“If we vote, we win.” I have heard that statement several times from earnest sounding first time candidates for public office. It is not as catchy, but I would modify their slogan to say, “If we are well informed and vote, we win.” We are fortunate to live in a republic where that is true, but it only matters if citizens accept the responsibility of selecting good candidates for public office.
Have you heard it said that, “We have the best government that money can buy.”? That is a cynical but too-often true statement. How did it happen? Perhaps we have become the best voters that money can buy – and if so, that is an even greater concern. Our national worship at the altar of profit and greed has led us to allow corporations and the extremely wealthy to influence us to an extent that threatens the existence of government by and for the people.
Our Supreme Court has ruled that corporations have all the same rights as individuals and that unlimited political spending is a “free speech” right, thereby allowing unlimited amounts of anonymous money to be used to influence our votes and our opinions on issues. There are even ways for big donors to claim charitable tax deductions for their contributions to organizations whose purpose is to convince us that we should vote the way the wealthy donors want us to vote. Their money hires marketing experts who seek ways to link their goals to our personal values and religious convictions – and it works. Special interests like petroleum companies, agribusiness, and the extremely wealthy fund immense advertising (propaganda) campaigns to convince us of their viewpoints without disclosing that they are behind the advertisements.
There are two things we can do to take control of our government. First, be as well informed as we can be. And second, ignore the advertising – all of it. An ad may say that it was sponsored by an organization with a high sounding name. Don’t trust it. It was probably paid for by someone with a lot of money who wants to influence you – someone who is working for their interest, not yours. To be well informed we should pay attention to our few legitimate, fact based news media and we should ask our questions directly of candidates in public forums. We should also trust our own instincts on issues. Most of the time, deep down, we know what is right. After we have done those things, then we will be ready to vote.
Will we trust ourselves or will we trust what the propaganda machines tell us? The propaganda machines of the Communist and Fascist powers of the 20th century demonstrated that if you say something often enough, many people will believe it despite any amount of evidence to the contrary. The propaganda machines operating in the USA today are run by special interest groups and corporations. They are very good at what they do and they often persuade both voters and government to ignore facts – the same facts that corporations take into account in their own planning. One example of this is the debate about climate change. Well documented scientific research tells us that human use of fossil fuels is contributing to climate change and that sea levels are rising as a result of that. Special interest groups, including fossil fuel companies, have run massive campaigns to convince us that it is not true. They have influenced our government so much that the State of North Carolina is removing information on the subject from their websites. The State also made it illegal for coastal planning agencies to project changes in sea level greater than the continuation of historical trends. That suits the needs of coastal real estate interests, supports re-building coastal roads that have been wiped out by storms and suits the needs of energy companies. But there is one business interest group that needs to evaluate the facts realistically. That is the flood insurance industry. Insurance companies are changing their risk zones and drastically raising insurance rates because they know that climate change and sea level rise are real.
How has government responded? Initially there was at least one intelligent response – to get the government out of the business of subsidizing flood insurance in high risk areas. But recently, after strong pressure from coastal real estate interests, the government has resumed heavily subsidizing insurance. The insurance companies and the real estate interests and the owners of coastal property will all do well and when the damage is done to their property, it will be repaired through insurance that was subsidized by taxpayers and by the national debt.
How can the same government that denies climate change and sea level rise also be the one that subsidizes higher insurance premiums made necessary by the projected rise of sea level? The answer is that the corporate propaganda machines have made it all seem very reasonable. That is just one example of big money influence on government policy. You can find many more if you look for them. We know it is wrong but we the voters elected the people who did it. There are other elections coming. If we are well informed and if we vote, we will win.