Part 3: Follow the Money
- Benjamin Cobb
- Sep 1
- 4 min read
Updated: Sep 3
Follow the Money, Reining in Corruption and Reclaiming the Public Dollar
Last month, a defense contractor received a no-bid, billion-dollar contract to develop a new fighter jet system. This happened even as American families struggle to afford housing, schools can’t replace torn textbooks, and mental health centers turn people away for lack of beds.
If you want to understand how a system stays broken, don’t just look at the rules. Look at the money.
America’s political and economic systems aren’t just shaped by flawed policies or partisan gridlock; they’re shaped by who profits from dysfunction, and who gets left out when billions move behind closed doors.
From stock trades in Congress to shadowy campaign donations and contracts handed to insiders, the pattern is clear: too much public money is spent without accountability, and too often, it serves the few instead of the many.
That’s not just waste. It’s betrayal.
The Problem Isn’t Just Greed. It’s Permission.
Corruption in America isn’t always about back-alley bribes or foreign money in envelopes. Most of it is legal because the same people benefiting from it also write the rules.
Here’s how the pay-to-play empire keeps itself running:
Members of Congress trading stocks while making laws that move markets. In 2025 alone, over 7,800 trades have been reported, some just hours before major policy announcements.
Lobbyists ghostwriting legislation that favors their clients, while the public never sees the drafts.
Billions in no-bid contracts handed out without competition, often under emergency pretexts. Over $219 billion in 2024 federal contracts skipped the bidding process entirely.
Dark money flooding campaigns, $1.9 billion in 2024 elections alone, hiding donors and turning elections into auctions.
Subsidies for fossil fuel giants, while working families face skyrocketing utility bills and climate disasters.
These aren't isolated scandals; they’re features of a system designed to reward connections over needs.
The Consequences Are Everywhere
Corruption doesn’t just steal money. It steals futures.
🏚 Over 650,000 Americans are unhoused while luxury developers get tax breaks.
🏥 Mental health services remain underfunded while private contractors bill Medicaid for inflated services.
🎓 Student debt keeps young people locked out of adulthood, while campaign donors get tax loopholes written for them.
⚖ Politicians dodge accountability while insiders walk through a revolving door between government and industry.
This is the cost of a broken budget. But it’s also a choice, one we don’t have to keep making.
The Solution: Reclaim the Public Dollar
It’s time to break the cycle of legalized corruption and build a system that works for people, not power.
Here’s where we start:
✅ The People’s Budget Act
Our tax dollars should serve people, not profits.
This act proposes a 10% cut to defense spending and fossil fuel subsidies, redirecting $150+ billion annually to housing, healthcare, schools, and clean infrastructure. It includes:
A public budget dashboard, so anyone can track spending in plain English.
A “Waste Watchdog” office to investigate inflated deals and duplicated contracts.
Citizens input every 4 years, via participatory budgeting, to prioritize where funds go.
✋ The Clean Hands Act (coming soon)
Ban Congress members, federal judges, and senior staff from trading stocks or holding conflict-heavy assets while in office. Add real enforcement, including an Ethics Czar with subpoena power.
🔎 Transparency First Initiative (coming soon)
Require full donor ID verification, ban last-minute “gray money” campaign spending, and expand public financing with voter vouchers (e.g., $100 credits for every registered voter).
🚫 End No-Bid Contracts (coming soon)
Require competitive bidding for all contracts over $10,000, with AI-powered screening tools to flag insider favoritism and cost inflation.
🔍 Waste Watchdog Office (included in People’s Budget Act)
Modeled on the GAO's existing recommendations, this new office will investigate and publish reports on federal waste, with citizen tip lines and watchdog alerts.
What We Can Afford Reflects What We Value
Every year, we spend more on defense than the next 9 countries combined, while our infrastructure crumbles, our schools go underfunded, and our neighbors sleep on sidewalks.
We subsidize oil giants while ignoring climate disasters.
We give tax breaks to the wealthy, while millions can't afford a dental visit.
We fund endless wars and overpriced jets, but not universal mental health care.
The money exists. What we lack is the will.
Take Action: Sign the People’s Budget Petition
Our budget is broken, but not beyond repair.
If you believe public money should serve the public good, add your voice now.👉 Sign the Petition
Together, we can break the cycle and build a budget that works for everyone.
A look at one way we can reinvest in people instead of just programs.
Related Reading
Coming Next: Justice That Heals (Part 4)
If money corrupts politics, punishment corrupts justice. Part 4 will reimagine a system where justice doesn’t just punish, it restores. We’ll break down how to redirect spending from incarceration to healing and safety.
Subscribe so you don’t miss what comes next.
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