An Expensive Election

*The most expensive election in history. That’s what pundits expect the 2012 presidential race to be, with estimates that the Obama campaign will raise — and spend, of course — more than $1 billion. Three of the top five Democratic donors last year were the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), the National Education Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME). Can anyone spot what they all have in common?

*Why don’t they practice what they preach? How many times have you heard a wealthy liberal say he thinks he should pay more in taxes? It’s a regular pronouncement from Warren Buffett, George Soros, Bill Gates Sr., Mark Zuckerberg and even Barack Obama. But how many actually do pay more, by making extra contributions to Uncle Sam? As far as I can determine, the answer is a big fat goose egg. What’s stopping you from putting your money where your mouth is, guys?

*Turning a movie into a Disney ride. Is there a movie theater near you equipped with D-Box seats? I haven’t experienced one yet, and it will probably be a while before my hometown has one. But apparently these seats — which cost $10,000 each — pitch, roll and vibrate to accompany the action on the screen. I don’t know how they do it, but I’m told the seats can generate up to 2Gs of force. Will they be worth the extra $8 theaters will charge for the experience? You tell me.

*Hey, Congress, start trimming here. While you contemplate how much your stocks have gone up in the past 10 years (for most people the answer is “zero”) and your salary (the average annual increase is less than 4 percent), consider this: Military spending since 2001 is up more than 70 percent in inflation-adjusted dollars. It’s not going to our fighting forces, of course; military pay still stinks. It’s the bureaucrats and their toys that rack up the big bills.

—Chip Wood