I just read the news that Illinois Governor (for now) Rod Blagojevich was only asking for $1 million for the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by President-elect Barack Obama. If true, that would be the cheapest U.S. Senate seat amongst the current holders of the office. I mean, come on, even in little old Vermont these seats cost more than that. Hell, our governor, Republican Jim Douglas, just spent a cool million to keep his job of cutting ribbons and otherwise turning over the state government to his merry band of right wing youngsters.

The phrase of the day amongst the breathlessly outraged over this Blago mess is “pay to play,” as in: People had to pay in order to play in the game of big-time politics. Hmm, we’re these people born yesterday?

Let’s see, Obama just paid $800 million to play in the game of presidential politics. And he won! Better yet, he’s now surrounding himself with a bevy of sitting governors, senators and congressmen and women in his cabinet who have all “paid to play” for decades. Obama’s chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel, for example, spent millions (yes, plural) on his congressional races and – better yet (for him, at least) – made more than $18 million in that coveted time he spent cashing in on his Clinton Administration connections before running for office. And where did that $18 million come from? Why, the financial industry, of course. All together now: Pay to play, indeed.

Poor Blago, he got caught being a cheap bastard. He must have offended those in his elite political class by offering the U.S. Senate seat for a mere $1 million. What was he thinking? With that kind of pay, you better be looking to play at Wal-Mart.

With all this outrage over “pay to play,” I certainly expect Congress to immediately enact full public financing of campaigns. Yeah, right.

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Now that the economic bomb is beginning to hit mainstream media outlets we’re now getting one story after another from the surviving journalists about the misery of it all. Hmm, where were they when the non-journalists were getting shit-canned faster than you can say “kiss my ass”?

Here in Vermont, the state’s largest media outlets have been laying off numerous employees, setting off a firestorm of boo-hoo pieces from their spared brethren (for now). The result, of course, will be even more benign (if that’s possible) journalism in Vermont that does little but print press releases from the “pay to play” politicians who – once elected – never seem to have to worry about their jobs. Thanks, press folks.

My guess is that all the laid-off journalists will be fine in Vermont. They’ll simply continue with what they’ve always done: Work for the political and economic elite. But, this time, it will be even more direct because they’ll be cashing checks directly from the political and economic elite, thus eliminating that pesky middle person: The Media Corporation. Hell, I’ll bet they’ll even be able to cut back on their sleeping meds now that it will be that much more clear about whom they’re working for. Cash, meet hand. Now write.

The real bummer in all of this will be for the poor working stiffs who still believe in the possibilities of democratically induced “change.” In other words, if you thought the media was complicit in war mongering, health care-denying, economic justice-blindness, and social injustice-conspiring before, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Because now they REALLY know who’s buttering their bread. For those with jobs (media people especially), this is no time to rock the boat.

The good news is that the Internet should provide an excellent medium for “alternative” news and views. In Vermont, there is still a gigantic vacuum of quality Internet-based citizen journalism yet to be filled, and I’m actually optimistic by recent private conversations from those who have spilled their dreams to me about filling that void. The so-called blogosphere in Vermont is a pathetic shadow of its possibilities. But I’m hopeful that given the current stew of an economic crisis and the dearth of Vermont-based Internet journalism, something is about to spring up that will begin to fill the void.

The newspapers are dying. The television and radio-based news outlets dying. It’s time for the alternative to rise up and provide the news, views and inspiration that is necessary to truly challenge the “pay to play” politics and, even better, give a voice and some reason to the real change we are all craving and deserve.

Real hope. Real change. Let’s make it happen.

You know how to reach me.