Money In Politics

[basquebromance]

 

[basquebromance]

when President Truman's poker-playing friends brought disrepute on his presidency, the term "crony" was used as a descriptor for the 1st time ever by NYT columnist Arthur Krock

nowadays, Trump and his cronies play golf instead of poker, but they are every bit as Disreputable and Demanding

 

[basquebromance]

Obama's commerce secretary Gary Locke, when he was governor of Washington, gave billions in tax breaks to Boeing while failing to disclose that he had retained a paid Boeing private consultant to advise him on the matter

the business of politics should not be business!

STOP POLITICS BUSINESS!

 

[basquebromance]

THERE'S MORE!

in the governor's mansion, Locke had his own Billy Carter, a brother-in-law who mooched off the family name to secure tax breaks and job opportunities. on top of all that, Asian-American Locke was involved in THREE campaign finance scandals involving tainted Asian cash

Obama should have just nominated Andrew Yang instead!

in fact, in his first 2 weeks alone of his presidency, "No Lobbyists" Obama appointed 17...lobbyists!

 

[basquebromance]

BROTHERS AND SISTERS: President Biden will tell lobbyists that their days of calling the shots in DC are over. he will look 'em in the eye and tell 'em: "fellas, IT'S OVER!", and they will shake in their boots.

Biden will not let the power of lobbyists drown out the voices of the american people. in fact, the opposite will happen

GO JOE! GO JOE! GO JOE! GO JOE! GO JOE!

 

[georgephillip]

But you get much less for your money.

The Robber Barons made a great deal of money by corrupting "small government"

The Robber Barons and the Real Gilded Age | Edmund A. Opitz

"The last thing Vanderbilt, Gould, Carnegie and the others wanted was open competition in a game where the best man wins.

"To the contrary!

"They connived with politicians to obtain advantages for themselves by controlling government and the law; they manipulated the public power for private gain. And the government was eager to oblige.

"This was done openly, and virtually everyone knew about it. Witty commentators referred to certain politicians as the Senator from coal, or the Senator from railroads, or the Senator from steel."

 

[bendog]

But you get much less for your money.

The Robber Barons made a great deal of money by corrupting "small government"

The Robber Barons and the Real Gilded Age | Edmund A. Opitz

"The last thing Vanderbilt, Gould, Carnegie and the others wanted was open competition in a game where the best man wins.

"To the contrary!

"They connived with politicians to obtain advantages for themselves by controlling government and the law; they manipulated the public power for private gain. And the government was eager to oblige.

"This was done openly, and virtually everyone knew about it. Witty commentators referred to certain politicians as the Senator from coal, or the Senator from railroads, or the Senator from steel."

I'll happily agree that the dems, such as Barney Franks and Warren, are the heirs of the late 19th century progressives like TR and John Sherman. But there's a difference in regulating against market manipulation, and doing things like mandating all people must have uniform health insurance coverage

 

[georgephillip]

ust how much "free printing" do you think the Fed can do each year?

As much as Wall Street needs.

 

[dblack]

But you get much less for your money.

The Robber Barons made a great deal of money by corrupting "small government"
[idiot memes and irrelevant quotes omitted]

They'd have made even more if government was "bigger" (ie had more broad power to manipulate the economy). That's why they made it bigger. The convinced tools like you that the way to deal with corrupt leaders is to give them more power.

 

[bendog]

But you get much less for your money.

The Robber Barons made a great deal of money by corrupting "small government"
[idiot memes and irrelevant quotes omitted]

They'd have made even more if government was "bigger" (ie had more broad power to manipulate the economy). That's why they made it bigger. The convinced tools like you that the way to deal with corrupt leaders is to give them more power.

Well, not to put words in George's mouth, but the transcontinental railroad didn't get built if the govt hadn't basically given railroads monopolies by giving them public land along tracks laid. George "might" say the govt should have just built the railroads itself. But the fact is that some things like an interstate system or moonshot are not going to be privately financed.

But this sort of takes us away from govt supporting opaque markets so a few can pray (-: on the many.

