Al Sharpton Rips into Olympia Snowe

Just a short post but it is a must read and it is going viral here in Maine.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5Ia1QxvFyA&noredirect=1

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

A couple of weeks ago I got an email from Vice President Biden.  It was a fund raising appeal for the 2012 Obama campaign.  Obviously I hadn't given any money at this point.  That email really ticked me off.  Every day I get at least 6 requests for money.  They come from the Obama campaign, Moveon.org, Democracy for America, Emily's List, the Democratic Senatorial Committee, The House Democrats, Progressives United and who knows where else.
Now it is partly my fault as I have given all of those organizations money at one time or another and they do stand for the things I believe in, but ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!  When I think of all the money that is being raised for these campaigns it disgusts me.  All of that money could be going to help feed the poor in our own country or to the Free Health Clinics that are being held all over the country for folks who have no insurance.
This country has gotten off the right track.  Instead of caring for the people we are robbing them to pay for these huge expensive campaigns.  I also understand the need to raise money when you have billionaires like the Koch Brothers who give millions and people like Karl Rove who collect millions to give to conservative candidates.  But basically I think it is wrong and we need to work to overturn the Citizens United Supreme Court decision.  Will that solve anything?  It might help but now we are in rut and campaigns cost too much.  That is why an ordinary person can't run for office and that is why we basically have only rich people running the government and don't kid yourself, they do not care about you and me, the average person.
Now I won't tar all of them with the same brush.  You have good people like Bernie Sanders of Vermont, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Chellie Pingree of Maine and there are others.  But the majority of elected officials do not care one bit about the average American citizen.
I will say that this week I got notes, in the mail, from Chellei Pingree and Bernie Sanders thanking me for my donations and they didn't ask for more.   Usually it is a form letter by email that has a big Donate at the bottom of the email.  The personal touch is nice and it is effective.
So what is all this rambling about?  It is just my thoughts on the state of campaigns and the amount of money being spent.  I am tired of feeling guilty when I can't give more but the reality is that the recession has hit retirees hard and yes we are going to get an increase in Social Security but most of it will be offset by an increase in the Medicare payment so it will really not help all that much and for those of us on a fixed income it makes it that much harder.  How can we change this race for money?  How can we clean up the election process?  I am afraid that I will not see it in my lifetime.
What do you think about this subject???