Posted on 06/28/2015 7:03:08 AM PDT by Brad from Tennessee
Welcome to the age of vanity politics and campaigns-for-hire. What would our founders make of this nightmare?
Four qualities have distinguished republican government from ancient Athens forward: the sovereignty of the people; a sense of the common good; government dedicated to the commonwealth; and resistance to corruption. Measured against the standards established for republics from ancient times, the American Republic is massively corrupt.
From Plato and Aristotle forward, corruption was meant to describe actions and decisions that put a narrow, special, or personal interest ahead of the interest of the public or commonwealth. Corruption did not have to stoop to money under the table, vote buying, or even renting out the Lincoln bedroom. In the governing of a republic, corruption was self-interest placed above the interest of all—the public interest.
By that standard, can anyone seriously doubt that our republic, our government, is corrupt? There have been Teapot Domes and financial scandals of one kind or another throughout our nation’s history. There has never been a time, however, when the government of the United States was so perversely and systematically dedicated to special interests, earmarks, side deals, log-rolling, vote-trading, and sweetheart deals of one kind or another.
What brought us to this? A sinister system combining staggering campaign costs, political contributions, political action committees, special interest payments for access, and, most of all, the rise of the lobbying class. . .
(Excerpt) Read more at time.com ...
A liberal Gary Hart back then was more conservative than conservative are today, evidently.
OMG, what a puritanical time we used to live in. Nowadays you're shamed into oblivion if you disagree that two queer men should raise children as man and 'wife"
Its hard for me to get my knickers in a knot over the fact that a Left-Wing party not affiliated with the Crony Capitalists leads the government in Greece right now in coalition with the Conservative “Independent Greeks” party of people who got kicked out of the GOP-like New Democracy Party for refusing to support the Crony Capitalists.....
“What brought us to this?”
Your political party played a big part, Gary.
he is correct
IOW,Amend Out the Citizen's United Decision!!!
RINOs and FINOs just love that kind of thing.
Gee, I thought Gary Hartpence, a/k/a Dipstick, was so far left he could not care about the corruption of our founding principles.
Hahahhahhaa!
My friend who was a friend of John Kerry gave me a pass to see McGovern in 1972 at Fanueil Hall. Hart was the boy genius behind McGovern.
It was amazing to watch Hart romance one woman after another that night.
It was like he was trying to beat MLK’s midnight-6 a.m. floozy record.
You can buy Honest Graft for the lordly sum 4 cents at Amazon now. Worth reading still.
Yes and some of the massively corrupt Americans are Republican.
Have HOPE! Noting is too difficult for God.
Let us repent and turn from our idleness.
In Jesus name! Have faith!
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