I rant and rave about capitalism and one might think from what I say that it is, if not the root of all evil, a very significant one at least. I argue regularly that this United States of America cannot be a democracy or a nation of laws if capitalism is allowed to continue to do what capitalism does, allow those who make money to buy influence in government so that they can make sure that legislation favors them getting even more money and does nothing to prevent them from using their money to buy influence of a kind no ordinary citizen can afford.
I know that “we all benefit” from the system, that our quality of life is the best in the world and, if one considers such things as “average” income or the kind of health care that is “available,” at least to some, there is some truth in this, for some.
But, if democracy is something that people in this nation born as a democracy (see the Declaration and the Constitution) care about, if they wish to defend democracy against the forces that exist that can and will destroy it, then capitalism, at least the brand that currently exists in the USA, needs to be understood to be democracy’s greatest threat.
The 60 Minutes program tonight is an important one, one that shows how money buys power and how the power of the monied is used to bring into being law that is against the best interests of the people.
The Washington Post story is part of collaborative effort with 60 Minutes to bring this story to light. Washington Post Article Companion to 60 Minutes story here.
Interestingly, terrifyingly, the new appointment to lead the Drug Enforcement Agency is the very man who brought to congress the bill, passed and signed by then president Obama that now prevents the DEA from enforcing laws to limit the amount of opioid drugs that can be put onto the market and that were intended to prevent illegal sales of these deadly and addicting drugs. This article is about this man
PLEASE READ AND WATCH.