What Money Does Buy...

It's amazing what 200,000 dollars can get you in Washington these days. Our President and his administration have been acting more like the mob making payouts and handing out pats on the backs to their goons than like honorable politicians, but is anyone truly surprised.
Earlier this week it was disclosed that a prominent Washington columnist was paid 240,000 dollars by the Bush administration to promote their No Child Left Behind Act. The department has defended itself for such actions, and the journalist, Armstrong Williams, has both apologized and been relieved of his job. He did not however, offer to return the money. Two disturbing points about this. One, that the President and his men don't have any qualms about buying the press to shift public opinion. Using the press as basically a propaganda machine to bamboozle the poor and uneducated, as well anyone who might have made the mistake of respecting Williams' opinion. Secondly, that this administration feels it is perfectly acceptable to use tax payers money to make this kind of pay off. This money came directly out of funding for No Child Left Behind. If you follow this sort of thing, you know that a major problem with this act is that it is being terribly underfunded. Apparently, there was just enough in the pot for bribes and pay offs.

Today Bush announced that he wants to appoint former college buddy, Al Hubbard to the post of NEC chairman. Hubbard is a business man from Indiana who was Deputy Chief of Staff under Dan Quayle and a former State GOP chair. He also, along with his spouse, has the esteemed title of "Ranger". A Ranger is someone who earned more than 200,000 dollars for Bush while he was campaigning. This evidently was not an exercise in futility. After all, chairman of the NEC is a prestigious job. This man will basically be shaping economic policies for the president and his administration. Number one priority on his list? Privatization of social security, and you already know how I feel about that.

I just feel disgusted by the actions of the leadership in our country. Our president doesn't even attempt to hide the bribery coming both in and out of his office. Our nation is for sale people, I hope you can afford a piece of it.