HAS FICTION BECOME REALITY?

I like to read action novels. A few years ago, after the cold war ended and before the terrorist threat by Muslim extremists became very real, writers were looking for new and exciting dangers on which to base their novels. In a few of these books international corporations were seeking control of our country, and possibly the world.

Today, in reality, these corporations do not engage in the murderous actions depicted in the novels, but use the more subtle techniques of lobbying, campaign contributions and lavish gifts to influence the makers of our laws.

Taxes on corporations and the rich have been reduced “in order to stimulate the economy “. The stock market has reached on all time high. But who has benefited? Instead of investing in our own country the corporations have used the money to build factories overseas. Wall Street investors are reaping profits while middle class workers have seen good jobs decline, wages reduced, along with diminishing health benefits. Middle class families are facing increasing debt and finding it increasing hard to finance a college education for their children to reach the “American Dream”

High gas prices were a burden on working Americans. Now, just before the election, the prices have gone down dramatically caused by the increased supply of oil and gas. Have the fuel corporations, happy with the current administration, manipulated the supplies in order to take this factor off the agenda of voters going to the polls? Will the prices go up again right after the election?

Wal-Mart is making it easy for its workers to register to vote. Is the corporation also encouraging them to vote for candidates favorable to big business? After all, Wal-Mart employees are not allowed to join labor unions.

But, most frightening of all, are the new electronic voting machines. They are manufactured by a large corporation, have software known only to that corporation, and most leave no paper trail so people can check on the accuracy of the results.

Is our country, and the Middle Class, already at the mercy of the large corporations? Is our democracy at risk?