Money = privilege?

How’s this for a great – and true – quote? 
 ‘There are those who have had the good fortune to never have felt anything other than the silkiness of privilege, their bubbles so perfect they cannot feel the gravel underneath.’  
Rick Morton, (‘One Hundred Years of Dirt’, P 164)
 
Oh, so true!
As the divide between the haves and the have-nots widens, the fat cats are growing fatter day by day. The wealthiest 1%* are gathering up their billions -  along with their privileges -  and the ordinary person is forgotten.
The wealth gap is huge!
 
Australia’s politicians especially are out of touch with reality and normal everyday people.
Remember the Prime Minister (he’s gone now!) who, when asked about the problem concerning young people’s inability to afford a home of their own, suggested that the solution was for their parents to finance them! He honestly had no idea that most parents of young people were working two jobs in an effort to pay their own mortgage.  (He’s also the one who tossed a spare million + dollars into his party to help along the election).
 
Out of touch?
You bet!
But money rules!

Emphasising this, in last weekend’s newspapers, we read about a contender for a place in the Liberal Party of Australia.
What was so astounding about this ‘news’ was that it focussed on how much MONEY he (the candidate) would bring to the party. Not how much knowledge, wisdom or skill he had; it was how much money he could generate! And this was the focus of the NEWS!
In what sounded like paeans of praise, he was described as ‘the Million Dollar man for the Liberal party.

And here I quote (Sydney Morning Herald, 15/09/18):
Some of Sydney's wealthiest business leaders are lining up to throw money behind the new candidate for Wentworth, Dave Sharma…… [he] is expected to bring in huge donations from the business and Jewish communities……[his] ability to draw significant donations would be "eye-watering".
“Eye watering” amounts of money? So, this section of politics has now descended into simply embracing the POWER OF MONEY as the most important aspect of their ability to represent us, ‘the people’.
 
Money, it seems, is no longer needed just as funding to advertise broadly and powerfully when an election nears, but is to signify their entitlement to dominate.
 
Is it now the measure of wealth that decides who is worthy to represent the people?
 
But, what about policies?
The obligations?
Any?
How about strategies for services for the common man/woman?
Anything?
The Economy?
Climate Change?
Education?
Employment?
Environment?
Refugees?
 
No, it seems that money is the arbiter.
 
Large companies (usually) only donate to political parties in order to influence policy in their favour, so what’s the go here?
Not hard to figure out, I suppose!
 
It is such a shame that ‘running the country’ has little to do with doing the best for the nation’s people. It is more like a popularity contest to see who has the most money.
I can only lament the demise of ‘The Lucky Country’.
It seems that money and privilege are how we are expected to measure value.
 
To again quote Rick Morton, from his book, ‘One Hundred Years of Dirt’: 
 
 ‘There are those who have had the good fortune to never have felt anything other than the silkiness of privilege, their bubbles so perfect they cannot feel the gravel underneath.’
 
* The top 1% in Australia now own more wealth that the bottom 70% combined!
 
Think about it.