ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Political Corruption + Campaign Contributions = Partners in Crime

Updated on May 7, 2011

It's the way Government and Business is done

How We Can Change the System

The US Congress recently passed a new law stating that, starting immediately, there is no cap on the amount of campaign contributions politicians can legally accept from corporate sponsors such as oil, pharmaceutical, car, power, unions, organized crime & chemical companies etc. etc. just to name a few or from the private sector (individuals).

In other words, they can take as much money legally from whom ever they want but at what cost to us, is the question we all have to ask ourselves.

I don't think it comes to any surprise for most of us who acknowledge that politicians have secretly received huge, illegal cash donations towards their political campaigns since the beginning of Government only now, these companies can benefit even more from income tax deductions in the form of receipts so they can now do it legally and in my opinion, there lies the seed for even greater political corruption. Nothing has really changed. Now it's just "legal".

Once these giant, multinational corporations pay out hundreds of millions of dollars to get their favorite puppet into power, those puppets now have to pay back those corporate or private donations in the form of favors.

Exclusive Government contracts, new laws, re-zoning, etc. etc. etc.. It could be a million different scenarios to return the favor but all designed for one reason. To gain profit or power for the donating party.

That's how the world of Government and big business works, "payoffs" whether we like it or not.

Accepting this fact as a way of life makes me ask the question, Who does our appointed political leaders have their best interest really in? despite what they say in all their bullshit campaign promises?

The people who elected them into power to serve and protect our way of life or the corporations who pay their campaign bills and luxurious living expenses. The answer is obvious when we look at the news every day.

So how do we, as the people, change how the system works?

We have the power to make it happen by forcing politicians to do what we elect them for, but how do we do it? How do we take the power away from major corporations and put it back into the control of the voting, tax paying public and what is in their best interest. Not motivated by greed or corruption but for a higher quality of life for all of us.

What about this idea.

Lets say we force Congress/Parliament to pass a new law stating that accepting any form of corporate or private campaign donations is now illegal, no matter what size the amount or what office the politician is running for.

They can only run their campaign on a certain budget that is given to them out of tax payers dollars and each candidate running for the same office has access to the same, equal amounts of campaign funds.

Now wait, hear me out before you criticize the idea

I know what you are going to say. That means more taxes for me to pay but does it really? Lets examine this more closely.

They are already spending billions of dollars in tax payers money anyway to run these ridiculously over priced campaigns so let's say we put a limit (cap) on it and every politician has to run their own campaign based on the exact, same amount of money as their opposition party.

It would at least create an even playing field for all the candidates and force them to be more creative in their promotional and marketing campaigns.To actually work for their money. What a concept.

Now I'm not saying politicians do not work hard to get into office. It's probably the hardest they will ever work for the rest of their political careers but once they are elected in there, a couple of years in office and they are pensioned off for life. Sweet deal, right!

To insure they are staying within their budget and not accepting those under the table bribes anymore, what do you say that we have each political party's campaign books examined by their running opponents accounting team to make sure they are not accepting any illegal payoffs. Just the books, nothing else. We wouldn't want one creative party stealing promotional ideas from the other to gain in the race now would we, or would we? It might be kind of fun watching them tear each other apart.

How many of these expensive, televised smears campaigns do they waste millions on, that have absolutely nothing to do with the issues and are only designed to destroy their opponent's credibility like two kids arguing in a sand box.


Do you think they would be wasting that money on these "my daddy can beat up your daddy hate campaigns", if they were on a limited budget. I don't think so.

We also wouldn't want to hire any outside accounting firms to monitor all the receipts and record each party's campaign spending habits because those companies can be paid off to cook the books so each party only answers to their opponents book keepers and public scrutiny.

They would be watching each others campaign spending like a hawk to make sure they are not buying any more prime time TV spots than their budget dictates.

They would also be the only ones in the campaign race with no hidden agenda by forcing them to answer to the other parties book keeping practices. Interesting concept don't you think?.

Let's take it a step or two further

Not only would that cut millions off the cost of the elections by eliminating massive over spending but it would also give those less known politicians, who don't have the financial support to run a huge campaign but might be great leaders, have a fair and equal shot at getting into office plus, they wouldn't be forced to pay back those "favors" to the groups or individuals orchestrating everything from behind the scenes.

The corporations and politicians know full well that major companies can hand the Oval Office over to whoever they favor in the political race with all their money and power backing them up but they can also take it away with the same resources, forcing every politician into corruption if they accept those political bribes that put a strangle hold on them by using their never ending cash cow to force their will on every part of our society using their bought and paid for politicians as their puppets.

Every corrupt organization always puts a front man on display for the media and public eye to take all the heat while they are closing deals behind closed doors.

That's the game and if you don't play by the rules set forth by the real power running our world, Corporations, you are not in the game, period. They can crush you as fast as they can make you so politicians learn to play hardball at a very early age no matter how pure their intentions were at the beginning of their political career.

Corporations are the true Puppet Masters in this world, not Government.

