Democracy My Ass!

Why Is "Change" The Hot Button In This Election?

2008-07-24T14:36:00.000-07:00

We have an administration that is out of touch with the American People, a Do-Nothing-Congress, a war that is costing American taxpayers $13 Billion a month plus the lives of more than 4,000 American soldiers and counting (both men and women), and an economy that is going to hell in a hand basket.

How About Some Prison Time!

2008-02-25T10:38:00.000-08:00

I see where the congress is debating what to do about the housing crisis. Solutions their looking at range from a moratorium on foreclosures, freezing interest rates, revisions to the bankruptcy laws, and various government funded programs. There is even consideration being given as to whether the federal government should shield banks from lawsuits brought by investors negatively affected by changes in loan terms. I have a suggestion. How about giving those who misrepresented the loans to consumers GETTING PRISON TIME!

Don't Look For Immigration to Be Fixed Anytime Soon!

2008-01-28T15:03:00.000-08:00

I get a kick out of the posturing of both parties when it comes to dealing with the problem of illegal immigration. Politicians treat it like the "crazy" uncle in every family that no one wants to talk about. I have a simple solution, just enforce the laws! If we crack down on employers who hire illegals, "poof", they will disappear. If that seems too simple, it has already been proven to work in Arizona. Use the billions of dollars it takes to build a fence and instead use the money to hire more custom officials to police this activity. Illegals come here for the jobs, if we remove the incentives for them to come to the United States they will not come. Politicians talk about building the fence, identification cards, etc., it's all hogwash. The Democrats pander for the Hispanic vote, and the Republicans court corporate America, who use this work force to increase profits by paying lower wages.

What A Duo, Kucinich And Willie!

2008-01-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

Dennis Kucinich has teamed up with Willie Nelson in a fight to get Kucinich on the March 4th primary election ballot in Texas. They are suing the Texas Democrats who have refused to allow him on the ballot because he wouldn't sign a party pledge to "fully support" the eventual Democratic nominee. His refusal seems to make sense to me. Why would someone pledge their support to an unknown candidate, who may have very different views from yours? Whether it be on Iraq, health care, immigration, the economy etc. What this is really all about, and why there is gridlock in our government, is because of this need by the parties and the media to pigeon hole individuals. We are labeled either Republicans or Democrats, liberals or conservatives, left wing or right wing and this is very divisive. What we need in our government is action, not political malaise created by this posturing.

Did He Really Say That?

2008-01-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

Today on "Meet the Press", Tim Russert ask John McCain if he would have been President at the time, knew that Suddam Hussin had no nuclear weapons, biological weapons or had anything to do with 911, would he have invaded Iraq? To my astonishment, he said, "yes". Now here is a man who is given the advantage of hindsight saying he would make the same decision as President Bush. Somehow I would think a rational person would want to take back the past five years

Iowa Has Spoken!

2008-01-06T17:42:00.000-08:00

If you have read my previous entries, you know that I feel our government is broken. It has been controlled by special interests groups for years at the expense of the American people. This year however I am encouraged by a couple of the candidates who seem to agree with me, that lobbyist do in fact have too much influence on legislation. I am specifically referring to John Edwards and Barak Obama, and I find it interesting that the two finished first and second respectively in the Iowa Caucus. Both are running on a campaign of "Change", and I feel that is resonating with the American electorate. Stay tuned...this could be interesting.

WAKE UP AMERICA!

2007-10-29T15:33:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to figure out if the American people are uninformed, apathetic, or just plain dumb when it comes to politics in this country? It just seems to me that the American people should have figured it out by now, but every four years I'm astonished how these politicians play us like a fiddle, and we seem to be all ears. Wake up people, what they're telling you is what you want to hear and guess what, it just might not be the truth! If for example candidate A is running on a platform of reducing the cost of health care, but you look closely at his or her campaign contributors and bingo, there are a number of pharmaceutical companies and health insurances companies on the list. Follow the money and you will know where the candidates true allegiance lies. So another way of looking at it is they need their money, so they can tell you the lies you want to hear. Did you know that most politicians spend as much time, if not more, doing fundraising as they do doing the job they were elected to do. We need to change the way we elect candidates in this country that removes the influence of "big money," and allows the candidates equal time to present their platforms. The way it is now the candidates with the most monies are the candidates who will probably be the next President of the United States. Another way of looking at it is our government is for sale to the highest bidder.

