Sunday, April 15, 2012

The Nazi Lobby

I just read the news about Nazis Getting Their Own Lobbyist in DC.

How revealing this is of America's brand of capitalism, which is predicated on the survival of the fittest, and of the amoral power that capital has to purchase our politicians.

I do not question the Nazi's right to self expression, to peacefully assemble or any other constitutionally-guaranteed right. This is not the issue. Regardless of what the apologists from both parties that hold the current monopoly might say- Lobbying, using donations to sway votes and favors from those in power, is not a democratic process. If the majority is poor, the majority will not be represented because it lacks the funds to lobby for its interests.

If an industry employs one million workers but pays them minimum wage, the lobbyists from that industry will lobby for the continued exploitation of its workers, for allowing the worsening of their working conditions, and for an increase in the wealth of the employers, the ones who produce and work the least yet earn the most.

If that same industry (let's use, for instance, the McDonalds conglomerate) also has a demonstrated history of being bad for the environment -and we know that beef and pork consumption does more ecological damage than even our current transportation infrastructure-, then if the people who suffer the ill effects of this industry also happen to live in poverty (as they almost invariably do), there will be no lobby representing them. Their government does not belong to them, it belongs to whoever can afford the for-profit American government. Yes, fellow Americans. I said it. We have a for-profit government. Our country is being run as a for-profit venture.

The ideals and values of the Nazi movement, and the obscenely unfortunate historical repercussions of its existence, are shared by only a fraction of the American population, yet in theory if they come into considerable wealth, they might win a number of supporters in Congress and in the future we may see a normalization (aided by media, as so often happens with moneyed groups) of politicians allying themselves with Nazi ideology.

Lobbying does not favor the common good, it's an anti-democratic tradition, and my only hope is that the addition and the visibility of a Nazi lobby will eloquently diluscidate the workings of this parasytical profession and its detrimental effects on our societal health in years to come.

The fact that lobbying effects change whereas the people don't is made worse by our being mindless consumers. We've made our true masters wealthy and powerful, and now they believe they are beyond reproach and are preparing to sacrifice our children to Manon: the welfare of future generations will be at the mercy of Lord Money.

I've become convinced that the changes needed in our civilization will be impossible to attain without a global boycott campaign against the corporatocracy, not an easy feat of populist power and organizing but with social media and the internet ... who knows?

1 comment:

ReasonBeing said...

I agree with you completely. Lobbying is one of, if not the biggest problem that we are facing. The real issues behind many of our political debate are never even heard, let alone discussed due to the power of lobbyists.

We can see effects everywhere, from the power of the Christian Right, to the health care debate, etc, etc. Great Post.