When Corporate America (the powers that be) took the debates from the
League of Women Voters - they delivered a death blow to our democracy.
Some of the issues Corporate America and their talking head hacks didn't want you to think about last night are as follows;
Electric cars, mountain top removal, global warming, overfishing, pollution leading to cancer, pesticides and run off polluting the food chain and putting people out of work and at risk, overpopulation, desertification of the planet, the collapse of the Bee Colonies (it sounds minor but it has a huge impact on our food supply and the cost of that food supply), the mortgage crisis, the tax payer BAILOUT of Bear Sterns, the impeachable offenses of the Bush administration, the fire in Cheney's record room. The tax cuts for the uber wealthy, becoming permanent or not, the deficit, the trade imbalance, the interest on the deficit, THE WAR, veteran benefits, Walter Reed Hospital Conditions, Health Care, Education, the root cause of violence. The erosion of Separation of Church and State. The widening divide between rich and poor, the over taxed middle class, gasoline prices, energy sources clean energy vs. dirty energy...the budget, the budget, the budget!
No one seriously considering the candidates gets their news from corporate sponsored television or newspaper. Reporters might want to ask or write about the larger issues but questions of profit and who your boss is, who you are working for, and what are their interest play a HUGE factor in the information you get from these profit driven sources.
Certainly the tabloid issues, gotchas mis steps (and lies) need to be mentioned at some point but two hours devoted to non-core issues is just diversionary. There are bigger issues at stake that will have a real impact on the actual function and performance of our government bodies.
Who are Obama's financial contributers, who are Hilary's. Why are they taking money from these people? Are they going to work for them or the American people?
When a major political financial contributor, player and entity owns the media - you won't get those questions.
The only way to address this problem is to legislate that a non-profit organize and hold the debates. Take money out of the equation and we will get a return to the issues and a return to Democracy.
The powers that be do not want an informed citizenry. They can't pull the wool over our eyes and pocket our tax dollars if we know what they are doing behind closed doors and trying to extract through hidden or unheralded legislation.
Where was Ralph Nader he would have addressed the issues? But because the powers that be control the media - you won't see Ralph get any air time...
...and that's the way it is and unless we the people make a huge noise and take the debates back from the profiteers and their corporations they hide behind that's the way it will always be...good night and good luck!
