Comments on: Million Dollar, no make that 100 Million Dollar Idea

By: Adam

Adam — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 17:01:59 +0000

Unfortunately, I think this sort of thing would be functionally similar to bribing people for their votes. “I’ve paid for your groceries this month! Vote Smith ‘08.”

A better way to set this up would be to set up their campaign-donations channels to facilitate joint charitable donations. “You want to donating $50 to my campaign? Great! Why not donate $25, and then send $25 to the charity of your choice instead? Select a charity from this list and click ‘Dual donation’ to help in this way, or click ‘campaign donation only’ to give it all to the campaign…”

By: A. Tatum

A. Tatum — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 13:33:13 +0000

I think this would be a great idea if we lived in a country where “ideals” mattered. I really, really do. But honestly, I don’t believe that any of the candidates truly care about “working people” or “people” at all. The reality of the “American experiment” as it now stands is that it functions as a reverse funnel that takes money, power and resources away from the people who can least afford to give it and concentrates it among the choice few corporations as well as among those who are called to “lead” us. Maybe Obama, Clinton or McCain will be able to help turn things around but I’ve got very little hope left in the either the electoral process or in the government of America as a whole. I think a better idea might be to tell the folks who call up looking for money that you’re just going to take every bit that money and give it to the poor. That seems like a more fruitful idea to me.

I think you inadvertently sum up the American political scene when you say “Right off the bat, the game is over…” I’m not usually one to rant over at other people’s blogs and I’m really not ranting at you. I just think that it’s a sad state of affairs when such a truly good idea as you have proposed (and I really do think it’s a good idea) has no hope of working because of widespread corruption, apathy and injustice. Maybe these elections will change something but I’ve got much more faith in local communities of people who are committed to embodying the way of Christ than I do in any nation state.

grace & peace,
A.T.

By: JohnO

JohnO — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 07:50:00 +0000

I think it’s a great idea. Seems to me like Obama is getting a lot of his cash from ongoing donations in small increments. Not so sure about the other two.

By: coldfire

coldfire — Thu, 13 Mar 2008 02:24:48 +0000

This is a great idea!

By: brentbil

brentbil — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 20:01:10 +0000

As a fellow political junkie, whilst your idea would destroy the free-market system of buying the presidency that started in the sixties, I think it would be good thing. Ah, for some leaders who would truly inspire “follower-ship.”