Corporate Takeover of America (well, actually the world)

Over the past 3 decades, corporations have steadily been monopolizing more and more power of our government. We all know they do this by funding/donating money to representatives for their campaigns, and once elected, well then our reps work for them. The very rich and the corporations are not going to give their money away for free; expectations always come with it.

I thought it was bad until the decision on the Citizen's United case by SCOTUS. Now our government is almost completely controlled by special interest groups, corporations, and the extremely wealthy in our nation (for that matter in the world).

It is enraging to me and should be to every middle/lower class American the fact that our political system is completely funded by these people leaving us out in the cold. The only few options left to us are unions, which the numbers are dwindling, and our numbers and the ability to gather and protest. The only thing we have going is the fact that this kind of power rests in only a handful of people/corporations (in the thousands if not hundreds) and WE NUMBER in the MILLIONS.

Here is another disturbing reach for these "elites." In Florida back in 2008, Charles Koch donated $1.5 million to Florida State University's Economics Department to be given over 6 years equating to $250,000/year. For this donation Koch's very own advisory committee will pick candidates to fill teaching positions that are funded by his donation. The candidates will have to be approved by Koch. This gives him complete veto power on any new hires.

Florida State University's economics department needs to reconsider its relationship with billionaire Charles G. Koch, who pledged $1.5 million to the school as long as professors hired with the money hew to Koch's Libertarian philosophy. The arrangement reeks of pandering and undermines academic freedom, the cornerstone of American higher education.

Under the terms of a 2008 deal with the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, FSU's economics department is scheduled to receive $1.5 million over six years to hire professors. But faculty members hired with foundation money must be approved by an advisory committee handpicked by Koch. That means Koch effectively holds veto power, an arrangement rarely found in the academic community and that threatens independent thinking.

The one thing the misguided and basically uneducated Tea Party has shown us over the past 2 years is we still can influence our representatives. We have one thing going for us that they don't, brains. We know the issues, the politics and cannot be persuaded by false news/reporting. The corporations have to be stopped before we turn into The United States of Corporations.