 

[georgephillip]

But there's a difference in regulating against market manipulation, and doing things like mandating all people must have uniform health insurance coverage

Possibly the ACA and Romney Care suffer from the same corporate influence? I wasn't particularly supportive of mandatory motorcycle helmets, but the laws may have saved society some money spent treating uninsured accident victims?

"Positive liberty is the possession of the capacity to act upon one's free will, as opposed to negative liberty, which is freedom from external restraint on one's actions.[1]

"A concept of positive liberty may also include freedom from internal constraints"

Positive liberty - Wikipedia.

 

[georgephillip]

They'd have made even more if government was "bigger" (ie had more broad power to manipulate the economy). That's why they made it bigger. The convinced tools like you that the way to deal with corrupt leaders is to give them more power.

How does the US population and GDP of 2020 compare with the days of the Robber Barons? As societies increase in size and complexity, government naturally becomes larger. Once again, you conflate the perfidy of today's Robber Barons with the need for a group of people to rule a territory according to law.

 

[bendog]

But there's a difference in regulating against market manipulation, and doing things like mandating all people must have uniform health insurance coverage

Possibly the ACA and Romney Care suffer from the same corporate influence? I wasn't particularly supportive of mandatory motorcycle helmets, but the laws may have saved society some money spent treating uninsured accident victims?

"Positive liberty is the possession of the capacity to act upon one's free will, as opposed to negative liberty, which is freedom from external restraint on one's actions.[1]

"A concept of positive liberty may also include freedom from internal constraints"

Positive liberty - Wikipedia.

I gave Romney the benefit of the doubt because Romneycare was for a small, pretty affluent, market. I don't think society can function without some negative freedoms. Maybe govts should not be allowed to resort to them if there's any other way to accomplish something that the vast maj of us think is really necessary.

 

[dblack]

They'd have made even more if government was "bigger" (ie had more broad power to manipulate the economy). That's why they made it bigger. The convinced tools like you that the way to deal with corrupt leaders is to give them more power.

How does the US population and GDP of 2020 compare with the days of the Robber Barons?

dunno don't care.

 

[dblack]

But there's a difference in regulating against market manipulation, and doing things like mandating all people must have uniform health insurance coverage

Possibly the ACA and Romney Care suffer from the same corporate influence?

Of course they do. Corporate collusion with government is always the result of expanding the regulatory regime.

"Positive liberty is the possession of the capacity to act upon one's free will, as opposed to negative liberty, which is freedom from external restraint on one's actions.

"Positive liberty" is a conceit cooked up by socialists to justify totalitarian government.

 

[georgephillip]

Of course they do. Corporate collusion with government is always the result of expanding the regulatory regime.

Regulatory regimes naturally expand as society grows in size and complexity. The problem resides with private for-profit capitalists providing lobbyists to write public legislation in their favor and not with the size or scope of government.

 

[dblack]

Of course they do. Corporate collusion with government is always the result of expanding the regulatory regime.

Regulatory regimes naturally expand as society grows in size and complexity. The problem resides with private for-profit capitalists providing lobbyists to write public legislation in their favor and not with the size or scope of government.

No, that's bullshit. The more government controls, the more they will be lobbied. Go ahead and try to deny that. It will be funny.

 

[georgephillip]

I gave Romney the benefit of the doubt because Romneycare was for a small, pretty affluent, market. I don't think society can function without some negative freedoms. Maybe govts should not be allowed to resort to them if there's any other way to accomplish something that the vast maj of us think is really necessary.

I'm still unclear why a legitimate government sponsored single payer Medicare for All plan would have to be universal? Based on my personal experience over the past 8 years with Medicare/ Medicaid (Medi/Medi) when I've received hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of medical care without paying a single cent (except individual prescriptions @ $1.80 each) there's no way any private for-profit business can compete against that public alternative. Within a generation single payer would become universal without a government mandate.

 

[georgephillip]

dunno don't care.

Why not?
The power and scope of the US political economy has increased dramatically since the days of the Robber Barons, so how can government not keep pace?

U.S. Real GDP Per Capita (1900 - 2017): Current Economy vs Historical Trend Line | BFI

 

[dblack]

dunno don't care.

Why not?

Because I'm sick of BS strawmanning and meme-ing.

The more government controls, the more they will be lobbied. Go ahead and try to deny that. It will be funny.