Max P. Sanders, 19 and a University of Minnesota student, recently offered his vote for a minimum bid of just $10 on the online auction site eBay. Perhaps I’m just being cynical, but I think this teenager understands the political process better than most. After all, isn’t every vote cast in this country sold to whichever candidate promises the most? Aren’t voters motivated by self-interest, or am I missing something?

Consider that the majority of Republicans vote for the candidate who promises to lower, or to at least not raise, taxes. Further consider that the majority of Democrats want all those goodies that the higher wage earners taxes give to them and so they vote for the candidate who promises higher, or to at least not to cut, taxes.

Seems to be a cut-and-dried formula. Want “free” welfare, Social Security, health care, and numerous other government gimmes? These and more are being offered for your vote. Or rather, the so-called promise of them is being offered for your vote. We all know that politicians don’t always deliver on their promises. All Sanders did was understand that all votes are for sale. He just tried to actually obtain a real and tangible benefit — cash — for his vote.

It can’t be that voting should be for something higher, a hallowed trust to be taken seriously and considered with great care. It can’t be that we should take it so seriously that we think of all those who suffered and died to assure us the liberty to choose freely when we step into the voting booth. If that were the case, we would be a lot better off today and certainly would not find ourselves with choices like Obama or McCain.

After the Minnesota Secretary of State’s Office advised prosecutors of the auction, the teenager was charged with bribery, treating and soliciting under an 1893 law that makes it a crime to offer to buy or sell a vote. He faces up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Bush’s economic stimulus plan called for rebate checks to be sent to virtually every taxpayer in America. Most individuals received $600 and couples got double that. Sure, Bush is not up for re-election but he does have an interest in keeping a Democrat out of the White House. Obama has promised to “give” us all health care. And that is certainly worth more even than Bush’s rebate.

Are either of them under prosecution? Of course not, despite the fact that both rebates and state-controlled health care are only two things (out of a whole host of things) in which government has no business. As to the rebates, government had no right in taking that much from us to begin with (where did you think all that money came from in the first place?) and they certainly had no right giving rebates to people who paid less into than the rebate amount than they received. And government health care will be like everything else the government takes control of: expensive, slow to respond, and maddeningly inefficient.

What some things are and what some things should be are often two entirely different things. What elections are in the U.S. is voting for the candidate that promises the most of whatever it is that you want. What they should be is voting for what is right and just regardless of whatever personal benefit may be gained or personal hardship may be suffered.

At least for many it is a mix of self-interest and the greater good. For Republicans, they vote for the greater good when they vote for the candidate that opposes abortion. Yet, at the same time, they vote for their own self-interest when the same candidate also wants to drill in ANWR — and other areas blocked by environmental crazies — to help lower oil prices. For Democrats, they vote for their own self-interest in raising taxes to take money out of the pockets of more successful Americans and put it into their own. Yet, at the same time, they at least believe they are voting for the greater good when they vote for the same candidate that promises to save the earth from evil capitalist polluters.

Human nature necessarily demands a bit of self-interest in almost every action we take. But, much to Sanders’ regret, government wants a monopoly on the buying of votes.

Jeff O’Bryant is an amateur historian and holds two degrees, a bachelor’s in education and a bachelor’s with honors in history. He can be contacted at jeffobryant@catt.com or through his blog at rightnewsandviews.com.