Bunker Mulligan "Let us endeavor so to live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry." ~Mark Twain

Francis Poretto, the Curmudgeon, takes us all to task for not understanding politics:

Nothing shakes the crowned heads of America’s kingmakers like a sense of connection between a sitting president and the general public: “Why, he might cease to cater to us and start heeding the cries of the great unwashed! We could lose our seats on the gravy train! This must be stopped at once!”

He’s right. We are often lemmings when it comes to politics. It is the primary reason I don’t identify myself as a member of either major party. I have donated to the Bush campaign, but when the Republican Party calls asking for a donation, I tell them I don’t donate to groups, just individuals. Any money I donate to the RNC may end up funding someone whose candidacy I don’t support, such as Alan Keyes. That’s not a slam at Keyes as a person, but he has no business running for office in Illinois. Nor did Bobby Kennedy or Hillary Clinton have any business running in New york.

But our own “elite” want the country run as they see fit. Both parties are guilty, but the Democrats carry the main load. And please, don’t give me this “for the rich” argument about the Republicans. It just ain’t true. Teddy Roosevelt broke that early in the 20th century. Ken Lay was not a creature of the Bush Administration. He donated to both parties, and spent at least two nights in the Clinton White House. Enron got the sweet deal in India through the good graces of Clinton’s Commerce Department. That deal fell through and Enron went bankrupt as Bush took office. Both parties depend on donations from the wealthiest of Americans.

It might interest you to take a look at the Website for the Federal Election Commission. The average individual donation for Bush’s 2000 campaign was $300. The average for Gore was over $800. Bush simply received more donations from “the little people” in this country. Both Bush and Kerry are running neck-and-neck this year, and with the Campaign Finance Reform laws in place the average has jumped to over $1000 per individual. Funny, I thought all that money was going away from the political process.

And BIG MONEY still dominates. Either more than ever, or more openly than ever. Aren’t all these celebrities millionaires? How about George Soros? The 527 organizations are spending lots of money. No, they can’t endorse a particular candidate (wink, wink). So all is fine, right?

This election is really shaping up to be a referendum on ourselves more than anything else. Do we really want a political class in this country, people whose entire lives are wrapped up in being a “member” of Congress or the Senate? They like to call it “public service”. Almost every politician I’ve dealt with in person as a non-constituent has acted as if I were supposed to serve him. Public service is doing volunteer work, not drawing a healthy paycheck and enjoying the perks of office. But the phrase sounds good and plays well to political groupies.

Thomas Jefferson advocated term limits. I’ve never considered that a good thing. I’m beginning to change my mind.

I need a new soap box. I’ve about worn this one out.

***UPDATE*** Gary Aldrich has been through the Establishment mill himself, and can tell you about it.