Stealing America
By David Truskoff
22 July, 2007
Countercurrents.orgOnce I ran for a seat as a state senator on an independent ticket. I had no illusions about wining. I was running against a man who was not only a long time incumbent, but he was also the Republican majority leader and heavily financed. I was the director of the Committee for lower Utility Bills with no fund raising at all. It was in the late eighties and the utility holding companies were beginning their rampage on the American economy. I was using the platform to predict the underhanded maneuvers of the utility companies that led to the 2001 California energy crises and the loss of jobs in our area.
During one debate at a local high school I pointed out where my opponent’s contributions were coming from. I took out a list copied from Standard and Poor’s Directory list of executives and read them in order to the audience. Then I took out a list of my opponent’s contributions and there was the same list in the same order. I pointed out that it was an illegal contribution by a large corporation who used the names of the officers to make it legal.
My opponent went to the microphone a bit red faced and flustered and said the only reason the list was the same was because they were all sitting at the same table at a fund raiser. The audience laughed. I did not. There is nothing funny about the stealing of our government. Flaunting the election laws amounts to stealing from the voters their right to chose.
Since then and since the Bush administration took over the country, the matter of stealing the government has become an art form and is still being laughed at. Where is the rage? Where is the anger?
It is not a secret any more, "On Nov. 6, 2002, new campaign finance laws went into effect. The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) increased the contribution limits for individuals giving to federal candidates and political parties. Prior to that an Individual could legally give $1,000 to any candidate committee per election year, but more than double that after the law. The new law with purposeful confusion built in and gaping loopholes makes it easier than ever to steal the government.
When the Democratic Party kicked the war mongering Lieberman out because he was so far out of the American mainstream of political thinking he magically came up with $20,219,460, ran as an independent and won. In his state the candidate that spent the most money won five out of the six races.
Lieberman’s people claimed that 86% of that money came from individual donors and only 12% came from Political action Committees. Under the old law that would mean that approximately 17,563 individuals gave one thousand. That would not be too difficult for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee to do. Just as it was not difficult for my opponent in the state senate race to do. Just when I think that Lieberman has reached to pinnacle of hypocrisy he adds his name to an election reform bill.
Of the many Businesses and others that have given money to Lieberman he is listed as the number one recipient of pro Israel donors, but lets not focus only on Lieberman. Where do you think Clinton came up with the quick 30 Million and Obama, out of no where, acquired 33 million. Both of them have been openly courting Pro Israel money. Most large donors, of course, want something back for their money. The prediction for the 2008 presidential race is that the candidates will spend a Billion and the one who spends the most almost always wins. It is stealing America.
The "Government of by and for the people" is no more and no one seems to give a damn.
We don’t chose our candidates. The party and the media do that for us.
I ask again where is the rage? Where is the anger?
What kind of America are we turning over to our children? If we do not take the money out of politics now, before the next election, they may not have any America at all.
David Truskoff
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