by Paul Craig Roberts, Paul Craig Roberts:
Can Americans govern themselves as the Founding Fathers intended? The clear answer is no, not under the arrangements that exist today. Self-rule pretends to exist, because people vote. People might get the candidates for whom they voted, although we know that that was not the case in the past two national elections. It is easy for big city machines to steal the vote as was proved in Biden’s “election” and the last Arizona “election” for governor.
Even if the elections are fair and the candidates who win are declared winners, it doesn’t mean that the people are represented. The reason is that the representative, senator, governor, and president elected knows that his success depended on large campaign contributors, such as pharmaceutical companies, the military-security complex, energy, mining, and timber corporations, agribusiness, real estate developers, etc. Unless a candidate is a billionaire, it is impossible for him to run unless he has large contributors intent on having their interests served.
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This means that the interests of large campaign contributors come first. They are the ones who originate bills and control the outcomes with lobbying. We also know that every regulatory agency is captured by the group that is being regulated. For example, the Covid protocols and “vaccine” mandates proved that the NIH, CDC, and FDA are marketing agents for Big Pharma, not protecters of the public’s health. Why do you think that America alone is always at war? It is because of profits for the armaments corporations. Washington has institutionalized three formidable enemies–Russia, China, and Iran–and that guarantees the budget and power of the military/security complex.
Americans cannot govern themselves because an oligarchy governs through campaign contributions. A crazed, indeed one could say treasonous, US Supreme Court destroyed all accountability of government to the people in 2010 with its Citizens United ruling that legalized the private purchase of government by removing limits on campaign contributions in the name of free speech, a ruling that turned corporations into people. Much has been written about this nonsensical ruling. You can find plenty to read about the ruling on your own.
In an article in the City Journal (Winter 2023) Martin Gurri describes a constellation of forces that block a popular agenda, by which he means one that the majority of voters wants. Gurri understands that legitimacy is what citizens bestow on government, not what government bestows on citizens, but that is not the way government works. Everywhere in the Western World government of every country ignores what the people want. No population in Europe wants to be drawn into the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Not a single government cares. No population wants to be overrun by immigrant-invaders. Not a single government cares. All over the Western world there were strong protests against mandatory Covid vaccination, lockdowns, mask mandates, Covid passports, and only Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida paid any attention. The people are against censorship, but it exists. The people are against their kids being indoctrinated in schools with critical race theory and gender theory, but the indoctrination continues with government support and financing. Indeed, a current Assistant Secretary of Education is trying to write the indoctrination into regulatory law as a requirement. https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2023/02/16/schools-are-indoctrinating-children-into-believing-that-they-are-in-the-wrong-body/
If the oligarchy miscalculates, as it did with Donald Trump, and a representative of the people gets elected, the oligarchy immediately begins attacks that prevent him from accomplishing anything. If reelected, the oligarchy refuses to acknowledge it and uses its monopoly over power to declare its chosen candidate the victor. President Trump endured four years of orchestrated Russiagate, two orchestrated impeachment attempts, with orchestrated Insurrectiongate and orchestrated Documentgate still continuing, and his reelection was denied him in the most blatantly obvious stolen election in human history.
Martin Gurri thinks that digitization will enable the people to govern by referendums. Fat chance that those in power will permit any such thing or acknowledge the referendums if they were held. Surely a person as clued in as Gurri doesn’t think the ruling elite will allow government to be accountable to anyone but themselves.
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