Several days ago, I read a news story that said Super PAC’s raised $594 million in 2016. (Ninety percent went to losing candidates, it claimed.) Another internet story claims the cost of just the presidential race was over $2.6 billion, (down from the previous race.)
This raises the question: why the great outpouring of money for an election? People and corporations don’t spend money, big money, for little or no reason. They expect to get something for their money. So why the spending?
There are two reasons that I can determine. One reason is, simply, that it is protection money. Corporations and people see the expenditure as a way of protecting themselves from the politicians’ actions once they get in government. Whether you give the money to candidate X to protect yourself from candidate Y, or give it to candidate Y to buy his favor, it is still protection money. It’s the equivalent of the local bully’s shakedown payoff. By the way, that’s why many corporations give to both candidates in a race; they can’t afford to anger either party.
The second reason is even worse. For some corporations (especially – and given what we saw this last election, perhaps we should add countries?), the purpose of the election expenditure is to buy special privileges. Perhaps it’s to persuade the candidate to support a new bill that will cripple an adversary, or one that would provide special subsidies for themselves. Historically, mostly starting with the railroads, then down to the alternate energy “entrepreneurs” of today, companies have used this to fleece the public. In short, to anyone other than a political scientist, the expenditure is a bribe.
Both reasons are a sad commentary on our political scene. No person or corporation should ever feel the need to pay money to protect themselves from the government. And the use of political contributions as a bribe is unethical and – should be – illegal. Neither reason occurs under a just government. Both reasons occur, inevitably, under a government that involves itself in the economic affairs of its people, attempting to manipulate affairs to its liking. Under a just government, there should be little more reason to contribute to a presidential race as there is to contribute to a race for local sheriff.
Askance Eye Miniblog 