Michael Moore's recent documentary, "Sicko," describes both desperate patients and a broken healthcare system. He doesn't mince words about why things are so bad. It is the insurance and drug companies. Their money buys Congress, and the corporate media covers it all up. The average American doesn't even know that the rest of the developed world has universal healthcare, and that it is vastly superior to our own.
Of course, the same is true for most problems Americans face, from high gas prices to pollution. Corporations hire armies of lobbyists and give millions in campaign contributions to make sure their voices are heard over ours.
Weapons makers are probably this country's most effective lobbyists, spending millions to get billions in contracts for weapons programs that don't work and that we don't need. And what will make the most money for these companies? Think endless war.
There is only one dominant group that isn't controlled by US corporations, and that is the Israeli lobby (AEPAC). It uses its vast wealth to intimidate Congress, (certainly our two US Senators) into funding Israel's war machine. It lobbied hard for the Iraq war and is now leading the charge towards Iran. AEPAC has had people in all the right places (think Elliott Abrams, John Bolton, Douglas Feith, Lewis Scooter Libby, Richard Perle, Paul Wolfowitz and David Wurmser).
All these lobbying groups have one thing in common. They don't listen to us or care the least bit about our interests. The antithesis of a democracy.
