America’s Insatiable Cronyism

At the local Salt Lake City ABC affiliate yesterday, I fell into some incredibly fascinating political discussion by pure happenstance. In the station to support ABC4’s weekly 2012 election cycle panel, I was lucky to talk with a few bright conservative activists including a U.S. Congressional candidate, a Libertarian 10th Amendment advocate, a Utah economic development leader as well as a thoughtful professor from Westminster College.

While various tentacles of discussion ended mostly with an admission of “let’s agree to disagree” before going back in front of the TV cameras, there were some fascinating thoughts shared and at times, as preposterous as it might sound, agreement did occur.
One of those kumbaya moments occurred when the topic of discussion turned to the basis for today’s attrition of America’s economic and social foundation. While individual reasoning came into question, it became obvious to me they all felt the same: today’s American Dream meltdown has been directly connected to expansion of money in politics (and subsequently greed) regardless no matter party affiliation.

And it’s true. It’s next to impossible for a candidate to make a policy decision purely on behalf of the people when foreign interests, global corporations, massive non-profits and their respective lobbyists are stuffing dollars in the political coffers.
Of course, a more naïve person may choose to believe it can be done. But for those willing to face the facts and break out of denial, it’s a no brainer. Humans are an imperfect species. They will eventually succumb if pressured long enough with high enough stakes.

In my “under the glass” opinion, it’s simple. Once you owe someone or something no matter the entity or organization, you immediately comprise your ability to make clear and objective decisions. When debt becomes master, and not the constituents you serve, all clarity and objectivity vanish. This is the very reason why I had to respectfully disagree with the economics professor who felt ratcheting up a bigger deficit in the short-run might get our country out of recession.

At this stage in the trillion dollar national debt game, literal and figurative solvency must become king. While it may be a hard pill to swallow, solvency is but a small price to pay to ensure future generations of Americans can live and thrive in a country that can protect itself, its constitution and support economic growth, and is why who wins the White House in 2012 is so incredibly critical.

The man or woman who is able to turn this country’s psyche around and undo Obama’s damage will be the winner.

With this said, nothing hit home harder than coming back to my home office desk and finding this MSNBC video in my inbox.



I am so happy my friend shared this rare media moment with me. Watching Dylan Ratigan telling it like it is on his show was refreshing. The pent up frustration with Congress being bought was outstanding and reticent of what many of us are feeling now. Yeah, I know…it’s MSNBC but don’t let that stop you from watching.