Where Is The White-Middle-Class?

2007-10-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

I find it interesting, and at the same time frustrating, that Blacks and Hispanics can get organized at the drop of a hat. Conversely, the White-Middle-Class cannot seem to do the same. Over the years orchestrated primarily by the late Dr. Martin Luther King in the sixties, the Black population has had the ability to organize and coordinate rallies that serve their purpose. Likewise, the Hispanics have followed their lead, and like the blacks they too have been very successful in bringing their protests to the forefront. The White populace hasn't been able to do the same. For whatever the reason, be it complacency, apathy, lack of leadership or all of the above, the White-Middle-Class stands on the sidelines while it loses it's voice in our government.

The Cost Of The Iraq War

2007-10-09T19:20:00.000-07:00

The latest figures on the cost of the Iraq War is about 9 Billion a month. Sometimes figures that large are hard to get a handle on, but I recently was listening to a program that said Las Vegas takes in 13 Billion a year from gambling, now that really puts it in perspective! This war is bankrupting our country, and the future of our children and grand children.

How To Get Universal Health Care

2007-10-04T14:09:00.000-07:00

The only way to get universal health care is for congress to make it illegal for them to accept political contributions from the health care industry in any form period. This includes the pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, hospitals and HMO's. Of course it will probably never happen as they need their money to stay in power, therein lies the problem. When are we going to realize, their power comes first, the American people come second?

Where Are The Democrats?

2007-08-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

Here we are almost nine months after the Democrats were elected to the majority in Congress, but where are they? Didn't the American people give them that power with a mandate to get out of Iraq, end the war and BRING OUR MEN AND WOMEN HOME? They don't seemed to be listening. They seem to be more engaged with political maneuvering then doing what they were elected to do. President Bush continues to do as he well pleases, our soldiers continue to die, and the Democrats keep giving the American people rhetoric instead of actions.

It's Has Been Awhile.....

2007-08-23T09:48:00.000-07:00

I realize it's been awhile since my last post, but I will be posting more often with the 2008 Campaign starting to stir interest. I hope you will become informed on the issues, ask tough questions of all the candidates, and become involved. This may be the most important election in the last 50 years. We have many issues that need to be decided, Iraq, immigration, health care, and education to name a few.
I will be giving my perspective from time to time, and I look forward to hearing your comments. We may not always agree, but we damn well have the right to disagree.

Are Political Candidates Buying Public Office?

2006-09-26T15:51:00.001-07:00

Do you ever wonder why so many incumbents keep getting re-elected regardless of their record; could it be that their war chests are bigger than their opponents? This is because if their party sees that their candidate is in jeopardy of losing their race, they will throw millions of advertising dollars into their candidacy. Why? Because it works. You see most of the voting public is swayed by advertising, it's just how we have evolved in this country. The ads don't have to be truthful, and most are not, and the ones that work seem to be negative ads. We don't take time to look at the incumbents voting record, and in most cases we are not informed on the issues. Therefore, the candidate who has the most money to spend usually wins. Is it suppose to work this way?

Goodbye Joe!

2006-08-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Hopefully Joe Lieberman's defeat is the first of many incumbents to be voted out of office this fall. It's time to let these guys know who's in charge. POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!!!!!!

These Guys Just Have NO Shame!

2006-08-04T09:06:00.000-07:00

OK, the Congress has given itself something like TEN raises since the minimum wage law was last increased....isn't there something wrong here? The Republicians added an estate tax to the bill that would basically give a tax cut to the wealthy, while increasing the minimum wage of $5.15 to a whopping $7.25. The Democrats balked and refused to join with their Republician brethern, thus we have more of the same from a "Do Nothing" Congress.
Let's see....$5.15 for a forty hour week gives you a weekly paycheck in the amount of $206. With gas prices hovering around the $3.00 mark the average cost to fill ones gas tank is somewhere in the neighborhood of $100, thats half of their paycheck, and we haven't address food and shelter. Do you think this could be contributing to the higher crime rates we are seeing in this country?
Yes Congress has spit in the eye of the American public once more, what are you going to do about it?

