(It’s Very Simple)

I’m no lawyer. If you are, and this seems like a good idea to you, please let me know how to improve on it, and what next steps should be taken to try to turn it into law.

My Campaign Finance Reform idea:

1.) Only voters can contribute to campaigns.

• Corporations, trade groups, lobbies, unions, etc. cannot cast votes, so they cannot contribute to campaigns.
• They also cannot purchase advertising, travel, seminars, junkets, vacations, or other marketing-related products for elected officials. If these groups want to influence U.S. policy, they will have to inform the voter on the issues, not influence the official directly.

2.) Each voter (U.S. citizens over the age of 18) can contribute a maximum of 3% of last year’s Median Household Income to each campaign, annually.

• This should encourage lawmakers to focus on policy which helps the middle-class’ incomes to rise. i.e., if 2010′s median household income is $40,000, each voter can contribute a max of $1,200 per campaign. Of course, most households will not contribute the max, but also the wealthiest households will not be able to buy undue influence from elected representatives.
• All contributions will be public record.
• No non-voter may contribute anything of value (including money, goods, and/or services) to an elected representative’s campaign. Any other contributions to an elected official (not to their campaign, but straight to the person) will be considered bribery, and is a prosecutable criminal offense.

UPDATE: This guy (Lawrence Lessig) seems to understand the “root” of the problem:

Political Money and the need for Campaign Finance Reform.

Part 2 of The Daily Show interview:

UPDATE (AGAIN):

Here’s a great piece that points out the need for a Constitutional Amendment to truly achieve Campaign Finance Reform (It’s possible, we’ve passed 27 amendments in our young nation’s history).

Stop Being Cynical About Corporate Money in Politics and Start Being Angry

Citizens United handed our country over to corporations. Time to take it back.

—By Bill McKibben | Thu Jan. 5, 2012