We make it difficult for the poor to run for office. They can't afford to compete with the richer candidates.

Damned shame. We need more poor people in our government. These rich bastards sure as hell aren't doing much for the poor in this country.

Why not just say 'fark it' and auction off Congressional seats to the highest bidder.

1% controls it all and have 1/2 the country convinced if the work just a little harder for less then they will continue to "live the American dream".

They need to rework these jobs so that only philanthropists and masochists apply. Whatever they did to teaching, do that..

And of course, if you put poor people in congress that just makes it easier to buy them out.

You can't win.

Can someone post page 3-5? It's an interesting article, but not interesting enough to register on the site just to read it.

Isn't this the same basic theme I've seen posted on here at least once a month for the last ... ever? Yes congress is rich. Some of them richer than others. That is not going to change. Yes it should change. But it's not.

Remember how Heinlein wrote in Starship Troopers that democracy only works so long as people remain ignorant of the fact they can vote more welfare for themselves? That quote Republicans, even if they have no idea of the source material, pass around like a drunken cheerleader at a football bonfire? Well, this is it in action, perfectly.

Except, more realistically it's not "the people" voting themselves more welfare. "The people" are collectively dumb, poor and uninterested. This is the rich, because "the people" perfectly linked money to power in the United States with no forms of barriers or prohibitions, lionized wealth as the apex of virtue and lifestyle, and decided to be "happy enough" living in segregated and insular communities mindlessly consuming for the benefit of those deemed fit by "the people" to deserve better, playing the logical conclusion of thirty-odd years of social engineering and voting themselves more welfare by dollar, hook or by crook. This is America, of by and for the wealthy, not the people, and what should be unsurprising to absolutely no one is this is exactly how it's turning out. We've been here before, and we should have known better than to come here again after a global depression, and a world war were the outcome of the last.

Happy, assholes?

This is what happens when congress critters can raise their pay whenever they increase taxes.

Adding insult to injury, these f*ckers get PAID to serve in office.

It baffles me that American taxpayers abide that.

Also, I found out this morning that the Pope is not Lutheran.

This has turned out to be the weirdest day of my life.

Uh, Congress loves the 1% because the 1% donates campaign funds to them and campaign funds means re-election. Re-election means continuation of power which also means continuation of money flowing in.

Congressmen and women can take the money from the 1% and distort reality to convince the 99% to vote for them. It works great.

They ride in accordance with the laws of the road?

s2s2s2: They don't ride in accordance with the laws of the road?

Fixed, sigh

They worked hard and pulled themselves up by the bootstraps to become successful politicians.

lennavan: Uh, Congress loves the 1% because the 1% donates campaign funds to them and campaign funds means re-election. Re-election means continuation of power which also means continuation of money flowing in.

Congressmen and women can take the money from the 1% and distort reality to convince the 99% to vote for them. It works great.

Um, I guess subby is so wrapped up in his ploy to make Democrats look bad that he forgets there are plenty of the privileged out there (AKA 1%) who support the ideas behind the 99%, yes including some of those in Congress.

But he knew that. He just mad.

RON PAUL.

I just wish it was old news to the rest of the country besides nerds on the internet.

It's okay. I'm pretty sure it's going to start trickling down. Any day now...

GAT_00: Is this news to anyone? Congress does not represent you. They represent corporations, and they shower Congresscritters with cash for it.

BSABSVD?

GAT_00: Is this news to anyone? Congress does not represent you. They represent corporations, and they shower Congresscritters with cash for it.

Actually, they more than represented me when I was out of work. They also want to raise taxes on the wealthiest people, and just put some teeth back into the EPA.

Don't give me that crap.

GhostFish: GAT_00: Is this news to anyone? Congress does not represent you. They represent corporations, and they shower Congresscritters with cash for it.

BSABSVD?

BSABSVTSTALBYDALUBFYITA

Both Sides Are Bad So Vote The Side That At Least Buys You Dinner And Lubes Up Before Farking You In The Ass

The 1%ers in congress people aren't the problem. It's the rest of them that can be bought by lobbyists.

Britney Spear's Speculum: The 1%ers in congress people aren't the problem. It's the rest of them that can be bought by lobbyists.

Election/Campaign Reform...but no, let's just vote Republican. Because Obama's a meanie.

whidbey: Election/Campaign Reform...but no, let's just vote Republican. Because Obama's a meanieni---BONG.


ftfy

whidbey: Britney Spear's Speculum: The 1%ers in congress people aren't the problem. It's the rest of them that can be bought by lobbyists.

Election/Campaign Reform...but no, let's just vote Republican. Because Obama's a meanie.

Remind me again who would have to vote for Election/Campaign Reform?

Don't vote at all. Just quit. Get everyone you know to quit voting. Rob the system of the shred of legitimacy it clings to. Ideally we'd have a 0% turn out for the next election.

Britney Spear's Speculum: Because Obama's a meanieni---BONG.

Barack Apogee 6 in tha HOUSE.

Emposter: Remind me again who would have to vote for Election/Campaign Reform?

It means "Get off your ass and make it happen."

It's the key to everything.

The steps to becoming a successful politician, by Mike Kelly:

1. Have a rich dad.
2. Marry an oil heiress.
3. Give speeches about being bootstrappy while keeping a straight face.
4. Profit.

A very appropriate use of the obvious tag.

PonceAlyosha: Don't vote at all. Just quit. Get everyone you know to quit voting. Rob the system of the shred of legitimacy it clings to. Ideally we'd have a 0% turn out for the next election.

You'd have better luck rigging the election.

whidbey: Emposter: Remind me again who would have to vote for Election/Campaign Reform?

