The Horrific Impact of Big Money in Politics and Where This Ultimately Leads

Here’s an interesting piece, pointing to the failure of both major American political parties to address the declining quality of life of the people in rural parts of the country.

At the risk of sounding fatalistic, there is very little that can be done for most of these people, regardless of one’s politics, given the macro changes that are carving their way through the United States in the 21st Century. 

As with most parts of our socio-economic life in the U.S., this largely turns on one simple point: the effects of money in our law-making process, and our collective impotence to do anything about it:

a) Most of the wealth of the common person in rural America derives from farming.

b) Agribusiness has all but wiped out the small farmer, and will complete the task in the next decade or so.

c) There is enough wealth and power in agribusiness to make it impossible that legislation may break up agri-monopolies.

Let’s examine this from the standpoint of sustainability.  What happens when the concentration of wealth and power in the hands of a few becomes so intense that the middle class gets squeezed out of existence?  There is a name for it: oligarchy.  Masses of people, those who just a few decades ago enjoyed fairly pleasant lives, now find themselves completely left out of society.

What do huge numbers of disenfranchised people do?   Well, we just found out in 2016.  They elect a demagogue, someone who taps into their anger, and their fears that a bad situation may worsen if enormous force isn’t exercised against their supposed enemies–immediately.

The lessons of the Trump presidency are fresh in our minds; let’s do what we can to avoid a reprise.