The System isn't Broken

[unapatriciated]

My sister sent me this via facebook, thought I'd share with DU

[hobbit709]

1. FUBARed to the max.

[woo me with science]

2. Good graphic, except both parties are owned now. nt

[unapatriciated]

3. sadly I agree.

[upi402]

10. Agree: all of one, most of the other

and we're disenfranchised.

[bhikkhu]

4. No, it wasn't built that way, and it hasn't alwasy worked that way

If you look at the Gini coefficient (read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gini_coefficient) as a measure of income inequality, its been up sometimes and down other times. Currently it is about as bad as it ever was - the previous "record" being just before the Great Depression. The current worsening trend began under Reagan...

My point would be that income inequality responds to government policy. When we have had good government policies and favorable economic times, inequality has decreased - the poor got richer and the rich got poorer, relatively speaking. When we have bad policies and/or unfavorable economic times, it does get worse.

Which would lead to a recommendation of voting into office people who will favor good policies, and hoping that we can weather the storm of economic crises in the meantime.

"Government can't do anything right" and "Both parties are the same" are two self-fulfilling prophecies which serve no one, least of all those who are most in need.

[cbrer]

5. Please clarify

"hoping we can weather the storm...". Do you believe we can't control/mitigate/anticipate economic downturns? We aren't simply a ship at sea.

Also- For the purposes of creating an environment favoring people over corporations, both parties ARE the same.

[bhikkhu]

7. Europe seems to be the main problem at the moment

...though there is the lingering issue here of mortgage-backed securities still being unwound in a weak housing market. As far as we as individuals, "at sea" is a very apt term - all the factors are larger than we can really take in, and beyond any attempts to control. What if Greece collapses, and takes the German economy and the Euro with it? The impact on the US markets and on our individual livelihoods would make the '08-09 recession look mild in comparison, yet there is nothing we can do about it one way or another. That would be "the storm", which I hope the PTB over there (where economic equality and good-government has been more the rule than here) can contain.

As far as favoring people over corporations, you need to look at what Obama has tried to do over the last three years vs what the republicans have tried to do...there are no shortage of lists. Of course you could say "tried" doesn't count - trying something progressive that fails predictably may be simply for show, and outcomes may be planned well in advance and known to all parties playing their respective roles...or you could look at what has actually been done.

The banking reform act that Obama succeeded in pushing through congress, in spite of furious repug and industry resistance, is a stronger piece of legislation than Glass-Steagal, and should have a significant impact down the road. As far as policies, the president has almost always favored those that improve economic equality, while the other side almost always favors what increases economic inequality.

Its a RW meme that government can't do anything right, and that it doesn't matter who you vote for. I expect to hear it more and more often as the next election ramps up, as the RW's only hope of gaining ground in the next election is to sow dissent and alienation, and discourage people from voting.

The good people in our party are trying, against all opposition and obstruction, to do the right thing.

[Tobin S.]

9. Welcome to DU, cbrer

:toast:

[unapatriciated]

6. When we have corporate money buying our politicians on both sides of the aisle,

the government ceases to favor policies that would benefit the poor and working poor. Until we manage to change this we have little hope that those who would support good policies can afford to run for office.


on edit: where in my op did I say both parties were the same or the government couldn't do anything right?
My op was on conservatives GOP and not a word about D's.

[bhikkhu]

8. If little hope is what you have, that's what you go with

Its not necessarily the case that corporate money in elections "buys" politicians. On both sides of the aisle, now or at any time previous, or anywhere on the planet for that matter, there has always been corporate money. Nevertheless, good people have gone into government and represented the people well, and good government does exist.