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The Supreme Court handed down its decision on the Citizens United case in January, 2010, and its specter has been rising up periodically, like the psycho in a B-grade slasher flick, ever since. Most recently, it has resulted in an attempt to buy the 2012 elections. Intent on protecting their financial interests, the wealthiest Americans have been shoveling cash into Republican Super PACs. It’s said that Vegas plutocrat Sheldon Adelson could drop over $100 million into the Romney Super PAC before it’s all over. And without Citizens United, this kind of pay-to-play democracy wouldn’t be possible.

Meanwhile, financial scandals roll in with the regularity of the tides: JP Morgan took an embarrassing hit. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York is being slowly but surely connected to the Libor rate fixing scandal.  HSBC holdings is accused of cozying up to money launderers. And that’s just a small part of the wave. The Volcker Rule may be able to provide some relief from financial sector scamming. But it may well be a case of too little, too late. And even if Volcker does impact future malfeasance, the people responsible for the greater economic collapse remain as far from a jail cell as they ever were.

And then there’s health care. The Supreme Court has ruled the Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) Constitutional, but the battle is only beginning. The health insurance industry will unleash a furious propaganda barrage against any parts that remain. It will also funnel Super PAC dollars toward Mitt Romney—and any other candidate who promises to euthanize the ACA. And the Republicans in the House, who have already voted unsuccessfully 31 times to repeal the act, will likely not give up—because their campaign cash flows depend upon their opposition.

In the end, it seems, it all comes down to cash. The monetary ties that bind our political and economic systems together have begun to grind democracy to bits—even under an administration promising change during the worst economic collapse in decades. And with Citizens United opening up the floodgates, the influence of money will only grow greater. If there’s hope for reform, it can only come from one place—an informed citizenry fed up with the pay-to-play system that’s rigged in favor of the rich and powerful.

That’s why we’ve created BurztTV. In the coming months, you’ll hear another side of the story, from entrepreneurs, artists, musicians, media personalities, policy experts, and more. We hope you’ll check out Burzt and join in the conversation by sending us your responses to our Burzts, your ideas for future segments, and your stories of people taking action to give the American political system back to the citizens who own it.