Sunday, December 20, 2015

democracy is noisy, backroom deals are quiet

Does Debbie Wasserman Schultz, chair of the Democratic National Committee, have her thumb on the scale, using the DNC to tilt things in favor of Hilary?  I think so.  The fact that Debbie doesn't openly acknowledge her chicanery does not mean she is not favoring Hilary. Look at the bizarro debate scheduling; all of the Dem debates thus far, and there will be no more before the first caucuses and primaries, have been scheduled at times that have low tv viewership. Debbie didn't want Bernie, or O'Malley, to have that air time before voters.

Here in Berkeley, our former city planners turned insider fixers for developers are quiet, negotiating their deals outside of the public sphere. Backroom deals are, by their nature, quiet.

Public hearings, which are mere theater in Berkeley and many places these days, are no longer democratic. Our politicians decide behind silent, closed doors what they are going to do before the public is informed that our politicians are going to be making a decision. Then they set up a meeting to 'let' us speak for a minute or two, ignore all public comment even when much of it is from highly respected experts and go ahead and do whatever they agreed to do behind silent closed doors.

If the public raises their voices to object to sham political theater posing as democracy, they are silenced and threatened with eviction.

The rich don't go to public hearings. They don't have to. They buy all the access they want and our 'elected' politicians, bought and paid for by the rich, do as they are told. All very hush hush. All done behind silent, closed doors.

Democracy should be noisy.

I have read, and also seen some video, of the House of Parliment in Great Britian. The members of Parliment often engage in loud arguments amongst themselves, before the public view.  I am sure there is plenty of corruption in Great Britain. Where is there no corruption, where do the rich not buy politicians on this planet anymore? There may be some places that aren't corrupt but I don't see anyone reporting about such places, eh?

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