The three biggest and least accountable power centers in America
The three biggest and least accountable power centers in America
The Supreme Court, the Fed, and Big Tech increasingly shape our lives but are less and less answerable to us
https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-three-biggest-and-least-accountable
Every morning this week I’ve opened up the news and read stories about the Supreme Court (whose term began Monday), the Fed (and whether it will start responding to inflation by raising interest rates), and Facebook (which a whistle-blower claimed intentionally seeks to enrage and divide Americans in order to generate engagement and ad revenue).
The common thread is the growing influence of these three power centers over our lives, even as they’re becoming less accountable to us. As such, they present a fundamental challenge to democracy.
1. Start with the current Supreme Court. What’s the underlying issue?
Don’t for a moment believe the Supreme Court bases its decisions on neutral, objective criteria. I’ve argued before it and seen up close that justices have particular (and differing) ideas about what’s good for the country. So it matters who they are and how they got there.
A majority of the current nine justices – all appointed for life -- were put there by presidents who lost the popular vote (George W. and Trump); three by a president who instigated a coup.
Yet they are about to revolutionize American life in ways most Americans don’t want. This new court, whose term began this week, seems ready to overrule Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that anchored reproductive rights in the 14th Amendment; declare a 108-year-old New York law against carrying firearms unconstitutional; and strip federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency of the power to regulate private businesses. And much more.
Only 40 percent of the public now approves of the Supreme Court’s performance, a new low. If the justices rule in ways anticipated, that number will drop further. If so, expect renewed efforts to expand the court’s size and limit the terms of its members.
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