Name:   MartiniMan - Subject:   A wonderful day in the neighborhood Date:   7/24/2023 10:26:47 AM

There is a new book out by Matt Walsh called Filthy Rich Politicians that explores this in great detail.  The reality is that politics is the one area where truly stupid people can become obscenely rich and where obscenely rich people can buy power to control our lives. His solution, which I endorse, is that elected officials should not be able to buy or sell financial instruments (stocks, bonds, etc.) while in elected office. 

Of course many of them become rich selling books that seem to be purchased in large orders by lobbyists, etc. and very little by the general public....if at all.  Publishing houses give them big advances and don't seem to care if they actually write the books or if they do, sell them.  That graft will continue.  Of course we can always have our staff strong arm any entity wanting to hear us speak to buy large quantities of books ala AJ Sotomayor.  And I would be remiss to not say that I don't care about that except when they hear a case directly impacting their publisher in which case they should recuse themselves.  I would also be remiss if I did not point out that this is a bipartisan problem although Dems have perfected it as there are very few publishers that print conservative books.