What is your opinion of why candidates will spend millions
 

of dollars to get a position that will never ever come close to paying it back if one used personal funds?
Those who use donated funds don't care...they don't have to pay for it.

Perks and power do have a limit. Just curious how others see this approach to gain a political office.

btk

Simple; because it's necessary to win. Many politicians, after they have left office and if they have a high enough profile, earn mega money with speaking engagements or "consulting" fees or lobbying efforts and book deals. Not unusual for them to become fabulously wealthy afterwards. Ask Bill Clinton, he knows what I'm talking about.

Clinton was by no means alone in that. Reagan caught a lot of flak for getting 6 figures for speeches just after he left office. It's capitalism at it's "finest". Whatever people will pay for a speaker...

Exactly right, except the Clinton's caught no flak from anyone except those comparing his earnings against the way Reagan and Gringrich were vilified by the liberal press. Remember the "outrage" by the Democrats and the liberal media for his fee for speaking in Japan? Remember the outrage when Newt Gingrinch released a book while Speaker?

Democrats and the Liberal media professed all kinds of outrage at these examples, but were silent or sometimes even fawning with pleasure when either of the Clintons did the same exact thing.

Oh, in that area, there is *unquestionably* a double standard.

So they can continue to receive and return favors
 

Maybe for reasons cited in this article
http://www.tampabay.com/news/politic...ho-are/1129549

Certainly makes SS look inadequate.
 

Isn't it amazing what the governments will allow for personal gains compared to the pittances they deal out to the needs of their constituents.

A complete and total conflict of interest.

btk

The cult of celebrity.
 

The amounts they could make in speaking engagements and book deals and the like though pale in comparison to the money many of these high spending political candidates have already made in various kinds of businesses.

It seems to be more about the public perception that they have more power in such political offices even though they could have more real power in the form of being CEOs of some Fortune 500 company.

The American cult of celebrity though adheres more to certain political offices like US Senator or US Representative or POTUS or State Governor than say a CEO of Apple Computer.

I have been listening to a series of CDs on Roman History by the Teaching Company and am amazed at how many pivotal moments in Roman History came down to someone's ego and how others viewed these people.