http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747   BUYING THE PRESIDENCY!   How can the American people have any respect for a president who bought his/her way into office?   The hundreds of millions (now expected to top over one BILLION by election time) spent by all parties is downright obscene!   The Brit’s campaign for a mere 30 days. We should take a lesson from them.   The money spent pursuing entry to the Oval Office could have been spent on the People of the United States. How many free health clinics and schools could this money have built? How many shelters for the homeless? How many Senior Centers and Youth Centers? How many factories to give jobs, paying a decent wage, to people who are out of work? How many businesses could have been started to bring work back to America instead of out sourcing to third world countries?   As this indecent money spending for ego involvement continues, it will only get worse with each successive election. We must all get involved in the running of our own government. The Ivory Towered people in Washington seem to be living in their own Disneyland of the mind. They have either forgotten or disdain the proposition that our government is supposed to be, “OF, BY, AND FOR…THE PEOPLE!”   Jim Richards   BUYING THE PRESIDENCY!   How can the American people have any respect for a president who bought his/her way into office?   The hundreds of millions (now expected to top over one BILLION by election time) spent by all parties is downright obscene!   The Brit’s campaign for a mere 30 days. We should take a lesson from them.   The money spent pursuing entry to the Oval Office could have been spent on the People of the United States. How many free health clinics and schools could this money have built? How many shelters for the homeless? How many Senior Centers and Youth Centers? How many factories to give jobs, paying a decent wage, to people who are out of work? How many businesses could have been started to bring work back to America instead of out sourcing to third world countries?   As this indecent money spending for ego involvement continues, it will only get worse with each successive election. We must all get involved in the running of our own government. The Ivory Towered people in Washington seem to be living in their own Disneyland of the mind. They have either forgotten or disdain the proposition that our government is supposed to be, “OF, BY, AND FOR…THE PEOPLE!”   Jim Richards en-us Yes!  I agree!  And all that money is used to annoy people with a glut of tv ads and mail ads that most of us just ignore.  I think they should stick to debates, minimize all these different early primary dates, and use that money (and their time still in office) for some good. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_191809 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_191809 Yes!  I agree!  And all that money is used to annoy people with a glut of tv ads and mail ads that most of us just ignore.  I think they should stick to debates, minimize all these different early primary dates, and use that money (and their time still in office) for some good. Furthermore, if they can afford to vacate their Senate and Governorship seats for these many months at a time, what the hell do they have to do when they ARE there? Jim Richards http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_191834 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_191834 Furthermore, if they can afford to vacate their Senate and Governorship seats for these many months at a time, what the hell do they have to do when they ARE there? Jim Richards Presidential candidates spend millions upon millions upon millions to have a chance to earn four hundred thousand dollars a year. And these are the people that we elect to spend our tax dollars ha ha. I don't need a TV ad to tell me who to vote for, do you? Political TV ads are misleading and negative and should have limits. I watch the news and the debates to inform me of the best candidate for the job of President.People that are influenced by TV ads in my opinion shouldn't be voting. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_191890 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_191890 Presidential candidates spend millions upon millions upon millions to have a chance to earn four hundred thousand dollars a year. And these are the people that we elect to spend our tax dollars ha ha. I don't need a TV ad to tell me who to vote for, do you? Political TV ads are misleading and negative and should have limits. I watch the news and the debates to inform me of the best candidate for the job of President.People that are influenced by TV ads in my opinion shouldn't be voting. I agree with the sentiment that it could be better spent elsewhere.  The part I think that is being overlooked is that the people that fund these politicians are doing it to gain power for themselves.  Not to help anyone.  So if they weren't spending it on their politician, they most certainly would not be spending it (or nearly as much) on the charitable causes.  Unless of course it gave them a significant tax break.  Having a senator, congressman, or best of all, a President that owes you a favor or 3 is pretty handy. Honestly, my opinion is, there is no such thing as a politician who is a politician for the people any longer.  Those days are long gone.  Politicians are politicians as a career and will do whatever it takes to stay in office and milk it for every penny they can while they are there. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_191969 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_191969 I agree with the sentiment that it could be better spent elsewhere.  The part I think that is being overlooked is that the people that fund these politicians are doing it to gain power for themselves.  Not to help anyone.  So if they weren't spending it on their politician, they most certainly would not be spending it (or nearly as much) on the charitable causes.  Unless of course it gave them a significant tax break.  Having a senator, congressman, or best of all, a President that owes you a favor or 3 is pretty handy. Honestly, my opinion is, there is no such thing as a politician who is a politician for the people any longer.  Those days are long gone.  Politicians are politicians as a career and will do whatever it takes to stay in office and milk it for every penny they can while they are there. There needs to be a concerted effort in this country to change our campaign laws to support public financing of elections. The airwaves supposedly belong to the people, so the people should be able to decide to allow free & equal access to TV & radio in order to campaign. Unfortunately for us, the SCOTUS has determined that money =speech. Until we can change that, the cost of elections will continue to rise. http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_192199 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/jimr/20747/#c_192199 There needs to be a concerted effort in this country to change our campaign laws to support public financing of elections. The airwaves supposedly belong to the people, so the people should be able to decide to allow free & equal access to TV & radio in order to campaign. Unfortunately for us, the SCOTUS has determined that money =speech. Until we can change that, the cost of elections will continue to rise.