We face a perfect storm of corruption in America, where corporations and the government conspire against we the people.

The ongoing campaign to be the next US president is a bright and shiny 2-year reality TV show that changes nothing in this calculation of power. Our all-American, representative democracy is Kabuki to distract the rubes while the looting goes on behind the curtain.

Liberals believe that all problems are caused by  mega-corporations. Likewise, conservatives believe that all problems are the fault of big-government.

The truth is that it takes two to tango. The corrupt, captured government and the mega-corporations are all part of a single malignant, symbiotic relationship.

Rereading Howard Zinn’s, Peoples History of the United States, I was struck by how often in American history there was a similar situation–where government sided with the wealthy and powerful over average Americans. The New Deal really was an aberration in the arc of American history. For the first time, the US government sided (to some degree) with the people rather than the powerful. It’s no wonder that the wealthy owners of our country have been so ferocious in their opposition to the reforms enacted by FDR.

The wealthy, and corporations they own, working through the government they likewise own have won the class war.

They rule America.

Because of this rarely acknowledged reality, there is a lot of unfocused rage out there, represented by the insurgent presidential campaigns of Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders.

The real goal of any reformer should be to unite these disparate factions.

To alter our present political dynamic we absolutely require a mass movement involving as many Americans as possible. One that operates independently of either political party. For, if there’s one thing that Obama has taught us, it’s this–hope and change enacted by our present system is for suckers.

As always, it’s up to us.

Now get busy. Talk to that crazy uncle that watches Fox News. You might have more in common than you know.