The Influence of “Big Money”
Is Far Too Large
The influence of “big money"
is far too large within the framework of our democratic process: The mere
fact that it is contributing to a deformation of the democratic process,
has been noted again and again. This criticism is at the root of “campaign
reform” in the U.S., as it was at the roots of attempts to reform
the financing process on which all major party organizations depend in
Europe. The extent of the damage done by “big money” when funneled
to the parties and candidates most accessible to the whims and wishes of
“big business” becomes clear when we look at the example of soft money
and the engineering of the recent Bush victory in the U.S., the example
of money-laundering and millions and millions paid illegally to the Christian
Democrats in Germany to keep Chancellor Kohl in office for 16 years, or
the riddle posed by the STRAW MAN of Big Business (and the "Mafia"? - itself
now a part of "Big Money") in Italy: How Did a Man Without Considerable
Means Assemble the Most Important Private Television and Media Empire in
Italy, in Order to Build A Political Coalition from Nothing and Become
Prime Minister?
URBAN DEMOCRACY
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