Political offseason desperation means anything for a dollar

Lot’s of important issues out there, but perhaps America is a bit tired of fundraising and politics.  I can’t get enough of this stuff, but judging by the tactics of both political parties, it’s a different game than during the presidential election.

The Democrats offered dinner with Hillary Clinton, dinner with President Obama, and even a trip to the American Idol finale!  Mitt Romney sent an email requesting submissions to his “mini-essay” contest on “what a free and strong American means to you.”  Oh, and be sure to send a contribution to his Free and Strong America PAC with your 250 word essay submission (don’t bother counting:  it’s about the length of this post).

Is the need to fundraise so strong that it can’t wait just a few months?    Clearly our politics and money are wound too closely together if we can’t take sometime to focus on governing after an election before funding the next round.  This is a subtle but important reason why we need some changes in the way we fund our campaigns.  The best solution is still to be determined.  Balancing fairness in elections for an impartial government (the telecoms don’t just happen to donate to the members of congress who sit on the committees with FCC jurisdiction) with our first amendment rights to free speech, including the use of our money.

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chicagotribune.com: Louisiana ranked more corrupt than Illinois

Even with the Blagojevich, Illinois is ranked 19th?  That makes me happy about Illinois, but sad about the country.  According to Jon Stewart, Illinois governors are more likely to go to jail than murderers:

“50% of all Illinois governors end up in jail. For God‘s sakes, did you know, this is true, that only 48% of people who commit murder end up in jail for their crime?  You are more likely to end up in jail if you become the governor of Illinois than if you become a murderer.”  The Daily Show, December 10, 2008

The fact that Illinois, where 1 out of every 2 governors is in jail, is less corrupt than 18 states doesn’t bode well for corruption nation-wide.

This article also notes some interesting facts about Louisiana.  Apparently, it took a natural disaster to change the corrupt culture.  It’s important to note that in Louisiana, and the rest of the country, the individuals charged with creating our ethics laws are the same people who are most affected by those same laws.  For example, the article mentions Louisiana legislatures voting against a bill that would terminate state pension funds convicted public officials.  I guess those legislators worried they might be next.  Separation of powers in our government was a great idea, but does it break down right here?