ForumGarden

To insure that everyone qualified to run for President will be able to do so, the government will provide matching funds for the money you are able to raise up to a certain amount of money. This locks you in to spening only that amount of money.

If you are wealthy and have your own money to work with or can raise an enormous amount of money and do not need government money to run a campaign, you can spend as much as you want. There is no limit as to how much you can spend.

Does this not amount to rich candidates 'sort of' buying themselves into power?

Why have not reforms been put in place yet?!?

What kinds of reforms? The biggest one I'd support is what to do with the money that's left over. Right now a politician keeps what's left over, as I understand it. Some become instant millionaires. I think they should give the leftovers to their respective state governments, since it would not be nearly impossible to divvy up the money among the donors.



Any restrictions we place on the candidates will simply be balanced in some other way. There's no law against another group or individual to buy advertising time for a candidate they support without actually giving them a donation.



It's tough to balance it against freedom of speech.

Accountable;531771 wrote: What kinds of reforms? The biggest one I'd support is what to do with the money that's left over. Right now a politician keeps what's left over, as I understand it. Some become instant millionaires. I think they should give the leftovers to their respective state governments, since it would not be nearly impossible to divvy up the money among the donors.



Any restrictions we place on the candidates will simply be balanced in some other way. There's no law against another group or individual to buy advertising time for a candidate they support without actually giving them a donation.



It's tough to balance it against freedom of speech.


You make it sound so hopeless...............

I'm thinking you are right, but I don't want it to be this way!

SOJOURNER;532798 wrote: You make it sound so hopeless...............

I'm thinking you are right, but I don't want it to be this way!


If I'm not mistaken the British have an 'equal playing field' as far as air time for commercials, and I think monies as well. I'm sure someone can tell us.

SOJOURNER;532798 wrote: You make it sound so hopeless...............



I'm thinking you are right, but I don't want it to be this way!
Hopeless?!? It's not hopeless at all, not by a long shot! Tough is what it is. Hard. Difficult. A bitch to overcome, but hardly hopeless. It only becomes hopeless when people expect the people in power to take appropriate action - on their own - to put actions in place to reduce that power.



Didn't Einstein say something like we can't find the solution to a problem with the same kind of thinking? We won't, in the US, find a solution to our political woes in the siamese twin political party we call Democratic and Republican. Rather than asking what can they do, we should rather ask how else can we get it done.