On this election day, follow the money.
I’m not one of those wide-eyed romantics who sweetly reminisces about how politics “used to be about the issues”, how politicians were public servants, or how modern media has more deeply divided Americans. Fact is, as long as there have been societies, politics has been a blood sport.
Look at the Romans: elections were the textbook definition of class warfare, decided by smear campaigns, direct bribery of officials, indirect bribery of voters through welfare measures and entertainment, mob violence, and murder.
Heck, even our Founding Fathers used pot-shots and fear-based campaigns to get ahead in the polls:
In this country, you’ll hear the Left decry the evils of capitalism and the promise of government oversight, while the Right assumes the free market can do no wrong and less government is the solution to all our problems. I think they’re both wrong.
The issue at hand is not capitalism vs. government, it’s corporations acting as government. It’s called a Corporatocracy, and it’s what we all experience when we realize that our lawmakers are representing the interests of those with the biggest bank account instead of their constituents.
I won’t take the liberty of endorsing any individual candidates, as this is not primarily a political blog, but in the spirit of ecometrics, I will point you to a particularly telling infographic that allows you to follow the money trail in an important environmental campaign.
Those of you in California will be well aware of Proposition 23, titled something about job creation, but which is really an effort to repeal California’s commitment to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions. Whether you’re for or against the original bill (and I am not familiar enough with its provisions to form an opinion) the flow of money to push its repeal is fascinating.
Proposition 23, if passed would suspend the California Global Warming Act of 2006 (AB 32) which requires that greenhouse gas emissions in the state be cut to 1990 levels by 2020. At least 92% of contributions being pumped into California’s Proposition 23 are from energy companies that would be regulated by the energy and climate legislation they are trying to overturn. Much of the money has been used to collect the signatures to get Proposition 23 on the ballot, and to fund research that supposedly proves that clean energy would cost jobs.
Their interactive infographic allows you to trace that money flow from the oil and gas companies to the campaign fund, though the zooming was a bit clunky in my browser.
Rather than end on a despairing note that discourages you from voting, I encourage you to go out and make your will known at the polls. But this time, instead of voting for the “lesser of two evils,” vote for someone or something you truly believe in. Vote FOR something, rather than against something. And keep in mind: the only wasted vote is the one that maintains a broken system or makes you feel defeated even when you win.
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