The EXEGETIST: A Library Of Independent Political Thought. By: Jack H. Dawsey

American Corporations and the Supreme Court

Part- 1

 By: Jack Dawsey

The word, Corp’ocracy, (replacing the word Democracy), may soon appear in Webster’s New College Dictionary.  It’s because the United States Supreme Court’s most recent 5 to 4 decision (January 21^st, 2010) in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, removed long-established legal barriers preventing corporations and unions from spending unlimited sums of money to influence voters in political campaigns.  The court’s ruling actually stacks the deck against peoples of all political stripes because it enables corporations to buy our democracy.

President Franklin Roosevelt, 32^nd President of the United States, forewarned against such action.  He said that a government by organized money is just as evil as a government by organized mob.

The recent court ruling is a game-changer.  It will alter the makeup of the United States Congress.

Corporations were already beneficiaries of high-priced lobbyists, but now wield more influence than ever before imaginable.  With the court’s decision, there is no limit on corporate contributions and the multinationals can, in essence, buy the senator or congressman of their choice.  In the event a lawmaker was courageous enough to vote for legislation that favored a citizen over a corporation, they now have the legal green light to step in and lend support to an opponent.

For over 150-years the American school system has taught that the United States was a government “of, by, and for the people.”   The 16^th President rallied the nation to join in a great civil war so that this nation would not perish from the earth.  The court’s decision has set at naught Mr. Lincoln’s political assertion.

Once and for all, corporations will turn democracy on its head; thence, the name Corp’ocracy.

This nation will be exclusively owned by capitalists, and dictated by boards of directors from without.  Let me explain.

The once, industrialized United States has moved (with its jobs) to foreign soil.  Even their minimal paying jobs -including the lowly answering machine service- are in India, the Philippines, and the Dominican Republic.

Baseballs, golf shoes, and other sports equipment -once made in America- are manufactured elsewhere.  The Texas giant Halliburton is in Dubai, (apparently where bedfellow Dick Cheney can retire in obscene luxury).  Countless others have relocated overseas.

In my opinion, the U.S. government has been hollowed out by republicans and democrats and their willing corporate minions, including their well organized PACS, lobbyists, and other “operative” organizations.  The court’s ruling legally seals the deal.  Meanwhile, we argue over which political party will take us to the dance in November.

The news media is about the only mega- corporation remaining on America soil, and that for a reason, for example.

If  you watch FOX your fair and balanced decisions are filtered through the eyes of a neo-conservative, Roger Ailes, Chairman and CEO.  Or if you watch NBC, your mindset is fed the predisposition of General Electric, or the cable giant of Time/Warner, CNN.  Or, if you watch ABC your children are fed Disney’s Mickey Mouse fantasy.  And CBS reminds its programming staff that Edward R. Murrow is dead; therefore, he cannot haunt their liberal decisions.  The other giant, Viacom, is preparing our children for financial slavery by gorging them on a diet of MTV and B.E.T.  

When did Congress last approve legislation, (or the Supreme Court decided a case), where wealth was not at stake?   And now with the blessings of the high court, American corporations are on a perfect glide path to control the last remaining pillar of our democracy, the election.

I think the words of Justice John Stevens are probably correct.  He said in his dissent that the court’s ruling threatens the integrity of elected institutions around the nation.  dawseyjh@embarqmail.com

Next Installment, Part-2, “How We Got Here”

The Mother of Ponzi

By: Jack Dawsey

Ponzi Scam: “A fraudulent investing scam that promises high rates of return at little risk to investors. The scheme generates returns for older investors by acquiring new investors. The scam actually yields the promised returns to earlier investors -as long as there are more new investors.”

While that’s the technical definition of a Ponzi scam, it has broader applications.  For example, imagine yourself with the legal authority to create money without having to manufacture anything of worth.   And afterwards, have the ability to invest the money in tax-free foreign government corporations, or tax free bonds, or betting on Black-Jack in Vegas.  And if you lose the money at the tables, not to worry, you have the authority to print more. Isn’t that impossible?  Not really. The Federal Reserve System, in collaboration with a democrat and republican Congress do it all the time.  While the Congress authorizes to increase the nation’s debt ceiling, the Feds print the money.

Our modern monetary system has evolved (for the worse) into an incestuous relationship between the Congress of the United States and the private banking cartel, known as the Federal Reserve. [By the way, the Federal Reserve is neither Federal nor is it a Reserve.  It’s a private corporation].  

Don’t sit with baited breath waiting for the media, or a political party, or a prominent figure within the party to expose this relationship.  Most reporters don’t understand the process well enough to even challenge it, and fewer understand the nature of unredeemable paper currency.

The American people are under the misconception that their currency –otherwise known as a Federal Reserve Note- has sustaining value.  Fact is the dollar is worth no more than a promise IOU from the Congress.  Your dollar is “virtual” money.  It has little to no future redeeming value as in the day of your father, or when you were in grade school.  Bottom line:  all U.S. currency issued today is “Fed Notes.”

The only backing for a Fed Note is: (a) the “trust in God” motto and (b), the stability of a global economy.  Personally, I don’t think the economy is very stable, do you?  And I’m reasonably sure that a blind trust, predicated on money, does not favorably impress or get the attention of the Lord. 

Today, the dollar is practically worthless.  If you don’t believe me, try redeeming your “Fed Note” in silver or gold at your local bank.  Or, hold that single piece of Legal Tender until the end of the first quarter, i.e. March 31 or the next quarter, 30 June 2010, and see how much food it will buy at the supermarket.

In short, (and in my opinion), our current monetary system is based purely on a lie, or if you prefer a softer term, faith.   Lie or faith, “We the people…” are betrayed; more importantly, our grandchildren.     

In trade for the abundance of these newly issued Fed Notes, your grandchildren will inherit an egregious debt.  Slavery or financial bondage, whichever term you prefer, they can’t recover from this debt.  In exchange, Congress tells us they’re creating “shovel-ready” jobs.  We’re told that they are going to recover the jobs that America lost in manufacturing to Mexico, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, China, and Taiwan, and that more jobs in sales are on the horizon.  (By the way, it was a republican and democrat Congress that took these jobs from us in the fist place, and sent them to these foreign countries).  I’m waiting for another yarn from this President and our U.S. Congress telling me they’re creating more jobs in the screen-door industry –screens to fit the door of a submarine.   

Lastly, and in my opinion, if  we’re going to print reams and reams and reams of Fed Notes, and drive our nation deeper in debt, how about insisting that in exchange for these Fed Notes that we get something of value, such as the construction of new schools, or repairing bridges and overpasses, or constructing new interstate highways? How about in exchange they manufacture high speed trains -as in Europe and Asia- trains that travel 200MPH?   Shucks, the draining of the swamps in Florida and Georgia to rid them of pesky mosquitoes is better than the present IOU system.   

In closing, let’s stimulate the U.S. economy -not the Federal Reserve, or the investment bankers on Wall Street.  And by all means, we ought not to stimulate another democrat or republican Congress with a Déjà Vu vote in November.