Yesterday, the president of the United States held a press conference with the DC elite press corps. They had the opportunity to ask the president what our government is doing about the nation's most serious problems.

There were no questions about the climate change emergency.

There were no questions about the 400,000+ Americans killed by cigarettes each year.

There were no questions about ways to get millions and millions of unemployed and hurting people into jobs.

There were no questions about what we should do about our crumbling infrastructure.

There were no questions about the huge trade deficit that drains hundreds of billions out of our economy.

There were no questions about the trade agreements that pit our workers against exploited, underpaid workers in countries where people have no say, thereby undermining our democracy, wages and middle class.

There were no questions about the government's failure to hold banks and banking executives accountable for fraud and other crimes.

There were no questions about worsening income and wealth inequality, with all income gains going to the top 1% and the bulk of new jobs being low-wage jobs

There were no questions about the obesity/diabetes epidemic, and the possible link to corn syrup.

There were no questions about the crushing student-loan debt that holds so many of our younger people back.

There certainly and for obvious reasons were no questions about what the government is doing to fight media concentration, with most media now owned by only six giant corporations.

There certainly were no questions about how we are going to return to democracy from this corporate/billionaire plutocracy.

There were no questions about the influence of money over our government and the things we talk and even think about.

But the influence of the billionaires and their corporations over our government and our media and the things we talk and even think about is WHY there were no questions about any of these problems. The solutions to the problems are obvious, but are being blocked. We are even being blocked -- by money -- from even talking about the problems, never mind solving them.

This Is Not About Ideology

Getting paid by corporations to block government action from helping We, the People but hurting corporate profits isn't an ideology, it's corruption.

Getting paid by corporations to cut taxes and regulations for corporations isn't an ideology, it’s corruption.

Getting paid by billionaires to cut taxes for billionaires isn't an ideology, it is corruption

Call it what it is, don’t launder it by calling it ideology. It is corruption.

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I am a Fellow with Campaign for America's Future. Follow me and CAF on Twitter: