Money and Politics

I thought the senate already did something about the filibuster. I don't think they totally abolished it, but they changed the rules somewhat. I seem to remember they called it the "nuclear option" or some thing like that, but I don't remember why. The pundits said at the time that the Dems would be sorry someday when the Reps had a majority, and some Dems even voted against it for that reason. Now that I think of it, maybe they didn't pass it, just talked about it.

Funny how money plays such an important role in politics when the jobs don't pay all that much. The president makes a quarter million a year, and the rest of them make substantially less, yet millions are spent getting those people elected. Of course most of that money is donated, but the candidates usually put up some of their own money too. I think you have to be kind of rich to even think about running a successful campaign. Not many regular people could afford to take a year off work and go traipsing around the country shaking hands and kissing babies. Then there's the stress of all that traveling and sleeping in strange beds every night. It's no wonder they occasionally say something stupid, they must get goofy from jet lag. If all they cared about was making money, I think most of these guys could do better in the private sector. I think it's more about fame and power than it is about money, but that's just my opinion.

We usually hit the "mute" button when ads come on the TV, but sometimes we turn the sound on if we are interested in a particular ad. The Dem candidate in that senate race I told you about yesterday kept showing the same ad about how the Rep candidate was responsible for all kinds of industrial pollution in Southern Michigan. I wondered how that was possible, since the only thing she had ever done in her life was sell driver's licenses, so I turned the sound on one day to find out. Turns out she was getting substantial financial support from the Koch brothers who, coincidently, owned all those factories, and that was supposed to mean that the pollution was all her fault. She followed with some ads of her own that revealed her opponent actually owned stock in some of the same companies.  Afterwards, both candidates complained about all the "outside money" that was used to influence the election. Neither of them said they wanted to accept that money, but they had to because their opponent did. So there you go.

I know that the president has the power to issue executive orders, but I'm sure that, like all other government powers, there must be some kind of limitations. I think it would be interesting to see what the courts have to say about that, and maybe we will. Impeachment proceedings would be even more fun. I don't care who wins or loses, but I'd like to see them waste a lot of time arguing about it like they did with Bill Clinton. The more time they spend on stuff like that, the less time they have for "reforming" things, which means "making them worse".

You know, I could have been rich and famous, but I chose not to because I'm basically lazy. I'd much rather spend my time and energy on more important things like hunting and fishing. In my younger days, I used to walk around a lot more than I do now when deer hunting but, over time, I found that sitting on my ass in a heated blind was not only more comfortable, but also more productive. It's possible to walk right up on a deer if you're careful and you know how, but then all you've got to shoot at is a white tail bounding off into the woods. That's a difficult target to hit, and it ruins a lot of meat if you do. A standing broadside shot through the rib cage is much more humane and efficient.

I still have about a quarter mile walk out to my blind, and then I make a loop and come home a different way. I have never gotten a shot doing that, but I might someday, so I'm always on the alert. One day years ago, my hypothetical wife watched a nice buck eating apples under a tree not 20 feet from the house while I was out in my blind. If I had been coming home at that moment, I might have gotten a shot at him. When we first moved here, I tried to negotiate an agreement that I could hunt from the roof of the house, or maybe from inside the garage if I opened the window and removed the screen first, but no deal. You think those Republicans are averse to compromise, you should try it with a woman!