It means "Get off your ass and make it happen."

It's the key to everything.

On that issue, it's once again the foxes guarding the hen house.

You're not going to get Ds and Rs to support that. Which is just more evidence of them both putting party before country.

whidbey: Emposter: Remind me again who would have to vote for Election/Campaign Reform?

It means "Get off your ass and make it happen."

It's the key to everything.

It's also not an answer to the question.

GhostFish: PonceAlyosha: Don't vote at all. Just quit. Get everyone you know to quit voting. Rob the system of the shred of legitimacy it clings to. Ideally we'd have a 0% turn out for the next election.

You'd have better luck rigging the election.

Compared to what exactly?

GhostFish: whidbey: Emposter: Remind me again who would have to vote for Election/Campaign Reform?

It means "Get off your ass and make it happen."

It's the key to everything.

On that issue, it's once again the foxes guarding the hen house.

You're not going to get Ds and Rs to support that. Which is just more evidence of them both putting party before country.

I disagree. Election/Campaign reform could be THE issue where both sides of the political spectrum come together and agree on a course of action. It would make OWS look like a picnic. Congress would be forced to consider the issue.

lennavan: Uh, Congress loves the 1% because the 1% donates campaign funds to them and campaign funds means re-election. Re-election means continuation of power which also means continuation of money flowing in.

The other side of that being Congress reciprocates by pushing legislation that favors corporations, and prevents legislation that's too corporate-unfriendly from hitting the floor or being seriously discussed. And, since the media is also corporate-controlled, the narrative can be altered slowly and steadily albeit reliably to fool the populace this system of patronage and capture is in their best economic and social interest. Like it or not, it's the political machine of the 21st Century.

Best yet, since it's so firmly entrenched in our political system so as to even preclude "legitimate" attempts to combat it via the judicial or election system, it's here to stay barring major political upheavel, up to and including another great depression, revolution, civil war or just a constitutional convention...and even then, do you think "the people" or those who genuinely hold the best interests of "the people" at heart will be the ones writing the new formative documents?

Emposter: whidbey: Emposter: Remind me again who would have to vote for Election/Campaign Reform?

It means "Get off your ass and make it happen."

It's the key to everything.

It's also not an answer to the question.

Actually it was. Not my problem you're too apathetic to understand it.

PonceAlyosha: GhostFish: PonceAlyosha: Don't vote at all. Just quit. Get everyone you know to quit voting. Rob the system of the shred of legitimacy it clings to. Ideally we'd have a 0% turn out for the next election.

You'd have better luck rigging the election.

Compared to what exactly?

Getting people to not vote. The kooks and true believers will still turn up to vote against their own interests.

Sorted by "Smartest" post:

SilentStrider [TotalFark]
2011-12-26 11:17:49 PM
3 vote:
Well duh.

A "grunt" voted as "smartest", and a grammatical error in the number of votes. Fark at it's finest!

ourbigdumbmouth: There's been too much talk of percentages and people. CUT math funding. And people

I'll cut you so bad, you'll wish I no cut you so bad...

/not obscure. At all.

whidbey: GhostFish: whidbey: Emposter: Remind me again who would have to vote for Election/Campaign Reform?

It means "Get off your ass and make it happen."

It's the key to everything.

On that issue, it's once again the foxes guarding the hen house.

You're not going to get Ds and Rs to support that. Which is just more evidence of them both putting party before country.

I disagree. Election/Campaign reform could be THE issue where both sides of the political spectrum come together and agree on a course of action. It would make OWS look like a picnic. Congress would be forced to consider the issue.

Your optimism on certain issues is endearing. But it seems to me that both parties have worked to keep third parties and other similar threats stifled. They'll bend when needed to maintain power. But they aren't going to engage in something that so blatantly threatens their entrenched positions. They'll fight you tooth and nail. Just look at what the GOP has done in the past few years to maintain relevance. They will destroy the country before they let us have it back.

whidbey: Emposter: whidbey: Emposter: Remind me again who would have to vote for Election/Campaign Reform?

It means "Get off your ass and make it happen."

It's the key to everything.

It's also not an answer to the question.

Actually it was. Not my problem you're too apathetic to understand it.

Sorry, I'm afraid "get off your ass and make it happen" is not a person or group of persons. Would you like to try again?

Not that it matters, since it will eventually lead to the topic of your answers to Ghostfish, which make your naivety stunningly clear. The idea of Congress willingly voting for changes that undercut their own power base is ludicrous, and the type of massive, organized, sustained, and pure public movement required to force them to do so is universes beyond the capability of the current voting public outside of a genuine crisis situation, and possibly (these days, it seems more like probably) even then.

GhostFish: PonceAlyosha: GhostFish: PonceAlyosha: Don't vote at all. Just quit. Get everyone you know to quit voting. Rob the system of the shred of legitimacy it clings to. Ideally we'd have a 0% turn out for the next election.

You'd have better luck rigging the election.

Compared to what exactly?

Getting people to not vote. The kooks and true believers will still turn up to vote against their own interests.

I do believe I would be hard pressed to believe any evidence of how that how would that be functionally different from what currently occurs.

PonceAlyosha: GhostFish: PonceAlyosha: GhostFish: PonceAlyosha: Don't vote at all. Just quit. Get everyone you know to quit voting. Rob the system of the shred of legitimacy it clings to. Ideally we'd have a 0% turn out for the next election.

You'd have better luck rigging the election.

Compared to what exactly?

Getting people to not vote. The kooks and true believers will still turn up to vote against their own interests.

I do believe I would be hard pressed to believe any evidence of how that how would that be functionally different from what currently occurs.

I think in your scenario people like Bachmann would have a better shot.