Forget Voting, Let’s Just Count The Cash

There’s a part of me that thinks we should dispense with voting and just award the presidency to the candidate who raises the most money. Certainly that would be unfair to those with less money under our current system, but there might be ways to make it more transparent.

Big bucks donors have always felt this way. At least that’s what they have told themselves after stroking large checks to this or that PAC. It used to be for a chance to grab a government contract or two and that’s still the case. But after the 2016 election many got their quid-pro-quo with the Trump tax cuts. Some of which will expire at the end of 2025. Bettting on an extension or making those tax cuts permanent more aptly explains the current willingness to toss out good money after bad character. 

That’s the point. As long as there’s a buck to be made, make the bet. Trump’s an edges-bent, easy to read wildcard, but big donors, like some criminals posing as world leaders, are counting on the chaos to save some tax scratch while also allowing them to do whatever the heck they want to do to keep the cash spigots open. They know what they’re betting on.

Regardless of party, politics has always been about who gets to ride the gravy train. With the Democrats some of it is actually about policy. With what used to be called the Republican Party it has always been about grift and graft. Mix in a little God and you can even roll the suckers when you pass the collection plates.

All of this gets dressed up in political debates about regulation, campaign financing, laws, and ethics. But those duds are as see through as the new Major League Baseball uniforms.

So here’s a modest proposal. Let folks donate as much as they want. But each donation only counts as one dollar towards the outcome regardless of the size of the donation. Do away with PACs and other three-card monte schemes that reward political operatives and lobbyists. Donate the money directly to the candidate. Only individuals can donate. None of this “corporations are people” bullshit. Tie the donations to social security numbers. It would still be about turnout, but you could only turn out your pockets once and make it count. Say goodbye to the Electoral College and Make Accounting Great Again.

Stupid? Probably. Candidates used to buy votes with a beer and a sandwich, now corporations and other governments buy candidates. I doubt this would change our genetic code that builds liars and cheaters, but it would at least be a stab at more honesty.

You can find more of my writings on a variety of topics on Medium at this link, including in the publications Ellemeno and Rome.