[ghiculescu]

If it was that simple then this problem would be solved. Clearly most voters (in your opinion) want a higher minimum wage, UBI, and greater corporate taxation. If elected representatives do what their voters want, why are we discussing this?

[vkou]

> If it was that simple then this problem would be solved.

Only if you see the world in black and white.

My thesis is that money is a corrupting influence in politics, but is not the main driver of it.

Meanwhile, money is the only influence in corporate ownership. Which is, incidentally, why most people with money do everything in their power to try to convince us that the solution to all the problems they cause is to move more power out of democratic institutions, and into corporate ones.

> Clearly most voters (in your opinion) want a higher minimum wage, UBI, and greater corporate taxation.

What on earth made you think this?

I said that the politicians that get elected vaguely, in aggregate, share the views of their constituents, and you're not going to tell me the deep south in aggregate wants any of these things. It does, however, want a lot of people who talk a lot about Jesus in government, and, well, their ballot results definitely deliver them.

If you believe my thesis is wrong, roughly how much money do you think will get someone like AOC elected in a district in rural Oklahoma? Or MTG in NY's 14th district?

[ghiculescu]

minimum wage is a state issue , so i’m not sure why the south matters.

[thfuran]

I'm confused. Do you think there aren't states in the deep south?

[rickydroll]

Study: Politicians listen to rich people, not you

Rich people don't want a higher minimum wage, UBI, and greater corporate taxation.

https://www.vox.com/2014/4/18/5624310/martin-gilens-testing-...

[ToValueFunfetti]

That does support both that governments can't be trusted to behave morally and that voting shares is just as good, but your tone suggests that you're disagreeing with the parent. Am I misreading that intent?

[rickydroll]

Thank you for prompting me to reread the comment tree to untangle the meandering rambles. Hopefully, this will clarify my perspective.

I think there's a chance you misread. Many times, I feel the conversations we have online would be better off held over a few beers and a backyard barbecue.

I feel that any concentrated center of power cannot be trusted to behave ethically. That's a fancy way of saying you can't trust the government or corporation to behave morally/ethically.

I assert that you have more control over government than you do corporations because, as someone said above, you can lobby/campaign/vote and have an impact on local, state, and federal government. As an aside, the further away from local, the less impact you have.

With corporations, you could buy shares, but given that each share is equal to one vote, the more money you have, the more influence you can exert.

I know it's been a fashion since Reagan to distrust government, but decades of neoliberalism have shown that counting on corporations usually makes things worse. Anytime one transfers a communal benefit into the pockets of a few, bad things happen.