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Citizens United. Nothing else to say. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC
by jimt1234 1mo ago
Citizens United. Nothing else to say.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citizens_United_v._FEC
- hackernud3s 1mo agoCitizens United is widely considered the event that would cause US corruption to spiral out of control, but there was always the hope that a constitutional amendment could get us out of this. Neither side ever even attempted it. Every once in a while you get some lip service about small money donations but nobody ever tried to go after the problem at the root in all this time. Think about what that means.
- asdff 1mo agoSome local governments are fully designed to be perfect vehicles for corruption by this point. The incentives just lead to it over time as one corrupt prick makes things a little easier for themselves and their ilk to operate without oversight. Things compound over the decades of people drawn to the graft opportunities in local government with their campaigns funded by the beneficiaries of the graft, against little to no opposition.
- FireBeyond 29d agoAbsolutely. In my town the politicians on the planning and zoning committees are all best friends with all the developers in town, and not just "we work in the same area, socialize at the same events", but "we go on joint family vacations with our kids together and are in each other's bridal parties"... ... and then wonder why the public gets mad when the environmental impact study says "not good", public works says "area roads can't support the traffic influx and can't support increasing capacity due to geography and existing homes" and still approve the developer's new project anyway.