Government hijacked

I find it ironic that the April 9 editorial, Democracy in peril, bemoans the loss of democracy in Latin America when the very same thing can be said about the United States. Governments at all levels, including local, state and national, have been hijacked by the lobbyists for the moneyed interests, including corporations and the wealthy.

Two articles in the same edition prove my point. Fred Grimm’s column, In Florida monopolies trump logic, describes how Florida power companies are opposed to loosening up rooftop solar regulations to the detriment of Floridians.

Another article, Proposal would let miners off hook for water fees, describes how rock-mining companies in Miami-Dade County would be exempt from paying any fees related to cleaning up our drinking water. What’s the point of voting when the chosen ones simply do the bidding of their oligarchic masters? This is corruption plain and simple.

This story was originally published April 12, 2015 at 3:00 PM with the headline "Government hijacked."