What could I do with all that money.....
Since I am a really cheap person, it is difficult for me to throw away a dollar, but I do because it is worth the price of admission just to be able to daydream for a little while about what I would do with all that money....I have pretty much settled on starting a community garden program; I know it's not your fast cars, fancy boats and high fashion, but none of that stuff really suits me anyway, whether or not I could afford it.
Now I can be true to my cheaper self because all I have to do is look to the 2008 Presidential Primary to be able to daydream about all that money. $125 MILLION, that is what the 2008 Presidential candidates raised collectively in the last quarter. The Washington Post says that the price of admission for the 2008 primary is $100 Million per candidate.
Wow!!!! What could we do with that money??? I grew up in New Orleans; the people down there could put some of that money to good use. I'm sure there are a few school districts around the country that could use some of that money as well. Charities all over the country are struggling to get people to make donations to support their good work, yet we decide as a society that it is more important to plow hundreds of millions of dollars into political campaigns.
On one hand, I am very happy to see candidates like Barack Obama and John Edwards raise money from ordinary people. It is a great way to engage people in the political system. When someone has donated money to a candidate, they have a vested interest in the candidate and are more likely to volunteer or engage others in the campaign. We need lots more of the latter in America.
Still it makes me sick to see the amount of resources we collectively throw away on political ads, paid consultants, and other needless campaign spending. There is a whole industry of parasitic insiders that has grown up around the piles of cash we throw at campaigns.
Do you know that Democratic political consultants get paid a significant percentage of the amount candidates spend for political advertising on television? Is it any wonder that they all recommend running TV ads with poll tested platitudes?
I remember hearing of the millions that Joe Trippi made from the money we all contributed to Howard Dean at the same time Howard was struggling for money to continue his campaign. It made me furious; that's our money they are stealing (albeit it legally).
While many political consultants start their careers with good intentions, most quickly become jaded by the cash and power.
It has been interesting to see how the DC insiders react to Can Mr. Smith Get to Washington Anymore?. Most call us naive. They think it is a cute movie but not the way the world really works. Mr. Smith can only get to Washington in their world if he raises a bunch of cash and hires them to tell him how to do it.
I think they are wrong. Most Americans are sick and tired of the cynicism and cronyism in DC. That is why John Edwards and Barack Obama are keeping up in the fundraising race so far.
Americans in the heartland are ready and willing to use their own money in the Presidential Race if there is a chance of kicking the insiders out. We saw this same sentiment in the last Congressional election.
So, while it would be nice to have all that money ($125 MILLION in one quarter) to spend on schools, invest in alternative energy or use for the multitude of other pressing needs in America, we may have to wait a few years.
For now let's use our money, our time and our voices to help kick the cynical insiders, the special interests and the lobbyists out of our government. Don't just give money, volunteer for the candidates that represent YOUR interests. Nothing is more powerful than the heart of a volunteer. If we succeed, it will be money and time well spent.
Then we can start working on changing the campaign finance laws and the way we run elections in this country so that any Smith, Jones etc. can get to Washington if she or he is the best representative for the PEOPLE and not special interests.
Now, back to daydreaming about what we will do with all that money when we kick the special interests out of government.......
PS Sorry for the long time with no posts. We were in Europe showing the movie and just got home. More on that soon.
Mike
