BTW, This is not Democracy

call it what you will, but this is not what democracy looks like.

Holding the economy hostage is not part of the democratic process.

:shrug:

just pointing out that this particular charade has nothing to do with the democratic process.

"as long as we get everything we want, we have a bill"

Though like the Roman Republic before it seems to have turned into an oligarchy in all but name. For an actual democracy look at ancient Greece.

"The maintenance of secrets acts like a psychic poison which alienates the possessor from the community." -- Carl Jung (via Tony Gosling via cryptome.org)

Soon, the people who know a secret start to feel, eh, superior! to those who don't share in their knowledge:

'Arrogant' CIA Disobeys Orders in Viet Nam

...and we get to the present day.

or otherwise intimidated (when not out-right murdered) everyone else.

You got it, Beam Me Up. For those new to the subject, a couple f'r instances:

Know your BFEE: Phil Gramm, the Meyer Lansky of the War Party, Set-Up the Biggest Bank Heist Ever.

Know your BFEE: Spawn of Wall Street and the Third Reich

American politic (and business, military, and bureaucracy) have devolved to a sovereign nation of people manipulated by entrenched special interests with convergent interests.

The distribution of income and wealth is the largest USA domestic problem and has been growing worse for decades.

There is zero excuse for anyone in the USA (or World) not to have decent housing, food, water, education, health care, comunication, transportation, and a secure future.

Fiscal, monetary, tax, and legislation are supposed to benefit all. What we have now is a siphon of capital and hard assets to an economic monarchy, domestic and global. Plus we have a far too short-term relation to the environment; Nature rules long term.

The worst-case depletion or damage to human lives, natural resources, and the natural world is war.

A Banana Republic.