Campaign Note

The recent path of the gubernatorial elections has increased the number of those running and while every candidate may be important, unless they say something not already said I will probably give it a pass. However, there is one tactic of fund raising being used by Lynne Williams in her recent email:

But this can't happen without YOUR participation.To qualify for Maine Clean Election funds I MUST raise a minimum of $40,000 in seed money paid directly to the campaign AND collect a minimum of 3,250 $5 Qualifying Contributions for the Maine Clean Election fund. Once we meet these goals, we will qualify for $800,000 in Clean Election funding, so your $105 in contributions can yield a 7,200 percent return on your investment to allow my campaign to move forward on the issues of importance to you and to Maine.

Email quote over. The Maine Clean Election fund is, in fact, already paid by us. So we are not actually get the return she says. We also are not getting the return because her campaign, not us, is getting the funds. Would you, if a person came to your door, give them a hundred dollars if they said that with your one hundred dollars they were guaranteed $7,200 which they would not give back to you? Of course not, it would sound like a scam. Which, in essence, campaign funding really is a scam. It is a false investment, and for some reason people in this country, rich and poor, are willing to place money in these no-guarantee places. The lottery is among them, so are drugs (including tobacco and alcohol), and campaigns for politicians.

Common sense tells you a scam is a scam, but for some reason people think they can get big returns without risk, and then wonder why they don't have enough money. Guaranteed investments, such as a savings account, or a government bond (considered guaranteed) need to be looked at right now. The stock market is about as much of a science as voodoo, so I suggest against it. Thank you for reading.