You are right on the police point, although the Korean and Vietnam wars were, to some extent, necessary for the good of the world and the nation. The thing is that should the need ever arise again, such as 1941, we want our troops ready and knowing that we have their backs. It's a shitty life in a lo of way and hey earn their keep.
A Democracy is a government that works for the people. That is no longer true. With Citizens United, we now have corporations that are people and their money is speech....and can give unlimited amounts of money to buy politicians.
With McCutcheon vs FEC, the Supreme Court has left us with millionaires and billionaires giving nearly $6 million in one election cycle to fund politicians. This is the reason politicians don't listen to constituents....only to the money guys!
So, does "free speech" mean that politics is about smearing the opposition?
Does "free speech" mean the very wealthy have an unfair advantage and influence at the expense of the rest of us?
Does "free speech" mean that big bucks can overpower good candidates who want to represent middle class citizens?
Where are the fundamental "free speech" rights of those without bank accounts in the millions?
The legacy of this Supreme Court will be that they have destroyed Democracy, giving us a "free-market democracy"...everything is for sale to the highest bidder!!
I went in for a annual physical covered 100% by my insurance and then got hit with surprise charges. Apparently when the doctor asked if I wanted an STD screen, that was not considered what is usual and customary to a annual physical, so I got charged for those labs. The physician should know what is in the scope of a physical, more so than the patient, so if they offer any service beyond such they need to be transparent and provide a disclaimer that it is not part of a physical and could incur extra charges. After all what other services besides health care does not give you notice. If you take your car in for service and they find another issue or offer another service, they quote you the additional cost.
As long as there is private money or services given to politicians there will be the possibility of corruption. I believe that there is always a distinct possibility of corruption. We need government financed election campaigns.
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