In his syndicated column headed “A military-industrial-Congress complex” Robert Reich correctly points out “Next year’s expected drawdown of troops from Afghanistan and Iraq was supposed to save money. But Lockheed and other giant defense contractors have made sure all anticipated savings will go to new weapons systems.”
But then he goes on to say “That’s why the president shouldn’t stop with an executive order requiring government contractors [to] disclose their political contributions. He should ban all political activities by corporations getting more than half their revenues from the federal government. Put an end to this increasingly expensive conflict of interest.”
But as he earlier points out: “In the wake of last year’s Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, there’s no limit on what Lockheed and other defense contractors can spend on politics.”
Moreover, Reich also knows that both parties suckle at the breast of campaign contributions. That is what provides pay checks for their workers and huge compensation for lobbyists. Even Barack Obama is going to give away the ‘family’s’ business.
On the other hand, in “Back to double dip” he hits the nail on the head:
“We’re not in a double dip yet, but the odds are increasing.
“The question is whether all this will wake up Washington, and stop the monumental distraction of the games being played over the debt ceiling and long-term budget deficit. The Republican lie that the nation’s long-term budget deficit is responsible for high unemployment would be laughable if it weren’t so tragically irrelevant to the current situation.”