Are CEO'S Making Too Much Money?

2006-07-10T18:15:00.000-07:00

I heard today that the average pay for CEO's is 185 times the pay of the average worker, is it me, or is there something wrong here? We have all seen the abuse in corporate America in recent years, Enron, MCI, Adelphi to name a few. Is there too much pressure being put on the CEO's that they feel they have to cook the books, or is it simply greed? Maybe it's because a lot of them have what is known as performance based pay, in other words, the majority of their compensation comes from whether or not the company is profitable. If the stock price rises so does their compensation.
Have you ever wondered who sits on the board of directors of these corporations, those who have the responsibility of hiring these CEO's and determining their compensation? I think you might be surprised to find that a large percentage of them are former CEO's, large stock holders, very rich and/or connected individuals and of course polititicians. Do they do this for free? Of course not, and how they are compensated? You guessed it, they are paid primarily in stock. And a lot of these individuals are on the board of directors of more than one, or even two corporations, it's something like a" good old boys club". Kind of like he who has the gold makes the rules.

Lets Take Back The Power Our Forefathers Gave Us!

2006-06-26T16:25:00.000-07:00

This being an election year and all, why don't we all get up off our asses and make a statement to those in power, and kick their butts out the door. Let them have to earn a living like the rest of us. Now I'm not talking about Democrats vs Republicans, hell you're looking at the same person in the mirror. What I'm talking about is if the they have been in power for more than two terms their out the door. Politicians won't agree to term limits, that's why we have professional politicians, aka Senators Robert Byrd of West Virginia(44 yrs.), Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts(48 yrs.), John Warner of Virginia(28 yrs.) to name a few in the Senate. Then there's John Dingell of Michigan(51 yrs.), and Joe Barton of Texas(21 yrs,) in the Congress, well you get the point. So we need to take back the power granted to us by our founding fathers and end what has become a profession, instead of a act of public service. What has happened is the politicians of today have come to realize that they can use this power not for the people , but for themselves. They have become addicted to this power and the last thing they want to do is lose it, therefore they spend more of their time fundraising than doing the business of the people who gave them that power. Their decisions go to the highest bidder, the one who contributes the highest dollar amount to their campaigns. And when it comes to dollars, it is us against the Insurance Companies, Banks, Corporations and Billionaires, now who do you think wins that debate. What is inexcusable is we have let it happen. I say if they have been in office 2 terms they're out the door!
(We also have to put limits on campaign spending, but that for another day!)

TERM LIMITS AND MORE!

2006-04-30T21:34:00.000-07:00

Lets get rid of these professional politicians. Send them out into the real world, and let these senators and representatives have to survive like you and me! Two terms and out the door, and cut this emblicial cord where they can't go to work as a lobbyist and rape us for the remaider of their lives.

This hits the nail on the head!

2006-02-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

Polls Show Many Americans Are Simply Dumber Than Bush
By Paul Craig Roberts 2-6-6

