Bluurghhhh----

I've had that word running around my head for ages. So I thought I'd blog it. Try saying it with your tongue stuck out of your mouth.

There.

I had a long day at a campaign office today. I'm helping out my candidate, from now on known as Dear Leadership Candidate, or DLC. He's not actually a Kim Jong-Il clone, it's just that there are so few women in the party that my cover would be blown in seconds if I specified which one, so DLC it is.

So I'm working on financial records, and reading the letters with the cheques, because there really are so few people who give to candidates, and yet some people are heartbreakingly sweet. Like the elderly man who really wanted to contribute, so he sent a cheque for $10, even though he couldn't spare it at all. There are also millionaires who write cheques for $5,000 like it's nothing, and for them it really is nothing.

The public thinks that only the millionaire gets heard and gets what he wants. Yet, in reality, the majority of politicians I've worked with thank the millionaire, listen politely and walk away. It's the old man who gave up his food budget they really listen too. They can't always help him right away or perfectly, but they really really care about his interests, because he's given something up.

So why does the public think that guys like my DLC won't listen to them? I like to say that if every Canadian gave one dollar a year to a politician and made one phone call or sent one email, the world would change. 30 million Canadians = $30 million annually, more than enough to run all the parties and the elections. (Yes, this equation applies to Americans too.)

The religious right is phoning, the lobbyists are phoning, the special interest groups are phoning, and of course, the conservative voters, & the NRA. And jaysus do they give money...The politicians I know would LOVE to turn down all those cheques and they would love to hear from average voters, you know liberals, small c conservatives, moms, dads---but they never call. They rarely send in $10 or even $1.

I hear from my neighbours that politicians don't listen. Well, I'll give you this, sometimes they are late to return phone calls or write back, sometimes they say stupid things, BUT they always look at their call sheets. And they always know who has sent money. So the next time you are wondering about something, like infertility treatment costs, or health care, or gun control, or schools, or just any ol' thing, CALL THEM, email them, tell them to read your blog.

Just say more than Bluurghhh----