of the Muslim infiltration of our children's textbooks, making them appear all nice and all, nicer than Christians. Seriously. They contend that "Middle Easterners," are buying into the nation's textbook businesses hoping to turn our kids into little Osama's, and have issued a resolution for them to stop doing it. These are the same sick idiots who recently voted to amend the books used in their classrooms to a decidedly right wing bent, such as pulling Thomas Jefferson from a list of figures whose writings inspired revolutions in the late 18th century and 19th century, replacing him with St. Thomas Aquinas, John Calvin and William Blackstone (because he coined the term "separation between church and state," which the conservative majority of the board does not believe exists). They also wish to add the same old stuff right wingers are always promoting, Darwin's theory of evolution is questionable, and the countries founders were guided by Christian principles... like the ownership of slaves.
Clearly these guys and gals have been passing around the Orange Sunshine.
The GOP in Montana of all places, want to make homosexuality illegal. "We support the clear will of the people of Montana expressed by legislation to keep homosexual acts illegal." So if your born gay in Montana, through no fault of your own, I don't know, you'd have to go to jail I guess. They should enforce the laws prohibiting glue sniffing and slugging down hits of windowpane instead.
Someone in the Obama Administration thinks it's a good idea to sell Saudi Arabia about 60 billion dollars worth of weapons and military hardware. Obviously on acid. That's just what this world needs... more weapons in the Middle East. Well that will certainly show those Iranians for standing up for themselves by refusing to stop enriching uranium because the Republican neo-cons are making it a wedge issue of it in the states, won't it?
As Colin (Colin) Powell said just Sunday morning on "Meet the Press," and I paraphrase, "Iran wants to survive. They know what would happen to them if they were to use a nuclear weapon in the area." I agree, it's unlikely Iran would use a nuclear weapon if it had one. So let's sober up all you Bill Kristols and John McCains out there, and put down the Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.
To be continued:
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