The ultimate privatization?

I wasn't going to say anything else about the election in the States because, as should be obvious by now, I'm simply glad the freakshow is over. However, one thought did strike me that I just can't shake: the two parties, together, spent more than $6,000,000,000 on their campaigns. I don't care who you are, that's a proud chunk of change. Of course, it's an obscene amount of money. Of course, it's the most that's ever been spent. But, we have to ask ourselves what it actually means. I'll tell you what I think:

What we just witnessed in the US was the privatization of democracy. Oh, they've been trying hard in all kinds of areas, such as education, water, prisons, regulation, Social Security, Medicare, and privatization is a staple of American foreign policy (just look at what the IMF is requiring of Greece if you don't believe me) and, of course, the military and security (about a third of US intelligence operatives are private contractors). Americans love privatization, and now they've managed to privatize their elections as well. Who would have thought?

You think I'm exaggerating? Think again. Where did all that money come from? For the past four years the Teabaggers and the Republicans have been raving about the deficit. Cut! Roll back Reduce! Slash! Save! That's all we've heard. Americans don't have money for anything. They're facing serious infrastructure problems - very clearly revealed by that blowhard Sandy - community after community is going into insolvency (I would be they're giving the Greeks a run for their money ... or is it a run for their debt, no matter), and even earned benefit programs are being squeezed. There's no money for anything. But, there's more than enough money for elections. Where do we think all that cash came from? I can assure you that the people who fronted the cash, particularly those who hedged their own bets, know exactly where it came from. And, they know exactly whom they have to talk to in order to get their money's worth. I'm not a betting man, but I'd bet you a dollar to a doughnut without a hole in it that they're already calling in their chits.

No, I think for anyone who wants to see, it has become clear what democracy in America means. Money talks, and private money talks loudest, I guess. And what I hear is that a huge investment has been made in making sure that the same-old really remains the same-old. I guess you really do get what you pay for.