Does anyone else have a problem with the cost of these elections

[blues90]

I'm just wondering if this bugs anyone else . This is not a Hillary or Obama thread , it is not about where their funding comes from . It is about all the millions of dollars needed to fund insanely enormous campaigns .

Well before these elections set in there were many causes for the common people who were left out either by some act of nature or ignorance of one form or another yet people never found it necessary to contribute much if anything at all even close to what these campaigns ask for in less than a year .

most of this money will go into the profits of the mass media who has done nothing other than lie to the people and spin the news and talk the people into wars , to ignore other candidates who were against corp greed and control .

Does this not bother people ?

[uppityperson]

1. It bothers me.

[gateley]

2. Oh God yes. It is just WRONG. nt

[Kittycat]

3. Yes. But you can't change it midstream, we have to weather through this one,.

Hopefully it will be addressed soon though. I will say that I'm glad to see so many donations coming from citizens lately, instead of corporations.

[DesertFlower]

4. yes. it does.

hillary was on letterman the other night and they talked about the amounts that have been spent. hillary said it should change so everyone has a level playing field. she also said that if changes are made -- then maybe the money spent will be worth it.

i can't help but think of all the people that are homeless, who are without health care, etc. wouldn't it be nice if all that money could be spent to help them?


on edit: i can't help but think of all the billions that have been spent on this ridiculous war too.

[Fresh_Start]

5. the word obscene comes to mind

especially contrasted to the job cuts and foreclosures

[Milly]

6. Does anyone else have a problem with the cost of these elections

Yes .. BIG TIME

[Donnachaidh]

7. but but but --- it's ALL about the BLING dontcha know?

All these positively orgasmic posts about who has raised what. Not a damned thing about the POLICIES!

At least when Edwards was in it there was some mention of the poor, the un-insured, or under-insured. Some mention of the Class War. Some mention of social injustice.

And yes, I'm even more frightened by the way those issues have been buried, and posters here are on a *My Candidate's Got more BLING than yours* binge. And neither side really wants to admit that the costs of these campaigns are being financed by BIG BUSINESS.

But let both sides whip out figures about little people sending money -- it's a great photo-op and a way to deflect from the CORPORATE money being handled while no one is looking.

"Look at the shiny Dangly thing* is how the Corporations are laughing at the American Idol nominees.

we're doomed.

[Bluerthanblue]

8. absolutely- David Letterman asked Hillary this the other night-

It didn't sink in.

It bothers me very much.

I don't know that the answer is.

I sure as hell don't need all the fliers, phone-calls, commercials and newspaper ads.

Not to mention all the paid workers.

:shrug:

It shouldn't be like this.


peace~

[Skinner]

9. I'm not so much bothered by the cost, as I am about where the money comes from.

In the whole scheme of things, we don't actually spend that much. Considering how important elections are -- with millions of lives and trillions of dollars at stake -- a few hundred million bucks is a pittance.

The problem is that politicians have to grovel for money. And way too much of that money comes from powerful interests who do not care about this country or its citizens. Those poweful interests understand that elections are cheap: For a few thousand bucks in donations, to can get billions of dollars in government handouts.

This is why we need public financing. It's also why we
might never get it.

[blues90]

12. That's true >

I have been hearing candidates talking about campaign finance reform for I forget how many years now and as always it becomes the prune left out in the sun to become a raisin .

[sandnsea]

10. This is the worst yet, it's obscene

But that's what happens when one candidate's complete strategy is to use money to steamroll the country in one giant election.

[Andy823]

11. Hell yes!

It has always bothered me, but this time, it's way beyond outrageous! I heard something like a half billion dollars has already been spent by the two parties, and it isn't over yet. I like you the idea that the media gets most of that money really ticks me off.

[fed-up]

13. yes, people are feeding the hands that bite us.... nt

[4_TN_TITANS]

14. Good LTTE in last night's local paper...

The guy said that we just need to drop the pretenses and offer elected offices to the highest bidder. Set the payment aside in the Treasury for use only by the people, and let the new owner of the government do his will until it was time to offer it up for sale again. It's pretty much the system that we already have.