We All Know What the Big Problem In Government Is

If you think about it, we all know what's wrong with our government.

It's the money.

It's the money buying our elections, buying our representatives, buying their---our---legislation and so, buying our laws and finally, our government.

It all radiates out from there.

I thought of it again today, when I saw this: 

The POLITICO 100: Billionaires dominate 2016

Economist/professor/author Robert Reich put it this way today:

So far in the 2016 election, the 100 biggest donors have contributed $195 million ― more than the $155 million contributed by the two million smallest donors combined (according to an analysis of campaign data by “Politico.”) The five Republican members of the Supreme Court who in “Citizens United” contended they were protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans were obviously doing no such thing. They were drowning the First Amendment rights of the vast majority.

The top twenty are below. (The “Politico” article lists all 100.) They have not donated out of the goodness of their hearts, or their concern for a better America. These are investments -- no different from their other investments. If their candidates win, they will get substantial returns.

1. Wilks Family $15,000,000

2. Robert Mercer $12,500,000

3. Hank Greenberg $10,010,000

4. Toby Neugebauer $10,001,000

5. George Soros $8,025,000

6. Richard & Elizabeth Uihlein $6,550,000

7. Norman Braman $6,100,000

8. Kelcy Warren $6,000,000

9. Paul Singer $5,608,213

10. Tom Steyer $5,042,744

11. Haim and Cheryl Saban $5,000,002

12. Diane Hendricks $5,000,000

13. Robert McNair $4,500,000

14. Steve & Alexandra Cohen $4,000,000

15. Jerrold Perenchio $3,972,127

16. Mike Fernandez $3,370,520

17. Ken Griffin $3,150,000 

18. Ronald Cameron $3,055,000

19. Larry Ellison $3,000,000

20. Donald Sussman $3,000,000

And that's just the top 20.  Can you imagine giving or being able to give 3 million or 5 million or 12 or 15 million dollars away, just so you could get the governement representation and legislation you like and want? Heck, most of us would like to imagine what it's like to even HAVE 1 million dollars, let alone the luxury of being able to give it away.

And Left, Right, Republican, Conservative, Liberal, Democrat, we all know what the problem is in government in our nation. Everyone but the already-wealthy and corporations know what the problem is, know how to fix it and want the solution, too.

And so, to do this, to truly Get the Big, Ugly Money Out of Our Election System and Government, we have got to do at least two things.  We have to overturn the Supreme Court's Citizen United ruling first and then end campaign contributions.  Entirely.  All of them. Enough of that talk of ending "dark money" that we don't know who is giving. End it all. Shut it down.  It's totally doable.

But it has to come from us. We have to demand it. We have to end it And we have to end it soon as possible.

Links:   Meet the super-rich driving the 2016 election

Big money breaks out