Disgusting, shallow and transparent election year politics

Two stories in the Star today stuck out, too, about, as I said above, disgusting election year politics.

Ugh. Too bad we have to go through this.

First up is Mayor Funkhouser's little exercise in futility this week at the Sprint Center I wrote about earlier.

Man am I naive.

I thought that was just about pushing his "School's First" initiative.

What a dolt I am.

Naturally, what that was actually about was him pushing HIMSELF as a positive leader for the mayoral election this Fall.

I should have seen that a mile away.

I need to remember to be more cynical when it comes to these people and their election runs.

Next up is Roy Blunt's election run.

This one I can see completely through.

Since it's an election year for Roy and he's running for state senator, he's put forward a bill "that would raise the liability cap for an offshore, deep-water oil rig spill to $150 million or an amount equal to the last four quarters of the company's profits, whichever is greater. The bill also raises liability caps for other types of oil spills."

What's that you say? Isn't this usually "Mr. Corporate Supporter" Roy Blunt, the guy who ALWAYS does what the big money wants him to, while letting the "little guy"--you and I, the voters--go to heck in a handbasket?

Why, yes, that is exactly who we're talking about.

But it's an election year.

Besides, this is safe territory for good ol' boy Roy, for two reasons.

First, there are no big oil companies located with headquarters in Missouri, of course, and second, who's the biggest "bad guy" in the country right now?

I mean, besides Jay Leno.

Why, "Big Oil", of course.

We can kick them right now because of the whole Gulf oil spill down there that BP kicked up.

So the bad thing is, it's an election year and we have to put up with it, the advertising--which will soon be driving us crazy--and moves like these, from people like the Funk and good ol' boy Roy "where's the cash?" Blunt.

The good thing is that, in the case of Roy Blunt, he's sponsoring legislation that is more for us, the people, and for protecting us, which is foreign to him.

At least we have that.

That and the fact that time flies so it will soon be Christmas and the election will be over.