Throw Me Somethin' Mister!!

I live in the heart of Mardi Gras and was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to ride on one of the floats this past weekend. We threw beads and stuffed animals into a fun wanting crowd and it made me think...there's a certain element of "power" in the brief moment you are giving a small something to a few people in a crowd that went to great lengths to be in the best place they could be to receive these small trinkets.
I can relate this feeling on a small level to the many senators and why they have such a hard time cutting anything out of the budget since they have constituents in their home states or districts, waiting for their small trinkets.
Of course we told friends what float we would be on, what side of the float, and they in turn told us exactly where they would be standing on the route so we would be prepared with armfuls of the best beads just for them... but there was also plenty to evenly throw to the rest of the crowd...
In these times of struggle that we all find ourselves in, there is a collective request for people to make sacrifices, spend less, save more, so that we can all get through this tough economic environment... but somehow there are politicians who hold on to their armfuls of loot just for their buddies while neglecting the rest of the crowd...
When you have senators and government officials telling their friends where exactly to stand on their parade route so they can throw them armfuls of no-bid contracts, and pet projects, it becomes exceedingly frustrating for the rest of the crowd who get next to nothing and who would simply be happy with the basics; better schools for our kids, and the right to collective bargaining to maintain a living wage.
So even though at the end of the day we are all well aware that you are going to throw your friends a few more special items than the strangers in the crowd, let the beads fly to everyone else too so we can feel as if you are actually in office to make your whole state and country a better place where people can feel they get something from the effort they are putting forth.