Thom Hartmann: Will a broke U.S. Sell Ad Space on Dollar Bill?

[thomhartmann]

Books, Movies, and TV Shows all have often tried to paint a picture of what the future might look like. Some - like George Orwell's iconic book "1984" - envision of dystopic big brother government ruling over all of us. Others - like the Hunger Games - envision a future very much like Feudal times, where the nation is run by a small and very, very wealthy elite - who pluck children from the vast, working class poor to duel to the death in a televised contest. And then, of course, there are those futurists like Jefferson, de Tocqueville, Lincoln, and FDR who imagined a nation "of the people, by the people, for the people." Whether the future belongs to Big Brother - or the super rich - or "we the people" remains to be seen. But we're already catching a glimpse of a dystopic - and, frankly, absurd - future America - in which corporations run or own virtually everything we see and do every single day - all around the nation. It's a future where all our commons - the stuff owned by "we the people" - like school busses, firetrucks, police cars, public libraries, parks, road signs, and subways have all been hijacked by corporations and Ad men.

In the not-too-distant future - and already in some places around America - corporate advertising runs everything. Take for example this fire hydrant in Indiana - which now belongs to Kentucky Fried Chicken. Apparently - this manhole cover now belongs to Colonel Sanders, too. The New York Times explained what's going on here with a recent article about how broke cities, afraid to raise taxes on their rich or corporate residents, are instead selling naming rights to those same corporations they're afraid to tax. The article looks at the cash-strapped city of Baltimore - which just passed a resolution clearing the way for corporations to begin advertising on fire-trucks. So now - when firefighers come to save your house from being burned down - the fire truck could be brought to you by Bank of America - who at the same time may very well be trying to forclose on the very same house. As the Times writes: "Baltimore is joining dozens of other financially struggling cities, transit systems and school districts around the country that are trying to weather the economic downturn by selling advertisements, naming rights and sponsorships to raise money."

Predictably - after thirty years of Reaganomics and "Starve the Beast of government" tax policy, Corporations, which use our commons more heavily that do ordinary citizens, used to pay more than 27% of federal revenue for the use of those commons, from our courts to having an educated workforce, to having police and fire protection. Today, after 30 years of Reaganomics, they pay less than 9%, and it's become politically impossible to raise taxes anymore to close budget gaps. So instead - lawmakers have to raise revenue by selling off what's left of our commons to corporate advertisers. For example - in Philadelphia the metro station formely known as Pattison Station - is now called AT&T station, and their farecards now have McDonalds advertising on them. Several states have now passed laws to allow corporate advertisers to buy space on school busses. Like this school bus - which doubles as a vehicle to take students to class - and a moving billboard to entice them to eat Little Caesars pizza \\

Or this school bus advertising for a local car deal - since after all - kids who ride a bus to school must need their own car, right? In Syracuse, New York - police rescue helicopters are getting the corporate advertising treatment, too. John Baloni - a chief in the local Sheriff's office said about the move: "Some people are a little put off by the idea that we’re getting sponsorship for what used to be a government duty." The question is - where will this end?

How long until our police cars are advertising for home security companies so that distressed burglary victims can be sold on a new home alarm system when the cops show up?

How long until our money is stamped with corporate advertising - when Goldman Sachs can print it's logo on a twenty dollar bill with a slogan that says, "Invest this here!"

How long until our public parks are littered with billboards for natural gas fracking companies - convicing tourists that the park will be just as beatiful with fracking wells all over it?

How long until speed limit signs are advertising the newest Ford or Chevrolet sportcar - flaunting how it can reach the speed limit in less than 6 seconds?

How long until Penn Station in New York - or Union Station here in Washington, DC - get renamed after corporation sponsors and become ExxonMobile Station and Blue Cross Blue Shield station?

Is this the sort of future we want - where everything that used to belong to "we the people" now belongs to a corporate sponsor? Where we can't leave our house, go to school, ride in an ambulance, or call the fire department without being bombarded by corporations telling us what insurance policy we should buy, what pizza we should order, and whether or not we should get our fried chicken extra crispy or original recipe? This is, of course, the world envisioned by Ayn Rand and all her Brave New World buddies like Alan Greenspan and Paul Ryan. But frankly, to paraphrase Antonin Scalia, if the Founders had heard such a proposal, they would have run for the exits.

The Big Picture with Thom Hartmann on RT TV & FSTV "live" 9pm and 11pm check www.thomhartmann.com/tv for local listings

[limpyhobbler]

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