The very first thing to realize in this material life is that money matters; and not only that, but that the more money a given person or entity has, the more power that they can assert, for better or for worse. After all, just about every one of us works for money, or will work for money, which means that whoever employs us has potential power over us, of which sometimes that power is unassailable; though oftentimes in America there are other options people can engage instead, which signifies that those that have options still have agency.
When it comes to exercising our right to vote, it seems like the structure is a level playing field in which all citizens of age, except those convicted of certain felonies, have enfranchisement to vote, which would seem to strongly suggest that those that desire to hold over us, through voting in their favored representatives, or successfully exerting pressure for certain legislative acts to be passed, would easily be countered by the vote of the people, as a whole. This though isn’t really the case, because those that have money and are intent upon using that money as not only a way to maintain that wealth, but to enhance it, aren’t typically the type of privileged people that desire to gamble on that which is of upmost importance to them, which is why they are quite effective in using that money to influence the people in way and manner that what they want to see supported or enacted, happens to their favor, which they accomplish through their astute usage of money and their connections to powerful people who themselves are often beholden to wealth.
America is, in aggregate, the richest nation in the world. Still, despite that wealth, there are areas all over this nation in which poverty, lack of opportunity, and oppression are only too obvious to see. While there are a multitude of ways to positively provide meaningful aid to those that are impoverished and hurting, we find that those that can easily afford to pay their fair amount in taxes, which are the richest of the richest, be it corporate or individual, are seriously adept at not doing that, and seem to take pride in the fact that they don’t pay their fair share, which seems to be something that is contradictory to what a healthy democracy would desire. That is to say, a better construct and a healthier society is one in which progressive taxation is enforced and that everybody has, at a minimum, a fair opportunity to become something of merit, which if achieved, would reduce considerably the frustration and incivility that is expressed again and again in some of our communities, but ignored by those that are the wealthiest amongst us.
In essence, those with great wealth can buy whatever satisfaction that they are seeking, because far too many people, as well as our representatives, are essentially for sale, and when bought will dutifully fulfill what is expected of them. This signifies that the only pathway to neutralize the power of wealth is to make it law that political donations are fixed at a low enough level that it accomplishes that goal, as well as limiting the reach of media posts of all types to help level the playing field, so that the people’s voice has a fair chance of actually being heard.