How much does a Senator cost?

[Griff]

Apparently the going rate is $150,000. Cheap at twice the price.

https://www.salon.com/2020/02/04/fec...ins-super-pac/

"The temporal proximity between SYWSE's formation and its contribution, viewed in the context of its overall activities, strongly suggest that it received funds for the specific purpose of making this contribution: SYWSE was formed on Nov. 26, 2019, then made a $150,000 contribution on Dec. 31, 2019,"

[fargon]

It's always the republicans, that have to dishonest.

[Luce]

Originally Posted by fargon

It's always the republicans, that have to dishonest.

Nonsense. The nature of the game itself creates corruption of everyone who takes part in it.

[fargon]

We need to term limit the bastards, and take the private money out of the game. The candidates get XXXX dollars to run their campaign, no fundraising necessary. Maybe that will at least tone down the corruption.

[henry quirk]

Originally Posted by fargon

We need to term limit the bastards, and take the private money out of the game. The candidates get XXXX dollars to run their campaign, no fundraising necessary. Maybe that will at least tone down the corruption.

Allow no campaigning, no private money, just give each candidate one hour, each week on PBS, just him or her and the camera.

Start three months before the election.

Fill yer hour, bitches...with yourself.

[tw]

Originally Posted by fargon

Maybe that will at least tone down the corruption.

Corruption and decisiveness exists for one reason. Most adults do not know how to know something. The fewer among us (called moderates) learn facts long before having an opinion. The emotional (adults who are still children) know what is right or wrong by simply consulting their political (emotional) biases. It is why so many knew communists were running the State Department and US Army. And why so many do not even know that socialism and communism are massively different.

Why do we see the rise of hate, KKK, White Supremacists, Nazis, tribal partitioning, Fox News, mockery and disparagement of our closest allies, ethnic cleansing of Kurds, Saddam's fictional WMDs, an excessively bloated military that is now routinely wasted even to the detriment of American interests, a crumbling infrastructure, demeaning of teachers, a completely unnecessary Iranian crisis, the imposition of people's religious beliefs on all others, and a president that openly touts hate and economic demise?

One must always learn facts with numbers long before having any opinion. Bernie Sander supporters openly claimed the Fed is a private corporation - and therefore corrupt. Even claimed free college educations will eliminate the problem. Even believe tariffs will make jobs. And who openly despise what made America powerful and wealthy - an open world economy and immigrants.

Once upon a time, the kids got 5 minutes of news every hour on every rock and roll station. Today, most get their news from hearsay, soundbytes, and other lies - also called social media. Where no facts with numbers are provided. Where only subjective propaganda somehow becomes a fact.

We even observe massive disinformation in the stupidity that claims generic crops are evil (when that was even what made possible the first farms). Or that foolishly blames heat for computer failures - because observation without any knowledge proves it. Even claim that global warming is a hoax and not created by mankind - using same rhetoric that denied destruction of the ozone layer.

We were all taught what is necessary to have knowledge. A hypothesis based in well proven science. But even that is insufficient. Also necessary is experimental evidence tempered by numbers.

Numbers clearly showed that Saddam did not and could not have WMDs. How many were so easily manipulated by those lies and extremists? Most of us. Because most today do not know and (I fear) know even less what is required to have knowledge. Somehow social media (subjective hearsay) has replaced well respected sources of knowledge. The dumbest among us even believe immigrants are massing at the borders to murder American citizens. That myth can only exist when one is easily brainwashed. When one forgets (or never knew) how to separate lies from facts. So many today, do not even know what is required before knowing something.

Like so many 1930 Germans, what they were told and then believed emotionally must be the truth. It explains Trump supporters. And so happened the holocaust, millions of deaths in the name of a superior people, and destruction that took 30 years to undo. All because so many believed Hitler - since he appealed to emotions of a child and not to intelligence of an adult.

We have a severe shortage of adults who know how to separate junk science, myths, and outright lies from well proven facts and honesty. A problem made worse by propaganda (lies) routinely touted in social media.

Why is Facebook such a problem? So many do not know how to see the difference between brainwashing and fundamental science concepts (or even lessons from history).

[Clodfobble]

Originally Posted by henry quirk

Allow no campaigning, no private money, just give each candidate one hour, each week on PBS, just him or her and the camera.



Start three months before the election.



Fill yer hour, bitches...with yourself.

While we're living the pipe dream, I want election day to be a federal holiday, and I want ranked ballots.

