Lessig Follows the Money Trail
In a Boston TEDx appearance on July 29, Lawrence Lessig – who is becoming a brand unto himself – isolates and sharpens focus on the distorting influence of lobbyists and campaign contributions on American politics.
Examples? Tariffs for the sugar industry and subsidies for the corn industry leading to an epidemic of obesity. Tax breaks for hedge fund managers saving them billions of dollars each year. Health care legislation greased by lavish subsidies and benefits for corporate health care interests.
Lessig’s conclusion? This influence has degraded and now threatens to destroy American democracy.
No new insights here. And Lessig doesn’t offer either deep analysis or promising solutions. But his voice is appealing. And the graphics are cool.
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Lessig is actually trying to effect a very radical change. Perhaps it’s true that his solution is not promising, but that’s not because it wouldn’t work. It’s because there’s so much momentum (power) against it.