One of the most competitive presidential elections in years is also on track to become the most expensive election ever, according to OpenSecrets.org, the web site of the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics.

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D.-N.Y.

Clinton raised $26.6 million in the fourth quarter and nearly $117.7 million through year-end 2007.

Top contributors so far: DLA Piper ($470,150); Goldman Sachs ($407,561); Morgan Stanley ($362,700); Citigroup ($350,895); and Lehman Brothers ($237,270).
Sen. Barack Obama, D.-Ill.

Obama raised $22.8 million in the fourth quarter and nearly $102.2 million by the end of 2007.

Top contributors so far: Goldman Sachs ($421,763); UBS ($296,670); Lehman Brothers ($250,630); National Amusements ($245,843); and JP Morgan Chase ($240,788).

This is why we call democracy a hidden totalitarianist system: there is no "freedom." People vote based on trends and what they see on TV, and what you see on TV is determined by the finance backing the candidates up. In other words, Clinton and Obama are just puppets--they'd win nothing unless these banking companies were backing them up with cash and media influence. So to summarize this: it's companies like Citigroup and Goldman Sachs that ultimately determine who's going to win this election, not "the people."