Winning that big doll at the carnival

[Cyrano]

How many people walk away with that giant panda or teddy bear? How many people believe they can actually “win” one?
Fact: It’s a rigged game. You could buy that panda or teddy bear for far less than it would cost trying to win it in a game you can rarely win. So, what does that have to do with politics, democracy, and gullibility?

Everything.

Today’s Republicans are those hustlers standing behind the counter, saying, “Step right up, folks. It’s easy. It’s simple. It’s fun."

How many people notice that they’re giving away their money and walking away with nothing? How many Republican voters notice that they’re contributing to, and voting for people that are fucking them every day of their lives.

Republicans politicians are funded by some of the richest people in the world. The oil, gas and coal companies lead the grifters, but the rest aren’t that far behind. (Why are you paying more in the supermarket for everything, while what you’re buying is being sold in smaller cans/cartons/bunches?)

In the old west, those guys that sold snake oil from the backs of wagons did just fine. Today, the snake oil is better packaged, and the salespeople are a lot smoother.

And those in politics are the smoothest of all. Seeing how many people gobble up Republican snake oil, (mostly sold on Fox “news”), is disheartening.

Then again, given the ongoing war for the hearts and souls of humanity, why do grifters have the upper hand, even though they’re a minority?

So does anyone have suggestions/answers/solutions to this. How do we stop the grift? How do we run them out of town? How do we save our democracy?

My guess is that grifters have existed in one form or another since we crawled out of the caves. And they seem to be faster learners than the rest of us. That's sure as hell true with politicians. Every time we catch onto their bullshit, they go back to the pasture to gather a new batch that no one's smelled before. Will we ever learn?

(And by the way, why don’t you google where you can buy a giant panda or bear doll and how little it costs.)

[pecosbob]

1. That's the great rip-off of the American Dream...there are two ways to become successful

To oppress others or to swindle them. That ten people have to live in poverty for one to enjoy a good and secure life.

[Cyrano]

2. Ooo, cynical.

There are many who struggle, get lucky and "get there" because they earned it. And there's the occasional genius who's not trying to rip off the world. (Bill Gates, for example. He's given much of it back.)

But, for the most part, many grifters seem to come out ahead.

[pecosbob]

3. I agree it's cynical and replete with fallacy, but some days it's the way I feel.

[Mr.Bill]

4. Ever since I heard somebody call Reagan

a "carnival barker for corporate America" I always find myself making the carnival/politics connection.

[Cyrano]

5. Reagan was never a ringmaster

He was an amiable imbecile used by the cynical pricks around him who were just as bad as Trump's enablers. As a matter of fact, some of them are probably the same people who are now much older and far more hateful.

[Mr.Bill]

6. Reagan was Trump with manners.

But every bit as evil and destructive.

[MiniMe]

7. They give a few away so people notice them and try to win them

I'm pretty sure that's what happens.