Lies and more lies

So I find I have really strong opinions about certain issues that a re coming up in this campaign. I checked out the websites of the principal candidates, Obama and McCain. Both of the sites encouraged me to write in my ideas and help shape policy--I thought wow! that's so participatory. It would be like an electronic town meeting soliciting advice. So I write about the issues I cared about. I thought carefuly about them, researched data, and then sent them in, My bad!

I really thought they might care about citizen ideas. Noooooo!! it turns out all they want is my e-mail address so they can pound me with unwanted messages about their candidates. I have yet to have someone even send me an electronic response like "We have received your message on such and such a subject and are giving it careful consideration..."...I am such a sucker and they are so full of lies. Where's the meat in this election??????

The same thing happens if you send an e-mail to your Senator. Barbara Mikulski and Ben Cardin--watch out.!You're two of the worst offenders. Ask for input from your constituency electronically but ignore it when you get it. Black hole. Need your votes, don't need your ideas, Got my own !!! Chris Van Hollen, Maryland Congressman at least has his website set up to give an automatic response. Whether he or his aides ever read the notes I can't tell, but at least there's a response.

And as for applying for jobs on-line? It's a joke...your application goes into a black hole. Anyone who works in a large company knows that candidates are pre-selected and advertising a post serves only to fulfil "company policy" about fair and open competition. If you want a job, if you want to get into a University use the same method developing countries use--get to know someone inside who can champion you. In the Arab world they call it "wasta"--someone with influence. Here we call it nepotism but we do it anyway. Isn't it "wasta" when an Alaskan admits he calls Sarah Palin's husband if he wants the ear of the Governor? Isn't it "wasta" when Secretary Paulsen ($700 million dollrs rich from his period at Goldman) pushes to save salaries of the richest men in America, men with whom he worked at Investment banks and called his friends-- when they were all accumulating money in shameful and greedy ways? His best friends are in Beijing.