I found myself ignoring all of the blather spewing forth from the media about Democrats and Republicans, and instead wondering just what it would take to run for President myself.

So I let my fingers to the walking and wandered to the web site for the Federal Election Commission. You know, after all these year of watching political parties spend millions of dollars on this, I figured it would be some kind of horribly complex affair. Imagine my surprise to find that there is just one form to fill out.

Okay, I’m exaggerating just a bit here. However, if you take a look at the site it seems pretty straight forward to me. The biggest hurdle is just getting your name printed on the ballot for the election. It seems that most of the lemmings…I mean voters…have a habit of choosing only those who are listed. A little more surfing and I was surprised to find that there is an entire web site devoted to this very issue: www.ballot-access.org

So there you have it. Everything you need to get elected, except the voters. That seems to be the hard part. Just how far could an individual with limited resources get? Not very far. The political process in the US follows the money. It takes millions of dollars to win an election. So the the government of the people, for the people is really a government of the wealthy, for the wealthy.

It’s hard to see how the government can really work for the people when it is filled with special interests. Lobbying groups funded by corporations make sure that their voices are heard, and they have to be heard. Rarely can individuals fund their own campaigns. In some states the barriers of entry are so high that any group outside of the established parties stands little chance of being recognized.

Even the media participates in the system. Debates will be broadcast across the country, but if the candidate isn’t Republican, Democrat or certifiable nut case they won’t get any time.

It’s a bit hopeless for the American system of government. For the most part we’re stuck under the control of two political parties. Their members have a vested interest in maintaining the status quo. So I don’t expect there will be any changes in the future.

If I seem a little disenchanted, it’s because I am. Has it always been this way? Does it necessarily have to be this way? What’s the point in only have a few forms to declare your candidacy if the rest of the system is designed to keep you from getting elected?

Now I suppose one can work within the system, become of member of an established party and work your way up. Indeed I have heard of this happening before, but it seems that the system is designed to reform the reformers in a manor of speaking. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em. In the end the system feeds on itself and becomes more immutable. Will it take a revolution to put the government back in the hands of the people?