To the editor:
It is not controversial that our congressmen are absolutely corrupt. America has a form of legalized bribery through unlimited campaign donations. This has led to a bipartisan takedown of our democracy. Our so-called representatives Rep. Leonard Lance, and Sen. Cory Booker have taken hundreds of thousands of dollars from the pharmaceutical industry, and their voting records show who they really represent.
Corruption has stolen the voices of America, and nowhere are its effects more evident than in the gun debate. Republicans are completely bought by the NRA, and so their voter record perfectly aligns with the NRA agenda. Democrats, who do not accept NRA money, just so happen to have views that align with the majority of the country.
However, gun control is the exception when it comes to corruption in Washington. More often, the Democrats and Republicans are both bought by lobbyists. Wall Street has had a firm grip on both parties for decades. And when Americans blamed President George W. Bush and the Republicans for the 2008 recession, President Barack Obama stepped in and bailed the banks out.
Even today, the Democrats and Republicans are happy to make bipartisan deals when no is looking. Twelve Democrats recently joined Republicans on a bill that would further deregulate 30 of the 40 largest banks. The bill would raise the minimum threshold for the Dodd-Frank regulations to apply to banks with a capital of $50 billion to $250 billion. For context, Countrywide only had $200 billion in capital while they practiced predatory lending before the housing crisis. This has nothing to do with “small business,” this has everything to do with corruption.
Regardless of your political ideology, our representatives should be representing us, not New York billionaires. Organizations, such as “Brand New Congress,” that call to end the rampant corruption in Washington have sprung up all across the country, and it is imperative that we contribute to getting our democracy back.
Neal Desai
Hillsborough