What Hartmann shows is that nothing like that actually exists in America. In fact, we are a nation whose governing policies are shaped by a cabal of corporations and wealthy individuals who use their money to manuipulate the political system to their undue advantage. The foundation of this 'class warfare' being conducted against the general public interest rests on two morally bankrupt legal constructs. One is the idea that 'money equals free speech', which in essence translates to 'he who has the money makes the rules'. The other is the legal system's acceptance of corporations as 'persons' under the law'.
The polarization of the 99ers against the the one percent is a tangible reflection of the gulf between the haves and the have nots. It's the self-interests of a privileged few that seem always to prevail over the common good. Money is the ointment that allows nattow interests to make their own rules.
The five radical conservative Justices on the US Supreme Court made a mockery of the law when they pushed through their 'Citizens United' ruling in January, 2010. It gave corporations the right to spend unlimited amounts of money on politicians and elections, without any kind of public accountablility.
On so many issues where the common good is being undermined, the cause is political corruption, driven by 'corporate personhood' and 'money as speech'. The only remedy for this is a simply and unequivocally stated constitutional amendment.
Fortunately, there is a group called Move to Amend that is promoting just such an amendment.. Here is their eloquently stated mantra...
We, the People of the United States of America, reject the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United, and move to amend our Constitution to firmly establish that money is not speech, and that human beings, not corporations, are persons entitled to constitutional rights.
Amending the Constitution is very difficult. First an amendment must pass a vote in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives. After that, it must pass a vote of the legistatures in two-thirds of the fifty states. Very tough to do...but not impossible. For it to happen, the citizenry of our country must rise up en mass and demand that our representatives support such a measure.
At this time, there is a lot of talk about amending the Constitution. People recognize that something must be done There are numerous measures being put forth by different groups. Some of these efforts are designed to deceive and dissipate the public's desire to affect positive change. The fact is, we are all best served if we get behind one common effort and work together to see it through. I believe of all the initiatives on the table, the simple language put forth by Move to Amend offers our citizens the best chance to restore our governing process, so that it is truly 'of, by, and for the people'.
". . . corporations have no consciences, no beliefs, no feelings, no thoughts, no desires. Corporations help structure and facilitate the activities of human beings, to be sure, and their 'personhood' often serves as a useful legal fiction. But they are not themselves members of “We the People” by whom and for whom our Constitution was established." ~Supreme Court Justice Stevens, January 2010
No matter what particular issue or injustice one is invested in, the corruption that underlies that circumstance is the improper influence on politicians and public policy, fostered by 'Corporate Personhood' and 'Money as Speech'. Until a Constitutional amendment addressing those two things is passed, we have no chance of restoring our democratic system of government.
Here is a link to the page on Thom Hartmann's website that talks about Unequal Protection.
http://www.thomhartmann.com/unequal-protection/index
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