blog@cliffdweller

Meanwhile, Congressional Republicans raised some $23 million last night at the President's Dinner at the Washington Convention Center. ($1 million more than last year's haul, but $7 million less than their pre-McCain-Feingold take in '02.) About 7,000 people attended last night. Aides say they were adding tables and chairs up until the event started.

That's from CNN today, down at the bottom of the page.

I'm not picking on the republicans today, I'm picking on politics in general. This whole campaign spending thing is really out of control. How many of the people that I see every day will ever have $23M at their disposal? How many school children could receive better textbooks, computers, lunches, playground equipment, etc with $23M? How many homeless people could be housed for a year with $23M? How many floating sidewalks could be built in cities like Portland?

The point is that $23M is a LOT of money to blow through in the next 2 months. It's all for advertising. It's all for creating spin. It's all for heavy handed politics from both sides of the fence.

And $23M was all raised in one night at a single fundraiser attended by 7000 people. That's over $3200 per person in attendance.

I think this whole political spending thing is indicative of what's really wrong with America: If you throw enough money at it, you can solve anything. What if there were campaign spending reforms suggested that people who donated money also had to donate time, equal to some standard rate per hour. Like a good strong wage for 90% of the American public, say $35 per hour? if that were the actual case, then those 7000 people who donated $23M last night, would each also need to donate 93 hours of their time to the party they are trying to elect.

Imagine how much manpower that would be for calling people, canvassing malls, driving cars, shaking hands, emptying trash cans, babysitting, and actually proving that they really do support the candidate they claim to support.