Even PAC Money From The Airlines Couldn't Keep 4 Of 7 Out Of Bankruptcy

Despite air travel that is near the pre9/11 record levels, even big PAC money to the political parties and candidates hasn't been able to keep 4 of 7 airlines out of bankruptcy. Republican candidates have been the biggest beneficiaries of this PAC money, intended to influence the political process to give new tax breaks to the airline industry for fuel costs.

For the 2004 election year, 63% of all airline PAC money went to GOP candidates. American, Northwest, Continental, Delta, Southwest and United all have PACs. They donated $265,000, 186,000, 145,629, $91,500, $61,500 and $111,500. This amounts to 63%, 59%, 72%, 77%, 60% and 42% per PAC to GOP candidates.

Individual major donations were given to: George Bush, $24,998, Tom Daschle, $23,000 and Dennis Hastert $17,000.

Politics is a big money machine. The voters are only a small factor in a system dominated by big money to help drive public opinion with a flood of advertising to groom the voters to vote in a certain manner that will have the most financial benefits for the corporations and their PACS. It is a system of investment and return for corporations. Just like investment in Wall Street stocks and bonds, investments in politics are intended to reap a financial return for the investors. Some political partisans of either party seem to be unaware of this honest fact. But it is how the American political system unfortunately functions. The voters really have little clout in this system. They are a mere end product form of public opinion that must be moved by Madison Avenue slickly arranged advertising meant to move public opinion in the direction of the candidates or party that the PAC has made their investment in. And psychologically planned ads to promote certain responses in voters work just as well as they do when being used to sell other products.