The High Cost Of Electing Incompetents

Sometimes you do get what you pay for but sometimes you don’t. Money has become the stuff elections are made of, but in terms of principled or competent representation, America is definitely being shortchanged.

The amount of money being spent now on political elections is obscene. The 2008 Presidential office alone raised over 1.5 billion in contributions, 72 percent of which came from business interests. For all elections, the estimated amount spent was in excess of 5.5 billion. The midterm races now in full swing are expected to spend more than 3.7 billion dollars. That’s a lot of influence peddling with tons of unaccounted for cash transferring going on. Make no mistake about it, a lot of Tony Rezko’s have their hands in the till.

The Tea Party movement is a truly different response to business as usual politics. Though it lacks official organization or an orchestrated origin, the Tea Party has the establishment scratching it’s head. Why? So far it isn’t influenced by or beholden to money. It wasn’t formed by money. It was formed by people who came to town hall meetings one at a time and discovered there were many others just as frustrated as they were.

What is now called the Tea Party is a collection of these people completely turned off by the usual bought and paid for machinery of politics. They are raising their voices and voting specifically in spite of outsider money rather than because of it. Neither party knows quite how to handle a constituency that has appeared on it’s own with out being manipulated to be there. Imagine, a constituency demanding performance instead of favors.

It’s wonderfully refreshing to watch as the hand picked candidates of party bosses are losing primaries and those once considered untouchable favored incumbents are being handed their walking papers. Scott Brown in Massachusetts, Christie in New Jersey, and Mcdonnell in Virginia were not flukes, nor establishment manipulations. Nor was Rubio in Florida or Sharron Angle in Nevada. These things are happening because a large block of people are voting conscience and principle. People with well worn bibles, a favorable view of tradition, and a belief in the American constitution. People who have had enough of posturing, spin, and political business conducted with open check books.


For the same reasons that we can’t yell “fire” in a public building, sometimes we have to amend free speech rights when the greater good of society is genuinely threatened. With elections now being virtually conducted as a financial business and politicians being bought and sold like a product, it may well be time to rethink campaign finance reform. Conservatives have trouble with “free speech” restrictions even when speech is expressed as dollars, but the truth is billion of bucks are being spread around casually and openly for the sole purpose of influencing government, and congress is influenced. As the nation is going bankrupt, there is no shortage of government contracts. Wheeling and dealing has replaced governing by, of, and for the people. And everybody knows it.

When can we expect change? Perhaps when Congress is shamed into action through outcry and faced with total voter rejection. When free people constitutionally educated and faithful to America demand elected leaders uphold basic constitutional beliefs. In other words, when a movement like the Tea Party's garners support.

Chief among basic constitutional truths is that the federal government is limited to specific powers and that all other powers not specifically listed in the constitution are reserved for the people and for the states. The Tea Party is that un orchestrated voice getting louder all the time demanding we return to the basics. That’s why the current election climate is so exciting.

This nation began once before with a spark for liberty. It’s long overdue that we return to a time of electing officials instead of purchasing them. It’s beginning to look like this mid term election may return to a contest of ideals rather than an exercise bought and paid for with back door dollars.

As we get closer to November it’s looking more like constitutional voter “revival”.

Can I get an amen on that!