Campaign Finance Reform

Are our senators and congressmen voices of the people, or voices of the special interests? Campaign finance reform has been an issue in almost every election in the past 10 years. Those candidates that have lots of money to spend are quiet about it, but those candidates who do not complain about it and make an issue of it. Most Americans would agree that the campaign fundraising process must be changed, but little action has been taken.
Among the various obstacles preventing Congress from enacting significant campaign finance reform is the Supreme Court case Buckley v. Valeo. As a result of the Watergate affair, Congress attempted to flush out corruption in campaigns by restricting contributions to candidates. The law also set limits on the amount of money one person can contribute to a single campaign and the amount a group can contribute. Individual political contributions are capped at $1,000 to any single candidate per election, with an overall annual limitation of $25,000 by any contributor. …