Glass Steagall Protections Killed (1999) and Citizens United Approved (2010) Deeply Threatens American Democracy!

By Donald A. Collins | 5 November 2023
Church and State

U.S. Capitol Building. (Photo by PartTime Portraits on Unsplash)

There is a very possible chance for a Trump 2nd term.

Some reasons include the votes of Christian Nationalists, or some whites fearing replacement by minorities, or pro-life voters, and those inspired by Trump’s use of hate, and racism but there are other reasons! Another goal of the new House Speaker Mike Johnson is closing the Constitutional gap between church and state which this web site so effectively opposes. But again that is not well understood by many voters.

Have you noticed how angry so many Americans are? But most voters are not overwhelmingly aware or motivated by the above list.

While the economy isn’t statistically bad by historic measures and inflation seems to be going down, massive numbers of us are paycheck to paycheck!

Actually 60% of Americans!

Read here.

The mainly corporate and billionaire spending in 2020 on elections set a record.

$16.7 billion!

Read here.

Anger over the imbalance of rich over poor, the growing feeling that our government institutions are not working for us got exemplified by the US House Speaker fiasco which continues as the new untested Speaker Mike Johnson will seek to get a temporary debt bill passed to avoid a government shutdown which could happen after November 17th!

Most mainstream media say Biden has done a generally good job but 54% of us are not in agreement and only 40% approve of Biden’s record.

Trump with all his blemishes remains the likely GOP Presidential nominee.

Polls now show the two likely candidates tied if the vote were tomorrow!

All this GOP disarray implies a resounding Democratic victory in the 2024 election, but that as we now realize could be wrong!

Democrats are relying heavily on the abortion issue, but we know that pocketbook costs are primary in voter motivations.

Thus, a not so serious recession in 2024 midyear economic downturn could give credence to the corporate well-funded GOP claims of Biden’s incompetence!

Those claims which coupled with his age rap could give a 77 year old felon and his non-governing MAGA party a dangerous populist victory.

We know Trump’s goal of installing himself as he claims to be the savior of democracy which any analysis defrocks his plan to remake our democracy into an impenetrable authoritarian dictatorship!

Thus, Biden’s task to win in 2024 is difficult but clear. He needs to make constant personal contact with Americans.

Why? For example, many African Americans feel there has not been enough done for them by Biden after they voted eagerly for him in 2020!

With the close 2024 vote expected, stay at home voters could swing electoral ores in tightly contested states to give Trump another term even as Biden’s total vote was millions more than Trump’s.

Constant repetition already of the above facts by respected leaders of both parties has done nothing so far to change the views of Trump’s MAGA cult.

America is at the most dangerous place for democracy in its history as the gap between most Americans in wealth and political power echoes the late 19th century Gilded Age, which was broken only with strong government intervention by such leadership as provided by Theodore Roosevelt and the exposures of corporate greed and inhuman working conditions by the editorial efforts of the so-called Muck Rackers.

Our so called Middle Class is declining and under increased pressure.

Read here.

Read about the Gilded Age here.

Repeal in 1999 of Glass Steagall and the subsequent 2010 approval of Citizens United allowed rich corporate interests to buy our government at every level!

Read here about both but especially the two articles (here and here) arguing about the devastating danger of Citizens United as researched by the Brennan Center for Justice.

Even a resounding Biden 2024 victory will not change the choke hold of corporate ownership of our government.

Repeal of unlimited corporate and wealthy donors election funding as allowed under Citizens United and our antiquated Electoral College as most Americans favor (Pew Poll) will only be starting points!

In a recent Op Ed I wrote about the need for a 28th Amendment to our Constitution which at least makes way for the evolution of government representation.

Former US Navy officer, banker and venture capitalist, Donald A. Collins, a free lance writer living in Washington, DC, has spent over 50 years working for women’s reproductive health as a board member and/or officer of numerous family planning organizations including Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Guttmacher Institute, Family Health International and Ipas. Yale under graduate, NYU MBA. He is the author of “From the Dissident Left: A Collection of Essays 2004-2013”, “Trump Becoming Macbeth: Will our democracy survive?”, “We Humans Overwhelm Our Earth: 11 or 2 Billion by 2100?”, “What Can Be Done Now to Save Habitable Life on Planet Earth?”, “Vote”, “Can Homo Sapiens Survive?”, “Will Choice and Democracy Win?”, “Can Our U.S. Survive 8 Plus Billion of Us”, “Economic Growth: A Cancer on all Earthly Life” and “On the Precipice of Political Disaster in 2024”.

Senator Elizabeth Warren – Reinstating Glass-Steagall – CNBC

How the Citizens United Decision Changed U.S. Political Campaigns (full documentary) | FRONTLINE

‘Not making it’: Americans struggle with surging costs of living

Biden and Trump in dead heat ahead of hypothetical 2024 matchup in new poll

Be sure to ‘like’ us on Facebook

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here