There are no financial reforms on this wish list, which are necessary to make these other reforms stick:
Abolish PACs
Implement campaign finance limits
Implement campaign public funding
Curtail/abolish lobbying
The lobbying one is prickly. Hiring an advocate for groups like homeless people, charities, minorities, protected classes, etc. may be a necessary evil to help ensure that people are heard out. At the same time, it leaves the door wide open for anyone with big piles of money to do the same thing. I suppose we could say that a repaired election process would provide all the coverage we need, but then we’re probably back to “tyranny of the majority” arguments. I’m not saying it’s solvable, but clearly something should be changed.
You’ll need a constitutional amendment or a radical change up in the Supreme Court to abolish PACs. That’s considered a free speech issue. I am not sure I have high hopes of a constitutional amendment being passed in our lifetimes.
There are no financial reforms on this wish list, which are necessary to make these other reforms stick:
The lobbying one is prickly. Hiring an advocate for groups like homeless people, charities, minorities, protected classes, etc. may be a necessary evil to help ensure that people are heard out. At the same time, it leaves the door wide open for anyone with big piles of money to do the same thing. I suppose we could say that a repaired election process would provide all the coverage we need, but then we’re probably back to “tyranny of the majority” arguments. I’m not saying it’s solvable, but clearly something should be changed.
You’ll need a constitutional amendment or a radical change up in the Supreme Court to abolish PACs. That’s considered a free speech issue. I am not sure I have high hopes of a constitutional amendment being passed in our lifetimes.