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Lawrence Lessig's 2011 book "Republic, Lost" explains how the
US political system is so corrupt that few if any can survive in
office without playing their part in this corrupt system. Lessig
says the corrosive influence of money in government is "the gateway
problem" facing the US today in the sense that we must solve this
problem before we can make progress against any of the other
problems facing the nation. <br>
<br>
<br>
My reaction is summarized in my essay on "Gateway Problems in
US Politics & Economics" (<a
href="http://occupy.pbworks.com/w/page/52167684/Gateway%20Problems">http://occupy.pbworks.com/w/page/52167684/Gateway%20Problems</a>):
To raise the massive amounts of money required to get reelected,
congress extorts (Lessig's term) money from big business by passing
legislation with special privileges for a few years at a time. As
each one expires, it provides another excuse to shake down the big
businesses for more money. Since the 1990s, the masters of this
game are the bankers, which is why the world economy is in such
terrible shape. For me, the gateway problem is the failure of the
US public to seek out and support substantive investigative
journalism, especially about how this corrupt system works: In the
1980s and 1990s, a massive wave of media consolidation produced a
media oligopoly with more power than at any time in US history. In
the 1990s, the media companies all but eliminated their previously
anemic investigative journalism function, because no matter how it's
managed, it's a losing proposition. If they find anything, they
don't dare run a story for very long or they'll lose advertising.
Similarly, if they publish any serious information about politics,
it would increase the chances that someone could win an election
without so much advertising -- in addition to the money they'd lose
from offended advertisers taking their business elsewhere. <br>
<br>
<br>
My bottom line, in a phrase similar to yours but I think with
a little broader appeal is that voting for any candidate or
initiative that can afford television advertising is voting for
bribery. I refuse to vote for bribery. <br>
<br>
<br>
I agree with your position, but I think it's harder to
convince people that Obama is a war criminal. Besides, if Obama
actually abided by the law, the media would work hard to find
something to cripple his presidency. I think Obama knows this,
which is why he does what he does. <br>
<br>
<br>
Spencer<br>
<br>
<br>
On 5/31/2012 10:32 PM, Brian Good wrote:
<blockquote cite="mid:BAY165-W42919F338EE0C3FCBC7BBB9E080@phx.gbl"
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<font style="font-size: 10pt;" face="Tahoma " size="2"><a
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href="http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/6571/scotusromneyobama260dpi.jpg">http://img826.imageshack.us/img826/6571/scotusromneyobama260dpi.jpg</a><br>
<br>
I first heard this argument from a Occupy Redwood City
guy--that if Romney<br>
wins, he'll pack the Supreme Court with neocons, My own
position is that as<br>
a matter of principle I refuse to vote for the war criminal
Obama, lest I be<br>
seen as complicit in his crimes. <br>
<br>
We need a counterargument with wider appeal than mine.<br>
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<br>
<br>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Spencer Graves, PE, PhD
President and Chief Technology Officer
Structure Inspection and Monitoring, Inc.
751 Emerson Ct.
San José, CA 95126
ph: 408-655-4567
web: <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="http://www.structuremonitoring.com">www.structuremonitoring.com</a>
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