Two recent polls, a Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll and a New York Times/CBS News poll, indicate why Bush is getting away with impeachable offenses. Half of the US population is incapable of acquiring, processing and understanding information.
Much of the problem is the media itself, which serves as a disinformation agency for the Bush administration. Fox "News" and right-wing talk radio are the worst, but with propagandistic outlets setting the standard for truth and patriotism, all of the media is affected to some degree.
Despite the media's failure, about half the population has managed to discern that the US invasion of Iraq has not made them safer and that the Bush administration's assault on civil liberties is not a necessary component of the war on terror. The problem, thus, lies with the absence of due diligence on the part of the other half of the population.
Consider the New York Times/CBS poll. Sixty-four percent of the respondents have concerns about losing civil liberties as a result of anti-terrorism measures put in place by President Bush. Yet, 53 percent approve of spying without obtaining court warrants "in order to reduce the threat of terrorism."
Why does any American think that spying without a warrant has any more effect in reducing the threat of terrorism than spying with a warrant? The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which Bush is disobeying, requires the executive to obtain from a secret panel of federal judges a warrant for spying on Americans. The purpose of the law is to prevent a president from spying for partisan political reasons. The law permits the president to spy first (for 72 hours) and then come to the court for permission. As the court meets in secret, spying without a warrant is no more effective in reducing the threat of terrorism than spying with a warrant.
Instead of explaining this basic truth, the media has played along with the Bush administration and formulated the question as a trade-off between civil liberties and protection from terrorists. This formulation is false and nonsensical. Why does the media enable the Bush administration to escape accountability for illegal behavior by putting false and misleading choices before the people?
The LA Times/Bloomberg poll has equally striking anomalies. Only 43 percent said they approved of Bush's performance as president. But a majority believe Bush's policies have made the US more secure.
It is extraordinary that anyone would think Americans are safer as a result of Bush invading two Muslim countries and constantly threatening two more with military attack. The invasions and threats have caused a dramatic swing in Muslim sentiment away from the US. Prior to Bush's invasion of Iraq, a large majority of Muslims had a favorable opinion of America. Now only about 5 percent do.
A number of US commanders in Iraq and many Middle East experts have told the American public that the three year-old war in Iraq is serving both to recruit and to train terrorists for al Qaeda, which has grown many times its former size. Moreover, the US military has concluded that al Qaeda has succeeded in having its members elected to the new Iraqi government.
We have seen similar developments both in Egypt and in Pakistan. In the recent Egyptian elections, the radical Muslim Brotherhood, despite being suppressed by the Egyptian government, won a large number of seats. In Pakistan elements friendly or neutral toward al Qaeda control about half of the government. In Iraq, Bush's invasion has replaced secular Sunnis with Islamist Shia allied with Iran.
And now with the triumph of Hamas in the Palestinian election, we see the total failure of Bush's Middle Eastern policy. Bush has succeeded in displacing secular moderates from Middle Eastern governments and replacing them with Islamic extremists. It boggles the mind that this disastrous result makes Americans feel safer!
What does it say for democracy that half of the American population is unable to draw a rational conclusion from unambiguous facts?
Americans share this disability with the Bush administration. According to news reports, the Bush administration is stunned by the election victory of the radical Islamist Hamas Party, which swept the US-financed Fatah Party from office. Why is the Bush administration astonished?
The Bush administration is astonished because it stupidly believes that hundreds of millions of Muslims should be grateful that the US has interfered in their internal affairs for 60 years, setting up colonies and puppet rulers to suppress their aspirations and to achieve, instead, purposes of the US government.
Americans need desperately to understand that 95 percent of all Muslim terrorists in the world were created in the past three years by Bush's invasion of Iraq.
Americans need desperately to comprehend that if Bush attacks Iran and Syria, as he intends, terrorism will explode, and American civil liberties will disappear into a thirty year war that will bankrupt the United States.
The total lack of rationality and competence in the White House and the inability of half of the US population to acquire and understand information are far larger threats to Americans than terrorism.
America has become a rogue nation, flying blind, guided only by ignorance and hubris. A terrible catastrophe awaits.

Mr. President, close our borders!

2005-03-24T13:22:00.000-08:00

I've heard figures from 1,5oo to 4,000 illegal immigrants come into our country daily. If my math is correct thats 550,000 to 1.5 M over the course of a year. President Bush is pushing for giving these illegals a 6 months worker visa. I have a real problem rewarding someone who has broken our laws. Those who favor the continuing migration of these illegals are those who hire them at low wages, or politicians looking for the hispanic vote. There are those who say they do jobs that we Americans won't do...HOGWASH!! If it means doing meanial work or starving, most Americans would choose the latter. If we didn't have all these illegal immigrants driving without auto insurance and clogging up our hospital emergency rooms we would pay a hellva lot less for auto and medical insurance. Futhermore, those who hire these illegals should be fined and if continued...jail time baby!

Where are the Iraqi police/soldiers?

2005-03-14T09:38:00.000-08:00

I find it perplexing when listening to the news each night that there is never a mention of Iraqi police/soldiers capturing, fighting, killing, etc. of insurgents. What the hell are they doing? Each day they're getting their asses blown up, and it seems they are never on the offensive. It's always our boys kicking ass!

We need an Energy Plan!

2005-03-08T11:13:00.000-08:00

With oil prices increasing at astronomical rates isn't it time we come up with an Energy Plan? They are predicting gas prices of $2.00-$2.50 per gallon this summer and this administration seems to have no plan in place. President Bush's only plan seems to be petition for more production, instead of concentrating on less consumtion. Could it be he's more concerned with keeping all those "fat cat" oil and gas supporters happy?

