THE DISCONNECT BETWEEN WASHINGTON DC & THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
NOTE: My wife and I leave this week for Botswana Africa and I will not be posting for several weeks.
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I think many, if not most, Americans today see a total disconnect between the politicians in Washington and the American people. Americans generally see their leaders in Washington as overpaid and
overindulged agents of special interest groups, the rich and the corporate powerful. CBS series “United
States of Influence” demonstrates this. http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20074813-503544.html
The polls conducted reveal some striking facts about public attitudes. Seven out of ten said people like
them have little say in what their government does; eight in ten said most members of Congress are primarily interested in serving special interests, not the people they ostensibly represent.
Two in three – including nearly half of Republicans – say the rich benefit most from the federal government's policies. More than seven in ten say special interest groups and large corporations have too much influence on American life. Nearly the same percentage says the salaries and benefits of most members of Congress are too high
The poll found that only 13 percent of Americans feel representatives in Congress are primarily interested in serving the people they represent. The great majority of people, 80 percent, believe members are primarily interested in serving special interest groups. While that perception is longstanding, it has worsened since 1990, when 20 percent said members seek to serve their constituents and 71 percent said they seek to serve special interests.
Most Americans sees the rich – not the middle class or poor -as benefiting most from federal government policies. Sixty-six percent said the rich benefit most, and it wasn't just Democrats: 67 percent of independents, 44 percent of Republicans and 43 percent of Tea Partiers said as much.
By contrast, just 12 percent said the poor benefit most – including just 30 percent of Republicans and 26 percent of Tea Partiers. And only four percent said the middle class gets the most from the federal
government.
Now add to this a U.S. Supreme Court, packed with Bush conservatives, whose consistent rulings in favor of corporations has set a new record of Supreme Court rulings slanted in favor of corporations. This court actually ruled corporations are people which is so in conflict with common sense a high school civics student could do a better legal analysis. All of Washington leans more than the Tower of Pizza in their own self interest and in disregard of Americans generally.
Look around the world today. You see people in revolt against their government. You see it in Spain, Greece, and Italy, whose citizens are being squeezed by bankers insisting on austerity. You see it
in Chile and Israel, whose young people are in revolt. In the Middle East, whose “Arab spring” is becoming a complex Arab fall and winter. Even in China, whose young and hourly workers are demanding more – and whose surge toward inequality in recent years has been as breathtaking as is its surge toward
modern capitalism.
What is the most frustraing is there seems to be little can be done about it. Congress seems unfazed by the lowest ratings they have ever gotten from the American People. It's business as usual. The U.S. Supreme court is appointed for life, so the gang of five seems totally unresponsive to public attitude, previously established law or an oath of objectivity. They all appear to have their own personal agenda and there seems there is little ordinary Americans can do anything about it.