Think Again …

Posted on by under Political commentary, Rants

So, you think that Senator or Representative you voted into office last year is serving in the best interest of We The People?  You think he/she cares about the issues that affect our daily lives?  You think he/she votes on bills keeping in mind how it will affect not only his/her constituents, but the nation as a whole?  Boy are you in for a shock!  We The People are not even in the running, not anywhere in the minds of our elected representatives and are important only for about 30 minutes once every 2-6 years, as we stand in front of the voting booth.

U.S. Representative Chris Collins, representing New York’s 27th congressional district since 2013, led the headlines today …

Top GOP congressman: My donors told me to pass the Republican tax bill or ‘don’t ever call me again’ – Business Insider, 07 November 2017

Now, while it is on my to-do list, I have not studied the tax bill, so can judge only on what I read, but from everything I am seeing, reading and hearing, the tax bill is essentially what we all expected it to be:  huge benefits for the wealthy and for corporations, little or nothing for the middle-income earners, and cuts in services for the poor.  If you are not familiar with the word ‘plutocracy’, now may be a good time for you to study it a bit.

“Moderate Republicans from New York and New Jersey worry their constituents would lose big if they can no longer deduct their state and local taxes from their federal tax bill — one of the key ways Republicans are hoping to pay for the corporate tax cut at the center of the plan. Outside groups on the right, like Club for Growth, also object to the bill, saying that taxes for millionaires should be cut even more. Outside estimates project that millions of middle-class Americans could end up paying higher taxes.

Yet the bill is still expected to pass the House.” – Vox, 07 November 2017

chris collins

Rep. Chris Collins

Let’s look a bit at Mr. Collins’ record over the past few months, for I believe he is representative of most in Congress.

  • He supported Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey, saying, “The Director of the FBI serves at the pleasure of the President. I respect President Trump’s decision at the recommendation of the Attorney General.”
  • He voted to repeal ACA (Obamacare) and voted for the abominable GOP health “care” plan that would have taken health care away from millions, even though he admittedly had not read the bill! I guess, one doesn’t need to read what they are voting for, since their ‘donors’ are telling them how to vote.  “Don’t bother reading the fine print, sonny, just sign on the dotted line.”
  • He supported Trump’s ‘executive order’ banning people from Muslim countries (except those where Trump conducts business and makes a profit), saying “I get a little frustrated with the folks who don’t like Trump trying to make something into something it’s not. So I’m just disappointed that we can’t have a true and honest debate without someone inflaming the situation and claiming there’s religious overtones.”

So, it is obvious that Mr. Collins has been a bootlicker all along, but still … when I hear that ‘donors’, which amounts large corporations, wealthy people who are heavily invested in large corporations, and lobbying groups such as the NRA, are threatening to cut off funding if our elected representatives don’t do things their way, I get a little hot under the collar.

The problem, of course, for all members of Congress is that if they are honest and truly want to work in the best interest of the nation and its people, they are doomed to fail, for unfortunately in our current election process, it is a matter of “he who has the most toys, wins”.  Without the money from the donors, the opponent, who is in the pocket of the 1%, will have more television ads, more money to dig up dirt on his opponent, more full-page newspaper ads, more money for rallies, and other public appearances.  Unfortunately in our culture today, the one who is seen most, who has the greatest name recognition, is the one whose name a majority of voters will tic on their ballot each November.  Thus, the rare honest candidate is doomed before ever leaving the gate.  And we wonder why there is so much voter apathy?  Think on this one for a bit … and don’t forget to look up that word: PLUTOCRACY.

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15 thoughts on “Think Again …”

  1. Long ago I came to the conclusion that the majority of the people in public office were ‘serving’ for what they could get out of it, and not out of an altruistic desire to make things better for everyone else.
    Politics the world over is riddled with corruption, graft and nepotism, and that’s the least of its evils.
    Chris Collins seems to be a pretty typical brown-nosed member of that political class who will do just about anything to climb the greasy pole of political advantage.
    These wazzocks make me want to puke.
    Cool piece again Jill. Love, hugs, and kisses. ❤ ❤ ❤

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Dear Jill,
    After the democratic trounced republican candidates in just about every special election held on November 7, 2017, the republicans need to start worrying about their voters than their donors.
    In the Virginia race for the governorship, republicans backed Ed Gillespie with tons of money but the democratic candidate Ralph Northam trounced him.
    I think that “we the people” have just put a scare into those greedy donors.
    Hugs, Gronda

    Liked by 3 people

    • Also from Wikipedia:

      United States
      Further information: Income inequality in the United States § Effects on democracy and society
      See also: American upper class and Wealth inequality in the United States

      Some modern historians, politicians, and economists argue that the United States was effectively plutocratic for at least part of the Gilded Age and Progressive Era periods between the end of the Civil War until the beginning of the Great Depression. President Theodore Roosevelt became known as the “trust-buster” for his aggressive use of United States antitrust law, through which he managed to break up such major combinations as the largest railroad and Standard Oil, the largest oil company. According to historian David Burton, “When it came to domestic political concerns, TR’s Bete Noire was the plutocracy.” In his autobiographical account of taking on monopolistic corporations as president, TR recounted

      …we had come to the stage where for our people what was needed was a real democracy; and of all forms of tyranny the least attractive and the most vulgar is the tyranny of mere wealth, the tyranny of a plutocracy.[19]

      Liked by 3 people

    • It should certainly send a loud and clear message to the GOP and the lobbyists. And did you hear how Trump immediately distanced himself from the republican candidate in Virginia who lost? Shows a lack of loyalty that should also send a message, that they cannot trust Trump. Should make for some interesting news the next few days … I’ve been busy today and not had time to look at much, but will be trolling it a bit later. Hugs! And a High Five!!!

      Liked by 1 person

  5. Jill, this tax bill is malfeasance with respect to the debt. Our $20.5 trillion debt is expected to grow by $10 trillion without the tax bill. The bill would increase it by $1.5 trillion. That would cause the debt to tally $32 trillion in ten years. We must increase taxes and decrease spending. We cannot solve the debt without both. The math will not work. Who says so – nonpartisan groups like Fix the Debt, The Concord Coalition and The Committee for Responsible Federal Budgets. This was also a key premise of the Simson-Bowles Deficit Reduction Plan. Keith

    Liked by 1 person

    • More from Wikipedia:

      Effects on democracy and society
      Economists Jared Bernstein and Paul Krugman have attacked the concentration of income as variously “unsustainable” and “incompatible”[98] with real democracy. American political scientists Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson quote a warning by Greek-Roman historian Plutarch: “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.” Some academic researchers have written that the US political system risks drifting towards a form of oligarchy, through the influence of corporations, the wealthy, and other special interest groups.

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Considering how hard it can be these days to ascertain who actually owns big businesses and corporations it means you have no idea who is actually passing the instructions down to their minions. How about if it’s Russia or China whose money dictates the member’s votes? Are you willing to leave things as they are now? The Senate belongs to you, not to outside interests stop them buying it at the run up to the polls.
    xxx Cwtch xxx

    Liked by 2 people

    • According to Wikipedia:

      Plutocracy (Greek: πλοῦτος, ploutos, ‘wealth’ + κράτος, kratos, ‘rule’) or plutarchy, is a form of oligarchy and defines a society ruled or controlled by the small minority of the wealthiest citizens. The first known use of the term was in 1631. Unlike systems such as democracy, capitalism, socialism or anarchism, plutocracy is not rooted in an established political philosophy. The concept of plutocracy may be advocated by the wealthy classes of a society in an indirect or surreptitious fashion, though the term itself is almost always used in a pejorative sense.

      Usage
      The term plutocracy is generally used as a pejorative to describe or warn against an undesirable condition. Throughout history, political thinkers such as Winston Churchill, 19th-century French sociologist and historian Alexis de Tocqueville, 19th-century Spanish monarchist Juan Donoso Cortés and today Noam Chomsky have condemned plutocrats for ignoring their social responsibilities, using their power to serve their own purposes and thereby increasing poverty and nurturing class conflict, corrupting societies with greed and hedonism.

      Examples
      Historic examples of plutocracies include the Roman Empire, some city-states in Ancient Greece, the civilization of Carthage, the Italian city-states/merchant republics of Venice, Florence and Genoa, and the pre-World War II Empire of Japan (the zaibatsu). According to Noam Chomsky and Jimmy Carter, the modern day United States resembles a plutocracy, though with democratic forms.

      Liked by 3 people

    • I agree with you, but … it may not be so simple. No, you know I’m not willing to leave things as they are, but it’s going to take more than just voting them out. That, of course, is the first step, but then campaign laws need to be changed to severely limit the amount that any single donor can contribute. Personally, I would like to see them completely abolish outside donations and let the government fund campaigns, with each candidate receiving the same amount and none allowed to contribute from their own pocket, but it will never happen.
      xxx Cwtch xxx

      Liked by 1 person

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