I just read in the Globe and Mail that six billion dollars will have been spent on all the campaigns during the run up to today's U.S. elections (Six Billion Dollar Campaign). Six BILLION. And for what? The presidential campaigns were so fiercely fought, it was like watching a tug of war between two teams of strong men, each huffing and puffing and jockeying to and fro, only to end at a stalemate; with neither side having won a convincing victory. In the end you could have decided it all with a coin toss.
Six billion dollars is enough to allocate a hundred dollars to each of the bottom 20% of Americans. That buys a lot of groceries for a family of four, who would get $400; or a pretty decent Christmas.
Instead, that money went primarily to TV ads that will pay media and advertising executive salaries. The money gets recycled high up in the food chain. I guess that's okay because most of it came from even higher up the food chain.
But think about it: Wouldn't it be better if all or substantially all of that money could be used to feed the hungry?
Not only does it seem unconscionable that so much money is being wasted on U.S. elections, even more of an issue is that U.S. democracy is being hijacked by big money, the so-called Super PAC's.
Six billion dollars. With nothing to show for it. Except, perhaps, a numb if not embittered public that struggles to make sense of it all. What a waste!
Instead, that money went primarily to TV ads that will pay media and advertising executive salaries. The money gets recycled high up in the food chain. I guess that's okay because most of it came from even higher up the food chain.
But think about it: Wouldn't it be better if all or substantially all of that money could be used to feed the hungry?
Not only does it seem unconscionable that so much money is being wasted on U.S. elections, even more of an issue is that U.S. democracy is being hijacked by big money, the so-called Super PAC's.
Six billion dollars. With nothing to show for it. Except, perhaps, a numb if not embittered public that struggles to make sense of it all. What a waste!
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