AMERICA'S DEMORALIZED PLUTOCRACY

From Salon ... 5 signs that America is turning into a demoralized plutocracy.

1. ELECTIONS FOR THE 1%: Both the Democrats and the Republicans are groveling to the richest and most powerful Americans.

2. PRIVATIZATION OF THE STATE: From the privatization of war (think mercenaries) to private prisons (heck, they want to privatize the libraries here in Bakersfield).

3. THE DE-LEGITIMIZATION OF CONGRESS & THE PRESIDENCY: While vying for power, both the White House and Congress have been throwing enough mud over the past 20 years that the only thing they can agree on is war and the national security state ... oh, and privatization of the state.

4. THE NATIONAL SECURITY STATE AS THE 4TH BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT: From the creation of the Department of Homeland Security to mercenary armies and our militarized border and police forces, we're told to be afraid of our own shadows.

5. THE DEMOBILIZATION OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE: With PR driven military campaigns and privatized mercenaries, Americans no longer care if wages are stagnating, poverty is on the rise, or if the rights of labor are respected. As long as we don't have a draft and we have our apps, we don't seem to care.

It's a bit lengthy, but you can read the article here.

And, yeah, I kind of added a bit to the narrative above. It needed a few more connecting points.

- Mark