I rarely venture into the world of politics. It’s not something a simple-minded day-dreamer such as myself is interested in, really – I prefer balloons, rainbows and hot fudge sundaes. But I came across a figure that caught my eye and since seeing it I have been unable to forget it.
2.3. billion
The US presidential election cost 2.3 BILLION DOLLARS. That’s a lot of lettuce.*
I’ve been thinking about it and although it’s an obscene amount of money, the part that weighs on my mind the most is that it wasn’t used very well. There’s a great opportunity there to use the money to do something good. If it were up to me I would choose the president differently.
If it were up to me, the presidential candidates wouldn’t be using their funds for campaigns in the traditional sense. They would use the money as kind of a ‘test run’ to see how they run the country. Each guy would have to improve America using the funds they had raised to build hospitals, create jobs, support charities, get people off of the streets and so on. They could use their benevolent activities as an enormous PR campaign for what a lovely/admirable/heroic chap they are and how they would make everything better if they were the head honcho of the free world. See my logic? Everybody wins.
It’s a simple idea but it’s one that I’ve rather warmed to since it popped into my imagination room.
Just think of all that could be achieved if the election was conducted this way. Instead of 2.3 billion dollars (it hurts every time I say that) disappearing the day after the election, there would be a much-improved America left in its wake. In case you aren’t aware of how much good a couple of billion dollars could do for a country, here are some mental reference points:
According to some (inexcusably light) research I’ve conducted: The average 2-3 storey hospital costs just over 13 million dollars. With a few billion dollars I could buy 170 hospitals. Those could be quite handy, I imagine.
I’m often asked to donate a few quid for a mosquito net to save kids from malaria whether it’s on an advertising poster on the underground or on TV during the commercial break. If it costs about 8 good ol’ British pounds here, let’s call it 10 US “bucks” for a net… *counts on fingers*… that’s 230 million nets for the children!
There are literally limitless options to select from. It’s such a nice and daring move that it’s exciting just to think about. Considering possible real-world application, it probably (almost certainly) wouldn’t be feasable to use the entire sum for benevolent causes but even if a small slice of that was spent on note-worthy causes, wouldn’t it be more worthwhile than a million more leaflets littering the streets?
Note: If any politicians or world leaders wish to use my idea, please feel free. All I ask for is a brief shout-out on your Noble prize acceptance speech. You’re welcome.
* A slang term for money used in the late 1900’s
What Nonsense I'm Talking 