In today’s society, plutocracy and political corruption go hand in hand, especially in Washington.

Simply put, plutocracy is a government ruled by the wealthy or controlled by wealthy individuals. It is no secret that wealth buys power, and that is exactly what we are seeing today. Unfortunately, with wealth and power often comes corruption. Author J.R. Martin stated in chapter nine of his book, Selling U.S. Out, that political scandal and corruption are not new. They’ve always existed. Indeed, all one has to do is read the news to learn of the corruption and greed taking place between the big players of our government:

• political parties: Republicans and Democrats
• lobbyists and overpaid consultants
• the mainstream media

Over the past forty years, power, money and greed have corrupted our elected government officials at every level. What’s most alarming is that the blatant corruption has been tolerated and accepted by the American people. Unfortunately, members of both parties act as if their jobs are nothing more than a big political game. They’re so focused on insulting the other side and getting their own agendas passed that they forget that they’re supposed to be working for the U.S. public.

As J.R. Martin writes:

“Neither party represents the interests of the American people since both are controlled by foreign and domestic corporations and special interest groups that provide the majority of their funding…both parties practice dishonest, divisive politics aimed at dividing and manipulating public opinion instead of seeking to build an honest national consensus on important issues confronting our nation.”

Other key players contributing to the corruption and aura of plutocracy seemingly gripping the U.S. are lobbyists, special interest groups and overpaid consultants. These groups of people are especially dangerous because they care very little about the average American.

J.R. Martin explained lobbying to be “nothing more than a legal way for corporations and special interests to bribe politicians to enact legislation that benefits the interests of whoever is paying the bills. The self-serving corrupting influence and harm done by professional lobbyists to the general welfare of the U.S. far outweighs any good they do.” What’s even more alarming is that many of these lobbyists are retired congressmen and women who make more as lobbyists than they ever did during their government service.

Another dangerous contributor to the growing presence of corruption and plutocracy running rampant in the U.S. is the mainstream media. The mainstream media is extremely dangerous because it has the power to manipulate and censor the news being relayed to the public. Often times, media outlets are closely aligned with the two major political parties (Republicans and Democrats), meaning that third party groups are often left in the dust or just plain disregarded. A prime example of this can be seen in televised presidential debates. Third party candidates are almost always excluded. This is corruption at its finest because it essentially bars anyone other than wealthy, elitist Democrats and Republicans from holding the presidency.

It is time that we stand up against plutocracy and corruption taking over our country. We need a congress that can work together for the common good of the United States of America and her people. Send this letter to your congressional representative and to five of your friends and ask them to do the same!

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