A recent story in VTDigger regales us with a Democratic fundraiser at Caledonia Spirits. A “Gin Party” where for the small fee of $50 to $1,000 the donee can speak to a state senator. The larger the donation, the longer the time spent with the senator.
I was under perhaps the naive notion that elected officials work and answer to the people. Why should we, their employer, pay them money to have access?
I realize that the fee is minuscule in comparison to the obscene donations that corrupt our federal elections but in order to fix the problems, nothing will fundamentally change until we solve the problem of money in politics.
“Politics is the gentle art of getting votes from the poor and campaign funds from the rich, by promising to protect each from the other.”
Jack Flood
Oxford, Connecticut (formerly Waltham, Vermont)