We spent $6.8 billion this election — was it worth it?

Can you imagine what you’d do with a billion dollars? What about $6.8 billion? 

That’s how much was spent this election cycle. It was spent on sex talk, defending one’s reputation because of sex talk, women, “nasty women,” emails, defending one’s reputation because of emails, and other similar non-informative issues.                                            

{mosads}Have you actually thought about what nearly $7 billion could do? For one thing, look at our infrastructure, the roads and highways we use everyday. Fixing our infrastructure not only helps move commerce daily, it’s how we get from home to school, work, or to our local hot spots!

And, then there’s this little thing called education. Everybody needs one. Everybody wants a good one and all deserve a better one! Or what about the homeless in our cities? Most homeless are not sitting on street corners enjoying the scenes and catching some rays in stylish grunge-type garb. They’re often suffering from mental illness, down on their luck, or addicted to drugs.

There’s also our great military. With budget cuts, old equipment, and the need to recruit more great men and women, just think what a free billion (or six) could do. And, while we’re slinging cash out, think about other countries that are in dire straights and are fighting hunger, poverty, and lack of education.                                                                            

Just think about that cash for a minute. You ready? Well, that crazy cash came from you, me, small donors, deep pockets, and everyone else in-between. It’s not rocket science nor am I exposing a dark money secret.

Look at all those millions raised by Donald Trump and Bernie Sanders in this election cycle that were given by folks that were under $250. 

Trump broke Republican Party fundraising records, passing $100 million from donors who gave less than a couple hundred dollars, and Sanders repeatedly broke fundraising records as the months for his campaign passed.

Those small checks add up. Check out the infamous bundlers and fat cat mid-level donors on both sides of the aisle. All that money plus the Super Pacs was how we ended up with a $6.8 billion race.

You want to know what that money you pumped into the political system went for? It went for those damn ads that you saw that annoyed the hell out of you every single day leading up to the election! So, in a sense, you funded your own misery. And, while we are talking about waste, let’s have a little self-indulgent fun with this waste.

If you had that crazy cash, you could buy approximately 104 Gulfstream G650s, at $65 million each; more than 300 co-ops in the famous 740 Park Ave. building, at $22.5 million a flat; more than 21,000 Ferrari F12 Berlinettas (black or red!), at $323,000 a pop; 45,000 lady’s Birkin Bags, at $150,000 each (and that’s the low end); and more than 242,000 men’s Presidential Rolex watches at about $28,000 each!

Can you imagine the friends that would come with this package?                                                                         

Tired of this wasteful extravagant spending? Then stop the money momentum and replace it with more volunteering and demanding the candidate discuss the issues. Interact with grassroots movements and reign in this spending.

While I’m not discouraging contributing to campaigns — after all I made my living raising political dollars — I am saying it’s gotten a bit out of control and I see so many other things that need our financial attention rather than increasing the amount of funds that it takes to get a president elected.

We need a revolution folks, but we need to work for it and get our hands involved, not just our checkbooks.    

Nikpour is a national Republican pundit and author of Branding America.