POWER (People and Organizations Winning Economic Relief) Act was recently announced legislation that would make NYC’s consumer and worker protections the strongest in the country. The concept allows anyone to sue for unfair business practices, whether against a landlord, a corporation, or another business. The bill reportedly includes two amendments to speed up decisions, aka cut through the red tape.
I look to 9/11 and how the city and state lied to the people that the air was fine. Outside the state, I look to California and the rebuilding of the Palisades after the fires, and I wonder how many people are rebuilding on toxic ground. I think of the expense of lawsuits to find fairness in any of this. More importantly, why do corporations and government keep doing the wrong thing? Do they think they can get away with it because the legal costs of fighting them are too high, or is the bottom line more important than people? Does government prefer to side with big money because that keeps them in office? That is what the world looks like to me these days.
The older you get, the harder it is not to become cynical. The endless cycle of political incompetence is mind-blowing. I want to believe many people want to do the right thing, but once they get elected, they somehow lose their way. Why? The only answer is money. Politicians spend 80% of their time raising capital to stay in power, and, thanks to the Supreme Court, the deepest pockets come from PACs, and every politician has one. Who funds them? Large corporations and people with lots of cash. Who allowed this to happen? The Supreme Court.
Why have healthcare for all when the insurance companies are making a fortune off of keeping people from their medical needs? Why embrace crypto when banks make a fortune off the umpteen ways they profit under their publicly traded companies? Why embrace new industries like cannabis when alcohol lobbyists are keeping PACS filled with cash? Why not force car companies to go all electric when gas companies and old-school energy companies roam the halls of Washington?
I could go on and on. I am a capitalist, and I believe in democracy, but these days, I can’t decide which I detest more: the system or the media. I would expect the media to report on what is happening, but not these days. The ray of light is coming from the next generation, who have had enough; we all see the corruption and the decisions made not for our well-being but for those who control the rules. I can only hope change comes, because the world looks pretty grim right now.
Most people just want enough money in their pocket to have a roof over their head, food on the table, and friends and family around them. Those should be our guiding principles, and power should be in the hands of the voters, not in gerrymandering or the Electoral College, but in one vote per person, period.
I like the concept of The Power Act, but I fear that, like most things coming out of government these days, the winners will continue to be those with deep pockets willing to outspend those who are standing up for what is unfair.
