$21.8 Billion

Sheldon Adelson made $21.8 billion dollars between 2000 and 2011!  That needs repeating.  Sheldon Adelson made $21.8 billion dollars between 2000 and 2011!  It is important to note this fact because Sheldon Adelson is one of the few people in American that did well during the years from 2000 to 2011.  According to most economic statistics less than 10% of Americans saw their income grow during this time.  Most Americans actually lost purchasing power and did not keep up with the unusually low inflation over te past eleven years.  However, obviously that was not a problem for Sheldon Adelson.  Perhaps that is why Sheldon and other millionaires and billionaires like the Koch brothers, Foster Friess, or Frank L. VanderSloot have given millions to the political campaign of Mitt Romney.  The Citizens United decision has resulted in turning a race for the President of the United States into a quest for campaign donations and funding for secret political action committees (PACs).  In reality, political policy or political platforms do not seem to matter.  The tax savings resulting from the Bush tax cuts for Sheldon Adelson’s $21.8 billion dollars is $981 million dollars.  If Sheldon was a hedge fund manager or if his income was considered “carried interest” or “capital gains”, his tax savings over the eleven years would have been $5.341 billion (WITH A B) dollars.  When someone like Romney promises to end the inheritance tax families like the Waltons of WalMart fame would save an estimated $35 billion (AGAIN WITH A B) dollars.  With sums like these, it is no wonder that there are people who look at a million dollar political contribution as an investment that will provide greater returns than investing in a business, stocks, bonds, on leaving money in a savings account.   The real question that needs asked is whether these big donors really think the recipients of their largess would be better for the country of better for their personal pockets.  While each of these individuals only have a single vote, it is hard to imagine how many votes they can personally purchase with their unlimited funds.  The only way to put a stop to this political obscenity is to get out the vote and do everything possible to offset money with voters.