I got a call from the Obama campaign. They need money. The guy on the other line, a paid staffer, was upbeat. He said "We're going to win." I believe him. But the Obama campaign needs money. They need it now. They need it quickly.
So I gave again.
I gave 50 dollars.
My friends think I'm crazy. They think I should spend the money on other, important things, like pizza and beer.
But I'd pay 50 dollars for a responsible diplomacy.
I'd pay 50 dollars for a fair tax code.
I'd pay 50 dollars so my parents can get a 1,000 dollar tax break.
I'd pay 50 dollars for fair trade regulations.
I'd pay 50 dollars for a president who pays more than lipservice to the imperative issue of global warming.
I'd pay 50 dollars for equal pay for my girlfriend and my sister and my mom.
I'd pay 50 dollars so women have their own say over their bodies.
I'd pay 50 dollars for a President who saw that the Iraq war was a strategic blunder and was against it from the start, rather than a cheerleader for the worst foreign policy blunder of our era.
I'd pay 50 dollars for a Vice President who not only knows what the Bush doctrine is, but knows that we ought to stay away from it.
I'd pay 50 dollars to keep religious zealots out of the White House for good.
Damnit, I'd pay 50 dollars to not have 4 more years of Bush.
I'd pay 50 dollars for someone who will NOT privatize social security.
50 Dollars. It doesn't seem like much. I probably could have gotten a new pair of shoes, or maybe filled up my tank and gotten something nice to drink for my minifridge, which is laying barren under my bed in my dorm room. But I didn't. I found something better to spend it on.
Of course, 50 dollars isn't going to buy any of these things. It's not. My voice and my money alone won't amount to anything. And I'm sure I'm preaching to the choir. We've all given, and some of us have given again. But if you haven't given in awhile, or haven't given much, I want you to look around you right now and think about what the material objects around you cost. And I want you to think about what else you could buy, with 50 dollars, or 5 dollars, or 2,300 dollars.
So. What would YOU pay 50 dollars for?