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| Joe Bakewell. |
Government Then and Now.
It seems to me that every statement issued by a
politician, or commentary in our media, is an attack, and that what passes for
news is confined to the current ‘hot issue’. The public is invited to take
sides, and most do.
There has been a massive change in the way
government operates. Our government used to be run by our elected politicians.
We elected them and got a chance to correct our mistakes every two, four, and
six years. Today, our representatives work primarily for themselves and the
special interests that pay them. I’ve been writing about his for years to no
effect.
This essay is not about that, but in how the new
government works. I’ve attached a revised copy of ‘The Perfect Storm’ for those
not familiar with the corruption in DC.
This essay is about the implications of continuing
on our present, and near future course (How we govern), and how you need to
plan ahead.
Our elected representatives (House and Senate) are
supposed to run the country. Instead, they have sloughed off their
constitutional duties onto govt. agency and court, neither of which is
elected—a natural result of the deep-seated, and institutionalized corruption
we’ve allowed, even encouraged, to take possession of our government.
Our representatives spend their time and a great
deal of special interest money on a blizzard of propaganda demonizing the other
party or their candidates. The public, all biased to one side or the other, and
loving the salacious and gossipy nature of the propaganda, and having little
else available, is sucked in. The media are compelled to go along (or go
broke).
The overall effect of all this is our government
doesn’t govern. They spend their time fundraising, dealing with special
interests and occasional soap boxing on some hot issue such as abuse of women,
a very real and serious subject deserving of understanding and government
action. Naturally, our pols and media are primarily interested in how to make
the issue contentious and combative. And there are others: Immigration, gun
control. You can name more. The first thing these people do is examine any issue for attack potential. Forget about what’s good for
the country.
Okay, what about planning ahead? My position is
that as long as corruption remains at the heart of our government, we’ll see a
worsening of current conditions:
A/ Government debt will continue out of control.
Politicians will ‘kick the can down the road’, moving more and more debt into
the future. Benefits will be means tested, and the politics of dependency and
entitlement will continue.
B/ Inequality at the personal and corporate level
will increase. People of modest means, especially those in, or approaching
retirement, will be impoverished.
C/ Technological changes will accelerate, not
settle down resulting in almost chaotic changes in the workplace, communities,
and society in general
ADVICE.
What to do varies with each individual and family,
but all should be saving for the future. Set aside 5% to 10% of income every
week/month to build your nest egg. This money is not to be used for necessary expenses. You (and your
spouse/partner) will decide how to invest these funds.
Do not assume that intelligence is skill. Learning
to invest is a time-consuming project. Don’t start unless you’re really interested
(and remain so).
Set up an account with Fidelity or Vanguard. They
have lots of learning material for free. Go to your library. Some legendary
investors have written books on how to do it.
A PERFECT STORM, VERSION 2
Over the
last twenty years, or more, a system of legal?
bribery has engulfed our nation’s capital, dislodging our democracy. As
things stand, our legislature and administration are for sale to the highest
bidders. Once elected, our politicians get back to work raising more funds with
which to purchase committee assignments, their reelection, and a lush
retirement.
Time left
over from fundraising is primarily devoted to demonizing the opposing party’s
politicians, using media that cooperate for their own benefit. The media do
this by identifying their target audience and selecting ‘content’ (mostly
supplied by politicians) that will appeal to the emotions of their target
audience. The selected ‘content’ is carefully massaged (spun) for maximum
impact. Media salaries depend on the degree to which they can hook, and retain,
their audience. Years ago, the media expression was “If it bleeds, it leads.”
Now, it’s “If it looks bad, make it worse.”
The
audiences (the public and the voters) are a mixed bag. Some are motivated by a
desire to be informed. Others thrive on the gossipy nature of what passes for
news and the combative nature of modern politics. In either case, they tune in
to, or read, their favorite sources for today’s news. Unfortunately, the media
never mention the issues that should be our primary concern—the issues that
have brought our country to its current sad condition.
We’re broke.
We can’t pay for our current spending except by going deeper into debt, and our
future obligations will keep adding debt until we hit some kind of major
crisis.
Our
political leaders are corrupt. They’re totally focused on raising money for
their own personal power and wealth.
Our media
pursue their own agenda. Their game plans don’t include any serious analysis of
our fundamental problems.
Our
citizenry, for a number of reasons including technology, have shortened
attention spans. Our media are well aware of this.
Our voters
are divided. Some have always voted for one party and will continue to do so.
Some will vote their paycheck. Others have at least an awareness of the big
problems but see no way to solve them, so they vote for ‘the lesser of two
evils’, thinking that this will at least slow down the bad guys.
Politicians
elected by any combination of the foregoing will inevitably conclude that the
‘SYSTEM’ of special interest money is working for them. Our voters are,
unwittingly, voting to keep the ‘SYSTEM’ in place. Few realize the consequences
directly attributable to this SYSTEM.
A good
portion of our debt can be attributed to the SYSTEM. We spend 2 ½ times the
average for developed countries (almost 20% of GDP) for poor health. We lead
the world in obesity, diabetes, heart disease and do poorly in other
categories. And we don’t have universal health insurance.
Our tax code
is loaded with special interest loopholes (a direct payoff for bribes).
Joe Bakewell.
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