Current campaign procedures are clearly tilted toward those whose connections with money are most entrenched. This means quid pro quos, even if they can't be proven.
How to fix this is a real chore.
At the risk of pulling my own thread off-topic...
How to "fix this" was designed into the Constitution. The buzz-word is "limited government." Under the Constitution that once was in effect in this country, the federal government has very limited and defined powers, which are spelled out precisely and concisely in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution:
Section 8. The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;
To borrow Money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes;
To establish an uniform Rule of Naturalization, and uniform Laws on the subject of Bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin Money, regulate the Value thereof, and of foreign Coin, and fix the Standard of Weights and Measures;
To provide for the Punishment of counterfeiting the Securities and current Coin of the United States;
To establish Post Offices and post Roads;
To promote the Progress of Science and useful Arts, by securing for limited Times to Authors and Inventors the exclusive Right to their respective Writings and Discoveries;
To constitute Tribunals inferior to the supreme Court;
To define and punish Piracies and Felonies committed on the high Seas, and Offences against the Law of Nations;
To declare War, grant Letters of Marque and Reprisal, and make rules concerning Captures on Land and Water;
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;
To provide and maintain a Navy;
To make Rules for the Government and Regulation of the land and naval Forces;
To provide for calling forth the Militia to execute the Laws of the Union, suppress Insurrections and repel Invasions;
To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the Militia, and for governing such Part of them as may be employed in the Service of the United States, reserving to the States respectively, the Appointment of the Officers, and the Authority of training the Militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive Legislation in all Cases whatsoever, over such District (not exceeding ten Miles square), as may, by Cession of particular States, and the Acceptance of Congress, become the Seat of the Government of the United States, and to exercise like Authority over all Places purchased by the Consent of the Legislature of the State in which the Same shall be for the Erection of Forts, Magazines, Arsenals, dock-Yards, and other needful Buildings;-And
To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States, or in any Department or Officer thereof.
That is the sum-total of what our federal government is authorized to do. A fair bit of space for a forum quote, but really an extremely limited list.
How does that apply to your comment about campaign finance, you might ask? Simply this: Virtually all the
quid pro quos have to do with the federal government spending money on things that it is unconstitutional for them to be spending money on in the first place. Had we not permitted government power to grow into unconstitutional areas, there would not be the corruption problem that now exists.
If we were to follow our Constitution, then there wouldn't be a problem with campaign finance reform, because there would be very little in the way of "benefits" to be bought with campaign contributions.
In the words of Lord Acton, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." We have allowed our government to usurp power that it doesn't legally possess, and along with that power has grown a culture of corruption (in
both major parties). The only way to reduce the corruption is to curtail the power.
