Government of Greed

Could it be that all the reality-show plot twists are simply a distraction from the real story? Joy Crane and Nick Tabor document a vast amount of corruption with an introduction by David Cay Johnston.

More than at any time in history, the president of the United States is actively using the power and prestige of his office to line his own pockets: landing loans for his businesses, steering wealthy buyers to his condos, securing cheap foreign labor for his resorts, preserving federal subsidies for his housing projects, easing regulations on his golf courses, licensing his name to overseas projects, even peddling coffee mugs and shot glasses bearing the presidential seal.

Conor Lynch points out how the philosophy of greed dominates American culture.

Throughout his life [von Clownstick] has been driven by greed and self-interest, and in the world of business this mentality has served him well. As the owner of his own company, [Fuckface] ran things with an iron fist, which partly explains his authoritarian style and why he has had such a difficult time adjusting to running a democratic government where his power is limited by checks and balances. [His] corrupt and self-serving administration should put to rest the notion that government ought be run like a private, for-profit company, or that managing a business (or, better yet, having a lot of money) qualifies one to run a country. Of course, it probably won't.

Update (April 29):  Michelle Wolf doesn't want us to forget the media of greed either.

I think what no one in this room wants to admit is that [Dear Leader] has helped all of you. He couldn’t sell steaks or vodka or water or college or ties or Eric. But he has helped you. He’s helped you sell your papers and your books and your TV. You helped create this monster and now you’re profiting off of him. And if you’re going to profit off of [Fuckface], you should at least give him some money because he doesn’t have any.