Just where do your campaign contributions go?

Idealism compared to realism can be painful: http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0208/8619.html

The thrust of the link is to pick on Hillary Clinton. Fine. A little goes towards Barack Obama, also. One may fairly apply the ideas in the link to the republican candidates, also. And there is much discussion about campaign contributions as to sources, most appealing being those from small time contributors using the internet. What an appealing citizen influence principle! But the uniqueness of the link is where the money goes. A lot of fellow Americans, albeit a small group, are making a lot of money off of the campaigns using the best propaganda and media control techniques thought of so far; with maybe some lavish lifestyles of eating and living ameliorating some of the most demanding work schedules. Even reported ego fits about not accepting a “poor politicians” Gulfstream G5 jet airplane when one expects a Gulfstream G7, albeit at more expense, if reflective of the old time status quo politicians who think their lives will go on forever, are sad. This idea of ego has gone from subservient in the 1960’s to “I deserve it” in today’s times. Just who are these Americans? Soviet commissars come to mind.

The election cycle in 2008 is becoming more important to our future than the only years ago prediction it was going to be status quo as usual. The impetus is mostly negative, as in concern about our future and the path we have been on. We are not stuck on our present path. Unfortunately we voters are going to have to shake things up. And while the media will report one group of voters over another, usually because it is a for profit business, after all, we voters are still in charge.

So contributions are important. But so is how the politicians spend the money we give them. And always think locally, state, and federal. So much that is important to us is closer to home than Washington, D.C., or the reporting media centers in New York and London. Americans still live in New Mexico, for example. And they and their kids count, too.