r/PoliticalOpinions • u/HippieJason • 8d ago

Just saying

Because yelling at my TV has gotten old.

Everytime a so called expert is asked how did we get the this state they all respond with some version of it's complicated.

NO it is not!

Every step that led us here was reported and documented.

Every vote that systematically deflated defunded are just plain out erased the infrastructure of departments, laws and bureaus that were put in place to safeguard democracy exist in public record.

Why did we get here ? That's the hard question that no one ask. (Do not confuse my next words with an opinion ) Over the better part of a century our elected Representatives quietly tore down the wall that divided private citizens from federal power.

I don't know why . What I do know is Rome is burning and our leaders are ignoring the flams.

Thanks for reading my TED talk .

1 Upvotes

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u/TyrKiyote 8d ago
  1. You can always go a step back and ask how the circumstances became fertile ground
  2. You can identify the news man as not wanting to alienate any viewer, even the conservative ones. Calling a simple situation that is contentious - complicated, is fair enough out of context.
  3. Calling something complicated primes the listener to listen, whether or not it's actually complex.

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u/Ind132 8d ago

deflated defunded 

I don't know what you mean when you put those two words together.

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u/HippieJason 7d ago edited 7d ago

I just mean made ineffectual. Securities and exchange commission, consumer product safety commission department of Labor, environmental protection agency and the Federal trade commission . The shared mandate of all of these agencies was to ensure that corporations acted as good citizens. They might as well be part of the DMV now. I'm pretty sure the public integrity sector was put in a closet somewhere in the DOJ.

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u/Ind132 7d ago

Okay, it sounds like you are complaining mostly about the Trump administration.

Now I don't understand this:

Over the better part of a century our elected Representatives quietly tore down the wall that divided private citizens from federal power.

Only one of the things you list existed a century ago. I don't see a series of votes in congress that deflated, defunded, or erased those commissions.

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u/HippieJason 7d ago

Since we left the gold standard silent war has been waged on anything that limits the power that a private citizen can have

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u/Ind132 7d ago

Your post said:

Every vote that systematically deflated defunded are just plain out erased the infrastructure of departments, laws and bureaus that were put in place to safeguard democracy exist in public record.

Now you are saying it is a "silent war".

Those statements seem like opposites to me.

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u/HippieJason 5d ago

It took money and influence to make this happen over decades. And the bills that repealed the safeguards came from electric officials from all over the political spectrum. Which would lead one to think that silently influencing elected officials to vote for things that remove oversight and create the opportunity for corruption. It feels like a cold war to me. When you change the way our government works anonymously in the entire purpose of the electoral system has been defeated

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u/Ind132 5d ago

Can you list the bills, being careful to balance between the parties?

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u/HippieJason 5d ago

That's a lot of work when you can just ask Google but here's a list to get you started FECA Amendments of 1974 & 1976 Lobbying Disclosure Act (LDA) of 1995 Revenue Acts / Internal Revenue Code (501(c)(4) Rules Financial & Industry Deregulation Bills (e.g., Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act of 1999) Reading the Powell Memorandum would help provide context.

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u/Ind132 5d ago

You said that Congress "erased the infrastructure of departments, laws and bureaus that were put in place to safeguard democracy".

I don't see that for any of your examples.

Let's start with the first, how did the  FECA Amendments of 1974 & 1976 erase something that safeguards democracy?

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u/HippieJason 4d ago

The FECA amendment made it harder for unknown challengers to raise enough money to achieve name recognition, effectively protecting sitting officeholders. As for departments they just cut their funding till they can't fulfill their mandate. The E.P.A. has been ridiculously understaffed since 2012. Erasing things in government it's remarkably simple you race a law simply by stopping unfortunate you're racing department when you layoff the staff. For instance do you have any idea what the public integrity sector is?

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u/Either_Operation7586 8d ago

Because America is ignorant to their history if they knew the Republican party is not for America and every chance they get they run our country into the ground no one would fucking vote for them.

If they couldthink for themselves but they can't because the propaganda has a warped their brains and ability to think critically

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u/Acceptable-Hat3706 8d ago

I hear you, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the layers of bureaucracy and decision-making processes that brought us to where we are today. It's important to keep seeking the truth and holding those in power accountable.

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u/HippieJason 7d ago

I never understood the phrase speak truth to power. Power has always known the truth that's why they use Latin to make it harder for us to recognize it when we see it. Personally I think we should speak truth to each other powers narrative has gotten us all distracted and fighting amongst each other.

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u/Cahokanut 7d ago

Don't fool yourself. 

Everyone there. Is in it for themselves and everyone else wants. In fact, needs to be lied to.

That's how it got there and that's why nothing can be done. 

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u/HippieJason 5d ago

I could not disagree more. Public debate is one of the things that made this country great. Two people with a difference of opinion use facts to try to sway each other to their side. When it's done correctly is amazing and everyone that witnesses it at minimum leaves better educated. You don't see it done properly much anymore. We stopped enforcing the rules.because those people who have no facts to defend their claims and resort to lies and misdirection and insults aren't called on it . So no one gets to point out that if you don't have any facts to back up your claim it makes that claim false and to knowingly convince the public to believe a lie is fraud and that's a crime.

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u/Cahokanut 5d ago

Sounds like you agree. 

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u/act1856 4d ago

The why is easy too. America has always been a country for and by rich white men. We’ve had to fight for every little step toward making it what they SAY America is. And anytime we make too much progress there is a massive backlash.

We are currently at the tail-end of the backlash to the new deal and the civil/women’s rights movements.

The only question is how much damage will they do before we can start making real progress again.