I’m voting for President Monsanto
Let’s save time and just elect corporations to office
It reads like a sadly cliche scifi movie…
In a dystopian future, we’ve skipped the clunky process of electing leaders that have adopted the near-universal system of financing political campaigns with large corporate donations. Saving valuable time and pretense, we instead opt to elect the corporations directly. Why elect one flawed man or woman when we can instead elect a highly skilled board of directors?
If we’re willing to elect an individual that’s been purchased by a corporation, we might as well just elect the corporation directly.
The sad part is that this isn’t very far from the present reality. The following is a chart of top corporate political contributions by public U.S. companies. A few things worth noting:
- They give to both donkeys and elephants. We need to stop thinking this is a partisan issue.
- These companies cross sectors. They include retail, finance, communications, defense, and several highly-regulated industries.
- They’re not bad companies. They’re playing a game that is mostly legal: making political investments to increase profits. BAM. These are investments that pay dividends.
Here’s Monsanto’s PAC giving over time, suggesting they know exactly how to play the game. In addition to this, they’ve managed to be a steady participant in the revolving door of Washington DC, placing executives in top positions within both Democrat and Republican administrations.
Call me, or better yet, tweet me, and tell me with a straight face that this degree of financial relationship between candidates and corporations does not create an unbreakable bond — an expectation of reciprocity — between the corporate interests and the “civic servant” to which they contributed.
If you agree, then do something about it. MAYDAY.US is fighting to fix our democracy by creating the next American Revolution. A national grassroots movement to elect reformers that will enact public financing of elections. This simple fix will sever the relationship between big corporate money and our political system. Don’t fight the players, change the rules of the game.
What is public financing? Watch this short explanation by Lessig.