Just follow the money

A plutocracy is a society governed by the wealthy. That is what we have in America today. It works this way. All of our legislators can get elected and stay in office only by amassing large sums of money. This money comes mostly from big businesses that are looking to buy influence. The job of legislators is to do the bidding of those who have bankrolled them,.

Case in point: Both of Arkansas’ senators and all four representatives have received thousands of dollars from telecom and Internet companies. These companies are always looking for ways to boost their profits. One such way would be for them to sell their customers’ personal information to the highest bidders, typically to merchants who want to target new customers.

Guess what? Arkansas’ senators and representatives, all of whom are Republicans, have joined other Republicans in Congress to pass legislation that will allow telecom and Internet companies to share customers’ personal information without their consent or even knowledge. This personal information includes items such as Web-browsing history, Social Security numbers, email contents, and data about personal health and finances.

It seems that Republicans hate regulations of all kinds, particularly regulations that stifle big business. Your and my privacy is far less important to them than our money.

This is the way plutocracy works. Big money buys legislators, who in turn serve the interests of big money. Just follow the money.

Class dismissed.

SANDY WYLIE

Bella Vista