U.S. Constitution Can No Longer Protect Capitalism

A new movie by Michael Moore, Entitled Capitalism – a Love Story will be released for screening October 1. In the ads that preview the movie, Michael reports that, The richest 1[one] percent of our citizens have more financial wealth than the bottom 95 percent combined.

This is interesting because, no one in my recent memory has ever had the nerve to say anything even remotely negative about capitalism without being branded something --- a communist --- a socialist --- a member of a cult --- something insulting. I am sure that there will be no surprises on the release of this film either. All the ignorant people who refuse to learn facts of our current history will want to burn images of Michael Moore in effigy. Why?

One thing about human nature is that certain instincts tend to guide a person’s thinking and once that mental image or belief system is set in stone, it takes more than a movie, usually more than a lifetime of study, to undo it. What’s worse is that most people will filter every bit of new information through that old belief system and spin it around to fit into the mental box that holds their original premises.

In this case, the original premise is typically based on something learned in childhood, for example, a lesson in 5th grade when the student hears, “We are capitalists – not socialists. We don’t believe in Socialism or Communism. Those are inept and unsuccessful economic models used by other countries. They are not as evil as dictatorships or monarchies. We don’t believe in them either. We are capitalists and we love the USA. And you are free to make as much money as you can in this country.”

So when someone like Michael Moore comes along and says, I think we have an economic system that is unfair, it is unjust, it is undemocratic and goes against the principles we say we believe in, most people will freak out and shut down any new information. How can we undo what we have always believed in---that we are allowed to do business freely? The only thing left for these people to do will be to fling relentless insults, and these days, scream obscenities.

But the bottom line is that Michael Moore is right---that capitalism within our constitutional framework no longer works and for several reasons, some of which are listed below.

One reason is that our country was formed around the U.S. Constitution. See:

Article 1.

Section 1

All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.

Congress makes the laws. When Congress decided to unleash the bankers and corporate powers in the this country to gamble away your money, charge you outrageous and previously illegal fees for the most minute financial transaction, take away your Christian rights to be guarded against usury [what used to be called extortion and what many thugs on the street used to go to jail for], then you cannot have capitalism. What you have is legalized criminality. Why did they do this?---because they were paid to do this---and with more than just money. They were insured a safe reelection. And there is nothing scarier to an elected representative than losing a seat of power. After all, what could be a more fun job when unemployment is rising?

Section 2

The House of Representatives shall be composed of Members chosen every second Year by the People of the several States, and the Electors in each State shall have the Qualifications requisite for Electors of the most numerous Branch of the State Legislature.

If you analyze the last part of the above paragraph, i.e., they were insured a safe reelection, you will see why the U.S. Constitution is now defied. You see, the people no longer elect their representatives. That power was revoked when corporations started buying the members of congress with huge contributions that insured reelection.

Section 2 – Con.’t

Representatives and direct Taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union, according to their respective Numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole Number of free Persons,

Because the people no longer elect their representatives, and because the large corporations do, the people cannot be apportioned their Taxes justly. Why? --- because most huge corporations in this country no longer pay taxes. They can’t afford to if they have to pay each other a million times more than their value. So there is no longer a logical way to pay apportioned taxes.

Section 4

The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and

Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Place of Choosing Senators.

This is no longer enforced. During the last election, the Democratic Party cast off millions of votes based on “Party” rules. Maybe the legislature of each of those states said “OK --- You make the rules.” But they have no right to do that. They must make the rules and then take the heat for whatever happens. According to the Constitution they are supposed to do this. They cannot allow any party – Republican, Democratic, Independent, or the Communist Party to make the rules that govern elections---and certainly, cannot allow them to discard votes cast by American citizens, not unless they change Article I of the Constitution.

Well, this can go on and on. Our U.S. Constitutional protections have been so completely devastated during the past two decades that we are no longer a United States of America. We are a collection of States and people trying to survive under the worst of circumstances and there are no people left in Congress who have the moral fortitudes to undue the mess they brought upon us. And they would gain nothing by trying.

We are a global economy and while you and our journalists were sleeping, the small corporations, turned into giants that not only own your Congress, both republican and democratic officials, were bought with your future. What is good for them is what will succeed.