Sunday, December 22, 2019

What is the TRUE Cost?

I've watched (sporadically) the political inter- and intra-party fighting for several years now with increasing levels of disgust.

This issue isn't just isolated to a single political party - all of the parties and their individual members indulge their over-inflated egos with this chicanery (Conservative, Democrat, Green, Independent, Liberal, Republican, Working Family, etc).

The sociological and psychological harm has been well-documented in the media (accompanied by an elementary school level finger pointing from all stakeholders involved who justify their behavior with a "He/she started it!" allegation).

Meanwhile, there is a marked lack of civility growing nationwide and the sense by many individuals that their personal wishes, whims, and dreams are far more important than the rights of others or any sort of moral imperative.

But what has not been addressed at any point is the actual monetary cost of this nonsense.

I am calling out for a full accounting of the comprehensive dollar amount spent over the past ten years on investigations, hearings, trials, arrests, incarcerations, and any other related actions initiated by any one political party or its members against any other political party or its members.

To be more specific, that accounting should include (but not be limited to) the following:

  • The governmental salary of any individual involved (including but not limited to elected officials and their support staff) based on the percentage of time spent on these activities;
  • The cost of facilities and maintenance (including but not limited to utility bills, custodial fees, and other maintenance) based on the percentage of time utilized for these activities;
  • The cost of materials (including but not limited to office supplies, equipment, etc) utilized for these activities;
  • The cost of media (including but not limited to television commercials, interviews, videos, audio recordings, etc) utilized for these activities; and
  • A full accounting of the total number of hours expended on these activities.
The public should be privy to a complete, open, and honest reporting on how our government is actually spending our time and money, since they are elected officials that should be serving PUBLIC not personal interest.