It's appropriate in the last week before this election that the hills are so smokey. The usual fall scent of smoldering leaves has been overwhelmed by the stench of burning pants.
The hills are on fire and the butt naked liars who've taken over your television, radio and favorite internet feed are merrily twerking all over our political system. While Mr's Franklin and Jefferson might have appreciated a good twerk, I have my doubts about Mr's Washington and Madison.
With less than a week to go before election day, most Republican candidates outside the coalfields are wishing someone else was at the head of the ticket and most coalfield Democratic candidates are wishing the same thing.
Anyone who says they will bring east Kentucky coal back is running for something and a liar. The power companies make that call and they made it during the Bush administration. Maybe if the Bush family had been in the coal business, things would have been different. But they were in the gas and oil business so go figure.
Instead of telling you who to vote for in the presidential election, I'm just going to say vote and live with it. I can't tell you who the best candidate is if you can't figure it out for yourself.
However, I am going to tell you how we could put an end to this 24/7/365 reality tv political merry-go-round.
The first step, overturn the Supreme Court ruling that gives corporations, both for- and not for-profit, reign to influence elections. No matter what Senator Yertle says, corporations aren't people and money isn't speech.
Limit political spending to political parties and candidates. Instead of limiting the amount an individual can donate, make donations taxable over a fixed limit per candidate or party. Something like $1000 per candidate and $10,000 per party, but I"m flexible as long as anything over the limit is taxed at 100% and payed for by the donor.
While we're at it, political parties will also be taxed at a 33% rate of all income. The taxes I'm calling for will go to fund our open and free elections.
While our constitution calls for states to oversee elections, there isn't a word about parties overseeing elections. So let's take the politial parties out of the process. No more closed primaries, no more districting by party. All congressional disctricting should be overseen by non-partisan groups working with state legislatures. Guess what? Some states are already doing it.
I don't know many people who are happy with the products our two major parties are offering. We shouldn't be stuck in a system where we can't change providers, should we?
If Sears and American Motors can go under, why can't the current political parties?
The last thing we do is take away a political party's ability to dominate our passive media. Passive media is television and radio. Internet is interactive and print requires a brain to read and process.
Reality and reality TV do not mix. No country can survive if it's political system is primarily a scheme to sell soap and entertainment. It's time to break up the media conglomerates that dominate 90% of all television, radio and internet, and put all radio and television back on the Fairness Doctrine.
By the way, the only presidential candidate calling for the first step I mentioned is also not promising to bring the coal industry back. Who are they calling the liar again?