It's more greed that drives the whole matter. Politicians in Europe need some place to go after they messed up the political landscape and get kicked out by the voters, so what they do, essentially, is to create laws that please their corporate masters and where they can later end up in boards where they don't even bother to show up and yet get some nice paycheck for ... well, for services prior.

You think politicians that fucked up a country's finances get board positions for their economic genus? C'mon.

The problem with European campaigning reimbursement is that parties get the money but politicians have to struggle with pensions around 5k a month, they need some way to compensate.

Personally, I think paying for their housing would be nice. Like, say, how they did with Berlusconi.

Yes, but you really think they go "noooo, we got enough money, no need to" when offered some more?

Yes I did and yes I did.

I'm not US American, but don't think it's any better in Europe. Yes, "my" party didn't make it into the parliament, but at the very least my message was "yes I was there, yes I voted, but NONE of you deserve my vote, I'd rather hand it to someone who has no chance of winning."

Yeah, because we're so much better off with him in office.

Face it, the US politics is a bit like AvP. Whoever wins, we lose.

Well, people laughed at me when I complained in 1990 about how we're losing something important when the USSR crumbled and how it protected our freedom by proxy.

Because as long as there have been those evil commies with their lack of freedom, our leaders needed to keep their white hats shiny so we knew who were the bad guys. Today, why bother with it, it's not like you have any other system you could run for.

the sad part is that with all the things we get to learn about just HOW invasive our governments are, 2013 is likely to become the year of "it's not whether you're paranoid, it's whether you're paranoid ENOUGH"...

Owned by the exact same abusive feudalistic companies... it's not true, and you know it ain't true. The parties are owned by very different abusive feudalistic companies, you have the free choice which corporations you want to rule you and rip you off.

So, essentially, business as usual?

Comment 3 is probably going to take the cake: Dems, Reps, what's the difference?

None. But the amount of times we get zero I'd somehow feel like that table is rigged somehow.

Hey, he said "Yes we can". I don't remember anyone saying anything about actually doing something.

You gotta read those promises carefully.

Dude, if the founding fathers could see what came out of their dream, they'd probably go "why bother" too.

And you better don't ask "What would Jesus do". I'm pretty sure it would be along the lines of "get nailed up there for THOSE idiots's sins? Dude, I'm Jesus, but there's even limits to my compassion!"

In other words, shut up or I'll replace you with a very small script!

Do they have to be kind? I'd give them something in kind, but it sure as hell would not be kind. At best, it would be "kindisch". Ahh, the wonders of how German and English often use the same word for very different meanings...

Paging Mrs. Streisand for effect...