I'm going to save the Republican party. You see, I've discovered a fundamental flaw in recent GOP doctrine For a long time, the Republican party has claimed they are for a small government. However, somewhere along the way they have diverged from the path. And after careful analysis here is the issue. It is a small semantic mistake that anyone can make.
There is a vast difference in result between government for the few, and government by a few. Government by a few is clearly remarkable, it means so much efficiency has been driven into the system, you can provide services to society without huge layers of bureaucracy and administrative costs. Government for the few, or Oligarchy, essentially the system of government we have at present, well you can see the simple mistake.
Who are the few? I'd have to guess that anyone that was at Cheney's Energy Task Force meeting, the participant's names never made public would be among the few. Essentially neoconservative political leaders in conjunction with the CEO's of corporations like ExxonMobil, Chevron, Halliburton, Enron and Bechtel are likely among the few. Yet I don't recall electing any of them to represent us, do you? Here are some questions and answers that may provide some insight:
Q: Who would the policies and regulations established by such a government favor? Hmmm, let's take a look, shall we?
Anger at oil chief's $400m retirement package
Tillerson's Exxon Makes History With Record Profit
Oil companies cruise toward record earnings -Exxon Mobil sales seen topping $100 billion
Halliburton 1Q Profit Income Rises 33 Pct.
Well, you get the idea.
Q: Isn't this just coincidence. Hey, these companies are doing well, why should we even think that government policies favor them?
The management of a corporation must drive profit. They have a fiduciary responsibility to grow earnings and are generally measured by profit performance. Who cares if you kill 20,000 people in Bhopal if you turn in a great quarter? So political contributions are interesting. If I am a CEO I might invest a significant amount of money in modernization of manufacturing facilities, because if I do, I can gain a competitive advantage. The advantage will lead to greater profit. So I make the investment. So, as a corporation, I might give to the United Way, or some other cause not because we are nice (although certainly some corporations are more philanthropic than others), it is because we want you to perceive us as nice, and buy more of our product. So why would I give to a political campaign or party? Do I want them to think of me as nice? It is an 'investment'. When I invest in a "government purchase", I have an expectation that government will produce laws, policies, regulations and enforcement procedures that allow me to generate more profit. And I can guarantee that such policies are not going to benefit "We the People".
Assignment: Go to opensecrets.org. Check out the contributions made by Chevron, ExxonMobil, other energy companies, defense contractors etcetera. (You probably already have).
Q: What kind of policies could have such an impact, and be considered an attempt to consolidate wealth and power?
There are three forms policies take to perpetuate a government for the few. One that fuels the transfer of wealth, one that protects the transfer by eroding societal protections and infrastructure and one that has not much to do with anything the neoconservative fascists are concerned with, however will keep society divided and thus, conquered.
House Votes to Sharply Curtail Estate Tax
Capital Gains and Dividend tax cuts (something every working family needs to take advantage of!)
Look Who's Behind 'Tort Reform'
Cuts Leave Ohio Public School Children Behind
The Oakland Press: Local News: School cuts threatened
How Illogical School Funding Has Eroded Public Education
EPA FUNDING CUTS
NBC 15 :: Close to Home - EPA cuts to Alabama budget may hurt pollution control programs
NPR : New EPA Rule Delays Major Cuts in Mercury Pollution
Q: Oh, but wait, when business is doing well, they reinvest! This helps America strengthen and grow. Or does it?
Corporations are sitting on piles of cash -Interest on $643 billion is boosting bottom lines
So, now the Republican party can get its act together, now that I have found this semantic error.
You're welcome.
Just a few thoughts from my over-caffeinated alphabetic mind.
About the Author: Mr. Polisner founded alonovo.com in March of 2005. He has been working in most aspects of Information Technology since 1981 and was an early commercial adopter of the UNIX operating system. Prior to founding alonovo.com earlier this year, George was a Director at Oracle Corporation. He is a frequent contributor to newspapers regarding political and economic policy and often appears as a guest on radio programs. In fact, when it comes to alonovo.com, it's pretty difficult to get him to stop talking.