The United States is a corpocracy

Contrary to what most of us are told, the United States is not a democratic republic.

It is more accurately described as a form of plutocratic government. America is a nation for the ultra–rich and is obsessed with creating wealth for them. 

Policies favored by a bipartisan majority of the country are rarely given attention by both Republicans or Democrats. Marijuana legalization, for example, is supported by a majority in both parties but it remains a schedule one drug nationally. This is because the policy interests of corporations and special interests are far more important to our elected officials than we are.

This kind of system is not a democracy, this is ownership by companies. It is the result of a corrupt bargain between corporations and our elected representatives. Our votes are rewarded with theatrics, like presidential debates, designed to give the appearance of change.

Most recent poll data from Gallup says that congressional job approval was 17 percent from Aug. 31 to Sept. 13. Congress has an unprecedented unpopular approval rating by the public because it is common knowledge that Washington is controlled by corporate lobbyists. Both major political parties collect millions of dollars from corporations.  

“Just 0.86% of the United State[s] population contributed more than two hundred dollars to federal candidates, PACs, parties and outside groups in 2019-2020. These 2,812,732 donors gave a hefty 73.76% of all contributions,” according to the Center for Responsive Politics’ opensecrets.org website.

This is a political system that is transparently corrupt and places a higher value on money than the ideas of its citizens.

Like any business when it loans money, it expects a return on its investment. This buying and investing in politicians is not partisan. It is the mechanism by which both Democrats and Republicans are elected and how tax laws are written.

The pharmaceutical industry, oil and gas companies, multimedia oligopolies and weapons manufacturers are among the top stakeholders in this system of misrepresentation. 

Corporations like Amazon take advantage of tax loopholes deliberately created to allow them to pay almost no federal taxes. It is an unfair advantage that big businesses have and allows them to monopolize their respective industries.

The vast majority of U.S. media companies are owned by a small handful of corporations that control the flow of information. Disney, National Amusements, News Corp,. AT&T/Time Warner and Comcast collectively own around 90 percent of all U.S. media. When you turn the channel in the U.S. you are likely consuming content created by one of these companies.

News and information are commodities bought and sold to benefit elected Republicans and Democrats.  We cannot forget that U.S. media coverage of the Iraq war was a catastrophic failure that misled Americans into invading a foreign power. 

The military-industrial complex is powerful and presently finances the campaigns of candidates from both parties. In return, regardless of a liberal or conservative Congress, the military budget swells. If the military budget is not decreased and politicians can continue to accept “campaign donations” from these arms manufacturers, Americans will continue to die needlessly.

Many people have forgotten that we are a country still at war. We have been at war since 2001 when the U.S. invaded Afghanistan. Thousands of U.S. troops are stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan fighting in an endless and unwinnable war with no clear objective. Americans have become numb to war because we have been in a state of perpetual war for decades.

Our current political crises in America can only be solved if the corrupt system in Washington is changed on a constitutional level. Campaign finance reform must be enacted, the military budget must be decreased, tax laws need to be rewritten and monopolies must be regulated. 

It is unlikely that anyone in either the Democratic or Republican party will make these changes. It is our responsibility to make them listen by protesting, voting them out of office and calling for constitutional amendments.