In Washington Monthly, reporter Lina Khan lays bare the scandalous treatment of the nation's farmers at the hands of Big Ag. The story shows that we've been here before, with a handful of meat companies controlling their suppliers' markets, which gives hope that we can escape this stranglehold again, as we did in the '20a.

But until then, it stands as a perfect example of how, by acquiescence, we have allowed corporate interests to manipulate our political system until they hold all the cards while independent farmers and consumers are used and abused.

Yesterday in another venue (Facebook), I wrote to my friends:

"In my opinion, and in the opinions of a growing number of Americans, the *gravest* threat to our nation is the completely outsized influence of money in political life.

"The reason I think it is the gravest threat, bar none, is that it affects every other issue. We can't get a fair hearing — no matter what it is we want heard — if elected officials must listen to the monied interests who want influence in return for their cash. And they do have to, because money fuels elections.

"In my opinion, you don't have to agree with any other political stance I have ever taken, to agree with me on that.

"Please join me in recruiting others to this movement. We can go back to fighting out our political differences, once we get the political system to listen to us again."

Yes, it borders on conceit to quote oneself; please give me a break for that. I wrote it in response to a notice for the campaign to pass the American Anti-Corruption Act, an initiative of a succeeding number of campaigns I've been following for a while. Here's more on that:

I can conceive of no reason why reasonable, fair people unfettered by greed or narrow self-interest wouldn't be on the same side in this fight. Please lend your support, and enlist your friends. We are all we need to change this.