Systemic Corruption

American politics are deeply corrupt. I don’t just mean that all politicians have their fingers in the till, but that the laws themselves are unfair. Consider:

• It is possible for candidate A with more popular votes than candidate B to lose to B in a presidential election.
• Electoral boundaries are routinely gerrymandered to favour one party.
• It is legal for corporations to buy politicians with unlimited amounts of money.
• It is legal for hostile foreign powers to anonymously influence US elections with campaign contributions.
• First past the post voting schemes exclude third parties from getting even a small foothold.
• The presence of third parties can cause a more unpopular candidate to win.

How could this be? A Republican strategist speaking on NPR (National Public Radio) was candid. He explained that when fairness favoured the Democrats, they fought fairness. The corrupt rules usually favour the party in power. The party in power thus works hard to maintain the corrupt rules or extend them. About the only way the rules are ever cleaned up is when the opposition party finally gets in and sets about removing crooked rules the former ruling party installed.

~ Roedy (1948-02-04 age:70)