Primarily $$$

Who can deny our political system is dominated by big money? No one, but many differ on what the real impact is of all that cash.

Some say it's no big deal, that's just the culture we live in. Even the Supreme Court, years ago in a fateful decision that I believe has hampered real democracy in the USA, basically said that money equals speech, and therefore is protected by the free speech provisions in the Constitution.

Oh, sure, that makes sense. So Joe CEO gets one million dollars worth of "free speech" to every buck of mine. Hmph. That don't seem so fair to me.

Anyway, the grotesqueness of such a system is now on full display once again, and we're headed for yet another record-breaking election of lavish campaign spending. As the corporate-owned media decides for us whose voices are worth hearing, we will most probably get stuck again with Tweedledee vs. Tweedledum.

And whoever gets elected – Tweedledee or Tweedledum – they will be beholden to their constituents: the big-money donors who got them there, NOT us.

Until we can manage to fix this fatal flaw in our electoral system – as well as some other little details like making the voting system transparent and verifiable – we will continue on the inexorable slide we are on, the fast track to hell in a hand basket.