As we anxiously hope and wait for a healthcare bill that truly fixes the system and benefits us all, we cannot lose sight of the one obstacle that makes it unlikely to happen. This obstacle is rarely mentioned by Washington politicians. Even the Obama administration that pledged to not only fix healthcare, but to reform government in general, conspicuously avoids the topic. I’m referring to campaign finance reform. Although it’s sometimes talked about by candidates seeking office in Washington, including Barrack Obama, once elected the talk stops. The reason seems obvious. With few exceptions, you cannot get elected or reelected without money and/or endorsements from special interests. And these powerful supporters expect a return on their investment. Before newly elected politicians even arrive in the nation’s Capital most have conflicts of interest.
When legislation to fix systemic issues like healthcare fails, the tendency is to blame the other political party, and that’s exactly what elected officials want. The overwhelming majority of them, regardless of party, are cut from the same mold. They are ambitious opportunists who know how to manipulate public opinion. These masters of subterfuge foster political bickering to draw attention away from their own inability or unwillingness to affect positive change in America.
Most likely, the dismal state of healthcare and the economy will force Congress and the White House to pass something, but the powerful grip of the insurance and healthcare industries will make certain it is a watered down version of what it needs to be.
A truly courageous President or Congress could radically change the system if they bucked big money and did what was in the best interest of American citizens, but this could jeopardize their own political future. Politicians cannot rise to such heights in Washington without incredible ambition and drive, and yet these same qualities make it difficult for them to do what’s right if it means risking the lifeblood of campaign contributions.
The corrupting influence of big money is quite obvious when you consider that as the most powerful and richest nation on the planet our healthcare system is tragically deficient when compared to other countries. The United Nations World Population Prospects report for the period 2005-2010 ranks the U.S. as 38 in terms of life expectancy. The CIA’s assessment is even worse. Their 2009 World Factbook ranks us number 50. People in countries like Greece, Iceland, Australia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are expected to live longer than Americans. Few things matter more to people than the duration of life itself, and yet our elected officials put their own political longevity ahead of the lives of those they serve.
The influence of money on Washington is further evidenced by the impunity tobacco companies have enjoyed since their product was identified as a health risk over a half-century ago. Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable disease and death in America. Only a corrupt system would allow a product to be manufactured, promoted and sold that addicts teenagers, kills over 400,000 U.S. citizens a year, and costs taxpayers upwards of $100 billion in annual healthcare related costs.
Even though legislation was recently passed that gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the advertising, marketing and manufacturing of tobacco products, the ugly truth is they can still sell a product that kills. Nothing illustrates the corruption of money more than that.
The convenient response to all this is to lay the blame completely on elected officials and certainly most of the responsibility rests with them. But, the reality is that politicians will do whatever is in their best interests so long as voters passively sit back and allow it to happen. We are the ones who put them in office and we have the ability to remove them from power.
Much of what plagues America, including the subprime mortgage crisis and the bailouts, can be traced in some form to the influence of large corporations, both national and multinational. No comprehensive, meaningful, and sustainable change will come to Americans unless the tentacles of big money are severed and the best place to start is where it all begins - campaign finance.
When legislation to fix systemic issues like healthcare fails, the tendency is to blame the other political party, and that’s exactly what elected officials want. The overwhelming majority of them, regardless of party, are cut from the same mold. They are ambitious opportunists who know how to manipulate public opinion. These masters of subterfuge foster political bickering to draw attention away from their own inability or unwillingness to affect positive change in America.
Most likely, the dismal state of healthcare and the economy will force Congress and the White House to pass something, but the powerful grip of the insurance and healthcare industries will make certain it is a watered down version of what it needs to be.
A truly courageous President or Congress could radically change the system if they bucked big money and did what was in the best interest of American citizens, but this could jeopardize their own political future. Politicians cannot rise to such heights in Washington without incredible ambition and drive, and yet these same qualities make it difficult for them to do what’s right if it means risking the lifeblood of campaign contributions.
The corrupting influence of big money is quite obvious when you consider that as the most powerful and richest nation on the planet our healthcare system is tragically deficient when compared to other countries. The United Nations World Population Prospects report for the period 2005-2010 ranks the U.S. as 38 in terms of life expectancy. The CIA’s assessment is even worse. Their 2009 World Factbook ranks us number 50. People in countries like Greece, Iceland, Australia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina are expected to live longer than Americans. Few things matter more to people than the duration of life itself, and yet our elected officials put their own political longevity ahead of the lives of those they serve.
The influence of money on Washington is further evidenced by the impunity tobacco companies have enjoyed since their product was identified as a health risk over a half-century ago. Tobacco remains the number one cause of preventable disease and death in America. Only a corrupt system would allow a product to be manufactured, promoted and sold that addicts teenagers, kills over 400,000 U.S. citizens a year, and costs taxpayers upwards of $100 billion in annual healthcare related costs.
Even though legislation was recently passed that gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate the advertising, marketing and manufacturing of tobacco products, the ugly truth is they can still sell a product that kills. Nothing illustrates the corruption of money more than that.
The convenient response to all this is to lay the blame completely on elected officials and certainly most of the responsibility rests with them. But, the reality is that politicians will do whatever is in their best interests so long as voters passively sit back and allow it to happen. We are the ones who put them in office and we have the ability to remove them from power.
Much of what plagues America, including the subprime mortgage crisis and the bailouts, can be traced in some form to the influence of large corporations, both national and multinational. No comprehensive, meaningful, and sustainable change will come to Americans unless the tentacles of big money are severed and the best place to start is where it all begins - campaign finance.
