Wednesday, January 6, 2010

You work for Me!

IN 2010 YOU WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO GET RID OF THE SITTING CONGRESS: Up to 1/3 OF THE SENATE, AND 100% OF THE HOUSE.

Let’s face it – the average blue collar worker donates very little to the political candidates campaign coffers. The costs of running a campaign are enormous for anyone desiring to seek elected office and this is simply out of reach for the average American. If the average American donates a minor portion of the campaign contributions, where does the money come from? Special interest groups, lobbyist, and political action committees. Are you naïve enough to believe that these donors freely give out millions of dollars without an expectation of return on their investment?

In the game of politics there is no such thing as something for nothing – the ideology of quid-pro-quo runs rampant through political circles [just look at the recent Healthcare Bill negotiations in the Senate]. As I alluded to in a previous post [The Problem of Incumbency] politics has become a business. People and organizations make investments into the business [government] with an expectation of return. Because of the large flow of money into political campaigns from special interest groups, these special interests will always garner the support of legislators over the needs of the taxpayer [taxpayer dollars don’t pad their pocket but campaign contributions do]. After all – in the world of business – would Sprint invest capital in NASCAR if there were not a return on the investment? Would Anheiser Busch invest in the Super Bowl advertisements if there were not a return on the investment? And would Companies invest millions in advertising capital through celebrities and sports stars if there were not a return on the investment?

The only way to control the influence of money in politics is to vote anti-incumbent until politicians understand that the will of the people must be addressed before the special interest money. Politicians do not serve for the sheer pleasure of doing a good thing – they are paid and paid well for what they do [or don’t do in some cases]. When we hire these elected officials we must make sure that they understand that they work for We the People. I am tired of sitting back saying - there is nothing just one person can do to correct the problem. I have decided to become an active participant and maybe – just maybe – inspire others, who too have been sitting on the sidelines saying that - there is nothing they can do, to get involved and finally take charge and tell our legislators – You work for Me!