Money in politics has always been a touchy issue. From McCain-Feingold to Citizen’s United, the battle to balance respect for free speech with the legitimate threat of corruption and undue influence has been a divisive one. Solutions that have been proposed range from having publicly financed elections to removing all restrictions on donations have been proposed. This section addresses money, elections, and the unavoidable relationship between the two.
In 2012, independents will outnumber one of the major parties in 12 of the 53 Congressional districts, 10 of the 40 Senatorial districts, and 22 of the 80 Assembly districts.
The United States is losing its pragmatism, says Financial Times columnist Edward Luce, in a new book. This leads to polarization on ideological grounds, which means little gets done.
Worst of all, concentrated wealth means concentrated political power. In the age of SuperPacs and Citizens United, it is money that speaks the loudest in terms of electing politicians and influencing policy.
Yesterday in Sacramento, the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy and the California Fair Political Practices Commission hosted a symposium on campaign finance reform and disclosure.
The good done for society through millions spent on campaign contributions simply doesn’t hold a candle to contributions in support of curing a disease, making college educations more affordable or repairing our roads and bridges.
But there is another way to raise revenues – collect the taxes that are owed.
