The simple solutions from Old Bernie

Here is something from Facebook. It’s more of the populist dribble and yet it gains instant support from people who need to better think things through.

Yes, there is too much money in politics, yes Members of Congress are influenced by money and more. Yes, we need reform. But no, it’s not the billionaires who are the problem, it’s the voters. Just how does a billionaire make you vote one way or the other?

The money in politics is used for sometimes spurious advertising. Are you susceptible to such claims and attacks? Many people have no problem posting false and misleading, glib nonsense on Facebook or forwarding e-mail with outright fake information.

If you don’t want anyone to influence your elected officials then be more careful who you elect and especially re-elect. Nobody buys a member of Congress unless they are outright crooks.  How do you think any politician gets to spend a career; twenty, thirty or more years in Congress?  It’s not because of some billionaire, it’s because of many uninformed voters who could care less, but can’t see any connection between who they keep electing and anyone who wants to influence them.

Old Bernie is playing on oversimplification and the old theme that somebody else is the problem … it doesn’t work that way. Sanders is a career politician who has accomplished nothing of major significance and here he is telling voters what is wrong with the political elite. 

We should be more worried about who is bought rather than who is buying.