Saturday, June 12, 2004

Government of, by, and for the privileged few

From an excellent E.J. Dionne column:

"[T]he voices of American citizens are raised and heard unequally," declares a task force of the American Political Science Association. "The privileged participate more than others and are increasingly well organized to press their demands on government. Public officials, in turn, are much more responsive to the privileged than to average citizens and the least affluent." [emphasis mine]

You'd better ask yourself if this is what you want -- and if it's not, vote for John Kerry; contribute to the Kerry campaign and progressive organizations; and make your voice heard.

Remember, the interests of the privileged will never be neglected -- and certainly not by George W. Bush:

This is an impressive crowd. The haves -- and the have-mores. Some call you the elite. I call you my base.

It doesn't get any clearer than that. Still don't believe me? Surf on over to OpenSecrets.org and follow the money. Just one example: Take a look at how much the pharmaceutical industry has contributed to the Bush campaign -- and then ask yourself if it's any coincidence that Bush's vaunted Medicare prescription drug legislation prohibits Medicare from negotiating with pharmaceutical companies to obtain lower drug prices.

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