The amount of money spent on campaigns has gotten to be
astronomical. In 2012 over 6 billion dollars were spent. Without financial support a political campaign is doomed, and money does not always come easy. The U.S. would
benefit greatly if we enforce stricter campaign finance laws in order to limit the
amount of money being spent during a political campaign.
Candidates
waste so much time and money campaigning to win that they lose site of their
obligation to the public. I genuinely think that people wanting to run our
country start with good intentions and a mission that drives them, but
navigating through campaign bureaucracy often changes the game. The last time an
elected President aligned with neither the Democrat nor Republican party was in
1850. This is because rich special interest groups are vital in supporting
their party’s candidates, making it almost impossible for the underdog to get
past Primaries. In order to make their greater good happen candidates are
essentially forced to accept donations that may come with repercussions. Often
individuals and corporations that donate do so with the expectation of
political favors. This scenario is multiplied by 100’s to gain enough money to
run a campaign but then the newly elected officials end up with a huge laundry list
of everyone else’s to-dos. This sort of corruption is the basis for a lot of
voter dissatisfaction with our political system.
I propose
that we come up with a system that allows politicians to spend more time
legislating and less time fundraising. Campaign finance reform would even out
the playing field by making sure rich candidates stay within respectable spending
limits and give economically challenged candidates a fighting chance. Frivolous
campaign spending only causes a further divide between the candidates and the
public. Typically the largest portion of campaign money is spent on paid
advertisements, which are loaded with slander or are incredibly cheesy.
Expensive pamphlets and yard signs just end up in the landfill. Another large portion
of the money is spent on campaign staff. They spend a majority of their time
trying to raise more money. This process is superficial and out of control. It
needs to be scaled back.
Canada, Britain, Mexico and many other nations enforce campaign-spending limits. Britain’s short campaign period allows less time for money to be spent. Some European countries provide free radio and TV broadcasting for candidates. Mexico practices a mixed finance system, giving public funds to candidates while allowing for limited amount of private contribution. If the U.S. put into place strict campaign finance regulations it would help create a more representative government. Politicians could spend more time focusing on issues and less time trying to make friends with money. And they wouldn’t have to worry about keeping and making those financial relationships a top priority. I think that if the U.S. adopted campaign finance reform we’d have a more representative and functional government and voter satisfaction would be raised.
Canada, Britain, Mexico and many other nations enforce campaign-spending limits. Britain’s short campaign period allows less time for money to be spent. Some European countries provide free radio and TV broadcasting for candidates. Mexico practices a mixed finance system, giving public funds to candidates while allowing for limited amount of private contribution. If the U.S. put into place strict campaign finance regulations it would help create a more representative government. Politicians could spend more time focusing on issues and less time trying to make friends with money. And they wouldn’t have to worry about keeping and making those financial relationships a top priority. I think that if the U.S. adopted campaign finance reform we’d have a more representative and functional government and voter satisfaction would be raised.
1 comment:
I have never stopped to think about those people who run our government and their true role. I am surprise to find out that there are millions of dollars being wasted on campaigns just to get a say in the government. After reading "Needed: More time legislating and less time fundraising." written by Ashley Arnerich I have realized that I never really payed attention on how much money candidates spent on campaigns just to be able to have a say in our government, less likely I would know about all their "Supporters" whom help them out financially just because they also want a say in the government and they can't be there. It is really sad to realize that those runing our government worry more about keeping their "supporters" happy to stay in office than fixing our problems. If they really wanted to keep our country in good shape they wouldn't let any person manipulate them with money but because they want that seat in Congress they lose the real reason of why they are running.
I agree that there should be restrictions on how much money candidates should waste to keep it even and fair for everyone but also to make sure that they are not only doing it for the financial aid they get. Maybe our problems wouldn't be so serious. I may not make much sense because I just can't really see how it would be if we had regulations about this but think about it and read Ashley's post and then try to imagine if thing would be different. I believe everything would be better if not everything was about money and our problems could be more easily solved.
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