[xoxoxoBruce]

I wonder if a term limit of a term or two would tempt congress critters to accept cash or a promise of a post term job to vote a certain way on certain bill.
What the hell, why not grab the brass ring, can't run for reelection.

Cash can be camouflaged, buy a used car from a relative for 3 million dollars, buy an island and sell it to him/her for a dollar after leaving office, or bury valuable shit on his/her property to be found.

Many of them go to work as lobbyists or employees of companies they supported after leaving anyway.

[henry quirk]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

I wonder if a term limit of a term or two would tempt congress critters to accept cash or a promise of a post term job to vote a certain way on certain bill.
What the hell, why not grab the brass ring, can't run for reelection.

Cash can be camouflaged, buy a used car from a relative for 3 million dollars, buy an island and sell it to him/her for a dollar after leaving office, or bury valuable shit on his/her property to be found.

Many of them go to work as lobbyists or employees of companies they supported after leaving anyway.

Mebbe the best solution is to minimize our need for 'em, reduce 'em to mere employees, trim down the mechanism of governance to a bare minimum, and then hold it all in place with our foot on their necks.

just sayin' (again and again and again and...)

[xoxoxoBruce]

Easier said than done, if they're making laws they have power, if they aren't who is? Someone(s) gotta have that power.

In theory if any congress critter who doesn't adhere to the will of the people gets culled. That was semi-reasonable when there was a smattering of people being coached by a few clerics and community pillars, and no TV to distract them. But 350 million people with a couple hundred million opinions becomes constipated.

The saviour riding into town on a horse rented on credit is political parties, dozens of them. They would organize the hoards into effective control of congress. But they had to fight tooth and nail for control, not of congress but of people so they could pay for their rented horse. Eventually is was down to two empires built and maintained by a public who buy the founding slogans and can't be bothered paying attention anymore. The outlier parties come and go on slow news days but don't count as they don't have power.

So who makes the laws and who controls them? Sure ain't the people, they're watching Netflix.

[henry quirk]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Easier said than done, if they're making laws they have power, if they aren't who is? Someone(s) gotta have that power.

In theory if any congress critter who doesn't adhere to the will of the people gets culled. That was semi-reasonable when there was a smattering of people being coached by a few clerics and community pillars, and no TV to distract them. But 350 million people with a couple hundred million opinions becomes constipated.

The saviour riding into town on a horse rented on credit is political parties, dozens of them. They would organize the hoards into effective control of congress. But they had to fight tooth and nail for control, not of congress but of people so they could pay for their rented horse. Eventually is was down to two empires built and maintained by a public who buy the founding slogans and can't be bothered paying attention anymore. The outlier parties come and go on slow news days but don't count as they don't have power.

So who makes the laws and who controls them? Sure ain't the people, they're watching Netflix.

yep...

Like I say: minimize our need for 'em, reduce 'em to mere employees, trim down the mechanism of governance to a bare minimum, and then hold it all in place with our foot on their necks.

Step the First: quietly, as you can, minimize your need for 'em...don't seek approval...don't advertise it...just self-rely more.

Even that little bit means a lot.

[xoxoxoBruce]

That can be a costly maneuver, the local Harley dealer got a permit to remodel. The work progressed and when the started framing for a second floor the township said whoa, that permit doesn't allow you to go up, and everyday that framing is up means another couple thousand dollar fine.
That's just the locals, the state would probably send the National Guard, and the Feds send Warthogs.

[henry quirk]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

That can be a costly maneuver, the local Harley dealer got a permit to remodel. The work progressed and when the started framing for a second floor the township said whoa, that permit doesn't allow you to go up, and everyday that framing is up means another couple thousand dollar fine.
That's just the locals, the state would probably send the National Guard, and the Feds send Warthogs.

A permit to refurbish one's own property: utter crap.

Please, sir, may I wipe my ass? is what it amounts to.

[Undertoad]

Please sir, may I hook up another 20 lines to the public sewer? May I create a hazardous traffic jam right at the highway exit? May I create an unsafe or less safe condition for my neighbors?

Those are the actual questions the permitting is trying to answer in advance, even if they get it wrong from time to time.

[henry quirk]

Originally Posted by Undertoad

Please sir, may I hook up another 20 lines to the public sewer? May I create a hazardous traffic jam right at the highway exit? May I create an unsafe or less safe condition for my neighbors?

Those are the actual questions the permitting is trying to answer in advance, even if they get it wrong from time to time.

Point taken.