LOD: Dissent from the Top

The political system is so blatantly tilted to help the super-rich and powerful that even they are embarrassed. They know it’s wrong, and it’s great when they speak out and call for change. In a singularly important op-ed, Warren Buffett, the second richest man in the US, is lambasting Congressional leaders for not making the wealthy share in the pain of a bad economy and red-ink government. Republican leaders are vigorously trashing him for losing sight of the goal: Selfishness First! But the CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, is so mad with the Washington establishment that he’s calling on his fellow zillionaires to withhold all campaign contributions to the President and Members of Congress until they consider “all options, from entitlement programs to taxes,” and reach a wide-ranging budget deal “long before the deadline arrives this fall.” Third example: The American Bar Association just adopted a resolution calling for a ban on lobbyists giving or soliciting political donations for Members of Congress they lobbied in the previous two years; in other words, you have to choose to be a donor or a lobbyist but you can’t be both to the same policymaker. This action by the nation’s premiere organization of attorneys gains added weight because it was recommended by a team of blue-chip legal counsel for Republican and Democratic politicians.