According to a number of recent news articles, the total cost of media advertising by both political parties and assorted issue groups for Tuesday's midterm elections will amount to approximately 2.6 billion dollars. Yes, that's billion, with a capital B.

This is a disgrace.

Comedians joke about the United States having the best government money can buy, but this is the sort of thing that proves it. Politicians and their supporters are spending tens of millions of dollars per day to buy their way into office, and most of that money is being spent on slick, expensive media advertisements that combine hysteria with rank mudslinging and outright falsehoods. The website "FactCheck.org," which I have cited here before, has carefully documented literally dozens of outrageous political ads ranging from incomplete or intentionally distorted claims about an opponent to complete lies...and the worst part is that most of those lies will be swallowed whole by voters to busy, lazy, or apathetic to check them out for themselves. Check out the latest FactCheck.org summary, titled "The Whoppers of 2006," at http://www.factcheck.org/article467.html for examples of the low points in political muckraking.

Both the Republicans and the Democrats are guilty of gross disregard for the truth, but I give the Republicans an edge for the most shrill and over-the-top accusations and attacks against not only the Democrats, but even against the average citizen who dares consider voting against them. It's little wonder that people don't vote any more, when all you hear day in and day out is candidates telling you not why you should vote for them, but why their opponents are horned, fork-tailed, cloven-hoofed demons.

Before you cast your vote, think about all the good that could have been done with that $2.6 billion that's been squandered on political ads.

Have a good evening. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo