America for Sale

Despite the fact that I reside in the UK I am a committed citizen of the US and as such have not only followed the campaigns this year but have donated to the candidate of my choice.


Simultaneously I am a member of a Public Interest Research Group (PIRG)which is a code word for an environmentalist group- not all of which I agree with.


By donating to the candidate of my choice and by being a paying member of the Massachusetts PIRG I invariably find myself on other groups mailing lists ranging from gun control to saving grizzly bears to grass-roots organisations angry about almost anything you could imagine in between.


But what worries me about this, above and beyond the fact that my personal data is obviously being sent/sold/purchased/stolen to/by a whole raft of groups is that they are all tied together by one overriding request- DONATE.


Granted I left the US in 1986 and the "Selling of the President" was written in 1969 and so the writing was on the wall I am still disturbed by the undertone of every request I receive.  Their overriding message is that with my money they will be able to get this law through or block that law  or elect this candidate, block that one- basically that with enough funding they can get anything done.


I think it starts with campaign finance. 


According to the New York Times there are 158 families in the US who essentially are bankrolling the primary campaigns split about  85/15 Republican/Democrat. In addition to these big spenders there are super-PACS that now have the protection of the 1st Amendment and the right to remain anonymous although why I would be willing to fund a candidate but not be willing to admit to it is somewhat bewildering. 


 But what I don't understand is that besides the occasional throwaway line about campaign finances no-one really seems to be all that riled up about this.


I have been accused occasionally about ranting on these pages.  Perhaps I have been overseas too long and what I consider to be rightous indignation is now classified as a rant.  But I am sure that if Americans were aware of similar economics in the electoral process in foreign countries they too would be indignant, if not boiling over with self-righteous indignation.