A Modest Proposal

OK, I'm an English major so I know Jonathon Swift used that title first--a suggestion to eat Irish babies to solve the problems of the British Isles. But my 'modest proposal' will be seen as just as ludicrous by most people so I don't feel guilty about borrowing.

I have a proposal that would go a long way to deal with several pressing political problems in the United States, to whit (English major to the core, am I...): income inequality, the remarkable advantage held by incumbent members of the House and Senate (and anywhere else for that matter), and the horrible fact that money elects people, not ideas.

I haven't been left-wing nutty for a while, so it's time for my modest proposal.

Remove all limits to political candidates, parties or PAC's of any kind. Anyone, individuals, corporations or special interest groups can give unlimited amounts of money to political campaigns; however, those contributions would be taxed  @ 100%.

So, you give 20 dollars to your local town council members campaign and you also give $20 to the Federal Government. You give $1000 to your member of the House of Delegates and the same amount to the Federal Government. You give $2500 to your member of Congress and....well, you see how it works.

The Koch brothers can give a billion dollars to whatever Right Wing Nonsense they want as long as they write an identical check to the US Treasury.

And those dollars would be earmarked in the following way: 99% to social programs to help the poor and 1% to give public financing to candidates without deep pocket supporters.

Here's how that would shake out, I think.

Political Action Money would dry up immediately since most people who give to PACs don't like the government and wouldn't want to support it.

Contributions from individuals would eventually dry up because the tax would discourage them.

Until those two things happen, more money would be available for social programs.

Eventually, people would have to run for office on the basis of their ideas rather than the size of their campaign fund and we would elect people with good ideas about income inequality instead of people who are well funded.

Public financing of elections would be true in a matter of a few years.

This idea came to me while smoking a cigarette on the back porch. I know smoking is a BAD, BAD THING....but I get good ideas while committing suicide by cigarette....