The American System, how is it that the powers that are, can influence their citizens?

Question

to vote against their own self interest and for the interest of the wealthy?

For example

Lower taxes
By lowering taxes the rich save a huge a mount of money (yes because they pay a huge amount of money) while the middle class and lower class save less money and in return have to pay more than their tax savings in new or higher user fees.

Social security
By privatizing it, the owners of the system will make huge profits while the participants will receive less in benefits.

Medical insurance
The top dogs of the corporations make an obscene amount of money, while middle and lower class pray that if a health issue arises that they will be taken care of.

The war
In hindsight, the war was based on illussion. Yet if you are of the right stripe are still for it but against raising taxes. The pro business pres has lowered the taxes to be paid currently but in reality has raised future taxes.

How do the powers that are push our buttons so magically to get us to accept this

Answer 1

1. we are a 'short attention span society' , a tv generation riased on simplistic answers and quick fixes. The average american is not particularly bright.
2. disinterest, the average american is ill-informed and apathetic.
3. gullible- our public gets sucked into smoke and mirrors tricks-' gee the biggest issue was really gay marriage'? kinds of crap that deflects the public from core problems.
4. burn-out- many people are resigned to a corrup system
5. fears- the talking heads get people to fear action- don't question, dont protest- you will be a social leper.
6.ignorance- most americans don't get it , that the military-industrial complex runs the country, as strongest lobbies and influence peddlers of big oil, pharmaceutical companies, etc.
7. bought and paid- people sense war is good business, in a country that spends more than the rest of the world combined on war machinery.........
8. less taxes is a myth- simply shifted to state tax increases, user taxes such as the hidden gasoline tax silently rising and shifted costs- ie less government funding of indigent patients returns to you as higher premiums.......
9. nobility of leadership- we hold our leaders in awe and above reproach ( unless named clinton) blindly following their interests.
10. the people allowed religious superstition to rule their judgement - if you oppose something a republican is doing, doesn't one go straight to hell?

Answer 2

I disagree with several of your premises.

By lowering taxes we are wanting to force gov't to cut spending on things that are unnecessary, so we individuals can spend the money on things we do care about. If given a choice of having $100 go to me or the Robert C Byrd museum in West Virginia, or the Crusader artillery system, I'll take the $100 thank you.

By privatizing Social Security (which by the way is how it should have been set up originally), people can reap far greater returns than the paltry 1 - 2% we are getting on our money from SS. If investment houses can help me earn better returns, I have no problem with them taking a cut of the action. Christ I can invest it in 30 year federally insured US Bonds that pay around 5%.

Medical Insurance - is so screwed up beyond belief. Why is it everyone expects someone else to pick up the tab for their health care? Here's a novel idea - pay for it your own damn self! And maybe if you do, you'll actually invoke market forces by shopping around for better cost or by cutting out extra services. Do I really need a full MD with all their education and training to stitch up my cut? Or any one of hundreds of little things? Just have insurance cover anything over X thousand per year for catastrophic illnesses. You'll see how rapidly health care costs come down.

During this war, we've cut taxes, and fought it, and had a good economy, and now the deficit has been coming down the last couple of years. Why are you so anxious to raise taxes?

Answer 3

We live in a country that fosters and encourages wealth. If someone rises above the fray, they should reap the rewards ... But, they should never expect that entire governement policy be created to support their increased wealth, while the same policy tramples down the poor and middle classes.

The Republicans will always bang their drums loudly on how this would affect small business owners. ... but it not the small business owners they are protecting ... small business is not the main political contributors of the Republican party, while big business is a huge political contributor. The Republicans are all about big business and the very wealthiest in this country .. hence the huge tax loopholes for big business, and the hamstringing of the IRS in recent decades.

Even though they are not the party of the every day hard working American. the Republicans know how to capture the vote of the common man ... they target the fanatical, the racists, the intolerant, and those with a single-minded issue such as gun rights. Viola! ... millions of hard working people ... often victims of Republican policy themselves, are now voting to make rich people even richer. A Republican dream comes true.

Answer 4

I ask that question all the time..... good question! Well, first, you must look at who really controls America. Look around, pay attention and you will find that lawyers do! Nothing important happens in this country unless and until it is controled by a lawyer in some way. Everything from Big business, to Network News is controled by a lawyer.

Most will say so what, we need lawyers to run this country because they are so smart. Yes... but what about the american people? The common man? Their smart too. The fact is, we should be very concerned about who really runs this country. Did you know american lawyers who engage in ethics and misconduct activity are only governed by a panel of lawyers? Check with the american bar assc. on that one. Its called a Judical Review Board and their made up of lawyers. Hence.. the term, good ole boys network. We need smart americans..not lawyers sitting on these review boards. That will bring about postive change. It wont solve everything..but its a start.

Answer 5

The Media. They are owned. They say what the owners want them to say. The owners are wealthy and they pander to the wealthy. People are gullible and unknowing so they believe what the rich tell them. Governments (all) control what information the citizens get hence you have control.

The chase after luxury and ease keep the average mind occupied.

There is an old saying, 'tell a lie often enough and people will believe it.'

Answer 6

They try through censorship of media, even forums like this on yahoo are censored and what people really think and feel and say in public are not reflected in such media, but in the end their efforts fail, people go insane with the oppressions and rebel in violent and bizzare manners. America is on the verge of civil war and does not even know it.

Answer 7

because no one cares about politics or how the country is run
as long as they get McDonalds on their table every day
can listen to whatever music they want, watch whatever television program they want
get to go to the gym every day
and not get shot at or persecuted for their religious or political beliefs, which they have little of in the first place
then they are fine and couldn't care less about the rest of the world or their kids

Answer 8

by no skill decrease the skill of worry and propaganda! i relatively have self belief in a correlation between our academic equipment and our reflexive tendency in the direction of cowing decrease than those approaches; I advise, am I the only guy or woman who had Am. Civics in college? Who else recalls what the "Propaganda Ministry" did in Nazi Germany?

Answer 9

Big Brother is always looking out for us.....(sarcasm)

Answer 10

only god knows