Complicit Politicians and Special Interest Predators are Destroying America

By a faction (interest group), I understand a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adversed to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.  
– James Madison – Federalist 10

Complicit Politicians and Special Interest Predators are Destroying America

Paul Ryan, the Republican Vice-President candidate, has forced a debate concerning America’s outrageous debt.  Sovereign debt is primarily the destructive force of most civilizations and imperils America.  Ryan, through rigorous study and political savvy, is forcing politicians and voters to discuss this critical issue.  

Elected officials -Democrats and Republicans – are responsible for America’s debt, and We the People must engage in deliberations to force politicians to reduce and restrict government’s reach and spending.

America has another political corruption that is equally dangerous; complicit politicians and special-Interest predators are destroying America.  AARP, government unions, Wall Street banks, energy giants, and thousands of other special-interest groups give enormous sums of money to politicians and receive gigantic favors in the return.  

This mutual corruption – between industries and politicians  – restricts innovation and the expansion of products.  Additionally, it increases bureaucratic control and the cost of government, which reduces personal freedom.  Higher taxes and reduced consumer choices diminish the personal freedom of all Americans.

ObamaCare is the most vivid example of this corruption.  The Obama Administration made deals with all the industries associated with health insurance; doctors, hospitals, governmental unions, pharmaceutical companies and the like.  These industries agreed to cut costs or actively support their legislation, which includes millions of dollars in promotional advertizing, in order to ultimately receive preferential status. 

For example, healthy, young Americans will be forced to buy insurance and government unions will provide tens of thousands more government employees to enlist – additional IRS agents, healthcare providers, etc.  By legislative and bureaucratic edicts, these industries will have a quasi monopoly of power.  Without competition, innovation will be reduced and costs will be increased.

America’s Founders were aware and feared the universal problem of factions, i.e. special-interest politics.  From the beginning, America has witnessed plenty of factional fights.  However, it wasn’t until the New Deal when alignments were permanently formed. George Will writes in the Washington Post:

Under FDR, liberalism became the politics of creating an electoral majority from a mosaic of client groups. Labor unions got special legal standing, farmers got crop supports, business people got tariff protection and other subsidies, the elderly got pensions, and so on and on.

Of course, Republicans rushed to counter Democrats in cultivating special-interest partners.  Today, according to Joel Kotkin of New Geography, Democrats are aligned with financial interests, technology, green energy, education and trial lawyers.  Republicans are complicit with large banks, oil, gas and small businesses.   Most of these industries are heavily regulated by government. 

Again, laws and bureaucratic favors distort the efficacy of the products consumed by Americans.  Two other examples are the American educational system and energy produciton.  Our educational system is declining but our government and teacher unions resist innovation, which would improve our system.  In addition to education, America has a huge potential for energy production, but government is so concentrated on promoting windmills and solar panels that they’re missing everything else that can be utilitzed.

Tragically, in the 20th and 21st  centuries, government has stopped protecting the natural rights of Americans – the freedom to believe, think, work, exchange and own the fruits of their labors – and has only worried about itself rather than the people it governs.   Politicians and bureaucrats have joined in complicit alliances with big banks, big unions, big energy and others.  All of this is adversed (sic) to the rights of our citizens or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.  

President Madison believed America’s great diversity – geographic and cultural – would prevent factions from controlling.  Unfortunately, special-interest politics is destroying America.  Jay Cost of the Weekly Standard asserts that the Tea Party is the only organization actively seeking to end this corruption. 

Hence, it is absolutely imperative for the Tea Party Rebellion to expose these corruptions and seek structural restraints on government.  Similar to Paul Ryan, We the People must force America to debate this political subversion. Until this corruption is stopped, America cannot regain greatness.