In Ken Burns’ outstanding PBS documentary Prohibition, it was revealed that alcohol prohibition corrupted all levels of our government — all the way up to the Warren G. Harding White House. The alcohol cartels had hundreds of politicians on their payroll.
Is it unreasonable to suspect that the drug cartels of today are following in the footsteps of the alcohol cartels? It’s obvious that medical marijuana dispensaries were making a major dent in the income of the Mexican drug cartels.
Would a $10 million bribe motivate Obama to change his policy regarding medical marijuana? We will never know. But I certainly suspect so.
Kirk Muse
Mesa
Leon Ceniceros posted at 5:25 pm on Fri, Jan 6, 2012.
What about US Senators and US Congressmen who are pushing for Illegal Alien Amnesty ???
Rich posted at 5:54 pm on Fri, Jan 6, 2012.
Leon,
How about a system controlled by two cartels who are supposed to compromise?
Dale Whiting posted at 8:58 am on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
Yes, Kirk,
Follow the money. Perhaps Leon is right. Money changes Texas politicians from being pro-Comprehensive Immigration Reform to anti immigration, causing the Neo-cons to loose sway among Latino voters.
Not sure what Rich's point is!
Rich, are those cartels you refer to Republicans and Democrats? Clearly under Kirk's point, money flows into both. So their failure to compromise must be the object and goal of some monied interests. And where they do compromise, that also would be serving those monied interests.
Great point, Rich!
Rich posted at 11:02 am on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
Dale,
You've got it backwards. We no longer have monied interests the caliber of Morgan, Rockefeller or Vanderbilt. People who controlled more than 1% of the GDP. 'Monied Interests' are a myth, really haven't meant much since the early twentieth century. The power, economically and sadly even socially is concentrated in the Democratic or the Republican cartels, both controlling more wealth than exists in any private hands. It is considered a 'good' thing when they can compromise on borrowing more money than exists in private hands. Both just want to borrow and spend more and more until the economy comes back or collapses. Until then they will line their pockets pass mercurial and absurdist 'laws' and try to convince the rest of us that they doing something beside stealing. The only real difference between them is the name on the bank account your money goes into.
Cerulean posted at 11:58 am on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
I had the impression that a ‘cartel’ was like - - - well I thought it had something to do with organized crime. So I looked up the definition and to my amusement I discovered that a cartel is a “written agreement between belligerent nations; a combination of independent commercial or industrial enterprises designed to limit competition or fix prices”. Merriam-Webster gives this as an example; “a cartel of oil-producing nations that controls production and influences prices”
So – interesting point, Rich (and thank-you Dale for clarifying), “both controlling more wealth than exists in any private hands.”
Ok, back to Obama taking bribes. I think it’s doubtful, unless it’s a written agreement between the U.S. and Mexican governments. I would rather ask, “Why are Arizona Republicans so invested in subverting medical Marijuana laws?”
One other interesting note according to Wikipedia “A 2008 study by Harvard economist Jeffrey A. Miron has estimated that legalizing drugs would inject $76.8 billion a year into the U.S. economy — $44.1 billion from law enforcement savings, and at least $32.7 billion in tax revenue ($6.7 billion from marijuana, $22.5 billion from cocaine and heroin, remainder from other drugs).”
Accuracy posted at 12:27 pm on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
How far up does corruption go in the U.S.?
Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, released its 2011 list of Washington's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians."
And President Barack Obama makes Judicial Watch's "Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians" list for a fifth consecutive year. President Obama continues to defend the indefensible and has refused to sack anyone over the Solyndra loan mess despite the public outrage at this scandalous waste of tax dollars. This is only one, and there's corruption at every level in the the Obama administration.
What this country needs is a President and a Congress that will investigate the corruption that Americans feel is rampant.
Arizona Willie posted at 5:30 pm on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
It isn't going to happen. Period.
Every congressman from both parties in both houses is completely owned by big-money business.
They need millions of dollars to campaign for reelection and the little people don't have it.
All we do is believe the fantasies they spin and vote for them. Time after time even though we see them fail to keep the promises they made us while they were campaigning.
No politician in either party is going to do anything that big business does not want them to do.
Slabside posted at 8:24 pm on Sat, Jan 7, 2012.
Under Bush, the 2008 corporate taxes paid was $304,346,000,000 and then under the 1st year of Obama, corporate taxes paid was $138,229,000,000 so Obama IS the most corporate connected corrupt President this nation ever had.
www.taxpolicycenter.org/taxfacts/displayafact.cfm?Docid=203