It never ceases to amuse me when you hear of some politician coming into your area, donating millions of dollars for a major sporting facility, school or new road construction, just before election time and in reality, we are thanking them for giving us back our own money that we pay in taxes.

That's how brainwashed we've all become. You have leaders whom have never ran a business before in their lives, spending our tax money like they own it and we let it happen. Then we beg for crumbs like a dog lying under the dinner table.

I guarantee you that the politicians who scream the loudest about making campaign contributions illegal are the ones that are the most corrupt and they are the ones we want out of power. They will show themselves because of the pressure put on them from their corporate masters to crush the idea.

The political leaders that support the idea should be the ones we want in power. Also, we can force the corrupt ones to get on board with the idea by threatening them out of office in the next election, unless they are part of the utterly useless and extremely expensive Senate. Either way, they will be exposed and that is the beginning of their demise in the political arena.

It has already shown itself in the history books. How many politicians have you seen found guilty of corruption but amazingly were now receiving huge paying jobs in the same corporations that supported them financially in their campaign race.

If you want more proof, find out were most of the former Bush administration is now working. I'll tell you where. The same oil companies, pharmaceutical companies, car companies, chemical companies, power companies, unions, universities and law firms that supported them financially in the campaign race. The only difference between those individuals and ones still in power is that they were stupid enough to get caught.

We have the power to make changes but we have to do it as a collective body or they will divide and conquer all of us.

Corporations are running this world and it all begins with those multimillion dollar campaign contributions and bribes filtering down through every government office and department in every country on our planet, which is how they are controlling us all, but if we don't do something to change the system as a united front representing the people and for the people, they will continue to destroy us and the planet.

I'm not saying this is a simply fix and it runs a lot deeper than this suggestion but it's a start and we have to start somewhere.

Even if everyone in America picked just one oil company and boycotted all their gas stations for one month, do you think that would make a difference in their bottom line at months end and force them to sit up and take notice. I know it would but we just won't stand together but in reality, That is were our true power lies.

We can force Government and corporations to their knees if we can just get our act together instead of complaining about the system and doing nothing to change it.

Knowing all this, I think we really have to ask ourselves,

Who's fault is it really then anyway? Governments? Corporations? or Ours for letting it happen?

Breaking News! Last night on the Canadian National News, it was reported that Canadians are now living longer. 81 years for men and 83 years for woman. Good news Right!

In the same broadcast, the scene was shifted to an Interview with the newly elected Premier of the province of Nova Scotia, stating that if people live longer, then it is going to be an extra burden on our health care system which means they are going to have to raise taxes again.

Now get this: This is the same recently elected majority NDP Government that were just investigated by the Auditor General and all it's members, including the Premier, Darrell Dexter himself and found guilty of filing false tax receipts for reimbursement on things like video games, generators for their home, 61 inch flat screen TV's for their office, $2500.00 digital cameras, 11 computers for their families etc. etc. etc.

It was even discovered in the investigation that many members submitted the same receipts up to 10 times and got paid for all 10 claims. The list goes on and on but two years later, the investigation is still on going and no charges have yet to be laid. Are they above the law? I believe fraud is still a criminal act in this country, isn't it?

Plus they can also pay anyone that helps them win in their political campaign (Campaign assistance), in cash and they do not have to show any records of the transactions or claim any income tax on that money, plus the recipient does not get a T4 slip (Income Tax Record) for receiving all that cash. Unreported, tax free money. Isn't income tax evasion a crime in this country too?

Having that majority Government also allows them to hold private meetings, behind closed doors with their members only, deciding how their party spends tax payers dollars and they do not have to report those spending procedures to the public or to other party members, even though it is the public's money . They are free to do whatever they want, spend whatever they want and answer to no one but themselves.

Government are the real gangsters in this country. They control the drugs, liquor, gambling, construction and every other money making industry out there but because they say they are the government spending tax dollars, those are legal operations but do not have to answer to anyone to where all that extra cash goes.

The only projects they invest tax dollars into are business ventures that are going to keep the cash coming in but not for the citizens that are literally starving to death in one of the richest countries in the world. If you don't believe that one, just take a hard look at our social programs for the millions of people unemployed and living below the poverty level in Canada.

If you listen to the world media about how Canada survived the global recession you would actually believe all that bullshit but ask the person struggling to keep their home, pay the bills and feed their family while being over taxed to death, that question and you'll get to the truth to what's really going on.

The Government simply tells all media sources that if they do not report what they are told to report, they will lose their broadcasting license and they are out of business.

Thank God for the Internet. At least there you know you can find the truth somewhere out there if you dig deep enough.

To finish, I suggest that one of you Internet Marketing Guru's, hopefully reading this Hub, should start an online petition demanding Congress (US) & Parliament (Canada) to make private and corporate campaign donations illegal and then sit back and watch some political blood vessels explode.

They will go nuts because you are trying to take away their gravy train. I would love to see how all that unfolds. Please send the petition to me. I'll be the first to sign it.

Thanks for your time



working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)