[Zzlist-deux] Where the Money Leads

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A new posting -
Where the Money Leads
<http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/2014/11/where-money-leads.html>   - from
Zoltan Zigedy is available at:
http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/


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 *'Traditionally in American history, politics is like a seesaw: When one
side is up the other side is down,” said Peter Wehner, a former aide to
President George W. Bush. “Now it's as if the seesaw is broken; the public
is distrustful of both parties.” Wall Street Journal (11-04-14)*

 “Follow the money” is a seemingly simple, but telling popular prescription
for discerning people's motives, a slogan made popular by literature and
movies.

 But it is more than that. It is also a useful key to unlocking the
mysteries of social processes and institutions. In a society that affixes a
monetary worth on everything, including opinions, ideas, and personal
values, tracking dollars and cents becomes one of the best guides to our
understanding of events unfolding around us.

 Take elections, for example.

 Every high school Civics class teaches that elections are the highest
expression of democratic practices. Apart from the direct democracy of
legend-- the New England town meeting or the Swiss canton assemblies--
organized secret-ballot-style elections count as the democratic ideal
deeply embedded in every US school-age child's mind.

 Let's put aside the arrogant high hypocrisy of US and European politicians
and pundits who deride secret ballots when they result in the election of a
Chavez, Morales, Maduro, or Correa. That will make for a juicy topic on
another occasion.

 Instead, let's examine what the flow of money tells us about the gold
standard of democracy as celebrated in Europe and the US. *To read the
entire article, go to:  http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/
<http://zzs-blg.blogspot.com/>*
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