<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=windows-1252"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><div><a href="http://robertreich.org/post/55191562750">http://robertreich.org/post/55191562750</a></div><div><br></div><h2 style="margin: 0px 0px 5px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(56, 56, 56); line-height: 26px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-style: inherit; display: inline-block; position: static; z-index: auto; "><a href="http://robertreich.org/post/55191562750" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Times; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(56, 56, 56); text-decoration: none; line-height: 21px; font-size: 23px; ">An Impertinent Question</a></h2><br style="color: rgb(56, 56, 56); font-family: Georgia, Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "><a href="http://robertreich.org/post/55191562750" class="timestamp" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 11px; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; vertical-align: baseline; color: rgb(150, 150, 150); text-decoration: none; text-transform: uppercase; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); ">THURSDAY, JULY 11, 2013</a><span style="color: rgb(56, 56, 56); font-family: Georgia, Times; font-size: 16px; line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); "></span><div class="caption" style="margin: 21px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-size: 14px; font-family: Georgia, Times; vertical-align: baseline; text-align: justify; color: rgb(56, 56, 56); line-height: 21px; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); position: static; z-index: auto; "><p style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px 0px 21px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; ">Permit me an impertinent question (or three).</p><p style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 21px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Suppose a small group of extremely wealthy people sought to systematically destroy the U.S. government by (1) finding and bankrolling new candidates pledged to shrinking and dismembering it; (2) intimidating or bribing many current senators and representatives to block all proposed legislation, prevent the appointment of presidential nominees, eliminate funds to implement and enforce laws, and thr<span class="text_exposed_show" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">eaten to default on the nation’s debt; (3) taking over state governments in order to redistrict, gerrymander, require voter IDs, purge voter rolls, and otherwise suppress the votes of the majority in federal elections; (4) running a vast PR campaign designed to convince the American public of certain big lies, such as climate change is a hoax, and (5) buying up the media so the public cannot know the truth.</span></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 21px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">Would you call this treason? <br></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 21px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">If not, what would you call it? <br></span></p><p style="font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 21px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; vertical-align: baseline; "><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; ">And what would you do about it? <br></span></p><div><span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; outline: 0px; font-style: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; "><br></span></div></div></body></html>