Time To Get Really Serious

Fixing the Electoral Process, Part Two: Fundraising

As we all know it costs a lot of money to get elected to office these days, mainly due to high cost of advertising. But, as you may remember from Part One of my plan to bring sanity back to the American electoral process, the first thing we need to do is eliminate all political advertising.

Go read it here. I'll wait.

<soft humming sounds>

You're back. Good!

Once advertising is unnecessary this largely means that candidates no longer need to whore for money from anyone and everyone... the most unwholesome of the "everyone's" being corporations, which expect serious quid return for their pro quo investment.

We need, in fact, to forbid candidates or elected officials from taking any money from any person for their campaign needs. We, the public as a whole, can provide modest amounts for candidates to use for sundry costs. In fact, we do it now. All we're doing is removing influence form the process.

Candidates with their own fortunes ready at hand would have a small advantage under this scheme as there are some acts of "generousity" that can't be legislated... like buying a good left-handed power-hitter for the local ball club, but all such spending should be on the public record.

So no advertising and no monetary funding to use to sway the public's opinion. What does this leave? It leaves you, the patriotic American, free to educate yourself about the candidates and to compare notes with your friends and neighbors. It makes you part of the process again instead of just another mind to fill with fair-and-balanced propaganda.

The biggest advantage to this idea is that it minimizes the effects of political parties. And wouldn't THAT just be a damn shame if we picked the best guy for the job without having to pick his political machine, too?

=Lefty=