Our Government's (Obama's) Corporate Overlords

Yes I'm being a bit dramatic. But beyond the theatrics of the statement "Obama's Corporate Overlords" lies the facts:

According to a report by OpenSecrets.org, which is titled, "Financial Sector Helps Barack Obama Score Big Money for Re-election Fight:"

One-third of the money Obama's elite fund-raising corps has raised on behalf of his re-election has come from the financial sector, according to a new Center for Responsive Politics analysis.

The Finance, insurance, and real estate sectors have raised at least $11.8 million dollars for Obama's re-election campaign.

Wall Street has certainly had an impact upon Obama's election in 2008, and will certainly have an impact upon his campaign in 2012. Obama promised in 2008 that he would not accept campaign donations from registered lobbysts. He hasn't. But he has hired and accepted campaign donations from former registered lobbyists who serve as fund-raisers for the President.

Obama's buddy-buddy act with Wall Street has led opensecrets.org to claim:

President Barack Obama has relied more on well-connected Wall Street figures to fund his re-election than he did four years ago when he campaigned as an outsider and an underdog.

Wall Street money will also play a significant role in the Republican presidential primary as well. Mitt Romney, one of the leading candidates for the Republican nomination, had six registered lobbyists bundle money for him during the second quarter of the year. These individuals raised $517,450 for Romney's campaign, as OpenSecrets Blog previously reported.

During the 2008 election cycle alone, Republican and Democratic politicians raised a combined $500 million from the finance, insurance and real estate sector, the Center for Responsible Politics reports.


But let's not be too quick to blame this on Citizens United v. FEC. Let's blame it on the fact that government and big business are in bed together, have been for longer than Obama has been in office, and both benefit very nicely from this arrangement.

If drugs were legal, what would we do to keep the great unwashed in line?

10 years after Portugal's 10 years of decriminal­ization of all drugs has done more good than their 30 years of criminaliz­ation.

HIV infections are down 17%

Drug deaths reduced by 50 %

Marijuana use is down to 10% of adults - the lowest rate in the European Union

Herion use is dramatical­ly lower

Addiction is in decline

Decreased youth drug use

Lower crime rates

Reduced court expenditur­es

Greater access to drug treatment

Safer and healthier communitie­s

Portugal simply made small amounts of drugs a civil offense instead of a criminal offense.

-A study by the RAND Corporatio­n found that every additional dollar invested in substance abuse treatment saves taxpayers $7.46 in societal costs.

-$1 spent on treatment will achieve the same reduction of flow of cocaine as $7.3spent on enforcemen­t.

-$1 spent on treatment will achieve the same reduction of flow of cocaine as $10.8spent on border control.

-$1 spent on treatment will achieve the same reduction of flow of cocaine as $23 spent trying to persuade Colombian farmers to grow crops other than coca.

Interesting facts, as well: Alcohol is a factor in the following:

* 73% of all felonies * 73% of child beating cases * 41% of rape cases * 80% of wife battering cases * 72% of stabbings * 83% of homicides.

Neill Franklin is doing great things with the organization, LEAP, or Law Enforcement Against Prohibition. In almost every way, they are doing a much better job advocating for legalization than NORML.

Franklin has a great piece that was published on the Huffington Post recently.