D’oh 4 more years of Dubya
Today’s headline on the front of the Mirror did make me smile. For a moment at least.
Greg Palast’s written a piece examining the way votes were counted in Ohio and New Mexico. Disturbing though it may be, it does seem a little futile; after getting away with the farce that was 2000’s election, sadly no one’s going to bat an eyelid about these dubious practices. Alternet’s got another article on the US electoral system, written by a Mexican observer, which is pretty interesting too.
I still find it staggering that conservative estimates put the cost of this year’s presidential campaigns at over $1.2 billion though — $3.9 billion if you include the congressional campaigns. How can any political sytem be considered fair and balanced when such huge sums are required in order to stand a chance of being elected?
To my mind it’s totally immoral for two political parties to spend that amount of money trying to slide a cigarette paper between their policies, when it could be put to use helping to eradicate disease and suffering around the world. How many children’s lives could be saved with $1,200,000,000? How many poverty-trappped people could be given the education, opportunities and hope that might prevent them from turning to extreme religions and terrorism? But no, in this screwed up world, two bonesmen are allowed to blow billions campaigning against against one another… Democracy my arse.
- Stop the Clocks – W H Auden
- Sane Americans
