Going from Democracy… to Plutocracy… and Now to Kleptocracy

Jim Hightower's Lowdown

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19d ago

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One group of oppressed Americans has become especially outspoken this election year, contending that top government officials (Democrats in particular) are ignoring their community’s basic needs and stifling their pursuit of economic advancement.

I speak, of course, about the tragic plight of our nation’s downtrodden multi-billionaire class. While it’s true that Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and these other Silicon Valley sad sackers and weepy Wall Streeters have vastly increased their wealth under Joe Biden’s presidency, they wail that he has not properly courted and coddled them. Indeed, Biden set their hair on fire this March by calling out their outrageous tax-dodging ploys, demanding they start providing their fair share of support for America by paying a “billionaire tax.”

Thus, these poor, put-upon moneyed elites have been jetting around to Hollywood, Palm Beach, and other posh enclaves, holding secret strategy sessions and rallying the über-rich class to defeat Biden this fall. Of course, since self-centered, plutocratic billionaires are less popular than bed bugs, they can’t win with their ideas and votes, but only by buying elections – and these gilded conspirators intend to do just that, amassing billions to bury Biden.

But, oops, one money confab in April exploded into public view when some 20 poobahs of such oil giants as Chevron, Exxon, and Occidental conferred with Trump himself. In a straight-out bribery offer, he pledged to repeal environmental protections the industry dislikes –if they pony up one billion dollars for his presidential campaign.

This sordid palace intrigue is the product of the right-wing Supreme Court’s 2010 edict letting selfish wealthy interests secretly dump unlimited sums of corporate money into our elections. They’re turning our democratic ideals into a kleptocracy.