Who is the Federal Election Commission (FEC)?

Well....at the weakest point in the 1970s for the Republicans, with both the House and Senate controlled by the Democratic Party....the FEC was created in 1974. 

Their one and only job....to monitor Presidential elections, campaign financing, and act as some type of 'referee'. 

The group was to be made up of six officials....nominated by the President, and voted upon by the Senate.  They employ around 350 to 400 folks, and consume a yearly budget of 80 million (at least in 2017).

You go in and serve a term of six years, as a commissioner.  The rules say.....only three members from the Republican Party....three members from the Democratic Party.  Attempting to be independent?  Well....currently they have one individual who claims this status (Walther, 2008 appointed). 

Yes, you serve, until you are replaced.  So there is this odd feature of the six.....four of the six seats are filled with folks who had their term expired at least five years or more.  Two seats vacant. 

Typically, and this is another odd feature of the six.....just about everything comes down to a 3-to-3, or 2-to-2 vote. 

Most everyone will agree....for over a dozen years, that the FEC is broke, and unable to function at this point.  The desire to repair it?  This mostly gets into PACs and campaign financing....which neither party has much interest in the resolutions required to fix the FEC. 

The 2020 election likely to draw attention to this?  Well....here's the odd part of this story.  Donald Trump will likely take in over one-billion dollars....with the majority from the 'little-guy'.  If you were a pro-Democratic player....this ought to worry you.  It used to be the special people with big bucks who'd go and finance a Presidential campaign.  So it might screw up the whole process if this little-guy business were to continue into 2024 or 2028. 

But the other thing worrying folks.....this whole social media thing.  Could the FEC have enough power to curtail social media?  Do you want them with that much power? 

Was the FEC even a bright idea in 1974?  That is questionable today.  So when you hear chatter about the FEC.....there is some reason why political folks are hyped-up. 

Hurricanes, Electrical cars, and Florida

I sat today and was watching some video-clips of folks preparing to evacuate out of southern Florida. These were people who'd waited until Thursday or Friday to make the decision....and were short on gas. 

The lines were forming, and gas sales was brisk.....with some stations running out.

So what happens in 10 years when all these electrical cars have arrived?

Getting from Miami to central Alabama?  It's roughly 700 miles.  A Tesla?  It might do 240 miles on one good charge.  So upon leaving your home....you'd be talking about another charge in five hours.  That means at least four to six hours of a charge period, and then if you are lucky.....another five hours of driving time before it's dead.

The odds of you finding power stations for all of your crowd....along the interstate....heading to Alabama or Georgia? 

I have this gut feeling around 2030...when one-third of all cars are battery-run.....that when a hurricane episode occurs....most folks are going to stay right there, and give up the idea of evacuation.