Lefty visiting Trump supporters

https://medium.com/@blakeleynixon/im-a-lefty-and-i-joined-a-trump-supporters-facebook-group-here-s-what-i-learned-47d7a98884d

I believe the above article captures one of the many threats to democracy lurking in modern day technology - social media echo chambers. Nowadays people with strong political biases can isolate themselves amongst like-minded people online, and read only news, facts, and opinions that support their biases.

The author of this article has recognized that he has fallen into this trap. His news-feed is entirely composed of left-wing thoughts and ideas, with a few exceptions. At least he recognizes this, and in an effort to break out of his bubble, he joins the “Trump Supporters Unite” Facebook group.

While the article is humorous in nature, it reveals how social media can be used to undermine democracy.  The Facebook group members shared hundreds of fake news articles such as “Major Forensic Investigators on 2 Continents just Confirmed, Obama’s Gift Certificate is Fake” and “CNN Host Fareed Zakaria Calls for Jihad Rape of White Women.” If you read these news stories, believe them to be true, and are surrounded by people who also believe them to be true, you will not be able to effectively analyze political candidates and make informed decisions.

The flow of accurate, unbiased information is key to democracy. It’s why democracies protect the free press, and dictatorships censor them. While we must not censor “fake news” it is imperative that we find a way to reach certain Trump voters with real information.

The best ways we can do this is increase funding to education, demand our politicians denounce false information (regardless of their political party), and increase communication across party lines.

Talk to someone with differing political views. Ask them why they believe what they believe. Question it. Hear them out. And when they ask the same questions, calmly explain your viewpoints and be open to questioning your own assumptions.

To find out more about how to fix the proliferation of fake information and political echo chambers, read “Reclaim American Democracy.”

Arrogance

We are living in a plutocracy—a government ruled by the wealthy. If you don’t believe me, just read this article from usnews.com. The Koch Brothers are infuriated that their billions of dollars of political donations have not rewritten the tax code or repealed the Affordable Care Act. They actually have the gall to believe they have the right to buy policies that hurt the majority of the Americans. In a true democracy, all citizens have an equal voice in their government, regardless of how poor they are.

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2017-06-26/koch-urgency-conservative-network-fears-closing-window

Successful Banking Regulations

Introducing prudent banking regulations after a financial crisis is an important step towards safeguarding democracy and prosperity. The Dodd-Frank Wall Street and Consumer Protection Act, adopted by the United States Congress in 2008, is no different. In the eight years following its passage, the American banking sector grew while maintaining accountability to the government and serving the interests of the public. In that period of time America saw robust economic growth and no major crises. As a response to this outcome, the current Congress has proposed the Financial Choice Act—a law that would abolish the Dodd-Frank Act. Whaaat? 

Why are we trying to abolish regulations that led to such significant improvement?

The logic behind this initiative, like many other harmful agendas, is the conviction that regulation hurts freedom and leads to stagnation. The Financial Choice Act’s proponents espouse a well-known lyre: no regulations lead to good results and let new possibilities flourish in freedom. Paradoxically, the Dodd-Frank Act had directly led to these good results and new possibilities. Destroying the Dodd-Frank Act will invariably lead to the old patterns of behavior that brought about the financial collapse of 2008. We must do better. That means enacting as many regulations as necessary but as few as possible. 

American Ideology

Libertarianism is the extreme version of conservatism in America. Followers of the Libertarian ideology are very critical of any government action, demanding the elimination of government involvement in education, environmental protection and social legislation. They suggest that government involvement in these areas be turned over to the private sector. They would like to abolish the Internal Revenue Service. They do, however, support the Armed Forces. Their concern is to protect private property and entrepreneurial rights.

Distortion again

The Dodd-Frank Act of 2008 is on its way to be repealed. The comprehensive banking regulations were designed to protect consumers, curtail corruption, and eliminate risky investments. On June 8^th, 2017, however, the House of Representatives passed a bill that would abolish these regulations. The bill now only needs to pass through the Senate and the President before the Dodd-Frank Act is officially repealed.

This is deeply troubling. The regulations were a response to the 2008 financial crisis, when risky investments like credit default swaps led to the collapse of the housing market. You might have seen the movie, The Big Short. It’s a great film for understanding the economic necessity of Dodd-Frank. Its ending was overly pessimistic though—it acted like no laws were passed to prevent the same thing from happening all over again. The movie failed to acknowledge Dodd-Frank, which went to great lengths protect our country from economic disaster, and our citizens from financial ruin.

Now that protection is about to vanish. If the Dodd-Frank-Banking Rules are repealed, we are back to square one. We’ll head back to the days when predatory lenders used shady mortgages to enrich themselves at the expense of the poorest Americans. The days when Lehman Brothers gambled recklessly with the American economy.

I never thought I’d see those days again. I thought we had learned our lesson. Alas, the Financial Choice Act, as its backers are calling it, follows a long trend of right wing politics demolishing basic protections for the average American citizen in the name of freedom. In reality this is just another legislative move meant to appease big investors and the rich.

To understand this phenomenon in greater detail, read The Distortion chapter in my newest book, Reclaim American Democracy.

U.S. Democracy today:

The democratic goal of balancing income differences is rarely effective, and, as a result, Congressional preferential treatment of the rich and large corporations has eroded the spirit of democracy.

Poverty traps

In order to relieve the burden of Federal spending, we must look beyond existing expenditures to fight poverty. Avoiding poverty traps is one of the most important tasks of a responsible government, particularly in the areas of health care, accidents and old age.

Distorted Democracy?

In the U.S., the democratic principle has been reversed. The political system allows the economic elite and big corporations to influence legislation so that economic rules are strengthened in their favor. Many laws no longer limit their activities, but, instead, reinforce their advantages.