It would be nice, idealistic I suppose, to assume that the voters will study the issues and make their choice based on who they feel is best capable to lead our country. You would think with all the coverage, a voter would get an equal chance to listen to all the candidates express their vision for the country and then choose their favorite. Think again. The voters in New Hampshire are being bombarded, not an exaggeration, bombarded by adds from Steve Forbes and his Flat Tax salvation plan.
In case you haven't looked up from your books lately, Steve Forbes has been spending his father's inheritance trying to capture the Republican nomination. Worth about 400 million dollars, at least, Mr. Forbes is saturating the air waves with his Flat Tax mantra. Mr. Forbes would tax everyone at 17% and eliminate all deductions. Thus you could just send the government post card for your tax return and go on about your life.
It is a very attractive and seductive idea. I would support it just because it would put a lot of tax lawyers and accountants out of their scam and make them go out and get real jobs. There are also some problems with it, like making the deficit even larger than it is now. It is a proposal that ought to be debated, except that Forbes does not believe in debating. Forbes believes in brainwashing.
How else can you explain the fact that Forbes has already spent 20 million dollars on television ads selling to his candidacy and his Flat Tax. One reporter has estimated that the average New Hampshire voter has already seen 135 adds supporting Forbes and by primary day, that number could rise to 200! No other candidate can even come close to that kind of exposure and opportunity to put their ideas before the electorate. Their fathers did not leave them a pot of gold with which to buy the White House.
Buy is the operative word here. Ross Perot was the first one to try this strategy. In 1992, Perot spent millions running for President and buying television time to show his charts on how to fix the government. Without all that money, Perot would have been a joke. But with his millions, he was able to get 19% of the vote. With his millions, Forbes surged into the lead in the latest polls and suddenly is being taken seriously as a contender for the Republication nomination.
Why? Because like citizens who lived under Big Brother in George Orwell's 1984, if you are told anything over and over, such as "War is peace, ignorance is strength, slavery is freedom" you begin to believe it. By saturating the airwaves, (buying 516 spots on Boston TV alone), Steve Forbes has convinced a number of people that he is the outsider who can change Washington and give us good government.
Truth is for sale in this year's presidential campaign. If you have the bucks, you can sell people your truth. Democracy goes to the highest bidder. I am not sure this is what the Greeks had in mind when they started the whole idea. Ah, but we do it the American way. Start the bidding, Mr. Auctioneer! Time to sell our government to the one with the deepest pockets.
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