America Has Changed From Democracy to Plutocracy

America Has Changed From Democracy to Plutocracy

NOVEMBER 28, 2015

A plutocracy is government run by the rich, for the rich. In Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the U.S. Supreme Court allowed the corporate role in politics to be expanded, wiping away 100 years of law protecting citizens from the large corporate check books. The Supreme Court’s McCutcheon v. Federal Election Commission ruling pushed these boundaries back even further and now there is no limit to funds corporations or billionaires can give to unfairly influence elections.

Back in 2010, Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) said he was “disappointed by the decision of the Supreme Court and the lifting of the limits on corporate and union contributions.”

Senator John Kerry (D-Mass.), speaking on how to fix this injustice, said “I think we need a constitutional amendment to make it clear, once and for all, that corporations do not have the same free-speech rights as individuals.”

Their concerns are fully justified, as these same large corporations have no loyalty to the U.S. They want “free trade” at all costs—not to export American made goods, but to outsource American jobs. Our jobs are moving to countries with no labor laws or environmental standards. Products once made here are now made at $2 per hour in other countries, then shipped into America with no tariffs or restrictions.

Here, citizens may earn $20 per hour, but with fewer and fewer jobs—as employers move overseas or go out of business—there will be no one left to buy their foreign-made products. Tariffs, which were instrumental in allowing us to become the world’s greatest productive economy, would defend our companies from the predatory practices putting them out of business, but these tariffs are opposed by “free traders” in Washington, who are financially backed by rich multinationalists.

As Senator Bernie Sanders said, “Freedom of speech, in my view, does not mean the freedom to buy the United States government.”

Soon our whole country will be unemployed, as the current recession turns into a depression worse than what our nation experienced in the 1930’s. At least we still had our manufacturing then. By putting protections in place we were able to make a strong comeback. If we don’t act now and bring back fair trade with protective clauses instead of unrestricted, destructive “free trade”, we may never recover.