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Campaign Finance Reform
Most campaign finance reform works on limiting contributions or spending. This is treating the symptom, not the cause. Over 90 % of the people have never made a political contribution. In the 2004 elections the current major parties raised just under 1.1 billion dollars. 120 million people voted in the 2004 election. 10 % of those people is 12 million. Multiply 12 million by 100 dollars. That amount of money, whether contributed to third parties or used to influence the current major parties ( see political contribution vouchers ) would have a significant impact. And only 60 % of the people voted. Those 12 million people are only 6 % of potential voters. If that 6 % of the people can't come up with 100 dollars to improve our political process, then we should consider admitting democracy is a failure and return to living under laws issued by edict of a king. Large contributors have two parties that represent their interests. If average voters want a political party that will represent their interests, they can't expect someone else to pay for it.
" The price of freedom is eternal vigilance "- Thomas Jefferson
For every 100 people that make contributions of 2000 dollars or more, there are many more than 2000 people that could afford to make 100 dollar contributions. There are more of us than there are of them. Average citizens need to stop obsessing over what large contributors are doing and concentrate on what we are not doing. The problem isn't the money going into politics, the problem is the money that isn't. Money collected by parties representing average citizens will also devalue the large contributions received by the current major parties. Currently, the money received by the current major parties is going up against nothing. This allows the current major parties to avoid important issues and focus on distractions and negative campaigning. Voters quickly tire of these ads and tune them out. They are only effective due to repetition and lack of alternatives. Money collected by parties representing average citizens would present a fresh message that will attract the attention of average citizens, even some that don't normally pay attention to politics. The next question is how to get people to contribute. |