They aren't functionally powerless. We've been demoralized to assume such things. If 2/3rds of Congress simply wanted to improve our country, the swamp would be drained in 3 months - that's how much power they actually have. They have made themselves purposefully non-functional so that they can continue living quasi aristocrat lives on our dime. We demand excellence in every arena of our society except for the one where 535 people are entrusted with the decisions that dictate the future of 330 million. I understand demanding perfection from our system is a fool's request, but there is a gulf between that and what we have now.
Congress is accountable. That limits their ability to wield power. They are a minor player and a particularly cowardly one at that. True power is unaccountable and resides with the Polygon: the press, the universities, the judiciary, the Fed and the banks, the “Hill” (congressional staff), the civil service proper, the NGOs and transnationals, the military, the Beltway bandits (defense and other contractors), and corporate holders of official monopolies (such as “intellectual property”).
They aren't functionally powerless. We've been demoralized to assume such things. If 2/3rds of Congress simply wanted to improve our country, the swamp would be drained in 3 months - that's how much power they actually have. They have made themselves purposefully non-functional so that they can continue living quasi aristocrat lives on our dime. We demand excellence in every arena of our society except for the one where 535 people are entrusted with the decisions that dictate the future of 330 million. I understand demanding perfection from our system is a fool's request, but there is a gulf between that and what we have now.
Congress is accountable. That limits their ability to wield power. They are a minor player and a particularly cowardly one at that. True power is unaccountable and resides with the Polygon: the press, the universities, the judiciary, the Fed and the banks, the “Hill” (congressional staff), the civil service proper, the NGOs and transnationals, the military, the Beltway bandits (defense and other contractors), and corporate holders of official monopolies (such as “intellectual property”).