Elected officials are skilled ---- at getting elected

By: RICHARD RIDER - for the North County Times | Thursday, January 24, 2008 10:22 PM PST ∞

After dealing with politicians for almost 30 years, I've come to understand their strengths and weaknesses. Politicians are exceptionally skilled at their job ---- the job of getting elected. And re-elected.

Getting elected calls for perseverance, a friendly demeanor, the ability to avoid saying anything controversial while speaking out of both sides of one's mouth, and a keen appreciation for who puts one in office.

Incumbents usually excel at cutting deals to satisfy the special interests that often decide such contests. Stated differently, the best politicians are not burdened by principles or philosophy.

In addition, the successful politico is poll driven. They find which way the parade is heading and then rush to get in front of it. Or at least not to stand up against the current fickle desires of the electorate.

What politicians are not good at is analysis ---- especially concerning financial matters.

This observation is not so much a criticism of elected officials as a concession that the electoral process gives us these results. The principled, analytical, fiscally astute candidate will almost always lose to his or her skilled deal-making, poll-driven, unprincipled competitor. That's just the way it is.

There are many examples to consider, but a few years back, Oceanside elected a mayor who raised the bar of financial incompetence and malfeasance to a level never before seen in our county. Perhaps in the whole world.

According to press reports, back in 1999 Oceanside Mayor Dick Lyon was convinced by some con men that they could invest $100 million of the city's $135 million portfolio at an amazing 130 percent rate of return ---- per month.

Apparently the mayor went to the city treasurer to persuade her to issue the check ---- no need to trouble the City Council with such niggling details. Fortunately the treasurer balked, and the deal fell through.

One hundred thirty percent per month! To get a feel of the size of this performance promise, consider that San Diego's notorious crook and convicted pyramid scheme expert Jerry Dominelli promised only 60 percent a year.

One hundred thirty percent a month! According to my overworked calculator, in 12 months, through the magic of compound interest, that rate would have turned the $100,000,000 into $219,136,220,000,000. That incomprehensible number is more than $219 trillion! That's enough to pay off the annoying $9 trillion national debt, with $210 trillion left over to pay to build and operate the Sprinter (that should just about cover it).

After this near-debacle was disclosed in the press, Mayor Lyon decided not to run for re-election. But, sadly, apparently that was the only penalty he suffered.

Lyon was allowed to finish out his term in office. If he was eligible for one of those wonderful government pensions, he got it.

And that's my final point. We citizens may suffer from electing incompetent officials, but the officials themselves seldom face the consequences of their misdeeds.

Gotta go. My new best friend in Nigeria has $30 million he wants to wire to my bank account. You should be so lucky.

Richard Rider, chairman of San Diego Tax Fighters, is a freelance columnist for the North County Times.