In between restricting the rights of women and temporarily
relieving peaceful protesters of the ability to go back to their own homes,
Gov. McDonnell has found the time to plump up his own image for what could be a
vice-presidential nomination in a new TV ad.
Opportunity Virginia, McDonnell’s very own political
organization, is forking out $400,000[1]
to broadcast the 30-second ad throughout the commonwealth for 10 days that
began on Wednesday.[2]
Besides the list of environmentally reprehensible companies
which are bankrolling McDonnell’s Opportunity Virginia, companies like
Smithfield, Wal-Mart, and of course, Alpha Natural Resources, it’s highly
deplorable that a politician who has done so little for the average Virginian
would begin his political dance so openly and with so many serious issues left
to address in Virginia.
To be sure, it’s not just McDonnell or the Republican Party
who is guilty of this political sin. McDonnell’s effort is only the most
visible for a politician in Virginia.
A law should be passed which prohibits elected officials
from pimping themselves out until they are a few months away from reelection or
leaving office. This would give these ambitious folks an opportunity to tout
their credentials while legally forcing them to focus on their job as
representatives of the people for most of their term.
Elected office is not a stepping stone or a weigh-station to
line ones pockets. It’s a mountainous responsibility that should only be sought
by those who wish to do good by their fellow countrymen and women. I know, it’s
a high-minded statement, but it’s a standard for which we should achieve, even
if it’s the road virtually untraveled.
[1]
One wonders how many degrees could be earned or how many mouths fed with
$400,000? It’s all about power, though, right?
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