Friday, May 16, 2014

When it comes to setting policy, the views of the rich seem to count for more

As if those of us who aren't drinking one flavor of Kool-Aid or another haven't figured this out already, an article in The Economist sagely informs us why it's not a good idea to base your sense of purpose in life on being able to influence the decisions made in the centers of power. And that is because, if you're not rich, you won't be able to do so. At least if you live in America.

This is not to say that the Democrats are exactly the same as the Republicans. Of course they're not. The problem lies in the fact that the Democrats are an entirely inadequate opposition party to the Republicans, and this is largely by design. Of course, if beating your head against a brick wall and gunpoint-optimism are your cup of Earl Grey, then hey, whatever gets you through the night! Just don't expect the rest of us to be enthusiastic about such an utterly grim prospect.

And as long as I'm at my keyboard typing a post, here's some Doomer-gruel for you: An article from the Irish Examiner that describes annual honeybee die-offs in the USA as "economically unsustainable". And of course, the neonicotinoid pesticide makers are denying their increasingly obvious role in this catastrophe. But it's okay. I'm sure the Democrats will save us. After all, it's not as if the Democrats are beholden to any corporate interests whose policies and practices are bringing the demise of civilization as we know it ever closer! :-D

It's hard to believe that a Gloomy Gus such as myself came of age during the "can-do" nineteen-eighties. Or maybe that's exactly why I'm so predisposed.



Yes, I like embedding YouTube videos for the fuck of it. What about it?

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