Concentrate on the issue, not the money

As more and more presidential hopefuls put their names in, I can’t help but wonder how much will be spent this time around.

During the 2012 campaigns, both the Republican and Democratic parties raised more than $1 billion to support their candidates Mitt Romney for the Republicans and President Barack Obama, who was seeking a second term for the Democrats. Of course, we all know how that ended, but I am still stunned by the amount spent.

Yes. I did have that first statistic is right, not $1 million, but $1 billion.

Crazy.

That tally lead to a new stat for the history books, the most ever spent on a United States of America presidential election. So where did all that money go?

Most of it was for rallies, political banners, and of course, television ads.

Even with the costs of things rising, I still think that may be just a tad bit too much.

Spending wise, I hope this presidential election is not a repeat.

Just think of all the wonderful things that could be done with all that money. There are people struggling to make ends meet; and $1 billion is spent from both sides.

So far, 18 Republicans have declared that they intent to run for president; however, that number may increase. When looking through the list of names, some I knew and some I didn’t.

For the Democrats, nine have put in their name for a chance to become the next president of the United States, however, I believe that number will also change.

What I think is unfortunate is before I can even learn about some of the candidates, they have not moved on to the next level. Most of it has to do with finances. I just think we should pick the best candidate based on what their beliefs are, and not how much money they have in their bank account.

To me, it is sad that there may be a great candidate who is overlooked because they do not have the money to back them. For these candidates, it is like they do not even matter.

What’s worse is a lot of candidates are written off immediately for the way they dress or how they look, but this is a matter I can write another column about later.

Unfortunately, I also fall into the same pattern as the others. I had no idea that there were so many names put in already. I could simply point my finger and blame the broadcast journalists because they only seem to talk about the prominent figures, but it is also my fault. It is my duty as a citizen of this country to do my homework and be prepared.

That is just what I intend to do. I will look at each of these candidates and see where they stand on some issues. At least, I will know who they are; and they can rest assured that although they may not move on I at least took the time to discover who they are; and why they choose to run in the first place.

Who knows, I may even discover a hidden gem. One who I think could really do a good job.