Are we ready to change the system?

[Rajiv]

Re: Publicly funded elections

they must give a specified amount of equal time to each major candidate running for federal office.

How do you decide whether somebody is a "major candidate?"

The only way public financing of elections is going to work is if every voter has an equal say in who runs for office and the influence of wealth is taken out of the electoral equation.

One possible way

1. Only people eligible to vote can contribute to political campaigns - and to political parties

2. Corporations and individuals can make additional contributions, but only to a central pooled fund (primarily dependent on taxation,) which will then get divided between the parties and everyone running for office.

3. Every eligible voter gets a fixed number of "political dollars" that he/she can contribute to a political party, political candidate or referendum committee.

4. These collected "political dollars" are then used to pay for the services necessary to run a campaign. These political dollars are then converted to real dollars from the pooled fund by the parties receiving the same -- in a way not too different from local "alternative money"

[jtabeb]

Re: Publicly funded elections

How do you decide whether somebody is a "major candidate?"

The only way public financing of elections is going to work is if every voter has an equal say in who runs for office and the influence of wealth is taken out of the electoral equation.

One possible way

1. Only people eligible to vote can contribute to political campaigns - and to political parties

2. Corporations and individuals can make additional contributions, but only to a central pooled fund (primarily dependent on taxation,) which will then get divided between the parties and everyone running for office.

3. Every eligible voter gets a fixed number of "political dollars" that he/she can contribute to a political party, political candidate or referendum committee.

4. These collected "political dollars" are then used to pay for the services necessary to run a campaign. These political dollars are then converted to real dollars from the pooled fund by the parties receiving the same -- in a way not too different from local "alternative money"

Look at arizona's program, seems to work pretty god damned well to me. AND it would work nation wide. Don't reinvent the wheel if there is a solution that works.

Check it out on PBS, AWSOME idea, in practice, NOW! (just need it to go nationally)

[politicalfootballfan]

Re: Are we ready to change the system?

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