Government of the Corporations, by the Unions, and for the Special Interests

Contemporary political incumbents have strayed from the intent of America’s founding fathers who foresaw government dedicated to serving the people. Emphasis on the phrase “We the People” in the preamble to the Constitution of the United States, as quoted below, is one example of how their intent is reflected by the founding fathers:

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. [Emphasis added]

In his Gettysburg Address, President Abraham Lincoln emphasized the role of ordinary citizens by noting that the United States government was “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” Recent history, however, reveals the taking of tax revenues from “we the people” and spending these monies to benefit politicians, corporations, unions, and other special interest groups without regard for the individual citizen. Polls showing approval of Congress consistently in the teens ¹ seemingly verify the lack of representation of the people. Another poll ² found that 83 percent of American voters believed that government spending is out of control. A Reuters posting ³ indicated that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that the huge budget deficit poses a national security threat and projects a “message of weakness.” Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen has also been providing similar warnings about the growing budget deficit. ⁴ 22Admiral Mullen stated, “I haven’t changed my view that the continually increasing debt is the biggest threat we have to our national security.” The ever increasing national debt is due, in great part, to members of Congress who dole out colossal amounts of government revenues to corporations, unions, and other special interests in return for relatively paltry sums in the form of campaign contributions. These developments in the relationship between Congress and these nonvoting, noncitizen entities proclaims Congress’ abandonment of the concept of a government established for “we the people” as declared in the Constitution as well as the repudiation of Abraham Lincoln’s declaration that the US government was “of the people, by the people, and for the people.”