This is what freaks me out at night

So, I know I worry for our government and our people.  I am a worrier.  This summation (in the middle of a lengthy post on something else) sums up my worries. I used to talk my friends Steve and Clay, andwe all thought that there was a huge divide in this country, thank goodness we were on the right side.  I don't think we are any longer.  I think the really really rich have set sail without us and will destroy anyone who rises up.  So that is what bugs me.  My friends think I shouldn't worry about such things.  Best to stay happy. (It used to be fat and happy - but "fat" is so out-of-vogue :-).
.

But the real issue highlighted by this episode is just how lawless and unrestrained is the unified axis of government and corporate power.  I've written many times about this issue -- the full-scale merger between public and private spheres --  because it's easily one of the most critical yet under-discussed political topics.  Especially (though by no means only) in the worlds of the Surveillance and National Security State, thepowers of the state have become largely privatized.  There is very little separation between government power and corporate power.   Those who wield the latter intrinsically wield the former.  The revolving door between the highest levels of government and corporate offices rotates so fast and continuously that it has basically flown off its track and no longer provides even the minimal barrier it once did.  It's not merely that corporate power is unrestrained; it's worse than that:  corporations actively exploit the power of the state to further entrench and enhance their power.