Social Security Reform needs fixing, and it starts in Congress!

2005-03-08T10:39:00.000-08:00

With all the recent rhertoric about social security reform, I find it appauling that members of congress continue to fleece the American people, by voting themselves their own special retirement program. There are two different retirement plans depending on when you were elected to office. Members elected to office after 1983 pay into the Federal Employees Retirement System, members elected before 1983 pay into the older Civil Service Retirement Program. As of 2002, 411 retired members were receiving benefits under CSRS at an average rate of $55,788 per year and 71 were receiving benefits under FERS (or a combination of CSRS and FERS) with $41,856 per year in average benefits. Members do not automatically received lifetime pensions. How much they receive and how long they receive it depends on many factors, including age, length of service (including military) and choice of plans, etc. Todays retirees on average receive somewhere between $800-$1200 a month. Again I say, "Democracy My Ass!"

When will we ever learn?

2004-11-19T21:48:00.000-08:00

I think it's time the President, aka V.P. Cheney admit to the American people that they made a mistake by attacking Iraq. It's obvious that we are in a war we cannot win as there is not country or government to defeat. By invading Iraq we have made it easier for Al Quida and other terrorist groups to recruit young Arab men to join forces against the hated enemy, the United States. Many experts agree that by our actions in Iraq, we have created hundreds if not thousands of Osama bin Ladens. I hate to say it, but this administration has created another Viet Nam, and again our sons and daughters pay the ultimate price....when will we ever learn?

Tom Delay and the GOP change the rules!

2004-11-19T13:55:00.000-08:00

How about the latest on Tom DeLay of Texas, the Republican House majority leader. Three Delay associates were indicted, charging them with soliciting and funneling illegal corporate contributions to influence Texas House races in 2002. As of yet Delay hasn't been charged. Present GOP rules in the U.S. House require anyone in a leadership position to step aside if indicted, however the GOP are proposing changes to this rule, which would enable leaders that are indicted to continue their jobs. Hmmm, kinda like he who has the ball makes the rules huh. Is it any wonder why so many of the American public view politicians as corrupt. And whatever happen to those VALUES the Republican Party preached during the elections?

Where are my notes Mr. Cheney?

2004-11-16T18:39:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you like me have noticed that President Bush rarely, if ever, makes a speech without notes. I personally have always found this to be very annoying, but today takes the cake. When expressing his thanks and praising the public service of Secretary of State Colin Powell, again he needed notes. Doesn't it make you a little uncomfortable that our President, the man elected to the most powerful position in the world has trouble adlibbing?

I'm Puzzled?

2004-11-16T11:49:00.000-08:00

I'm often puzzled by how the public perceives and reacts to national agendas. A perfect example of this is the re-election of President Bush. There is no logic to explain his re-election. Where have these people been for the past four years, in a cave. What did he accomplish in his first term in office? Please help me here! Oh I know, he went after those bad guys who attacked us on 911. Wait a minute, wasn't that Al Qaida, headed by Osama bin Laden hmmm, I'm confused.....why are we in Iraq? Well the economy's better, right? How about jobs, health care, perscription drugs, and whatever happened to that surplus? Oh I forgot about those tax cuts he gave to us. Lets see, I got $500 and the cost of my health care, insurance (life, auto, homeowner's), prescription drugs, and the deficit all increased. So actually that $500 went not to me, but to the corporations who in turn contributed to his re-election, I'm beginning to see how this works.
Of course there are those who just like the president. They think he is the kinda guy you could sit and have coffee with, you know, your average Joe. Well, this average Joe sure hasn't done anything for the average American in four years, and he seems to travel in a different circles if you will. Besides, liking him just doesn't seem to be the best criteria for giving him the most powerful position on the planet. I may like you better than my doctor, but I trust him when it comes to matters of my health. Yep, I'm puzzled!

Your Votes A Joke Dope!

