We Need To Restructure The Federal Government In A Way That Mirrors The Nation’s Modern Reality

On December 4, 2018 longtime former Congressman John Dingell from Michigan wrote an article for The Atlanticclose to my heart Among many ideas to modernize the Federal government, he says that the Senate needs to be abolished and private money outlawed altogether from politics.

Rather than rehash the details of Dingell’s article, I highly recommend that all thinking folks check it out here in Medium via the The Atlantic. The piece is titled: I Served in Congress Longer Than Anyone. Here’s How to Fix It.

From where will the biggest resistance to this desperately needed revamping of government emanate — Corporations and the greediest of super rich individuals? These entities don’t want an efficient, effective federal government, even though over the long haul such a government would be to their advantage. Greed is always short-term focused. For corporations that means how can they maximums their next quarter’s profits.

The nation’s moneybags bankroll politicians (mostly Republicans) to see to it that government does not in any way impinge upon their ability to kill the goose that laid the golden eggs. They want it all — right now. This, even when federal rules that protect the nation and average citizens from the abuses of the rich, which is supposed to be one of democracy’s chief functions, also protects the rich from their own destructive excesses.

Then, too, corporate types are always whining about government rules and regulations. They say it is a drag on their bottom line. Sure it is. Insurance of any kind cost money. It’s simply a part of the useful fiction of doing business, a cost which guards against another1930s type depression or 2008 financial melt down caused by unregulated greed. Of course there are a host of other rules designed to protect consumers, the environment and other safeguards that Wall Street finds annoying. But we don’t do away with traffic rules and regulations just because we find them annoying. They save lives.

In any event the biggest opposition to a modern well-run federal government will surely come from Wall Street and their Republican political shills and highly paid lobbyist.

Special interests have already packed the courts, especially the US Supreme Court to come up with anti good government rulings. One such ruling that immediately comes to mind is that particularly egregious ruling from the Citizens United vs. FEC case where the court declares money to equal free speech, a decision that overtly hands the keys to the kingdom to the rich and powerful. Even easygoing President Obama couldn’t resist blasting the court for that abomination.

Moreover corporate types continue working feverishly to cement in place other court rulings and laws that will insulate them from things that would put the interest of the people and the nation above their own grasping desires. So any attempt at updating government will be a bitter, long haul slugfest.

All I can say is that moneyed interests better hope that they lose this coming struggle before they do completely kill the goose that lays the golden eggs and the nation goes kaput.