Sancta Simplicitas

On Monday 3.11.14 I was listening to a discussion about the US mid-term election which had been organized by Svenska bildningsförbundet. For the panel they had organized 4 people of whom only one was from the US embassy (which will have made it impossible for this one to criticize the US political system).

But, in fact NONE of them seemed to think that the events under discussion were anything else but just a usual and quite democratic election. Even the mentioning of the fact that something like 4000 mio US $ had been spent on political advertisements and similar election-related expenses was not taken as a reason for any deeper-going political thought.

It is of course such a question: Who has presumably less difficulties to raise such amounts – Republicans or Democrats? Further: Who owns all those private-owned media (which includes the possibility to fire any disobedient journalist) and what may be the political inclinations of those owners (presumably they will at least like ever more ”tax relief”, and which party stands for that?)? And even if there is no election campaign going on, who has already in usual political life the possibility to put pressure on politicians, e.g. by offering or refusing to invest in some politician’s voting district, by offering or refusing a well-payed job to a politician who has been voted out of office, not to mention the possibility of simple bribes?

It was in fact mentioned even in Hbl (Fre 18.04.14, p.17) that the two researchers Martin Gilens and Benjamin Page (can be googled) had come to the result that the USA have very much developed towards being a financial oligarchy. And in Finland it could, consequently, be very much the question whether one should bind oneself ever closer to the US system, exposing oneself to its political demands (e.g. by joining NATO or signing the TTIP). But to the majority of the SFP, and to Kokoomus, such questions simply do not seem to occur. To them, the USA seem still simply to be the champion of the ”Free Western World” – which brings to my mind the headline to this piece.

Well, anyway good to know for whom NOT to vote …