Do we own the government - or does the government own us?

In Cheryl Hall's column, "Do we own AIG - or does AIG own us", in today's Dallas Morning News, at the end she writes:

Let's face it. We are experiencing the impotency that shareholder rights enthusiasts such as Monks have railed against for years.

Individual shareholders can't outmuscle management. And the vast majority of large institutional investors are too lazy, too uncaring and/or too financially conflicted to keep management in check.

"The result is a class of zombie owners who mostly have no idea what they own and largely don't care as long as the stock price continues its ascent," he says. "Active ownership serves as a counterweight to the natural tendency of CEOs and other high-ranking executives to collude in their own self-interests."

Now, he says, it's time for the federal government to come out of its stupor.

That sounds very much like the relationship of the average voter to the US government:

Individual voters can't outmuscle congress. The major campaign contributors care only about their own special interests and the mainstream media are either too lazy, uncaring or too ideologically conflicted to engage in the kind of objective journalism that both informs the public and helps keep the government in check.

The result is a class of zombie voters who mostly have no real idea who they are voting for and largely don't care as long as the pork rolls in. An active electorate serves as a counterweight to the natural tendency of congressmen, bureaucrats, and lobbyists to collude in their own self-interests.

Perhaps it's time for the American voter to come out of their stupor.

And no, voting for Obama was part of the problem, not part of the solution.

The Death of Journalism

There is a new movie out about the media's love affair with Obama. It is available at www.howobamagotelected.com. The video is $19.95, but at least check out the trailer.

Tomorrow Belongs to Who?

I woke up the other day with a tune from "Cabaret" running through my head: Tomorrow belongs to me". You know the one. Starts out as an ode to springtime, promise and hope and ends as a Nazi marching song with the verse:

O' Fatherland, Fatherland show us the sign,
Your children have waited to see.
The morning will come when the world is mine,
Tomorrow belongs to me

I wondered why that tune was in my head and then I realized I was hearing different words:

And now, a new Leader has given the word,
The world has been wanting to hear,
"We are the change we've been waiting for"
Tomorrow, it seems, is here.

And then I knew why:

A charismatic speaker who attracts throngs of dedicated, even fanatical followers that go away from his speeches enthralled, excited and motivated to follow wherever he leads but not a damn one of them has a clue what he was really talking about doing or how he planned to do it.

The identification of a prosperous segment of society as greedy profiteers and the cause of all of the nations (or even the world's) ills -- ills to be cured by the confiscation and redistribution of the wealth of that segment.

A plan for national recovery and progress that appears to be based on the nationalization of major industries and financial institutions along with the harnessing of individuals into collective actions to achieve goals defined by the government. Individuals must set aside their personal goals as pursuit of personal goals are greedy and selfish (unless the personal goal involves overcoming a perceived hardship inflicted by the greedy profiteers. Then it becomes a national duty to help). H.R 1388, recently passed by the house includes a plan to set up a "volunteer corp" and consider a mandatory service requirement (read more commentary here). It also refers to uniforms to be worn by volunteers and a "National Civilian Security Force". Hmm...will the shirts be brown or black, I wonder?

All of us being told to get out of the way and get in line or get run over...or rounded up. When voluntary (i.e. unpaid) service is mandatory, that used to be called slavery.

I expect a new energy policy that supports railroads for mass transit. I'd think about investing in cattle car futures but I'll probably be riding in one soon enough. Things move faster these days. A lot has changed in 75 years. I wonder what a 21st century Kristallnacht looks like? Do they still make Zyklon B?