WPCNR The Saturday Bailey. NEWS COMMENT by John F. Bailey. July 19, 2008: The Associated Press reported Friday that Barack Obama raised $52 Million in June and Senator McCain about half that. Overall since Mr. Obama started his campaign he has raised $340 Million to Mr. McCain’s $132 Million.

Since most Americans are receiving $1,200 in stimulus package checks from the government, and by cracky, this inconvenient recession has not ended yet, could it be that the appetite for fundraising demonstated by the two Presidential candidates is keeping America from moving forward by taking discretionary spending money out of their pockets and putting it into candidates’ pockets?

No wonder those darlings of Wall Street aren’t getting billions in bonuses this year. You Americans out there contributing to political campaigns are not doing your part in fueling the economic engine, buying stocks, buying gas, buying cars, putting downpayments down on houses. Why aren’t you doing that, people?

Instead of spending their $1,200 on products, HDTVs, car downpayments and gas, could it be Americans are giving away their stimulus jing to the presidential campaigns?

So the money just sits there in candidates’ coffers waiting to make television networks, radio stations, campaign button makers, and campaign advisors and key workers rich. (The big time consultants do not work for free. And when they are “donating their time” they expect payback in future power.)

Even local politicians are raising money taking it out of the Westchester economy and letting it sit there to gear up for pipe dream runs for higher office.

Frankly why do they need to raise funds anyway? I should think they could whistle stop across America, sponsored by Amtrak,  or take buses donated by Trailways, or in trucks donated by General Motors (a lot of trucks are gathering dust in GM lots as I write), and certainly their speeches and eventual performance would be better if they wrote speeches themselves and actually had to think about them instead of policy wonks writing them. They forget their positions from day to day!

This is the way it used to be. It is a disservice to the American economy to beg shamelessly for money every day so you can be elected and become powerful, then immediately forget us.

Every single Albany legislator has forgotten us, and I probably will bet some of you out there now are going to fundraisers for your favorite Albany hack within the next few weeks. When you do, do me a favor, ask him or her why they are not in Albany wrangling on the property tax? Why are they not in Albany doing something about the equalization rate? Why are they not working on the budget for next year now? Are they going to make casinos legal across the state (it is our only hope)? Make them squirm a little. Just a little.

They are not working. And to top it all off, they are out asking us to give more money to them so they can be reelected to do more of nothing for us except take more of our money which we make for them.

So before you even think about writing a big check to Obama or McCain, your favorite assemblyperson or state senator, or even Governor – stop – write it out and give it to someone you know and like to help them out. Remember you may think that elected official cares for you.

But he or she is just  playing you. You want to be liked. You want the elected official to help you. Please.

What if, just what if, no one came to fundraisers any more. Politicians would not be able to put up phony ads and commercials. They would not have staffs to pump out the lies. There would be no “Friends of Fairweather Frank.”

If you do send money to Mr. McCain or Mr. Obama, or any candidate, write on the check what you want them to do for you –  work.

They forget that. But you have to write a very big check so they will realize the work they do for you is more important than the work they do for the student who sends you $25. Anyone in politics knows you pay attention to the $400,000 contributors from oil companies, insurance companies, drug companies, automobile companies (when is that General Motors bailout coming by the way), airlines, the list goes on.

This fundraising must stop now.  It is unseemly that these politicians are taking money out of Americans’ pockets who naively believe their candidate will actually improve matters and work for change, or the status quo. The contributor who contributes big time money is simply buying influence, not spending to further an ideal.

You may as well burn the money.