Elections are not Won, They are Bought; We need to change That

   Politics is a matter of money, not morality. Nearly $1.3 billion was spent on the 2022 primary and general elections.

   And, that's just the senate races. 

   Voters rely primary on two things when they vote: 1) Which party the candidate belongs to, and 2) What they have learned about the candidates from listening to campaign ads.

   Did you get that? Political ads -- none of which offer a balanced presentation of the candidates -- they are deciding who wins and who goes home crying. Who would of thought, in a country that threw off the rule of kings and queens, a country that was to have been built on the common person, this would happen. Rule by ruble, or rule by dollar, whatever you want to call it, it is spiraling out of control. With each election, the ante to win climbs to new heights.

  Elections are not won, they are bought. We need to change that. Outlaw political advertising? Something must be done. What other solutions are there?

    

Let Enes Kanter Freedom Back Into the NBA

   It would be nice to see Enes Kanter Freedom return to the NBA. Drafted as the third pick in the 2011 draft by the Utah Jazz, he last played for the Boston Celtics. In February, he was traded to the Houston Rockets, who waived him. 

    He has been out of the NBA ever since. He alleges that he is being blackballed by the NBA for his outspoken views against the Chinese government and its treatment of the Uyghurs. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has denied that claim. "I made it absolutely clear to (Enes Freedom) that he was completely within his right to speak out on issues that he was passionate about," Silver has said.

   Perhaps we should take Silver at his word. But it would be nice if a team picked Enes up. His skill level remains high enough that he can still be a productive NBA player. One does not know how he is in the locker room and whether he molds well with team chemistry, but if it is just his political views that are preventing a team from claiming him, that is unfortunate. 

    

Candidates Calling Each Other Names Can Be Defamation of Character

   If someone went on TV, calling you a deadbeat, would you have the right to sue for defamation of character? I'm talking you, as an everyday, average citizen.

  Why should it be different when politicians falsely speak derogatory of each other? 

  Still, we should be careful if we were to ever decide to crackdown on candidates criticism of each other. That, too, can be dangerous. It's but a stone's throw to not allowing people to criticize government officials. In a day before Trump, we would not believe the U.S. could ever be reached by such a thing. But, these days, it is not out of the question, especially with the possibility Trump might return to office. 

 

Truth is Monetized

   Truth cannot be bought, but falsehood can be sold as truth.  The trouble with political ads is that is exactly what they do. Consider the process of how political ads are constructed and you will have to 'fess up that they aren't likely to determine the truth. One person tells his side of the story, and the other person doesn't get to reply. Truth is monetized. The only way the other person can answer the accusations is to buy his own ad. Truth is monetized.

  

  Who said, "There are liars, then there are damn liars, then there are statisticians"? What he meant to say is, "There are liars, then there are damn liars, then there are politicians."

'Just the Facts,' Mr. Politician

    "Just the facts, ma'am."

    America's elections would be well-served if it took that approach and didn't allow the candidates to spread their mud and lies. We would be well-served to do as Norway does  -- No, we should go beyond what Norway does. That country extensively regulates political advertising; we should outright ban it.

 Outlaw advertising in the media. No TV ads, no radio ads, no newspaper ads, no Internet ads . . . No, you just leave us alone. We don't need your mudslinging and fighting. We're sick of it; we're tired of it. And, don't think of getting by on yard signs and mailers. We are not going to allow those, either.

   So, that will leave you maybe just two ways to get your message out: news coverage and debates. Let those whose motto is "Just the facts, ma'am" sort out the truth.

   We are sick and tired of politicians getting elected at the whim of special interests. We are sick and tired of putting someone in office just to see them serve their campaign contributors. 

   The gig is up.

Law Enforcement hasn't Caught On

    Give the law a camera. I mean, surveillance cameras are usually owned by the citizens, but it is law enforcement that has the obligation of tracking down crime.

   So, give them surveillance cameras. Let them post them street lights, on public fences, are wherever they can. The cameras would catch a lot of criminals who are getting away with their crimes. Everything from slashing times to vandalizing cars would be recorded. Street shootings? The eye of the camera will catch you.

   Technology has made it easier to catch criminals, but law enforcement hasn't caught on. 

There Are Also Vertical Monopolies

 You could say there are two kinds of monopolies -- horizontal and vertical. In a horizontal monopoly, you control all the business at that stage of marketing: If you are the supplier or manufacturer, you are the only supplier or manufacturer. If you are the retail outlet, you are the only retail outlet..

   Vertical monopolies differ in that they control the product all the way (or much of the way) from creation of the product to sale of the product: They are the manufacturer, the distributor, and the retailer.

   Some monopolies are both horizontal and vertical, perhaps most of them.

   When we think of a monopoly, it is the horizontal variety we usually envision. But the vertical version also deserves attention, also. Oil companies have vertical tendencies. They might not always control the product start to finish, but there is a lot of that going on. Fast-food chains often distribute their own product, so that would be a partial vertical monopoly. Fast-food chains aren't so inclined to own their own livestock companies, so they are not fully vertical. 

   Just as horizontal monopolies can lead to higher prices, so can vertical monopolies.  If a distributor is selecting product from a number of companies, it can choose the one with the lowest price. But, if the manufacturer and distributor are the same company, no such restraint on price occurs.