Hey, I picked up the check for dinner last time. This one is yours. It’s only $60,000. Why so much? Well, your wine was pretty fancy. And the main course was…five senators.

That is the going rate for senators these days. Joe Curl wrote about it in the Washington Times. You could dine with five senators if you kicked in $30,000 per head to the Democratic Party.

You can pony up for this sort of event all the time in Washington. And back in the politicians’ districts. You can pay many thousands to go hunting with a big-time pol. You can go to parties for representatives for several thousand bucks a pop.

You end up with a photo of you and the office-holder. If you kick in enough money, it may come with a personal thank you note.

The politicians call these…well, I am not sure what foolish name they use these days. They do not call them “fundraisers.” That would be too coarse. They do not call them “influence buying events.” That would be too close to the truth.

And they do not call them bribes. That would offend the donors, and the pols who have their hands out.

Maybe we can call them “dues.”