I contend that the Supreme Court ruling Citizens United vs. Federal Elections Committee (2010) is a prime cause of exacerbating the divide between the rich and the poor in America. In short, it allowed the rich, through large corporations, to buy politicians, who then enact laws that benefit the rich and harm the poor and middle class.
In recent days, Donald Trump has made a blatant, explicit offer to the fossil fuel industry, that would increase pollution, increase the effects of global warming, and all the evils accompanying fossil fuels. Is this what the American people want? Of course not, but their vote no longer matters when politicians can be bought. Trump asked the fossil fuel industry to contribute over $1 billion dollars to him, in a clear quid pro quo:
“According to reports, Mr. Trump made specific policy commitments, including promises to auction off more oil and gas leases on federal lands and in federal waters, reverse pollution standards for new cars, and end drilling restrictions in the Alaskan Arctic,” they detailed. “He also vowed to terminate the pause on new permits for liquefied natural gas (LNG) exports,
Gun control is another area where politicians can be bought to work against the people’s wish to control assault weapons that kill hundreds in mass shootings. The Manchin-Toomey amendment was a measure that would have required background checks on all commercial gun sales. Nearly all of the 46 senators who voted to defeat the amendment had accepted significant campaign contributions from PACs associated with gun rights groups, including the National Rifle Association. All perfectly legal, of course, owing to Citizens United.
The lower and middle classes are left out of the democratic process; they realize this and they are angry about it. They are angry that they are paying taxes for the benefit of the rich, who pay little or no taxes because of the massive tax cuts under Reagan, Bush, and Trump. When there is a tax cut, government revenue declines, so that the government must borrow money to pay its bills.
Interest payments made by the U.S. government are a significant part of its budget. According to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO), the federal government is projected to spend $400 billion on interest payments for the national debt in the current fiscal year. This amount represents roughly $3055 per household. Additionally, on average, the U.S. spent more than $2 billion per day on interest costs last year, and it is projected to spend a historic $12.4 trillion on interest payments over the next decade, a veraging about $37,100 per American.
I’m not hearing much about corporate tax rates. Back in 1970 they stood at 52%, but were reduced to 35%. Under the Trump tax cut, the corporations who own the politicians were able to reduce it to 21%. Citizens United again.
Noting that the rich pay little or no tax, we see that it is the middle class taxpayers who are paying for this annual $400 billion in interest on the debt. Who benefits from the interest? Not the middle-class taxpayer, for sure. About 7 trillion out of the 24 trillion in public debt is owned by foreign countries, especially Japan and China. So at least $100 billion per year is going outside the USA. Most of the rest goes to financial institutions like banks and mutual funds. Thus, government debt resulting from tax cuts for the rich and the corporations (bought as a result of Citizens United) is another hidden way of taking big money out of the hands of middle class taxpayers and re-distributing it to Asian countries and big financiers.
The middle class, and everyone else for that matter, feels over-regulated. You can’t blow your nose without a permit. You are controlled, spied upon, and restricted at every turn, and you are angry about it. So when a politician promises to de-regulate your life, you are grateful. The bought-off politician proceeds to lessen some small regulation for you, while completely de-regulating a multi-billion dollar company or industry. You are eternally grateful for the small favor, even though you may lose big-time when the company pollutes your drinking water (as in Flint, Michagan) or when the building you are living in collapses due to the relaxing of building codes.
A politician like Trump can promise the middle class a tax cut and de-regulation, thereby earning their undying loyalty, while the middle class loses out to the big corporations, who are given huge tax cuts and de-regulations .
Do you remember that train derailment in Ohio last year? It caused millions of dollars of damage and spilled toxic chemicals into the environment. It turns out that de-regulation and lack of regulation were responsible for much of the damage.
Commentary following the derailment centered around industry working conditions and safety concerns, such as the lack of modern brake safety regulations, reduced railway workers per train, and increased train lengths and weight (Sirota, 2023).
Sirota, David; Rock, Julia; Burns, Rebecca; Cunningham-Cook, Matthew (February 9, 2023). “Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment”. The Lever.
Train derailment with chemical spill near East Palestine, Ohio
Such events make the middle class even more angry, but they will continue to support more de-regulation that ultimately harms their lives. Meanwhile, the rich are crying all the way to the bank.
Thus, global warming and air pollution (from fossil fuels), mass shootings (gun de-regulation), water pollution, and toxic chemical spills, are all hidden results of Citizen United. All this in addition to the yawning gulf that has emerged between the rich and the poor.