On 7-2-2010 18:30, Patrick Elliott wrote:
> On 2/7/2010 9:33 AM, andrel wrote:
>>> But if I make $10K a year, that same $10K bribe starts
>>> to look much more appetizing.
>>
>> Politicians here earn about 100K enough for very comfortable living but
>> not so much that we only get people that are motivated by money. Just
>> being motivated by money has too much danger of corruption. That starts
>> during the campaign because getting elected is of utmost financial
>> importance, and after being corrupted things will go on as usual while
>> in parliament/senate. Second problem is that you get a very small social
>> subgroup, which is not good for democracy. People earning 1M are too
>> often too much trying to earn money and making sure their friends also
>> get a 'fair' share. You get legislation aimed at increasing the wealth
>> of the current wealthy and aiming at diminishing opportunities of those
>> that are now less well off.
>>
> Point is, if I can make $10K a year, and *still* somehow get another 
> $10K donated for "campaign money", or other projects, out of which I can 
> funnel some cash for myself, you haven't solved anything. Its not about 
> whether someone makes $10K a year, or $10 million a year, its whether or 
> not various other interests can get by with funneling as much, or more, 
> to them other ways, while they are there. And, in the US at least, its 
> been the trend for the politicos to arrange things so this *is* 
> possible, to support reelection campaigns, pet projects, and various 
> crazy assed revisionist/activist goals they have, which ignore the 
> people, in favor of what ever schizo idea they (or their 
> church/party/secret_cult/personal_business_associates/family/all_of_the_above 
> happen to hold).

I agree, but a major part of the reason why the US law works the way it 
does is that the people who are 'in charge' are precisely the ones who 
got there in that way. And often they are part of the same subculture 
that also 'influences' broadcasting networks to give more time to people 
who defend this system than to the ones who are opposed. Then you are in 
danger of ending up with a situation where the majority of politicians 
is corrupt *and* the people re-elect them because they believe that is 
the way it should be.
The US need a very big crisis to get out of this mess. The last one was 
apparently not enough.

There are probably good historical reasons why the US politics work the 
way they do. I am happy to live in a more sane country. ;)

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