THE BEST GOVERNMENT (POLICIES, DECISIONS) MONEY CAN BUY

Candidates for sale!  Policy positions to the highest bidder!

Executive or legislative decisions for serious contributors!  Serve a term or

two and welcome to the real money as a high end lobbyist!

Something I know about politics I learned in third grade!

My third grade teacher, Miss Roth – back in the era where flip-top desks (some with ink-wells!) were bolted to the floor in neat and orderly rows, where pull down maps and alphabets in precise penmanship poised above blackboards and dusty erasers, where students raised their hands and the Pledge of Allegiance added the line “under God” – decided we might experience a touch of democratic process if we had an election for class president.  Much to my surprise, more class clown than student, I was nominated to be one of two candidates.

Miss Roth announced we would have a “campaign” – as she worked to expand our limited glossary of political terms.  Each candidate, Richard and I, would announce a “platform” (word #2 in our election process lexicon), what we would do if elected.  I immediately proposed a five minute longer recess, just to get the ball rolling.  I was into it!  Jane and Nancy were really good at art, so I got them to make posters: Friend for President.  My dad had a collection of We Like Ike buttons and we used the reverse side of milk bottle caps to make Elect Howard disks to paste on the face.  My campaign seemed to be gaining momentum.  Victory was in sight.  It was Thursday.  The election was tomorrow.

Thursday afternoon there was a commotion just outside the front door.  Richar’s campaign workers stood by a large box – filled with candy.  Richard must have conned his brothers and sisters to fork over their entire Halloween take.  His cardboard carton overflowed.  Free candy. As much as you want.  Elect Richard for President.  After the frenzy, every student’s pocket was crammed with goodies.   And to make matters worse, where we arrived the next morning, same spot, Richard must have grabbed every stocking stuffer he’d ever gotten, no doubt conning his siblings again, the same crate overflowing with mini-puzzles and yo-yo’s, an array of playground balls and baseball cards, colorful balloons and magic tricks.  Gone in less than a minute.  Richard won the election handily.  (I later learned that Richard’s dad has contributed to the candy and toy budget).  Election finance reform was not among the phrases Miss Roth shared (that was decades away).

What’s changed since my third grade defeat?  We have the best candidates money can buy.  When lobbyists on a single bill, health care reform, outnumber legislators eight to one; when the health care insurance industry spends $34 billion on a campaign to defeat that bill; when the Supreme Court votes to protect and expand the right of corporations to finance candidates and lobby for legislation, can we have anything other than the best candidates money can buy?  When the banking industry spends $500 million on lobbyists in 2009 and the pharmaceutical industry spends $100 milllion, deftly divided almost equally between the two parties?  Making the best decisions money can buy!  Purchasing the best policies up for auction!

My good friend is recognized worldwide for his insight and wisdom on global politics and economics.  He teaches and has clients on every continent.  He is a Canadian.  Elections occur on a predictable schedule, or can be called more precipitously by the government in power, he explained to me.  But in either case, a candidate has a clearly defined season of electioneering with a specific campaign budget.  Corporate leverage is virtually non-existence. You carry out a campaign, articulate your position on issues, speak as persuasively as possible for your political philosophy, spend your budget carefully and await election results.

I have no idea, he confesses with disarming candor, how you can expect governance that serves the best interests of the people, when you have, name it for what it is, the best candidates money can buy.