Now that the 2022 election madness has waned, I’m going to risk talking about politics. As far as I know, the last senatorial seat to be decided was a race between two men, one just a year older than me. The little research I’ve done shows one made a fortune playing sports, the other by talking. Somehow they were able to, between them, raise and spend $400 million. 

One State

Think about that. How long could you live on $400,000,000? In the state where that race was run, the median household income in 2022 is $60,000. Based on that, 6,667 Georgians could live an average life for a year, or 133 Georgians could live an average life for 50 years.

I don’t claim to know what goes into the calculations for how much is spent on any particular campaign. I imagine it includes salaries for several people, but I wonder how those salaries compare to that $60,000 median. All that money spent on TV and radio ads, people to strategize and make annoying phone calls, couldn’t it be better spent elsewhere? How about giving teachers and emergency response people a much needed and well-deserved pay raise? 

The Whole Shebang

When I started looking into this, in November 2022, according to several news sources, the overall 2022 elections were expected to cost a total near $17 billion. The most expensive midterms ever. Let’s take a moment to consider that number.

$17,000,000,000!

According to the U S Census Bureau in 2021, the median household income was just over $70,000 per year so that $17 billion is the equivalent of 242,857 household incomes! It’s enough to give $50 to each person counted in the 2020 US Census, and still have some left over. There’s got to be a better use for all that money.

Can the System be Fixed?

I know there’s been talk for many, many years about campaign finance reform, but I don’t believe that’ll ever really happen. There’s too many greedy people in power, making too much money. Why would they ever want that to end? 

I don’t know how exactly this part of our system can be fixed, but I believe that accountability has got to start at the bottom and work its way up. We’ve already seen it rarely works the other way. I also think we need to stop being impressed by big numbers that get thrown around, and really think about what they are reporting. 

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Thank you all for reading & have a wonderful, Happy New Year!