2004-08-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

Let's examine the vote. Most people feel the election process, whereby the majority rules, is a democratic way for the people to have a say in how they are governed. True it sounds good, and politicians who benefit from the power of the voting process will do nothing to discourage that belief, and in fact spend millions of dollars to promote this fallacy. Democracy’s main attraction is ideal from the government's standpoint, because it gives the illusion of consent. People, through preposterous slogans, and mind-twisting logic, are led to believe that government represents them.
In reality though, nothing could be further from the truth. No one can become a serious candidate for office without having substantial financial backing and/or important connections made available to him. We are naive to believe these favors are not repaid, whether such contributions are in the form of money or connections. And, who do you think has the ability to contribute the most to a campaign, large corporations, unions, special interests groups or we the people?
Then there is another illusion, that is there is a two-party system, when in reality there is only one. Robert Ringer in his book "Restoring The American Dream" called this party the "Demopublican Party". It being nothing more than the Democrat and the Republican parties masquerading as a two-party system. He says "voting is like going through two doors, and whichever one you take, you end up in the same room". The fact is, our present political system offers choice, but not a free choice, and the two are only vaguely related. A prisoner who is given a choice between being shot and hanging has a choice, but if he were given a free choice, you can be sure that he would choose a third alternative not presently available to him.
I have a lot of respect for Ralph Nader and the Green Party, but they are swimming up stream with no chance to be taken seriously by the majority of the voting public. Why? Because the Demopublicans are in control and they can, and they do, pass laws that make it difficult, if not impossible, for a third party to compete.
The SYSTEM IS BROKE! This is not "government by the people," it is "government by those in power." There is much that needs to be done, ie, real campaign finance reform, term limits for all politicians, expand the two-party system, and campaign expenditures/advertising reform, to name a few. I once heard the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, and expecting different results. Until we, the American people, demand change, we will continue to hear the same rhetoric every four years, of promises of change and nothing more.

The Fox Factor

2004-08-04T07:59:00.000-07:00

Again Fox News shows it just doesn't respect the democratic process. It was very apparent during the Democratic Convention last week, as they continually interrupted or failed to cover speeches given in prime time, and instead paraded their own pundits and spindoctors to give the Republican flavor to the American people. Do they really think the American people buy this "Fair and Balanced" rhetoric.

John Edwards moves the convention

2004-07-28T21:05:00.000-07:00

John Edwards once again shows why John Kerry has him on the ticket. With his southern charm, he brought the convention delegates to their feet, and no doubt his message resonated with voters across the country, especially those in middle America. The democrats are hoping he can connect with not only southerners, but independents and moderate Republicans, who are concern with the present administration's handling of the economy and the war in Iraq.

Lobbyist money flows at convention

2004-07-28T09:04:00.000-07:00

Because of a loophole in the campaign finance laws, a presidential convention is one place where corporations and labor unions can still spend with abandon to influence holders of high office.
Since unlimited donations to the national party committees were banned in 2002, the bugets of both the Democratic and Republican conventions have skyrocked. According to the nonpartisan Campaign Finance Institue, the cost of this year's conventions will top $103 million, nearly twice what it was four years ago.
Every day from 7 a.m. to 2 a.m. breakfasts, brunches, luncheons, cocktail parties, dinners and post-convention fetes are convened to honor senior Democratic officials.
Fiffteen corporations, unions and foundations have given at least $1 million each to the Boston host committe, including Bank of America, IBM, Gillette, Verizon and the Service Employees International Union. Another 15 have given from $5000,000 to $1 million. In 1992, the Democrats didn't accept more than $100,000 from any single donor.
Jeffery H. Birnbaum
Thomas B. Edsall
The Washingtom Post

Your Vote's a Joke Dope!

2004-07-27T15:20:00.000-07:00

Technically your vote is a joke, especially if you're a member of the middle class. If the Republicans win, you will subsidize corporate America and the wealthy. If the Democrats win you will subsidize corporate America and the poor, either way you're gonna pay. You may have noticed in both scenarios you subsidize corporate America. That is because corporate America, through their political contributions to both parties, get preference over we the people when it comes to legislation. We need to look no further than our health care system, where decisions are made not by doctors, but by insurance and drug companies. How about the petro-chemical industry that continues to pollute our enviroment, while our government continues to give lip service to making them clean up their act? Isn't time we woke up and realized that this is not a govenment for the people by the people, but a government that is for sale to the highest bidder? The last time I looked Halliburton, Pfizer, Allstate and Enron had a lot more money to give than the average American.